Other than slight discrepancies in the number of artifacts to be recovered, Ji Feng wrapped up negotiations with the Japanese client very quickly and smoothly.
After sending off the client and while waiting for the elevator back up to the penthouse suite, Ji Feng suddenly turned to ask Xu Miyu, “Aside from listening comprehension, can you speak Japanese too?”
Xu Miyu nodded and directly replied him in Japanese, “Yes, a little.”
Ji Feng raised a brow, surprised at how pleasing her accent sounded.
“What other languages can you speak besides Japanese and Thai?” Ji Feng continued asking.
“I also know English, but I’m not fluent. I lucked out and barely scraped by the Level 6 exam. But honestly I feel my practical proficiency isn’t up to Level 6 standard.” Xu Miyu gave a slightly embarrassed answer.
But she saw Ji Feng raise his brows while asking Xue Rui in a derisive tone, “Weren’t those the words you were referring to previously as hubris?”
Xue Rui nodded vigorously.
Xu Miyu had spent her days before lounging around watching dramas and browsing online, so she understood these trendy internet buzzwords.
She quickly tried explaining she hadn’t been putting on hubristic airs on purpose, but Ji Feng cut her off to ask instead, “So how did you pick up all these foreign languages?”
This time Xu Miyu carefully considered her reply before daring to respond, taking care to avoid sounding hubristic again — “I majored in languages during my university days but to be honest, I wasn’t very dedicated so it was just enough proficiency to graduate. But I often watch Thai, Japanese and American dramas during my leisure time these days. Over time, constant exposure seems to have improved my grasp intuitively. However I wouldn’t consider myself as ‘knowing’ these languages per se either, just more of vaguely understanding some bits…” Her voice trailed off uncertainly.
She had never dared think of herself as someone well-versed across three foreign languages, at most it was scrappy bits here and there.
Ji Feng immediately turned to Xue Rui again declaring, “Did you hear that? She’s giving herself too little credit while comprehending three foreign tongues. And what about you? English and Japanese only. When are you planning to get off your backside to get Thai in the grasp too?”
Xue Rui’s smile became stiff as plaster pasted on.
Ji Feng glanced back at Xu Miyu. The elevator arrived with a ding as the doors sluggishly slid open.
As the doors slowly parted, Ji Feng looked at Xu Miyu while languidly drawling his question, “When you actually boast such versatile aptitudes, how could you bear to settle for a hotel housekeeping attendant position?” It seemed somewhat a waste of talent.
“Huh?” Xu Miyu blurted in surprise. “My aptitudes seem versatile…?”
She had always felt herself good for nothing besides housework. Even her smatterings of linguistic knowledge barely exceeded drama-watching levels. When she first found herself penniless and desperate, she thought as long as she could find a job that allowed her to support herself, that was good enough. Back then other than a hotel service attendant role, she honestly couldn’t picture herself capable of anything else either. Moreover her elder sister had even told her working as an attendant wasn’t selling herself short. Hence she had just steadfastly settled into a hotel housekeeping service position.
But upon hearing Ji Feng’s words just now, she wondered — did that signify outsiders viewed her as exceeding her own self-perception?
She immediately felt somewhat happy. That delight seeped into her eyes, causing them to sparkle brightly.
Ji Feng eyed the woman whose gaze had abruptly lit up before him. He turned to face the front fully, striding into the elevator space. This woman underestimated both her own abilities and worth far more extremely than anyone else.
Still buoyed by elation, Xu Miyu lingered in a daze at her original spot, seemingly unable to believe Ji Feng had just doled out approbation her way twice over.
Xue Rui entered the elevator behind, calling out to snap her back to her senses. She hastily caught up.
As she watched the doors close inch by inch, Xu Miyu was suddenly reminded of something else.
She abruptly realized — the Chinese translated documents she had painstakingly prepared didn’t seem to have been utilized at all during the meeting proceedings!
So what exactly was the point and purpose behind getting her to translate that document?
By the time she accompanied Ji Feng back into the suite, she was still preoccupied in puzzlement over this unsolved riddle.
Beyond her inner thoughts, Ji Feng’s voice carried over. Snapping back to herself, she became cognizant both Ji Feng and Xue Rui currently had their sights trained her way.
Ji Feng’s frown displayed clear impatience. His hands full of documents, Xue Rui quickly informed Xu Miyu, “Sis Xiaoyu, President Ji wants tea but I’ve got my hands occupied. Could you help prepare it?”
Xu Miyu swiftly sprang into action.
When she returned bearing the teapot and had just poured Ji Feng a cup of Bi Lo Chun tea, she heard him disdainfully complain, “Too strong.”
Xu Miyu immediately offered to brew a fresh new pot.
