My Childhood Friend, Who Is An Omega, Has Become My Personal Secretary - Chapter 30

This is truly a coincidence.

Jixia had signed a long-term contract with a local enterprise for their auto parts sub-factory in Country G. However, before the contract term was even halfway through, the other party wanted to terminate the agreement and refuse to pay the liquidation damages on the grounds that the product parts indicators provided by Jixia were substandard.

The management of the sub-factory had been passing the buck, unwilling to be the decision-maker. Ji Cheng believed this was the perfect opportunity for Ji Zeyuan to demonstrate her ability and authority, so he dispatched her to be the spokesperson for this matter.

Ji Zeyuan’s arrival was temporary and sudden, catching the sub-factory management off guard. When Ji Zeyuan demanded to see the original data, the group looked at one another, breaking into a cold sweat despite the air-conditioned room. Ji Zeyuan immediately sensed something was wrong. Upon investigation, she found that the defect rate of the sub-factory was as high as 0.4%, far exceeding the required standard of 0.02%.

Since the problem originated internally, it had to be solved internally. Ji Zeyuan took drastic measures, firing several key high-level executives responsible for the lapse. To fill the vacancy, Ji Zeyuan would personally take office, serving as both supervisor and foreman.

However, choosing this path meant she would be staying in Country G for a significant amount of time.

Ji Zeyuan had been busy since the moment she landed, and it wasn’t until after five in the evening that she found a moment to check her phone.

To her surprise, Zhang Linen had not sent a single message.

Regarding this abnormality, a trace of worry welled up in Ji Zeyuan’s heart. She took the initiative to send a message, asking Zhang Linen how her health was.

When there was no reply after half an hour, Ji Zeyuan began to feel anxious. She clicked on her chat with Hua Jianjiu and asked, “Are you busy?”

Hua Jianjiu replied quickly: “Busy. I’ve been cleaning up your cousin’s mess all day.”

Ji Zeyuan frowned. Before she could ask further, Hua Jianjiu sent a long string of messages.

“She got into a fight with a member of my team. I went to mediate, and water got splashed on my computer. Now a lot of data is lost, and many things have to be redone.”

Ji Zeyuan’s frown deepened. Before she could inquire further, Zhang Linen replied.

“I’m quite well. How about you? Is the matter easy to handle?”

Caught between pressing Hua Jianjiu and replying to Zhang Linen, Ji Zeyuan decisively chose to reply to Zhang Linen.

“Mhm, it’s a piece of cake,” Ji Zeyuan replied, concealing the true situation.

At that moment, Hua Jianjiu’s chat window popped up again: “I’m asking you, does this cousin of yours have to be stuffed into my group?”

Seeing this message, Ji Zeyuan then asked Zhang Linen: “Is everything okay at the company? How is my cousin’s ability?”

Zhang Linen replied very quickly this time: “Everything is fine. Take care of yourself.”

After a moment’s thought, Ji Zeyuan switched the chat back to Hua Jianjiu and asked: “Is headquarters very busy today? How is Xiao En?”

Hua Jianjiu sent a helpless shrugging emoji: “I say, Madam CEO, have you stopped caring about the lives of us low-level employees?”

“No need to be hypocritical and ‘casually’ care about us. She’s very busy; she’s currently in the reception room meeting your college classmate.”

Ji Zeyuan was stunned. At that moment, Zhang Linen sent her another message.

“Roughly when can you come back?”

Seeing the tenderness in Zhang Linen’s eyes, Mia couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Miss Secretary, are you messaging Jessica?”

Zhang Linen slowly raised her eyes. A hypocritical smile still hung at the corners of her mouth, but the tenderness in her eyes had vanished. She said succinctly, “No.”

This lie was told with so little heart that even Mia could see through the perfunctory nature of it at a glance.

“Miss Secretary and Jessica have known each other for a long time, haven’t you? You…” Mia laughed, her eyes carrying a hint of gossiping teasing, “You’re covered in the scent of her pheromones.”

Zhang Linen’s gaze darkened. From their first meeting, she had instinctively disliked Mia—frivolous, lacking boundaries, being very close to Ji Zeyuan, and most importantly, this person knew many things about Ji Zeyuan that she did not.

She hadn’t intended to let Mia in, but out of politeness, she had given this person who had helped her once before a chance.

But now it seemed that chance was wasted.

Zhang Linen looked down at Mia without saying a word.

“It’s like this, Miss Secretary. I really want to repair my relationship with Jessica, but she seems unwilling to give me a chance anymore. So, I’d like to ask you for a favor…”

Before Mia could finish, she was interrupted by Zhang Linen’s cold sneer: “No.”

This undisguised expression of indifference startled Mia. Although she could more or less see that Zhang Linen wasn’t as pure and kind as she appeared on the surface, Zhang Linen had previously maintained basic etiquette when speaking. This time, she simply stopped pretending.

“Miss Secretary, don’t refuse so quickly. I always provide a reward when asking for help.” Mia quickly revealed a subtle smile. “Aren’t you curious about what Jessica went through during her years abroad?”

Zhang Linen remained calm, but she became vigilant in her heart.

She had only met Mia twice in total, but this conceited and frivolous foreign woman was already able to accurately name the point she was interested in and exploit it.

An astute person like Zhang Linen naturally wouldn’t be led by the nose, but she truly did want to understand what Ji Zeyuan had done and who she had met during those years abroad.

After a moment of silent calculation, Zhang Linen offered a compromise: “Since you are asking for a favor, there must be a show of good faith. I can’t just listen to you draw ‘pie in the sky’ promises.”

Evidently, Zhang Linen’s phrasing exceeded Mia’s understanding of the language. Mia hesitated for a second or two and asked, “What do you mean?”

