The morning light filtered through the thin curtains, painting faint golden stripes across the worn floorboards. The air was heavy with the humid scent of boiled noodles from the downstairs vendor, mixed with the faint chemical tang of the laundry shop across the street. Mei Lin lay sprawled on the thin mattress, one arm flung across her face, her legs tangled in a blanket that had given up trying to cover her sometime around 3 a.m.
Four days.
Four. Entire. Days.
Four days since she had walked into the sleek, intimidating interview room of Li Corporation, sat across from a man she had literally once drop-kicked near a parking lot, and somehow managed to answer questions without blurting, "Hey, remember when I nearly tore your assistant's hair out?"
Her heart had been running laps in her chest ever since.
"Still breathing?" Jia's voice came from the kitchen-slash-corner-by-the-mini-fridge. The sound of chopsticks clinking against a ceramic bowl was followed by the smell of fried eggs, which in their apartment counted as a luxury breakfast.
Mei Lin groaned. "Barely. I think my soul left my body sometime around yesterday afternoon and it's probably loitering at the Li Corporation front desk."
Jia walked over, holding two mismatched bowls of egg and noodles, her messy bun threatening to fall apart. "Well, tell your soul to come back. We need you functional enough to keep looking for jobs. Rent's due next week, and the landlord already thinks we're suspicious for laughing too much at night."
They settled cross-legged on the mattress with their bowls. Jia, ever the optimist with a streak of menace, grinned between mouthfuls. "You think he remembers you?"
Mei Lin froze mid-slurp. "Of course he remembers me. How could he not? I was literally the one yanking Wei's collar while you were..."
"...While I was making him apologize to the trash can," Jia interrupted, smirking. "Best day of my life."
Mei Lin pressed her lips together, remembering Jinnian's face during the interview. Cool. Unflinching. His dark eyes had been steady but unreadable, like he was filing away information for some unknown use. Not a flicker of recognition on the surface. But she had felt it, the awareness between them.
And that was worse than outright calling it out.
Jia's chopsticks tapped her bowl. "Imagine if you get the job. You'd have to see Mr. Tall-and-Broody every day."
Mei Lin's eye twitched. "And by 'Mr. Tall-and-Broody,' you mean the man whose assistant tried to break my best friend's heart via phone call at night? Yes, I can totally imagine it. It sounds like a dream come true."
They both laughed, though Jia's laughter had that undertone of concern she couldn't fully mask.
After breakfast, they split their day as usual—Jia glued to her phone hunting for part-time gigs, Mei Lin attempting to distract herself with errands. They went to the market, the post office, even a thrift stall selling questionable electronics. But every time her mind wandered, it returned to the interview room: the silent tension, Jinnian's voice when he'd said, "We'll be in touch."
It was now night. The city outside their narrow window buzzed with neon signs and late commuters. Mei Lin lay awake, staring at the ceiling fan creaking above her. In her mind, she played out scenarios:
In one, she got the call. She'd start the job, and Jinnian would never mention the fight, but she'd feel his gaze every time she walked into the room.
In another, she didn't get the call—because maybe he had recognized her, and decided he didn't want the crazy woman from the parking lot anywhere near his empire.
She rolled over with a groan, the blanket twisting around her. Beside her, Jia was already asleep, her soft snore somehow comforting.
Four days. And still nothing.
The fifth morning began not with sunshine or the pleasant smell of coffee, but with the shrill, merciless buzz of Mei Lin's cheap phone vibrating against the wooden floor.
She bolted upright, hair a wild halo around her head, one leg still tangled in the blanket from last night's restless sleep.
Jia groaned from under her own blanket fortress. "Tell whoever that is that if it's not breakfast or money, they can hang up."
Mei Lin stumbled toward the phone, snatching it up without even looking at the screen.
"Hello?" Her voice came out in a hoarse croak that sounded like she'd swallowed sandpaper.
A pause. Then...
"Miss Mei Lin?"
Her spine straightened so fast it was a miracle she didn't pull a muscle. "Y-Yes, that's me."
"This is Li Corporation's Human Resources Department," the crisp, professional female voice continued. "We are pleased to inform you that your interview has been successful. You have been selected to join the company as an administrative assistant. Please report to the headquarters tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. for your onboarding."
