“The situation is pretty much like this.”

Wei Mian held an electronic pen in one hand with a tablet tucked under his arm reporting in front of the desk. “Fang Chi found out Gu Yin didn’t have a job and asked if he wanted to join Orange Juice Entertainment.”

“What did he say?”

Xiao Zong had left after listening to just a few sentences of Fang Chi’s endless chatter, instructing Assistant Wei to ensure Gu Yin got home safely.

“He…” Wei Mian hesitated, wondering how to phrase it.

Gu Yin had asked the only proactive question of the day, “Will I make money if I debut?”

Everyone knows that with the right tools any wall can be breached but Gu Yin’s sudden interest left both Fang Chi and Wei Mian dumbfounded.

It wasn’t hard to understand, though.

With Gu Yin’s education finding a decent job wasn’t easy. Especially for an Omega who is often considered delicate and fragile. The job market imposed many restrictions on them.

In this age where AI was taking over jobs, even convenience store cashiers had become automated. Unemployed Omegas either lived off others or got married and had children.

Gu Yin clearly didn’t want to be the type to live off others.

Xiao Zong’s thoughts paused.

So, is he… dissatisfied with me?

Recalling Gu Yin’s attitude from the other day, the more Xiao Zong thought about it, the more off it felt.

What could he possibly be dissatisfied with?!

Seeing the boss’s face darken visibly, Wei Mian hesitated about whether to tell him the rest.

Because, just the next second, Gu Yin, clutching his leather-bound notebook, looked up at Wei Mian, asking softly, “Mr. Wei, can I go? Will Mr. Xiao be upset?”

His expression was both obedient and cautious, like a little deer, with those big dark eyes filled with barely concealed hope.

He clearly wanted affirmation.

But Wei Mian could only give him a blunt, truthful answer, “The boss doesn’t like being too high-profile.”

If Xiao Zong were the promiscuous type, Old Master Xiao would already have grandkids running around, and there wouldn’t be any need for all this trouble finding him a spouse.

“I see,” Gu Yin thought for a moment, then decisively said, “Then I won’t go.”

“Don’t!” Fang Chi, seeing the beauty slip from his grasp, panicked. “Young man, I see great potential in you. You’re a natural-born star…”

Wei Mian quickly interjected between the two, “Mr. Fang, please stop joking.”

He shot a glance at Fang Chi, who pretended not to notice and continued talking.

“I’m serious, Old Wei! This assistant of yours has excellent bone structure. There’s an old saying that beauty lies in the bones, not the skin. Just think of those honor guards in the military—what’s the selection criteria? Bone structure! That’s what makes someone truly attractive! You gotta trust me!”

Trust you my foot! That’s the future candidate for your second cousin’s wife!

Wei Mian with a neutral expression expertly deflected Fang Chi’s comments again.

The two were busy haggling with each other, so no one noticed that when Fang Chi mentioned the word “military” Gu Yin’s lips tightened subtly.

Assistant Wei thought about it for a moment deciding that the boss wouldn’t care about minor details, so he swallowed the rest of what he was going to say.

Xiao Zong remained silent. Just as Wei Mian thought he could slip away, he heard Xiao Zong say, “Bring Gu Yin to work.”

Wei Mian’s body tensed.

“Give him a position, let him work at our company.”

Wei Mian collapsed back into his seat, feeling like his already fragile hairline had receded a few more millimetres.

He had no idea how to handle this situation appropriately.

Gu Yin’s qualifications and experience weren’t even enough for a receptionist job and there was no way they could really assign him to the front desk.

A casual comment from the boss could easily turn into an impossible puzzle for a subordinate.

But this was Wei Mian after all. A dual-degree graduate in finance and law from the Federation’s top university, with a master’s and PhD in business administration. Over the years, he’d earned the title of Henghua’s top model employee and had set a benchmark in the industry, often considered the most hardworking assistant around.

How could there possibly be a problem he couldn’t solve?

Especially when his boss had finally made a personal request—it absolutely had to be fulfilled!

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Wei Mian’s mind.

A personal request.

Scheduling someone for a blind date, then having them come to work?

The assistant started to feel more and more that something was off.

He quickly opened his company email and drafted a new message to be sent.

So the next day—

Xiao Zong worked fourteen to fifteen hours a day, a pace even Wei Mian could barely keep up with.

After staying up until 3 AM reviewing reports, Second Young Master Xiao took his private elevator straight to the CEO’s office floor the next morning.

As the elevator doors opened, he was momentarily startled to see that familiar figure standing there, eyes bright and alert, saying, “Good morning, Mr. Xiao!”

Xiao Zong: ?!

For a moment, he thought he hadn’t fully woken up.

Even if he hadn’t been awake, that sight had surely jolted him into full consciousness.

“Who told you to make him the secretary?!”

As soon as the office door closed, Xiao Zong, always calm and composed raised his voice in rare frustration.

The assistant feeling wronged, said, “Wasn’t that what you wanted…?”

“When did I say that?!”

“All other positions require going through an interview process, except for personal secretaries, which you can appoint directly. You asked him to come to work, wasn’t that what you meant?”

Second Young Master Xiao seemed to be on the verge of a tantrum.

Wei Mian figured the boss was just being shy, so he quickly explained, “The entertainment industry is a cesspool. You didn’t want Mr. Gu to get stuck in the mud, I totally get it.”

Exactly!

“Since he’s joining the company anyway and Mr. Gu doesn’t have much work experience. It wouldn’t take long before the office veterans figured out everything about him. Keeping him under your watch prevents a lot of problems.”

