By her fourth day at Lu Corporation, Qin Zhi already felt like part of the furniture.
Not in a bad way. Just… necessary, but silent.
No one paid her much attention when she passed through the halls. The senior assistants from PR barely nodded. A few interns whispered when she walked into the copy room, but never to her face.
Most people seemed to think she'd vanish in a week or two, like all the others.
That was fine.
She wasn't here to make friends.
She was here to last.
---
Lu Shenyan had given her a new schedule earlier that morning.
Four back-to-back meetings. Two client calls. One press memo that needed reviewing by lunch.
He hadn't said more than ten words to her so far.
But each time she delivered a report or memo, he gave a short nod of approval.
For a man like him, that was practically applause.
---
At 10:42 AM, Qin Zhi's landline rang.
"Secretary Qin speaking."
"Bring me the red file. Bottom drawer, locked cabinet. Use the code 2118."
She frowned slightly.
"Yes, sir."
Click.
No explanation. No tone.
Just a command.
She moved quickly, walking into the private storage room just beside the executive suite.
She hadn't used the cabinet before. Most documents she handled were digital or pre-approved printouts. But now he was asking for something personally locked and coded.
That was new.
The cabinet was matte black with three drawers. She typed in the code—2118—and heard the soft click of the lock disengage.
Inside were three folders.
Only one was red.
---
She picked it up carefully.
It wasn't labeled.
Just clean red leather with a black elastic strap holding it shut.
She didn't open it. Didn't peek.
She didn't dare.
Whatever was inside, he hadn't told her to look at it.
She returned to the office and knocked once.
"Come in."
Lu Shenyan looked up from his desk. For once, he wasn't typing.
His tablet was pushed aside, his phone on silent. His focus was entirely on her.
She walked across the office and handed him the red file.
He took it without a word, but his eyes lingered on her face a moment longer than usual.
As if checking whether she'd peeked.
She hadn't.
But she was curious now.
Too curious.
---
"You'll be managing files like this more often," he said as he set the folder aside.
"Understood," she replied, trying not to sound too eager.
"These are off-network documents. Not stored digitally. No backup."
"I'll handle them carefully."
"You're not to read the contents unless I tell you."
"Of course."
Another pause.
He tapped his fingers once on the desk.
"Most people would've asked what it was."
"I figured you'd tell me if I needed to know."
A faint smirk touched the corner of his mouth.
"You're quick."
"I've had to be."
There was something unspoken in the room then.
Not tension. Not attraction.
Just recognition.
Two people who had both learned, in very different ways, how dangerous the world could be.
---
"You said 2118," she asked before she could stop herself. "Is that the file code?"
He looked up sharply.
For a second, she thought she'd crossed a line.
But then he said, "No."
Silence.
Then, softly: "It's a date."
She blinked. "February 1st, 2018?"
He didn't reply.
Instead, he opened the red folder, skimmed a few pages, and said, "Cancel my 11:30. Move it to next week. Send an email to Director Han and attach the Q1 numbers."
"Yes, sir."
She turned to go.
Then heard him say, "Close the door behind you."
She did.
But even after she returned to her desk, she couldn't stop thinking about it.
2118. A date. Something important.
Whatever was inside that red folder… it mattered.
Not just to the company.
To him.
---
By noon, the atmosphere had shifted.
Two finance directors had shown up on the floor without warning. The legal team requested three urgent files. A man in a blue suit who looked like he hadn't slept in days walked into the CEO's office with a briefcase and came out looking even more tired.
Qin Zhi didn't ask questions.
But she took notes.
She watched the way Lu Shenyan spoke to different people—short with the legal team, silent with the man in blue, firm with the finance heads.
By the time he returned from his 2:00 meeting, he looked... heavier.
Not tired. Just weighed down.
And somehow, that red folder was gone.
---
At 3:45, he walked past her desk and stopped.
She looked up quickly.
"Walk with me," he said.
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I'm heading to the east wing. Bring your notepad."
Qin Zhi stood up at once, grabbed her small notepad and pen, and followed.
---
The east wing held the older conference rooms, away from the main office floor.
He walked briskly, saying nothing as they passed two groups of employees. Some bowed. Others pretended not to notice him.
They entered a small, empty boardroom.
It smelled faintly of lemon-scented polish and old wood.
He walked to the far end of the room and stood near the window.
Then, out of nowhere, he asked, "What did you think of Director Han during last quarter's review?"
She blinked.
"I… wasn't in the room."
"You read the transcript."
"I did."
"So?"
She hesitated.
Then answered honestly.
"He didn't sound confident. He used filler words when discussing projections. Avoided eye contact with the finance manager."
Lu Shenyan turned slightly toward her.
"You noticed that just from the transcript?"
"There were cues in how people respond when being questioned. He gave short answers to easy questions, and vague ones when he was supposed to give numbers."
A pause.
Then a nod.
"Correct."
He picked up a marker from the table and wrote something on the whiteboard.
People will always reveal themselves.
He capped the pen, placed it down, and turned back to her.
"You're learning faster than I expected."
She didn't reply.
She didn't have to.
For now, it was enough to be walking beside him—even if she didn't know where the path led.