The CEO Falls for the Slacker

Chapter 3

Shen Yan rushed and hurried, finally entering the HR department’s conference room of Lu’s Group at 9 AM, following the guidance of the receptionist.

There were already many people in the room, which startled Shen Yan. She quickly found an empty seat in the corner and sat down.

Had she been assigned to the spring recruitment team?

With so many people, surely there wouldn’t be any ice-breaking games or team-building activities, right? That would be terrifying.

There was no one she knew in the room, except for the student union president from her school, the guy who hosted the freshman welcome party with Yang Ming.

Shen Yan couldn’t help but marvel at how powerful her mother was, managing to get her and the student union president into the same company.

Would the student union president be angry if he knew she got in through the back door without doing any written tests, interviews, or personality assessments? He’d probably think she was the wrong fit for the job.

While her eyes wandered around, she accidentally caught a glimpse of the resume in the hands of the girl sitting next to her. The school listed was one of the Ivy League schools in the U.S.

As expected, it was a battle of the elites.

The Ivy League girl seemed to notice Shen Yan’s gaze and turned to her, asking, “Hey, which school are you from?”

Shen Yan: …

If she had known there would be this kind of interaction, she wouldn’t have been so nosy! Why not just play with her phone as usual?

“I’m from A University,” Shen Yan answered awkwardly.

Luckily, A University was considered one of the top 9 universities in China, although there were only two in the actual top 9.

The Ivy League girl nodded. “A University is a local school in S City, so it does have some advantages.”

Shen Yan was stunned for a moment.

Noticing Shen Yan’s surprise, the Ivy League girl continued, “Don’t you know anyone from A University? There are quite a few A University people I recognize in this room.”

Shen Yan shook her head. Apart from the student union president, she really hadn’t seen anyone else. Besides, none of the top students from the economics department had received offers, so she thought Lu’s Group didn’t care for A University students.

The Ivy League girl smiled and pushed her resume toward Shen Yan, pointing to the name section. “I’m Shu Yan, and you?”

“Shen Yan, like the character ‘Yan’ in fireworks,” Shen Yan replied, not having brought her resume, so she could only describe herself.

Shu Yan nodded. “I major in computer science. I have a senior who is a project leader in the R&D department. I’ll probably follow him. What about you?”

Shen Yan scratched her nose. “I major in Chinese, probably heading to the president’s office?”

Shu Yan’s eyes lit up. “I knew chatting with you wouldn’t be a waste, you’ll be my network from now on!”

Shen Yan: ?

Shen Yan eagerly invited Shen Yan to add her on WeChat. They had just exchanged contacts when a few staff members in business attire with name tags walked into the room.

“Everyone, please quiet down,” said a woman with a neat shoulder-length haircut, dressed in a casual small suit that matched Shen Yan’s image of a professional. “Find a seat, I’ll call the roll first.”

Shen Yan waited for a while and found her name was last, which she understood since she had joined late.

Two people didn’t show up, and their friends informed that they had passed the civil service exam or got a job in a public institution and wouldn’t be attending.

“Alright, most people have arrived. Let’s have Manager Xu from the HR department say a few words.”

Only then did Shen Yan notice a short, chubby middle-aged man who had entered earlier. To her surprise, he was the HR manager at Lu’s Group.

The HR manager briefly introduced himself, spoke about Lu’s Group’s profile and organizational structure, and then introduced a few other people who had entered with him—department managers or deputy managers who were there to pick up their recruits.

“This is our president’s assistant from the president’s office, Zhou Xing.” When the HR manager introduced the last person, Shen Yan was stunned again.

Wasn’t this the guy who had approached her during her morning run, acting a bit strange?

He was the assistant to the president?

Shen Yan felt that the Lu’s Group brand name had lost some of its shine.

“Shen Yan.”

Just as Shen Yan was lost in thought, Zhou Xing called her name. She instinctively raised her hand.

“Alright, come with me,” Zhou Xing said, waving her over.

Shen Yan realized everyone in the room was looking at her. Feeling a bit awkward, she grabbed her canvas bag and walked up to him.

“I thought the president’s office only hired directly for top executives, didn’t expect fresh grads could join during the spring recruitment. If I had known, I would have chosen the president’s office when I applied.”

“Are you stupid? As an intern in the president’s office, you’ll just be serving tea and running errands.”

“You’re the dumb one, it’s the president’s office! What if the president notices you?”

“Stop reading too many novels.”

…

As Shen Yan walked to the front door of the conference room, she overheard her future colleagues whispering at their seats.

Turns out even the top students read novels.

But hearing their conversation made her feel a little more at ease. If it was just serving tea and running errands, maybe this job wouldn’t be too bad for her.

When Shen Yan reached Zhou Xing, she respectfully greeted him, “Assistant Zhou.”

Zhou Xing had no idea she was internally mocking him, and he was actually quite pleased.

A few days ago, when the HR department showed him her resume and told him the president’s office would have new recruits, he was excited.

She was from A University’s Chinese department. He had read her article published in the school journal—her logic was clear, her viewpoints were fresh, and her writing was impressive. It was said she scored 80 in both the provincial and national exams. Their president’s office really lacked someone who could write materials.

Seeing her in person, Zhou Xing was even more pleased.

Shen Yan was dressed simply in a T-shirt and wide-leg pants, carrying a canvas bag, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and looking like a down-to-earth worker.

She had even run to work this morning, and Zhou Xing knew the direction she came from had a subway station. She must have switched multiple lines to catch the morning commute, but didn’t manage to make it on time, so she had to run.

A hardworking, modest young person like her certainly didn’t get in through connections. She was very different from those flashy people who only aimed for the president’s office for ulterior motives.