Xiao Zong’s blind date partner was prime gossip material, the kind of stuff paparazzi dreamed about. With luck, they might even dig up something on Old Master Xiao.

That made sense.

“No!” Xiao Zong almost let himself be swayed by his assistant before catching himself. He sternly refused, “I just didn’t want the old man thinking I wasn’t making an effort. If there’s no suitable position, just send him to Fang Chi as a clerk. That company is small and doesn’t have as many rules.”

“…” The assistant showed a troubled expression.

Xiao Zong, cold and commanding, said, “If you won’t tell him, I will.”

Gu Yin was thoroughly confused by the two opportunities that had just fallen into his lap.

When Henghua’s HR department called his heart raced as he asked for confirmation, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t apply to your company.”

The HR representative replied, “Mr. Wei personally recommended you, so there’s no need for the usual process. Besides, Mr. Xiao already interviewed you.”

Gu Yin: “?”

When did that happen?

Sensing his hesitation, the HR rep asked, “Does Mr. Gu not want to join?”

“Oh, no, that’s not it,” Gu Yin quickly said, “I can start anytime!”

Under Xiao Zong’s leadership, Henghua had shifted from finance to technology. Handling major national and interstellar projects, with rapid developments in military industries. Some of the equipment Gu Yin had trained with in the field used Henghua’s technology.

Before this, Gu Yin had applied to several companies all of which had rejected him.

So the first thing he did when he entered the CEO’s office was express his gratitude.

He bowed at a 90-degree angle and sincerely said, “You’re such a good person.”

Xiao Zong, who had prepared a whole speech: …

Young man, you’re not following the script.

For the first time in his life, Second Young Master Xiao received a “good person” card and decided to change tactics. With a stern face, he asked, “What position are you in now?”

Gu Yin straightened up and answered, “Intern secretary.”

The internship period was at most three months—nothing too outrageous.

Xiao Zong seemed to calm down a little.

Gu Yin stood five or six steps away from the desk, wearing a formal suit he had bought himself for his first day at work.

The neat suit hid some of his youthful innocence, making his cool temperament stand out even more.

Xiao Zong stared at him, trying to find fault but after a long look, the figure before him inexplicably overlapped with a memory.

—A blonde young man, also dressed as an assistant, with a hint of helplessness in his expression as he stepped out of the changing room.

Xiao Zong’s gaze grew colder.

At this moment, Gu Yin stood cautiously, aware of the scrutinizing gaze that seemed to scan him repeatedly like an X-ray.

Xiao Zong’s eyes were deep and intense, staring long enough to make one feel like falling into them, suffocated by their pull.

But Gu Yin didn’t avert his gaze.

The CEO’s office was dead silent.

What are you doing?

Xiao Zong suddenly snapped back to reality.

This is an Omega, the kind that walks and… wobbles.

A timid one, at that—always looking like he’s about to cry.

Xiao Zong glanced again at those deer-like, anxious eyes, thinking, If I reject him outright, he might really go home crying, right?

It’s not a big deal to keep him here for a few months… there’s no such thing as a company without any nepotism.

Not that I’m saying anything bad about the company.

If the match doesn’t work out, at least we’ll part amicably.

It’s all Wei Mian’s fault!

After sorting through his thoughts, Xiao Zong felt much clearer. Though his expression remained cold, his words softened, “I have no problem with you learning under Wei Mian.”

“But let’s be clear, even during the internship, if you’re going to do something, do it well. The company isn’t shy about giving young people opportunities but don’t think that being recommended internally means you can slack off. I hold the same standards for Wei Mian as I do for you—no special treatment. If you can’t handle the job, feel free to resign at any time. Understood?”

Gu Yin responded almost reflexively, “Yes, Mr. Xiao!”

Xiao Zong was startled by his bright and clear voice.

He hadn’t noticed before, but this guy actually had some energy in him.

“And,” Xiao Zong called after him, “you’re aware of the pheromone compatibility issue, right?”

Gu Yin turned back, blinking.

Xiao Zong didn’t elaborate further.

Gu Yin quickly realised what he meant and said, “Understood, Boss. I’ll be sure to carry my inhibitors.”

Just outside the office was where the assistants and secretaries sat. Wei Mian holding a cup of red date tea, stood outside waiting for him.

“See? It’s not that scary, right?”

Gu Yin shook his head, “I was a little nervous.”

“Nervous about what?” Wei Mian took a sip of tea and gave him a once-over. “The suit fits well. Who picked it out for you?”

Gu Yin looked down at himself and said, “I picked it out myself.”

It was a pretty ordinary style nothing memorable, yet it happened to be the same brand and series as the outfit he had worn when he first met Xiao Zong.

Just now, when Xiao Zong had been staring at him, Gu Yin had felt a strange thrill, like he was doing something wrong.

“…But I won’t wear it again.”

“What?”

His voice was too soft, so Wei Mian didn’t catch it.

“Nothing,” Gu Yin looked up and smiled gently, “I was just saying the company will issue uniforms soon, so I won’t need this outfit anymore.”

He now had a new identity to face Xiao Zong with. It felt good.

Wei Mian didn’t understand the deeper meaning, so he chuckled, “The boss is still young. Handing over an entire business empire to someone under thirty with tens of thousands of people depending on him for their livelihoods, it’s no wonder he’s strict.”

“Thank you, Brother Wei.”

“You’re quite the smooth talker,” Wei Mian set his cup down and waved him over, “Come here. I’ll teach you some basic tasks.”