12 – ProgressBefore hearing about this matter, Ren Zhouyuan was slightly aware that something was wrong. It wasn"t easy for him to decide to make An-An attend Vichy"s cla.s.s. But how could he know that since then, Leonid would often appear in the company. Ren Zhouyuan did not dare bring An-An to cla.s.s in front of his eyes, causing An-An to be a little moody.
On those few days, Ren Zhouyuan was rarely given the task to write a promotional article on STEAM1. This was the first ma.n.u.script he had to formally write since entering the company. And the one who arranged the work, it was precisely Mr. Secretary who was behind Leonid that day.
Before when he and Leonid had conversed, Ren Zhouyuan remembered that Leonid called his secretary Rowen2. However, he didn"t expect that this Chinese person"s name was actually really Rowen.
Rowen looked almost the same age as Ren Zhouyuan. Although both men were quite outstanding in appearance, he and Ren Zhouyuan had completely different personalities.
If Ren Zhouyuan was calm and had the air of a scholar, Rowen was the type who could easily catch the eyes of others. A dazzling and extroverted man. For Ren Zhouyuan, he seemed to give off the feeling of being……a little flashy3.
That day, the show-off came to Ren Zhouyuan"s desk bringing a whole pile of data, and pa4, slammed it in front of him. He clapped his hands a little impatiently and explained to Ren Zhouyuan the details of what he needed to write. When he was done, he looked at him curiously, openly watching Ren Zhouyuan work for a short while. Then, he patted him on the shoulder, saying a few words of encouragement before turning away and leaving.
Ren Zhouyuan looked at the data on top of his desk. He had never seen so much information before. When he was previously writing a thesis, the amount of data he required was still a bit less compared to this. Wasn"t he just writing a promotional article?
In any case, he still had to adhere to the spirit of professionalism, so he nevertheless read through all the things inside. It was precisely what he was studying in regards to this aspect, and combined with his own understanding, he soon wrote a ma.n.u.script that he thought was pretty good.
When he finished it, he contacted Rowen and asked him to pick up the ma.n.u.script. However, he heard the other person on the phone lazily say, "Oh, you"re done? Take it to the boss directly. It just so happens that he"s at the company today. I"m currently out, and this ma.n.u.script is quite urgent, so I"ll have to trouble you to give it to him today." After he finished, he didn"t even wait for Ren Zhouyuan to say a single word before suddenly hanging up the phone.
Ren Zhouyuan stared blankly at the hung up phone for a moment. When he finally reacted, his face was black.
He picked up the freshly printed ma.n.u.script and instantly felt like it was a hot potato. In his mind he wondered, was it too late for him to resign?
He took a deep breath, cursing himself for his groundless fears. He wanted to gather his courage to burst into Leonid"s office, put down the ma.n.u.script and immediately leave. But once the matter was mentioned, the energy left his chest in mere seconds5.
He knew that Leonid couldn"t recognize him, but he was still nervous. This fear had been with him for five years., to the point that it became like a part of him now6. When he perceived danger, he would subconsciously reach out and block it.
While he was holding the thin sheets of paper as if he was about to go to war with heaven7, Kong Fei sitting next to him was looking at him strangely.
Finally, when Ren Zhouyuan sighed for the 17th time, Kong Fei couldn"t help it anymore. "I say, what on earth are you doing?"
Ren Zhouyuan paused. He awkwardly turned his head to look at him. "This is a ma.n.u.script that I have to give to the boss. I"m a bit nervous."
Kong Fei"s interest was roused immediately when he heard him. He slid his chair closer to Ren Zhouyuan, face enviously looking at the ma.n.u.script in his hands. "How nice, ah. You"re in a different league; you can see the big boss so easily. I"ve been here for so long, and I only saw him once during the annual meeting." He patted Ren Zhouyuan"s shoulder. "Great young man, you definitely have a future! Go on, even if you"re nervous. This is a good chance for you to perform well!"
