My Childhood Friend, Who Is An Omega, Has Become My Personal Secretary - Chapter 17

“I wanted you to be able to see me the moment you returned.”

It was nearly eleven o’clock by the time she headed back, and the nights in City A were as bright as day.

Through the car window, Ji Zeyuan caught a glimpse of a sea of flowers among a cluster of street stalls. The colorful buds were bursting with life, delicate and dripping with beauty. Yet, amidst this vibrant crowd of flowers, there was a touch of simple, quiet green that stood apart.

Ji Zeyuan’s gaze was pulled toward it involuntarily. The moment the car brushed past the flower stall, she called for the driver to stop.

The small stall owner looked in astonishment at Ji Zeyuan as she stepped out of the luxury car, staring blankly at her beauty.

“How much is this?” Ji Zeyuan picked up a small pot of four-leaf clovers. The plants were very tender, having just sprouted, their green hue exceptionally fresh.

Snapping back to his senses, the stall owner held up five fingers. “Five yuan.”

Ji Zeyuan nodded, and the driver stepped forward to pay the bill.

The fresh scent reminded her of Zhang Linen—the way the plant stood lonely and solitary amidst a hundred flowers always evoked the image of Zhang Linen held in Ji Zeyuan’s memory.

Ji Zeyuan placed the tiny pot of four-leaf clovers on her lap, gently cupping her hands around it to protect it from the jolts of the car.

On the way, another message arrived from Zhang Linen.

“Where are you?”

Ji Zeyuan replied, “Almost there.” Then she asked, “Is your body feeling any better?”

“Mhm. And you? Coming back so late, there must be a lot of documents to handle. I can go back to work tomorrow.”

“Not many. Come back only when your body has fully recovered.”

Zhang Linen stared intently at that last sentence, an involuntary smile curling the corners of her lips.

The balcony floor was icy, the chill traveling up from her bare feet. Zhang Linen set her phone aside and leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, pressing herself against the clear, transparent glass, gazing wistfully at the sparse traffic and pedestrians below.

About ten minutes later, Ji Zeyuan arrived at the base of the building. She got out of the car and headed inside, but halfway there, a thought flashed through her mind. She looked up toward the floor where her home was located.

The lights were on, and Ji Zeyuan could vaguely see a figure on the balcony.

Her heart rate quickened inexplicably, and her pace toward home accelerated.

The elevator reached the tenth floor. As Ji Zeyuan stepped out and approached the front door, she carefully tucked the newly purchased four-leaf clover into her coat before entering the door code.

The moment the door opened, the bright lights and Zhang Linen—leaning against the cabinet waiting for her—came into view. A wave of warmth quietly surged in Ji Zeyuan’s heart.

When Ji Zeyuan was abroad, there was no one in her dorm except her and Mia. Mia was often out carousing, so she was frequently alone during every holiday—New Year’s, Mid-Autumn Festival, Christmas.

“Why are you waiting here?” Ji Zeyuan asked with a faint smile.

Leaning against the wall, Zhang Linen looked at Ji Zeyuan tenderly and said, “I wanted you to be able to see me the moment you returned.”

Ji Zeyuan froze slightly, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly as she withdrew her smile.

“I’m back now, so you should rest easy,” Ji Zeyuan said.

Zhang Linen didn’t move; her gaze followed Ji Zeyuan’s every motion.

After a moment, she reached out and caught Ji Zeyuan’s arm. Ji Zeyuan was startled, instinctively wanting to push her away.

“What is that in your coat?” Zhang Linen asked softly.

Ji Zeyuan immediately checked the hand she was about to lift. She lowered her head and said haltingly, “Nothing, just a small green plant.”

Gazing at Ji Zeyuan, Zhang Linen smiled and asked, “Can I not see it? Was it a gift from someone?”

As she spoke, Zhang Linen’s grip tightened slightly.

