Mai Ding walked back toward his desk just as Manager Cui was passing Guo Ping’s office. Manager Cui glanced around and saw everyone sorting through old Public Relations files. He frowned. “Don’t you have anything else to do? You’re wasting time on this kind of trivial nonsense?”
Guo Ping met Manager Cui’s gaze with a polite smile. “We’ll take care of everything else. The old files were such a mess that we wanted to organize them so they’ll be easier to look through if we ever need them.” Manager Cui said nothing and walked away. As he passed An Zi Yan’s office, he glanced inside before returning to his own. He shut the door, closed the blinds, and sat in the dim room with his fingers interlaced in front of his lips, brows drawn tight in thought. Why had they suddenly decided to organize the old files? When had it started? He had been too busy lately to pay attention to what was happening over there. Could An Zi Yan’s intentions really be that simple? No. He could not afford to let his guard down. Manager Cui picked up the phone beside him and dialed a number. “Hello. Something’s come up. I’ll find a place in the next couple of days. Come meet me. Mm.”
At the same time, An Zi Yan slowly swiveled his office chair with one leg, tapping a pen against the desk while making a call of his own. “Keep an eye on things for me. If anything unusual happens, call me.”
Outside, Mai Ding had barely warmed his seat before Feng Fei Meng sent him off to the Finance Department. Mai Ding rarely had any dealings with Finance. Feng Fei Meng usually handled communication with them, so this was his first time going there. Embarrassingly enough, he had already been at the company for a while, yet as a low-ranking employee he had never even visited many of its floors. Most of the time, he only moved between the fourth and seventh floors.
When the elevator stopped at the thirteenth floor, Mai Ding stepped out and immediately caught a faint fragrance from far away, the kind of scent he associated with a woman’s bedroom. The moment he walked inside, he felt like Tang Seng accidentally wandering into the Kingdom of Women. Compared with Public Relations, there were pitifully few men in Finance. Almost every desk held little feminine trinkets and tiny potted plants, and the office chairs had cushions in every color. Did women simply have a natural urge to decorate their own space?
“Hello, I’m from Public Relations. Feng Fei Meng had to go out, so she asked me to come up instead.” Mai Ding spoke very politely to the woman nearest him. She smiled and called to another long-haired woman standing not far away. “Ya Ya, a man from Public Relations is here.” Ya Ya turned around. “What? I thought Yan was coming up. It’s just some wet-behind-the-ears kid.” I’m the same age as An Zi Yan!!
“Stop teasing him. Look, you’re embarrassing him.”
“I heard Yan has a girlfriend. Is that true?” Ya Ya continued teasing Mai Ding. He grew even more awkward. He had never been stared at by so many women at once. A woman who entered behind him rescued him. She looked to be in her thirties. She was not extraordinarily beautiful, but she had a kind of presence, the sensuality only a mature woman could carry. Her hair was neatly tied back, and the dark reddish-brown suit she wore showed off her striking figure. The beauty mark near the corner of her mouth was subtle, yet somehow made people want to keep looking there.
“Manager Ji, you’re back.”
Manager Ji glanced at the name badge on Mai Ding’s clothes. Her expression was neither cold nor friendly. “Where’s Fei Meng?” Mai Ding answered respectfully. There was only one manager in Finance, Ji Meng. Mai Ding had seen her before, but this was the first time they had ever spoken. He certainly did not dare offend her. “She went out today. It was urgent, so she asked me to come up instead.” Ji Meng glanced at Ya Ya. Ya Ya stopped joking, searched around her desk for a moment, and handed Mai Ding some papers inside a document envelope.
“Manager Ji, I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll be going.”
Ji Meng had no intention of keeping him either. “Tell your boss not to get any ideas about using me.” Mai Ding could only nod, having no idea what she meant. Several women in the office called out to him too. “And tell your boss for us that he should come up for coffee when he has time.” The women burst into laughter. Mai Ding no longer felt as though he had entered the Kingdom of Women. This was a cave full of spider spirits. Outwardly, he agreed. Inwardly, he thought: Manager Cui counts as my boss too. I’ll tell him and let him come up here to drink coffee with all of you.
Elio’s Notes: The references to Tang Seng, the Kingdom of Women, and spider spirits all come from Journey to the West. Mai Ding’s mental picture of the Finance Department has gone from intimidating to downright dangerous.
When the elevator doors opened, Zhu Qiang was already inside. Mai Ding nodded to him. Zhu Qiang looked the same as always, wearing the expression of a man who believed everyone in the world had personally offended him. Mai Ding did not dare provoke him. Zhu Qiang had a fiery temper and would start shouting at the slightest thing.
“Is An Zi Yan in Public Relations?”
“He should be.”
“What do you mean, ‘should be’? Either he’s there or he isn’t.”
“He’s there.” Mai Ding was usually the one lecturing other people. Now he had discovered that Zhu Qiang liked lecturing people even more than he did. Zhu Qiang stared at the changing elevator numbers. “Does no one in Public Relations even know how to answer a simple question?”
“Then I hope Manager Zhu can teach me more in the future.” Mai Ding’s humble acceptance caught Zhu Qiang off guard. After a moment, he said, “I don’t have anything to teach you.”
“I think there’s a lot I could learn from Manager Zhu. I always want to do things properly, but sometimes I think too much and end up becoming hesitant.”
“Thinking carefully is a good thing.” Zhu Qiang rarely praised anyone. He had always placed great importance on an employee’s character and work habits, and Mai Ding happened to possess the qualities he valued. Zhu Qiang himself was strict and meticulous. He did not joke around with people, nor could he stand gossiping and fooling around in the office. From what he had seen during his visits to Public Relations, Mai Ding did not belong to that crowd either.
The two of them stepped out of the elevator together. An Zi Yan, who was leaning beside Fan Shao Jun’s desk, narrowed his eyes as he watched them walk in side by side. Zhu Qiang saw An Zi Yan and headed straight toward him. “I need to talk to you.” But An Zi Yan’s eyes never left Mai Ding. His stare made Mai Ding’s back go cold. Ignoring Zhu Qiang completely, An Zi Yan said to Mai Ding, “You, Mai. Don’t wander out of my sight whenever you feel like it.” Mai Ding felt deeply wronged. What did I do to offend him this time?!
Zhu Qiang usually thought An Zi Yan gave his subordinates far too much freedom. He had not expected him to be so strict with Mai Ding. Just as everyone else suspected, An Zi Yan must really hate Mai Ding.
“I’m talking to you.” Zhu Qiang raised his voice.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” An Zi Yan replied flatly.
“Brat, fix that attitude of yours!” Zhu Qiang’s temper flared again, his voice booming through the entire Public Relations Department. An Zi Yan gave Fan Shao Jun a few instructions, then walked into his office. Zhu Qiang followed close behind, still shouting the whole way.