-- Awful yet not Awful Dad (2)

Chapter  2

After the nerve-racking interview and waiting, Qiao Panpan and Lu Lin finally received a memo, notifying them of their admission.

The only difference was that they had a different station to work on. Lu Lin was a.s.signed to the internship department while Qiao Panpan became a temporary a.s.sistant of Wei Mingyan.

And more is that Qiao Panpan"s salary is twice of Lu Lin"s.

"Ah!" Lu Lin"s was full of nothing but happiness for Qiao Panpan"s luck. She held her cellphone and almost jumped up due to excessive happiness. "Panpan, you are really something. After you answered, I knew that you"d be admitted right away. But I did not know that you"d be accepted as Mr. Wei"s a.s.sistant. That is just so unbelievable!"

Qiao Panpan also did not expect such thing to happen; adding the amount of salary posted made her unable to hide her excitement.

It goes without saying that her salary in Nan Ya would be higher than her previous part-time job. More so she was given the opportunity to be an a.s.sistant.

This amount, Two months of salary is enough to support my mother"s medicine for half-year!

Another roommate of theirs happened to be there and when she heard Lu Lin"s exclamation, she hurriedly congratulated the two. "Panpan, Lu Lin, Congratulations."

As she added, her admiration couldn"t sit still and seeps out, “If I had known earlier, I would have come with you. Nan Ya is indeed a well-known financier who cares for new people. Think about it, you can now join the company seasonally and when you finished this job, your resume will be given priority in the future."

Now, I can already relax when I think about money. Qiao Panpan"s face turned red from excitement, her eyes turned bright and even more beautiful.

Zhu Yun, who had been sitting calmly at the table doing her make-up, gave a cold snort and said, “A freshman trying to get a job, a part-time job, easily landed on it; Even becoming the CEO"s a.s.sistant as soon as she applies, without doing something shameless, Do you take everyone for a fool?"

What she meant by that remark was that Qiao Panpan relied on her looks to get in a higher position.

The just then happy Lu Lin, immediately exploded, "Zhu Yun, You speak that again! How dare you talk rubbish? Be careful of what you say or I"ll trouble you!"

Qiao Panpan"s face is also unsightly, even if her temper is good, having someone insulting her, pointing fingers at her face, her mood cannot help but punctuate down.

"Says you? Your owner hasn"t said anything yet and you are here being rabid and all."

Seeing Zhu Yun getting brash, the beautiful girl"s face turned cold, she pulled Lu Lin who wanted to rush up and argue. She approached Zhu Yun who was dusting her face and whispered. "If I ever had any shameless deeds, no one knows, but how about yours, Zhu Yours, I know it clearly."

Seeing her came over and stares at her, Qiao Panpan"s voice was calm. “I saw you last Monday.”

She didn"t have any cla.s.sing every Monday and she took advantage of it. She had been working part-time all the time. On her way back to school that afternoon, she saw Zhu Yun being embraced to the hotel by a middle-aged man. In fact, Qiao Panpan doesn"t have any intention to say that to Zhu Yun, after all, this person was forced too.

This gentle girl has a degree of sharpness in her personality as well. She may not have a good family background to depend on, but it does not mean that she can endure being smothered by people riding on her head.

Unexpectedly, Qiao Panpan, this girl who is polite and doesn"t answer back despite the verbal abuse hurled on her many times before, finally fought back and said something that should never be discovered by everyone. Immediately, Zhu Yun"s face changed.

She threw her cosmetic box on the floor, fiercely stared at Qiao Panpan, and went out with a stinky face.

Isn"t a woman"s selling point is her looks? I"m just using what I have!  How rare of her to talk back! (Tl: Orz. Man! This monologue has two sets of meaning. It"s either prost.i.tuting or the woman"s face is her selling point. And you can see what I did there... I hope someone can help!)

Lu Lin mood deflated when she how mad Zhu Yun had gone. "Panpan, what happened last Monday?" It"s the first time I"ve ever seen this woman feel guilty!"

Qiao Panpan just smiled. "Nothing serious. Let"s go take a look up job. It"s better to be prepared since tomorrow will be our first time working on such a big company."

"Right, right! Although they said that there will be someone to teach, but is still better to be prepared.” Lu Lin was quickly distracted and went to the computer to check.