Ren Zhouyuan shot him a glance, and internally rolled his eyes. However, he was more curious about what Kong Fei said. "You"ve only met with the boss once a year? Usually, the boss will come to our floor to walk around, ah. I"ve actually seen him several times."
"What?!" Kong Fei was shocked. "I have never seen the boss on this floor!"
After he finished his remark, Du YiBo hit him on the head, complaining, "You"re too loud."
Ren Zhouyuan smiled as he looked at Kong Fei rubbing the back of his head. He answered him: "It"s usually after work, ba. I"ve run into him three or four times. But several times, it was when I was working overtime. You guys were already gone by then."
Kong Fe said. "I knew the opportunity was reserved only for those prepared." He wiped his face and recovered his spirit. "Hey, hey. This proves that you have an affinity with the boss. What else is there to be nervous about? Just go straight up and throw the ma.n.u.script at the boss. You were originally hired by the boss for a large sum of money. If I had your ability, I"d be eager to sway in front of the boss everyday."
Ren Zhouyuan was amused by Kong Fei, making his tension fade a bit. He joked with Kong Fei, "That att.i.tude, ah. Here"s your chance to show off, and make the boss remember you too." He said, pa.s.sing the ma.n.u.script to Kong Fei.
Kong Fei"s eyes stared straight at the ma.n.u.script, looking like he was seriously considering accepting. But in the end, he shook his head and waved his hand. "I can"t. The boss" aura is too heavy. When I see him, my legs start trembling." After speaking, he thought for a bit, his face twisting into a vulgar expression. "I"ll leave this opportunity to you. You"re lucky." He moved closer to Ren Zhouyuan and whispered into his ear, "I heard that the boss" fiancee is here today. You give me a closer look. Come back and tell me what the boss" fiancee looks like."
When Ren Zhouyuan heard him, he stared blankly, inexplicable emotions spreading through his chest. He had no intention of reflecting on his own subtle mood, so he just nodded stupidly, taking the ma.n.u.script and going out.
As he was walking to Leonid"s office, Ren Zhouyuan felt that he should have been resistant at this time. But instead, his footsteps unconsciously sped up. In a flash, he arrived in front of the office door.
He took a deep breath and looked at the ma.n.u.script in his hands. His palms were a little sweaty, so the edges of the paper were a bit wet.
The other side of the door was very quiet. Ren Zhouyuan recalled Kong Fei"s words. His mind constantly pictured the different scenes he might see when the door opened, making the tiny bit of courage he had gathered wither away. He shook his head and raised his hand, knocking twice. Unexpectedly, the person inside quickly replied, "Come in."
Ren Zhouyuan nervously opened the door and walked in. The scenes he imagined didn"t exactly hit the nail on the head, however what Kong Fei said was right. His luck was really good, the legendary boss and his fiance were indeed inside. From the moment he stepped into the room, both people smoothly looked at him.
Ren Zhouyuan coughed to conceal his discomfort. He lifted the file in his hands and said: "Rowen asked me to hand this over……"
Leonid frowned and glanced at him. His usual look was tinged with a bit of impatience. He didn"t wait for Ren Zhouyuan to finish before saying, "You go back first."
Ren Zhouyuan stared blankly for a moment, his face a little embarra.s.sed. He nodded apologetically, but when he was about to withdraw, he heard Leonid say: "That wasn"t for you." He pointed his finger to Ren Zhouyuan and gestured for him to stay. He turned his head to the woman and said: "Natasha, you go back first."
Once the woman called Natasha heard him, her beautiful features suddenly twisted. She rushed to Leonid"s desk and slammed her hands on the table. Her voice was sharp, "Ha?! What do you mean by that Leonid? Your father asked me to come here and find you. Do you want to drive me away for a Chinese person now?!"
Ren Zhouyuan was startled by the sound she made at the table. He stood by the door, not knowing what to do. He had no intention of eavesdropping on the two"s conversation, but he couldn"t stay, and walking away was out of the question. Left or right, he didn"t know8.
