Chapter 3

The two took the elevator straight to the 39th floor. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Evan Thorn was amazed by what he saw. The entire floor was exquisitely and elegantly decorated. The marble floors were spotless. The office areas were well-organized. Each workstation was neatly arranged and cozy. Even the air smelled faintly of fragrance. It was completely different from the ordinary companies she had worked at before.

“Stop standing there. Come on, I’ll take you to see Minister Zhang.” Justin Bloom pulled the distracted Evan Thorn along, leading him to a door with a sign that read “Minister of Translation”.

She adjusted her collar and refined her expression, instantly transforming from the gossiping woman she had been moments earlier into a professional and poised woman in the workplace. She gently knocked on the door.

“Please come in.”

A magnetic male voice came from behind the door, deep and pleasant to hear, causing Evan Thorne to feel a slight stir inside. Justin Bloom pushed the door open and entered gracefully, speaking respectfully, “Minister Zhang, good morning. This is Evan Thorne, a newcomer from the Translation Department. I’ve brought him here. I’ll take my leave now.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she rushed out at lightning speed, closing the door behind her in a smooth motion, as if she had practiced it countless times.

Evan Thorne wondered why Justin Bloom had suddenly become so serious. Then, that magnetic voice spoke again: “Are you the new guy, Evan Thorne?”

She immediately came back to her senses, turned around, and bowed to the man sitting behind the desk. “Hello, Minister Zhang. I’m Evan Thorn. Please take care of me in the future.”

At that moment, Evan Thorn was completely stunned.

The man wore glasses with a golden frame. His almond-shaped eyes, slightly slanted backward behind the lenses, didn’t give him a frivolous appearance at all. Instead, they added an air of sophistication. He had a straight nose, thin yet sensual lips, and fair skin. His delicate facial features seemed almost too perfect to be real. Even the way he held the pen was so graceful that it was hard to look away.

Evan Thorn couldn’t help but swallow hard, thinking to himself: NK really is full of talented people—even the ministers are so handsome!

“Stop drooling at me.” Zhang Jingran didn’t even look up. He flipped through Evan Thorn’s resume, his tone calm yet distantly formal. “If you don’t perform well, I’ll still make you pack up and leave. Also, I hate office romances. Don’t even think about trying anything with me.”

Evan Thorn’s face turned red instantly. He quickly lowered his head, staring at his own nose and mouth, thinking to himself: “Beauty is deceptive. Beauty is truly deceptive!” She was here to earn money to pay for the apartment’s down payment. She definitely couldn’t let her beauty fool her!

After reviewing the resume, Zhang Jingran lifted his glasses and said in a dismissive tone, “With a resume like this, where your qualifications are rather mediocre, how dare the HR department even hire you? Things are getting less and less rigorous these days.”

Evan Thorn felt aggrieved inside. He thought to himself, “I didn’t want to come either. You’re the ones who called me!” But he didn’t dare say anything out loud and could only listen in silence.

“I plan to take you myself,” Zhang Jingran said. He placed a thick bid document on the table and pushed it toward Evan Thorn. “But first, you need to pass my assessment. Translate this bid document and submit it to me in a week. Your seat is the first one on the left outside my office. Go ahead.”

Evan Thorne picked up the bid document. It was incredibly heavy, at least a hundred pages long. Her face fell instantly. What was a bid document anyway? She had never dealt with anything like this before! How was she supposed to go through all those hundred pages?

“Yes, Minister Zhang, I understand.” She resignedly took the tender documents, said goodbye, and left the office.

Leaving the office, Evan Thorne sat down in the assigned seat, as instructed by Zhang Jingran. His colleagues were all focused on their work, with the sound of keyboard typing filling the air. The atmosphere was so serious that no one dared to speak. She put down the tender documents and stared at the dense English text, sighing helplessly, feeling like crying but with no tears to shed.

Just as she was looking worried, a sweet voice came from above her head: “Hello, you must be the new colleague, right?”

Evan Thorn looked up, his eyes lighting up instantly. The girl before him wore a light-colored dress, with long hair flowing over her shoulders. She had delicate features and a sweet smile, resembling a gentle little white flower that warmed the heart.

“Hello, my name is Evan Thorn. I’m a new intern.” Evan Thorn quickly stood up and greeted them, somewhat nervously.

