She viciously added more black coffee to his cup, then nodded with satisfaction. However, as she turned around, she accidentally bumped into someone.
"Ah, sorry!"
Su Banxia let out a pained grunt and immediately apologized.
Because the coffee was poured too full, a little splashed out, leaving a blemish on the person's white shirt.
"Banxia, when did you get back?"
A woman's gentle voice suddenly sounded above her head.
Su Banxia looked at the person in front of her, momentarily stunned, before slowly speaking: "It's you?"
Su Sinian wore a soft smile on her face. "After you suddenly went abroad five years ago, you never contacted home. I thought you were angry and wouldn't come back."
"How could that be? This is, after all, the place where I was born and raised."
Su Banxia's smile was somewhat perfunctory.
"Are you working at Dingsheng Group?"
Su Sinian looked at the coffee in her hand, her smile faint.
"I'm sorry about just now, I wasn't paying attention. How about I get you a new set of clothes to change into?"
Su Banxia deftly changed the subject.
Su Sinian glanced down at the stain on her white shirt, didn't make a fuss, and simply nodded indifferently.
Su Banxia quickly went to HR to contact Fang Shiqing, retrieved a brand-new shirt from her, and handed it to Su Sinian.
Taking the new clothes, Su Sinian went to the restroom to change.
"I'll take this set home to wash for you and bring it back tomorrow."
Su Banxia was polite but with a hint of distance.
"That's fine."
Su Sinian didn't refuse and was about to ask her something, but Su Banxia anxiously cut her off.
"I have something to deal with right now. I'll get in touch with you later."
With that, Su Banxia didn't wait for Su Sinian's reaction and turned to leave, though the flush rising on her face betrayed her inner nervousness.
Back in the CEO's office, Su Banxia handed the coffee to Pei Shaoze. Still shaken, her eyes held a hint of daze.
"Secretary Su, does it take half an hour to brew a cup of coffee?"
Pei Shaoze raised an eyebrow, his tone indescribably cold.
"I ran into something on the way, so it delayed me."
Su Banxia forced herself to say.
"What could be more important than my orders?"
"I'm sorry, it won't happen again."
When under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Su Banxia bit her lower lip and apologized softly.
Seeing her like a bullied little thing, Pei Shaoze's anger flared: "I never thought Secretary Su could be so docile!"
"President Pei, do you have any other tasks to assign?"
Su Banxia looked up at him, her beautiful eyes full of composure.
"Here are some urgent documents. Read them carefully before handing them to me for review."
After a pause, Pei Shaoze added, "If you don't finish them today, don't even think about going home."
Su Banxia instinctively clenched her fists, looking down at the pile of documents like a small mountain, her expression grim.
Even if she had supernatural abilities, there was no way she could finish this stack today!
This Pei Shaoze was doing it on purpose!
Even worse than Teng Yuan!
But complaints aside, Su Banxia had professional integrity. She sat down patiently and focused on the documents, the dry text acting like a lullaby.
Su Banxia felt incredibly drowsy, her head bobbing until, with a slip, her forehead hit the desk.
"Ow!"
She winced in pain, and the drowsiness dissipated. She sat up straight, muttered a few words to herself, and reluctantly continued reading.
Most of these documents were about projects Dingsheng Group needed to collaborate on soon. Su Banxia didn't know why Pei Shaoze was showing them to her.
Was he trying to test her?
Thinking this, she found it somewhat ridiculous. This man's paranoia was truly excessive.
When Yan Xin came in to deliver documents, he saw Su Banxia buried in a mountain of papers and couldn't help but be curious.
"Banxia, what's this?"
"See? Capitalist oppression."
Su Banxia picked up a document wearily and waved it in front of him.
Yan Xin understood immediately and gave her a sympathetic look. "Since Pei Shaoze is in a meeting now, why don't you split some documents with me? I'll help you review them!"
"Forget it. Knowing Pei Shaoze's personality, if he finds out you did this work for me, he won't let you off either."
Su Banxia politely declined his offer.
"Then you..."
"I'm already addicted to overtime. I should be used to it by now!"
Su Banxia said half-jokingly, half-seriously.
A flicker of disappointment passed through Yan Xin's eyes, gone in an instant.
"If you really can't finish, don't push yourself. Proper work-life balance is what the company truly pursues."
Yan Xin smiled at her.
Work-life balance?
Hah!
Su Banxia glanced at the empty CEO seat, wishing she could stick pins in a voodoo doll of him!
In the conference room, Pei Shaoze inexplicably felt a chill down his back.
"President Pei, regarding the Su family's collaboration this time, I think these proposals are feasible."
"Mr. Liu, did the Su family give you some benefit that you're speaking up for them so quickly?"
Pei Shaoze tossed out the documents in his hand and said coldly.
Mr. Liu was momentarily at a loss for words.
"I've seen the Su family's proposal, and I don't think they're qualified to collaborate with Dingsheng Group. Besides, the Su family's own qualifications are mediocre; they can hardly handle such a massive project from us."
When it came to work, Pei Shaoze was always meticulous.
The people in the conference room exchanged glances. Many had received favors from the Su family, but faced with Pei Shaoze's firm stance, they didn't know how to press further.
"I already have a candidate for the partner on this project. As for the contract signing, I believe I can give everyone a satisfactory explanation."
Pei Shaoze stood up, adjusted his sleeves, paused, and then continued: "As for the collaboration with the Su family, I want to see their sincerity. If they can't even produce a decent proposal, I wonder what the point of this company is."
Pei Shaoze walked out of the conference room with a stern face, leaving a group of people exchanging bewildered looks.
"President Pei, wait a moment!"
Su Sinian, dressed sharply and professionally, blocked the just-exited Pei Shaoze.
"You are?"
Pei Shaoze looked her up and down, his furrowed brow revealing his displeasure.
Su Sinian extended her hand with a polite smile: "I'm Su Sinian, the eldest daughter of the Su family."