The next morning, the two girls who were well prepared went to Nan Ya Company nervously and expectantly. Lu Lin was a.s.signed to the internship department. Qiao Panpan was led by a middle-aged woman and went to the top floor.

Out of the elevator, the woman introduced, "My name is Zhang, you can call me Zhang-jie, this is the place where Chief Wei handles office business. The biggest office over there is his. The next one is ours. Your job is different from ours.

She is beautiful and soft-spoken. "Chief Wei has a good personality, but he always forgets the time when he works. Apart from working with us, you should remind him to eat, have a lunch break, get off work, also there will be times that he will go to the site to inspect, and you should follow him then."

When Qiao Panpan heard about this kind of work for the first time, she was a little surprised, but when she arrived at a new place, she got cautious and did not dare to ask.

 Zhang-jie continued, "You"ve actually had a bit of good luck. Secretary Liu was injured. Chief Wei let her take a paid vacation for two months to recuperate. It"s just as you were in management and only needed to work part-time for two months, you were ordered to be an a.s.sistant. This is indeed a good job contract."

"I asked Secretary Liu the time table. You should study them. To avoid inconvenience, just setting an alarm will do."

  After that, she took Qiao Panpan around to familiarise, went back to the office and pa.s.sed the time table to her.

Qiao Panpan turned to her work immediately, She listed everything down carefully and arranged the alarm clocks one by one. When she took notice of medicine reminder, she thought of the handsome man with a gentle smile and stopped. She hesitated at first and asked, “Zhang-jie, is Chief Wei ill?"

"Stomach disease." Zhang-jie was looking for something on the table. When she heard her question, she answered casually. "As soon as Chief Wei starts to work, he forgets to eat and sleep. Unfortunately, Secretary Liu was hospitalized which lead to him unable to go to work. Secretary Liu"s job is not just a secretary but a personal secretary. Also, Chief Wei heard that you"re still attending your cla.s.ses and since it is that, he wanted you to learn something here. Don"t say that jiejie didn"t remind you this. Opportunities like this, entering Nan Ya, is not something you could just pick on the road."

"Thank you, Zhang- jie, I know."

Seeing Qiao Panpan responding cleverly, Zhang-jie nodded and added: "Chief Wei is very tolerant to girls at your age, so if there"s any slip-up, there"s no need to be worried.

Upon hearing this sentence, Qiao Panpan recalled the rumor she heard yesterday. She tried to ask but hesitated. In the end, she didn"t dare to ask.

"Ah, find it!"

Zhang-jie handed a small book to Qiao Panpan and smiled. This is Secretary Liu"s work handbook. She also wrote some taboos on Chief Wei during her free time. She asked me to help you with your work when I called her earlier. (Tl: Should it be medicine or taboo?)

Unexpectedly, even on her vacation, Secretary Lui thought of her, her junior. And Qiao Panpan, who has tasted the warmth of human feelings for countless times in her part-time job, was moved to accept it. "Thank you."

Having her seniors help and teachings, the girl who"ll work for the first time in such a big company is a bit confident. She was sitting atop Secretary Liu"s chair inside the office, eager to learn more, what she could not learn from books.

Qiao Panpan was very eager to study. She was born from a poor family.  Without a good background to depend on. She knew that only when she is strong only she can live a better life. So she had a very serious att.i.tude towards both in her studies and in her life.

When the first alarm sounded, Qiao Panpan, who was engrossed in studying, looked forward to the contents of the alarm clock, only then she realized that the morning had pa.s.sed before she knew it.

She stood up, stretched her arms and had gone to the big office that Zhang-jie told her about. She looked at the ceiling above before the door, breathed tensely, and knocked on the door a few times.
Inside, A gentle voice of a man can be heard, "Come in."

Although she had done a lot of homework before, the girl still had some nervousness on her face. She opened the door and gave a slightly awkward reminder, "It"s time for lunch, Chief Wei."

"Huh?" The gentleman who seemed to be in his early thirties looked doubtfully at the clock hanging on the wall and suddenly said, "Ah, It"s twelve o"clock."

He took off his gold-rimmed gla.s.ses which exposed a pair of gentle eyes. His tired slender hand kneaded his glabella "You"re called Qiao Panpan, right?"

