8 Fortune

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Zhan Zilang gave an embarrassed, awkward laugh. "You figured that out too?"

Zhou Zhuofei shook her head helplessly. By now, it was clear to her that he lacked social experience.

"If you didn’t recognize him, you should have just asked me who he was. Look at your reaction—it’s like trying to hide something but only drawing more attention to it."

Zhan Zilang was at a loss for words, admiring her logic. "Sister Zhou, your reasoning is really sharp."

Waving it off as no big deal, Zhou Zhuofei thought that since he knew Xiao Wang, it meant Xiao Wang’s earlier inquiries were deliberate.

In that case, Ye Ru had been the most accurate in her assessment.

After a moment’s thought, she reminded Zhan Zilang, "Go say hello to Secretary Xiao later. It’s customary for new employees to greet the senior staff."

Xiao Wang often came down to have a cup of coffee and relax, and Zhou Zhuofei frequently saw him. Usually, he chose to appear toward the end of the break, so his early arrival today was a little unusual.

"Alright."

By now, Zhan Zilang was fully convinced by Zhou Zhuofei’s words and naturally followed her advice.

He stood up immediately but was stopped by Zhou Zhuofei.

"There are too many people now; wait a little longer."

So Zhan Zilang waited, but the flow of people around Xiao Wang never ceased. He couldn’t help but comment, "Secretary Xiao is really popular."

Zhou Zhuofei smiled without replying. The position of CEO’s secretary naturally commanded warm greetings, but there was another important reason—Xiao Wang was still single.

He was young and accomplished, handsome, gentle in character, abstained from smoking and drinking, and despite publicly declaring himself a non-marriage advocate at the company, female colleagues privately regarded him as one of the best marriage prospects.

Although Ling Yu was also single, everyone was clear-headed enough not to include him in this conversation.

Zhou Zhuofei even thought that Xiao Wang’s public stance against marriage might have made him even more attractive to women.

Of course, maybe she was the only one who felt this way. People tend to rebel; some will always try to break new ground and challenge the impossible.

But in all this time, no rumors about Xiao Wang had surfaced, which indicated he was extremely disciplined in his private life.

As the afternoon tea break neared its end and most people had left the lounge, Xiao Wang finally had some time alone, sitting by the window, sipping coffee, and enjoying the view.

At that moment, Zhan Zilang glanced at Zhou Zhuofei, and after receiving a subtle nod, he got up and walked over.

Zhou Zhuofei watched him leave and started organizing the suggestions she had collected, occasionally glancing toward them. The two were chatting happily, and just by their expressions, it was clear they were old acquaintances.

After a while, when she looked up again, she found that both had disappeared.

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Zhou Zhuofei immediately searched around and finally found them near the vending machines far away. Watching them buy their drinks, laughing and chatting as they returned.

Xiao Wang casually looked up, noticed Zhou Zhuofei’s gaze, and naturally smiled at her.

In the blink of an eye, Zhan Zilang had reached Zhou Zhuofei while Xiao Wang had already left halfway.

"Sister Zhou, this is a drink from Secretary Xiao," Zhan Zilang said, placing a can of apple juice in front of her.

"That generous? What did you two talk about for Secretary Xiao to treat you?"

"Nothing much. He said it’s workplace etiquette for seniors to treat juniors and told me to learn more from you. Oh, by the way..." Zhan Zilang showed another can in his hand. "I have some black tea here. Should we swap?"

"No need, the apple juice is fine."

"You like apple juice?"

"I quite like it. Why? Want some?" Since it was on Secretary Xiao, she could share.

Zhan Zilang replied, "No, no, just asking casually." Earlier, when Secretary Xiao said he would treat them, he picked black tea for himself but wasn’t sure what to get for Zhou Zhuofei.

While hesitating, Secretary Xiao had already chosen for him.

Seeing Sister Zhou liked apple juice, he made a mental note—not sure if it would come in handy later, but better to remember.

"Finish your drink and then head upstairs. Time’s almost up."

After that, Zhou Zhuofei didn’t ask Zhan Zilang any more questions. He had become, in her mind, a powerful and wealthy intern with strong backing—in short, someone to be avoided.

Knowing that was enough. Why bother probing further?

Back in the office, Zhou Zhuofei finished her remaining work and left right on time.

It was Wednesday, a day sandwiched between unrelated days, but after today, only two days remained until the weekend—life suddenly seemed brighter!

Zhou Zhuofei perked up, planning to buy groceries and make something nice at home. While shopping at the supermarket, she suddenly received a message.

[Teacher Yao: Hello, Xiao Zhou. I’ve been trying to contact Zhang Qiaoqiao for a long time but can’t reach her. If you want to continue participating in the support program, I can assign you another student.]

Zhou Zhuofei stared at the message, pondering for a long time, nearly blocking other shoppers in the aisle.

In the second semester of her junior year, she had joined a school-organized public welfare project, volunteering as a teacher at a rural middle school near K City.

Teacher Yao was the liaison then, and they had exchanged contact details.

In her senior year, Zhou Zhuofei saw Teacher Yao post about a support program on social media, roughly a one-on-one aid plan where each participant sponsors a financially disadvantaged student. They never met in person; the sponsor provided monthly funds, and the liaison handled all communication.

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At that time, Zhou Zhuofei already had an offer from Global Corp. Compared to classmates scrambling for jobs or graduate school, she felt extremely lucky.

To pass on that fortune or out of gratitude, she chose to join the program. The monthly contribution was just a few hundred yuan, easily affordable on her salary.

Zhang Qiaoqiao was her assigned student. They had no direct communication; most of the time, Zhou Zhuofei would transfer money to a public account, and Teacher Yao would update her on Zhang Qiaoqiao’s academic performance.

Her grades had been stable, and Zhou Zhuofei hoped she could get into college. Although the program only covered high school support, she was willing to continue helping if Zhang Qiaoqiao succeeded.

But two months ago, just before the college entrance exams, Teacher Yao suddenly informed Zhou Zhuofei that Zhang Qiaoqiao had transferred schools. It happened abruptly, and they didn’t know where she had gone.

Zhou Zhuofei was stunned. Who would transfer so close to the exams?

She asked Teacher Yao to find out, and he did his best, but there was no news.

After much thought, she replied to Teacher Yao.

[Alright, Teacher Yao. If she can’t be found, then forget it. Please assign me a new student if there’s a suitable one.]

After sending the message, her desire to shop evaporated. She pushed her cart to the checkout and prepared to leave.

Back home, she received Teacher Yao’s reply.

[Thank you for your support, Xiao Zhou. I understand your concern for Zhang Qiaoqiao. From what I’ve gathered, she was taken in by distant relatives, so schooling shouldn’t be a problem. Please don’t worry too much. I will send you information about the new student next week.]

Reading this, Zhou Zhuofei felt a great relief. If that was the case, it was wonderful.

Since she was willing to participate in such programs, Zhou Zhuofei naturally sought no reward or recognition. As long as Zhang Qiaoqiao had a chance to change her life, that was enough.

Her appetite suddenly returned. Humming a tune, she went into the kitchen to prepare hotpot.

That evening, she cuddled her director (a pet) on the sofa watching a movie. The lights were off, only the TV glowing. If she ignored the lingering hotpot aroma, the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

The director stayed in her arms for a whole minute before finding a chance to escape. Zhou Zhuofei followed suit, grabbing a pillow to hug instead, enjoying a cozy and ordinary Wednesday night.

The next morning, as usual, she bought breakfast at the shop downstairs, arriving a bit early to have enough time to eat at her desk.

While standing in line at her favorite breakfast spot, she suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder and heard a male voice behind her.

“Hello.”