A black sedan pulled up outside the Pingchuan Technology building. The assistant got out first and opened the rear door for the man, carefully holding a hand over his head against the roof.
Zhao Pingchuan wore a simple but finely tailored white shirt and black dress pants. He stepped out on his long legs and strode inside.
His assistant followed with a briefcase, reminding him apologetically, "President Zhao, the private elevator is undergoing maintenance. It probably won't be available this morning."
Zhao Pingchuan didn't break stride. "It's fine," he said calmly. "We'll take the regular elevator."
The assistant breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, everyone was already at their desks at this hour, so the elevator probably wouldn't be too crowded.
The two reached the elevator lobby as they spoke. There weren't many people there-in fact, there was only one.
The assistant sized up the young man waiting for the elevator and saw an unfamiliar face. He had a small black backpack on and was watching the floor numbers change on the display. His fingers pinched the seam of his pants without his realizing it. He was visibly nervous.
Just as Zhao Pingchuan and his assistant approached, the elevator reached the first floor, and they filed in one after another.
The young man had apparently only just noticed the people behind him. He looked over curiously.
The assistant was wondering whether to introduce his boss when the young man's round eyes suddenly lit up with delight, dazzling even the assistant.
"President Zhao! Hello!" he said excitedly.
Zhao Pingchuan hadn't paid much attention to the third person in the elevator. The company had hundreds of employees at every level; how could he possibly know them all? But the overly enthusiastic greeting caught his attention, and he glanced over, meeting the young man's sparkling eyes.
Zhao Pingchuan smiled politely in return. "Hello."
Apparently, he had done his homework. The assistant relaxed. Zhao Pingchuan naturally wouldn't start another conversation, so the assistant considerately acted as a bridge between them and asked Ji Ran, "I haven't seen you before. Are you new?"
Ji Ran nodded. "My name is Ji Ran. I'm here to start work today."
That really was new. The assistant noticed he wasn't wearing an employee badge and nodded in understanding, politely asking another question. "Which department?"
Ji Ran didn't quite dare look his superiors in the eye, but his voice was clear and bright. "The technical department."
The elevator soon reached the tenth floor, where the HR department was located. Ji Ran bowed slightly to them. "This is my floor. I'll be going now."
"All right, goodbye," Zhao Pingchuan said.
The elevator doors slowly closed before them, and neither Zhao Pingchuan nor his assistant gave the little encounter another thought.
Ji Ran completed his onboarding with HR, received his employee badge, and was assigned a workstation. His main task for the day was to familiarize himself with the company.
The woman in charge of HR took him around the various floors and introduced each department. Finally, she said, "President Zhao's office is on the fifteenth floor. You need authorization to go up there."
Ji Ran recalled the man he'd seen in the elevator and nodded to show he understood.
He hadn't expected to run into Zhao Pingchuan today. His luck was incredible.
Ji Ran was a computer science student, and in Li City, Pingchuan Technology was undoubtedly a highly sought-after employer for graduates in his field. In fact, the technology company under the Gu Group was more established, but Ji Ran had made his choice without the slightest hesitation.
The reason was Zhao Pingchuan.
Ji Ran had a secret that set him apart from everyone else. Although he too had grown up in this world, he didn't entirely belong to it. He had no proof, but he knew the world he lived in had merged with the world of a book-and he had read that book many times.
And Zhao Pingchuan was an important character in it.
Ji Ran clearly remembered that Pingchuan Technology hadn't originally existed in his world. But he didn't know when certain concepts had begun to slip quietly into his mind. The whole process had been so natural that he'd barely noticed, as though everything had always been that way.
There were still some clues, though. For instance, although Ji Ran knew who owned Pingchuan Technology, he had never seen him in person. Yet the moment he saw Zhao Pingchuan today, he recognized him at a glance, because the man's looks and bearing were exactly as described in the book.
Another example was that very few people in this world likely knew about Zhao Pingchuan's background or that he had a younger sister named Zhao Xiaoran. Ji Ran knew all of it.
When he read the book, he had been very fond of Zhao Pingchuan. Although Gu Xingye was the protagonist and had many golden fingers, Ji Ran admired Zhao Pingchuan more for working his way up from humble beginnings through his own efforts. To use a popular expression, he felt more like a real person.
The thought of working at Zhao Pingchuan's company from now on filled Ji Ran with motivation!
But their chance encounter that day really had been an accident. Ji Ran didn't see Zhao Pingchuan again for a long time afterward.