Ji Zeyuan slowly drew the hand holding the four-leaf clover out from her coat.

“I saw it by the roadside and thought it looked nice, so I bought it.” Ji Zeyuan held the tiny four-leaf clover up in front of Zhang Linen.

Zhang Linen’s eyes crinkled. She took the small pot.

“Do you like four-leaf clovers? I can grow them for you,” Zhang Linen said.

It’s because it looks like you. It’s because I like… you.

Ji Zeyuan pressed her thin lips together and said nothing, quietly watching Zhang Linen.

Zhang Linen’s gaze flickered over Ji Zeyuan’s slightly furrowed brow before she quickly looked away.

The pot of four-leaf clovers was placed on the nightstand in the bedroom.

“Goodnight,” Ji Zeyuan said, turning to head back to the guest bedroom. But before she could leave, her wrist was caught by Zhang Linen.

Zhang Linen’s eyes were hazy as she lightly rubbed her cheek against the back of Ji Zeyuan’s hand.

“Xiao Yuan, do you still remember?” Zhang Linen murmured in a low voice. “When we were little, before you differentiated, you always asked me to stay at your house and sleep with you.”

Ji Zeyuan remained silent, offering no answer.

“Stay with me for a while, okay?” Zhang Linen requested softly. “Xiao Yuan…”

Ji Zeyuan’s body trembled; she nearly lost her composure. She took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, and said, “Go to sleep first. I’ll stay until you’ve fallen asleep.”

Zhang Linen looked up at Ji Zeyuan, then closed her eyes in disappointment and turned her back.

“I’m sleeping. You should go rest too.”

Ji Zeyuan’s lips moved as if to say something, but in the end, she couldn’t utter a word and left in silence.

After being absent for over a day, it had no effect on Zhang Linen. The moment she returned to her post, she immediately became the sharp and direct Secretary Zhang.

During the lunch break, Hua Jianjiu took the initiative to find Zhang Linen.

“What happened to you yesterday? You didn’t reply to any of the messages I sent you,” Hua Jianjiu asked.

Zhang Linen kept her head down, processing work as she replied, “Nothing much. My heat just came early.”

Hua Jianjiu paused. “Are you okay now?”

Zhang Linen nodded expressionlessly. She closed the folder, glanced up at Hua Jianjiu, and asked, “Would I be here if I weren’t?”

Hua Jianjiu was choked up, unable to find words.

“Is something wrong?” Zhang Linen asked.

Hua Jianjiu let out a startled “Ah,” and her expression became serious.

“People in my group said they saw someone coming out of your office two days ago. They seemed to be taking something, acting very suspicious… it was a strange foreign face. You should check your things to see if anything is missing.”

Zhang Linen’s expression didn’t change, and her tone remained calm and unruffled. “I checked the surveillance this morning. That was Xiao Yuan’s friend. She just took a business card for Shen Jiuyue from my desk.”

Hua Jianjiu was dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.

Took Shen Jiuyue’s business card? Isn’t she a celebrity? Can contact information be given away so freely? No… why does Zhang Linen react as if she knew all this beforehand?

A storm of thoughts raced through Hua Jianjiu’s mind. Before she could straighten out the logic, Zhang Linen suddenly raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is there anything else?”

“…No,” Hua Jianjiu replied hesitantly. She struggled for a moment, convinced herself it was none of her business, and then nodded and left.

The day after promising Shen Jiuyue, Ji Zeyuan decided on the outing time and notified her via text.

“This Friday. But only from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. I will arrive on time and leave on time.”

About a minute after the message was sent, Shen Jiuyue replied.

“President Ji, how can you still bargain like this?”

Ji Zeyuan looked at the message, unsure how to respond, so she set her phone aside and buried herself in work.

After over an hour of work, her phone rang with a special notification tone. Ji Zeyuan immediately stopped what she was doing; this was the exclusive ringtone she had set for Zhang Linen.