The words hit her like a slow explosion—first confusion, then disbelief, then a sharp rush of adrenaline that left her standing frozen in the middle of the room.
"I...Yes! Yes, I'll be there," she blurted, perhaps too quickly.
"Please bring your identification documents and be punctual. Congratulations, Miss Mei Lin."
The line clicked dead.
She stared at her phone for a full ten seconds before the information actually sank in. Then, like a dam breaking, she launched into a squealing, wordless dance that involved a lot of arm flapping and awkward hops.
Jia peeked out from under her blanket, hair sticking up in five directions. "What...are you being electrocuted?"
"I GOT THE JOB!" Mei Lin shrieked, diving onto the bed and grabbing her friend by the shoulders. "I start tomorrow morning!"
Jia's sleepiness evaporated instantly. "Wait, the Li Corporation job? With that CEO?"
"Yes! Oh my God, yes!"
They both let out a scream that probably made the downstairs noodle vendor pause mid-soup stir.
After the initial burst of excitement, Jia's expression turned thoughtful. "You realize this means you'll have to face him every day, right? Mr. Tall-and-Broody from the fight?"
Mei Lin froze mid-laugh. "…Yeah."
"And you'll have to pretend you've never seen him wrestle a pen from his assistant's hand while you yelled about honor?"
Mei Lin buried her face in a pillow. "Why are you ruining this for me?"
Jia grinned wickedly. "Because it's fun. And because I know you...you're going to overthink every glance, every word, every coffee order."
Mei Lin groaned, but deep down, Jia wasn't wrong. She was excited, yes, but also terrified.
Still, for now, she let herself bask in the win. They celebrated with the last two cans of sweetened soy milk from their mini-fridge, sitting cross-legged on the bed like kids with a secret.
The city outside was still the same, crowded, noisy, indifferent but inside their tiny apartment, something had shifted.
Tomorrow, everything would change.
---
Mei Lin had envisioned it perfectly.
She would stride into Li Corporation's sleek headquarters, nerves buzzing, and within hours be face-to-face with the Li Jinnian...the man whose name could silence an entire room.
She'd hand him his coffee with perfectly steady hands, take notes in flawless shorthand, and show him she wasn't just that woman from the parking lot fight.
Instead… she spent her first day staring at the polished surface of her brand-new desk, tapping a pen against a stack of papers she wasn't allowed to touch.
It started the moment she arrived.
The HR rep, a petite woman with the politest smile Mei Lin had ever seen, led her through the labyrinth of corridors. "As Mr. Li's new personal assistant, your desk is here," she said, gesturing toward a sleek workstation right outside an enormous glass office.
Mei Lin's heart kicked up a notch. That had to be his office. Any moment now, the door would open, and...
"He's not here," the HR rep added casually.
Mei Lin blinked. "Not… here?"
"He left last night for a business trip to Germany. Should be back in… maybe a week? Sometimes two. Depends."
It was like popping the cork on a bottle of champagne only to find it filled with lukewarm tap water.
The HR rep handed her a slim orientation binder. "For now, you can familiarize yourself with the filing systems, internal communications, and coffee machine. Oh, and answer the phone if it rings."
Mei Lin sat. She opened the binder. She stared at the phone.
It didn't ring.
By 10 a.m., she had memorized the entire extension list.
By 11:30, she had found all the hidden snacks in her desk drawers.
By lunch, she was watching the second hand on the clock with the intensity of a sniper.
Her boredom was so thick she could almost taste it.
Around 2 p.m., a tall woman from Accounting wandered by and gave her a sympathetic look. "First day?"
"Yeah."
"Don't worry. It's always like this until he comes back. Then it's...." The woman made a swooping hand gesture that could only mean chaos.
Mei Lin wasn't sure whether to be relieved or scared.
By the time 5 p.m. rolled around, she had mastered the art of looking busy whenever someone walked by. She gathered her bag and stepped into the evening air, feeling… unsatisfied.
She'd gotten the job, yes. She was in the building. But without Li Jinnian there, it felt like she was just orbiting a planet she'd never land on. It was as if someone had yanked the rug from under her.
She'd gotten all dressed up for a grand premiere, only to find out the lead actor wasn't showing up.
Still… she told herself tomorrow would be different.
The next day: "You have plenty to do" the HR rep cut in smoothly, "Let's get you introduced to the teams you'll be coordinating with."
