Chapter 5: 005

Since the editor-in-cheif mentioned that Jiang Yi had noticed Su Xiaomi, she had been on edge every day at work, fearing that one day Jiang Yi might whimsically summon her to his office.

Fortunately, the following week passed without incident, and Su Xiaomi gradually heart finally return to her stomach. (T/N: finally calm down)

She thought to herself, Jiang Yi was so busy every day, how could he possibly have the time or energy to pay attention to a small intern like her?

The editor-in-chief was really something, scaring her with such a joke…

On Friday, before leaving work, Su Xiaomi sent her completed traffic accident report to Putao online and, just to be safe, also forwarded it via email to Putao’s work inbox.

Then she prepared to shut down her computer and enjoy her rare weekend.

Because submitting the report delayed her a bit, most of her colleagues in the Social News Department had already left when she was ready to go.

Only Ruan Tian was still working overtime.

During this period, Su Xiaomi had noticed that Ruan Tian was particularly diligent—usually the first to arrive and the last to leave.

Sometimes, seeing Ruan Tian work so hard made Su Xiaomi feel slightly ashamed, wondering if she should also make an extra effort to leave a good impression on the editor-in-chief.

But when she thought about how far her current residence was from Yihang Media, she quickly dismissed the idea.

It took a solid hour and a half by subway, not including the time spent buying tickets, entering the station, and waiting for the train. If she wanted to match Ruan Tian’s diligence, she’d have to wake up at 6 AM and wouldn’t get home until after 10 PM.

So she decided to maintain her current pace.

Of course, if work was busy and required overtime, she would come early and leave late, but if there wasn’t much to do, she would leave on time.

As she packed up to leave, she greeted Ruan Tian.

She had wanted to ask Ruan Tian what she was busy with, but Ruan Tian simply smiled, waved at her from behind the computer screen, and immediately buried herself back in her work.

Su Xiaomi decided not to disturb her and quietly left the office.

As she passed the HR department, an HR lady called out to her, “Hey, Xiaomi, your dormitory application has been approved. Are you free this weekend? If you are, you can move into the company dormitory directly.”

Su Xiaomi froze for a moment. “…So soon? Didn’t you say there were too many applicants, and it might take a long time?”

The HR lady scribbled the dormitory complex name and room number on an A4 sheet while explaining, “It was supposed to take a long time, but recently, a lot of new employees applied for dormitories. If we waited for existing dormitories to become available, it would’ve taken at least six months. So last week, during our departmental meeting, our manager brought this up with President Jiang. Under his instruction, the company rented an additional building for employee dormitories… Here, this paper has the dormitory complex and your room number. And these are your access and room cards.”

And just like that, Su Xiaomi’s leisurely weekend was completely derailed by this sudden notification from HR.

To finish moving in before Monday, Su Xiaomi spent her entire weekend packing and transporting her belongings from her rented apartment to the dormitory, making countless trips like an ant carrying food.

The dormitory was in a residential complex called Ming Anfang.

It was located in a busy district with convenient transportation.

Most importantly, it was incredibly close to the company—just a 30-minute walk.

Su Xiaomi was very satisfied with her new living arrangement.

The dormitory was a two-person room.

When she moved her things in, her roommate wasn’t around, so she didn’t know who it was until Sunday night.

After she finished exploring the area, had dinner, and leisurely returned with a box of strawberries, she discovered her roommate was actually Ruan Tian.

Su Xiaomi couldn’t hide her surprise.

If she remembered correctly, Ruan Tian was a local from Songcheng, and her family home wasn’t far from the company.

More importantly, she had even heard Ruan Tian mention that her family had bought her an apartment in Songcheng earlier that year.

So why would she choose to stay in the company dormitory instead of living comfortably at home?

Ruan Tian’s explanation was that the dormitory was closer to Yihang Media, making commuting more convenient.

Su Xiaomi didn’t press further.

Although they were in the same department, their relationship wasn’t particularly close.

Perhaps because they were both interns, Ruan Tian seemed to maintain a slight guardedness toward her.

Su Xiaomi wasn’t interested in prying into others’ private matters, so after exchanging a few words, she took her strawberries to the communal washroom.

The dormitory rooms only had a small balcony, with no private sinks or bathrooms.

Fortunately, the shared facilities were nearby, just a few steps away.

When Su Xiaomi returned with her washed strawberries, she noticed that Ruan Tian was no longer in the room.

A set of sleepwear was draped over the chair, suggesting she had changed clothes and gone out.

Su Xiaomi shrugged, ate half of the strawberries, left the rest for Ruan Tian, and grabbed her sleepwear to head for the bathroom.

By the time Su Xiaomi finished her nighttime routine and returned to bed, Ruan Tian still hadn’t come back.

The next morning, when Su Xiaomi woke up, Ruan Tian was finally back, fast asleep in her bed.

In the soft morning light, her sleeping face looked serene and delicate, a truly beautiful sight even from a woman’s perspective.

Ruan Tian’s face was incredibly small, with a sharp chin.

