Lumi could be considered somewhat successful, not causing her grandmother too much worry.

During her studies, she managed to achieve good grades with her clever and opportunistic mind, spent two years on an exchange program in the UK, and upon returning, landed a job at a decent company, where she comfortably settled into her routine of just getting by.

She summarized her work philosophy: Work hard, but no overtime; get along well with the boss, and if necessary, call the boss “big brother,” but overtime is a definite no-go.

Lumi despised overtime.

So many people in the company would linger after work hours, but her good friend Shang Zhi Tao, despite her high efficiency, had a lot of work, and most people were just putting on a show. They typed louder than anyone on their computers, took work calls with exaggerated volume, slacked off during the day, and then acted all professional after hours. The masses were all quite hardworking, and Lumi understood that.

At the moment, she was only worried about one thing: how to get along well with the new boss. Until she figured out the new boss’s Achilles’ heel, she had to behave properly.

Despite watching the clock to avoid being late, she still ended up being late.

In the past, being late wasn’t an issue; the boss didn’t care about her. She would fill out an explanation for her abnormal clock-in in the system, and the secretary would turn a blind eye and approve it. She had never been criticized by the boss for being late.

On the Friday of Tu Ming’s first week at Ling Mei, Lumi was late.

Shang Zhi Tao sent her a message on WeChat to warn her: “Dear friend, everyone from your department has gone to the conference room with their laptops; they’re having an impromptu meeting.”

“Shit!”

Lumi replied with a single word, got off the car, and ran towards the elevator. Shang Zhi Tao was already waiting at the elevator entrance, took her bag, and handed her the laptop: “Hurry!”

“Thanks!” Lumi grabbed her laptop and ran, pushing open the conference room door. The secretary was just starting to project the PPT. Lumi nodded to everyone: “Sorry, sorry, I was stuck in traffic.”

Tu Ming glanced at her but didn’t say anything.

He looked down at his phone. His ex-wife Xing Yun asked him: “Shall I come by tonight to pick up my things?”

“Okay.”

The secretary had already turned on the projector, and Tu Ming put down his phone: “Since the next two weeks will be quite busy, we’re having a bi-weekly meeting today. Each person has five minutes to update their colleagues on their work within the department.”

They started with five-minute reports.

Lumi was a bit out of breath from running those few steps and was planning to speak last. But she heard Tu Ming say: “Lumi, you go first.”

…

This Will is really sneaky, Lumi thought.

She had several important projects in hand, previously assigned to her by Luke, and she had been handling them smoothly. There was also a newly started project, the annual exhibition tour, for which Lumi was responsible for the western and southern regions this year.

She quickly briefed everyone on the project status and then waited for Tu Ming’s comments.

But Tu Ming didn’t comment; he continued to listen to the next person’s report and then began a detailed discussion, clearly ignoring Lumi.

Lumi didn’t care; if he wanted to ignore her, so be it. But she felt even more that this boss was deep and calculating, appearing very polite but subtly making things difficult for her. Lumi didn’t like people like that.

Shang Zhi Tao asked her: “How did it go? Did he criticize you?”

“No, he’s making me sit on the cold bench.”

“…Someone’s making you sit on the cold bench?”

“If he wants me to, then I will.”

Lumi opened the floor plan of the hotel sent by the supplier, took a serious look, and said to the supplier: “This hotel’s length-to-width ratio is like a coffin. What, are there no better hotels in Foshan?”

The supplier hurriedly replied: “We’ll change it right away.”

“Please do it quickly.”

Lumi could do these trivial tasks with her eyes closed. There are many types of people in the world; some work extremely hard, striving to climb up the ladder and become someone superior; others are content with the status quo, just waiting for their paycheck, happy as long as they are. Lumi was the latter. Work, to her, was just a means to make a living. She wasn’t short on money; she worked simply because she needed something to do. She could do any task well, but she had no ambition to climb up the corporate ladder.

After the bi-weekly meeting, Lumi took her laptop and walked out. As soon as she reached her workstation, she heard the phone ringing. She picked it up and heard Tu Ming’s voice: “Lumi, could you come to my office, please?”

You don’t have hands? Why call me instead of sending a message!

Lumi felt that Tu Ming had some strange habits, preferring to make calls instead of sending messages because calls were more efficient. He greeted everyone with the same expression and the same “hello,” whether they were from other departments or his own, as if he couldn’t remember their names.

He had only been there for a few days, and people were already secretly calling him Master Tu. The name suited him well, fitting his old-fashioned style.

When she knocked on the door and heard “Come in,” she pushed it open and saw Tu Ming putting down his pen, gesturing to the seat in front of him: “Please sit down.”

Lumi had never seen a boss who liked to write so much. Out of curiosity, she glanced at what he was writing and realized he was actually writing work memos by hand. Tasks that would normally be done by the department secretary, he was doing himself.

“You were late today,” Tu Ming said to her. He didn’t like being late himself and had the same expectation for his subordinates. Receiving the company’s salary meant respecting the work. Being late was an arrogant attitude towards work, and such an attitude needed to be corrected.

Lumi had a very good attitude in admitting her fault: “Sorry, sorry, I was stuck in traffic today. I’ll be more careful in the future. If I’m late again, you can deduct my bonus.”

