How could someone offend a colleague before even starting work?

He stood awkwardly to the side, caught in a dilemma where refusing or accepting would offend someone—either the boss or his colleagues.

Fortunately, Lady Luck hadn’t completely abandoned Jiang Chen. Just as Xu Chen and Lu Chiyuan were at a standoff, Lu Mingxuan pushed the door open and walked in.

Looking at the three people in the office, he greeted them naturally, “You guys are here early. Brother Lu, why are you out of the hospital?”

“It’s not a big deal. No need to waste time in the hospital,” Lu Chiyuan replied. Lu Mingxuan seemed in better spirits than he’d expected, almost as if nothing had changed. “Didn’t I give you time off? Why are you back at work?”

Lu Mingxuan gave a bitter smile. “Staying home alone makes it too easy to overthink. It’s better to come to work. Seeing you guys makes me feel like love isn’t such a big deal after all.”

His girlfriend’s betrayal had truly hurt Lu Mingxuan. Facing an empty house, thinking about how seriously he’d invested in that relationship, he felt his sincerity was worth less than nothing.

He’d spent a day lying around at home, but realized that wasn’t the solution, so he decisively returned to work.

Lu Chiyuan wasn’t sure how to comfort him. After all, he’d played a part in pushing things along behind the scenes. Even if Lu Mingxuan hadn’t broken up at the time, the outcome wouldn’t have changed.

Xu Chen glanced at him and said, “Since you’re so heartbroken, let’s grab a couple of drinks after work. My treat.”

Lu Chiyuan responded, “Weren’t you asking for leave? Not taking it anymore?”

Xu Chen had wanted leave because Lu Mingxuan wasn’t around. Now that Lu Mingxuan was back, there was no need for it.

Seeing Lu Chiyuan tease him with this, Xu Chen didn’t back down. “The boss exploits his employees, acting inhuman and denying my leave. What can I do?”

“Who said I’m exploiting you? I approved it,” Lu Chiyuan retorted, deliberately contradicting him.

Jiang Chen stood quietly to the side, watching Lu Chiyuan joke with them. With friends, he wasn’t so serious—he could tease, point out mistakes, and playfully catch them off guard naturally.

The atmosphere between them was harmonious and friendly, not chaotic, conflicting, or fractured as described in the book.

[So nice. I really hope my baby stays this happy forever.]

Jiang Chen made a wish in his heart, clenching his fist secretly, determined to change the book’s ending.

Lu Chiyuan turned to look at him, and Xu Chen followed suit. He couldn’t outtalk Lu Chiyuan, but that was fine—he’d found a new source of fun.

“Jiang Chen, let’s go. I’ll show you around the work environment.”

Xu Chen gestured toward the door. Jiang Chen nodded and walked over. Xu Chen slung an arm around his shoulder, acting like they were old pals, and with a subtle provocative glance at Lu Chiyuan, whisked Jiang Chen away.

Lu Mingxuan watched his whirlwind exit and shrugged. “Things are about to get lively. Any changes needed for Jiang Chen’s contract? I drafted it based on your requirements, not sure if Xu Chen made any tweaks.”

Lu Chiyuan pointed to the folder on the desk. “It’s already signed.”

Lu Mingxuan picked it up, saw the name, and immediately noticed something off due to his professional instincts. “His name is written wrong.”

Lu Chiyuan said, “It’s not wrong.”

He had deliberately signed a labor contract with Jiang Chen, not Jiang Chen (a different character).

This labor contract might not hold any legal weight, but in other non-legal ways, it was very useful to Lu Chiyuan.

Jiang Chen’s position was as the president’s assistant. With Xu Chen and Lu Mingxuan already assisting Lu Chiyuan, his workload wasn’t heavy.

Xu Chen handed over Lu Chiyuan’s daily schedule and lifestyle arrangements, showed him around the work environment, and ordered coffee for the employees on the same floor in Jiang Chen’s name, along with afternoon tea for the day.

Xu Chen told him, “Don’t think treating people is trivial. To them, you’re a parachuted-in employee, not someone who went through the standard hiring process. They might have some opinions about you at first, but it’s not a big deal. If you can’t handle it yourself, come find me.”