Su Xiaomi, on the other hand, used to gain weight primarily in her face.

Even after losing weight, her face still appeared round compared to most girls.

Combined with her large, round eyes—not peach blossom-shaped like Jiang Yi’s—she looked chubbier than she actually was.

Su Xiaomi sighed internally at the unfairness of it all, then quietly got out of bed, changed clothes, and went out with her toiletries.

At the bathroom sink, several unfamiliar girls were already washing up.

Su Xiaomi stood quietly to the side, waiting for her turn.

The girls were chatting casually, and at first, Su Xiaomi wasn’t paying attention.

But as their conversation continued, her expression gradually changed.

When Ruan Tian came out with her toiletries, she found Su Xiaomi standing motionless by the sink like a statue.

Confused, she gently nudged Su Xiaomi’s shoulder and asked, “Xiaomi, what’s wrong?”

Su Xiaomi turned to Ruan Tian with a look of despair and pointed out the window.

“Ruan Tian, did you know? President Jiang also lives nearby—right there, in that residential complex called Lan Yuan.”

The awkward expression on Ruan Tian’s face flashed briefly.

In fact, not only did she know that Jiang Yi lived in the opposite complex, Lan Yuan, but she also knew he lived in Building 27, Unit 1206.

She even knew that Jiang Yi spent two to three evenings a week working out at a gym nearby called “Rock.”

Just last night, she had already signed up for a one-year gym membership there, attempting to create an “accidental encounter” with Jiang Yi.

But, of course, she wouldn’t tell Su Xiaomi any of this.

So, she feigned surprise and said, “Really? President Jiang lives just across the street?”

Su Xiaomi nodded dejectedly and muttered in a small voice, “President Jiang is so rich, why would he choose to live right across from the staff dormitory? Could it be to… mon-i-tor us closely?”

Although the housing prices in Lan Yuan were already approaching 40,000 yuan per square meter, and Jiang Yi might have chosen to live there simply for the convenience of commuting to work, just the thought that she might bump into him around the corner made Su Xiaomi feel like this was more terrifying than encountering a ghost in broad daylight.

She spoke so softly that Ruan Tian didn’t catch everything, but from Su Xiaomi’s expression, Ruan Tian could tell that she absolutely didn’t see living close to Jiang Yi as a good thing.

Realizing this, Ruan Tian inexplicably found Su Xiaomi a little more likable.

She couldn’t help but laugh and gently took Su Xiaomi’s arm, comforting her, “Come on, Xiaomi, don’t overthink it. Even if President Jiang really lives so close to us, he’s so busy, always coming and going at odd hours. Our schedules probably won’t overlap, so the chances of running into him are slim.”

Su Xiaomi thought about it and felt that this made sense, so she temporarily put the matter out of her mind.

Since they lived in the same dormitory, the two naturally went to work together that morning.

As soon as they entered the office, Putao said to Ruan Tian, “Ruan Tian, last time it was Su Xiaomi who went out on assignment with me. Today it’s your turn. Pack your things, we’re heading out soon.”

Ruan Tian immediately replied crisply, “Okay!”

After speaking, Putao turned to Su Xiaomi and instructed, “I’ve reviewed the article you sent me last Friday and added some revision notes. Stay in the office today, work on the edits, and send it to me online when you’re done.”

Su Xiaomi nodded.

“Understood.”

So, that morning, aside from occasionally answering a few hotline calls, Su Xiaomi focused entirely on revising her article.

She was so absorbed in her work that she didn’t realize it was lunchtime until the distribution assistant came over and tapped on her desk.

Yihang Media had a dedicated employee cafeteria.

Normally, Su Xiaomi would eat lunch with Putao, but since Putao was out today, she went to the cafeteria with the distribution assistant instead.

This assistant was the same guy who had previously said to her, “Let’s talk privately.”

As they ate, their conversation inevitably drifted to the unsuitable-for-children topic of “little yellow mangas.”

The two of them were huddled together, whispering excitedly about their “reading experiences,” when they felt someone sit down in the seat next to them.

Su Xiaomi didn’t think much of it and continued chatting enthusiastically until she noticed the assistant repeatedly signaling her with his eyes.

Only then did she turn her head slightly to look.

And there, wearing a black shirt and staring at her with an expressionless face, was… Jiang Yi.

Su Xiaomi: “…”

Wasn’t Jiang Yi supposed to be the kind of legendary figure you’d only see at the annual company meeting once a year?

Wasn’t he supposed to be the elusive man of myth?

Then who was this man now sitting in the employee cafeteria?

Jiang Yi’s gaze casually swept over Su Xiaomi’s name badge, and he enunciated each word slowly, “Social News Department, Su Xiaomi.”

Su Xiaomi instinctively raised her hand to cover her badge, but the next second, she heard Jiang Yi, in a tone as cold and precise as a law channel host, say, “Article 364 of the Criminal Law: Whoever disseminates obscene books, films, audio, images, or other obscene materials, and if the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than two years, criminal detention, or public surveillance.”

Su Xiaomi:”…”