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墨書 Inktalez
Standing outside, Xin Yi felt a bit helpless as he watched Song Bunan seriously adjust his outfit in front of the mirror. The suit, clearly a size too big, hung awkwardly on him. Although the fabric was of high quality and freshly pressed, the drooping shoulder pads made it obvious that anyone would think this kid had stolen his father's clothes.
With such doubts in mind, Xin Yi asked, "Isn't that suit a bit too big for you?"
Song Bunan earnestly replied, "This is the most expensive outfit I bought during college. I had a bit more weight back then, but I've lost some over the years."
Xin Yi felt a pang of sympathy. Looking at the boy, whose only round feature was his face, he silently apologized and couldn't imagine what he must have looked like during that "bit more weight" phase.
There was no time to buy him a properly fitting suit now; they had to hurry to the office. Once they reached the parking lot, Song Bunan visibly began to get nervous. He clutched the seatbelt and said, "Is it really okay for me to start working without any training?"
Xin Yi had initially wanted to chime in with a comment about why he hadn't considered this sooner, but seeing Song Bunan's eyes start to glisten with worry made him hold back. Instead, he expertly unbuckled his seatbelt and placed the work ID he had brought home yesterday around Song Bunan's neck. "Don't worry. Once we get inside, I'll take you to HR. There will be someone there to explain what you need to do. This first week is just about getting familiar with the environment; they won't throw you into anything right away."
Cheng Meixian from HR had arrived at the office early. After confirming that her makeup was flawless, she settled into her chair, reviewing work-related materials while waiting for the special newcomer to report for duty. The one-inch photo on his application showed a slight smile; he looked like he could be around seventeen or eighteen years old, and she imagined his round face would feel nice to touch.
She hoped this kid wouldn't quit early due to Xin Yi's nitpicking nature; after all, they were acquaintances.
Just as she finished processing an applicant's form and was about to take a tea break, she saw Xin Yi striding toward her. Colleagues in the open office area cautiously peeked out from behind partitions to catch a glimpse of what was behind him; she knew that meant her awaited newcomer had arrived.
Watching Xin Yi—who always appeared serious and aloof in a work setting—bending slightly to speak gently with the boy at the glass door made her gossip radar go off. In person, Song Bunan seemed more age-appropriate than in his photo; however, he was shorter than expected and far too thin for the oversized suit he wore.
Without entering to speak with her, Xin Yi gestured with his eyes before heading straight into his office, leaving the obviously nervous boy standing still under the scrutiny of all their colleagues. He gently knocked twice on the door before stepping inside.
"Hello, I... I'm here to work," the boy's voice was adorably sweet. Cheng Meixian stood up and shook his hand warmly while forcing herself not to focus on how ill-fitting his suit was. She spoke in a restrained tone as she explained what his job would entail and emphasized that he needed to familiarize himself with various tasks.
Sitting in the chair and nervously gripping the edges of his oversized jacket, Song Bunan nodded earnestly at every word she said but showed signs of gradually relaxing.
"This job is something anyone can do; it just requires attention to detail. You'll need to keep track of important schedules or events—it's best if you carry a notebook and pen with you. While your phone doesn't need to be on 24/7, it should be accessible during regular hours. As for Xin Yi and Song Buxian's temperaments, you probably know them better than anyone else."
These two key figures in the company were ones no one had successfully figured out yet; now that a relative was involved, they certainly wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. The boy seemed less distressed about his ill-fitting suit now; he placed his hands neatly on his knees and smiled at her while nodding that he understood.
"Since you're new here, you'll need to familiarize yourself with company policies and procedures. I've already placed all the materials at your workstation; today is just about settling in. If you have any questions, feel free to come find me—I'm Cheng Meixian; remember that! By the way, what's your phone number? You need to join our company group."
As she prepared to grab her phone to add him as a friend, she heard him shyly say, "My phone is broken; I haven't bought a new one yet. Can I add you after I get one at noon?"
