Chapter 3: It's not that the world has changed, it's just that I was too foolish in the past

  In the evening, the company entertained new employees, and most of the people who participated in and watched the performance during the day appeared at the dinner party. After the company leader finished speaking, they started going from table to table to toast, also expressing their concern and greetings to the newcomers. These rookie employees mostly didn't know how to speak properly, but there were a few who were smooth talkers, proactively returning the toast to the leaders and saying some nice words. Zheng Wei and Wei Shao Yi sat at the same table, she wasn't quite used to this kind of company social gathering scene, just feeling that some people's words were really cheesy, making her, a child known for being sweet-tongued, unable to listen anymore.

  The leader and his entourage finally made their way to their table, where everyone stood up in unison. A sleek and beautiful woman who looked like a secretary introduced each of them, explaining who was the general manager, who was the secretary, and who were the deputy general managers, chief accountant, and union chairman... After a round of introductions, including Zheng Wei, everyone was left dazed and confused, only knowing that the people in front of them were all "generals". Anyway, smiling foolishly at the leaders wouldn't be wrong. Zhou Qu, as the assistant to the general manager, was also among them. Originally, he had been automatically categorized as an "uncle" in Zheng Wei's eyes, but standing among a group of bald and pot-bellied leaders, he stood out like a crane among chickens, making Zheng Wei deeply feel that reference objects were indeed very important. At this time, Zhou Qu did not show any particular attention to her, and Zheng Wei, like everyone else, bowed and clinked glasses with the leaders one by one.

  It seems that the leaders at this table are very interested in the two girls, praising them as the two little flowers of Zhongjian this year. They even said that there will be a storm of love among the single men in the company in the future. It's not clear who proposed it, but the two girls were asked to fill their wine glasses and each drink three cups with the leaders. The people around them started cheering and echoing, as if all the attention was focused on this table.

  They were all big leaders, and since they had spoken, the little soldiers couldn't help but follow. Zheng Wei picked up her small wine cup, and she was somewhat embarrassed. She wasn't a drinker, and in college, she had only drunk beer at most, and had never even touched baijiu before. When it was time to toast as a group for the first round, she didn't really drink, just touching the rim of the cup to her lips, and already felt the burning sensation was unbearable. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to handle the liquor, and if she got drunk, she would lose face. Wei Shao Yi seemed to be in the same predicament, his face flushing bright red, as people around them cheered and jeered, several leaders' eyes fixed on them, making it impossible for them to back down.

  "It's a good thing that girls can drink a little wine, it makes them more heroic. Our female generals in Zhongjian should have this kind of heroism. It's rare for the company leaders to all be here, not everyone has the chance to clink glasses with their leaders three times." The speaker was the beautiful woman who had accompanied him.

  "What Xiao Shi said makes sense." The general manager smiled.

  Zheng Wei couldn't help but say, "Standing and talking doesn't hurt your waist, don't want money to give you a chance, okay?" Her eyes inadvertently glanced at Zhou Qu, noticing that he seemed to nod slightly towards her. Zheng Wei immediately understood, gritted her teeth, and poured the three small cups of wine into one large cup. Then she raised her glass and said loudly, "I've never drunk white wine before, let me down it in one gulp." Before everyone could react, she had already "gulp" downed the entire glass, her face turning bright red from the spiciness, tears almost welling up in her eyes.

  Zhou Qu led the applause, and immediately there was a burst of applause. The leader repeatedly praised this little girl for being interesting, and then shifted his gaze to Wei Shao Yi opposite Zheng Wei. Wei Shao Yi did not raise her glass, standing silently there all along. When someone urged her, she opened her mouth and softly said, "Sorry, I don't drink."

  The woman known as "Little Shi" smiled and said, "I don't usually drink, but it's okay to exercise a bit now."

  Wei Shaoyi remained silent as before, and finally spoke up under the silent gaze of everyone, "I don't think I need this kind of training, drinking has nothing to do with my work ability."

  Everyone looked at each other in dismay, but the leader, who had seen the world, didn't bother to argue with her. Instead, they chuckled and said to each other, "This girl has character."

  "Both little girls have some meaning"

  ……

  When they left, Zheng Wei's hanging heart finally fell, she felt that her whole body was feverish, taking advantage of the wine, she gave a thumbs up to Wei Shao Yi, "You're awesome!"