The president’s office had a special desk that was occasionally assigned to new recruits, and those recruits were often the daughters of board members or local officials, or sometimes even the sons of company directors.

But they didn’t stay long. The longest one lasted five months before being fiercely rejected by President Lu and leaving in tears without receiving their N+1 severance.

They came for one goal: the position of the president’s wife.

Lu’s Group was an old industry leader in S City, benefiting from the first wave of reforms. The Lu family, the owners, was also one of the old local wealthy families. Three years ago, when the chairman of Lu’s Group, Lu Haifeng, announced his retirement, his son, Lu Yu, took over.

At first, people weren’t optimistic about the young heir, just fresh out of university, and some vice presidents even planned to team up to show him who was boss. But Lu Yu, with his trusted aides, led a major reform at Lu’s Group and acquired an internet company he co-founded in college. That’s when people realized he was the head of the booming tech company, “Shenyu.”

Lu’s Group was primarily in real estate, but the industry had been declining, so Lu Yu, with his internet company, managed to pivot the company, combining traditional and emerging industries, making Lu’s Group a dominant force in S City.

Many people were interested in Lu Yu, but he was known to be a workaholic, working 18 hours a day. Thus, people thought that “the closer you are, the better your chances.”

Therefore, a spot in the president’s office had traditionally been left for those who knew how to use connections to get in, with hopes of becoming the president’s spouse.

Zhou Xing felt that Shen Yan was a breath of fresh air for the president’s office. He couldn’t help but think that the HR department had finally done something right, giving them a worthy new recruit.

Shen Yan had no idea Zhou Xing held such a high opinion of her. She only felt his gaze was a bit strange but figured he must be a little crazy after his earlier attempt to chat her up.

“Let’s go. You’re the only new recruit in the president’s office, I’ll show you around,” Zhou Xing said to her.

Shen Yan obediently followed.

“I’ll introduce you to the layout. The whole building belongs to our company. Floors 1-9 are the business departments, 10-11 are the cafeteria, 12-16 are administrative departments, 17-18 are the vice presidents’ and directors’ offices, and 19 is where our president’s office is,” Zhou Xing explained as they walked.

“Once we go up, I’ll get your ID card for you. It also works for the cafeteria, and you’ll get 600 RMB every month for food. Lunch and dinner are about 10 RMB per meal. If you need extra, there’s a supermarket on the 11th floor.”

Shen Yan quietly listened, thinking the benefits didn’t sound too bad.

“You’re new, so take it easy. Your workload shouldn’t be too heavy these first few days. Have you graduated yet?” Zhou Xing asked.

Shen Yan: “Not yet, I’ll receive my diploma and degree next month.”

Zhou Xing thought for a moment. “Yeah, it’s still May. Have you defended your thesis yet?”

Shen Yan: “Yes.”

Zhou Xing led Shen Yan into the elevator and pressed the 19th floor button. Suddenly, he remembered something. “I read your article in the school journal.”

Shen Yan: ?

Zhou Xing explained, “I knew you were coming, so I did a little research. Both President Lu and I are from A University, so I guess we’re your seniors.”

Shen Yan blinked, a bit confused.

Zhou Xing: “You know President Lu, right?”

Shen Yan: …

Could she admit she didn’t know much about him? But she figured, since it was Lu’s Group, Lu Yu must be the president.

So she nodded.

“Why didn’t you submit your article to higher-level magazines?” Zhou Xing asked, thinking her writing was good enough for a wider audience, maybe even awards.

Shen Yan didn’t expect him to know about this: “There was no need.”

Zhou Xing: “Huh?”

Shen Yan: “Submitting to the school journal was enough to get extra points for my comprehensive assessment.”

Zhou Xing: … This was really unexpected.

By this time, the elevator reached the 19th floor, and when the doors opened, they saw two meeting rooms—one large, one small.

“Generally, our department uses the small meeting room for our meetings or for small gatherings with President Lu. If it’s a bigger meeting with the department heads, we use the larger room next door,” Zhou Xing continued as they walked inside. “Our office is further inside. There are seven of us in the department, including you. I’m the president’s assistant, and we also have two secretaries, Jian Hong and Meng Gulan. Jian Hong and I have been with the company since the old president’s time, and Meng Gulan is about to retire in three to four years. Wang Yuwei is in charge of building maintenance, so any hardware damage or security issues are his responsibility. Cheng Rong is in charge of the fleet, and Lu Qing handles logistics, including the cafeteria.”

Shen Yan listened attentively and suddenly realized she should have brought a notebook to jot down these details.

By now, they had arrived at the large office door.

“That’s about it. Let’s go in and say hello to everyone.”

Shen Yan followed Zhou Xing into the president’s office, and everyone who had been working stopped and looked up at them.

Although Shen Yan didn’t take notes, she remembered everything Zhou Xing had said. Near the photocopier, there were two women—Jian Hong, who was younger, and Meng Gulan, who was a little older.

“Jian, Meng, what are you pretending to be busy for?” Zhou Xing teased, noticing them acting like they were busy with the photocopier. “I went to the HR department to pick someone up, and you two were sticking your necks out.”

Jian Hong gave him a look. “You went to pick someone up, but President Lu is still in there. Who dares slack off?”

Zhou Xing: “You can’t tell me you weren’t gossiping about the new recruit?”

Shen Yan stood behind Zhou Xing, not knowing what to do with her hands or where to look, feeling the office atmosphere was a bit strange.

“Don’t worry, don’t mind Assistant Zhou,” Meng Gulan said as she walked past Zhou Xing and spoke to Shen Yan. “This guy, with his big mouth, he deserves to be single.”

Shen Yan: ? The topic changed a little too abruptly.