Chapter 23: A New Beginning

“Hello, Leader! I’m the new hire, Zhou Ruoyu. Please take care of me!”

After Gao Lan introduced her, Zhou Ruoyu instinctively bowed to introduce herself. Mid-bow, she suddenly realized something.

Wait, what? Liu Ruyan?

Why does that name sound so familiar?

……

If I recall correctly, those weird audiobook heroines are usually named something like that, like… Empress Ruyan?

Remembering this, Zhou Ruoyu felt her composure crumble, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure whether to address her new supervisor by her full name. Meanwhile, the Liu Ruyan in front of her merely nodded indifferently, not even responding to Zhou Ruoyu’s greeting. Instead, she quickly turned to Gao Lan, saying affectionately:

“Thanks for your hard work, Lan Sister~”

“Uh, yes, of course! I’ll definitely do my best!”

Liu Ruyan agreed eagerly, and Gao Lan nodded, seeing the handover complete. She then left, leaving only Zhou Ruoyu standing there, watching as she was passed around like a ball, changing hands several times in just a few minutes. Finally, this should be the last stop, right?

Just as the girl thought this, Liu Ruyan, who had seen Gao Lan leave, suddenly changed her expression. She turned to face Zhou Ruoyu, looking her up and down with a frustrated expression. She then waved her hand, pointing to an empty workstation in the corner, and said:

“You can sit there. Later, your colleagues will add you to the work group. It has the specific work guidelines and content files. Learn how to use the company system on your own. Master it within two days, then start working normally. Your daily performance KPIs will be the same as regular employees. If you don’t meet them, your performance will be deducted. Be diligent, got it?”

“Uh, this… won’t you guide me a bit?”

Hearing this rapid-fire arrangement, Zhou Ruoyu timidly asked. In response, she received a cold look from Liu Ruyan, who smirked and, crossing her arms, said coldly:

“Can’t you learn on your own? You’re at work now, and you still need others to guide you? This industry doesn’t need any pampered princesses. If you keep asking questions like this when you get to society, you won’t survive, hmm, little girl~”

With that, she turned away and walked back to the break area, leaving Zhou Ruoyu standing there, her mouth twitching. This woman… she was nothing like the one who had made so many promises in front of Gao Lan. What a quick change of heart!

Stuck with such a boss, Zhou Ruoyu’s mood immediately dropped by three degrees. But there was nothing she could do. Since she was new, she couldn’t just quit over a few harsh words.

Since her boss told her to learn on her own, she might as well do that. After all, during her preparation for the postgraduate entrance exam, Zhou Ruoyu had done plenty of self-study.

The girl went to the workstation pointed out by Liu Ruyan, turned on the computer, and started exploring.

Meanwhile, Liu Ruyan, back with the guys, put on a playful smile again, ready to chat more with her little fans. But after sitting there for a while, no one came over.

The blonde, curly-haired big sister, Liu Ruyan, was taken aback for a moment. She looked at the guys, only to see that they were all gathered together, their eyes fixed on the new girl in the corner, like they were looking at a cute, curled-up kitten. Their eyes lit up, and they let out a series of strange, lecherous sounds.

“Wow, is this the new person from Team 9? She’s so petite, so adorable~”

“She even wears glasses, looks so shy~”

“I bet this girl is pretty innocent and sweet, who wants to go flirt with her? Might just hit the jackpot~”

“Wow, she’s like a graceful Siamese cat, even her typing is adorable~”

Hearing the various comments about the new Zhou Ruoyu, Liu Ruyan frowned. What irritated her most wasn’t that the guys had complimented Zhou Ruoyu a few times, but that as soon as the girl walked in, these guys’ attention shifted to her?

Suddenly feeling ignored, Liu Ruyan became uncomfortable all over. After a while, she stood up for the first time, walking over to the group of guys. She then spoke up softly:

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be working? Why are you all gathered around the new employee like this? Is she that interesting?”

“Oh, Boss! You’re back! Ahem… but this new employee is just too cute and pure, prettier than any of my childhood crushes. What’s her name? Does she have a boyfriend?”

Seeing Liu Ruyan approach, the guys lost their earlier excitement. After all, Liu Ruyan’s appearance was average, relying heavily on makeup. The guys had caught glimpses of her natural face, and the difference was stark.

Moreover, Liu Ruyan had been in the customer service department for so long; everyone was used to her. Most of the other female colleagues already had partners, and Zhou Ruoyu’s arrival was like throwing a big, fluffy sheep into a pack of starving wolves. Who wanted to keep chasing after a scrawny field mouse?

So, the guys were no longer interested in Liu Ruyan, and their little group had somehow formed. Their relationship had even improved, but the one thing that hadn’t changed was that they were still going to be Zhou Ruoyu’s little fans.

Watching the guys’ excited expressions, no one noticed that Liu Ruyan’s lips were pressed even tighter. After a while, she crossed her arms and said coldly:

“It’s something like… Zhou Ruoyu, I guess. Hmph, who knows if she has a boyfriend? She’s probably still a kid, what’s there to like?”

“Oh, that’s not necessarily true! Ahem… Liu Sister, you know, s*x appeal is nothing compared to good looks~ Hehe, Zhou Ruoyu… Ruoyu-chan~ I can’t help it, I’m going to go check her out!”

A guy from Team 8 spoke to Liu Ruyan with no hesitation, grinning as he moved toward Zhou Ruoyu. The other guys quickly stood up, shouting:

“Hey, you can’t hog her! Everyone gets a turn!”

……

A moment later, Zhou Ruoyu, who had just opened WeChat, suddenly felt a crowd of people surrounding her… or rather, a crowd of men…

These colleagues gathered around her, making Zhou Ruoyu feel like she was in an internet cafe. She stayed silent for a moment, then turned her head, timidly asking:

“Um, what do you all need?”

“Ahem, nothing, we just wanted to welcome the new employee, ha ha~ Ruoyu-chan, can we add you on WeChat?”

“Of course! Please add me to the work group. I need the files, thank you!”

The girl, who had been struggling to find someone to add her to the group, eagerly agreed. She had just joined and already easily got WeChat contacts, making the guys ecstatic. They all rushed to scan her code, even pushing each other aside.

“Move, let me go first!”

“No way, I got to her first, you’re just tagging along!”

“Hehehe, little Ruoyu, do you have a boyfriend?”

“Ruoyu-chan, let me show you around the company at lunch! Our cafeteria is pretty good, you know~”

“Nah, what’s good about that? I’ll order you takeout instead~”

“……”

Faced with this lively scene and a bunch of friend requests, the black-haired, straight-haired girl froze, panicking.

Meanwhile, Liu Ruyan silently watched this scene, her hands clenched tightly.