I Secretly Read My Boss' Diary (GL) - Chapter 2

May 3rd, the first day I took the little fool out to play.

Ever since receiving her invitation yesterday, it’s felt like I’m living in a dream.

I was so surprised when she invited me, thinking I had finally earned a place in her heart. But when I saw the momentary surprise on her face after I nodded, I realized her invitation might have been just a casual remark, while I had taken it seriously.

It hurts, but I want her to see me the way I see her, even if only for a fleeting moment…

********

Later events proved that my shameless decision to follow him was absolutely the right one. On the way back, it started raining, and Silly and I shared an umbrella. I accidentally touched his hand~

Haha, it was so small and soft, with a little dimple on the back—utterly, utterly adorable!

This was the first time Yan Zhao had seen the diary’s owner use a wavy line in her entries. Though the handwriting remained as neat and precise as if printed by a machine, Yan Zhao could still sense the writer’s overwhelming joy at that moment.

In a daze, she imagined two figures hurrying through the rain under a shared umbrella. The taller one turned to look at the girl beside him, his gaze as gentle as water, while the other remained oblivious, focused solely on walking.

Yan Zhao glanced at the small parasol resting on the nearby table. She guessed it must be the very umbrella the diary’s owner had shared with that person. Judging by the diary’s thickness, this incident had likely occurred long ago. Yet the umbrella, despite its age, looked as pristine as if it had just been bought.

For some reason, Yan Zhao felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She envied Silly intensely and felt a faint ache of sympathy for the other fool.

“Yan Zhao, wake up! Stop sleeping! I bought you some congee—eat it while it’s hot, or you’ll feel sick again this afternoon.”

Dong Wan’s boisterous voice startled Yan Zhao so badly she nearly fell off her chair. She jerked upright, clutching her chest to calm her racing heart.

“Jesus, you scared me half to death!” Yan Zhao exclaimed, glancing at the computer clock. She realized she’d been asleep for a full hour.

“You guys were out for an hour? Watch out, the new boss might chop your heads off!” Yan Zhao grinned, making a chopping motion with her hand.

Dong Wan rolled her eyes and ignored her. Bored, Yan Zhao swiveled her chair and opened the white porridge Dong Wan had brought. To her surprise, she found a box of strawberry-flavored biscuits beside it.

“Thanks, Dong Wan!” Yan Zhao said, tearing open the package and popping a biscuit into her mouth. “Why are you being so nice today? White porridge and biscuits? Did you win the lottery?”

“You’re eating, so shut up and stop bothering me. I’m working. Some idiot client is trying to show off their ‘intelligence’ again—it’s infuriating! Sister Fang, let me print this document first.”

Dong Wan finished her rant and darted toward the printer like a rocket.

Yan Zhao, biscuit dangling from her mouth, watched Dong Wan’s antics with amusement, chuckling gleefully. But as she turned her head, she froze. General Manager Gong was standing in the office doorway.

Like a startled quail, Yan Zhao shrank her neck and slowly turned around, inching the biscuit into her mouth.

Gong Muyu heard Yan Zhao’s voice from afar as she returned from the restroom. Just as she reached the doorway, she saw Yan Zhao clutching a cookie and staring at her as if she’d seen a ghost. A wave of irritation washed over her. But what angered her even more was that, even after all these years, this silly girl still hadn’t recognized her…

Though her appearance had changed somewhat over the years, they had known each other for two years in college. During that time, Gong Muyu had orchestrated countless intentional or unintentional “chance encounters” with Yan Zhao. Surely she should have become at least vaguely familiar with her face by now.

It seemed Yan Zhao had completely forgotten her after she left, or perhaps she had never remembered her at all…

At this thought, Gong Muyu’s eyes darkened. Just as she was about to turn and enter her office, she saw Manager Zhang approaching with a stack of documents.

“General Manager Gong, these documents require your signature.”

“Mm, very well,” Gong Muyu said, taking the files from Zhang Sheng. “From now on, just call me by my name.”

Returning to her desk, Gong Muyu glanced through the documents while speaking to Zhang Sheng. Finding no issues, she signed them immediately.

“You’re still a leader, so calling you by your first name might be a bit disrespectful. Your surname is quite rare and doesn’t sound very pleasant when spoken. How about we call you General Manager Mu from now on?”

Zhang Sheng occasionally flattered his superiors, but he was generally straightforward, sincere, and fiercely protective of his subordinates.

Though he sometimes lost his temper with his team, it was usually due to work-related mistakes. Many feared him and complained about him, but few genuinely disliked him.

“Call me whatever you like, as long as you get the work done.”

Gong Muyu signed the documents and handed them to Zhang Sheng. “Arrange a company-wide meeting for this afternoon. I need to meet the department heads and get acquainted.”

“Great! We can also discuss how to welcome you properly, General Manager Mu.”

Gong Muyu was about to decline, but as the words formed in her mind, she suddenly remembered the silly girl outside, munching on a cookie. She nodded instead.