  She thought she would get drunk, and her head did spin for a while, but unexpectedly, on the way back, a gust of cold wind blew, and she was suddenly refreshed, and slowly came to her senses. She thought, the workplace is really scary.

  The next day was the day that would decide the fate of these new recruits. The meeting was held in the multimedia conference room of the government agency, with leaders sitting on the upper platform and lower-ranking officials sitting below. Also present were the mid-level managers who had been seen the previous day. The head of the human resources department finally arrived, pulled out a list and read out each person's assignment one by one.

  "XXX, Ninth Branch Company, XX, Property Company..."

  It's said that after the dispersal, new employees assigned to various companies would be led back by their respective company leaders. She suddenly had an urge to laugh at how ridiculous it was, like a livestock market where people picked out donkeys or horses they liked, paid for them and took them home, from then on submitting to fate and being enslaved by others.

  Just as she was suppressing her laughter, she heard her own name being called out loud.

  "Zheng Wei, Second Branch Company..."

  Did she really get into the legendary second cut? Zheng Wei secretly pinched herself, it hurt, but what could she do?

  If that wasn't enough to surprise her, then the next thing that really shocked her was Wei Shaoyi's assignment. Wei Shaoyi had been assigned to Ruitong Company, which was a so-called "third industry" company. Although it was within the jurisdiction of Zhongjian, its assets and personnel were outside of the state-owned enterprise system. The third industry wasn't unusual, as Zhongjian had several such companies, some of which were quite profitable. But Ruitong was an old problem child that nobody loved, with a history of serious safety accidents, always teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, lacking talent and equipment, and only getting projects that others didn't want, making it both exhausting and unprofitable.

  Zheng Wei was perplexed, and according to what he knew, Wei Shao Yi should have been able to enter Zhong Jian as an exception, and his family also had some connections, so why did it end up like this? Wei Shao Yi himself, however, sat there with a calm expression, as if he hadn't felt the slightest surprise at the result.

  Zheng Wei and the other two boys were led back to Er Fen's office building by a kind middle-aged man, who she later found out was Er Fen's deputy manager, surnamed Wang, in charge of construction and safety.

  On her first day of formal work, she was called alone to the personnel department office. The director of the personnel department was very polite to her, not only letting her sit down but also asking someone to pour her a glass of water. Zheng Wei was surprised and honored, holding the water and inquiring, "Director, which project department am I going to?"

  The head of the personnel department smiled and said, "Which project department are you going to?"

  "What's wrong?" Zheng Wei exclaimed in surprise.

  "We have other plans for you, your position is in the manager's work department."

  "What's with the manager's work unit?" Zheng Wei repeated, looking confused.

  "Yes." The fat personnel director said, "You are very lucky, you don't have to go down to the construction site, not only in the manager's work department, but also you will be our second division manager secretary."

  "Me?! Me become a secretary? Director, you must be joking! I'm studying civil engineering, how can I be a secretary?"

  The head of HR seemed taken aback by her overly vehement reaction, "How could this kind of thing go wrong?"

  "No, no, please reconsider, I'm not up to this job. What's wrong with you? Letting me be a secretary is absurd, it's ridiculous! First, I'm impatient and lack attention to detail; second, I'm not good at writing articles; and third, my major doesn't match. What was the point of studying civil engineering for four years?" She put down the water in her hand and stood up without another word.

  "Listen to me first. This is not my arrangement, but the decision from above. Unless you don't plan on staying at China Construction, you have to obey the work assignment."

  "Didn't the manager have a secretary before? Why did he want me, someone who doesn't understand anything, to be his secretary?" Zheng was puzzled.

  The head of the personnel department lowered his voice and said, "We are facing a major personnel adjustment in the leadership, the newly appointed company manager requires reintegration of the original managerial staff, you are the secretary he specifically asked for."

  In front of Zheng Wei, a middle-aged bald man suddenly appeared. She sighed inwardly, "It's all over, I don't know if I was targeted by some pervert uncle last night. As a small white flower like me, if I become the secretary of a pervert, wouldn't that be like a sheep entering a tiger's den?"

