Chapter 151
The secretary sighed, unable to stop Xing Nuo, and watched as he ran into the meeting room.
Suppressing her frustration, she followed him, standing behind Shen Yan, ready to explain.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was tense. Shen Yan, sitting at the head of the table, his brow furrowed, his face cold and hard, was clearly dissatisfied with the reports.
The department managers, their heads down, avoided his gaze, afraid of being scolded.
Shen Yan slammed the reports shut and looked up.
“Where are the updated files? Where’s Assistant Ke? Why aren’t they here yet?”
“Here! Here!”
A small, sweet voice came from behind the long conference table, and the managers, looking around, finally saw Xing Nuo, barely taller than the table.
Xing Nuo, clutching a stack of files, hurried over, his little yellow shoes squeaking loudly in the otherwise quiet room.
The managers, not knowing who this child was, watched in amusement as he placed a file in front of each of them.
“Files here!”
Xing Nuo, meticulous, had labeled each file with a different sticker from his backpack.
Director Wu’s file, for example, had a little red carp sticker in the top right corner.
Xing Nuo handed him the file, and Director Wu, seeing the little carp, his eye twitched.
The other managers and directors, also receiving their files, adorned with various cute stickers, struggled to maintain their composure, suppressing their smiles.
Xing Nuo, having given everyone their files, the one with his favorite sunflower sticker reserved for his brother, returned to Shen Yan’s side and whispered:
“Big Brother…Mr. Shen…I saved the prettiest one for you!”
Shen Yan, looking at the little sunflower sticker, rubbed his forehead, took the file, and pinched Xing Nuo’s cheek gently.
“I know. Thank you, Xing Nuo. Good job.”
Xing Nuo, praised for his work on his first day, beamed, his curls bouncing, the little pom-pom on the back of his overalls swaying.
“Okay, I go out now.”
He skipped out of the meeting room, his squeaking shoes echoing down the hallway.
Director Wu, sitting closest to Shen Yan, chuckled.
“Is that your little brother, Mr. Shen? So young and already so helpful. He’ll go far.”
Shen Yan’s cold expression softened, the ice in his eyes melting.
“Really? He wanted to intern here, but I thought he was too young.”
The others, understanding now, showered Shen Yan, the ultimate doting brother, with praises, his mood visibly improving.
The rest of the meeting proceeded smoothly.
Shen Yan, no longer scolding them, just handed the reports back, telling them to redo them.
Much better, they thought, relieved.
Xing Nuo, back in the office, was sipping his water when Assistant Ke rushed in, his face pale.
“Oh no! The driver had a problem with his car, and I was delayed! I haven’t delivered the files yet!”
He saw Xing Nuo, the files on his desk gone, and his face turned even paler.
“Xing Nuo, where are the files?”
Xing Nuo, having finished his water, looked up at him and said cheerfully:
“Don’t worry, Uncle Ke, I already delivered them!”
Assistant Ke’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He stammered, “But…they weren’t bound yet! And they weren’t separated! How did you deliver them?”
Xing Nuo patted his arm reassuringly.
“I know. I can’t use stapler. But I put different stickers on each file. So they no get mixed up!”
Assistant Ke, his head spinning, clutched his forehead, his lips trembling.
I’m doomed!
Xing Nuo, proud of his work, offered him a sticker.
“Uncle Ke, you need sticker? I give you one.”
Assistant Ke, on the verge of tears, smacked his forehead and sighed.
“No, thank you. I’m finished.”
He slumped onto his chair, thinking he was going to be fired.
Xing Nuo, not understanding, placed the sticker on his desk and looked up at him.
“Uncle Ke, what’s wrong?”
Assistant Ke, snapping out of his despair, picked up Xing Nuo.
“Xing Nuo, when you delivered the files, did Mr. Shen say anything?”
Xing Nuo, remembering, his eyes sparkling, swung his little legs happily.
“Yes! Big Brother said…I did good job!”
