Chapter 40: Slacking Off Is Wonderful

Lu Qiuyi finished her painful morning run and returned home, when her personal phone suddenly vibrated.

She grabbed the phone irritably, but her movements froze when she saw the sender.

[Father Lu]: Qiuyi, I have a general understanding of the situation at the He Corporation. You have done well, reaching the core level much faster than expected. There is no need to continue undercover. Report to the Lu Corporation headquarters next Monday to serve as a special assistant to the General Manager, reporting directly to me. Someone else will take over the subsequent matters.

Lu Qiuyi stared at the text message, reading it three times over, hardly able to believe her eyes.

The mission is over?
She can return to the Lu Corporation?
She no longer has to live in constant fear of her cover being blown, nor will she be forced by He Jingyue to go for morning runs, write self-criticisms, or perform code analysis that she couldn't understand to save her life, all under the threat of having her bonus docked?

An unprecedented wave of ecstasy instantly washed away the fatigue of the past few days.

Lu Qiuyi sprang from her chair, spun around twice, and almost felt like singing at the top of her lungs. At the Lu Corporation, she would be "one of us"! No more having to look at He Jingyue’s grim reaper face!

She dove onto her bed, excitedly daydreaming about the wonderful life awaiting her back at the Lu Corporation: no more waking up early! No more brewing coffee! No more dealing with He Jingyue’s tricky, pedantic questions! Perhaps she might even have a few obedient assistants to order around? Would her office be bigger? Would her company car be better?

Just thinking about it made her giggle out loud.

Lu Qiuyi appeared at the He Corporation building, radiating energy. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she ran into several colleagues in a rush who, seeing her, subconsciously greeted her: "Morning, Assistant Lu."

"Morning!" Lu Qiuyi swept away her usual lifeless office demeanor, her voice full of vigor.

Fu Yao, walking toward her, was quite surprised. He adjusted his glasses and leaned in to ask, "What's up, Assistant Lu? Did you win the lottery?"

"Lottery?" Lu Qiuyi was in a good mood and unusually willing to chat. She tilted her head and asked, "How much is the lottery worth?"

Fu Yao recalled, "It seems someone won 100 million a few years ago. I heard they resigned and went home on the spot. They used to be a corporate slave working overtime every day. The first thing they did after winning was run to the company and give their boss a piece of their mind. It was exhilarating."

"100 million?" Lu Qiuyi curled her lip. "Is that little bit of money considered a big prize?"

However, she could use it as a reference; she would go settle scores with He Jingyue when the time came, haha.

Fu Yao: ...
That "little bit of money"?!
Are they even the same type of executive assistant? Although President He is generous, he hasn't been known to give out that level of bonus to assistants in private, has he?

Lu Qiuyi didn't care about Fu Yao's shock; she walked to her desk with a light, brisk step and sat down.

For the first time ever, she didn't immediately open her computer to process the pile of emails. Instead, she leaned back leisurely in her ergonomic chair and pulled out her phone to watch short videos.

Slacking off is great.
I can slack off every day from now on, hehehe.

Lin Xiaoyu, already buried in her work nearby, watched in a daze.
What is wrong with Sister Qiuyi today?
Her vibe has completely changed!

It wasn't until the time ticked past nine o'clock that Lu Qiuyi finally stretched lazily, preparing to turn on her computer. Lin Xiaoyu had glanced at her several times; she held back as long as she could, but finally couldn't help it: "Sister Qiuyi, why are you still sitting there?"

"Hm?" Lu Qiuyi looked up, wearing an innocent expression. "Where else would I be?"

Lin Xiaoyu grew more anxious, her eyes darting toward the president's office. "President He should be here soon. Did you forget to brew his coffee?"

Taking advantage of the few minutes left, she hurried over to remind her, hoping to prevent Sister Qiuyi from being punished with a self-criticism letter.

Lin Xiaoyu thought Lu Qiuyi had simply forgotten and came over with earnest concern. To her surprise, Lu Qiuyi felt no sense of urgency at all. She yawned lazily and said nonchalantly, "Brew what coffee? Doesn't he have hands? If he wants to drink it, he can brew it himself."

What a miserable little assistant I've been.
After working so hard for so long, sorry, but today I’m turning the tables and singing my own tune!

He Jingyue was always cold, oppressing her, docking her bonuses, and punishing her with self-criticisms at every turn. She had long since found him eyesore. Before, she had to bow her head because she was under his roof, but now she was about to jump out of the fire pit.

Lin Xiaoyu: !!!
Is that allowed to be said out loud?

Before Lin Xiaoyu could recover from this massive shock, a soft "ding" sounded—the president's private elevator had arrived on the floor, and the automatic glass doors slid open.

He Jingyue was dressed in a perfectly tailored dark gray suit, looking tall and imposing as he strode out of the elevator.

Lin Xiaoyu immediately turned around and greeted him respectfully, "Good morning, President He."

Lu Qiuyi curled her lip and stood up reluctantly, fulfilling the final bit of superficial etiquette.

He Jingyue’s footsteps paused imperceptibly. His gaze lingered for half a second on Lu Qiuyi’s face, which was plastered with a look that said, "I am very arrogant today," before he continued toward his office, expressionless.

Less than two minutes later, the internal phone on Lu Qiuyi’s desk rang, the screen flashing the words "President He."

Lin Xiaoyu cast a worried look her way.

Lu Qiuyi, however, didn't care at all; she even walked into the president's office with a sense of eagerness.

What a beautiful day it is.

When I get my own office, I'll pick a spot with great natural light too.

Sunlight streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, casting bright patches of light on the floor. He Jingyue had taken off his suit jacket, wearing only a white shirt. He sat behind the wide desk, head lowered as he read financial news on his tablet.

Hearing her footsteps, he didn't even look up, just asked coolly, "Where is my coffee?"

Lu Qiuyi stood straight in front of the desk. "Oh, I forgot."

"..."

In the past, he would certainly have retorted with a sarcastic remark regarding such a perfunctory attitude toward work. Lu Qiuyi had even prepared herself for it.

Previously, she had stayed silent and swallowed her pride because she was surviving under his thumb. Did he really think she was made of Hello Kitty?

The large office fell silent for two seconds, with only the faint sound of news scrolling on the tablet screen. The thunderous rage she anticipated did not come.

Lu Qiuyi: ???
This script isn't right.

He Jingyue said nothing at all, merely raising a hand to rub his temples. "Forget it."

Did he take the wrong medicine today?
Why is he being so easygoing?
Why wasn't he like this before?

He Jingyue had already turned his attention back to the tablet. "Get out."

Lu Qiuyi felt like she had thrown a punch into a pile of cotton; she felt completely stifled.

"...Oh." She pursed her lips. All the bold words she had prepared were blocked, and she could only respond dryly before turning to leave the office.

Since he didn't say anything, if she were to suddenly start a confrontation, it would make her look unreasonable and bizarre.

Lu Qiuyi returned to her desk, feeling sullen, and sat down. Looking at the He Corporation logo on her computer screen, her determination to leave this place quickly only grew stronger.

She couldn't spend another day in this hellhole with this moody boss!

Next Monday, she would be the first to slap her resignation letter on his desk!