  It seems that the head of the personnel department has seen through Zheng Wei's thoughts, and said, "Don't underestimate the position of secretary. Our secretaries in the past have all been extremely capable individuals, not just anyone can do this job. Your predecessor's predecessor, named Shi Jie, is now the secretary to the company's general manager, young and already at the deputy department level. When she speaks, which department head doesn't give her face? Your predecessor has just gotten married, her husband is the son of the general engineer of the headquarters, and now she is the deputy director of the foreign affairs office of the headquarters. Our second division is different from ordinary branch companies, this is a place where talents emerge. If you do your job well, it's a great stepping stone. And don't misunderstand, being an office secretary is absolutely not as unbearable as you imagine. I'm only telling you this because you're a young girl. People who can really become the manager of the second division are considered successful individuals. The more astute someone is, the less likely they are to have any ideas about their secretary. What you need to do is just focus on doing your own job well."

  Although that's the case, Zheng Wei still can't accept this fact. She would rather die than think she'd end up doing clerical work. The secretaries are all either sexy and charming or wear their hair in a bob with black-framed glasses, old maids. Her jade-faced little dragon should be directing on construction sites, how could she be the leader's lackey?

  So she turned around and still resisted stubbornly, "I haven't received training in this area, I always thought I would be an engineer in the future, I don't understand anything about clerical work. Why did it have to be me?"

  "Because I need a civil engineering graduate with some professional knowledge as a secretary, rather than an outsider who is just a vase." The speaker didn't know when he stood in front of the personnel department.

  "Director Zhou... no, Manager Zhou." The personnel department director also stood up and respectfully looked at the person at the door.

  Zheng Wei looked over with a hint of suspicion, and suddenly her eyes widened in shock. Who else could that person be if not Zhou Qu? Wasn't he the newly appointed manager who had just taken office? What was going on here?

  "Any college student is a blank sheet of paper when facing a new job, if you don't understand it, you have to learn from scratch. I've always been serious about my work, so being my secretary isn't easy either. Alright, I'll give you one day to consider it, no rush, I can arrange another job for you if you don't want this one. Hope you think carefully, my office is on the 6th floor."

  Zheng Wei struggled with the contradiction all day, on one hand she had never thought of being a secretary, and on the other hand, she had not expected her superior to be Zhou Qu. In fact, it wasn't that she was particularly resistant to this position, but rather she just hadn't mentally prepared for it and hadn't considered it at all.

  She later called Ruan Ruan, and Ruan Ruan's voice was strange, as if she had cried. Zheng Wei asked her what was wrong, but she only said that she had a cold. After hearing Zheng Wei's words, Ruan Ruan also thought for a long time. "What the head of your HR department said is also right. A man who is truly successful in his career will not be foolish enough to play tricks on people around him. Being a secretary is indeed different from our profession, but no one says that work must match our major. Moreover, this is a position closest to the leader, and you can learn a lot about human relationships and etiquette, which will also be beneficial for your future promotion. As long as you don't completely lose your professional knowledge, after a few years of training, you will become more comprehensive, and your development will be better. This is my opinion, but ultimately it's up to you to decide."

  Zheng Wei hung up the phone and tossed about in bed for a long time. Zhou Qu's words made sense - her professional skills were not top-notch among her classmates, and at best she would become a barely qualified small technician in the future. If that was the case, why not explore other paths? A secretary, Zhou Qu's secretary, a super secretary of the Xiao Fei Long edition... it didn't sound too bad either.

  The next morning, Zheng Wei appeared in the manager's office on the sixth floor, feeling refreshed and spirited. She stood in front of Zhou Qu's desk and said with a heroic tone, "Leader, I'm here. Where is my workstation?"

  The manager's office where Zhou Qu was located was a large suite, and Zheng Wei's desk was in the small single room outside. Any employee or visitor entering and exiting Zhou Qu's large office inside had to pass by her desk.

  Zheng Wei spent more than two months in this position, half curious and half exploring. She gradually became more composed from the initial dizziness. In fact, compared to CAD drawing and steel ratio calculation, office work is much easier to grasp. Her main daily work was to replace Zhou Qu as a full-time receptionist, filtering phone calls and emails, arranging his schedule, doing well in uploading and downloading files, and occasionally preparing and collecting some written materials and meeting records for him. In short, she was Zhou Qu's full-time nanny at work, the leader's shadow, and her work focus was all around serving Zhou Qu, with serving the leader as the ultimate goal. As for her own work, Zheng Wei's summary is as follows: Business trip: The leader hasn't gone yet, I'll go first to see if the road is flat; Eating: The leader hasn't tasted it yet, I'll taste it first to see if the food is fragrant; Meeting: The leader hasn't spoken yet, I'll speak first to see if the microphone works.