“Hehe, my name is Wu Na. Everyone calls me Nana.” Wu Na smiled as she handed over a notebook. “Don’t be nervous. We’re all colleagues. Minister Zhang might seem strict on the surface, but he’s actually very kind. This is a list of terms related to bidding that I’ve prepared. He asked me to give it to you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime.”

Evan Thorn took the notebook, feeling deeply moved. In this strange and eerie company, he had finally met a normal person! “Thank you, Nana. I really appreciate your help. I’ll definitely work hard!”

“You’re welcome.” Wu Na smiled. “I’ll go back to my seat now. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.”

After watching Wu Na leave, Evan Thorn opened his notebook. It was neatly filled with various English terms and their definitions related to bidding processes. The handwriting was clear and neat, showing how much effort he had put into it. Feeling warm inside, she calmed herself down and began to carefully read the bidding documents, translating them while referring to her notebook.

Before he knew it, the sun outside the window had risen high in the sky. His colleagues in the office began to pack up their things, getting ready to go for lunch. Evan Thorn rubbed his sore neck and looked up, realizing that there were hardly any people left in the office.

“Evan, it’s already after work. Aren’t you going to have lunch yet?” Wu Na finished packing her things and walked over to him, asking eagerly.

“Oh, okay, I’ll go now.” Evan Thorn quickly closed the bid document, stood up, and followed Wu Na toward the elevator.

“I’ll take you to the employee cafeteria. NK’s employee cafeteria offers great benefits: a wide variety of dishes, and it’s all free!” Wu Na said with a smile, her voice filled with pride.

Evan Thorn followed Wu Na to the staff cafeteria. He was instantly stunned by what he saw: the cafeteria was spacious and bright. Shelves after shelves were filled with various dishes, combining meat and vegetables in perfect harmony. Everything looked delicious, with great colors and aromas. There were also fruits, desserts, and drinks. It was actually more upscale than any restaurant outside.

Her eyes sparkled as she swallowed hard. She felt relieved inwardly: Thank goodness I came to NK. Even if the work is tiring, it’s worth it to be able to eat all this delicious food!

“Haha, Evan, that look of yours is so cute—like a greedy cat!” Wu Na couldn’t help but tease her.

Evan Thorn scratched his head awkwardly, his cheeks turning red. “Hehe, it was just too delicious. I couldn’t help but get lost in it.”

The two of them carried their plates, picked out their favorite dishes, and sat down at a table by the window. As Evan Thorne was about to pick up his chopsticks, he heard a familiar voice from the table next to them—it was Justin Bloom and Leola Kent.

“Do you think that the Crown Prince’s visit to the meeting today is related to some major decision he’s going to announce?” Justin Bloom spoke in a low voice, his tone full of curiosity.

“Who knows? But I heard that the crown prince was forced by the old man to come back this time. He didn’t want to take over the company at all.” Leola Kent’s voice carried a hint of gossip. “Also, I heard that the crown prince and Xing Gang are childhood friends. They met while studying abroad. They get along extremely well and often live together!”

“Really?” Justin Bloom’s voice rose slightly for a moment, before he quickly lowered it again. “So, are there something going on between them? There’s definitely an electric atmosphere between them!”

Evan Thorn almost choked on his food. He glanced over at the table next to them. Justin Bloom had a gleam in his eyes, while Leola Kent nodded eagerly, clearly very interested in their conversation. The two of them were talking animatedly.

Wu Na smiled helplessly and whispered to Evan Thorn, “Ignore them. Those two are always gossiping about everything. But the crown prince does have a good relationship with Xing Gang. Many people in the company are spreading rumors about them.”

Evan Thorn nodded, but wondered to himself: That cold man is actually friends with Xing Gang? These two seem completely incompatible—one’s cold as ice, the other’s a sunny, muscular hero.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose at the entrance of the restaurant. Everyone’s gaze turned toward the door. Evan Thorne looked up and froze instantly—the man who entered was none other than the cold-looking man from the elevator. He was accompanied by several bodyguards, as well as a tall, muscular man with a handsome face. It was none other than Xing Gang, the man who had Justin Bloom completely captivated!

The two walked side by side. Xing Gang said something to the cold-looking man with a smile. Although the cold man didn’t say much, his gaze became a little softer. He seemed like a completely different person from the gloomy man in the elevator.

Justin Bloom immediately covered his mouth, his eyes wide with shock, almost screaming. Evan Thorn felt a chill run down his spine—No way, how did he run into him here again? Who exactly is he? And why does even Xing Gang treat him with such respect?