The Former Assistant Seduced The Current President - Chapter 10

“Alright, come in and report for duty next Monday.”

After clearing up the misunderstanding, Yan Xi saw Shi Ye to the door. He hesitated for a moment and could not help but say, “Although we do not have strictly rigid dress requirements for interns, at least try to dress cleanly.”

Shi Ye nodded obediently, turned around, and waved his hand with an air of carefree confidence. “See you next week, Store Manager.”

After sending the intern away, Yan Xi returned to tidy up the messy bar counter, suddenly waking up as if from a dream.

“Wait, was I not supposed to handle the handover procedures today? Why would they send an intern?”

He tried calling Manager Ma, but the line was busy. He had no choice but to call Lin Wei instead. “Has the company hired new interns?”

“I heard they recruited a batch of part time interns,” Lin Wei complained indignantly. “There is a major management reform happening within the company, and the Personnel Department is distributing interns directly without consulting our Administration Department anymore.”

“Is there one…” Yan Xi wanted to ask more, but his phone indicated that Manager Ma was calling him back. “Alright, we will talk later.”

He switched lines to Manager Ma. “I am sorry, Manager Ma. I was delayed at the shop for a few minutes; I will be there immediately.”

Manager Ma replied, “No need to come.”

Yan Xi was confused.

“You lucky brat,” Manager Ma’s voice sounded quite resentful. “You are quite fortunate.”

Yan Xi did not understand.

Manager Ma explained impatiently, “I do not know what President Shi is thinking, but he changed his mind overnight. The project will not be canceled; instead, it is being transformed and upgraded.”

Therefore, Yan Xi was not only spared from being fired but had effectively received a promotion. Until today, although he was the only one in the shop, he was just a temporary worker with no official title. From this moment on, he was the Store Manager personally certified by the president himself.

While Yan Xi was puzzled, Shi Ye was sitting in a taxi, organizing company affairs on his phone before immediately opening his email.

The sender with the Curious George avatar had sent an apology email the previous time regarding the flight booking error. The latest one, sent last night, was the report he had chosen to ignore. The report analyzed the problems found in the offline store’s operations in detail and acknowledged the awkward situation the project was currently in, but spent much more space outlining ideas for future development.

Shi Ye scrolled to the bottom of the email and saw the signature: Yan Xi.

It was him! So it was him.

After a long detour, the answer was right here. Shi Ye did not blame himself for the oversight; instead, he blamed fate for playing a trick on him. The phone screen was still lit. He searched his contacts, wanting to have someone pull Yan Xi’s complete personnel file, but he could not find a single person he could trust completely. The YK company was a hornet’s nest, with everyone harboring their own agendas. It seemed he would have to do it himself and uncover the little sheep’s true colors.

Shi Ye looked down at his dirty, wrinkled clothes and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. Keep pretending. Let us see who is better at it.

After finishing the cleaning, Yan Xi sat before the computer and began to draft a development plan. He had assumed his thousands of words of analysis from last night had sunk into the abyss, but to his surprise, things had taken a turn for the better. It seemed the new president was not as stubborn or self opinionated as he had thought.

Busy until nightfall, Yan Xi grabbed a quick dinner nearby and took an hour and a half subway ride home. The company provided a housing subsidy, and the apartments they rented were in the same complex, functioning as employee housing. Back when he worked at headquarters, the commute was only ten minutes, but ever since he was exiled, his commute time had increased several fold. Spending nearly three hours a day commuting, sometimes four during peak hours, was truly grueling.

After exiting the subway station, Yan Xi shook his heavy head and had a thought. Should I suggest that the company re rent an apartment for me?

He pondered the wording as he walked. Before entering his building, he finished drafting the email and sent it to the Logistics Department.

The next day passed with silence from the inbox. Yan Xi had been prepared for this, so he was not too disappointed. However, on Sunday morning, he was woken up by a call from the head of the Logistics Department, notifying him that a new apartment had already been rented for him.

The location of the new apartment was excellent, in a community three or four kilometers from the Sunshine Block. He could even walk to work without needing a bike. Yan Xi was stunned. The Logistics Department at YK was a small unit under the Administration Department, and everything required Manager Ma’s approval, involving complex procedures. If he recalled correctly, when he first joined the company, it had taken over half a month to arrange his apartment. When had the efficiency improved to this level? Perhaps the new boss had arrived, and the subordinates dared not be lazy? Regardless, it was good news for Yan Xi.

He checked his Daily Fortune app, which stated that today was a good day for moving. Yan Xi pushed open the window; it was a beautiful, sunny day. What are we waiting for?

Moving was a massive project, but fortunately, Yan Xi did not have many belongings. One suitcase and two backpacks contained all his worldly goods. He hailed a ride share, offered the driver double the fare to help him move, and the driver agreed.