  So, nominally she was under the jurisdiction of the director of the management department, but in reality she only needed to listen to Zhou Qu's orders. Whether it was taking a leave or going out, everything had to be approved by Zhou Qu first. In the subsidiary company with 2,000 employees, Zhou Qu was the one in charge of overall work, and as his secretary, not to mention ordinary employees, even the heads of various functional departments had to show respect when facing this little girl. Zheng Wei's personality was also likable, and she would smile and greet everyone who came to the manager's office, whether they were workers or leaders. In the office building, whenever she met colleagues, regardless of their age or gender, she would speak sweetly, saying whatever sounded good, flattering them until they were delighted, and everyone said that the new little secretary was a clever and cunning girl. Occasionally, when she blocked unwanted visitors at the door under Zhou Qu's instructions, or when she handled things in a not-so-smooth manner due to temporary impulsiveness, most people didn't hold it against her. Even Zhou Qu would sometimes be amused by her and laugh heartily, calling her a perfect little sycophant.

  If there was one person Zheng Wei felt a little intimidated by in the second division, it would be Zhou Qu. Zhou Qu was a contradictory and interesting person. He wasn't a leader who liked to put on a serious face to intimidate his subordinates. On the contrary, most of the time he had a smile on his face, and his demeanor and speech were quite casual. Occasionally, some subordinates would make some harmless jokes with him, and he wouldn't mind. Although he was also from an engineering background, he wasn't like most technical personnel who were dull and uninteresting. In his free time, his hobbies were diverse, and he liked music, sports, and reading. He could play chess well, and during work hours, he would politely and uniquely compliment female employees on their perfume. He would also notice Zheng Wei's new dress and give her praise. However, including Zheng Wei, no one dared to be presumptuous or reckless in front of him. At first, when Zhou Qu was newly appointed, there were a few senior middle-level managers in the second division who didn't take him seriously. They would occasionally resist his orders, but Zhou Qu wouldn't argue with them. When he talked to them, he would still be smiling and respectful, but his words would often be sharp and piercing, making it impossible for others to refute. His principle was always to be polite first and then strict. Those who had a sense of self-preservation would quietly restrain themselves. If someone was stubborn and refused to listen, the outcome wouldn't be good. Zheng Wei had seen two senior directors fall from power within a few months of starting work. One had been transferred internally, and the other was still working in the logistics department, tending flowers. Even Zheng Wei understood that behind Zhou Qu's smile was an iron fist and sharp mind. He didn't often interfere with his subordinates' work, but he had a clear understanding of everything, and no one wanted to make mistakes under his watchful eye.

  Zhou Qu was very meticulous in his work and liked to do things personally. Zheng Wei only had some trivial daily tasks, but he had high expectations for her. If something wasn't satisfactory, he would send it back for her to redo, again and again, until he nodded in approval. Once, she was asked to practice stapling a document on scrap paper because the staples weren't aligned properly, until she developed a habit of stapling 2 cm from the left edge of documents and materials, with all staples at the same level when measured with a ruler.

  Usually, he worked late into the night, whether it was 1 or 2 am. Zheng Wei had to stay with him until the end, and couldn't be late the next day for any reason - from her first day on the job, he required her to arrive at her desk five minutes before he arrived at the office. As long as she could get to work on time after a late night, she had no excuse for being lazy; if he stood in the scorching sun on the construction site for several hours, she would also stand behind him until the end.

  At first, there were often scenes where he would appear in front of her at a certain time, lightly knock on her desk, and say, "Zheng Secretary, I'm reminding you that it's time for you to remind me about the meeting." As soon as he called her "Zheng Secretary", she knew she had been caught out, and didn't need him to scold her - she would already be sweating profusely.

