One of Lin Yuhui's strengths was that when he realized he was wrong, he'd admit it without hesitation. He never resorted to excuses or evasions out of pride.
Returning to the office, he stood before his workstation and announced loudly,
“Excuse me, everyone. I need to clarify that what happened between me and the boss earlier was a misunderstanding.”
He sat down and resumed his work without any lingering discomfort over his pride. Yet a fleeting thought crossed his mind: Was there also a misunderstanding between him and Serice? After all, she and Safir were constantly chatting behind his back about dating and matchmaking. If there was no one suitable for her here, what was the point of bringing it up so often? Lin Yuhui truly couldn't understand.
Another time, Seris and Laila whispered quietly for a while across from her desk. Then Seris said something in Japanese, and the two giggled uncontrollably.
Though Lin Yuhui didn't understand Japanese, he recognized it as a line from the Japanese drama 101 Proposals—another story about an older man and a younger woman. But that was just a fictional portrayal, completely different from reality, and the circumstances were entirely distinct. Unlike Lin Yuhui, the male lead in the drama had no health issues and seemed to lack strong opinions or life aspirations, perfectly suited for the role of a long-term devoted suitor.
The female lead in the drama also differed from Seris. She hadn't stayed out all night, nor did she have a bevy of backup options. She was single only because her boyfriend had died unexpectedly. She even played the cello. In some ways, she was actually Lin Yuhui's preferred type. Though Seris was sitting across from him, repeating the same lines Yabuki Kaoru had spoken to Laila, she couldn't hold a candle to her in terms of grace, depth, or even kindness and character.
Yet a sliver of hope flickered within Lin Yuhui—could she change for me?
Pulling his thoughts back from their flight, Lin Yuhui refocused on how to express further apologies to his boss.
He was a man of strong character with considerable skill in his field, while his boss—a PhD who founded the company—was a true luminary. His unconventional hiring of her reminded Lin Yuhui of a comic series she'd created years ago, which embodied the idea that a strong leader makes even weak soldiers shine.
As a longtime Formula One enthusiast, Lin Yuhui found herself with more free time after losing her job years ago. This coincided with Trump's MAGA movement, sparking her interest in politics. This comic blended all these elements, titled “The Difference Between Pets and Beasts.” Using contrast, it highlighted the clear No. 1 and No. 2 driver roles and ironclad team strategy execution within the Austrian Red Bull team led by Christian Horner and the Mercedes team led by Toto Wolff as positive examples. It then mocked the Italian Ferrari team for incompetently watching their two drivers squabble internally. The cartoon then extends to the political sphere: during the Abe couple's visit to the US, Trump pushed them off the red carpet, reducing their status to that of dogs before their master. Lin Yuhui photoshopped them into Akita dogs, though she also provided justifications for each. Trump's slogan is “For America.” Abe's is “For Japan.” His wife's is “For her husband.” Thus, whether rude or subservient, they all maintain their dignity. Next, Lin Yuhui teased Moon Jae-in, predicting two Korean-style fates for him: if the president faced reckoning, he'd end up as dog meat on the table; if he served his American master diligently, he'd meet glory and wealth only to fall at the feet of Korean idol group girls. The crowning touch was Putin riding a bear, alongside Trump as Santa Claus, with Twitter's blue bird pulling his sleigh. Lin Yuhui posted this series of images to his WeChat Moments.
And sure enough, the afternoon proved extraordinary. The boss lady seemed particularly pleased. Naturally, her employees praised the capable and charismatic men under her command, and she was so delighted she messaged David directly, requesting he share jokes with everyone when he had time. This rather perfect Friday workday concluded amidst such cheerful feedback.
Every weekend, even when not working, Lin Yuhui would come to the office because he had nowhere better to eat lunch and dinner—the company cafeteria was his optimal choice.
Seris had never once visited this office on a Saturday or Sunday, but Laila, who often accompanied her, would occasionally drop by on weekends. Younger and less conventionally attractive, Laila seemed drawn to Serice's looks, always tagging along—perhaps seeking attention. To Lin Yuhui, this only diminished her chances of finding a partner. Serice's beauty was unmatched, and mimicking her style erased Laila's unique competitive edge. It was naive and childish. Lin Yuhui had once tried to gently guide her with words, but Laila either refused to listen or simply didn't grasp the point. There was nothing to be done about it; everyone had their own destiny.
This weekend, Laila had proactively taken on a task originally assigned to Seres: preparing the export equipment customs declaration form. Laila sat diagonally across from Lin Yuhui, shuttling back and forth between her desk and the printer to secure this task for herself.
As he did every weekend, Lin Yuhui checked online updates on the pandemic situation and international news. Trump, defeated in the 2020 election, had been driven to distraction by the Democrats since Biden took office. Lin Yuhui even noticed Trump seemed trapped, resorting to shouting hoarsely in futile protests. He wondered if his political opponents might send him to prison—after all, he hadn't seized his chance while in office.
“David, have you ever done customs declarations like this? Oh my, I'm so confused,” Laila called from across the room, waving a paper template as she sought help.
“No,” Lin Yuhui thought with amusement. Why was Seris's work landing on his plate? But he couldn't just stand by and watch her struggle, so he added,
“Let me take a look.” Lin Yuhui never promised results, because he never knew if he could deliver. But once he accepted a task, he gave it his all.
After examining the specifics, Lin Yuhui realized replicating the template was tricky due to Word's limited precision in controlling page element placement during printing. Drawing on his experience editing documents in the bidding department, he tweaked the print settings. Working together—one at the computer, the other at the printer—they experimented several times until achieving sufficient print accuracy.
After completing the task, Laila felt a strong sense of accomplishment. Lin Yuhui stood by the printer, watching her excited expression from a distance. He couldn't quite understand why she'd taken on work that wasn't hers to handle. Nor could he grasp why she often dropped by to make an appearance yet never initiated conversation to build a connection. Though he felt nothing for her, he wondered—if she were to take the initiative and commit wholeheartedly to her choice, who knew what might happen?
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