Back to Work

The morning commute went smoothly. Yuan Chen quietly drank his coffee in the car and listened to the briefing. Shen Yi had sent a message to the Secretary Department's group chat yesterday, and his colleagues had been thrilled.

The bustling streets of City A swept past the windows. On his first commute in a long while, Shen Yi quietly admired the familiar scenery. It was not a new job, but he was returning to the workplace all the same, and his emotions inevitably stirred.

The sedan came to a stop outside Headquarters, and both doors opened in unison. This routine, repeated countless times, had long since lost its novelty. Shen Yi followed close behind Yuan Chen, walking into the lobby with steady strides.

Countless eyes followed them wherever they went. Shock, confusion, whispered conversations-these were the immediate reactions to Shen Yi's return.

Though he had expected this, Shen Yi continued forward without a change in expression. Only after crossing the seemingly endless lobby and finally reaching the president's private elevator did he quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

"Good morning."

As they waited for the elevator, an unwelcome greeting came from beside them. Yuan Chen did not even turn his head.

Being completely ignored only made Yuan Hao smile more broadly. He had fixed his attention on Shen Yi from the start, and now he pushed his luck by edging closer and idly fiddling with Shen Yi's employee badge.

"Wow, you really came back? Shen Yi."

Seeing that the badge still read "Secretary Department Head," Yuan Hao scoffed.

"What makes you so confident? Can an omega really work? Is that appropriate?"

Yuan Hao kept running his mouth, completely disregarding the employees around them who were listening intently. It was utterly unseemly.

Shen Yi calmly straightened his displaced badge and replied politely, "Hello, Vice President Yuan."

"Our Secretary Shen, hmm... doesn't seem to know how to greet people properly."

Yuan Hao deliberately patted his shoulder, plainly trying to provoke him. Knowing full well that Shen Yi was an omega, he was intentionally testing his reaction.

"Serving an S-Class Alpha can't be easy, can it? Why come back as a secretary? Did you two sign some agreement outside of work? Are you really here to work?"

Shen Yi took hold of the wrist resting on his shoulder and gently lowered it. There was not a trace of a smile on his face as he faced Yuan Hao.

"Vice President Yuan, please refrain from making inappropriate remarks."

"Oh?"

"You should be aware that I'm no longer a beta. Sexually suggestive remarks could constitute a problem from now on."

Yuan Hao's expression stiffened, but a moment later, he burst out laughing. "Pfft, hahaha! That's the spirit! I certainly don't want anyone suing me for being rude."

He rubbed the corner of his mouth and leaned sideways toward his real target. "So how did you pull it off?"

In the end, his barbs were still aimed at Yuan Chen.

"The Chairman doesn't know yet, does he? It's only a matter of time before this makes the news. How about it? Want your big brother to recommend a good lawyer?"

Yuan Chen never responded. He could not even be bothered to glance at him, as though there were merely a dog barking nearby. His gaze remained fixed on the closed elevator doors.

In the silence, the employees held their breath. Fortunately, the elevator arrived just in time to end the uncomfortable standoff.

Shen Yi quickly pressed the button to hold the elevator. Yuan Chen stepped inside first, and just as Yuan Hao tried to follow, a long arm blocked his way.

"What, I can't get on?"

"You can pay if you need to."

Yuan Chen cast him a nearly contemptuous glance and pressed the close button as a matter of course. Yuan Hao's stunned face soon vanished through the narrowing gap.

Once the elevator doors shut completely, the hum of the machinery was the only sound left. His very first day back was already this eventful. In the suffocating silence, Shen Yi briefly closed his eyes, then opened them again.

He instinctively stole a glance beside him. He had expected Yuan Chen to be angry, but the man was unusually calm, leisurely straightening his suit lapels.

As perceptive as he was, Yuan Chen naturally noticed his gaze. He glanced at Shen Yi and said evenly:

"You weren't expecting that?"

"I was."

"Keep your chin up. You'll be hearing plenty more of that from now on."

Shen Yi nodded. Yuan Chen's words were less encouragement than a statement of fact, but strangely, that gave him strength instead.

He checked his appearance in the elevator panel. His reflection looked no different from before. Just as Yuan Chen had said, even as an omega, all he needed to do was hold his head high.

"A heartfelt welcome back."

Starting with Secretary Li, the gathered secretaries broke into applause. Though they kept the volume restrained, their excitement was unmistakable.

Shen Yi's nose merely twitched a little. Returning after they had already said their goodbyes did not feel particularly awkward.

"Thank you all for the welcome. Now that we've exchanged greetings, shall we get to work?"

After dismissing everyone, he returned to his workstation. The desk, which had stood vacant for some time, held only two monitors, a keyboard and mouse, and a desk phone.

Shen Yi deftly set up his computer, then told the secretaries farther away, "Please share everything you've been handling during this time, along with your upcoming schedules."

"Yes, Department Head."

"Understood!"

Work piled up in an instant. Looking at his suddenly cluttered desk, he finally felt that he was truly back. He drew a deep breath that was half sigh, half surge of resolve.

"All right, let's ease our way into hell mode."

Shen Yi tightened his tie and threw himself wholeheartedly into work.

There was not even a moment to catch his breath.

He focused all his attention on tackling the backlog one task at a time, but for some reason, the phone would not stop ringing. News of his return had clearly spread through the group chats, and there were an unusually large number of calls for him today.

"Department Head, the president of the City A Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Association is calling. I'll transfer the call to you now."

He had barely finished one call before another was waiting. It was only eleven in the morning, and he already felt exhausted. Shen Yi gently rubbed his neck and picked up the receiver he had just put down. As he pressed the answer button, his voice remained so steady that not a hint of fatigue showed through:

"Hello, Secretary Department Head speaking."

The calls were usually meant to confirm Yuan Chen's schedule or invite him to an event. Inquiries concerning outside engagements generally came by email; direct calls like these were rare. There was only one reason for them: to use the opportunity to probe into Shen Yi's current circumstances and find out whether the rumors were true.

"Yes, that's right. Haha... It's hardly a hardship. This is all part of my job. Thank you for your concern."

Pressing a hand to his forehead, Shen Yi answered like a machine. Though weariness showed on his face, his words remained smooth and courteous.

"Thank you for the kind offer, but I'm afraid meeting privately would be difficult. You said the third of next month? Could you give me the exact time and location?"

Some people's curiosity clearly crossed the line.

They asked whether an omega could work alongside alphas, worried about something happening, and even inquired about arrangements for his heat period. One intrusive question followed another, and some people came straight to him, just like the person on the line now.

Whenever this happened, Shen Yi drew a firm boundary. The further someone pushed, the more distant his manner became. When necessary, he directly pointed out their rudeness, and if he found them unreasonable, he took the initiative to end the discussion.

Most people with any sense caught on to their own offense and were reminded that Secretary Shen was not someone to trifle with.

After going through this several times, fatigue was inevitable.

But Shen Yi knew that only by laying a solid foundation could his subsequent work proceed smoothly. He therefore treated it as part of his duties and quietly dealt with it.

"All right, understood. Please send it by email as usual. I'll review it and get back to you."

As he ended the call, Shen Yi spoke faster than usual. He still held the internal phone in one hand, while the other had already grabbed his mobile. It had been ringing for seven seconds. This was a call he had to answer, and he was growing anxious.

Almost tossing the receiver back into place, he hurriedly raised his mobile.

Lin Shulan.

The mere sight of the name on the screen made his pupils contract sharply. Shen Yi took a deep breath and carefully slid his fingertip across the screen.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm sorry I was late answering. I was caught up with work."