I Secretly Read My Boss' Diary (GL) - Chapter 8

Yan Zhao, Dong Wan, and Liu Yiyang enjoyed a cheerful lunch together. As they strolled back, ice cream cones in hand, Zhang Sheng called them before they even reached the office building.

Hearing Zhang Sheng’s stern tone urging them to return immediately, Liu Yiyang quickly agreed and hung up. He tossed his ice cream into a nearby trash can, called out to the still-leisurely Yan Zhao and Dong Wan, and sprinted upstairs.

Panting, the trio raced to the third floor, where Zhang Sheng and Sister V had already been summoned to the General Manager’s Office. They exchanged a glance, nudged Liu Yiyang forward, and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Gong Muyu’s voice carried a hint of anger, her already cold tone even icier than usual. Yan Zhao followed Liu Yiyang into the room, stealing a glance at Gong Muyu’s slightly pale cheeks before quietly slipping behind Zhang Sheng and Da Lin.

Seeing that everyone from the Operations Department had arrived, Gong Muyu stood up and tossed a file onto the desk in front of Zhang Sheng.

“Manager Zhang, review this order and the corresponding schedule.”

Zhang Sheng glanced up at Gong Muyu’s expression before reaching for the file. As he flipped through the pages, his face darkened. He looked up at Sister V and Yan Zhao, then pulled the order form from the folder and handed it to Yan Zhao.

“Yan Zhao, you’ve been in the Operations Department for over three years, haven’t you? How could you make such a basic mistake? Dimensions are fundamental knowledge in this industry—it’s practically common sense. If the client didn’t understand, why didn’t you remind them?”

Sister V took the order form and glanced at it, frowning as she waited for Zhang Sheng to finish scolding them. “Zhao discussed this order with me when she took it,” Sister V said. “She spotted a problem and called them to warn them, but they wouldn’t listen. They insisted we follow their plan. Now that things have gone wrong, why are they coming to us?”

“Where’s the proof?” Gong Muyu asked from her chair, looking at Sister V.

“What?” Sister V asked, suddenly confused.

“You said you warned them, but where’s the evidence? Is there an email or a chat log from the Operations Department?”

Yan Zhao and Sister V froze at Gong Muyu’s words.

It was clear that she had neither an email nor a chat log to support her claim. Yan Zhao, her face pale, said to Gong Muyu, “I really did tell Mikai. I said that using these types of containers would definitely cause problems when loading the cargo. She said that wasn’t our concern…”

Yan Zhao didn’t finish her sentence before Gong Muyu raised her hand to cut her off.

“You’re a long-time employee of our company, and I trust you completely. But the client is demanding proof. This batch of goods was damaged during packing due to unsuitable containers. The compensation for this order is substantial. Even if Mikai once said those things to you, do you really think she’ll admit it now?”

“Knowing full well it was wrong, you still followed their instructions without preserving any evidence? Are you going to be foolish just because they are?”

Gong Muyu’s voice was harsh, her icy gaze piercing Yan Zhao like a plunge into a frozen abyss.

After her scolding, Gong Muyu noticed Yan Zhao’s eyes were slightly reddened, and a pang of regret tugged at her heart. But no matter how much she felt for Yan Zhao, this fundamental error couldn’t be overlooked.

This wasn’t just about assigning blame; it was about teaching her how to handle demanding clients in the future.

“I’m sorry, General Manager Mu. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“It’s not just about paying more attention—we need to completely eliminate these issues! I hope this is the first and last time such a situation occurs. The Operations Department must learn from this. Now, everyone, get back to work.”

With that, Gong Muyu glanced at Yan Zhao, who was trailing behind the others with her head bowed. After a moment’s hesitation, she finally said, “Yan Zhao, stay behind.”

Yan Zhao stiffened involuntarily at the command, glancing at Zhang Sheng and Sister V before turning back to Gong Muyu’s desk.

Seeing her pitiful expression, Gong Muyu gestured to the chair opposite her desk. “Sit down.” She then retrieved the documents from the table and placed them back in front of Yan Zhao.

“I see your authorization form includes the contact person’s details. I’ve reviewed each member of the Operations Department’s client assignments. You’ve been handling the CHI family for quite some time, and while familiarity is good, we must still follow proper procedures.”

“Take this incident, for example. When you noticed the problem, you should have emailed them directly, pointing out the issue. Whether they choose to ignore our advice or consider it is their decision.”

“With this approach, any subsequent issues that arise will be entirely their responsibility. If they try to act in bad faith, we can simply present the email as evidence to call them out.”