Zhang Linen’s eye twitched. She translated into more easy-to-understand language: “Tell me something first. After I listen, I’ll decide whether to accept this deal or not.”

This time Mia understood. She smiled and reached out her hand, saying, “Deal.”

Zhang Linen looked at Mia’s extended hand, then looked up at Mia’s face full of expectation. She put on an “acting dumb” expression as if to say what are you doing? and simply did not shake Mia’s hand.

After holding her hand up for half a minute, Mia withdrew it sheepishly.

…

Ji Zeyuan thought for a moment and replied: “I will go back for a few days soon, but I’ll probably have to come back here again.”

The message remained in an “unread” state for several minutes. After staring at it for a while, Ji Zeyuan irritably turned off her phone screen.

Zhang Linen was receiving Mia?

It didn’t surprise her that Mia would stubbornly pursue her to the company, but what was strange was why Zhang Linen had received her twice even after Ji Zeyuan had clearly expressed her intention to break off ties with Mia.

Could it be that Zhang Linen didn’t actually dislike Mia, or even liked her a little?

Could it be that the reason she hadn’t sent a message all day was because of Mia?

Ji Zeyuan’s mind was in a mess. She didn’t want Zhang Linen to like such a frivolous and dissipated person.

At that moment, there was a knock on the office door. Ji Zeyuan responded in a low voice, “Come in.”

It was the factory manager. He bowed and scraped, asking with a smile, “Director Ji, you’ve been busy all day and haven’t eaten yet. It wasn’t easy for you to come here; let me take you to taste some of the local delicacies.”

Ji Zeyuan was very annoyed and had no appetite. She was about to refuse, but then she remembered Zhang Linen’s words, “Take care of yourself.” So, she sighed lightly and nodded under the manager’s nervous gaze.

Country G was an island nation, most famous for its local beaches, with countless delicacies surrounding them.

The manager spoke incessantly, introducing the dazzling array of food, but Ji Zeyuan had no interest. She brushed her gaze over the rows of shops until suddenly, a voice she knew all too well appeared behind her.

“Director Ji?”

Ji Zeyuan turned her head and saw Shen Jiuyue wearing a sleeveless, white piped dress.

The manager at her side stopped talking, his eyes shifting about gossipy.

“This really is such a coincidence. Why are you here?” Shen Jiuyue smiled brilliantly.

Ji Zeyuan said expressionlessly, “I’m here to handle some business.”

Shen Jiuyue smiled without speaking. She glanced at the manager next to them. The manager was a very observant person and immediately said, “Oh, Director Ji, I’m so sorry. I just remembered I have some work I haven’t finished. You two talk, I’ll take my leave first.”

With that, the manager slipped away at a speed of forty miles per second.

After the manager left, Shen Jiuyue extended an invitation, smiling, “Director Ji, are you out to eat at this hour? I know a good restaurant nearby. I wonder if you would do me the honor?”

Ji Zeyuan’s mind was elsewhere. At that moment, she didn’t think much of it and casually agreed.

There wasn’t much to say about the restaurant; it was a local beach-themed restaurant with a decor style that matched the seaside. The two of them arrived at a sea-view private room.

“I didn’t expect Director Ji to actually agree. I thought after what happened before, you wouldn’t want to talk to me ever again,” Shen Jiuyue said with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of testing.

Ji Zeyuan gazed calmly out the window at the deep, boundless sea. “I didn’t take that matter to heart. In fact, I should thank you.”

Shen Jiuyue was slightly stunned, puzzled. “Thank me? For what?”

Ji Zeyuan thought to herself: Thank you for letting me know about Zhang Linen’s illness, and for letting me recognize the mistakes I’ve made.

She did not answer Shen Jiuyue directly but instead changed the subject: “Why are you here?”

Shen Jiuyue smiled. “I have a scheduled shoot here, but I can’t reveal the specific details.”

Ji Zeyuan gave a faint nod and didn’t speak again.

The waiter brought the dishes out one after another. Only then did Shen Jiuyue speak to break the silence, asking, “Director Ji, regarding the ‘CP hype’ (couple marketing) we discussed before… are you still willing to cooperate with me?”

Ji Zeyuan looked calm. “Of course. I won’t go back on what I promised, especially since the conditions you offered were quite generous.”

Shen Jiuyue pursed her lips and smiled, asking, “Then can I take a photo with you and upload it to my social media accounts?”

Ji Zeyuan didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. “As you wish.”

Having said that, Shen Jiuyue sat down next to Ji Zeyuan. She tilted her body slightly, pointing the front-facing camera of her phone at herself and Ji Zeyuan.

“Director Ji, you’re too serious. Look at the camera and smile,” Shen Jiuyue teased.

Ji Zeyuan knit her brows, turned to look at the camera, and forced her facial muscles to form a standard commercial smile.

…

Mia took a paper cup, filled it with water, and drank it all in one go.

“Alright, that’s all I can tell you for now. If you want to know more, you’ll have to agree to my request.”

Zhang Linen lowered her eyes and fell into deep thought. Her heart was in a complex state.

Mia said that when Ji Zeyuan was abroad, she would often look through the photo albums of the two of them.

If Ji Zeyuan missed her so much, why hadn’t she returned to the country for so many years?

Mia crumpled the paper cup and threw it into the trash bin, shrugging playfully. “At first, I thought you were her lover. I asked her once, and she denied it vehemently. She even said…”

Zhang Linen frowned and looked up, asking, “What did she say?”

Mia looked down at Zhang Linen with a scrutinizing gaze, taking in every change in Zhang Linen’s expression.

“So, do you agree to my request?” Mia asked instead of answering.

Zhang Linen’s jaw tightened. She lowered her eyes, seemingly thinking, but she didn’t make Mia wait long. She soon looked up and said succinctly:

“I agree.”