  She wasn't a meticulous person in the past, and she had never served anyone since childhood. At first, it was inevitable to feel wronged and secretly complain that he was not close to people. Over time, she also developed a habit of repeatedly reflecting on herself, striving to be cautious, and fearing that mistakes would occur. The number of times Zhou Qu slowly pointed out her mistakes decreased, and she felt that she had made tremendous progress in her work. In fact, she also understood that meeting Zhou Qu was absolutely her good fortune. Although he was strict, he was very patient, and after scolding her, he didn't hold it against her. He almost taught her how to do things and the principles of getting along with people, so she always felt grateful and respectful towards him. She could play chess with him after work, and they would both blush and shout at each other, but as soon as they started working, she would be diligent and not dare to make any mistakes. In her later work, she came into contact with many secretaries from other branch companies. They were very respectful to their leaders in person, but most of them would mock and scold behind their backs. Only she was different. She had a deep admiration for Zhou Qu, and when he was successful, she would be genuinely happy. When he encountered difficulties, she would worry about him as if it were her own problem. In front of people or behind their backs, she would unconsciously defend him. To her, he was a very subtle existence, both a leader and a mentor, like a father and an older brother. This feeling came from the bottom of her heart, without any ulterior motives. He and she worked together every day, even when they were alone in the office working overtime until late at night. They never suspected anything, and Zheng Wei didn't even think about it. In front of people or behind their backs, the two of them were always open and honest. One was a brilliant boss, and the other was a young and beautiful secretary. Day after day, they went in and out together, and there had never been any rumors within the company. Even Zhou Qu's wife, Wei Cunxi, a certified public accountant at an accounting firm, loved Zheng Wei very much. Zheng Wei also called her "Wei Jie" (older sister). Many times when Zhou Qu was drunk at social gatherings, Wei Cunxi would ask Zheng Wei to send him home with the driver before she could rest assured.

  When Zheng Wei gradually shed her awkwardness at work, Zhou Qu's trust in her became more apparent. His office desk was never allowed to be tidied up by anyone except her, and he would entrust her to filter out visitors and guests. The confidential bidding documents he asked her to pass on were always sealed by her, and he would bluntly express his dissatisfaction and complaints about certain people or things in front of her, including grievances against his superiors. When he was emotional, he would restrain himself in front of others, but in front of her, he would thunderously vent his frustrations without reserve. In return for his trust, Zheng Wei's response was that even in her dreams, she would repeatedly remind herself that some things could only be kept in her heart and absolutely not spoken out loud, not even in sleep talk.

  The first lesson that left a deep impression on Zheng Wei during her secretary career appeared when she had been working for half a year. One day, Zhou Qu went out on a business trip, and the chairman of the trade union, who was unaware of this, came to the manager's office with a year-end company sports meeting expense report form, wanting to get Zhou Qu's signature approval. The chairman of the trade union was a kind and gentle middle-aged woman named Li, who was close to people and enthusiastic, especially liked Zheng Wei, and often said in front of people that it was a pity she didn't have a son, otherwise she would definitely marry Zheng Wei as her daughter-in-law. Zheng Wei called her Auntie Li, and whether there were things or not, she also liked to chat with Auntie Li about everything. She told Auntie Li that the leader was not present, so Auntie Li sat down on the small sofa opposite Zheng Wei, chatting while pouring out her heart, saying that the second division had been busy all year, the employees had worked hard, and the trade union wanted to do something practical for the employees, organize some activities that everyone liked to relax, but unfortunately there was no funding. She asked, "Weiwei, do you think Manager Zhou will approve this amount I reported?"

  Zheng smiled and said: "How would I know about this?"

  Aunt Li said, "You don't know who else might know, so I'll just ask you casually, what do you think will happen to Manager Zhou?"

  "This... " Zheng Wei was somewhat embarrassed, she didn't know how to respond either.

  "Auntie just asked privately, I asked Zhang Deputy and Qian Deputy, the two deputy generals, they both said that Manager Zhou would definitely agree, so I dared to bring this budget over. You also know that he is very strict with funds, who wants to look for trouble? You're always by the manager's side, you should understand his thoughts better than us, just give me a word, so I can have some peace of mind."

  "If it's for the benefit of employees and the expenses are reasonable, I think Manager Zhou should agree."

  Auntie Li nodded, "I think so too."

  Five days later, Zhou Qu returned from his business trip and on the first day of work in the afternoon, he called Zheng Wei into his office. Without saying a word, he threw a document in front of her and said, "You tell me what's going on?"