“I’ve already told the secretary about today; when project bonuses are issued, 200 yuan will be deducted as departmental funds.”

“Really deducting it?” It was Lumi’s first time encountering such a serious boss, and her eyes widened.

“What else? Just joking with you?” Tu Ming smiled at her: “Go sign with the secretary later. Every time you’re late, 200 yuan will be deducted.”

“The company doesn’t have that rule. Employees are allowed to be late twice a month.”

“It’s a rule for our department, and everyone else has already agreed on it. If there are special circumstances, just report in advance.”

Lumi, who was usually so sharp with her words, was silenced in front of Tu Ming. Every sentence he said was based on the right stance, and his attitude towards people was polite, even when he said he would deduct her money, he did so with a smile. Lumi felt like she was dealing with a tough opponent, but Tu Ming was even tougher. What kind of person did Luke hire!

After leaving Tu Ming’s office, she felt a bit dejected. It wasn’t the loss of the 200 yuan that bothered her, but the feeling that life would be tough from now on. Leaning back in her chair with her feet on the desk, she sighed and said to Shang Zhi Tao: “Flora, I’m doomed. My boss has decided to make things difficult for me.”

Before Shang Zhi Tao could reply, a message from Tu Ming arrived: “Take your legs off the desk. Work should look like work.”

Lumi looked up and saw Tu Ming just stepping out of his office, his gaze sweeping over her workstation with a chill. She quickly put her legs down and pretended to work, wondering: How did he know I was resting my legs? Unable to figure it out, she had Shang Zhi Tao sit at her workstation and rest her legs while she ran to Tu Ming’s office door to check, but she couldn’t see anything.

Tu Ming returned and saw Lumi standing on tiptoe to look at her own workstation, finding her quite amusing. He stood there quietly for a while, and finally couldn’t resist saying: “Try adding two bricks under your feet?” He was tall, and if she really wanted to see from his perspective, she would indeed need to stand on bricks. But he hadn’t actually seen her with her legs up; he had just seen her one day on the phone with her legs on the conference table in the meeting room, acting as if no one else was around, clearly a habitual offender. He had just wanted to scare her a bit earlier.

Tu Ming wasn’t a bad person; he just wanted the department he managed to have some order. He didn’t intend to train his subordinates to be identical; he allowed them to retain their personalities, but they had to meet the basic standards. He had occasionally heard people mention Lumi in the past few days and had also heard about some of her exploits in the workplace, such as standing up for a bullied female colleague by getting into a fight, or her sharp tongue ensuring she never lost an argument. Such rumors were a mix of truth and exaggeration, and Tu Ming didn’t care about them. He just felt that Lumi was too carefree and didn’t follow company rules, yet she managed to get by, clearly a well-versed “old hand” in the workplace.

Lumi was enlightened by Tu Ming’s words and realized how silly she had been.

Back at her workstation, she checked the company’s rules, reading every word carefully, more diligently than cramming for an exam during her school days. She didn’t find any rule that prohibited resting her legs on the desk, so she leaned back and put her legs up again. Suddenly remembering Tu Ming’s stern gaze, she slowly put her legs down.

Shang Zhi Tao watched her go back and forth and sent her a message: “Just give up, my friend. Your new boss is obviously a righteous and old-fashioned person, unlike any of your previous bosses.”

“Why is my life so tough? How did I end up with such a plague!” Lumi lamented a few times before lowering her head to work again.

She might seem irresponsible, but she was efficient in her work. When it was time to leave, she would grab her bag and go, rarely staying overtime. For Lumi, there were plenty of fun things to do, and any one of them was more interesting than working overtime! Especially since it was Friday, her unbreakable day for clubbing. The company elevator door closed and then opened again, with Tu Ming, unusually, leaving work on time. Lumi flattered him: “Boss, heading home?”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to contribute to the company?” Lumi couldn’t help but tease, her tone playful. Tu Ming heard the provocation in her voice and glanced at her before stopping the conversation. He wasn’t interested in arguing with his subordinates; he kept everything separate and was very clear-minded about it.

They walked together towards the parking space, Lumi’s high heels clicking crisply on the ground. She looked at Tu Ming as they walked. He seemed out of sorts, obviously disturbed by something, so she asked: “Boss, are you in a bad mood?”

Tu Ming finally stopped and looked at his perceptive female subordinate. Seeing a hint of chivalry in her expression, not mockery, he asked: “Is it that obvious?”

“What?”

Tu Ming pointed to his face: “Is it obvious that I’m in a bad mood?”

“Yes,” Lumi replied. Seeing him turn and walk away, she suddenly realized this might be the best chance to close the distance between her and Tu Ming. So, she quickened her pace to catch up: “How about I show you some of my tricks to cheer you up?”

“Like what?”

“Like singing you a song?” She pursed her lips into an “o” shape and blew a few times, producing a tune with a melody, “Happy Birthday to You.”

Tu Ming opened the car door, smiled slightly, and looked at her: “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll change the song next time you’re not happy.” Lumi was radiant, feeling a sense of achievement in making her friend happy.

It wasn’t until she got into the car that she realized, Will, what kind of friend was he? He was a capitalist exploiting his subordinates!