While it's common for phones to break in modern society, encountering someone who came to work without immediately replacing theirs was unusual for her. Unable to resist asking when it broke, she received an embarrassed response: "Yesterday afternoon; it fell into water."
That was indeed unique.
Song Bunan's workstation was right outside Xin Yi's office—close enough that he could hear anything shouted from inside clearly. Following Cheng Meixian closely behind while feeling dozens of eyes on him made him feel numb as he slowly moved toward his desk. The neatly arranged folders on top of it also held a cactus with golden spikes that looked quite sturdy.
After watching Cheng Meixian leave, Song Bunan sat down only to realize how unique this position was; he could see the entire office area from where he sat while also becoming the focal point of many gazes. Behind him was Xin Yi's office; anyone inside could easily see what he was doing at his desk if they glanced up. Feeling self-conscious under such scrutiny made Song Bunan turn slightly to look back into the room where Xin Yi—radiating an entirely different aura—was discussing matters with someone holding files. Sensing his gaze, Xin Yi turned around slightly and smiled at him.
This gesture provided some encouragement for Song Bunan as he sat at his workstation diligently reviewing the materials he needed to memorize. It felt like returning to study hall months ago; he reached for a pencil from a nearby holder and attempted to underline key points from what he saw.
He should have brought a notebook. Gradually immersing himself in memorizing information allowed Song Bunan to tune out everything else that could distract him.
Suddenly, more people filled the break room as many gathered there with cups in hand whispering about what had happened that morning; most discussions revolved around the newcomer sitting at their desk studying diligently. Everyone pieced together bits of information they had gleaned from HR until they finally constructed a complete narrative:
The person brought in by Xin Yi that morning was Song Buxian's younger brother, who came to assist with the banquet preparations. This news brought both relief and joy to the office. The relief stemmed from finally having someone to nitpick at, while the joy was due to the fact that this younger brother seemed much easier to talk to than the aloof Xin Yi and the enigmatic Song Buxian.
"What if we get to hear some gossip about the two deities once we get familiar?" Everyone believed this wholeheartedly, and a bold individual decided to build a good relationship with Song Bunan.
Xin Yi glanced at the serious-looking boy in front of him, who was diligently writing and drawing, seemingly taking notes. For some reason, his mood lifted. He took out his phone and snapped a picture of Song Buxian, sending it over. Before long, he received a reply that read: "His IQ as an assistant seems a bit questionable; how did I suddenly feel that way?"
Xiao Mei had made about ten calls, all of which resulted in the same response: the other party's phone was turned off. If it weren't for Zhang Long stopping him, he would have thrown his phone in frustration. He couldn't understand how Song Bunan could hold a phone yet act as if he didn't have one at all.
"What is he doing? Why can't he reply to even one out of a hundred messages? Is he an idiot or what? Seriously..." As he ranted like a bull, Zhang Long managed to calm him down with some encouragement and pulling him back from the edge. He slammed his phone down on the sofa, watching it bounce and slide into the couch cushions.
Exhausted, Zhang Long wiped the sweat from his brow and headed to the kitchen for something cool to drink. It had been a day since Mountain Spirit had appeared, and after spending the night here, Zhang Long mentioned that he had heard eerie wails coming from the big house next door during the night, which really disturbed his sleep. Compared to Xiao Mei, who was full of energy as usual, he looked utterly worn out—as if he had been plowing fields all night.
Thinking about staying here for nearly a week made Zhang Long feel dizzy.
After calming down, Xiao Mei approached him and casually took the juice from his hand, drinking it herself. "If you can't sleep well at night, just go take a nap now. Mountain Spirit won't be showing up anytime soon; relax."
Her words were a blatant mockery. Zhang Long lacked the energy to retort and merely rolled his eyes before returning to the living room and lying down on the sofa, covering himself with a blanket.
"Let me sleep peacefully; please don't make any noise to disturb me," he said.
As he closed his eyes, intending to get some good rest, he missed the sly smile on Xiao Mei's face.
"Sleep well."
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