"Nan, have you been drinking?"
"How did you know?"
Qin Yuenan raised a delicate eyebrow, and Lin Shen explained with a light chuckle.
"Your face looks a little red."
"I don't usually drink much, but something came up today."
"Something work-related?"
Lin Shen's casual question warmed Qin Yuenan's heart, but she was too embarrassed to state the reason outright, so she could only nod in acknowledgment.
"More or less. I took a look at the document you sent. It's quite good, but it would be difficult to implement."
"Why?"
"Because the medical side of the business is managed by the customer service department. If they don't agree, it doesn't matter how many operational plans we come up with."
"I see."
Lin Shen had a moment of realization.
Since becoming Qin Yuenan's assistant, he had gained a general understanding of Pet Plus's management structure.
The Modu office was a branch, managed by Vice President Zhang Heng, and was divided into seven core departments.
Operations, Sales, Marketing, Product R&D, Human Resources, Customer Service, and Finance.
The directors for the first three departments, who covered the East China region, were in Modu, while the directors for the other four were in the Imperial Capital.
Since Zhang Heng had always wanted to return to the headquarters in the Imperial Capital, the Modu branch needed someone to take charge.
He had two people under consideration.
One was the Director of Customer Service, Sun Mingli.
As a veteran who had worked at Pet Guardian Home for over a decade, she was willing to transfer from the Imperial Capital headquarters to the Modu branch to take over as the branch's General Manager.
Her strengths were her seniority and the fact that nearly every employee at Pet Guardian Home knew her.
Her weaknesses were that she was too dull and rigid, resistant to innovation, and might not be able to adapt to the East China market.
The other candidate was Qin Yuenan.
Although she had only been with Pet Guardian Home for three years, her abilities were plain for all to see. Her work ethic and diligence had even left Zhang Heng amazed.
Plus, with her beautiful face and graceful figure, even though she was a bit of an ice queen, you couldn't argue with her good looks.
Therefore, Zhang Heng was more inclined to have Qin Yuenan take over his duties.
But her seniority was too low, and forcibly promoting her would only cause dissatisfaction among the company's veterans.
Her direct competitor, Sun Mingli, especially, did not get along with Qin Yuenan, and the two frequently clashed over all sorts of matters.
This made Lin Shen sigh with emotion.
'So it's true. No matter how high your position is, there will always be open and secret struggles between people.'
'Unless you reach a level where you can blot out the sky with one hand.'
"That damn woman really is despicable!"
As Qin Yuenan's assistant, Lin Shen was definitely on her side against Sun Mingli.
'Can't have my loyalties misplaced!'
"Nan, you're so capable! The General Manager position for the branch is definitely yours!"
Lin Shen flashed a sycophantic smile. His exaggerated manner made Qin Yuenan feel like she was looking at a treacherous court minister, and she waved her hand in resignation.
"Let's not talk about that for now. I want to ask you a few things."
"What is it?"
"What... do you like?"
'What do I like?'
Lin Shen's expression froze for a moment.
He truly hadn't expected the ever-aloof Qin Yuenan to bring up a personal topic on her own initiative.
From her flickering gaze, he could tell that she was a little embarrassed herself.
"Of course, if you don't want to say, then never mind..."
"The outdoors is definitely my favorite."
"Besides the outdoors, is there anything else?"
"Oh, there's a ton."
Lin Shen spoke eloquently, sharing his hobbies with Qin Yuenan, including a few amusing anecdotes from his life.
She, in turn, listened with rapt attention, occasionally bringing up things she had seen and heard in her own daily life.
Just like that, what was originally a serious work meeting turned into a casual chat between friends.
Lin Shen's conversation was witty and humorous. Even though Qin Yuenan was naturally taciturn due to her personality, she was gradually influenced and drawn in by him.
Especially since he had just showered, the slightly damp, choppy bangs hanging over his forehead made his handsome face look exceptionally delicate and clean-cut.