"Yes, Chief Wei."Qiao Panpan nodded and answered.

Wei Mingyan smiled softly and praised her. "Your name sounds good."

Because Qiao Panpan is too good looking, usually, when a man suddenly praised her name, she will be vigilant, but against the boss in front of him, Qiao Panpan"s guard was down.

The man"s eyes are very gentle, so much like how the elder"s care for her juniors. And as if... How a father looks at his daughter.

Qiao Panpan didn"t know why her nose was sour, so she quickly lowered her head and said: "Thank you, Chief Wei."

Her name was given by her mother. She heard that when that man was still with her mother, she still didn"t have a proper name at the age of one. Later, the man did not return. Her mother missed him so much and looked forward to the return of that slag man. So she named her Qiao Panpan.

What is the use of this name? If you don"t want them, you don"t want them. Even if your mother is in the hospital bed, covered in a quilt, suffering the pain of her illness, pitifully calling that man"s name, still he will not come back....

Previously, these emotions, Qiao Panpan had concealed it very well. But somehow, today, facing the man in front of him, this kind of grievance, abandoned ruthlessly by her own father, surged upon her heart.

Fortunately, she still remembered that she was in the company right now and she was in front of an unfamiliar superior, which stopped her sour heart in time.

"It"s your first time here in the company and you still don"t know where the canteen is, I presume?" Wei Mingyan took in the look from the girl"s eyes which gave way to her current mood, yet he didn"t comment on it. He stood up and went to Qiao Panpan. He offered an invitation thoughtfully. "Come on, let"s go together."

"Good..." Qiao Panpan was quite flattered and nodded. "Thank you, Chief Wei."

This job was really beyond her expectation. Whether it was the working environment, content, salary, or the colleagues and bosses around her, they were incredibly friendly, which made Qiao Panpan, who had been in bitter water from childhood to adulthood, look forward to the next two months. (Tl: bitter water is something like jealousy of others towards you.)

When they went to the hallway, Wei Mingyan suddenly thought of something and stopped. "Sorry, wait for a minute, I forgot something."

Qiao Panpan stood curiously and looked at the handsome gentleman. By the way he walks, she could even say that he was eager to return to the office. When he came out again, he had a bracelet on his left wrist as he walked.

This is a wooden bracelet, more than half of the color fell off, revealing the original color inside. It looks very cheap. It"s not something someone as high as Wei Mingyan would wear.

Seeing the girl looking at the bracelet, Wei Mingyan bowed his head. Somewhat sorrowful, he patted the faded beads on it. The movements were very gentle.

"My wife gave it to me, and she said she wanted me to keep it safe with me all the time."

"When I went to wash my hands, I was afraid that it would be taken off with water, and I almost forgot to wear it."

"You and your wife have a good relationship," Qiao Panpan said sincerely.

A big boss wearing a cheap bracelet for his wife, no one would believe they"re not in love.

"Yes..." The handsome man smiled and whispered, "She is gentle, virtuous and beautiful. She also gave birth to a lovely daughter for me. It"s my greatest luck to meet her."

Before Qiao Panpan boasted a few more words, the man"s slender fingers slid gently over the faded wood beads, and his eyes were heavy with melancholia. “This is what she left for me."

Qiao Panpan slightly widened her eyes. Wei Mingyan saw her expression and smiled. "My wife and daughter died many years ago. I am sorry, I shouldn"t have told you that."

"Never mind..." Qiao Panpan reacted quickly after being shocked and looked carefully and consoled the handsome man. "You are sad..."

Yesterday, she heard that Chief Wei"s daughter had died early, but she had no idea that she had gone with his wife. When she thought of the sadness in Wei Mingyan"s eyes, Qiao Panpan"s heart could not help but feel sympathy. It"s too pitiful...

If that girl was still alive, to have a father who loves his family and her, she would be happy right?

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Translators corner: Hi gals, sorry for not updating for a while I had three papers and defense due last 2 weeks. It is supposed to be this 9th but my teachers moved it due to a seminar of my research teachers abroad. 

p.s. Happy Chinese New Year! 

p.p.s. If there"s any grammatical error, please comment it down below.