Chapter 48 I Do Not Engage in Reckless Romantic Entanglements

Qian Yushu was completely dumbfounded.

However, since Zhou Chenyan was the general manager, we had no choice but to listen, even if his reprimand made no sense at all.

I have no idea how much time passed, but he finally finished talking.

He finally showed mercy and let us off.

"Alright, back to work."

He seemed rather uneasy and felt the need to add one last instruction before leaving, "Muyan, remember what I said today."

"Got it."

If he weren't my superior, I would have really loved to splash the cup of coffee on my desk right into his face.

So high-maintenance!

The moment he left, both Qian Yushu and I breathed sighs of relief.

Han Qi rubbed his temples, utterly exhausted. "You guys go back to work."

Stepping outside, I glanced at Qian Yushu. Ever since a moment ago, his entire demeanor had been painted with awkwardness and dejection.

It seemed he had taken Zhou Chenyan's blow rather hard.

A university graduate freshly stepping into society, scolded by upper management, and questioning the meaning of life—it was all quite normal.

I didn't know how to comfort him, nor did I want to.

Ultimately, he had to figure it out on his own.

By the afternoon, however, I knew this approach wouldn't work. He handed me a report, and upon reviewing it, I discovered a decimal point was completely misplaced.

Had I not been cautious by nature and thoroughly detailed in my checks, I shudder to think how furious Han Qi would have been once that report was submitted.

I took the report and went straight to Qian Yushu.

Seeing the misplaced decimal point, Qian Yushu panicked slightly. "I didn't mean to mess it up. I just wasn't quite in the right state of mind today. I'm sorry."

"Don't tell me that; you should be saying it to Han Qi. He entrusted this work to us because he trusts us. Did you want to let him down?"

"Of course not! I'll go fix it right now!"

Qian Yushu grabbed the documents and hurried off, shedding his previous dejection and suddenly bursting with motivation.

"No need, I've already corrected it."

He turned back to look at me. "Thank you, Sister Mu."

"You must pay attention and never be this careless again." Otherwise, his ultimate fate would undoubtedly be getting driven out of the company.

Qian Yushu nodded heavily. "I know. I won't make this mistake again."

I turned to leave, only to see Han Qi standing in the doorway. I had no idea how long he had been there, nor how much he had overheard.

Before I could speak, Qian Yushu confessed everything.

"I'm sorry, Senior, it was all my fault. Sister Mu was just covering for my mess. Please scold me!"

He lowered his head, adopting the posture of someone ready to accept any punishment or reprimand.

Han Qi said to me, "You go outside first."

I glanced at Qian Yushu and decisively turned to leave, wanting to avoid staying behind and getting lectured by Han Qi as well.

I had no desire to be chewed out by two different people in a single day.

The moment the door closed, all sounds from inside were cut off. I had no clue what Han Qi and Qian Yushu were talking about.

Anyway, looking at his expression when he finally came out...

Well, I couldn't really read anything from it.

Han Qi's tone was calm. "Don't worry, he was just hit hard for a moment. He'll pull himself together soon."

I wanted to say that I wasn't worried.

I simply didn't want his emotions to affect our work.

Han Qi added, "Muyan, you did well today. That's exactly how it should be; colleagues must help one another. We are a team—if one person makes a mistake, all three of us are implicated."

"I understand."

It was precisely because I understood this principle that I helped Qian Yushu.

What surprised me, however, was that Han Qi was somewhat different from what I had imagined.

He suddenly asked me, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I touched the tip of my nose. "I just felt that Senior Han isn't quite as... unapproachable as I had imagined."

"Unapproachable? Is that how you see me?"

Perhaps the atmosphere that evening was far too relaxed, and by then, most of the other colleagues had already left.

So I ended up saying a bit more.

"You are decisive in your actions and concise in your speech. I always thought you were the type of... genius who is unapproachable yet exceptionally efficient."

