Lu Xi saw her son’s overly radiant little face. After a brief moment, she snapped back to her senses, deliberately turning to look at the sign on the office door. She then teased Wei Ning with a smile, “Is this still my office? I almost thought I walked into the wrong place.”
Wei Ning was momentarily stunned.
Of course, it was still Lu Xi’s office, just completely transformed.
As Lu Xi stepped inside, Xie Heng tactfully stood up from the chair. She glanced at him before sitting down with a smile.
Something felt off. Her brows relaxed slightly as she reached out to touch the chair beneath her.
Why was it warm?
Xie Heng caught the surprised look in her eyes and raised an eyebrow. “The chair has a heating function. You didn’t know?”
Lu Xi gave him a look. “Thanks for telling me. Otherwise, I would’ve remained blissfully unaware.”
She really hadn’t known.
The office chair had been purchased by the administrative staff. As long as it was comfortable, she had never bothered to explore its other features.
Following the coffee’s aroma, she noticed something strange to her left.
She pointed at it. “And what’s that?”
“A heated coaster,” Xie Heng replied. “I got it when I bought the coffee. Put your cup on it, and the coffee stays warm.”
Lu Xi: ? Since when did such high-tech gadgets exist?
She thought about it and found it quite practical.
At home, she never needed one since she finished her coffee quickly. But at work, if she got busy, she might take one sip and set it aside, only to find it cold by the time she remembered it.
Lu Xi nodded. She took a sip of coffee, placed it back on the coaster, then glanced around the office. “Did you clean up for me?”
“Yeah, it was too…” He barely swallowed the word ‘messy.’ “Anyway, I just tidied up a bit.”
He grabbed a stack of discarded papers from a cabinet. “I didn’t throw anything away, and I didn’t touch your computer or drawers.”
Lu Xi flipped through the papers and couldn’t help but smile.
They were all her discarded drafts—ideas she had scribbled down in random sketches. Sometimes, she crumpled them up carelessly. Some ended up in the trash, while others remained on her desk, only to be accidentally knocked onto the floor and later swept away by the cleaning staff.
More than once, she had tried to retrieve them, only to realize they were gone.
This had happened several times before.
Lu Xi patted the young man on the shoulder. “Thanks, Scrap Paper Hero.”
“…” Xie Heng felt like he had just been roasted by his own mother. He had proof, but he was too lazy to argue.
Wei Ning, standing off to the side, had been silent for a while. She wished she could shrink into a corner and disappear.
Was Young Master Xie here to steal her job?
A heated chair, a heating coaster, coffee, and even tidying up the office… Compared to him, she suddenly felt a little incompetent.
In this small studio, the roles of work assistant and personal assistant weren’t clearly separated. Technically, she should have been handling some of these tasks, but Lu Xi had never required it. If Lu Xi wanted coffee, Lu Xi would order delivery herself, sometimes even treating the team.
As for cleaning the office, Wei Ning had suggested it before, but Lu Xi had said she’d do it herself, so she left it alone.
Now, Wei Ning suddenly felt utterly overshadowed.
Her professional career was under serious threat.
But… wasn’t Young Master Xie supposed to be the aloof, rebellious school tyrant?
Why did he turn into such a thoughtful little sweetheart around CEO Lu? A heating coaster? That was next-level bootlicking.
Lu Xi, oblivious to her assistant’s inner turmoil, never doubted Wei Ning’s competence. She had hired her for her work experience, not for menial chores.
As for Xie Heng, she hadn’t expected him to be so attentive. It was a stark contrast to his usual careless demeanor.
That was genuinely surprising.
She glanced at him again, seeing his lips pressed tightly together, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
She had assumed he insisted on coming to her studio simply out of boredom during winter break, but now it seemed like he actually wanted to contribute.
Lu Xi raised an eyebrow. “Thanks, you did a great job.”
This time, the praise was sincere.
Xie Heng’s lips curled up. “No big deal.”
“But… how much did you spend this morning?”
Xie Heng’s expression stiffened slightly. He rubbed his nose and muttered, “Two hundred and twenty-five.”
Lu Xi thought, At least it wasn’t 2501. She smiled and teased, “You haven’t earned a single penny yet, but you’ve already spent so much. Young Master, are you here to work or do charity?”
Xie Heng choked.
He had already convinced himself it was worth it, but now, he suddenly felt cheated.
Clearing his throat, he softened his tone and tried to negotiate. “Can I get reimbursed?”
Lu Xi looked at his short, neat haircut and couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle it.
Xie Heng, embarrassed to be patted on the head in front of Wei Ning, endured it for the sake of getting his money back. He gazed at Lu Xi with hopeful eyes.
