Chapter 38: Client

Chapter 38: The Matter with the Client

"I know you don’t want to bother others, Secretary Xiao, but that’s exactly what worries me. Look at how I’ve been bothering you all this time, haven’t I?"

Zhou Zuofei spoke openly with utmost sincerity. "Maybe you think I’ve done too much, but in reality, I feel like I’ve done too little. I can’t accept your kindness with a clear conscience, so please don’t feel burdened. Let me help you instead. The more polite you are, the worse I’ll feel."

Once she spoke openly, she immediately felt a sense of relief. Clearly, being overly polite wasn’t her style—honesty suited her better.

With things put so plainly, Xiao Wang couldn’t bring himself to refuse Zhou Zuofei anymore. In truth, this wasn’t Zhou Zuofei’s problem; it was his own weak willpower. If he kept this up, he’d only end up hurting her.

"I understand. But don’t feel too burdened either. I don’t think I’ve been making special efforts to take care of you—we’re helping each other."

What he wanted was to lighten her load—not to overstate his own assistance, nor to downplay her own strength.

The reason he kept interacting with Zhou Zuofei wasn’t out of a desire to help her, but because there was something about her that really appealed to him.

"I’ve learned a lot from you. I just never had the chance to thank you."

"Really?" Zhou Zuofei didn’t seem surprised, only pleased as she smiled. "That’s great. So I am of some use after all."

"Not just useful—you’re a great friend to have."

Xiao Wang spoke from the heart. He cherished the time he spent with Zhou Zuofei. After all, looking across all of Universal, he couldn’t find another person like her—someone he could relax with completely in conversation.

Because of this, he told her, "Don’t push yourself too hard. I’ll set things straight with her as soon as possible."

Zhou Zuofei flashed an OK sign, thinking to herself how rare it was to see Xiao Wang so decisive. It seemed that regardless of gender, when someone's not interested, everyone just wants to get out of it as quickly as possible.

However, men often had a harder time handling such matters than women, having to watch their step more carefully. A single misstep could easily earn them labels like "ungentlemanly," "tactless," or even "jerk."

She quietly rooted for him: "Go for it, Secretary Xiao. You can do it. Learn to say no bravely."

Xiao Wang was both tickled and annoyed by her words. "So this is how you’ve always handled things?"

With so many single employees in the company, and Zhou Zuofei probably getting asked out a lot given her looks and personality, she seemed to enjoy being single more.

Zhou Zuofei made a show of thinking for a moment. "Do you want the truth?"

"If you’re willing to share."

"I usually nip it in the bud before it even reaches the rejection stage. But our situations are different, Secretary Xiao. You’re not that type, so just do it your way. The process doesn’t really matter, right?"

He nodded in agreement. "Makes sense."

"Exactly—" She stopped mid-sentence as an employee passed by. Immediately raising her voice, she said brightly to Xiao Wang, "Don’t worry, Secretary Xiao. I promise I’ll deliver the documents to you this afternoon."

Xiao Wang, seeing her suddenly serious expression, was about to ask what was going on when he noticed the passing colleague out of the corner of his eye. Understanding instantly, he responded with a smile, "Then I’ll leave it to you."

"No problem."

"Anything else, Secretary Xiao?"

"Nothing. I won’t keep you from your work."

"It’s not keeping me—gives me a chance to sneak a break." Zhou Zuofei pointed toward the office, her face completely straight as she said with utmost seriousness, "See? As long as I keep this expression while talking to you, even if we’re just shooting the breeze, everyone will assume we’re discussing work."

Xiao Wang couldn’t figure out how Zhou Zuofei’s brain worked—why she always came up with such odd ideas.

"But I should probably head back." Zhou Zuofei remembered she’d just started this act of being busy lately—might as well stick to it.

"Okay, I’ll let you get back to work."

Zhou Zuofei returned to her office and sat down. Though she held the mouse in her hand, she couldn’t immediately focus on work. Instead, she found herself replaying every word she’d just said.

Since it had happened so suddenly, she hadn’t had time to think carefully—she’d just blurted out whatever came to mind, hoping her meaning had come across clearly.

Still… it bugged her a little.

Whether it was handling Zhan Zilang or Xie Ya’s situations, she’d always nailed it. So why couldn’t she manage to be just as effective in front of Xiao Wang?

But thinking it over, she realized that the situations where she had demonstrated her abilities weren’t work-related. And since she and Xiao Wang only had just work stuff going on, there really hadn’t been any opportunities to show her stuff.

She also acknowledged that, while competent at her job, she was nowhere near as standout as Chu Qing. It was only natural that Secretary Xiao didn’t have a full impression of her.

With that, Zhou Zuofei let it go. There was no need to force her professional competence into the spotlight.