The company had many departments and a clear hierarchy, so he had practically no opportunity to meet the boss. Zhao Pingchuan also usually took the private elevator directly between the parking garage and the top floor when he came and went, so Ji Ran never ran into him.
Ji Ran was a little disappointed, but he soon adjusted.
It didn't matter if he couldn't see him. They worked in the same building, and he heard plenty of news about the boss every day. Wasn't that good too?
Besides, he really liked the working atmosphere at Pingchuan Technology. There were lots of young people, his colleagues got along well, and the company offered good benefits.
Ji Ran's work was soon recognized, and his name appeared more and more frequently in various reports and proposals. Even Zhao Pingchuan, busy as he was, took notice.
As he looked through a document submitted by the technical department, he tilted his head slightly and asked uncertainly, "This Ji Ran-is he the young man we ran into in the elevator last time?"
They had only taken the regular elevator once recently, so the assistant quickly put a face to the name and nodded. "That's him. He's been doing quite well at work."
Zhao Pingchuan's lips curved slightly. "Not bad."
Ji Ran had gotten the hang of the work quickly and lacked the arrogance common among graduates of prestigious universities. Although the work he produced still had flaws, it was clear he had put in solid effort.
Word of the boss's praise soon reached Ji Ran. The department head cheerfully patted him on the shoulder. "Xiao Ji, President Zhao praised you himself. You have a bright future ahead of you."
Ji Ran was flattered. "Thank you, sir, and thank you to President Zhao. I'll keep working hard!"
Knowing the boss appreciated him, the department head gave Ji Ran more opportunities to prove himself, sometimes deliberately and sometimes not. Finally, after Ji Ran had worked there for six months, he arranged for him to report to Zhao Pingchuan.
Ji Ran was still bewildered when he received the assignment. "Me? Am I going alone?"
The department head raised an eyebrow. "What, nervous?"
Ji Ran shook his head and said sheepishly, "No, it's just so sudden. I can hardly believe it."
The department head smiled. "Don't feel pressured. Just give your report as usual. You wrote the proposal, so you'll be fine."
And so Ji Ran found himself standing before Zhao Pingchuan.
It was a very brief report; he was only given three minutes. Zhao Pingchuan had already read the proposal, though, and after listening to Ji Ran's report, he asked a few more questions, which Ji Ran answered one by one.
Zhao Pingchuan nodded. "Not bad."
Ji Ran smiled, his eyes curving into crescents.
He was about to leave when Zhao Pingchuan spoke again. "Did you graduate from the University of Science and Technology?"
Ji Ran nodded blankly.
"My sister goes there too," Zhao Pingchuan said.
"Has your sister graduated, President Zhao?" Ji Ran asked naturally, even though he knew Zhao Xiaoran's age perfectly well.
Zhao Pingchuan shook his head. As he spoke of his sister, a gentle smile touched his lips. "No, she's two years behind you."
Ji Ran didn't know what to say next, but fortunately, Zhao Pingchuan had no intention of making small talk either. He waved a hand and said, "All right, get back to work."
Having had more contact with his idol, Ji Ran was overjoyed and in high spirits all day. His colleagues thought he was happy because his superior had praised him, and they all teased him. "When the boss praises you, he's just pushing you. Don't take it too seriously."
Ji Ran didn't explain. He really was happy to have Zhao Pingchuan acknowledge him in person, so he joked, "We're all just beasts of burden. It's not like we get to choose for ourselves. Don't we all just do what the boss says?"
He was very satisfied with his life as it was. The assignments his department head gave him also grew increasingly difficult, and many of them went beyond the scope of the technical department.
Ji Ran was somewhat puzzled. The department head noticed and gave him a hint with a smile. "Xiao Ji, we may be a technology company, but we can't bury ourselves in technology alone. You need a broader perspective to keep from losing your way."
He only half understood, but to complete the assignments he'd been given, he had no choice but to learn more.
Then one day, Zhao Pingchuan's assistant, Jiang Ping, came to see him in person and gave him a document. "Take this back and have a look. If there's anything you don't understand, come straight to me."
Ji Ran looked up from the document, his puppy-dog eyes full of shock.
Jiang Ping laughed. "Why are you so surprised? Don't you understand what I mean?"
Ji Ran ventured nervously, "Does the company have other plans for me?"
"Not bad, you're no fool." There was appreciation in Jiang Ping's eyes. "Keep up the good work. President Zhao and I both have high hopes for you."