Chapter 5

The plane arrived at Rongcheng airport in the evening.

Xie Rongzhuo went straight to the branch office for a meeting, leaving Shen Mi to wait for the luggage. She stood by the conveyor belt, opened WeChat, and checked her messages.

When she saw the new profile picture in the list, she remembered that she hadn’t replied to her master’s message. Their chat history had been paused at the moment when her master asked if she had a boyfriend yesterday.

Shen Mi typed with guilt in the chat box: Sorry, Master, I got busy yesterday and forgot to reply to you.

She sent a crying emoji to act cute and ask for forgiveness.

Then she continued typing: Today, I’m on a business trip to Rongcheng with my boss.

Shen Mi: I’m so touched.

Shen Mi: He finally remembered he has a secretary like me!

She saw her suitcase come out on the baggage carousel.

Shen Mi: I’ll go arrange the hotel first. I’ll message you again later when I have some free time to chat!

Shen Mi felt a bit out of place as she walked into the hotel with the rest of the group. This time, she wasn’t just a simple assistant carrying bags; it felt like everyone was fussing over her. If it weren’t for the “confidential documents” she was holding, she suspected they might’ve even tried to help her carry her handbag.

The hotel manager personally greeted her, calling her “Miss Shen” with so much enthusiasm that she couldn’t help but feel the stark difference in treatment compared to before. It was clear: being Secretary to Xie Rongzhuo had its perks.

After settling in, Shen Mi went to Xie Rongzhuo’s room to make sure everything was in place. She placed his towel and toiletries in the bathroom, cleaned and disinfected the space, and used a special air freshener to mask the smell of the disinfectant. Knowing his obsession with cleanliness, she replaced the bed linens with those she had brought from his house. With careful hands, she smoothed out the sheets, making sure there were no creases. She even took a moment to smell the fabric, ensuring there was no unusual odor. Then, she placed his usual pillow exactly where he preferred it. Everything had to be perfect.

Shen Mi quickly tidied herself up, ensuring she was presentable before opening the door. She had just finished devouring the two steaks, and the rest of the meal remained untouched. Her stomach was full, but she didn’t want to waste any of the food, especially knowing how meticulous Xie Rongzhuo was about even the smallest details.

“Shen Mi.” His voice filtered through the door, calm yet commanding.

She hurriedly rinsed her mouth, wiped her hands, and made sure everything was in order before pulling the door open with a bright smile, “Boss.”

Xie Rongzhuo stood in the hallway, his gaze briefly scanning her, then settling on the meal laid out. There was a subtle shift in his demeanor, something almost imperceptible but noticeable to Shen Mi.

Without saying much, he stepped into the room, his presence as commanding as always, though there was a hint of curiosity in his eyes as he noticed the untouched dishes.

Xie Rongzhuo turned around and casually handed her his suit jacket. “Are you familiar with this area?”

Shen Mi folded the jacket neatly and draped it over her wrist, following Xie Rongzhuo into his room. She answered honestly, “Not familiar.”

Xie Rongzhuo didn’t stop, heading straight to the office area of the suite. He loosened his tie and sat down at the computer. As he relaxed, the shirt tucked into his suit pants became a bit ill-fitting, with slight creases at the waistline.

Shen Mi silently took note of this and planned to borrow a garment steamer from the hotel front desk later.

She hung up the suit jacket, washed her hands, and brought over a cup of hot water, placing it on the desk.

Xie Rongzhuo picked up the cup of water. “Prepare a gift for a male elder.”

“Okay.” Shen Mi recorded it.

Xie Rongzhuo began checking important emails.

“How is the hotel food?”

Noticing the office chair’s uncomfortable design, Shen Mi squatted down to help him add a lumbar pillow. The hotel food was top-notch in her mouth, but according to Xie Rongzhuo’s picky taste buds, she could only conservatively assess: “It’s pretty good.”

Xie Rongzhuo leaned back, the screen light reflecting on his face, his clean facial features were exceptionally delicate and elegant: “Then we’ll order food from the hotel for the next few days.”

“Okay.”

Shen Mi stood beside him, waiting for instructions.

After reviewing his emails, Xie Rongzhuo relaxed into the chair back, his long fingers pushed his glasses off, and he turned his head to look at her: “You’ve never been here before?”

Having never seen him so relaxed, Shen Mi only then felt that Xie Rongzhuo was a normal person.

Her tense nerves also relaxed: “I’ve been here once, about five years ago.”

Shen Mi was indeed from Rongcheng, but she had only been to the city center once in her life, and that was the day she took the train to report to university.

She attended university in Haishi, working part-time and relying on scholarships to complete her undergraduate studies. After graduation, she went straight to Beijing for interviews. She never expected to return to her unfamiliar hometown in this manner.

“Do you know how to get to the shopping center?” Xie Rongzhuo said, “Don’t get lost.”

