Chapter 2.2 – The Male Lead’s Bestfriend

“President Gu, you were looking for me?”

Gu Siye raised his head, looked at her as if trying to ascertain something, then resumed looking at his documents. “You will accompany me to the Saturday night dinner.”

He Zening was stunned, what did she just hear? And what did President Gu mean by accompanying him? What kind of plot was this?  Did she underestimate herself and it turns out she’s the heroine in the story?

‘Don’t be silly, no heroine works non-stop for a whole week,’ she chastised herself.

While she was still ruminating what to say, Gu Siye looked at her, taking her silence as  rejection. “Do you have another arrangement?” he said.

His firm tone didn’t imply that he was asking for permission. He Zening felt slightly frustrated. A secretary truly has no human rights!

“Not really. I have just never attended such an event. I’m afraid I might be an embarrassment,” she bluntly said, hoping that would detract him.

“It’s not important. You just need to show up,” President Gu said. “You will be reimbursed for the clothing and styling expenses.”

She has a company card she uses daily for Gu Siye’s expenditures.  Every month, a detailed budget report must be submitted to President Gu. It was easy to swipe the card, but keeping detailed accounting was a hassle.

“President Gu… there are many colleag-” President Gu gave her a look and she immediately clamped her mouth shut. She nodded. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be back in my office,” she said.

Saturday night was the Foundation Organization’s annual dinner where many prominent people gathered. It wasn’t that she was uninterested – she was just a bit intimidated by such a formal event! Moreover, she had to wear high heels and dress in a gown. Just the thought of it made her feel uncomfortable. He Zening sighed. She thought she could stay home, order take-out, and watch a movie.

It just so happened that Special Assistant Zheng walked inside to have a document signed by President Gu. When he saw He Zening’s tortured face, he asked, “What happened to you?”

“Special Assistant Zheng,” As if seeing a savior, He Zening explained, “President Gu wants me to accompany him to the weekend dinner.”

Special Assistant Zheng was not surprised. He merely smiled. “That is good news. Why aren’t you willing?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, this… wouldn’t the President find a suitable companion to this type of event? I thought I could rest this weekend,” she said.

“I see. You have only been in this company for a short time but President Gu usually brings the secretary to this type of event. In the previous dinners, he chose Milly.”

He Zening tried to remember. Milly was the secretary he fired last week.

“In that case,” He Zening suddenly thought of the newcomer tomorrow. She felt hopeful, “there’s a new secretary tomorrow. Can we let her accompany President Gu to dinner instead?” she asked.

“I can’t make this decision, only President Gu does,” he replied. Special assistant Zheng looked at He Zening, puzzled. “Milly and Bai Lan used to fight over who would accompany President Gu to events, how come you don’t want to go?”

He Zening responded with a straight face. “If I must choose between lounging on the sofa in a loose dress while eating take-out with coke and watching movies, versus wearing high heels, a gown and fakely mingling with strangers the whole night, I would choose the former. Not to mention, Milly was pretty, tall, and had a good figure,” she gestured to herself, “who am I to compare?”

Special Assistant Zheng couldn’t help but laugh. “Attending a formal event is nothing to fear. If you absolutely don’t want to go, just wait for the newcomer tomorrow,” he said, much to He Zening’s comfort.

“Then I’ll wait.”

The rest of the day, He Zening silently prayed, hoping her new colleague would save her from this dinner.

*

The next morning, she went to the office early. She first turned on President Gu’s air conditioner, cleaned his desk, and changed the coffee machine’s filter. After her tasks were done, she went back to her desk, and waited for the new secretary’s arrival. Zhen Feng’s operational hours are from 8 am to 6 pm, with two hours of break time in between.  Meanwhile, the President’s hours are flexible.

At 8:15, He Zening heard the elevator ding, the clack of high heels on tiles followed. The personnel brought in a beautiful, sexy lady with gorgeous wavy hair. From the moment she stepped in, He Zening was involuntarily drawn to her. How could someone be so full of charm!?

“Secretary He, this is the new President’s secretary.” The Human Resources personnel introduce her to He Zening.

He Zening nodded. “All right. Leave it to me.”

After sharing a few words of greeting with each other, the Human Resource personnel left.  He Zening smiled and greeted the newcomer warmly. “How are you? My name is He Zening. What’s your name?” she asked.

The lady smiled back in return. She looked like she was somebody easy to get along with. “Secretary He, my name is Gao Xue, but you can call me Shelly,” she answered.

He Zening was suddenly alert. This does not sound like the name of a heroine! It was more like a secretary’s name. ‘This can’t be right… could Shelly be the real secretary of the President… and I am the heroine in this story?!’

Hello everyone! Ever since the completion of RCM, we have been painstakingly looking for a new novel that might appeal to you readers. This story grabbed our attention for its level-headed main character and other lovable characters in the story! Moreover, it delves deeper into the reality of workers in company novels. Please give this novel a try and thank you always for your support. – Lunarise