Chapter 37: Another Beautiful Boss

After a short while, Feng Chenchen replied: “Impressive, my lord. How did you run into her in the elevator? That woman is something else. Her name’s Yu Chengmin, works for the company. She’s Ni Feihong’s rival, used to be Zhan Yunfei’s assistant. Graduated from a prestigious American university, worked at two renowned firms in the industry. Her résumé isn’t complicated, but she’s very well-connected here.”

Xiao Ma’s fingers danced over his phone like a phantom as he replied: “What do you mean, well-connected?”

Feng Chenchen answered: “When Zhan Yunfei was dismissed, she didn’t leave despite being his assistant, and actually took over the company. That basically means she wasn’t really just his assistant before—at the very least, she was more of a supervisor or something on the same level.”

He broke into a sweat—Feng Chenchen’s penchant for gossip seemed nearly maxed out. Her texting speed was almost as fast as Xiao Ma’s.

Xiao Ma was indifferent when it came to these office intrigues; he barely cared, and in fact, didn’t even know who Zhan Yunfei was or why he’d been dismissed. It was only through chatting with Feng Chenchen that he learned Zhan Yunfei had been fired the day before, and that the elegant woman before him had taken over, becoming Ni Feihong’s superior.

While waiting, the poised woman noticed Xiao Ma acting furtively behind her. She turned, frowning, but saw he was only fiddling with his phone and not sneaking glances at women’s bodies. She casually asked, “Are you with the company? I noticed you downstairs earlier.”

Xiao Ma nodded slightly. “I’m Ni Feihong’s new secretary. Just started.”

Yu Chengmin raised an eyebrow, hesitated for a moment but said nothing, then turned back to stand as she was.

When they reached their floor, the place was crowded with handsome men, beautiful women, and flashing cameras. Representatives from major brands queued up, waiting for the press conference. As they exited the elevator, many people turned to look, surprised to see the oddball Xiao Ma emerging with Yu Chengmin—a sight that immediately fueled gossip: “What’s going on here?”

Yu Chengmin enjoyed attention but disliked being used for someone else’s clout. She frowned slightly and said to Xiao Ma in a low voice, “Walk ahead. Don’t stick with me.”

After Xiao Ma moved away, he faded from everyone’s attention.

A tall, sunny young man, about 6’0”, was surrounded by admirers on the stage, dressed in expensive clothes. He glanced at Xiao Ma with slight contempt and said to those around him, “Look, here’s the great Xiao Ma again—cover star, the most dazzling cover, how impressive. But I bet you didn’t know that his cover fee is less than a fifth of what I get for a non-cover shoot.”

Xiao Ma heard this but couldn’t be bothered to argue with such a show-off. Instead, he quickly snapped a photo of the guy and sent it to Feng Chenchen: “Who’s this clown?”

Feng Chenchen replied: “Si Nan. He’s not first-tier yet, but he’s all the rage now—a guy with real potential. Comes from a well-connected family, still a student at Haizhou Tech, hasn’t even graduated. He’s basically here for fun, a bit like you—just to show off. But it turns out he’s got real talent. Put aside his Kris Wu looks, the money he’s earned on his own puts him ahead of ninety-nine percent of college students. Yu Chengmin, unlike Ni Feihong, has a soft spot for these sunny rookies, so while she’s subtle, she’s always favored Si Nan. In a way, her approach mirrors what Zhan Yunfei’s used to be—someone who can go toe-to-toe with Ni Feihong. Now you see why Si Nan is in demand? He’s also got strong professional skills, absolutely no weaker than I was back in the day.”

“Oh, got it,” Xiao Ma replied, and put away his phone.

Before heading into Ni Feihong’s office to report, Xiao Ma glanced back briefly—Feng Chenchen really was an encyclopedia of the industry. Sure enough, after Yu Chengmin crossed over to Si Nan’s side, she paused for a moment and watched him with a smile.