  Although he has always been strict with work, he has never been so harsh towards her. Zheng Wei was taken aback and quickly took the document, wasn't this the budget application form that Auntie Li brought up a few days ago?

  "What's wrong with me?" she said dazedly.

  "Manager Zhou slammed his hand on the table, "When did I ever agree to this expense? Do you know that when I got back, the union was already in the midst of preparing for the event, and all the money was advanced from Chairman Li's union funds? They were just waiting for me to sign off on it when I got back, and then they would reimburse themselves after getting the money from the finance department. The event can be held, but I don't agree with their extravagant ways of doing things. Just now, I asked who approved them to start preparing ahead of time before I got back, and they said it was you who personally said that Manager Zhou would definitely agree... Secretary Zheng, you're getting more and more capable."

  Zheng Wei felt a lump in her throat, unable to speak up or swallow it down. She clearly wanted to argue back, but couldn't find the words to start with. It was as if she had indeed said something like that before, yet it wasn't what she meant at all.

  "I... I didn't let them prepare in advance, it was Aunt Li..." She grasped the document, at a loss.

  "Alright, alright, I know what's going on even if you don't say it. How many times have I told you that in this position, the first and foremost thing is to be cautious with your words and actions, be flexible and adaptable? It's better not to speak than to give others a handle to grab onto. You're really something, someone sets up a trap and you immediately jump right into it."

  Zheng Wei said with a red face, "Aunt Li said that both Vice Principal Zhang and Vice Principal Qian have mentioned that you will agree..."

  Zhou Qu lost his smile, "You can believe this kind of talk? Old Zhang and Old Qian have been in the deputy manager position for so many years, are they just pretending? Are they stupid enough to represent me in front of Chairman Li and say something like that? What do you want me to call you? The union must have seen that I wouldn't agree, using you as a scapegoat, striking first and reporting later."

  At this time, Zheng Wei still didn't forget to make excuses for Li Ayi, "Li Ayi was mistaken about taking me back, it's all because I talked too much."

  Zhou Qu didn't say much and directly gestured for her to go into the rest room separated from his office, telling her not to make a sound. Then with one phone call, he had Chairman Li come up.

  The conversation had just begun, and Zhou Qu hadn't even had a chance to speak, when Chairman Li was already deeply reflecting on the matter. "Manager, this time I was indeed in the wrong, but my intention was good. I saw that you were away on business and didn't dare disturb you, but I was also afraid that if I waited until you returned from your trip, there wouldn't be enough preparation time. So I came to ask Secretary Zheng about it, and she said that Manager Zhou would definitely agree. We all thought that was your intention, who knew that a small secretary like her would dare to speak on her own accord?"

  ……

  It wasn't until Chairman Li had left for a while that Zheng Wei slowly opened the door of the resting room and walked out. Zhou Qu looked at her coldly, not saying a word. He didn't need to waste any words to let her know how foolish she was again. The kind-hearted Auntie Li, the enthusiastic Auntie Li, lifted up that layer of smiling face, everything was so real and ugly.

  She couldn't cry even if she wanted to, her hands clenched tightly in front of her, her knuckles pale.

  Zhou Qu let out a sigh, "You're still young and don't understand many things about human relationships. I hope you remember this lesson, Zheng Wei: in both work and life, always think thrice before acting."

  That day after work, Zheng Wei ran into Auntie Li at the foot of the office building. Auntie's smile was as warm and friendly as ever: "Weiwei, where are you off to? Got a date with your boyfriend? You're in such a hurry."

  Zheng smiled sweetly, "What boyfriend? I'm still waiting for Auntie to introduce me. I'll go first, see you later, Auntie!" It wasn't until she couldn't see the back of Li Auntie's figure that Zheng Wei's smiling face slowly came off, and she felt a chilling coldness pierce her heart.

  A long time later, when someone praised Zheng Shu as a seasoned employee for being astute and prudent in her words and actions, Zheng Wei couldn't help but feel a bitter smile in her heart, grateful to Li Ayi, grateful to those who had taught her lesson after lesson. In fact, it wasn't that the world had become ugly, but rather that she had been too foolish in the past. By the time she finally woke up with a heroic spirit and no longer cared about anything, the little dragon that had once been by her side had already disappeared.