“The promotional video is getting a good response. President Wang from Yuebo Media wants to increase the subsequent endorsement fee for Shen Jiuyue.”

Ji Zeyuan frowned and replied, “Did he say how much he wants to add?”

“Five million. I already refused; Shen Jiuyue isn’t worth that much.”

“What did the other side say?”

“He wants to talk to you personally.”

Taking everything into account, as a popular star, Shen Jiuyue had a massive fan base, including fans with high purchasing power who contributed significantly to product sales. If the spokesperson were changed arbitrarily, not only would that segment of target customers be lost, but the product might also face a backlash from fans.

After a moment of thought, Ji Zeyuan replied, “Arrange a thirty-minute slot in my schedule for him. If he can make it, I’ll hear what he has to say.”

“Okay.”

After replying to Zhang Linen, Ji Zeyuan took a look at other messages and was startled to find that Shen Jiuyue had sent several.

“Fine, President Ji, you can’t back out again.”

“President Ji, I got a link for a masquerade mask from the film crew. I bought two. We can wear these masks when we go out so we won’t be recognized.”

Below were two photos of masks: one was a stuffed white bunny, and the other was a big macaque.

“Which one does President Ji want to choose?”

Ji Zeyuan frowned and examined the two masks carefully. After serious thought, she replied: “Neither.”

Shen Jiuyue replied within half a minute: “Does President Ji mean we should just play openly and honestly?”

Ji Zeyuan replied with a furrowed brow: “Wear a hat and a mask, and find a more secluded amusement park.”

“Eh, but then we can’t drum up any scandals.”

“Drumming up a scandal is an added value, not a necessity. Besides, paparazzi will find you automatically. If you don’t hide, do you want to be surrounded by people and unable to leave?”

“Fine, President Ji, your words are as airtight as ever.”

Below, Shen Jiuyue sent a pink lop-eared bunny emoji. Ji Zeyuan felt that continuing the conversation was pointless and decisively exited the chat.

After working for quite a while longer, Ji Zeyuan looked up to find it was already five in the afternoon. She closed her eyes tiredly, using her knuckles to slowly massage her temples in a clockwise motion.

Suddenly, the phone rang with Zhang Linen’s exclusive notification tone again.

Ji Zeyuan opened her eyes and checked her phone. As she expected, it was another inquiry asking if she had eaten dinner.

“I knew you were going to ask. Not yet. Have you eaten?” Ji Zeyuan replied.

“I’m eating now. If you haven’t prepared anything, I have an extra portion here. Come over and make do with this,” Zhang Linen replied.

It’s normal for sisters to have a meal together.

Ji Zeyuan told herself this in her mind, then took her phone and stood up, walking toward the partition door that led from her office to the secretary’s office.

She pushed open the frosted glass door. Her gaze swept across the room; the messy piles of documents and the walls had squeezed Zhang Linen into a semi-enclosed space. Zhang Linen was eating a quick-service sandwich in small bites. Hearing the door open, she looked up, her peach-blossom eyes curving like bright crescent moons.

“It’s rare to see you in the office today,” Zhang Linen said. She took an identical sandwich and a carton of pure milk from her drawer and placed them on the desk.

Ji Zeyuan picked up the sandwich, frowned at the ingredient list, and asked, “Is this what you usually eat?”

Zhang Linen chuckled and looked at Ji Zeyuan. “It really doesn’t taste that good. You probably won’t like it. I should have someone deliver food instead.”

Ji Zeyuan’s expression was somber. After a moment, she threw the sandwich with the complex ingredients into the trash can.

“Xiao En…” Ji Zeyuan said softly, her eyes lowering. “Don’t eat these things anymore. You…”

The second half of the sentence stopped abruptly. Ji Zeyuan’s throat tightened with sadness as she stared at Zhang Linen’s thin face.

After a long silence, she finally completed the sentence slowly.

“Didn’t you used to hate eating this kind of stuff the most?”