Chapter 369: Shadows in the Boardroom

They walked into the office building and rode the elevator straight to the seventh floor.

Along the way, employees sharing the elevator froze at the sight of them and quickly greeted, “Good morning, Mr. Lin! Good morning, Ms. Jiang!”

Lin Zheng Ran and Jiang Jingshi simply nodded in response.

The employees stood in the elevator, tense and silent, barely breathing.

Han Wenwen thought Brother Zheng Ran looked incredibly cool.

Once on the seventh floor, Pan Lin helped open the general manager’s office, which was Lin Zheng Ran’s.

Having received Jiang Jingshi’s call early that morning, Pan Lin had already aired out the room and handled all the preparations.

Lin Zheng Ran said, “Pan Lin, don’t worry about me and Jingshi. Just go ahead and tell Wenwen everything you do each day.”

Pan Lin smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll explain to Wenwen. Mr. Lin and Ms. Jiang, I’ve already placed the files you need on the desk.”

Lin Zheng Ran and Jiang Jingshi sat down and started reviewing the stack of files on the desk, going over Zheng Shi Company’s various work reports.

Pan Lin gestured for Han Wenwen to join her by the door. Han Wenwen glanced at Lin Zheng Ran before hurrying over.

As she demonstrated, Pan Lin explained what she did every day to Han Wenwen.

“Wenwen, if you’re coming to the company, the first thing is to open the door. Mr. Lin’s office code is *****. Here’s the key— you’ll need both the code and the key together to unlock it; neither works alone.”

Han Wenwen took the key in surprise. “This door is that complicated? You need both the code and the key to open it?”

“Yes, these security doors are custom-made. Mainly because Mr. Lin and Ms. Jiang’s offices hold a lot of important items, so only they can enter, along with us two—no one else.”

Additionally, there are only three keys in the whole company: one in your hand, one in the company safe, and one with Mr. Lin. If you lose yours, contact administration immediately to replace the lock core—don’t try to duplicate the key.”

“Got it, so if the key’s lost, the lock core becomes useless.”

“Exactly.”

“That’s really cautious. But replacing a custom lock core like this must cost a fortune, right?”

Pan Lin nodded with a smile and whispered, “It sure does. I’ve never lost one, but before I started, the previous secretary lost Ms. Jiang’s key, and she was gone the next day.”

“Someone actually lost one?”

Pan Lin replied, “Yeah, but getting fired wasn’t just about the key—it was more that Ms. Jiang thought she wasn’t performing well. The lost key was just the final straw. Anyway, keep yours safe, and don’t share the code with anyone.”

Han Wenwen carefully tucked away the key and nodded seriously. “Understood.”

Pan Lin went to the room’s tea cabinet:

“Let me tell you more. As a secretary, you need to know how to brew tea for the boss. Pick from here—if something’s running low, just tell administration to restock it. They usually have supplies, or they’ll get procurement to buy more. You don’t need to worry about that. Same goes for anything else—just let administration know if it’s out.”

Pan Lin pulled out the tea set: “Have you learned the basics of brewing tea?”

Han Wenwen smiled brightly: “No, but I’ll learn seriously.”

“Then I’ll teach you how to brew tea and when it’s appropriate—like when Mr. Lin is talking with clients.”

Pan Lin went on, explaining a lot to Han Wenwen.

Meanwhile, Lin Zheng Ran sat in his boss chair, reviewing files, and could hear everything.

He watched Han Wenwen’s reactions; she didn’t seem bothered at all and even pulled out a notebook and pen to take notes.

Pan Lin continued:

“Also, even though we’re secretaries and our positions aren’t as high as middle management, as Mr. Lin and Ms. Jiang’s personal secretaries, when assigning tasks to those leaders, you don’t have to consider their opinions.”

We represent Mr. Lin and Ms. Jiang’s direct instructions, which override everyone else’s. If they’re unhappy with our arrangements, don’t argue—just pass it on to Mr. Lin and Ms. Jiang. No one’s dared to challenge Mr. Lin’s decisions so far.”

Knowing Han Wenwen’s status was nearly on par with Jiang Jingshi’s,

Pan Lin laid out these unwritten rules straightforwardly.

Han Wenwen nodded: “I see. It’s pretty much what I thought. Anyway, Brother Zheng— I mean, Mr. Lin’s most work will go through me, and I can ignore orders from anyone else except him.”

“Right. As a personal secretary, you only answer to Mr. Lin and Ms. Jiang. Your job is to take notes, relay messages, filter out meaningless junk from below,

keep Mr. Lin informed of any company changes, and for minor issues, use your judgment to handle or reject them so he doesn’t get bogged down, but don’t miss anything important.”

Pan Lin glanced at the time: “It’s still early. I’ll take you to my office and show you around the company so you know where each department is and give you the security codes.”

“Sounds good.”

Pan Lin turned to the executives: “Mr. Lin, Ms. Jiang, I’ll take Wenwen on a tour of the company.”

Lin Zheng Ran acknowledged with a hum: “Go ahead.”

As Han Wenwen and Pan Lin left, Han Wenwen glanced back at Lin Zheng Ran, winked playfully, and whispered, “Mr. Lin, I’ll learn well,” before closing the door.

Lin Zheng Ran chuckled helplessly.

Now, only Jiang Jingshi and Lin Zheng Ran remained in the office.

As she flipped through the files, Jiang Jingshi’s tone turned a bit jealous: “Did you and Wenwen plan for her to be your secretary a long time ago?”

Lin Zheng Ran noticed her jealousy and said, “Yeah, we talked about it ages ago. Why?”

Jiang Jingshi set down her files and looked at them gently: “Nothing really. Just that Wenwen seems so prepared and serious about learning.”

Lin Zheng Ran laughed. “Are you jealous, Jingshi?”

Jiang Jingshi blushed, sinking into the chair with her head slightly lowered: “I’m not jealous. It’s just that I’ve gotten to know Wenwen’s personality lately—she might not be the most straightforward secretary.”

Lin Zheng Ran took her slender hand.

Jiang Jingshi looked at him with affectionate eyes: “Actually, I once thought about being your secretary. I think I even mentioned it to you?”

“Yeah, I remember. But you said it yourself back then—it wasn’t possible. You’re not cut out for secretary work, Jingshi, but Wenwen is perfect for it.”

Jiang Jingshi bit her lip lightly and suddenly said,

“Wenwen and Pan Lin will be touring the company for a couple of hours at least. It’s a big place, so… before she officially starts, how about I be your secretary for half a day? Just to try it out.”

“A secretary for half a day?”

Jiang Jingshi leaned in and kissed Lin Zheng Ran on the corner of his mouth, her gaze soft as water: “Is there anything I can do for you, boss?”

Lin Zheng Ran looked at her in surprise, and they locked eyes.

Then, they both burst into laughter.

Their lips drew closer and met in a kiss.

This high-and-mighty company heiress tried out the secretary’s lines for the first time, looking at Lin Zheng Ran and saying, “Boss, keep reviewing those files while I take care of you…”

Lin Zheng Ran wrapped his arm around her waist: “Jingshi, you’ve gotten a bit mischievous lately.”

Jiang Jingshi, ever refined, felt a twinge of embarrassment at such words, but she pressed on, ready to experience the extra duties of a personal secretary.