Following the address Yan Xi provided, the driver navigated the route and remarked, “Hey, this is Ginkgo Apartments. The environment there is quite nice, much better than where you are now.”

Yan Xi pulled his seatbelt. “Yes, it is an apartment rented by the company.”

The driver sighed while gripping the steering wheel. “Your company is quite generous.”

After a turn, the car left the old community and headed toward a strange, brand new street. An hour later, they arrived. On the way, Yan Xi noticed that the surrounding facilities were quite complete, restaurants, clinics, and gyms were all available; it was a mature neighborhood.

The driver helped move his things into the elevator and left. The new residence was on the ninth floor, with a small garden in front of the building and a good view. Although it was a rented apartment, the renovation was far from subpar. The furniture did not look cheap, and it was even equipped with high end appliances not always found in standard homes. Judging by the lack of wear and tear, the owner had likely not lived there for many days, or perhaps, it was a brand new unit. Moreover, this was a one bedroom, two living room apartment; the space was so generous that Yan Xi was surprised. The new president was indeed wealthy and generous to his subordinates. Given this, if the annual meeting required a performance of Grateful Heart, he might consider it.

After pacing the hallway in confusion for a few minutes, Yan Xi chose the bedroom on the west side. The reason was simple: the west side allowed him to see the sunset in the afternoon.

He spent two hours busy arranging everything, and the house, which had been empty and cold moments ago, suddenly felt cozy. When checking his suitcase for the last time, a key fell from the inner lining and hit the floor with a clang.

Yan Xi picked it up and identified it: it was the key to Cheng Zhen’s house. Cheng Zhen had coaxed Yan Xi into wanting to live together and had insisted on forcing the key into his hand, but Yan Xi had never used it. He had only been to Cheng Zhen’s place twice, staying for a few minutes each time before leaving. Holding the key, Yan Xi felt conflicted. It was not because he had any lingering thoughts, but thinking of Cheng Zhen reminded him of another vexing matter: his tablet had been borrowed by Cheng Zhen and never returned. After blocking each other following the breakup, Yan Xi valued his pride too much to ask for it back. He did not want any association with that scum, but the tablet was innocent, and it felt frustrating to have it left behind at the scum’s place.

Forget it. I do not want to think about it. Yan Xi tossed the key into a drawer, planning to mail it back to Cheng Zhen when he had time.

After his afternoon nap, Yan Xi went to a nearby supermarket for a large shopping trip, filling his home with daily necessities. He arrived home just before sunset, clutching heavy bags. He tripped as he changed into his slippers and delivered two pots of fresh flowers to the balcony. The orange Long Life Plum was dyed gold by the sunset, and the branches of the Rangoon Creeper swayed slightly, a scene of peaceful, long lasting quiet.

Too tired to move, he left his recent purchases in the kitchen and changed into pajamas, lounging comfortably on the sofa. The original owner had great taste; the Italian minimalist sofa was soft to the touch, and nestling into it made him never want to get up. There was no television in the living room, but there was a massive screen and a projector.

Yan Xi wrapped himself in a blanket, found an old movie he had watched at least ten times, and clicked play. In the sweltering midsummer, a young boy and a man meet for the first time, becoming fascinated with each other; their emotions fluttered, and their desires flourished. No matter how many times he watched it, it could still capture Yan Xi’s gaze. Under the moonlight, the boy gently kisses the man’s cheek, the collision of souls, the merging of bodies, uninhibited and unrestrained.

The black and white striped blanket draped over Yan Xi’s legs also covered up the restless stirring. His slender neck arched back slightly, revealing a delicate Adam’s apple, and the taut lines extended downward to the collarbones hidden beneath the pajama collar.

Unknowingly, the night deepened, and the movie neared its end. As the music swelled, a movement suddenly came from the hallway outside. Yan Xi quickly straightened his clothes, threw off the blanket, got up from the sofa, and looked toward the door.

Next, came a sharp knock.

Is it a neighbor? What kind of neighbor visits in the middle of the night? Yan Xi’s vigilance rose; he put on his slippers and hurried to the door. However, at that moment, he heard the beep beep of the electronic door lock.

The person on the other side was actually trying to unlock the door with a code! Yan Xi took out his phone, thinking quickly, was it faster to call the police or the security guard?

Before he could decide, the lock clicked open. Appearing before him was a face that was not unfamiliar. The man had broad shoulders and long legs, deep features, and a giant suitcase at his feet. His dark eyes flashed with a hint of cunning and triumph.

“Hi! Store Manager!”

“You…” Yan Xi retreated a step, his eyes filled with astonishment that he could not hide. “Why is it you!”