When their gazes met, Yu Chengmin gave Si Nan a slight, encouraging nod, displaying grace. Si Nan, a little fired up, nodded back.

Xiao Ma hadn’t finished daydreaming when Ni Feihong’s voice suddenly called out, “You’ve reached the door—what’s the idea, standing there with your back to me?”

Ni Feihong was still fairly amiable these days. She came to the door to stand with Xiao Ma, glancing in the direction he’d been looking.

She was sharp as ever. “Given how spaced out you look, I bet you’re envious of Si Nan, aren’t you? But you need to face reality—success isn’t random. That guy’s not just handsome, he’s a top talent. He’s represented Haizhou Tech in numerous academic competitions, and he’s won so many awards in both work and school that it’s ridiculous. You can’t help but admire him. I know he’s here to show off, and I don’t care much for him myself, but I have to admit, he does it well. You don’t often find people with his looks, talent, and work ethic. So even if I dislike him, I have to use him. Understand?”

“Oh, got it,” Xiao Ma replied, seemingly indifferent to everything today.

Ni Feihong continued, “I heard you’re here to benefit from my wise and heroic leadership, is that right?”

“Yes.” Xiao Ma immediately stood at attention.

“Good. Your hairstyle and outfit today offend my aesthetic sense, but they’re still fine. That’s how an assistant should look. Don’t wander off.” With that, Ni Feihong went back inside without further instructions.

And so, Xiao Ma was left standing there, cooling his heels.

There was a rumor in the business: unless you have the heart of a butler or a nanny, you can’t be Ni Feihong’s assistant. So it wasn’t about relying on her authority—at this point, both Xiao Ma and Ryu Takemizu were among the most looked-down-upon people here.

The pay was abysmal. Despite the company’s size, the salary was even lower than Xiao Ma’s previous job.

Of course, the raises were insane; it was said that if you survived three years as Ni Feihong’s assistant without getting fired, your annual take-home would reach three hundred thousand. That recently blacklisted Wan Ziguang had started as Ni Feihong’s assistant, and by his fifth year, he was earning over a million after tax. Ni Feihong really did have the resources to promote people—if you worked hard, you’d learn a great deal.

This wasn’t something Feng Chenchen had told him, but rather what Ryu Takemizu, the “maid,” shared while they stood at the entrance.

From time to time, the newly appointed Yu Chengmin would walk by as if inspecting the place. She never entered Ni Feihong’s office, nor did Ni Feihong care to greet her.

Passing by, Yu Chengmin glanced at Xiao Ma and asked, “Is this what the company pays you for? Just standing here?”

“It’s what Director Hong requires,” Ryu replied quickly.

Yu Chengmin thought for a moment, then said nothing more. As she walked away, she added, “Try to be more proactive—don’t wait for things to come to you. Take the initiative and see what needs to be done.”

“Got it!” Xiao Ma replied promptly.

Rarely did Ni Feihong’s people behave so obediently.

Curious, Yu Chengmin stopped and glanced back, finding that Xiao Ma’s expression wasn’t mocking, which made her see him more favorably than before. She nodded slightly at Xiao Ma before leaving.

Meanwhile, Si Nan, who was mingling effortlessly with the crowd, noticed that Yu Chengmin seemed to get along with Xiao Ma and felt a sudden, inexplicable irritation.

One of Si Nan’s hangers-on grumbled, “Boss Si, looks like that Ma guy isn’t someone to mess with—clearly here to stir up trouble.”

Another said, “You’re overthinking it. He’s just an ordinary nobody, here to show off. There’s no way he’s a threat to you.”

“But haven’t you noticed? Yu Chengmin, who rarely acknowledges anyone, seems to approve of him. She likes your style, Boss Si, but that guy is obviously imitating you.”

And so, these guys gossiped even more than the women, chattering away in their little circle.

Si Nan said nothing, only watching Xiao Ma from a distance…