The CEO? Yes, the CEO!

"Listen to you. Which of the secretaries working for our executives isn't a stunning beauty? That new girl? I'd say she's pretty average."

I had actually finished using the toilet and wanted to come out, but the two women were still talking. To avoid any awkwardness later, I waited until they had both left before opening the stall door.

They had a point. I didn't know why I'd been hired, either.

Oh well. I'd take it one day at a time.

I'd read the relevant laws, and I'd already signed an employment contract. If they wanted to fire me, they would have to pay me compensation!

Back in the secretarial office, the person who had asked me to deliver the documents took me to my workstation. It was small, out of the way, and right at the back.

The desk was covered in miscellaneous clutter. When a few colleagues saw that I'd been assigned that spot, they came over and took away their things.

I tidied up whatever no one claimed and took it to the storage room.

I'd thought I would at least be busy when I came to work, but two hours had passed, and apart from delivering those documents, no one had given me any work.

After cleaning up my desk, I'd sat there for over an hour.

I really couldn't sit still anymore. What was this? Had they hired me just to leave me sitting here?

Seeing someone photocopying documents, I got up and walked over. "Let me help you with that."

She looked at me. "Some documents can't be handed over to other people. No, thanks. If you have nothing to do, change the water bottle in the office dispenser."

I turned to look at the large, full bottle of mineral water beside the dispenser.

After all, it was my first day, and they hadn't given me anything else to do. Fine, I'd change the water.

I walked over. The bottle wasn't as heavy as I'd imagined, but lifting it strained the wound on my leg, and I was wearing high heels.

I lost my footing and tilted to one side. Oh no. If I fall, everyone in the office will be staring at me.

Making a fool of myself on my very first day-I could already picture my social death.

But someone behind me caught me firmly.

Once I was steady, I looked up as I thanked him.

"It's you?" It was the very man who had pointed out my injured leg. "So you're the new hire? Yu Han?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'm Yu Han. I started today."

He looked at the water bottle by my feet and smiled knowingly, then bent down, picked it up effortlessly, and replaced the bottle on the dispenser.

I noticed several colleagues casting looks our way that I couldn't decipher.

Just as I was about to ask which department he worked in, the female colleague who had told me to change the water came over with a document and said to him, "Sir, please take a look at this."

I froze for a moment. "The CEO?"

The man nodded at me, confirming it. "Yes, the CEO!"

He gestured for the woman to follow him to his office. After a couple of steps, he turned back and smiled at me. "Could you make me a cup of coffee and bring it over?"

"Sure."

I headed toward the break room when my phone suddenly vibrated. It was Gu Hansheng.

I didn't know why he was contacting me now, but after what had happened that morning, I didn't want to deal with him.

I silenced my phone.

The water in the break room wasn't hot enough, so I waited quietly beside it. My phone vibrated again.

It was still Gu Hansheng.

Ever since becoming his secret lover, I had never failed to answer his calls.

Normally, even if he'd left me stranded halfway, I would still have answered when he called.

But I still felt aggrieved over what had happened that morning, and I was at work now. I still didn't want to answer.

Yet Gu Hansheng didn't hang up.

My phone kept vibrating. I hesitated. Perhaps he really had something urgent to tell me.

I'd better answer. If I don't, I probably won't have an easy time when I get back.

But just as I was about to tap the answer button, two female colleagues walked in.

My colleagues already had plenty to say about my being hired despite having no experience and a degree unrelated to the job.

If they saw me taking a call in the break room, who knew what stories they would spin about me?

In my nervousness, I tapped the reject button.

Silence.

One of the women looked at me. "Do you know the CEO?"

"No, I don't!" I answered honestly.

One corner of her mouth lifted. "Then you're pretty impressive, aren't you?"

The water was hot now, and I began making the coffee.

When I didn't respond, she said to the other woman, "It's her first day, and the CEO's already changing the water for her and specifically asking her to make his coffee. She's really something!"

I could hear the insinuation in her words, but I didn't want to make enemies just as I'd started working here.

"Exactly. We don't have her tricks. We've been here all this time, and the CEO's never changed the water for us."

I still said nothing, concentrating on making the coffee.

"True. We're certainly not blessed enough to have the CEO help us."

I could understand why people I'd known before mocked me openly and took veiled jabs at me after I went bankrupt. Given my personality, I had offended them to some extent in the past.

But this was my first day at work, and they were already spinning stories about me like this.

It was my first time meeting either of them, and I didn't even know why the CEO had helped me.

If I swallowed this insult today, wouldn't everyone at the company feel free to trample on me in the future?

I turned to look at them. "You really aren't blessed with much luck. After all, when I meet women who like to wag their tongues, I don't want to help them either."