But Ji Feng halted her — “Forget it this time. Just pay more attention next time.” He grumpily sipped at the tea before suddenly glancing up to ask Xu Miyu, “What were you spacing out over just now when I called for you?”
His tone was somewhat icy, instantly cluing Xu Miyu in that he detested people not paying full attention when he spoke to them.
Xu Miyu swiftly contemplated how best to respond to this question — how much detail to give, phrasing, level of discourse: “So sorry Mr. Ji, zoning out earlier was my mistake. It won’t happen again! I was just wondering earlier, since you had me translate that document which should be beneficial training for me and it’s a task I’m most willing to undertake too, however I do have a slight doubt…that document I spent half the day translating doesn’t seem to have been utilized at all during your client meeting…” Sensing herself veering towards directly questioning him towards the end, Xu Miyu’s voice gradually grew softer.
“If you have something to say, say it directly. Don’t beat around the bush rendering a bunch of meaningless words.” Unable to endure her rambling, Ji Feng interjected.
He took a drink of tea before fixing his gaze straight on Xu Miyu’s face. “Keep blathering in circles and I’ll send you back to Feng Kaixin,” he enunciated slowly and clearly.
Xu Miyu promptly distilled down to the key point — “…I was just wondering, since the translated document didn’t get used at the meeting, then what exactly was the purpose and meaning behind having me translate it for half a day…”
In the end she still worried being too outright blunt with her question might risk incurring the displeasure of Ji Feng, who seemed to take arbitrary delight in provoking a reactio, so she spoke softer and softer towards the end.
After hearing her question however, Ji Feng quirked up one corner of his mouth accompanied by a derisive heh.
“Since I already told Feng Kaixin I borrowed you up to help translate documents, shouldn’t I have at least let you translate something?” Lounging on the sofa, one leg crossed elegantly over the other, a hand pincering his teacup while the other draped on the armrest, Ji Feng cast his gaze up at Xu Miyu while speaking slowly and deliberately.
“……”
So the significance behind having her translate a document that wouldn’t even get utilized was just to keep his word faithful?
Xu Miyu felt an inexplicable flash of indignance. Like she had been trifled with somewhat.
Yet she didn’t dare give voice to it openly.
From start to finish, she fully understood Ji Feng wasn’t someone good-tempered or easy to get along with. He was an aloof President and spent most of his time looking down on and scorning her. Perhaps only when struck by unpredictable whims might he deign to offer some assistance her way. She wouldn’t lose sight of the situation just because of occasional help from him, deluding herself into believing he would treat her any differently than other people.
She was extremely cognizant of her own insignificance and ordinariness. Such Mary Sue-esque strokes of fortune wouldn’t possibly befall a thirty-year old divorced woman like her.
But from the sidelines, Xue Rui seemed to peer straight through to the indignance she had concealed within.
He hastily smoothed things over, explaining to Xu Miyu, “Actually there’s more to it than just putting on a front for your department manager. These documents will need accurate Chinese translations during archival filing as part of protocol, so you’ve really done this little translating secretary in my admin department a huge favor!”
Upon hearing this, Xu Miyu pondered — putting it that way, the half day’s efforts hadn’t gone to complete waste without purpose at least. Although that seemed quite minor a purpose, it was still better than nothing.
The tension she had felt earlier unraveled slightly, alleviating her mood.
But aside from the document translation, she still nursed another doubt.
Not daring to pose this directly to Ji Feng again (like a primary schooler who would only dare defy the teacher’s authority once a day and not push the envelope to try a second time), she took the chance to quietly ask Xue Rui this other question when helping him organize the discussion notes from the earlier meeting.
“Assistant Xue, I have another question — since you didn’t actually require my presence at the meeting, why did you still rush to summon me along to the Executive Lounge?”
Xue Rui gave an “Oh” before answering, “It’s all still part of keeping up the act for your department manager to witness — look, President Ji borrowed you away and has indeed found use of you. And you have proven yourself useful. This way, when you later return to housekeeping, out of consideration for President Ji’s face, your department manager Feng Kaixin won’t be able to find any justifiable pretext to casually fire you on a whim. He would still have to think twice on account of President Ji’s face.”
Listening to Xue Rui’s reply, Xu Miyu couldn’t help feeling a little moved on the inside.
She had assumed Ji Feng was bored and so made ineffective use of her just to kill time.
But in actuality, it had been a show of concern towards her.
She surreptitiously snuck a peek Ji Feng’s way.
Seated on the sofa, he was loudly complaining to Xue Rui about Chef Chen not being on duty today hence being left with virtually inedible fare for meals. His tone of grievance sounded rather caustic and nitpicking, his entire expression practically radiating disgruntlement.
Ordinarily the sight of Ji Feng in this state would make Xu Miyu wish she could scram far away to avoid attracting his ire or contempt.