But Lu Xi shook her head. “Nope. This is your first workplace lesson. If your boss didn’t ask for it, don’t make decisions on your own. And even if it were reimbursable, you’d need a receipt.”
Xie Heng’s smile froze.
Angrily, he grabbed his own coffee and took a big sip.
Fine. No reimbursement. But did she really have to take advantage of him, too? That head pat was totally not worth it.
Watching the scene unfold, Wei Ning suddenly felt relieved.
Never mind. With Young Master Xie’s painfully naive workplace skills, he wasn’t much of a threat after all.
Lu Xi waved her hand at him. “Go out and find something to do. Don’t slack off, or I’ll dock your pay.”
Unhappy, Xie Heng left the office.
He couldn’t help but grumble inwardly, Ms. Lu was truly a heartless boss.
But just as he stepped out, his phone suddenly vibrated.
[Ms. Lu sent you a red envelope.]
Xie Heng’s eyes lit up, and he immediately clicked on it.
Inside was 233 yuan.
“…” He somehow felt mocked again.
Soon, another message popped up:
[As a boss, I won’t reimburse you. But as your Mom, I’ll send you a red envelope.]
Xie Heng’s ears turned red. He glanced at the other people in the office, rubbed his ear, and quickly put his phone away, pretending nothing had happened.
Ms. Lu was seriously embarrassing.
Earlier in the meeting, after discussing work matters with her colleagues, Lu Xi casually mentioned Xie Heng before the meeting ended.
“Xiao Heng is on winter break and bored at home, so I arranged for him to do some part-time work here. He’ll be assisting the whole office. If you have any small tasks, like making copies or running errands, just ask him to do them.”
That’s what she said, but in reality, who would dare order around the boss’s son?
To the others, this was just the young master killing time. Sure, Lu Xi was easygoing and unlikely to make trouble for them over minor issues, but this young master didn’t seem like someone easy to boss around.
So, everyone simply minded their own business, not engaging with Xie Heng.
His presence even made the office quieter than usual.
Normally, after a period of work, people would slack off a bit—chatting, snacking, scrolling on their phones. As long as work wasn’t delayed, Lu Xi wouldn’t interfere.
But since she was the boss, if she happened to be in the main office, people would naturally behave.
Slacking off right in front of the boss? That would be too bold.
And slacking off in front of the boss’s family? Still risky.
Xie Heng didn’t have his own workstation. Seeing that Wei Ning hadn’t come out yet, he went to the front desk to ask for a chair.
Xu Meng was particularly enthusiastic. She personally led him to the storage room, found a clean office chair, wiped it down, and pointed him to a spot near Lu Xi’s office.
Not long after he sat down, Wei Ning finally emerged.
But she seemed busy. She only glanced at him, smiled, and nodded before grabbing something and leaving.
Xie Heng : “…”
Suddenly, he had no idea what to do.
No one in the office talked to him, and Lu Xi’s assistant wasn’t around.
He glanced at Lu Xi’s office door a few times, debating whether to go in and ask her to assign him something.
But he held back.
If he weren’t her son, just a new employee, and he went to the boss saying he had nothing to do, would he get fired?
Xie Heng cleared his throat.
Just then, a colleague stood up, holding some documents, and walked toward the copier—conveniently located at an empty workstation beside him.
Xie Heng had a sudden idea and spoke up, “Need to make copies? I can do it.”
The colleague hesitated, then smiled awkwardly. “No, no, you just relax. I’ll do it myself.”
Xie Heng was speechless. He wasn’t here to relax.
“It’s fine. Ms. Lu said I should handle odd jobs. Something like making copies is perfect for me,” he insisted, frowning slightly.
Seeing how determined he was, the colleague figured arguing would just waste time. Handing over the documents, he said, “Double-sided copies, five sets. Just call me when you’re done.” He paused. “You can just call me Li Qi.”
Usually, people in the office called him ‘Brother Li,’ but he obviously couldn’t expect Xie Heng to do the same.
Xie Heng nodded.
Li Qi was about to walk away, relieved, when Xie Heng suddenly called after him.
“Uh… Brother Li, how do you use this copier?” The boy’s clear eyes were filled with pure curiosity.
Li Qi : “…”
So eager, yet completely clueless.
But being called ‘Brother Li’ made him feel quite pleased. Who doesn’t like a polite, well-mannered kid? Without hesitation, he patiently explained the copier’s functions and even threw in a quick tutorial on the printer.
Xie Heng picked it up quickly. After all, at his age, learning new things came easy. He grasped it after just one explanation.
