Before Jiang Xiaoyi even had a chance to take her mental health screening, Eunuch Li beat everyone to it and gave her a “heart-to-heart soul talk” of his own —

“Jiang Xiaoyi, you got lucky and Director Ye picked you, but don’t actually think you’re some chosen one now. Historically, being a CEO’s assistant has always required high standards for education and ability — you, an art major, don’t even come close to qualifying. I’ve been on pins and needles, terrified you’ll embarrass our department while working as Director Ye’s assistant…”

Normally at lunchtime everyone would go eat, but Jiang Xiaoyi, trying to save money, hadn’t gone, and was instead making do with a bag of hazelnuts Wang Yani had given her — when Eunuch Li caught her in the act…

Ever since learning Jiang Xiaoyi had been chosen as the temporary assistant, Eunuch Li hadn’t given her a decent look. Since she’d been busy with physical checkups these past few days, he hadn’t had an outlet to vent his authority. Now, catching her during lunch break in the office area, he wasted no time launching into a long-winded, sarcastic lecture, cataloguing all of Jiang Xiaoyi’s shortcomings.

Eunuch Li, an old master of workplace manipulation, rambled on endlessly: “When you go work for Director Ye, keep your mindset level-headed — don’t actually think you’ve ascended to the heavens. The word ‘temporary’ means you can be let go anytime. Only our Project Incubation Department is your real home. Remember where your loyalty lies! Your heart should belong to this department, our big family — and any information should be reported to me first thing.”

“As for department matters, you still need to keep handling those too. After all, in a month, you’ll be back with us.”

In her early days at the company, Jiang Xiaoyi would have argued back at times like this. But after years of being worn down by the workplace, she’d long since learned her lesson, and now nodded along without changing expression: “Don’t worry, Director Li, in my heart, you’re the only leader I have!”

There was never any good outcome in arguing with Eunuch Li, because he simply wasn’t reasonable — the moment Jiang Xiaoyi pushed back, he would spare no amount of time to pester her relentlessly until she was completely worn out. The usual result was that a whole day would vanish once you stepped into Eunuch Li’s office, but the day’s workload wouldn’t disappear along with it.

The working masses had, through bitter and hard-won experience, long since learned to conserve their energy.

Whenever Eunuch Li went into manipulation mode, Jiang Xiaoyi’s mind would automatically start looping —

Just white noise. Don’t listen, don’t listen.

Sure enough, Jiang Xiaoyi’s response left Eunuch Li very satisfied: “Rare to see you so sensible — I’ll definitely nurture you well and treat you right…”

But before Eunuch Li could finish, he was interrupted by a sound nearby.

Someone was clapping, quite obnoxiously.

Eunuch Li was naturally furious — until he saw who it was, and his fury immediately deflated.

Ye Zhen stood lazily in the doorway.

Eunuch Li immediately plastered on a smile. “Director Ye, why come to our department in person? If there’s anything, just call me, I’ll come running…”

Ye Zhen smiled. “What were you two chatting about just now? Sounded like a good time. Can I join in?”

Ye Zhen’s teasing expression and the clapping made it clear he knew exactly what scene had just played out here — yet now he was feigning ignorance, apparently planning to look the other way like most other bosses would.

Of course, Jiang Xiaoyi understood — after all, no one would bother clashing with a seasoned mid-level manager over some low-level employee.

Although she’d already told herself not to have any expectations, at this moment, Jiang Xiaoyi still felt a flicker of disappointment.

But Jiang Xiaoyi was, after all, sensible — just as she was about to find some excuse about discussing work to smooth things over for both of them, Eunuch Li beat her to it: “Director Ye, I was just disciplining little Jiang here.”

Ye Zhen’s face gave nothing away, still wearing that unreadable smile.

Ever since the last incident, Eunuch Li had been racking his brains trying to flatter the new boss. Seeing this reaction from Ye Zhen now, he took it as encouragement, grinned obsequiously at Ye Zhen, then turned a stern face toward Jiang Xiaoyi: “Little Jiang, why are you hiding here eating hazelnuts at lunch?! How could you eat hazelnuts?!”

Clever! Jiang Xiaoyi couldn’t help but silently admire this — Eunuch Li had learned his lesson and decided to build an image of a caring supervisor in front of Ye Zhen, pretending to scold her for skipping lunch and snacking instead?

Unfortunately, Eunuch Li quickly showed Jiang Xiaoyi the harsh reality, as he continued sternly: “Our Director Ye’s name also has the character ‘Zhen’ in it — the hazelnuts (榛子, zhenzi) you’re eating sound just like it! That counts as disrespecting a superior’s name! With so many things to eat, why must you eat hazelnuts?”

“……”

Even knowing full well how much of a bootlicker Eunuch Li was, Jiang Xiaoyi was stunned by this.