Yet at this moment, a thought fleeted through her mind — later she could possibly borrow the wok from the security auntie and braise some beef again, to thank him for managing to affirm her twice over despite his usual brusque, mordant speech.
That night when Xu Miyu got off work from the suite, Xue Rui hurried to catch her before she boarded the lift.
In his arms was a stack of books when he ran up.
He passed the pile over into Xu Miyu’s hands.
Sensing her arms sink down heavily all of a sudden, the books seemed to have dragged her height down a few centimeters too.
She quickly glanced down at the stack of reading material suddenly heaped before her. Unexpectedly they were all books relating to hotel business and operations, clearly having been perused before.
After scrutinizing the books, she turned a quizzical look on Xue Rui and asked if he wanted her to translate those into Thai. The notion already caused her to shiver in dread — that would be too great a test of endurance!
But Xue Rui just burst out chortling. “Our boss definitely wouldn’t impose such demands. These books aren’t for you to translate, but to read through and study.”
Xu Miyu froze for a beat before asking again, “Was it…your boss, Mr. Ji, who asked you to pass me these books for me to study?”
Xue Rui immediately shook his head. “My boss says he doesn’t have that much free time on hand!”
Realizing as the words left him that didn’t sound quite right, he grinned at Xu Miyu.
“……” Xu Miyu stated, “Oh. So these are still books your boss wants me to read in the end?”
Xue Rui’s grin stiffened.
Not wanting to make things difficult for him, Xu Miyu quickly took her leave. “I will properly study these books well. Thank you Assistant Xue, see you tomorrow.”
Clutching the books, she walked into the lift.
Who cares who exactly was getting her to read these and why. The crux was reading more could hardly be a bad thing.
Returning to the suite, Ji Feng was seated on the sofa, attentively tending to his farm on tablet — that unchanging routine he had kept up diligently for ten over years.
Hearing the sound of Xue Rui’s footsteps, he didn’t even lift his head, just asking, “Did you pass the books to her?”
Xue Rui answered, “Passed them over.”
Ji Feng glanced up. “What was her reaction?”
Xue Rui: “Very surprised.” He paused before adding, “But she knew it was you asking her to read those books.”
Ji Feng immediately narrowed his eyes.
Xue Rui quickly clarified, “I swear this had nothing to do with me! She deduced it herself!”
Ji Feng shot him a dirty look. That look was virtually anthropomorphized with a voice of its own, jabbing an accusing finger at Xue Rui’s nose and labelling: “Incompetent fool who can’t even keep a simple matter covert.”
Xue Rui swiftly tried to divert the unknown ire radiating from his boss. “Boss, do you mind if I ask an extra question — why did you specifically ask me to dig out these books for her?”
Ji Feng immediately refuted, “That take of yours is incorrect. I didn’t specifically ask you to find books for her. Since I was done reading those books, leaving them around was taking up space. Getting you to pass them to her for some extra insight isn’t a big deal.”
Xue Rui kept mum, just watching his boss self-justifying.
“I’m rather interested in seeing just how much she can glean from them.” Ji Feng lowered his head again, resuming shifting plots of land in his farm game. As he arranged, he offhandedly commented in a casual tone, “I’m actually curious as to just how far she might surpass expectations.”
Xu Miyu started immersing herself seriously in those books.
Some of the information and descriptions within certain materials and books were highly technical. Xu Miyu found it somewhat heavy-going. When confronted by doubts big or small, she would search answers online. For parts leaving her completely flummoxed where online elucidation failed or if the explanations still soared over her head, she asked Xue Rui.
The first time she consulted Xue Rui, she still worried about disturbing his work hence asked in an overtly guilty manner.
But contrary to expectations, Xue Rui was very receptive and willing to converse. Oftentimes for every single question posed by Xu Miyu, he resented not being able to furnish her with three different answers.
At times Xu Miyu mused Xue Rui was probably being stifled under his boss who loved silence and whose every word had the ability to blast people to the ends of the earth.
With her shooting one question and Xue Rui volleying back three answers, outwardly it seemed the two of them were chatting up a right camaraderie.
But deep down, Xu Miyu’s mindset towards Xue Rui and Ji Feng remained — they were people she had to maintain a distance with. Whenever facing them, she would have to crane her neck looking up.
Still, interacting with Xue Rui no longer incited tension or nervousness within her by this point.
Yet every instance she laid eyes on Ji Feng, she would still choke up, failing to react naturally.
Perhaps it was Ji Feng’s aloof contemptuousness coupled with his innate sarcasm that constantly emitted an aura giving her the urge to turn tail and flee from this oppressive awkwardness. Increased exposure merely served to underscore her acute awareness — they belonged to two vastly disparate worlds. An immense chasm yawned between their worlds and embedded inside that chasm was her sobering realization — try as she might, she could never measure up to his lofty realm.