Afterward, she posted like she always did, and Chu Qing liked them like she always did. Then, on Friday, Chu Qing suddenly messaged her, inviting her to a gathering on Saturday. Though it sounded interesting, Zhou Zuofei shut it down fast.

[Not feeling it this weekend.]

[Oh? So you’re just staying home both days?]

[Yep.]

[Sounds boring. You could meet new people if you came out—wouldn’t that be nice?]

[I really dislike crowded places, so don’t bother inviting me to these kinds of events~]

[Alright, too bad. I thought you might be interested.]

[Yeah, too bad.]

With that, the conversation ended. Zhou Zuofei was a pro at killing conversations—as long as she didn’t give the other person an opening for a new topic, even the liveliest chat would die with her.

But this wasn’t the end. Later, Zhou Zuofei forwarded the whole convo to Xiao Wang without adding a single word of her own.

*Silence spoke louder.*

A short while later, he replied with a dog meme thumbs-up.

Zhou Zuofei felt like she had finally won this round. Compared to Xiao Wang’s gentle approach, her hardball tactics really did get shit done!

Two mornings later, while Zhou Zuofei was working, Ye Ru called and asked her to bring Zhan Zilang to the office.

On the way, Zhan Zilang asked Zhou Zuofei if she knew what it was about.

"How would I know?" But then it occurred to her—she actually had a plausible guess. "Could it be about your probation period ending?"

Universal’s standard probation period was three months, but outstanding performers could be converted to full-time earlier. For example, she had signed her full-time contract at the end of her second month.

"That soon?" Zhan Zilang rubbed his nose in confusion. He hadn’t even discussed it with his family yet because he was still hesitant.

If he converted to full-time, his workload would increase significantly. He thought his current workload was just right, so he’d hoped to slack a bit longer.

"You should be saying, ‘Am I really that outstanding?’" Zhou Zuofei knew exactly what kind of person Zhan Zilang was. "If you do convert, you won’t have much time for Minesweeper anymore."

Zhan Zilang sighed. "Such is the curse of being awesome."

But when the two arrived at the office, there was no mention of conversion or contracts. Instead, they were assigned a task: "Go set up Conference Room 1 on the top floor. There’s a business meeting later."

Zhou Zuofei was taken aback. "This isn't right, Sister Ye. Setup isn't our responsibility."

The administrative department had clear internal divisions of labor—everyone stuck to their own role, colloquially known as "one hole, one peg." Business hospitality was handled by a dedicated team. Zhou Zuofei had helped out with errands during her internship, but now, technically, it was no longer within her scope of work.

"I know, but this is Secretary Xiao's orders," Ye Ru replied while looking at Zhan Zilang beside her.

Zhou Zuofei seemed to understand something and also turned to look at Zhan Zilang.

Now it was Zhan Zilang's turn to be confused. "Why are you all looking at me? I don’t know anything."

Zhou Zuofei guessed that the attendees might have some connection to Zhan Zilang, so Xiao Wang wanted him to make an appearance while she was just tagged along because she had prior experience.

If that was the case, asking Ye Ru wouldn’t help. Xiao Wang definitely wouldn’t explain it to her.

With a sigh, Zhou Zuofei patted Zhan Zilang on the shoulder. "Let’s get to work. You’ve never handled receptions before, right?"

"Nope."

"Today, I’ll take you to experience it."

Only meetings attended by Ling Yu were held on the top floor, which meant this one was either highly important or involved high-ranking attendees.

Truthfully, Zhou Zuofei disliked handling such critical meetings the most because she had to be on high alert every time, deathly afraid of slip-ups.

Do well and there’s no reward; screw up and you're done for!

Zhou Zuofei took Zhan Zilang to the top floor to set up. After working for a while, Xiao Wang came in, did a quick visual check, and immediately left without exchanging pleasantries.

His attitude made Zhan Zilang realize the importance of the meeting, and he couldn’t help but tense up as well.

"Ms. Zhou, can we leave once this is done?"

"Leave? No, we have to stay. What if someone needs fetching things or serving drinks? You think Secretary Xiao will do it?"

Though Xiao Wang’s title was secretary, his job was to assist Ling Yu with work—not handle menial tasks.

"Who are these people, acting so high and mighty?" Zhan Zilang grumbled quietly. He didn’t mind the work, but serving others…

Hearing this, Zhou Zuofei quickly warned him, "Don’t say anything reckless later."

He hadn’t even met the clients yet and was already badmouthing them. She couldn’t imagine the disaster if Zhan Zilang spoke carelessly in front of them.

Once everything was set up, the two stepped out of the meeting room. Zhou Zuofei didn’t see Xiao Wang and didn’t dare leave without permission, so she could only wait—but she stayed on her toes, in case the guests slipped in unnoticed.

Just then, Xiao Wang suddenly sent her a message.

