Returning - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Tipsy

Xue Zi'ang's office had one assistant and one secretary.

In truth, the distinction between the two wasn't that significant—one leaned more toward administrative and management tasks, while the other focused on reception, logistics, and other clerical work.

Zhao Yu replaced the previous female assistant, but that assistant bore no grudge against her. On the contrary, she handed over her responsibilities with delight.

Because the generous Xue Zi'ang had privately given her a considerable severance package, the former assistant wished this kind of thing would happen more often. She treated Zhao Yu with the attitude one might reserve for a benefactor.

Zhao Yu once asked Xue Zi'ang why he was willing to help her.

At the time, the look in his eyes as he gazed at her was somewhat deep and distant. Zhao Yu knew—he was certainly seeing that person he could never forget through her again.

After a few seconds of dazed pause, Xue Zi'ang smiled with an air of nonchalance. "I just can't stand watching someone get bullied. A simple favor, that's all."

Zhao Yu naturally didn't press further and never brought it up again. As for the new rumors, she continued to turn a deaf ear, maintaining her surface appearance of caring about nothing at all.

There was, however, one time when Xue Zi'ang took the initiative to ask her, "It seems some people in the company are saying I've taken a liking to you. What are your thoughts on that?"

Zhao Yu smiled faintly. "President Xue, you can rest assured. I know my place."

Xue Zi'ang raised an eyebrow. "And what if I really had taken a liking to you?"

"The crux of the matter isn't whether President Xue has taken a liking to me, but the gap between us. With your status, it's impossible for you to marry someone like me. For me, being clear about that outcome is enough."

Xue Zi'ang watched her for a moment, laughed softly under his breath, turned, and left. From then on, he never touched upon this topic again.

The relationship between Zhao Yu and him truly remained just that of an ordinary superior and subordinate. Although those newly emerged rumors still persisted, people no longer dared to act as brazenly as they had before.

Previously, they had dared to exploit the reporting mechanism and question Zhao Yu's relationship with Fu Tao only because ordinary employees and management were still bound by the company's rules and regulations.

But Xue Zi'ang was different, after all.

The Xue family held a majority stake in the entire conglomerate. Although Xue Zi'ang's official position wasn't high, everyone knew he was the eldest grandson of the Xue family. On the surface, he appeared no different from any other staff member, but in reality, the difference was like that between heaven and earth.

There's an idiom: the fox borrows the tiger's might. Zhao Yu felt it applied perfectly to her current self.

She was still just a lowly assistant, still belonged to the secretarial department, and her salary hadn't changed much either. But with Xue Zi'ang as her backing, it seemed her standing within the company had soared straight upward.

At the very least, those who used to dare mock her sarcastically behind her back had mostly learned to shut their mouths now.

But Xue Zi'ang's secretary, Ye Zi, was the exception to this.

The two worked side by side at adjacent desks. Ye Zi's disgust for Zhao Yu had shifted from covert to overt, now displayed starkly and nakedly on her face.

When Xue Zi'ang had initially offered Zhao Yu a chance for revenge, securing her the assistant position wasn't the only thing on the table. If she had requested Ye Zi and Gu Yunfei be dealt with, he would have agreed to that too.

But Zhao Yu never made any demands, like having Ye Zi or Gu Yunfei fired. Firstly, she had already gained a significant advantage; she couldn't afford to accept such an enormous favor. Secondly, she had to consider the company's interests.

After all, the reporting mechanism was established by the company itself. Neither Ye Zi nor Gu Yunfei had violated any rules or regulations—they had simply submitted anonymous reports. Firing them over this would be the company shooting itself in the foot once word spread.

However, submitting such reports wasn't something to be taken lightly either. Especially this time, it had involved someone like Fu Tao—a person not high in rank but highly valuable to the company. Regardless of whether the content of the report was true or false, the two initiators of that complaint would inevitably fall out of favor with upper management.

So not long after, Gu Yunfei voluntarily resigned, leaving only Ye Zi struggling to hold on.

Of course, Ye Zi could never have dreamed—not in a million years—that it wasn't her who had dragged Gu Yunfei down, but rather Gu Yunfei who had set her up for money, egging her into making that anonymous report under Zhao Yu's direction.

Watching the idiot beside her, still glaring at her balefully at every turn, Zhao Yu smiled faintly and continued organizing the speech draft on her computer.

In truth, she should thank this woman—thank her for adding fuel to those rumors, helping them spread further. This had, in fact, saved Zhao Yu a great deal of trouble.

Zhao Yu delivered the speech draft to Xue Zi'ang's office. He reviewed it on the spot and was highly satisfied. "Much more polished than what Xiao Liu writes. Are you really just an undergraduate?"

"My résumé—hasn't President Xue already seen it?"

Not just her résumé; all the personal details she could disclose had already been thoroughly laid bare during that joint investigation conducted by the four major departments that day.

Xue Zi'ang set down the document and said, "This afternoon, you'll accompany me to attend."

The event Xue Zi'ang was attending was a rather ordinary jewelry forum summit.

Under normal circumstances, sending any senior executive would have sufficed for this kind of occasion—no need for him to appear personally. But his personality was outgoing and sociable; over the past few years, he had practically become the spokesperson for Huacan. Whenever such events arose, the company's first thought was always of him. And when he was in a good mood, regardless of the event's scale, he was always happy to go.

Zhao Yu had inquired beforehand about who would be attending the summit and confirmed that on-site media presence would be minimal. As his assistant, she absolutely would not be exposed to any cameras. Only because of this did she not fabricate an excuse to decline Xue Zi'ang's request.

After all, the time for her to reveal herself before certain people had not yet arrived.

After the summit concluded, the organizers arranged a dinner. Xue Zi'ang sat at a table with a group of industry insiders, chatting expansively and drinking quite a bit of alcohol. By the time he left, he was already in a tipsy state.

It was only then that Zhao Yu truly fulfilled the role of an assistant—temporarily acting as her superior's chauffeur.

Before the previous assistant resigned, she had told Zhao Yu that Xue Zi'ang was the face of Huacan. Social engagements were frequent, and attending dinners and drinking parties was the norm for him. But his alcohol tolerance was high; when going out with him, there was no need to drink on his behalf. One just needed to ensure he got home safely whenever he hadn't brought his driver along.

In the words of that former assistant: Don't be fooled by how noble Xue Zi'ang's status might seem. He actually has no temper to speak of and is quite easy to get along with. Working by his side isn't difficult.

These things, Zhao Yu had fully experienced in just a matter of days.

Xue Zi'ang lived in the city center. The summit venue, however, was situated at a newly opened estate in the suburbs—a nearly two-hour drive each way. By the time they reached his villa, it was already past nine o'clock.

After getting out of the car, his steps were somewhat unsteady. Zhao Yu reached out to support him, and he leaned his entire weight onto her, practically walking into the villa in a half-embrace, half-drag.

Zhao Yu didn't escort him to his room. She simply deposited him onto the living room sofa and prepared to leave, but he grabbed her wrist fiercely.

Zhao Yu struggled slightly and asked calmly, "Does President Xue have further instructions?"

"You didn't drive your own car. At this late hour, how do you plan to get back?"

"I can just call a car."

"There are so many rooms here. Just pick one," Xue Zi'ang said, raising an eyebrow slightly and gesturing toward the upper floor. "We could even go to work together tomorrow."

"That's not necessary, President Xue. I don't live far; I can get home very quickly."

Just as Zhao Yu turned to leave, the hand gripping her wrist exerted force, and her entire body tumbled into his arms.

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