Leonid"s face was getting worse and worse, and even Ren Zhouyuan could tell he was holding back his fury. He told Natasha. "I said, you should go back first. Don"t let me say it again."
"I won"t leave!" Natasha said as she sat down, hugging her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and looking at Leonid with eyes full of provocation.
The atmosphere was really bad. Ren Zhouyuan was embarra.s.sed until his scalp felt numb. He glanced at Leonid and felt that he would explode the next second.
However, the way things developed exceeded his expectations. Leonid didn"t explode as he originally thought, instead he tacitly agreed to Natasha"s actions and looked blankly at her. Soon, he got up and walked around her, heading straight toward Ren Zhouyuan.
Ren Zhouyuan paused and subconsciously straightened his back. When Leonid was only a step away from him, he handed over the ma.n.u.script. His att.i.tude was respectful, as if he wasn"t facing a man, but rather a Buddha.
However, this Buddha was obviously not a very friendly Buddha. Leonid saw Ren Zhouyuan"s movements and frowned. He didn"t take another step forward and stood firmly some distance away from him, reaching out for the ma.n.u.script.
However, after barely a second, without waiting for Ren Zhouyuan to sigh in relief, the Buddha raised a difficult question right away. "What is this?"
"Ah?" Ren Zhouyuan looked up, puzzled. "This is the promotional article that Rowen asked me to write about STEAM.”
Leonid looked at him condescendingly and furrowed his brows: "Chinese?"
Ren Zhouyuan blinked, and immediately his face flushed at a speed visible to the naked eye. He retrieved the ma.n.u.script from Leonid. When he finally came back to himself, he felt that his actions weren"t appropriate. He hurriedly apologized and said: "I"m so sorry! I was thoughtless. I"ll go back to fix it and bring it back right away!"
He turned around to leave the office, but Leonid pulled his collar from behind. "Don"t bother. Just tell me about it."
Ren Zhouyuan had barely stepped outside when he was stopped. His center of gravity unsteadily went backwards. But just as he was about to fall into Leonid"s arms, he managed to stop himself. However, his whole face turned as red a deep-fried shrimp. Even without looking at a mirror, he knew how hot his face face became.
Annoyed, Ren Zhouyuan thought, why was it that in front of this man, he always seemed to embara.s.s himself? Five years ago, it was like this. Five years later, it was also like this. There didn"t seem to be any progress at all after all this time.
Corensi: So many fangirl worthy moments in this chapter. And so many hints about how Leonid sees Ren Zhouyuan too! I personally find it suspicious that only RZY sees the boss after work. Ahhh my heart was all fluffy while TLing this. Did you guys enjoyed the sketches I made? I finally got a graphics tab, and I’m practicing drawing with it. These are only sketches though
BUT!!! There will be face-slapping (if I recall correctly)!! So look forward to it!
Notes:
1 – for some reason, the raws said "steam." Look: 那几天任宙远难得地被安排了写一份有关推广steam的文章. It’s probably a typo. EDIT: It’s really STEAM apparently. Back
2 – it"s actually 罗恩 (luó ēn), which can either be read as Ron or Rowen, but Rowen sounds fancier so here we are.Back
3 – it"s actually 骚包 (sāo bāo), slang for a flashy and enticing person. But I don"t know the connotation in this line. Whether it"s positive (like a genuine compliment from RZY, aka: a flashy guy) or negative (a show-off in that sense).Back
4 – 啪 (pā), an onomatopoeia that"s like bang; pop; or pow. Back
5 – orig. text: 但是气只提到他胸口，就秒泄掉了. Back
6 – orig. text: 事到如今就像是他身上的一块肉一样. More literally, it would be: To the point that it became a piece of meat on him now. Back
7 – orig. text: 他在这边对着薄薄几张纸做着天人交战时. Back
8 – orig. text: 左右不是人. Back