Confessing To An Annoying Boss

“You’re the one, Qiao Ziman.”

Qiao Ziman’s eyes widened in disbelief. Why me?!

The HR manager walked over with a grin, complimenting, “Chief Chi, you have a great eye. You picked the most capable one.”

Turning around, she patted Qiao Ziman on the shoulder. “Xiao Qiao, from now on, assist Chief Chi well.”

Qiao Ziman crossed her arms. “Did I agree?”

The HR manager whispered, “There’s a stipend.”

Upon hearing the words “there’s a stipend,” Qiao Ziman’s eyes lit up, and she quickly changed her tune, “It’s an honor.”

Only a fool wouldn’t make money. Qiao Ziman had no shame in bowing to money in this life. She grabbed the HR manager’s shoulder and pulled her into a corner, “How much, how much, how much?”

The HR manager held up one finger.

“A thousand? That’s okay, I’ll do it,” Qiao Ziman thought. Assisting with work meant organizing files, which was easy for her and definitely worth it.

Seeing her reaction, the HR manager waved her hand, “Add a zero.”

“What?” Qiao Ziman’s voice suddenly rose, drawing curious looks from her colleagues. She had to suppress her excitement and lower her voice, “When did the company become so generous? This amount could hire a professional assistant.”

The HR manager explained quietly, “Chief Chi is paying out of her own pocket. Of course, she has some requirements for her assistant, which she’ll explain later.”

She added a heads-up, “She’s a bit picky.”

Qiao Ziman clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction, “Picky? I love her excellent quality of striving for perfection.” How could she talk like that about her money goddess?

HR Manager: “…” Alright then. If she didn’t know Qiao Ziman was obsessed with money, she’d almost suspect she had a thing for Chief Chi.

Qiao Ziman’s mind raced with calculations, and when she turned back to face Chi Yin, her face blossomed into a smile, with no trace of resentment left. “Chief Chi, just let me know if you need anything. Do you have any requirements? I’ll take note.”

Chi Yin looked at Qiao Ziman’s excited expression and couldn’t help but chuckle. She turned away to hide her smile and simply said, “I haven’t decided yet,” before leaving.

As for Qiao Ziman, who was dumbfounded by the sudden windfall, her mouth couldn’t stop grinning. Forget about the seriousness, the pua, and being hard to deal with. Our Chief Chi is so gentle and considerate of her subordinates.

Qiao Ziman’s opinion of Chi Yin did a complete 180-degree turn, now adorned with a dazzling golden halo. So much so that when Qiao Ziman, having meticulously revised the draft, submitted it again in the afternoon only to have it swiftly rejected by Chi Yin, she didn’t complain at all.

As closing time approached, Qiao Ziman decided to take a break. She stretched her stiff body and picked up her phone to start replying to messages. As soon as she opened WeChat…

The top-pinned WeChat messages from Ms. He Cuizhen started popping up one after another, vibrating continuously. Qiao Ziman’s heart raced as well. It had only been a week since the last matchmaking disaster. How could her mom be at it again?

With trembling hands, she opened the messages.

[Qiao Qiao, Mom misses you. How long has it been since you came home?]

The sudden emotional appeal was a bad sign; He Cuizhen was not someone who played the emotional card.

[Qiao Qiao, Mom recently learned a new dish and wants to make it for you. (Pictures pictures pictures.)]

Qiao Ziman looked at the picture of the colorful, unrecognizable “dish,” her eyelids twitching. Her mom really did have occasional flashes of inspiration, often resulting in culinary disasters.

He Cuizhen: [How about I come visit you?]
[Do you have time this Saturday?]

It seemed like the last sentence was the main point. He Cuizhen wouldn’t just skip her mahjong game to come see her; it was just another trick to set her up on a blind date. She had already fallen for it once, did they think she was stupid?

Qiao Ziman leaned back comfortably in her chair, typing with one hand: [Mom, not happening.]

“Whoosh,” a message flew over.

He Cuizhen: [Voice message 60s]

Qiao Ziman crossed her legs, didn’t even open the voice message, and typed back: [Dear Mom, please mind your manners.]

She randomly forwarded a public account article:
[Forwarded: Shocking! Sixty-year-old woman repeatedly tricks her children into blind dates, leading to their dismissal and homelessness]

He Cuizhen: [Forwarded: Older single woman dies in her rental apartment after working overtime; body found three days later]
[Forwarded: Older single woman followed by stranger late at night, attacked after he breaks into her rental apartment]

She clicked on the article, and the first thing that came into view was a crime scene photo, pixelated but still showing blood splattered all over the place.

Why scare people like this! Qiao Ziman looked out the window at the darkening sky, then thought about the dim, nearly useless light in her apartment building’s hallway, and shivered as she closed WeChat.

Suddenly, a hand fell on her shoulder. Qiao Ziman jumped out of her chair with a start, nearly screaming out loud.

“Qiao Qiao, what sneaky business are you up to, reacting so strongly?” The person who spoke was Tang Xiaoxiao, a colleague who had a good relationship with Qiao Ziman. Tang was straightforward and not one for subtlety, with a love for gossip. Her eyes darted around as she sized up Qiao Ziman. “Or… were you chatting with some handsome guy?”

Qiao Ziman patted her chest with her back still turned, then spun around to glare at her, “Handsome guy? What handsome guy? It was your Auntie He.”

Tang Xiaoxiao stuck out her tongue, “Oh, it was Auntie.” She tapped Qiao Ziman’s shoulder and gestured towards the door with her eyes, “Qiao Qiao, look, Cheng Peng is here again.”

Cheng Peng was a 3D modeler at the company and frequently worked with Qiao Ziman’s department. After a few interactions, Cheng Peng had started making regular visits to the concept art department.

“Qiao Qiao, do you think Cheng Peng likes you?” Tang Xiaoxiao started gossiping again.

Cheng Peng was quite good at his job, and though he seemed honest and simple, he was rather reserved and didn’t talk much. “I don’t know.”

“Qiao Qiao, you never know. Just wait and see.”