A youthful, boyish aura seemed to radiate from the screen, causing Qin Yuenan's heart to speed up for a moment.
Video chatting late at night with a man—this was something she had never experienced before.
Besides the novelty, she felt a sense of restlessness and unease, yet also a complete, full-body relaxation.
It was as if all her worries were melting away, carried off by the deep, magnetic quality of Lin Shen's voice.
This made Qin Yuenan subconsciously lean forward, the coldness in her eyes gradually melting into a pool of warm affection.
She crossed her beautiful legs, rested an elbow on her thigh, and propped up her cheek with her right hand, the corners of her lips curving into a faint, bewitching smile that was not quite a smile.
Lin Shen also noticed that Qin Yuenan seemed to be in a slightly tipsy state from the alcohol.
She was much easier to get along with than usual.
This made Lin Shen's gaze begin to wander more freely.
For example, through the collar of her silk pajamas, one could see many wonderful sights.
'Girls usually don't wear bras under their pajamas.'
Lin Shen couldn't help but swallow, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Just as the atmosphere was growing ambiguous, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
"Brother-in-law! I'm done with my shower, can I come in?"
!?
Lin Shen's heart jumped, and he felt a strange sense of panic.
Meanwhile, Qin Yuenan had been a bit lost in thought and hadn't heard clearly at first.
By the time she realized what was happening, Lin Shen was already about to end the video call.
"Nan, if there's nothing else, let's talk another time. Good night!"
Eh?
Qin Yuenan stared blankly. The video call immediately ended, without a moment's hesitation.
All that was left was the reflection in the dark screen, showing her own face, her expression somewhat lost and wistful.
"Good night."
Qin Yuenan murmured softly. After closing her laptop, she felt a surprising reluctance in her heart.
But she wasn't an unreasonable person.
'Lin Shen has his own things to do.'
Qin Yuenan walked to the edge of her bed and sat down, taking out her phone to search for bicycles on Taobao.
'Since Lin Shen likes the outdoors, I'll get him a road bike.'
'I could also use it as a chance to invite him to go cycling with me.'
The corners of Qin Yuenan's mouth curled up slightly, a little proud of the idea she'd come up with.
「Meanwhile, on the other side.」
After closing his laptop, Lin Shen went to open the door and found Gu Wanqing standing there prettily.
Having just showered, she was wearing a set of loose, solid black loungewear. Although it was a bit old, it was clean and tidy.
Her long hair was wrapped in a bath towel, revealing the delicate skin of her long neck and collarbones, which seemed to glow with a dewy luster under the light.
The moment he opened the door, the young woman's scent, mixed with the fresh fragrance of shampoo, washed over him, and Lin Shen couldn't help but take a small sniff.
'Smells good!'
"Brother-in-law, this is for you."
Gu Wanqing handed Lin Shen a cup of hot milk, then held her own cup in both hands and said with a grin.
"I heard a woman's voice just now, eh? Was that my sister?"
"It was my boss."
"Huh? Brother-in-law, didn't you quit your job?"
"Yeah, I'm doing some part-time work right now to help with expenses."
Lin Shen drank half of the milk and said with a light chuckle.
"Can't just do nothing, or we'll starve."
"You're amazing, Brother-in-law."
Gu Wanqing stared at the half-empty cup of milk in Lin Shen's hand.
"Go on and finish it, Brother-in-law. I'll wash the cup when you're done."
"Okay."
After he downed the rest of the milk, Gu Wanqing took the cup with a charming smile.
"Good night~"
"Good night."
Lin Shen, who had felt a bit lonely living by himself, found the solitude in his heart gradually melting away because of Gu Wanqing's warmth.
'Youth is a wonderful thing!'
Lin Shen sighed to himself. He then locked the door, rubbed his hands together, and took out the [Dew] from his nightstand.
'Let's see if you're really as useful as the instruction manual says you are.'