“That works. I’ll treat everyone. It’ll be a good chance to get to know everyone.”

Hearing this, Zhang Sheng responded with an enthusiastic “Yes!”

After Gong Muyu signed all the documents and handed them over, she left the General Manager’s office. Looking up, she saw Yan Zhao was already awake, her head bowed, seemingly focused on something.

Zhang Sheng suddenly remembered the scolding he had just received from the new boss. He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and strode toward Yan Zhao’s workstation.

Yan Zhao, who was working on a project proposal, heard a loud thump beside her as several files landed heavily on her desk. Startled, she looked up at Zhang Sheng’s dark, stormy face, fearing she had made a mistake. She quickly stood up from her chair.

“S-Supervisor, what’s wrong? Why are you so angry?”

The surrounding colleagues were also startled by Zhang Sheng’s violent gesture. They turned to watch Yan Zhao and Zhang Sheng in the corner, eager to hear what had provoked such a furious outburst.

However, Zhang Sheng’s thunderous roar soon fizzled into a mere drizzle. Seeing Yan Zhao’s frightened, cowering demeanor, his scolding words softened before they could even leave his mouth. His heart melted a little.

Yan Zhao pursed her lips, rolled her eyes at Zhang Sheng, and asked irritably, “What did you do yesterday? The new boss caught you sleeping during work hours and gave you a tongue-lashing without a second thought.”

Having worked under Zhang Sheng since graduation, Yan Zhao knew he wasn’t truly angry. Still, hearing about his scolding made her feel a pang of guilt.

“I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately,” she explained, “with those two particularly demanding clients they just assigned me. Plus, I think I’m coming down with a cold and haven’t been sleeping well. Don’t worry, I’ll be more careful next time.” As she spoke, Yan Zhao deftly gathered the documents Zhang Sheng had slammed onto the desk.

Through the transparent file folder, Yan Zhao spotted Gong Muyu’s signature and couldn’t help but marvel.

“Our new boss has such beautiful handwriting. She must have practiced a lot.”

Zhang Sheng glanced at the signature at the bottom of the document. Though he secretly envied Gong Muyu’s neat, angular script, he refused to admit it.

“Who says? Liu Yiyang’s handwriting is pretty good too. Look at him—always goofing off and never taking anything seriously!”

Liu Yiyang, caught in the crossfire, was about to retort when Zhang Sheng glared at him, prompting him to wisely shrink back and lower his head. Yan Zhao couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

“Manager Zhang, weren’t you supposed to notify everyone to go to the conference room? Why are you still standing here?”

“…I’ll go after delivering these documents to the Archives.”

Zhang Sheng turned to face Gong Muyu, who was standing by Sister Fang’s desk, his expression instantly softening. He shot Yan Zhao another glare, huffed, and strode away with the documents.

Gong Muyu observed Yan Zhao standing timidly at her desk and sighed. Approaching her, she noticed Yan Zhao’s pale complexion. “Manager Zhang mentioned you worked overtime last night?”

“Ah, yes… that’s right…”

Yan Zhao nodded with a forced smile, surprised that Manager Zhang had reported this to the new boss.

“While dedication is commendable, lack of rest hinders efficiency.” Gong Muyu glanced around the office. “From now on, employees who work overtime one night may arrive later the following day. This office is for work, and I don’t want to see anyone looking listless or dazed.”

“Also, everyone, please temporarily stop what you’re doing and head to the conference room. We’ll have a brief meeting first.” With that, Gong Muyu turned and walked toward the main conference room.

As she turned, her waist-length hair brushed past Yan Zhao’s face, leaving a faint, fruity fragrance lingering in the air. Yan Zhao looked up at Gong Muyu’s retreating figure, thinking that the new General Manager’s attitude was indeed fierce, but upon reflection, her words seemed quite considerate of the employees. Moreover, if Gong Muyu hadn’t intervened, Yan Zhao would have been subjected to Zhang Sheng’s incessant nagging for at least half an hour.

While pondering this, Yan Zhao began tidying her desk. Behind her, Dong Wan wheeled her chair over to Yan Zhao, her face glowing with infatuation. “Hey, A Zhao, did you see? Our new General Manager has an amazing figure! That tiny waist—wow, I bet I could wrap my arm around it!”

“Pfft! Before you could even pounce, she’d slap you into next week. Wait, that’s not right!” Yan Zhao sized Dong Wan up and said with mock seriousness, “With your weight, I doubt even our General Manager could knock you over.”

Dong Wan had expected Yan Zhao to come up with something clever, but when she heard the girl’s cutting remark, she immediately jumped up from her chair, ready to pinch her. Fortunately, Yan Zhao was quick on her feet and darted behind Sister Fang for cover.

Defeated, Dong Wan gritted her teeth and vowed, “Just you wait! One day, I’ll wrap my arms around the General Manager’s waist, you’ll see!”

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