Volume One: High School Days Chapter 74: It's Not That Simple

Early the next morning, Yagyu and Ren Xiaodong arrived at the 22nd floor of the Meyer Film Tower, the office area of the post-production department. The manager of the editing division assigned them to an inconspicuous corner. As soon as Yagyu sat down, he turned to the female colleague beside him and asked, “How much do you think the boss earns each month?”

The woman, completely absorbed in her tasks, didn’t dare to be distracted—any slip could mean starting over. Yagyu’s question was an indirect attempt to find out where the boss’s office was, but he couldn’t ask directly for fear of arousing suspicion.

Seeing she didn’t answer, Yagyu remarked, “Big companies really are different—even the employees are so aloof!”

Just then, the manager walked over, gave the two of them a small amount of work—partly because they were new and needed time to adapt, and partly to gauge their skills.

After the manager returned to his office, Yagyu glanced at the array of editing software on his screen and smiled inwardly, thinking, “This is all too easy.”

Ren Xiaodong, however, was bewildered. He muttered under his breath, “What are all these things on the screen? If you want me to play games, I’m fine, but this I really can’t do. And what do those letters below the software mean?”

“You idiot, that’s English!” Yagyu retorted. He quickly finished his assigned tasks as the manager had requested, then moved to Ren Xiaodong’s computer and, with rapid keystrokes, helped him complete his work as well.

Ren Xiaodong was dumbfounded. Yagyu’s speed was astonishing, and he couldn’t even see which keys he was pressing. Picking up Yagyu’s hand, Ren Xiaodong asked, “Is this even a human hand?”

Yagyu ignored the question and said, “Our work is done for today. Let’s go have a smoke.”

Neither Yagyu nor Ren Xiaodong knew where the smoking area was, so they went to a window in the office, opened it, and started smoking.

It was the latter half of November—not the coldest time yet. Fortunately, the southern climate was milder than the north. As the two leaned out the window to smoke, a female colleague behind them exclaimed, “Goodness, is it already that cold? Look, even their breath is visible when they talk!”

Hearing her, all the colleagues turned to look at Yagyu and Ren Xiaodong. Realizing something was amiss, they quickly turned around, each still holding a cigarette between their lips.

The woman had mistaken the smoke for their breath.

“This is the office area! You can’t smoke here! If a fire starts, none of us will get out!” their supervisor rushed over and scolded them. Embarrassed, the two tossed their cigarette butts out the window.

The manager, hearing the commotion, came out and asked what was happening. The supervisor replied, “Manager Sun! These two new hires were smoking in the office area. This needs to be dealt with seriously!”

Manager Sun looked at them, then said to the supervisor, “Supervisor Zhu, they’re new—let it go this time.” Turning to Yagyu and Ren Xiaodong, he added, “Be mindful in the future. If it happens again, you can pack up and leave!”

Ren Xiaodong wanted to argue, but Yagyu pulled him back. Yagyu said to the two leaders, “It won’t happen again. I promise. We’ll get back to work now.”

At noon, the two sat in the company cafeteria eating. A woman in blue jeans, black heels, and a red sweater brought her lunch and sat beside them. Yagyu, absorbed in watching the women’s curling at the Winter Olympics on his phone, didn’t notice her arrival. She glanced at his screen and remarked, “I don’t get it—what’s so interesting about a vacuum cleaner commercial?”

At her words, both Yagyu and Ren Xiaodong nearly sprayed their food. Yagyu looked up and said, “This is a sport called curling, not a—” Then, seeing the woman’s face, he realized she was the colleague who’d sat next to him that morning. He laughed, “Oh, it’s the ‘Ice Queen.’ I thought you wouldn’t even bother to speak to me.”

“I’m not the ‘Ice Queen.’ My name is Wang Yi. I was just focused on my work this morning and didn’t hear what you said,” Wang Yi explained.

Looking at her now, Yagyu thought Wang Yi was rather attractive—delicate features and a good figure. He said, “You’re a classic career woman—a workaholic.”

“Please, that’s not true. I’m actually the least capable in our department. I have to work overtime every night just to finish the day’s tasks. I work so hard during the day to get home earlier. If I get distracted, I have to start over, since I’m already slow,” Wang Yi replied.

Hearing this, Yagyu quickly said, “Then I apologize—I misunderstood you.”

Wang Yi smiled sweetly and replied, “No worries.”