Assistant Ke, pondering Shen Yan’s reaction, put Xing Nuo down, thinking he might still have a chance.
He took Xing Nuo to Shen Yan’s office.
“Our job as personal assistants is quite varied. We have to arrange everything for Mr. Shen, from his transportation to his accommodations.”
“Mr. Shen’s meeting is almost over. We need to prepare the necessary materials and place them on his desk.”
He crouched down, ruffled Xing Nuo’s hair, and gave him a simple task.
“Xing Nuo can wash cups, right?”
Xing Nuo nodded eagerly. “I can! At home, Big Brother cooks…I wash vegetables!”
Assistant Ke’s eye twitched, not wanting to imagine Boss Shen cooking, and quickly said:
“Good. Mr. Shen usually has a follow-up meeting with the department managers after the main meeting. Xing Nuo, can you wash a few cups? I’ll boil some water and make tea.”
Xing Nuo nodded and, carrying two cups, ran to the pantry.
Humming a tune, he stood at the sink, meticulously washing the cups until they sparkled, then ran back for two more.
Unsure how many cups he needed, he tried to remember the number of people in the meeting room, running back and forth, two cups at a time.
Assistant Ke, having prepared the materials and boiled the water, turned around and saw a table full of clean cups.
“Holy moly!”
He stared at Xing Nuo, whose overalls were soaked, water dripping from his curls, his little chest heaving, and his mind went blank.
Before he could say anything, he heard Shen Yan and the others approaching.
He quickly straightened up and greeted them.
“Mr. Shen, Manager Zhang, Director Wang.”
Shen Yan, walking in front, saw his little brother, his overalls soaked, and the table full of cups, and frowned, puzzled.
“What’s going on?”
Xing Nuo, wiping his wet face, looked up at his brother.
“This my job! Big Brother, see? I washed vewy clean!”
His curls bouncing, he added:
“Now you have many cups…make tea for everyone!”
Shen Yan chuckled, looking at Assistant Ke, who was shrinking back, ready to apologize.
“Put the cups away. Just leave two.”
Assistant Ke quickly put the cups away and started making tea.
Shen Yan took his little assistant to the adjacent dressing room.
Since Xing Nuo occasionally came to the company after school, a set of spare clothes was always kept there for him.
Xing Nuo changed out of his wet overalls and, standing on the sofa, dried his hair with a towel.
Shen Yan, wiping Xing Nuo’s shoes, chuckled.
“Your clothes, I understand, but how did you manage to get your hair wet just from washing cups?”
Xing Nuo, rubbing his hair vigorously with the towel, his face flushed, took a deep breath.
“Don’t know. Maybe I washed too hard…water splashed on my head…then more and more…”
Shen Yan helped him put on his sandals, combed his messy curls, and said, smiling:
“I’m not sure who’s the assistant here. I’m the one taking care of you.”
Xing Nuo, standing in front of the mirror, pouted and, counting on his fingers, listed his accomplishments.
“I’m assistant! Big Brother, look! I bwought water…owganized files…sorted files…”
He felt very accomplished.
“I did lots of work!”
Shen Yan chuckled, his usually sharp eyes softening.
“Thank you, my little assistant.”
He took Xing Nuo back to the office and spoke to Assistant Ke.
“It’s almost lunchtime. If Xing Nuo is hungry, take him to the cafeteria. I’ll be busy for a while. Bring him back later.”
Assistant Ke nodded and, taking Xing Nuo, returned to his desk, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
What a day!
Xing Nuo, also feeling exhausted, imitating Assistant Ke, wiped his forehead and slumped onto his chair, sighing dramatically.
He opened two jelly candies and offered one to Assistant Ke, his eyes sparkling.
“Assistant Ke, we worked hard today. Eat jelly!”
Assistant Ke, looking at Xing Nuo’s sweet smile, chuckled and ruffled his hair.
“I know, I know.”
