CEO, I'm Not The Girl You Once Knew (Hiatus)

Twenty

Lin Zhicheng was speechless when he heard the strings of beeps that told him the other person had hung up on the phone.

He was the most successful businessman of his generation, not to mention the youngest. In terms of wealth, if he claimed to be the second in the city, no one would dare claim to be first. Everywhere he went, aside from a few people of exceptional status, every person he met would fawn over him. Even those who didn't like him would pretend to be his friend.

It was the first time in several years that someone dared to hang up on him.

Did that young woman with the surname Shi think he had a lot of free time on his hands? It was the first time he voluntarily invited another person to join him for a meal, but she had dared to hang up on him!

Lin Zhicheng threw his phone over to his secretary, his expression black. "If anyone dares to call me and disturb my work, tell them I'm busy and don't have the time to meet them. If they're very persistent, say that you'll check my schedule for the next month and see if you can squeeze in their appointment."

The secretary didn't dare to ask questions, only bowing her head and saying respectfully, "Yes, CEO."

Lin Zhicheng strode back to his desk, picking up the documents he had set aside. "The meetings I canceled for this afternoon, set them back up."

"Yes, CEO."

After half an hour, the CEO office in Coeval resumed its quiet and busy atmosphere again.

...

Shi Xiao Xi sat next to Huang Chung, listening attentively to his suggestions about what to do with the task Executive Secretary Wen had given her.

Huang Chung was a slightly chubby man two years older than her. He wore a pair of thick eyeglasses, his curly hair blocking most of his eyesight. At this moment, he was explaining to Shi Xiao Xi about shareholder agreements.

Shi Xiao Xi pointed to a section she didn't understand. "What does this mean?"

Huang Chung glanced at it. "You don't even know about this? Are you the new secretary assigned for the CEO?"

Shi Xiao Xi slowly nodded her head.

"Here's a bit of advice. No matter what you do, don't let Miss Wen know that you're clueless. It's alright to ask questions, but the only exception's Miss Wen. She's the strictest superior around here. If you ask her the same question you just asked me, you'll be fired before you even know what's happening."

Shi Xiao Xi felt as if her heart was being pinched. She had already known that out of all the employees here, she was probably the least qualified for her job. But she had gained confidence from Mr. Han, who greatly trusted her capabilities.

Unfortunately, Shi Xiao Xi was starting to feel that maybe his trust had been undeserved. She didn't know how to do anything at all.

Huang Chung saw her dispirited look and quickly added, "Hey, don't worry about it. You're new, so it's understandable. I was an idiot when I first came here to work too. The only thing you can do now is to improve. Don't be so harsh to yourself, everybody's got to start somewhere."

Because Huang Chung was close to the people working in HR, he knew about Shi Xiao Xi's background. He had also heard their contemptuous and scornful remarks about her. After all, they were all professionals with a multitude of work experience. Shi Xiao Xi, whose only work experience was that of doing part-time jobs, didn't fit in.

They felt it was unfair, and Huang Chung could somehow understand their feelings. He had worked hard to get a good transcript too. After all, being accepted in a prestigious company like the Chunlan group company wasn't easy. For Shi Xiao Xi with poor work experience to achieve it in one try did seem to be a bit unfair.

"So why did she get accepted?"

Curious, Huang Chu asked his friend who worked in HR.

His friend shook his head.

"It was a decision from the higher ups. I'm not entirely sure, but I've heard a rumor that it was because one of our seniors saw her being close to the executive secretary of Coeval. They felt that they could use her to pull in more connections."

Huang Chung suddenly understood. There were only two ways to enter a prestigious company: by having an excellent resumè, or an excellent backer that could support you. He realized the reason why most of the people in HR didn't like Shi Xiao Xi.

The Coeval company was the best of the best. It was Huang Chung's dream to be able to work there. As an office worker, he had long heard about the executive secretary of Coeval, Mr. Han. In their professional circle, he was famous. There was almost nothing that he couldn't do. Everybody was in awe of him.

Huang Chung heard that he had been the top of their class since grade school, and that when he graduated, several companies both local and abroad tried to recruit him. For Shi Xiao Xi to be associated with Mr. Han...ai, what great luck. Huang Chung didn't blame the higher ups for making such a decision. If he had been in their shoes, he would have done the same, and hired Shi Xiao Xi too.

After all, being associated with Mr. Han was definitely superior than having an excellent resumè.

With Huang Chung's help, Shi Xiao Xi finally finished revising the shareholder agreements. She hurried to the elevator, which was fortunately much emptier than it had been before.

Shi Xiao Xi stood in front of the frosted glass door where she had seen the executive secretary Wen Yu enter before. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to peer in. Was she supposed to hand these shareholder agreements to Wen Yu? Or should she just go and try finding Ah Lam instead?