Ren Xiaodong, hearing her voice, said, “Are all girls from the south so gentle? The way you speak really warms the heart. Want to watch a movie together tonight?”

Wang Yi laughed, “Only northern men think us southern girls are gentle. Northern women say we’re pretentious. I’d love to see a movie, but I’ll probably be working late again.”

Ren Xiaodong looked at Yagyu, signaling him to help Wang Yi. Leaning close, Ren Xiaodong whispered, “We have serious business to take care of—don’t mess it up! And for heaven’s sake, zip up your pants!”

At that moment, Wang Yi asked Yagyu, “What did you want to ask me this morning?”

Seeing that Wang Yi was approachable, Yagyu asked directly, “I just wanted to know which floor our boss’s office is on.”

Wang Yi replied while eating, “I heard it’s on the top floor.”

Upon hearing this, Yagyu paused time with his eyes and dashed to the top floor. His body had been trained, so climbing to the 33rd floor was effortless. At the end of the corridor, he found a large door labeled ‘General Manager’s Office.’ He gently pushed it—it wasn’t locked—so he went inside.

The office was empty. He looked around and saw many file folders, which he began to quickly peruse. In no time, he had read all the files, gaining a thorough understanding of the Meyer Film Company’s situation. Yet there was no evidence linking the boss to AoChuang. He spotted a safe but didn’t know the code and couldn’t open it. Frustrated, Yagyu left the office, only to notice the adjacent finance office.

Without hesitation, he entered. Seven accountants sat motionless. Yagyu went through all the financial statements, but still didn’t find what he was looking for. He muttered, “They really make a fortune here.”

Back in the cafeteria, Yagyu released his time hold, returning everything to normal as if he had never left.

Wang Yi continued, “Why were you asking about the boss’s office?”

“It’s nothing. As an employee, not knowing where your boss’s office is—it’s funny, isn’t it?” Yagyu joked.

From that moment, Yagyu kept his enhanced hearing ability active, focusing on the boss’s office. Thanks to its evolution, he could hear not only actions but also sounds from much farther away.

After lunch, many employees used their break to nap at their desks. Wang Yi, however, kept working, and her prominent dark circles showed she often stayed up late and didn’t rest well.

In contrast, Yagyu and Ren Xiaodong had nothing to do. Every employee was busy, so no one noticed the two who were always resting.

At six in the afternoon, Manager Sun came out and announced, “Those who haven’t finished today’s work, stay and work overtime. If you’re done, head home.”

Yagyu had spent the whole afternoon listening to the boss’s office—there hadn’t been a single sound—so he withdrew his hearing ability. Manager Sun walked up behind them and asked, “How are you two adapting to the work?”

Yagyu stretched and replied, “All done. Please check.”

Manager Sun reviewed their work, then praised them, “Wow, I didn’t expect you two to handle this job so easily. You’re talented! Alright, go home and rest. Tomorrow you’ll have tasks equal to everyone else.”

After Manager Sun left, Yagyu saw Wang Yi looking at him with admiration. He asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re amazing. I saw you finish two people’s work today. Anyway, I won’t keep you—I hope I can go home a bit earlier tonight,” Wang Yi replied.

Yagyu found her rather interesting, so he nudged her and said, “I’ll help you finish.”

Wang Yi didn’t react at first, but kept watching him. Ren Xiaodong said, “Why are you standing there? Don’t you want to go home early?”

Wang Yi quickly got up and sat at Yagyu’s desk, while Yagyu took her seat and started typing furiously.

Wang Yi, stunned, looked at Ren Xiaodong, who said, “Don’t look at me—I don’t know how it works, only that it’s Yagyu’s innate ability.”

Five minutes later, Yagyu declared, “Done. Go home!”

“So fast—I can hardly believe my eyes.” Wang Yi checked the work and exclaimed, “Who are you, really? In just five minutes, you not only finished what I hadn’t completed, but also corrected all the flaws I struggled with all day! My god!”

“Alright, go home. I’ll help you again tomorrow,” Yagyu said. The three left the company together. Ren Xiaodong invited Wang Yi to a movie, but was refused, leaving him disappointed. Still, Ren Xiaodong was a conscientious man and didn’t push it.

Back home, Yagyu kept thinking about the safe in the boss’s office. He knew this was an opportunity given by Old Master Hu—if Yagyu didn’t investigate, Hu could remove the current boss at any time. It seemed Old Master Hu was testing whether Yagyu had what it took.