Chapter 12
1379 Words
The afternoon's routine meeting involved each department giving a report on their plans. Finally, the group CEO, Lu Yu, gave his concluding remarks. Shen Yan felt drowsy and thought the meeting was both long and tedious. The thought that she would have to attend one of these every month made her feel hopeless about life.
Fortunately, she had brought paper and a pen, so whenever she got too sleepy, she would review her shorthand notes. The review actually worked quite well. Though she hadn’t remembered much before, once she started applying it in a real setting, everything came back to her as she wrote.
The meeting had started at 1:15 PM, and as it was nearing 4:30 PM, two departments had still not presented.
Oh no, I hope we don’t have to work overtime.
Shen Yan had listened to the reports all afternoon. The content was essentially the same as the materials that Zhou Xing had sent her from each department, but when it came from the department heads themselves, it felt more lively and seemed to elevate the entire report to a higher level.
Under normal circumstances, Shen Yan would genuinely admire these eloquent speakers and even try to learn from their mannerisms and tone. But right now, all she wanted was for them to understand the time, read the room, and not drag things out beyond her work hours.
She sneakily opened her phone and saw that the small group chat for their dorm had exploded with 99+ messages.
She opened it up briefly and saw that the three of them had gone to the market again today, and tonight, Chai Ya was planning to cook for them.
【Shen Yan: Hope I get to eat.】 【Feng Shanshan: You’re working overtime again?】 【Sun Qiongsi: If you keep working overtime, it’s going to feel like we’ve taken over your spot.】 【Chai Ya: Is work this terrifying?】 【Shen Yan: I’m at the monthly meeting. The department heads are all very eloquent, they could practically give a speech without needing a PowerPoint. I feel like finishing by 5 PM is dangerous.】 【Chai Ya: No wonder it’s Lu Corporation.】 【Feng Shanshan: No wonder it’s Lu Corporation.】 【Sun Qiongsi: No wonder it’s Lu Corporation.】 【Shen Yan: ……】 【Feng Shanshan: How many people still haven’t spoken?】 Shen Yan thought that Feng Shanshan had at least asked a reasonable question. She replied: 【Three, two department heads, and one CEO.】 【Feng Shanshan: Three people, half an hour, seems like a tight schedule for a speech.】 【Chai Ya: Does your CEO ever say ‘let me just say a few words’?】 Shen Yan peeked at Lu Yu and recalled what Jian Hong had said about him, that he was essentially a tech enthusiast.
【Shen Yan: Probably not?】
Tech enthusiasts are supposed to be more practical, right?
Shen Yan silently prayed for the meeting to finish quickly.
After exiting the dorm group, Yu Xinnian had also sent her a message.
As expected from a gathering led by the former student union president and the former student council president, the efficiency was high. In just a few days, they had already decided on the time and place for their dinner. It was at a hotpot restaurant near Lu Corporation on Sunday evening.
Shen Yan forwarded the message to Feng Shanshan before diving back into the meeting.
Perhaps sensing her inner thoughts, or perhaps the department heads didn’t want to work overtime either, the last two department heads kept their speeches brief. By the time they finished, it was still not 4:45 PM.
The moderator, Zhou Xing, invited Lu Yu to give the final speech.
Lu Yu opened the speech that Shen Yan and Zhou Xing had prepared for him. Probably to save time, he skimmed through it, picking out a few sections to read as the conclusion.
Shen Yan had to admit that Lu Yu, despite his youth, had earned his current position and status. If this material wasn’t something she had written, she would almost not have noticed that Lu Yu was skipping through and selectively reading her summarized plan.
Indeed, being a leader required the ability to stay calm under pressure, manage time effectively, and quickly pick the relevant sections from a speech without missing a beat.
At 4:55 PM, Lu Corporation's May meeting wrapped up just in time for the end of the workday.
Shen Yan let out a sigh of relief. She followed Zhou Xing and Meng Gulan to do some simple post-meeting tasks before returning to her office, but still worked a few extra minutes.
On the way home, Shen Yan was still thinking about how to explain her few minutes of overtime. Should she come in a bit later tomorrow morning? Or just contribute it to the company?
She wondered if she was overthinking it but also felt like it wasn't worth just giving her time away to the company.
When she got home and ate the dinner that Chai Ya had made, Shen Yan voiced her dilemma at the dinner table.
Sun Qiongsi, with her internship experience, comforted her: “Old Shen, if you’re thinking like this, it means the job is already PUAing you.”
Shen Yan: “What do you mean?”
Sun Qiongsi: “Think about it, what time do you leave for work every day?”
Shen Yan thought for a moment: “Around 8:40, I guess.”
Sun Qiongsi: “But what time do you actually start working?”
Shen Yan: “9 AM.”
Sun Qiongsi: “And what about your clock-out time?”
Shen Yan: “The company says 5 PM.”
Sun Qiongsi: “So why do you make sure to be on time for work, but can’t get home on time when you finish?”
Shen Yan was a bit confused: “You mean, if I start at 9, I should leave home at 9, and if I finish at 5, I should be home by 5?”
Sun Qiongsi: “Exactly.”
Shen Yan was convinced by Sun Qiongsi: “So, being meticulous about every minute of work is the correct mindset?”
Sun Qiongsi: “Yes, you need to be meticulous. Capitalists make their profits by exploiting your overtime and squeezing out the remaining work value.”
Shen Yan started to look at Sun Qiongsi in a new light: “Wow, when did you start studying economics? Do you like management students?”
Sun Qiongsi rolled her eyes: “Isn’t this high school politics?!”
Shen Yan: “Really?”
Chai Ya smoothly joined in: “I don’t believe it.”
Sun Qiongsi was furious: “Believe it or not, I’m not Feng Shanshan!”
Feng Shanshan: “So, are you just going to keep being stubborn?”
Sun Qiongsi: “……”
The next day, Shen Yan got up early again and went to work alone, feeling lonely and miserable.
In the afternoon, Sun Qiongsi received a call from a colleague at her future civil servant job, asking her to prepare for a political review. They were coming to the school next Monday. Besides preparing materials, she also needed to coordinate with their counselor and two classmates for interviews.
As soon as she got the notification, Sun Qiongsi glanced at her two roommates.
They discussed it and realized that since it was already Thursday, and they still had to contact the counselor and print materials, Sun Qiongsi and Chai Ya would return to school while Feng Shanshan stayed at Shen Yan’s place for the weekend as they had already planned.
Shen Yan saw their decision and asked worriedly in the group chat: 【Will I still be able to come home to a hot meal?】
【Feng Shanshan: No.】
【Shen Yan: ……】
【Feng Shanshan: But I checked the delivery apps, and there are plenty of options around here.】
【Shen Yan: Alright then.】
【Feng Shanshan: ? You seem reluctant.】
【Shen Yan: You caught me.】
【Shen Yan: Just to be clear, can’t Chai Ya stay?】
【Feng Shanshan: No!!!!!!】
- Writer
