5:29:59.
Su Xiaolan's eyes, like radar, precisely locked onto the clock in the lower right corner of the computer screen. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, poised above the combination key she had set for closing all work windows and locking the computer.
5:30:00!
"Snap!" A crisp sound echoed, and the screen went dark. Su Xiaolan, with the speed of lightning, grabbed her tote bag and swiftly packed it up, like a nimble rabbit, and "Whoosh!" she sprang from her workstation, her destination clear: the elevator!
"Xiaolan! Wait!" Lin Xiaomei, her colleague from the next cubicle, grabbed her sleeve, her face filled with anxiety and disbelief. "You're... leaving like this? The market analysis preliminary draft Li Z總 needs urgently, did you finish it?"
Su Xiaolan blinked her naturally innocent-looking big eyes, a look of self-assurance on her face: "Preliminary draft? Isn't it due before noon? It's my off-time now, Sister Xiaomei."
"That's how it is..." Lin Xiaomei lowered her voice, her eyes glancing at the closed, heavy wooden door of the executive's office, then sweeping around the colleagues still furiously typing and taking phone calls. Her tone was full of helplessness. "But look, Mr. Li hasn't left yet! Mr. Wang Jun is still here... everyone's afraid to move. You're leaving first? She didn't say it out loud, but it's pretty clear."
Su Xiaolan followed her gaze. Yes, the executive's office door, rumored to be bulletproof, was indeed closed, exuding a cold, forbidding aura. The entire open-plan office was brightly lit, the air thick with caffeine and the resentment of overworked employees. She could even feel several subtle glances directed at her, carrying a mix of… concern and... admiration?
"Sister Xiaomei," Su Xiaolan patted Lin Xiaomei's hand, her tone devoid of any guilt, "The Labor Standards Act stipulates an eight-hour workday. I checked in at 8:59:59 AM and it's 5:30:01 PM now. Precisely. Mr. Li is paying me for eight hours of work, not for my entire life!"
Having said that, she broke free from Lin Xiaomei's grip, moving with the speed of someone about to take a vacation, and in full view of everyone, she was the first to dash towards the elevator. As the elevator doors closed, she seemed to hear someone let out a sigh of relief.
"Whew—"
Stepping out of the towering Li Group headquarters building, the slightly cool evening breeze kissed her face. Su Xiaolan took a deep breath, feeling a surge of revitalization.
Overtime? Not an option!
Her motto: If you can lie down, sit down, she can leave on time.
Life is short, and enjoying the moment (being a lazy bum) is the way to go!
As for that intimidating Mr. Li Chenyuan, a two-meter-eight aura, rumored to be a CEO who could freeze you solid?
Su Xiaolan shrank her shoulders. Okay, she admitted, when she first interviewed a man who was supposedly a god of commerce, she felt her legs give out for three minutes. His face was a masterpiece of creation, deep-set and prominent features, handsome to the extreme, but the chill emanating from him could serve as a central air conditioning system. All she could think was: "This workaholic boss's company, my lazy plan is in trouble!"
Who knew that things would take a turn?
With her fluent foreign language skills and a resume that looked fairly honest (lazy), she somehow accidentally landed a job as the administrative assistant of the President's Office… an assistant. In layman's terms, a errand girl. The work was trivial, her abilities not extraordinary. The most crucial point was—her direct superior was Wang Zhengyi, and that lofty Mr. Li Chenyuan seemed completely unaware of her existence, this little lazy fish!
This was paradise!
Su Xiaolan happily hummed a tune as she walked towards the subway station. No need to directly confront the big bad boss, work could be done on time, leaving on time, and the salary was... not bad, quite matching her ultimate dream of "lots of money, little work (relative), and close to home (convenient subway)." As for promotion, career advancement, reaching the pinnacle of success?
Well, she planned to stay in her comfort zone, lying around for as long as she could, a happy fish nourished by salary (and occasionally by handsome men).
Li Group, top floor, executive office.
Vast windows offered a view of the glittering city lights. Only a table lamp cast a cold light within.
Li Chenyuan stood by the window, his tall figure casting a blurred reflection on the glass. He held a glass of whiskey, ice cubes clinking softly against the glass.
The office door was gently knocked.
"Come in." A low, emotionless voice echoed.
Wang Jing, a professional woman in her 40s, with a sharp and capable demeanour, entered the room with a file, an almost imperceptible flicker of...unease on her face.
"Mr. Li, the legal department just delivered supplementary merger agreement documents. Please review them." She placed the documents on the large desk.
Li Chenyuan turned around, not immediately looking at the documents. His piercing gaze fell upon Wang Jing's face. "Anything else?" He swiftly detected the fleeting expression on her face.
Wang Jing cleared her throat, hesitated for a moment, and then reported truthfully, "It's like this, Mr. Li... at exactly 5:30 PM, the President's Office... uh, Ms. Su Xiaolan, the administrative assistant, was the first to leave." She paused, then added, "Very... punctual."
The air grew tense for a moment.
Wang Jing felt a little uneasy. Mr. Li hated laziness and a lack of ambition. While Su Xiaolan hadn't made any significant mistakes, her "punctual departure" stood out in an office known for its overtime culture.
Surprisingly, a hint of a smile touched Mr. Li Chenyuan's perpetually icy face, so quickly that Wang Jing wondered if she'd imagined it.
"Su Xiaolan..." A low, rich voice slowly uttered the name, as if savoring a unique and fascinating character. He recalled the photo in the personnel file, a girl with a beaming smile, her eyes twinkling, like a cat that had eaten and drunk its fill, content in the sun.
"Did she complete her work assignments on time?"
"Yes, Mr. Li," Wang Jing responded immediately. "All of the basic tasks assigned to her were completed on time, without interruption."
"Hmm," Li Chenyuan uttered softly, taking the file from the box, as if the entire conversation was just a minor incident. "Tell the financial department to add an 'extra bonus for punctual talent' to Ms. Su Xiaolan's account this month, with an amount of... 20% of her basic salary. Pay from my personal account."
Wang Jing: "..."
She suspected her hearing had malfunctioned. Extra bonus for punctual talent?