Huanyu hadn’t been hiring externally recently, and Jiang Chen was personally brought in by Lu Chiyuan. Some key staff noticed and inevitably felt uneasy.

Jiang Chen understood—being parachuted in implied favoritism.

Even though it was just a small assistant role, because it involved working with Lu Chiyuan, it offered a lot of learning opportunities, and many people would vie for it.

Xu Chen and Lu Mingxuan had their own offices. Lu Mingxuan liked to keep everything meticulously organized, and his office reflected that with its clear structure.

Xu Chen, on the other hand, was the opposite. His office was casual, seemingly chaotic, but no matter what Lu Chiyuan needed, he could find it instantly.

Since they occasionally stayed overnight at the company, they also had separate rest areas.

Xu Chen helped Jiang Chen apply for a new office and supplies, which would take some time to set up. Until then, he let Jiang Chen use his office while he went to catch some sleep.

Jiang Chen wandered around the office and realized a problem: he and Lu Chiyuan weren’t on the same floor, so he couldn’t see Lu Chiyuan all the time.

[Was I tricked?]

Jiang Chen doubted himself. Before he could figure it out, Lu Mingxuan came down from upstairs, passing by the office door and greeting him.

“Jiang Chen, give me your work number. I’ll add you to the company’s internal group later. Check the messages—some info gets posted there.”

In the short time it took to come downstairs, Lu Mingxuan was already holding a stack of files. He flipped through them and handed two to Jiang Chen.

“This is Brother Lu’s schedule for today. Make sure you keep track of the times. He hates people who aren’t punctual. Better to wait for him ten minutes early than make him wait a second,” Lu Mingxuan said earnestly, speaking from experience. “Brother Lu pursues perfection at work and often points out flaws. Don’t take it personally. If you mess up, just try harder. Mistakes are normal—just fix them quickly. If you don’t understand something and there’s no one else around, don’t be afraid to ask him directly.”

Lu Mingxuan kindly went over the details, and Jiang Chen felt the two folders in his hands weighed a ton. He’d agreed to be Lu Chiyuan’s assistant so readily, but now, facing the actual work, he felt the pressure.

Snowball clicked its tongue. [Looks like you got scammed pretty hard.]

“Relax, you’re different from us. He’ll be more lenient with you,” Lu Mingxuan said, noticing his stress and offering comfort.

Jiang Chen didn’t feel any different. He flipped through Lu Chiyuan’s schedule, packed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a business lunch during the midday break with Tianxing Entertainment.

[Tianxing Entertainment, that sounds so familiar.]

[Host, that’s the agency of the little celebrity you wanted to poach.]

Jiang Chen recalled what he’d said to Lu Chiyuan at the hospital yesterday. Lu Chiyuan had only said he’d consider it, but just one night later, it was already on his schedule.

[My baby really thought it through—he wasn’t just brushing me off.]

Jiang Chen’s heart bloomed with joy. His immature idea hadn’t been dismissed by Lu Chiyuan, who considered its feasibility and put it into action.

“I can’t let him down.”

The pressure on Jiang Chen suddenly lifted. Hugging the files, he entered the office.

As soon as he sat down, the office’s internal phone rang. He picked it up, and Lu Chiyuan’s voice came through: “Bring me a coffee.”

Jiang Chen replied, “Got it.”

Realizing it wasn’t Xu Chen answering, Lu Chiyuan, about to hang up, paused and said, “Don’t…”

“No ice, no sugar, just a third of milk. I know,” Jiang Chen said confidently, listing his preferences before Lu Chiyuan could finish.

A silence followed on the line. Just when Jiang Chen thought Lu Chiyuan had forgotten to hang up, his voice came through, carrying an inexplicable tone: “You know my preferences well. You did at the hospital too.”

Jiang Chen smiled.

[Because I really like you. I remember everything about you.]

He thought of the days spent eagerly following the story, repeatedly reading Lu Chiyuan’s plotlines, piecing together the soul that was uniquely his from between the lines.

He liked him, and that affection hadn’t diminished after meeting the real person from the book.