That chasm was the source of immense discomfort whenever she had to face Ji Feng. People would inevitably be reminded of their own inadequacy when confronted with that which far surpasses them.
Oh well. She just had to grit her teeth and suffer through a week up here at the penthouse. Past the seven days, she could return to her own world, working hard to become a happy, blissfully ignorant commoner.
Ji Feng noticed Xu Miyu often running off to consult Xue Rui, the two chatting and laughing without end as though they got along swimmingly.
Yet the very instant he showed up, no matter how spiritedly engrossed in discussion they had been just seconds earlier, Xu Miyu would immediately clam up, pulling a straight-backed, bowing deferentially with an obsequious servant-like expression on her face as she awaited his instructions.
Her deliberate show of obedience only served to irritate him when she acted that way.
He was clearly cognizant she harbored completely different words on the inside — words of complaints and curses directed his way even.
He was actually curious to see when she could finally spill those bottled up inner thoughts honestly instead of continuing with this guise — an obedient, compliant little tool.
Blatantly displaying his annoyance, Ji Feng directly called out Xue Rui’s name and chased him off under guise of fetching documents from the office.
When Xue Rui returned, Xu Miyu instantly siezed the chance to shoot questions his way again.
So Ji Feng dispatched Xue Rui to mail parcels.
Xue Rui came back. Xu Miyu wanted to ask again.
Ji Feng sent Xue Rui to wash cars.
Xue Rui immediately said, “Boss, making the chauffeur do that should suffice!”
Ji Feng smoothly returned, “The chauffeur? He took today off for personal matters. I already okayed leave for him.”
Xue Rui was puzzled. “Personal matters? That can’t be right. I literally just took a ride fetched by him to the office earlier!”
Ji Feng insisted, “It cropped up later.”
“……”
Left with no alternatives, Xue Rui could only trudge down again to wash cars.
Xu Miyu stood by the side watching him depart then return over and over, staring yearningly throughout.
That gaze irritated Ji Feng to no end. Finally after chasing off Xue Rui with the car washing excuse, Ji Feng icily asked Xu Miyu, “What’s wrong with your mouth that you can’t speak to me directly? Or do you reckon Xue Rui possesses more knowledge hence I’m unworthy of you directing questions my way?”
Xu Miyu jumped slightly at his sudden address before tentatively posing in a somewhat stammering voice, “The…the parts I’m unclear about, am I able to ask you too?”
Mimicking the rhythmic stutter of her speech, Ji Feng volleyed back his question — “Did…did I ever say you’re not allowed to ask me?”
Xu Miyu mumbled hesitantly, “You did seem to have said…not allowed…”
Slightly thrown, Ji Feng harrumphed then insisted on sugar-coating, “Oh. Just something casually thrown out.”
“……” Xu Miyu was rather confounded over how to continue from his utterly flawless retort.
On the contrary, Ji Feng swiftly lost patience and commanded, “If there’s anything, ask away quickly.”
Xu Miyu promptly flipped open her notebook to the areas she had documented down as doubts surfaced during her learning process. She tentatively tested the waters by posing questions Ji Feng’s way.
Out of expectations, Ji Feng did answer every single question she had recorded, albeit with a darkened expression throughout, frosty demeanor and an air of impatience.
It had to be said, compared to Xue Rui, Ji Feng’s explanations were far more professional and incisive. His insights and analysis were also uniquely brilliant.
Gradually, Xu Miyu’s courage swelled. Even when Xue Rui was present, she dared shoot questions directly Ji Feng’s way too.
It just so happened the very first time Xue Rui overheard Xu Miyu questioning Ji Feng, he panicked into trying to intercept her, worried she might land Ji Feng in a bad mood. “So sorry Sis Xiaoyu but our President Ji never entertains questioning from others. He dislikes disturbances. Come on, let’s grab a seat over at that side and I’ll answer your questions myself!”
Xu Miyu paused in surprise as she listened. Xue Rui’s description seemed somewhat divorced from her personal observations?
But she still absently acknowledged with an “Oh”, getting ready to exit from Ji Feng’s vicinity together with Xue Rui so as not to impose on his peace.
Yet this time, it was Ji Feng who called them back.
His tone frosty with a hint of mockery, he said to her, “What do you mean with that ‘oh’? As if I didn’t just answer you yesterday.”
He remained seated, emanating coldness equally in expression and speech as he entertained her queries again.
Leaving Xue Rui standing by the side watching the exchange, stupefied into speechlessness.
Xue Rui shot looks between Xu Miyu and Ji Feng. He was almost thrown into confusion, thinking to himself in bewilderment — so the great unapproachable Ji Feng actually had an affable side too! To think all this time, it turns out he had misunderstood the man all along!!
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