[Ten minutes.]

Seeing the exact timing, Zhou Zuofei immediately relaxed.

She counted down the minutes and took position by the entrance with Zhan Zilang.

Right on schedule, the quiet sound of soft thuds echoed down the hallway—the dress shoes on carpet.

"They’re here," she whispered to Zhan Zilang, then straightened her posture and put on a professional smile, waiting for the VIPs to arrive. Zhan Zilang mirrored her stance.

As the door opened, a delegation came into view.

When Zhan Zilang got a good look at the person at the front, he couldn’t help but let out a soft exclamation: "Holy shit—"

It's him?!

Zhou Zuofei also drew a sharp breath.

Indeed, when you have a bad premonition, disaster has already struck.

Xie Huai was dressed in a pricey custom-tailored suit, immaculately put together from head to toe, with even his shoes spotless. Standing at the forefront of the group, his expression was aloof yet commanding, commanding attention without saying a word.

"President Xie, this way, please." Xiao Wang, who had been following him, stepped forward to guide Xie Huai.

Xie Huai followed without a word as the rest of the staff trailed behind, none noticing Zhou Zuofei and Zhan Zilang standing in the corner.

Zhou Zuofei had lowered her head the moment she saw Xie Huai, only raising it slowly after everyone had entered the meeting room, her gaze meeting Zhan Zilang's.

He looked slightly surprised. "I didn’t expect Universal and Shirui to have collaborations."

Zhou Zuofei was clueless about such things—she never paid attention to the company's business or development. Right now, all she wanted was to bolt.

"Xiao Zhan," she suddenly spoke in a serious tone. "If I leave now, can you handle this alone?"

"Huh?" Zhan Zilang froze. "Zhou-jie, do you need to use the restroom?"

"I..." Zhou Zuofei's lips trembled, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to dump everything on Zhan Zilang.

She couldn’t possibly make an intern take the fall for her!

"Never mind, I can tough it out a little longer." Zhou Zuofei tried to reassure herself—a big boss like him would obviously know how to keep things professional, why would he care about a nobody like her?

She took a deep breath and said to Zhan Zilang, "Let’s go serve tea."

Tea service followed strict protocol—starting with the highest-ranking person present. Zhou Zuofei and Zhan Zilang entered the meeting room carrying two cups of hot tea.

Seated at the front on either side of the table were Xie Huai and Ling Yu. Zhou Zuofei glanced over and made to approach Ling Yu when Zhan Zilang unexpectedly took the lead.

Left with no choice, she turned toward Xie Huai instead. The entire time, she kept her gaze strictly downward, not daring to look around. She placed the teacup beside Xie Huai and was about to leave immediately.

But because she was in such a hurry, she set the cup down a little too forcefully, causing the hot water inside to splash. A few drops landed on the table, starkly visible against the black surface.

Zhou Zuofei mentally swore and quickly mopped up the spill with her sleeve, making it look natural.

Just as she was about to leave, Xie Huai spoke: "Excuse me, I’d like a cup of hot water."

"Right away." Zhou Zuofei responded immediately. His cold tone actually put her at ease.

So when she approached him the second time, she was much more relaxed.

But the moment she got close, Xie Huai took the cup directly from her hands and said, "Miss Zhou, your sleeve is wet."

These were the first words Xie Huai had spoken since entering the meeting room—and the only words spoken in the room at that moment.

As the highest-ranking figures from both sides, Xie Huai and Ling Yu called the shots. If they remained silent, who else would dare to speak?

Instantly, every eye in the room was on her. Under the weight of all those stares, Zhou Zuofei calmly replied, "Thank you for the reminder."

Though it was just a simple remark, Zhou Zuofei felt like he had just dropped her right in it.

The reason was simple—she wasn't wearing any identification. How did Xie Huai know her surname was Zhou?

Isn't this basically announcing to everyone that the two of them know each other!

Zhou Zuofei returned to the pantry, flustered, to fetch more water. Given Xie Huai's earlier behavior, when she served water to the other staff of Shirui, everyone acted overly polite toward her.

This made Zhou Zuofei extremely uncomfortable, but she couldn’t show it. She could only pretend not to notice and quickened her pace—the faster she finished, the faster she could get out of there.

After delivering the last cup of tea, she immediately darted back into the pantry.

It was hard to say whether Xie Huai had done it intentionally or not, but he could’ve just ignored her. So Zhou Zuofei decided—yep, he was totally doing it on purpose!

As she pondered this, the pantry door opened. Assuming it was Zhan Zilang returning, she immediately went to greet him.

"You—"

She had barely uttered a word when she realized her mistake—the person who entered wasn’t Zhan Zilang, but Xiao Wang.

So she quickly switched gears and asked, "Secretary Xiao, is there something you need?"