Li Qi watched him successfully make one copy and left him to it. Before long, Xie Heng had finished the rest and delivered them straight to Li Qi’s desk.
Surprised, Li Qi said, “Thanks… Oh, by the way, how should we address you?”
His question caught the attention of nearby colleagues.
They’d been wondering about this too.
Calling him ‘Young Master’ was obviously out. Calling him by his full name felt too formal. Normally, colleagues used casual titles like ‘Sister X’ or ‘Brother X,’ but they weren’t close enough to him for that.
Xie Heng, however, was casual about it. “Just call me Xiao Xie.”
Li Qi was momentarily surprised, then nodded.
Xie Heng turned around to return to his workstation. But then, as if something had occurred to him, he turned back and said, “If you guys need to make more copies, just give them to me. I’ll be right by the copier, and I guarantee there won’t be any mistake. Otherwise, you can go complain to CEO Lu.”
As soon as he left, his colleagues couldn’t help but exchange glances.
Was Xiao Xie… actually kind of cute?
The office wasn’t that big. Whatever happened, everyone could see. When Xie Heng had just asked Li Qi for guidance, his attitude had been pretty good.
Li Qi whispered, “I think Xiao Xie really wants to work. Why don’t we just cooperate with him?”
The coworkers sitting nearby all nodded.
Not that they had much choice. Xie Heng was stationed right next to the copier, standing firm like a one-man barricade. Whenever someone walked past him, his eyes would light up expectantly, as if they’d be letting him down if they didn’t hand him something to copy.
Before long, everyone got used to it, handing off small tasks like copying to him.
They even had him go downstairs to pick up a job candidate for an interview.
At eleven o’clock, after finalizing details with a celebrity team, Lu Xi stretched and stood up.
The heated office chair was surprisingly comfortable.
Her coffee was still warm, sitting within arm’s reach. She took small sips as she thought of it.
Lu Xi strolled to the window and opened a sliver of the blinds. Outside, she saw Xie Heng busy at work. He had just loaded a fresh pack of copy paper into the machine, tapped a few buttons, and expertly started making copies, chatting with his colleagues as he worked, a relaxed smile on his face.
Lu Xi was a little surprised.
It seemed like Xie Heng was getting along well with everyone.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly. Relieved, she returned to her seat and got back to work.
Maybe even Xie Heng himself hadn’t realized it yet, but he had grown a lot. He no longer needed her guidance. He could integrate into a team all on his own.
Watching his cheerful demeanor now, Lu Xi couldn’t help but recall the first time she had seen him at the bar.
Back then, he had been surrounded by people, yet he had looked so lonely. Amidst the swirling smoke, his face had been clouded with gloom, as if he wanted nothing to do with the world.
But now, she didn’t have to worry about him anymore.
Xie Heng had no idea that his Mom had just reminisced about his dark past again.
His morning hadn’t exactly been life-changing, but at least it had been fulfilling. And the afternoon was even better. When the projector in the meeting room suddenly stopped displaying anything, he read the manual, searched online, and, despite not being entirely confident, fiddled with the remote a few times… and somehow fixed it.
On the way home that evening, Xie Heng felt a real sense of accomplishment.
If he had to describe it, it was like making a perfect shot into the basket, so satisfying.
Of course, Lu Xi had already heard of his ‘heroic deeds.’ Seeing the faint, drifting smile on his face, she chuckled and asked, “How was your first day at work?”
Xie Heng: “It was alright. I’ll keep experiencing it tomorrow.”
“Tired?”
“Not at all. Way easier than school,” Xie Heng said honestly, half-joking. “By the way, how much do you pay full-time employees? If I ever can’t find a job, I might as well come work for you.”
Lu Xi gave him a look. “You think working here is great?”
Xie Heng shrugged indifferently. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice. The workload isn’t heavy, colleagues are friendly, and the boss… is okay, I guess. If it were up to me, I’d be happy to stay here forever.”
“Oh? I’m ‘okay’? Wow, thanks so much for your high praise,” Lu Xi said dryly.
But she didn’t quite agree with his perspective.
She didn’t like discouraging him, nor did she enjoy lecturing. Criticism could kill his motivation.
But as both her son and a half-employee of hers, she felt he needed a bit of a reality check.
“You think there’s no pressure because you have a private car picking you up and dropping you off. You don’t have to worry about being late, squeezing into the subway, or getting fired if you don’t perform well—after all, your boss is your Mom, and your salary doesn’t really matter to you.” Lu Xi said.
Xie Heng was momentarily stunned. He instinctively asked, “Are you paying them very little?”