In Xie Rongzhuo’s eyes, she seemed a bit like an intern experiencing life for the first time, knowing nothing and possibly incapable of anything. Shen Mi was not a pampered young lady out to experience life; although she had just graduated, she had been working intermittently for four years.

She had encountered unruly men who tried to take advantage of her, and though she had cried and felt wronged, she had never strayed from the right path, even when men asked her how much she charged per month.

“I won’t.”

Xie Rongzhuo closed his laptop, took off his watch, and while walking towards the bedroom, he began to unbutton his shirt: “Go to sleep.”

“Okay.”

Shen Mi stepped into the bathroom ahead of him, adjusted the water temperature, and hung up the bath towel. The razor, toothbrush, and mouthwash were arranged in the order that was customary in his home, and she gently closed the door as she exited.

•  

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, neon lights pulsed, and the streets were bustling under the night sky. Shen Mi began to see her hometown anew—beautiful, dazzling, and prosperous. In her childhood, all she had seen was a landscape of rain and mist, shabby, monotonous, and poor.

But she deeply loved that simple, verdant landscape.

Unfortunately, she could never return there in this lifetime.

The next day, Shen Mi went to the largest shopping center in Rongcheng.

Here, the most luxurious shoes, bags, and clothing from around the world displayed a dazzling array of fashion and taste. But in Shen Mi’s eyes, they were just ordinary goods—tasks to be completed.

In the afternoon, Xie Rongzhuo was scheduled to meet with a businessman in his seventies. Shen Mi had already done her homework on the man’s preferences last night, and she aimed to minimize shopping time as much as possible.

After finishing her shopping, Shen Mi returned to the hotel for a brief moment. Xie Rongzhuo’s next social engagement would end around midnight, leaving her with about an hour and a half to do something else.

She wanted to go visit her Fourth Uncle.

Shen Mi’s cousin worked in the city center of Rongcheng, and she had heard from a middle school classmate that her Fourth Uncle had been brought to the city to enjoy a better life. The place where her Fourth Uncle lived was not far from the hotel, so to save time, Shen Mi called a car to take her there.

The unfamiliar buildings and roads made Shen Mi feel distant from home even though she was in her hometown. She stood at the entrance, lost in thought.

It wasn’t until she heard the familiar dialect that was ingrained in her bones: “Girl, who are you looking for? Come over and sign in.” A security guard waved to her and handed her a sign-in book.

Shen Mi forgot to ask which building her Fourth Uncle lived in, so she reported his name. The security guard said there was no such resident. Shen Mi then mentioned her Fourth Aunt and her cousin’s names, but still nothing. She didn’t know her cousin’s wife’s surname or given name, so she had to turn back.

“Shen Mi?”

Hearing a somewhat familiar voice, Shen Mi turned around and it took her several seconds to recognize the woman in front of her holding a basket of vegetables. She politely greeted, “Fourth Aunt.”

Seeing Shen Mi, Chen Guifang looked her up and down: “How did you grow so tall? Almost didn’t recognize you.” She wore a wary expression: “What are you here for?”

When Shen Mi was two years old, her parents went north to work, and she was raised by her grandparents. After she started middle school, she was entrusted to several uncles since her home was too far away. Every week after school, Shen Mi had to check which uncle’s house she was supposed to go to, as going to the wrong one would earn her a cold shoulder from the aunt.

When it was her turn to stay with her Fourth Uncle, he didn’t send her away and let her stay until her father returned.

Shen Mi lifted the shopping bag in her hand: “I bought two bottles of wine for Fourth Uncle, and some peanuts that he loves to eat.”

Chen Guifang glanced at the bag: “These Moutai wines aren’t fake, are they? Good stuff like this is often counterfeit. You shouldn’t buy things like this in the future; they’re definitely fake.”

Shen Mi said, “I bought it from a specialty store, it shouldn’t be fake.”

Chen Guifang was surprised: “Where did you get the money to buy expensive wine?”

“I earned it from work. By the way, Fourth Aunt, I graduated.”

A flash of understanding crossed Chen Guifang’s face, “To be honest, it’s not that we wouldn’t help, but your cousin’s company is foreign-owned and very large, and it doesn’t match your major, so we can’t introduce you in.”

Shen Mi had never told her relatives what major she chose. Seeing Chen Guifang’s skittishness, she wanted to laugh: “Fourth Aunt, I just came to see Fourth Uncle, nothing else.”

Chen Guifang shook her head: “Playing the emotional card won’t work either. You can take this wine back and return it. Even if your uncle drinks your wine, your cousin won’t be able to help with this.”

Shen Mi: “Fourth Aunt, I have a job. I came this time to—”

“Alright, alright, I know. You’re still blaming me for hitting you. If it wasn’t for necessity, with your personality, you wouldn’t come to give gifts.” Chen Guifang sighed, “I hit you and scolded you back then, it was for your own good. If you hold a grudge, I can’t help it.”