Chapter 2 Miss An is waiting for you

She spoke with such force that it broke the stillness of the night.

But Zhou Jin'an's response did not come.

His sleep had always been light; falling asleep in seconds was not an option.

But at this moment, he lay motionless as if trapped in a deep dream, only his even breathing moved back and forth above Qiao En's head.

A sleepless night.

When she woke up early in the morning, Zhou Jin'an had already left.

A note was left on the bedside table, in his forceful and powerful handwriting.

"Take a half-day off, sleep some more."

He always spoke and acted concisely and clearly, never using one more word than necessary.

Qiao En was tired in both body and mind and indeed needed a good rest.

Last night, she had led the whole way, leaving her bones feeling like they were about to shatter.

Later, seeing her about to collapse, Zhou Jin'an finally spared her.

After that, she said those words, waiting all along for Zhou Jin'an's answer.

Whether he responded or not actually didn't matter.

If she wanted to leave, he couldn't keep her.

However, after three years together, he had never said "I love you," and Qiao En had some expectations.

After all, she didn't just lose a piece of her liver.

She also wanted to know, had Zhou Jin'an been moved at all?

Other women might look for clues to prove it, but Qiao En wouldn't; she wanted Zhou Jin'an to say it himself.

Yet, after waiting a whole night, he didn't give her a single word.

At this moment, Qiao En was awake, but her mind was muddled.

She grabbed the comforter to cover her head, wanting to sleep a little longer.

But just as she was falling asleep, her phone rang again.

"En Sister, Director Zhou is in a meeting and suddenly needs the Chen Ji contract. I remember you were in charge of filing it previously, but I've searched the entire filing cabinet and just can't find it. Do you remember where you put it?"

Little Xu sounded anxious on the other end.

She was an intern at the secretarial department, usually working alongside Qiao En. Today, with Qiao En absent from the company, Little Xu was handling things by herself for the first time. Zhou Jin'an was strict and meticulous. Little Xu didn't fully understand his style and feared that if she made a mistake under his watch, she'd have to pack up and leave.

Qiao En's sleepiness hadn't dissipated, and her head throbbed painfully.

Nanchen Group had a rule: contracts must be filed on the same day they are signed.

The Chen Ji contract was signed a month ago, and Qiao En remembered filing it in the cabinet early that day.

"You go check my office."

She rubbed her forehead, threw off the comforter, and got out of bed.

Little Xu ran to Qiao En's office and searched frantically.

"En Sister, the contract isn't in your office either. What should I do? Director Zhou is waiting for it."

Little Xu's voice already had a crying tone to it.

"Don't panic, if Director Zhou asks, you tell him that I have the contract and I'm on my way to the company now."

"Thank you, En Sister."

Little Xu hung up the phone, extremely grateful.

Qiao En changed into a set of clothes, applied a light makeup, and left the house.

Her place was close to Nanchen Group, just a ten-minute drive away.

By the time she arrived, the meeting was still going on.

Little Xu stood outside the conference room as if on thin ice; seeing Qiao En appear, she quickly greeted her.

"En Sister."

"What did Director Zhou say?"

While asking, Qiao En walked briskly toward her office.

Her office was separated from Zhou Jin'an's office by just one wall.

"Director Zhou didn't say much, but I think he seemed a bit unhappy. En Sister, do you think Director Zhou is angry? Should I end my internship early and leave? I really like this job; I really want to stay."

As Little Xu spoke, tears began to fall.

Qiao En was not in the mood to console her.

"You will stay. Stop worrying unnecessarily, just go and get back to work."

"Really?" Little Xu blinked her misty eyes.

Qiao En nodded and reached into her bag to pull out an unsealed envelope.

It was a letter of resignation she had written just before leaving.

Mrs. Zhou might not have made her words clear, but Qiao En was no fool; apart from breaking up with Zhou Jin'an, she also needed to quit her job and disappear from Zhou Jin'an's world.

She felt reluctant to leave both the person and the job.

But how could there be any gain without willingness to let go?

Qiao En handed the envelope to Little Xu, "I'll deal with the contract. You help me give this to Director Zhang in the HR department."

"Okay, I'll go right now."

As Little Xu left, Qiao En started searching for the contract diligently.

She checked the filing cabinet again, with no trace to be found.

Having checked every nook and corner of her office, the contract was still missing.

When she reached her wit's end, Qiao En suddenly remembered. A week ago, there was a minor issue with the cooperation project between Nanchen Group and Chen Ji, and at that time, Zhou Jin'an had taken the contract.

Therefore, that contract might still be with Zhou Jin'an.

Without further thought, she turned and went straight to his office.

The air conditioning was on, the temperature was extremely low.

The cold air hit her face, and Qiao En couldn't help but shiver.

The black and white decorative style was simple and clean, matching Zhou Jin'an's temperament.

Qiao En hurried to Zhou Jin'an's desk.

She hadn't come in this morning, so his desk was unorganized and a bit messy.

Among a pile of disordered documents, she found the contract.

