Chapter 2

Evan Thorn stood frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time. His mind was filled with the dramatic change in Justin Bloom’s expression just now. These people from NK Company really aren’t ordinary at all.

Just then, a rough hand suddenly landed on her shoulder. A teasing voice said, “Oh, who’s this little girl? She looks so dumb, like some country bumpkin.”

Evan Thorn looked up at the hand, and his heart skipped a beat. The thick arms, dense hair, and protruding Adam’s apple clearly indicated a male body. Yet, the face was delicate, with a somewhat shy expression in the eyes. It sent shivers down Evan’s spine.

“Leola Kent! Take your dirty hands away! You might scare the newcomer!” Justin Bloom immediately reacted angrily, shouting at the man.

“Justin Bloom! Who did you call effeminate?” Leola Kent retorted immediately, her voice filled with indignation. “Which eye of yours saw me as ‘female’?”

“All four eyes saw it!” Justin Bloom pushed his glasses up, unyielding.

“You changeable freak! If you dare call me effeminate again, I’ll show you what I’m capable of!” Leola Kent stood with her hands on her hips, looking very determined. But those shy eyes of hers hardly seemed intimidating at all.

“Oh? I’d like to see just how impressive you are.”

A cold voice suddenly interrupted them. The two people, who had been arguing loudly, froze instantly, even lowering their voices. Evan Thorn looked up and saw a woman with a bun hairstyle, oversized black-rimmed glasses, and a black dress standing at the door. She exuded a strong presence, with icy eyes.

“Leola Kent, please hand me all the attendance records of the employees for this month by the end of the day.” The woman glanced at Leola Kent, her tone completely expressionless.

Leola Kent immediately wilted. She reluctantly took her hand off Evan Thorne’s shoulder and replied in a soft voice, “I understand, Manager Li.”

The woman turned to Justin Bloom again, her tone becoming colder. “Justin Bloom, show the new employee around the place, then hand her over to the person responsible for training her. After that, come to my office. We need to settle the accounts.”

After saying that, she wore her black high heels and walked away with a “knock-knock-knock” sound. Her footsteps were crisp, yet carried an unmistakable sense of authority.

Evan Thorn wondered to himself: When she came in just now, why didn’t I hear the sound of high heels? Could it be that Manager Li came in barefoot?

As she was thinking, she saw Justin Bloom with a furious expression on his face, gritting his teeth and cursing, “Damn it, Leola Kent! Once again, you’ve caused me to get caught by Li Mochou! Now I’m going to lose points in my performance evaluation!”

Evan Thorn watched her fierce expression and silently worried for Leola Kent. These two seemed like natural enemies. At the same time, she had a vague sense that her days at NK Company, a place full of talented but strange people, wouldn’t be easy at all.

It turned out that her intuition was correct. In the countless days and nights that followed, Evan Thorn was tormented by all sorts of strange people and bizarre situations. He regretted it countless times: You can eat whatever you want, but you must never speak carelessly. The saying “Misfortune comes from what you say” seemed to be written just for her.

But that’s all for later. For now, Justin Bloom has regained his composure and put on a friendly expression. He said to Evan Thorn, who was still distracted, “Evan, come on. Let me show you around the company. From now on, we’re part of the same team!”

She pulled Evan Thorn along, explaining as they walked: “We’re on the 28th floor right now. This is the company’s core floor – all the key employees are here. If you want to know any company rumors or gossip, come to me! I’ll definitely have the answers.”

“Three floors up is the Construction Department, filled with engineers and scientists who spend their days staring at blueprints. Six floors above that is the Entertainment Department – a place where handsome guys and beautiful girls gather. You know Xing Gang, right? That muscular guy who recently started working in the Chinese market is there!” When Justin Bloom mentioned Xing Gang, his eyes lit up and his tone became excited. “But I heard recently that Xing Gang has his eye on a regular girl. If I find out who she is, I’m definitely going to expose her!”

Evan Thorn watched her talk non-stop, without even taking a breath. He truly admired her lung capacity.

“Further up are the higher-level departments. You’re on the 39th floor, in the Translation Department. Let’s not go there for now. I’ll take you to a secret place!” Justin Bloom winked mysteriously, his voice full of excitement.

Evan Thorn asked curiously, “Justin Bloom, what secret base?”

“Hehe, you’ll find out when you get there!” Justin Bloom kept things mysterious, hands behind his back. He walked ahead like a little duck, then turned around and stopped at the door to the bathroom.

“A secret base is… a bathroom?” Evan Thorn stared at the restroom in front of him, completely speechless.

“What kind of toilet is this? This is a multi-functional lounge!” Justin Bloom lowered his voice. “You can use the toilet, retouch your makeup, and chat about gossip all in one place. In other words, it’s a gossip room! In five minutes, the company’s weekly meeting will be over. I heard that the crown prince will be there too. It’s his first appearance since taking over the company. There’s definitely going to be some interesting news!”

As she spoke, she peeked into the bathroom. After confirming that no one was there, she pulled Evan Thorn into the innermost cubicle and locked the door behind them.

Evan Thorn felt uncomfortable, not used to being crammed in such a small space with someone he had just met. He whispered, “Justin Bloom, isn’t this awkward? What if someone notices us…”

“What’s there to be afraid of? No one’s coming here!” Justin Bloom waved his hand nonchalantly. “Besides, I’m just making use of the resources available. How can you expect to occupy a private booth all by yourself and gossip? And stop overthinking it. I’m into muscular guys like Xing Gang. I have no interest in someone with a scrawny figure like yours!”

Evan Thorn was so stunned by her blunt words that he couldn’t say anything, and could only nod silently.

Just then, the door to the bathroom was pushed open. The sound of high heels could be heard, along with the voices of several women, all speaking in an excited tone.

“Wow! The crown prince is so handsome! Even more attractive than those in magazines. He’s cold and reserved, but I’m completely captivated by him!”

“Yeah, exactly! That secretary with the big boobs kept swaying around him on purpose. He didn’t even give her a glance. So cool!”

“And his figure? He’s practically a natural mannequin. Those arm lines… they make my heart melt. I really want to touch them!”

Evan Thorn couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the silly remarks coming from outside. He thought to himself, “Why are all the employees at NK such idiots?”

Next to him, Justin Bloom couldn’t help but swallow when he heard the words “figure” and “arm lines”. His eyes sparkled with excitement. He quietly slid the partition door a crack open to listen more attentively.

Evan Thorn huddled in the cubicle, his legs going numb. He prayed silently: “Please end this soon. If I have to stay crouched like this any longer, my legs will be ruined!”

Finally, the noises outside gradually faded away, and the bathroom returned to silence. Justin Bloom closed the zipper reluctantly, then pulled Evan Thorn to his feet. “Come on, we’ve heard enough. I’ll take you to your office.”

Evan Thorn leaned on the wall, limping behind her out of the bathroom. He swore to himself that he would never go to Justin Bloom’s “secret base” again. It was too painful.