Chapter 8 Starting the Job

Chapter 8: Onboarding

Qin Xianzhao was efficient; it didn't take long for him to finalize Lu Jingtang's onboarding. She was assigned to the Planning Department, a perfect match for her major, and her role wouldn't require any interaction with the male lead. Secretary Qin proved to be exceptionally reliable!

The Fu family villa was about a twenty-minute drive from the company. Fu Xiaqing had initially arranged for the family driver, but feeling it was too ostentatious, she insisted on driving herself to work. After surveying the garage, she finally settled on a Mercedes, which was at least slightly less extravagant than the limited-edition sports cars lining the space.

In her past life, she'd gotten her driver's license in college but had barely driven since. Still, she felt confident handling the car as long as traffic wasn't too heavy. She arrived smoothly at the company parking lot, only to find just a few remaining spots, all sandwiched between other vehicles. As everyone knows, parallel parking is the bane of every woman's existence.

Her first attempt at backing in failed due to a poor angle. She reversed, tried again, and again. After nearly thirty frustrating attempts, the car still wasn't in the spot, leaving her forehead beaded with sweat.

A sudden tap on her car window startled her. She lowered it to see Qin Xianzhao, his face adorned with a polite, professional smile. "Miss Lu, do you need some assistance?"

Lu Jingtang looked as if she'd found a savior. "Secretary Qin, could you please help me park this car?"

She got out and yielded the driver's seat, only then noticing an opulent, black Maybach parked directly behind her. Clearly, she had blocked its path. Through the car window, her eyes met Fu Nanyu's in the back seat. In that moment, she thought, "Thank goodness I'm nearsighted; otherwise, I might actually see him silently applauding my 'masterful' parking skills."

Due to the morning's events, Lu Jingtang arrived upstairs just in the nick of time. The HR manager, brimming with enthusiasm, personally escorted her to the Planning Department. As she stepped into the office, Lu Jingtang noticed the profound quiet. Everyone was hunched over their keyboards, appearing intensely busy.

The HR manager chuckled. "The work atmosphere at Fu Corporation has always been this vibrant and driven." Lu Jingtang smiled and nodded outwardly, but inwardly she mused, "Why the rat race? Why the hustle? As author Yu Hua once said, if you're the first to arrive on your first day of work, it means you've found the right place."

"First, let's meet your department head. You can greet everyone else later."

"Okay."

The moment Lu Jingtang entered the department office, a ripple of commotion spread among the workstations. Screens quickly switched from antivirus scans.

"Did you see? That's the Lu Jingtang."

"She looks much prettier than in the news!"

Someone remarked enviously, "Look at that bag she's carrying—it's the latest model. That bag costs more than a month's salary for everyone in this office combined."

"I don't know about anything else, but I do know our good days are over."

"I wish I could be an adopted daughter of a wealthy family too!!!" wailed a girl with shoulder-length curly hair and large eyes.

Suddenly, a hand smacked the back of her head. A guy with black-framed glasses stood behind her, coffee cup in hand. "You shouldn't say things like that. Have you forgotten why *that person* was adopted into the Fu family?"

The girl looked remorseful, bowed apologetically to the air, and repeatedly mumbled "I'm sorry."

The department manager brought Lu Jingtang forward and asked her to introduce herself. "Hello everyone, my name is Lu Jingtang. I look forward to working with you all."

Everyone offered awkward yet polite greetings and introduced themselves.

Once the introductions were mostly done, the manager pointed to the seat next to the curly-haired girl. "You can sit next to Yixiao. If you have any questions, feel free to ask her or Qingfeng. They're both seasoned employees here."

Song Qingfeng, the guy with the glasses, smiled and nodded at her. Lu Jingtang returned the smile and nod.

After settling into her workstation, checking her computer, and running an antivirus scan, Lu Jingtang found herself bored and started picking at her fingernails. The office was so quiet that even a whisper would echo. She subtly tilted her head, sneaking a peek at Lin Yixiao's computer screen. Did reading a document really require such a grave expression?

Lin Yixiao, sensing the gaze, straightened her back as rigidly as a telephone pole. Lu Jingtang was taken aback and scanned the room.

After replying to two WeChat messages from Mrs. Fu, who was checking in on her, and changing her computer wallpaper to a picture of a muscular man with a six-pack, it was finally lunchtime. She picked up her bag, ready to go eat, but noticed everyone else remained seated at their desks, unmoving. She wondered why.

Fu Corp's staff cafeteria offered a great variety of tasty dishes. While waiting in line, Lu Jingtang spotted Fu Nanyu and Qin Xianzhao in the adjacent line.

"Big brother," Lu Jingtang exclaimed, surprised, "you're eating in the staff cafeteria too?"

Fu Nanyu replied calmly, "No, I'm just here to observe others eating."

Lu Jingtang: ...What an utterly cold man.

Since they had run into each other, the two nominal siblings naturally had to eat together. Qin Xianzhao was very considerate. "Miss Lu, how was your first day at work? If you have any issues, feel free to reach out to me."

Lu Jingtang, munching on a chicken leg, recalled the stiff postures she had seen earlier and praised, "The employees at Fu Corporation must be very popular with doctors! Performing spinal taps on them must be effortless."

Fu Nanyu: ...