Eunuch Li glanced at Ye Zhen and smiled. “Besides that, little Jiang here has quite a few bad habits. I keep thinking, since she’s going to serve as your temporary assistant, I only regret not having taught her better sooner — I’m worried she won’t serve you well, Director Ye. I’ve usually tried to correct her, but she’s rather stubborn, and it’s been hard to change many of her bad habits…”

“But, our Project Incubation Department has plenty of highly capable staff overall — how about you switch to someone else as your assistant? I have other candidates I could recommend.”

Was this bastard trying to push out someone he’d recommended himself?

Usually stealing her projects was one thing — but this time it was five to six times the salary! Jiang Xiaoyi absolutely would not allow this!

Just as she was gearing up to fight Eunuch Li head-on, Ye Zhen spoke first —

“Didn’t you just say she was sensible, and that you’d nurture her well and treat her right?” The man’s voice still carried a hint of amusement, though there was really no emotion behind it at all. Ye Zhen’s beautiful eyes glanced at Eunuch Li, looking almost innocently curious. “Is this your idea of treating her well?”

“No, Director Ye, it’s mainly — sending Jiang Xiaoyi to work by your side, I really have a hundred concerns, worried she’ll tarnish our department’s reputation. She’s still young, so I wanted to keep her close and mentor her more.”

“Are you questioning my judgment?”

“Huh?”

Ye Zhen stopped smiling, his whole face turning cold. He glanced at Jiang Xiaoyi. “She’s the one I selected. By putting her down like this, aren’t you indirectly implying my judgment is poor?”

Fairly speaking, in that moment, Jiang Xiaoyi suddenly understood what Wang Yani had meant — Ye Zhen really was quite handsome when he spoke with an expression like that.

Eunuch Li hadn’t expected his flattery to backfire so badly, losing both ways. His face turned awkward. “Director, Director Ye, let me explain…”

“You mean to say you think I misunderstood?”

“No, no…”

Ye Zhen seemed like some kind of ETC toll-booth master of one-upmanship, and Eunuch Li was simply no match for him — completely silenced, his usual lines now coming out of Ye Zhen’s mouth instead.

He’d been throwing his weight around for years, never expecting to one day meet his match —

In the presence of the true master of “boss syndrome,” Ye Zhen, Eunuch Li was utterly outclassed!

Having finished his tirade, Ye Zhen glanced at Eunuch Li once more. “Still standing here? Trying to waste more of my time?”

Eunuch Li didn’t dare say another word and scurried off at once.

Now only Ye Zhen and Jiang Xiaoyi remained in the office area.

Eunuch Li had “passed away” — now it was her turn…

Ye Zhen, this equal-opportunity tyrant of a boss, clearly had no intention of sparing Jiang Xiaoyi either: “Your only leader?”

Driven by a fierce will to survive, Jiang Xiaoyi immediately declared, “Director Ye! It’s you! It has to be you!” She lowered her voice. “I never expected Director Li would treat me this way… thank goodness you stood up for me! I believe you’ll definitely treat me better than Eunuch Li did!”

Whatever, bosses always liked having a high hat put on them — better to hand Ye Zhen the “caring boss” hat first. Generally, with that hat on, Ye Zhen would feel obligated to treat her at least a little better.

“Mm.”

Unfortunately, Ye Zhen apparently wasn’t like most people. He nodded matter-of-factly, then continued on his own track: “Li You’ai wasn’t great to you, but I won’t be either.”???

“This is for your own good. If I treat you too well, first, you might lose yourself; second, you’d risk becoming a target of jealousy and exclusion from other colleagues.”

Ye Zhen smiled. “You know, you’re just here as a stopgap. In a month you won’t be my assistant anymore. If I treated you too well, you might not be able to let go of it, and end up with unrealistic expectations when you go back to your original position.”

“……” That’s really not necessary…

“And, I have to clarify one thing — I wasn’t defending you just now either. I was just protecting my own taste.” Ye Zhen glanced at Jiang Xiaoyi meaningfully. “Simply put, you could say I was saving face for myself.”

“……”

If it weren’t for the money, Jiang Xiaoyi felt she might actually hit someone right now…

She was absolutely certain now — she’d rather die than have any lingering fondness for this temporary assistant job.

Jiang Xiaoyi held back her anger, trying to stay composed: “So, Director Ye, is that why you came — to find me? Do you have any work instructions?”

“Oh, right. Although your mental health status is still questionable, there’s some work you can start on now.”

Actual work to do? Jiang Xiaoyi perked up at once. In the Project Incubation Department, she’d mostly done odd jobs and never touched core business. Now, working alongside Ye Zhen — even if he was an airhead — the platform was different, and she figured she could at least broaden her horizons and learn something.

Jiang Xiaoyi had already pictured herself enduring hardship by Ye Zhen’s side while her professional skills skyrocketed — only for Ye Zhen to smile and mercilessly shatter that beautiful vision —

“Go get me a cup of coffee.”