The next two hours were a blur of corridors, glass-walled offices, and introductions.
First stop: Operations.
A floor buzzing with people hunched over multiple screens, fingers flying on keyboards. The Operations Manager, a brisk woman named Xu Fen, shook Mei Lin's hand like she was sealing a contract.
"You'll be our bridge to the boss," Xu Fen said. "He wants updates fast, and he hates excuses. Learn our reporting format and you'll survive."
Survive? Mei Lin thought, forcing a smile. That sounded… ominous.
Next: PR & Communications.
Here, the air smelled faintly of perfume and fresh coffee. Everyone looked like they'd stepped out of a lifestyle magazine.
"Mr. Li is very selective about public appearances," said a tall man in a tailored suit. "When he does decide to attend an event, you'll hear the screaming from here. We'll be the ones screaming."
Then: Finance.
This department had no perfume smell, only the faint aroma of numbers and coffee that had been reheated one too many times. The Finance Head, a bespectacled man named Lin Qiang, gave her a single nod.
"You'll be emailing me a lot. Don't mix up your decimals."
By the time she got back to her desk, Mei Lin's legs were aching.
She dropped into her chair, exhaled, and glanced toward the CEO's double doors. They sat there, unmoving, almost smug in their silence.
She opened the orientation binder HR had left her, filled with company protocols, flowcharts, and a twelve-page section titled Acceptable Communication with Mr. Li. She skimmed one bullet point:
> Keep all reports concise and fact-based. Do not speculate. Do not editorialize.
She snorted under her breath. Sounds like someone would be a blast at parties.
By 3 p.m., her desk was organized within an inch of its life. She'd tested the phone twice (still silent) and learned that the coffee machine two doors down made a surprisingly decent latte.
When the clock finally hit 5 p.m., Mei Lin felt like she had survived a strange form of hazing.
Her official second day as Li Jinnian's personal assistant… without Li Jinnian anywhere in sight.
The small office dramas she stumbles into.
The "invisible" presence of Li Jinnian through how others talk about him
The undercurrent of her remembering the fight, but knowing she can't let it slip
A slow but steady anticipation of his return
Still, she kept telling, herself tomorrow would be different.
--
The second morning began with an absurdly early alarm, a hasty breakfast of half-burnt toast, and Jia yelling from the kitchen, "Don't you dare spill coffee on your blouse again!"
Mei Lin had waved her off, but the truth was she had almost dribbled latte down her front during the commute. Not a great look when trying to appear professional.
At the office, her inbox was already filling with "urgent" messages that didn't seem all that urgent.
Operations wanted her to "gently remind" PR to send over a campaign brief.
PR wanted her to "subtly check" if Finance had approved a budget.
Finance wanted her to "firmly request" Operations to stop making budget changes.
By lunchtime, Mei Lin realized she had become the human version of a ping-pong ball.
Day Three
She was halfway through organizing the CEO's incoming mail when she overheard two marketing assistants gossiping in the corridor.
"…I heard he doesn't shake hands," one whispered.
"Not unless he absolutely has to," the other replied. "Some deal in Shanghai? Guy tried to high-five him. Instant death glare."
Mei Lin bit her lip to hide a grin. The image of Mr. Li's icy stare aimed at a poor, misguided high-five attempt was almost too much.
Day Four
A courier arrived with a sleek black briefcase for the CEO. No one dared to open it, even though he was in Germany and wouldn't be back for days. The head of security personally locked it in the corner office's safe.
"This is how it is around here," Xu Fen told her with a knowing look. "The man's shadow is heavier than most people's presence."
Mei Lin nodded, though inwardly she thought, His shadow wasn't heavy when we were… She stopped herself, cheeks heating. No one could know about that fight.
Day Five
By now, she'd mapped the social terrain.
Finance: grumpy in the mornings, approachable after lunch.
Operations: chaotic but friendly, always with snacks on someone's desk.
PR: lived for drama, whether corporate or personal.
That afternoon, while waiting for a report, she caught her reflection in the glossy surface of the CEO's office doors. She imagined them swinging open, imagined him stepping out with that aloof expression she remembered too well… and immediately shook herself.
He wasn't here.
He wouldn't be here for days.
But she couldn't deny a strange mixture of dread and curiosity was building with each hour.