With the contract in hand, Qiao En opened the door, ready to deliver it to Zhou Jin'an.

Unexpectedly, she bumped into a young woman wearing a Chanel-inspired suit dress.

"I'm sorry."

Qiao En took a step back and quickly apologized.

With some distance between them, she finally saw the other person clearly.

The woman had a tall and curvaceous figure, chestnut hair lightly curled and casually tied into a ponytail at the back of her head, elegant yet lively.

In height, she was half a head taller than Qiao En.

"It's alright."

The woman smiled gently, with the charming aura of a celebrity.

"You're Secretary Qiao, right? I often hear Brother An speak of you, he says you're very capable and smart. Thank you for taking such good care of him over the years."

An Kexin extended a hand, easygoing and amiable, her smiling, intelligent eyes appearing warm.

Qiao En did not recognize An Kexin, nor had Zhou Jin'an ever mentioned this person to her.

However, from the way she spoke, she seemed very familiar with Zhou Jin'an.

It seemed to be more than just familiarity.

"There's no need to thank me, it's my professional duty."

Qiao En also smiled faintly and reached out, shaking An Kexin's hand.

Her hand was very soft and cold.

"I was a classmate of Brother An's. I've been abroad, so you probably haven't seen me. But that's alright, I'm back now and we might see each other often in the future. Secretary Qiao, Brother An appreciates you a lot, and so do I. Therefore, I hope to become friends with Secretary Qiao."

An Kexin introduced herself and took the initiative to be friendly with Qiao En.

"Miss An, welcome back. It's my honor to serve Director Zhou and Miss An."

Qiao En wasn't a naive young girl unaware of the ways of the world to actually believe someone like An Kexin wanted to be her friend.

She was very aware of her own position; she was Zhou Jin'an's secretary, and if others approached her, regardless of pretense, the ultimate purpose was only for benefit.

And what she needed to do was to always stay alert.

After all, without the halo of being Zhou Jin'an's secretary, she was nothing.

Fortunately, An Kexin did not insist and let go of Qiao En's hand.

"Secretary Qiao, you are really too kind. Later on, I'll definitely have Brother An reward you generously. Whether it's a promotion or a raise, you pick and don't be shy. I will back you up."

"Then, I would like to thank Miss An in advance."

Qiao En thanked her, her smile as bright as a flower.

The struggle between women did not require verbal sparring; they played with insinuations between the lines.

An Kexin, upon her entrance, gave Qiao En a show of superiority.

Skilled in subtly lashing out, she was not simple.

Qiao En lifted the contract in her hand, "Miss An, Director Zhou is in a meeting and urgently needs this contract. I will deliver it to him first."

"You go ahead, don't mind me. By the way, please don't tell him I've come; I'm afraid he'll be annoyed with me for disrupting his work."

An Kexin put on a shy demeanor, the implication of her words subtly expressed.

Qiao En understood but did not expose her.

"Miss An is an esteemed guest; if Director Zhou knew you were here, he'd be too happy to be upset with you."

"Really?" An Kexin asked with exaggeration.

She sashayed to Zhou Jin'an's desk and sat down in the boss's chair, curiously fiddling with a budding Brazilian wood on his table.

The Brazilian wood was a gift from Qiao En to Zhou Jin'an for the New Year.

It had been almost a year since she gave it to him, and it had just started sprouting recently.

Qiao En wanted to remind An Kexin that Zhou Jin'an didn't like others touching his things, but as she was about to speak, she stopped herself.

She and he were about to have nothing to do with each other; why bother and be annoying?

Qiao En, holding the contract, entered the meeting room through the side door.

Zhou Jin'an leaned back in his chair, intently staring at the electronic screen as the investment department reported their work.

She bent down, carefully placing the contract in front of him.

"Didn't I tell you to take half a day off?"

Just as Qiao En was about to leave, Zhou Jin'an's cold gaze swept over Qiao En's pale face, asking in a low voice that only she could hear.

"I intended to, but you were anxious for this contract, weren't you? Since it was with me, I would not dare to cause you any delay."

Qiao En answered meticulously, without involving Little Xu.

Zhou Jin'an gravely withdrew his gaze, and as Qiao En bowed and backed out, she did not forget to offer one more reminder.

"Miss An is waiting for you."

Five minutes later, Zhou Jin'an's meeting ended.

Then, the phone on Qiao En's desk rang.

"Come here."

His voice was hard and cold, betraying no emotion.

As a secretary, obeying his orders was her duty.

Without a second thought, Qiao En headed straight for Zhou Jin'an's office.

Inside, Zhou Jin'an was cornered in the boss's chair by An Kexin, neither able to stand up nor sit down comfortably.

"Brother An, I'm sorry, I really didn't do it on purpose."

An Kexin was kneeling in front of him, one hand on his thigh and the other holding a damp wipe, attempting to clean his trouser fly.

"Stand up, I don't need your help."

One was rejecting, the other was insisting.

Just then, Qiao En entered the room.