“……” Jiang Xiaoyi held back her irritation and explained, “We have a coffee machine at the office, Director Ye. Whatever flavor you’d like, I can make it for you.”

Ye Zhen shook his head. “No, I like it with latte art. Can you do latte art?”

“……” If you like latte art, why not just go drink it at a café yourself?!

Jiang Xiaoyi said tactfully, “The email about the temporary assistant’s job duties said the role was to help you with work, to improve your efficiency…”

“Didn’t you see the fine print at the bottom? It also said ‘may need to handle certain secretarial and personal matters,’ with expenses reimbursed separately.”

Jiang Xiaoyi felt a flicker of interest. “So you’re saying, buying you coffee counts as a personal matter, and I’d get extra pay for it?”

“Of course not. I need to drink coffee to be in a good mood, which is what lets me work efficiently, so buying coffee counts as work-related.”

“But…”

Ye Zhen looked at her blankly, cutting off her attempt to argue: “Do you still want this job or not? Too many questions.”

For the sake of the money, Jiang Xiaoyi decided to sell her soul.

Just as she turned to go buy the coffee, she heard Ye Zhen continue, “Oh, and one more thing — no more eating hazelnuts from now on.”

Wait, seriously, was he actually offended about the name thing?

“Caring about name taboos is out of the question — I’m not superstitious like that.” Ye Zhen had just been smiling, but his face darkened the next instant. “But hazelnuts make me think of squirrels. I hate squirrels.”

“Also, next time you want to eat something, go to the break room. The office area should maintain a proper working atmosphere. Li You’ai wasn’t wrong about that — you really do have a lot of issues, and to be blunt, it doesn’t quite match my aesthetic.”

Ye Zhen’s smile was strikingly charming, but his tone was as infuriating as ever: “I’m someone who pursues perfection, but sometimes I forget that others can’t reach the same standard as me. So, I’ll try my best to tolerate your imperfections.”

“……”

“By the way, that top you’re wearing — don’t wear it again.”

Jiang Xiaoyi blinked. “Is it because it doesn’t suit me?” But everyone said it looked good on her…

“It suits you, but it doesn’t suit me.” Ye Zhen pressed his lips together, condescendingly explaining, “I hate the color purple. I’ll give you an hour to change.”

“……”

“Also, I hope you keep your phone reachable at all times. I don’t want to have to come find you in person to convey what I need — that’s much too primitive.”

“……”

“And, do you have an English name?”

The topic had shifted so fast that Jiang Xiaoyi blankly shook her head.

“Then I’ll give you one. From today on, you’ll be Anna.”

Anna? That’s way too generic…

“Director Ye, our company isn’t a foreign firm, and we’ve never had a tradition of calling each other by English names. Are you trying to shift our workplace culture in that direction now?”

“Oh, no, that’s not it. It’s just that I might forget your Chinese name.” Ye Zhen smiled. “I tend to forget unimportant information easily, and I’m afraid I’d suddenly blank on your name when I need you. Besides, your current name isn’t great either — you might not have realized it, but names with characters like ‘xiao’ or ‘xiao’ (small/dawn) or ‘xiao’ (this character) have a bit of an old-fashioned, last-century feel to them.”

“……”

Wasn’t this basically just calling her name outdated in a roundabout way… But the English name he’d given her wasn’t any better!

Jiang Xiaoyi actually quite liked her Chinese name and had no intention of accepting this “royally bestowed” name Anna. She argued at once: “Director Ye, I have no problem with you calling me by an English name, but could I not be called Anna… I’m not too fond of that name…”

An English name was just a label — usually, once things were said this plainly, most normal people wouldn’t have an issue with it.

Ye Zhen seemed to genuinely put himself in Jiang Xiaoyi’s shoes. He thought for a moment, then nodded. “I understand.”

It seemed she wouldn’t have to be Anna after all — Jiang Xiaoyi breathed a sigh of relief.

But before she could even feel happy, she heard Ye Zhen continue, “Since you don’t like it, no worries — in a month, you won’t need to be called Anna anymore anyway. The name Anna is a legacy — you can pass it down to my official assistant to inherit.”

It’s just some random English name, not a title of nobility. Was it hereditary now too?

Unaware of what Jiang Xiaoyi was thinking, Ye Zhen glanced at her and continued matter-of-factly, “To make it easier for me to remember names and not waste my time, all my assistants are called Anna. Much simpler and more efficient. Understood, Anna?”

“……”

Jiang Xiaoyi had seen plenty of bosses with an ego problem before, but never one this far gone.

Ye Zhen was handsome, and wealthy too, but there was absolutely no respect for employees in him at all — Jiang Xiaoyi only felt his overwhelming sense of looking down on everyone from above.

Watching Ye Zhen’s retreating figure as he turned to leave, Jiang Xiaoyi had only one thought —

God, please, hurry up and take my damn boss away!

In her twenty-something years of life, this was truly the first time Jiang Xiaoyi had ever encountered a weirdo like Ye Zhen.