Yan Zhao was surprised to hear Gong Muyu, a typically serious person, use the term “call them out.” She glanced up at her, but seeing Gong Muyu’s finger still pointing at the printed order Yan Zhao had prepared earlier, she quickly refocused her attention on the document.

“CHI recently appointed a new leader, leading to frequent personnel changes. They’re also scrutinizing our existing partnerships more closely. I know managing this client is under immense pressure, but that’s precisely why we need to be extra cautious.”

As Gong Muyu spoke, she glanced up at Yan Zhao, who was listening intently. A fleeting hint of tenderness flickered in her eyes. When Yan Zhao nodded and looked back at her, Gong Muyu quickly blinked to conceal the affection in her gaze, swiftly shifting her gaze elsewhere.

“In addition to that, you need to pay special attention to all future emails related to CHI. Carefully check every contact listed. If you see anyone you don’t recognize, be sure to ask Manager Zhang or come to me before replying.”

As Yan Zhao spoke, her phone buzzed with an email notification. She glanced down at the screen and saw the sender was Mikai.

After excusing herself to Gong Muyu, Yan Zhao opened the email. As expected, two unfamiliar names appeared in the CC field. The email’s content addressed the very order issues they had been discussing.

And, just as Gong Muyu had predicted, Mikai had shifted all the blame onto Yan Zhao, questioning why she hadn’t raised these problems earlier.

Though Yan Zhao had mentally prepared herself for this, she still felt a surge of anger and resentment. How could Mikai, who had once been so warm and friendly, so brazenly pin all the blame on her?

Deep down, Yan Zhao knew she couldn’t fault anyone but herself. This was the consequence of her own lack of diligence. If she hadn’t been lazy and had simply followed up with Mikai via email, Mikai would have had no grounds to shift the blame. Now that the situation was irreversible, all she could do was find a way to mitigate the damage.

“General Manager Mu, how should I reply?” Yan Zhao asked, holding her phone out to Gong Muyu.

Gong Muyu skimmed through the email, her brow furrowing as she read. Her slender, pale fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk, a clear sign she was deep in thought.

Having worked with Yan Zhao for some time, Gong Muyu was familiar with her. Hearing Yan Zhao’s sudden shift from her earlier aggrieved and angry tone, she couldn’t help but turn to look at her. Seeing Yan Zhao’s eyes still slightly red-rimmed but her demeanor noticeably composed, Gong Muyu felt a flicker of satisfaction. Even though she’s still a bit clueless, her attitude has improved significantly.

Yan Zhao kept the phone screen from locking while carefully observing Gong Muyu’s expression.

The two had previously shared an accidental moment of intimacy. In her panic at the time, Yan Zhao hadn’t paid much attention to Gong Muyu. Now, both leaning over the desk, they were only thirty centimeters apart.

At this close range, Yan Zhao could clearly see Gong Muyu’s thick eyelashes, like tiny fans fluttering with each blink. The sight made her heart flutter, and she nearly reached out to touch them.

How could Gong Muyu not feel Yan Zhao’s intense gaze? Her mind went momentarily blank, and even her rhythmic tapping on the desk faltered.

After waiting a moment, Yan Zhao’s gaze remained fixed on her face. Gong Muyu finally snapped, glaring at her and demanding in a low voice, “What are you staring at?”

The moment Gong Muyu spoke, Yan Zhao felt her mind short-circuit. There was a hint of shyness in her tone, or was she imagining it? The thought of Gong Muyu, the black-faced Terror, acting bashful and coquettish sent a shiver down Yan Zhao’s spine. She instantly tossed her phone onto the desk.

“N-nothing! I wasn’t looking at anything!” Yan Zhao stammered, waving her hands. But she immediately realized her mistake—she had been staring at Gong Muyu for quite a while. Claiming she hadn’t been looking at anything was a blatant lie.

Yet she couldn’t exactly say, “Your eyelashes are too long and beautiful! I got mesmerized.” Such a confession would likely earn her a swift kick out of the General Manager’s Office on charges of harassment from the black-faced Terror before her.

“General Manager Mu, you have a grain of rice stuck to your cheek,” Yan Zhao said with a sheepish grin, pointing to her own cheek.

Gong Muyu never suspected Yan Zhao would lie. The thought of having food stuck to her face embarrassed her. She quickly wiped her cheek, but Yan Zhao continued to stare innocently. Gong Muyu picked up the phone from the desk and handed it back to Yan Zhao.

“Forward this email to me. I’ll review it carefully and then send you a separate email with instructions on how to respond.”

With that, Gong Muyu glanced at her computer, noticing several unread emails. She waved Yan Zhao out of the office.

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