Lu Xi thought for a moment. “Not little, but not that much either. Take our finance manager, Zhu Jie, for example. She makes about ten thousand a month. But she has to pay off her mortgage, cover rent, pay for her kid’s tuition and extracurricular classes, and still handle everyday expenses… Do you think she’s under pressure?”
Xie Heng ran a hand through his hair.
That sounded… pretty tough.
He frowned. “What about her husband? Doesn’t he make money too?”
Lu Xi had heard the office gossip about Zhu Jie’s useless husband, but she wasn’t going to badmouth him behind his back. Instead, she answered lightly, “Not every man is reliable.”
Xie Heng nodded in agreement.
That being the case, his Dad was actually pretty reliable.
Seeing his thoughtful expression, Lu Xi didn’t say anything more. She understood his mindset. When she had been his age, she had also been eager to grow up, believing that adulthood meant freedom and no pressure.
It was a childish notion.
But that was, after all, something for the future, years down the line.
Lu Xi didn’t want to say too much. She’d rather let him hold onto his harmless innocence for as long as possible, while he was still at an age where it was natural to be naive.
After a long pause, Xie Heng finally spoke. “Then what about you and my Dad? Do you both feel a lot of pressure too?”
Lu Xi nodded. “Of course, there’s pressure. But I’m doing okay. Your Dad, on the other hand, is running such a huge corporation. His stress is on a whole different level.”
Hearing this, the driver couldn’t help but chime in. “That’s for sure. How could there not be pressure? Take me, for example—now that I’m working as a driver for Madam, I’m earning a bit more. But back when I was driving for a ride-hailing service, I had to wake up early and stay out late every day, and I still couldn’t make more than 5,000 a month. My wife was delivering food too, working really hard, and last year, she was diagnosed with a heart condition. I told her to quit. When people get too exhausted, it can be fatal.”
Xie Heng glanced at the back of the driver’s head.
He looked to be in his early fifties, but he seemed worn down by life, with quite a few strands of white hair mixed in.
Xie Heng nodded slightly, though it was unclear how much he actually understood. He didn’t say anything else. For the rest of the ride, he didn’t even look at his phone, just quietly watched the city lights flicker past the car window.
At 8:30 p.m., Xie Yizhao finally returned home, bringing with him a faint scent of alcohol after a business dinner.
“Where’s Madam?” he asked habitually as he handed his briefcase to the butler.
The butler replied, “Madam finished dinner and went to play badminton with a friend from the neighborhood.”
Xie Yizhao nodded.
Their villa complex had an indoor badminton court, and badminton was the only sport Lu Xi played well.
Since she wasn’t home yet, he decided to take a shower first. Otherwise, she might complain about the smell of alcohol on him later.
As he passed the second floor, a thought crossed his mind, and he headed toward his study to retrieve a document.
When he reached the study door, he noticed a potted plant on the floor.
He frowned slightly and picked it up, but he couldn’t tell what kind of plant it was.
A sticky note was attached to the pot, and from the handwriting, it was unmistakably Xie Heng’s.
[Put this on your desk. When work gets tiring, take a look at it. It’ll help you relax and relieve stress.]
Xie Yizhao raised an eyebrow slightly.
The corners of his lips lifted as he carried the plant to Xie Heng’s room and knocked on the door.
Xie Heng had just been about to start his listening practice when he got up to answer. Opening the door, he saw his Dad standing there, holding the small potted plant, his lips curved in a subtle smile.
“Thanks for the gift. I’ll keep it in my study.”
“…”
Xie Heng felt a bit embarrassed. He nodded casually. “I bought one for Ms. Lu, so I figured I’d get one for you too. This is called a green apple calathea, it’s really easy to take care of.”
As he spoke, he caught the faint scent of alcohol on his Dad.
His brows furrowed slightly.
He remembered reading somewhere that alcohol was carcinogenic.
But thankfully, his Dad wasn’t a heavy drinker. His Dad only drank occasionally at business dinners.
Still… did this mean that even someone like his Dad, with his status and success, still faced pressure and had times when he had no other choice but to drink?
Xie Heng pressed his lips together, staring intently at his Dad’s hair.
Good. His Dad still had plenty of hair, with no signs of graying.
He looked at his Dad’s face. His Dad’s complexion was healthy. And as for physical strength… well, he’d experienced that firsthand the other day when he got a beating.
Yeah, it didn’t look like his Dad would drop dead from exhaustion anytime soon.
Xie Yizhao noticed the strange way his son was looking at him. “What are you staring at?”
Xie Heng’s eyes flickered. He rubbed his buzzed hair and blurted out, “N-nothing. You just look pretty young. You and Ms. Lu make a good match. Keep it up!”
- In Chinese, 250 is a slang for ‘idiot’. ↩︎