Wang Cheng got up early the next morning.
Knowing he needed to catch an early bus to work, Mama Wang got up a little after five to make breakfast for him. Wang Cheng ate five or six scallion-and-meat pancakes, drank two large bowls of soy milk, then picked up the luggage he had packed the night before and left under his family’s reluctant gazes.
When he arrived at the company, there were still fifteen minutes before work officially started. Li Yu had not given him any new tasks yet, so Wang Cheng simply picked up the watering can from the windowsill, filled it in the pantry, and prepared to water the office plants.
The plants had been bought after the office renovation specifically to absorb formaldehyde from the air. Everyone was busy, however, so no one had time to look after them, while the people who did have time had their minds elsewhere. Some of the plants were already on the verge of withering. Fortunately for them, Wang Cheng had come along.
By the time he finished, exactly fifteen minutes had passed.
Tang Sisi, the pretty receptionist, walked in almost exactly at the start of the workday. When she saw Wang Cheng, something unreadable flickered across her expression. Wang Cheng merely nodded to her and walked away.
Tang Sisi seemed about to say something to his retreating back when footsteps sounded behind her. She turned, saw Li Yu, and immediately put on a smile. Unfortunately, Li Yu did not even glance at her, treating her as though she did not exist. Sitting behind the reception desk, Tang Sisi could not help muttering under her breath.
“She even comes in late. Who does she think she is?”
What Tang Sisi did not understand was that people like Li Yu and Zhang Yiheng could hardly be considered ordinary employees. Ordinary staff had to clock in, but they did not. Timekeeping rules existed to restrain employees who lacked self-discipline and a sense of responsibility. If Tang Sisi ever reached Li Yu’s level, she too could stop clocking in and stop living on a fixed salary.
First, however, she needed to learn to keep her mouth shut.
Wang Cheng’s judgment was far sharper than Tang Sisi’s. He had already realized that Li Yu held an unusual position in the company. The fact that she could manage such a large project by herself showed how much the boss trusted her. Calling a woman like her a career powerhouse would not be an exaggeration. His workload today was lighter than on his first day, though the material itself was more difficult.
Li Yu was responsible for project planning, and her work proceeded alongside Zhang Yiheng’s. While the resort area was being built, the Planning Department had to handle publicity. No project could do without promotion. No matter how well something was built, if nobody knew about it, how could it attract tourists? If it could not make money, the entire project would go down the drain.
Although Wang Cheng had never formally studied planning, he knew Shiquan County far better than Li Yu did. With him explaining things, Li Yu could identify more clearly where to begin, and her efficiency improved considerably. She finally stopped complaining about his being an outsider to the field.
From the start of work to the end of the day, Wang Cheng still did not see the boss. Only later did he learn that Boss Chu did not come to the office every day. Thinking back to how the big boss had suddenly shown up to take him up the mountain, Wang Cheng felt he understood a little. His boss’s way of thinking really was unusual, beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals like them.
Time always passed especially quickly when one was busy.
The clock on the wall reached five-thirty, the company’s official quitting time. Before anyone else had even left, Tang Sisi was already rushing out the door. She arrived at the last possible second in the morning and left faster than anyone else in the evening.
Watching this, Li Yu gave a disdainful snort right in front of Wang Cheng. She did not say anything, but he knew she had never taken Tang Sisi seriously. Or rather, she probably saw through all of Tang Sisi’s little tricks and simply did not want to waste time arguing with someone so insignificant.
Wang Cheng had a feeling Tang Sisi would probably be fired before her probation period was even over.
“What are you looking at? Want to work overtime? I can arrange that for you.” Catching his gaze, Li Yu pulled a stern face and raised an eyebrow, giving off a distinctly queenly air.
“No.” Wang Cheng answered immediately, packed up at lightning speed, and left work. He had already arranged to meet his eldest brother and had no intention of standing him up.
“That Wang Cheng guy seems pretty good. Where did you find him?” Fan Qi walked over and glanced at Wang Cheng’s retreating figure before speaking to Li Yu. There was genuine approval in his tone. Wang Cheng had only started work the day before yesterday. After Li Yu assigned him a task, he had spent practically the entire day sitting at his desk with his head buried in the materials, barely moving at all. Then the following day had been a day off, so Fan Qi still knew very little about him.
“What makes you think he’s good?” Li Yu countered instead of answering. She was rather surprised that Fan Qi already had a favorable impression of him.
“He came in early this morning and even watered all our plants. Tang Sisi’s been here almost half a month and I haven’t seen her water them once.”
“You’re the one who hired her.” At the mention of Tang Sisi, Li Yu gave another cold laugh.
“Hey, don’t blame me. I can’t see straight through people at a glance.” Fan Qi raised both hands in surrender. If he had known the conversation would turn against him, he never would have brought the subject up. He had truly brought this on himself.