Han Qi smiled. "Then I suppose I should thank you for the compliment."

He didn't seem to mind the label of being unapproachable. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief and let a smile bloom on my face.

Han Qi shook his head. "Stop grinning foolishly. It's getting late, hurry off and get off work."

Grinning foolishly??

After returning home, I instinctively went to look in the mirror. Did I really look that foolish when I smiled?

It seemed fine to me...

Verdict confirmed: he simply had terrible taste!

...

Zhou Chenyan's surprise inspection proved genuinely helpful to us; both Qian Yushu and I tackled our work with much greater seriousness.

Our team's efficiency skyrocketed, widening the gap between us and the other teams day by day.

Cui Lu also grew increasingly fond of assigning tasks to us.

Every single day was blazing with activity and utterly frantic, but I actually rather liked such a fulfilling lifestyle.

Good times never last, however.

That morning, Qian Yushu and I went to Han Qi's office to submit our reports. Before we even stepped inside, a familiar voice drifted out from within.

"Team Leader Han, I'd like to join your team."

I instinctively looked at Qian Yushu.

He must have been intimately familiar with that voice, because it belonged to Zhou Zhizi.

The moment he heard it, a surprised, joyful smile broke across his face, while my heart sank deeper and deeper.

The past few days had been fulfilling and busy.

I had almost forgotten about certain obnoxious people.

Qian Yushu's pace grew eager, and he stepped forward to knock on the door first. Before I could even enter, I heard his bubbly voice.

"Classmate Zhou, are you really going to join our team?"

Zhou Zhizi said with a radiant smile, "Yes, I've already spoken with the supervisor, and the supervisor said it's up to the team leader, so I've come to ask for his opinion."

"Team Leader, please say yes!"

Qian Yushu immediately pleaded on her behalf, the joy in his eyes impossible to conceal.

Han Qi looked at me, the last one to enter. "Muyan, what do you think?"

The pressure instantly shifted onto me.

Qian Yushu looked at me pleadingly, while Zhou Zhizi wore a half-smile. "I'm sure Sister Yanyan won't object, right?"

I ignored both of them and kept my eyes fixed solely on Han Qi.

I wanted to know his stance. If he agreed, I wouldn't voice any further opposition.

Otherwise, it would end up being just me against three people in the future.

The situation would be unfavorable for me.

His attitude was crucial.

Han Qi seemed to read my thoughts. "You only need to consider your own feelings. Just speak your mind on whether you agree or not. We are a team, and everyone's opinion matters. The chemistry the three of us have built up to this day wasn't easy to achieve. Arbitrarily adding someone new could have unpredictable effects on us, so I need to ask for everyone's individual opinion."

It was rare for him to say such a long string of words.

Yet it brought me a profound sense of reassurance.

"I disagree."

Qian Yushu looked bewildered. "Why?"

Zhou Zhizi's expression shifted slightly, and she let out a bitter laugh. "I know, Sister Yanyan has always disliked me."

"Huh?"

Qian Yushu looked completely clueless.

Zhou Zhizi said softly, "But I really do like Sister Yanyan. I have no malicious intent in wanting to join your team; I genuinely want to fit in with you all."

She looked so pitiful that Qian Yushu immediately's heart softened.

"Team Leader, Sister Mu..."

Ignoring him, I stated my reasoning directly to the team leader.

"General Manager Zhou just mentioned two days ago that we need to mind proper boundaries between men and women at work to avoid bringing negative influences to the company."

"Sister Yanyan, are you saying that I would bring a bad influence to you all?" Zhou Zhizi asked, looking aggrieved. "I won't mess around with office romances!"

"Qian Yushu, are you certain?"

I stared directly at Qian Yushu.

Naturally, he wasn't certain at all.

His lingering attachment to Zhou Zhizi had never truly faded, and hearing me say this made him feel somewhat guilty.

"I..."

Han Qi delivered the final verdict. "The reasoning is valid. Your request is rejected."