The first day in her life as the junior assistant to C City's most powerful businessman was hectic. With the help of Mo Ye, she was able to convince Gu Cheng to allow the senior assistant to explain tasks and assign her a few easy ones.

"I am sorry, Miss Joshua," he apologized sheepishly. "The boss was not clear on what your tasks would be, so I was not sure if I should step in immediately. I have, of course, read your contract as I was typing it up. If you have been given any more information about what was expected of you...?"

Zaria hid her groan in a delicate cough. "I suspect that my position is a bit of a pity one, if I might be honest, sir. I am willing to learn, and I will give my all to whatever tasks you assign me. Perhaps this position was chosen rather than something less stressful like janitorial so that you might have a chance for a break at times? What would you be comfortable teaching me? I am willing to do whatever you say unless CEO Gu orders otherwise."

Mo Ye nodded and smiled at her honesty. "Let us start with what you can and can not do. How is your typing ability?"

"That is a rough one to start on," she chuckled with a grimace. "I can speak and understand the language, and I can read it fairly well. But I am more of a phonetic typer, and my new phone's keyboard has given me trouble. I will be using a lot of talk text while I become accustomed."

"That is alright. I assumed your first language was something else. I actually know of a few apps that might help you with that." Mo Ye took her phone and installed something before handing it back. "Try that one out. See how it feels."

The two spent the morning going over basic tasks that she might be called on to do, and by the time they were ready for lunch, Zaria was feeling much more comfortable.

When Mo Ye stepped back into the boss's office for a moment, Liu Wen leaned over and said in a conspiratorial tone, "People will still try to intimidate us, even if they wouldn't dare to confront Assistant Mo. Most of the people who think they can barge in on CEO Gu see us women as just ornaments who will do whatever they say with a little bit of compliment or a little bit of threat. Do NOT go anywhere private with anyone. Stay where cameras can see you. CEO Gu is a good boss. He will not let anyone take advantage of you. But if you don't want anyone to be able to raise doubt about something you have said or done, then you have to stay where the cameras will be able to back you up. And don't let the young women get near you if possible. I have seen a few hurt themselves and claim that I pushed them to get sympathy with CEO Gu. They really think they will be the one to melt the glacier."

Zaria snickered at the description. "People can be scary. I could tell quite a few stories about angry, half drunk customers who thought that screaming in my face was the way to get what they wanted. The reason that bullies think that those methods will work is because quite often, they do. Most bosses would rather their employees take the hit so they don't lose business. And the bullies learn that they can keep doing it."

"I have worked at a few places like that," Liu Wan said with a small smile. "I was lucky enough to live with my mother still, so I could quit and have somewhere to live while I looked for something else. This is the first place I have ever worked where I didn't need to save up paychecks in case I needed to pay a fee to break a contract. I really am very lucky to be here."

The two shared a pained smile over past employment, going quiet when Assistant Mo came out of the office with CEO Gu.

"CEO Gu has offered to treat us all to a meal for lunch today. After that, we will spend the rest of the afternoon touring two of the subsidiary companies. Miss Joseph, you will want to make sure to bring anything you feel you might need to be able to take notes as we go. There may be times when you are the one accompanying CEO Gu to these visits instead of me." Mo Ye offered her a smile and stepped aside so that she could go forward to get whatever she needed.

"I'm sorry, Assistant Mo, but the only thing I brought with me today was my phone. I will buy whatever I need in order to fulfill my duties after work tonight. Would it be improper to take my notes on my phone?"

Before Mo Ye could respond, a cool voice answered from behind him. "I have already prepared a portfolio for you with everything you may need while following us today." All three looked up in surprise as Gu Cheng stepped forward and handed a nice leather portfolio to Zaria. She took a second to glance inside at the legal pad and writing instruments before nodding politely.

"Thank you for this, CEO Gu. I'm sorry that I didn't have something like this ready beforehand. I will be better prepared tomorrow." Zaria held the folio close to her chest, wrapping her arms around it. She followed the others out to lunch and then back to the office to drop Liu Wen off before continuing on with their day.

Their first meeting was at a small clothing factory. Zaria paid attention to everything Mo Ye did and took notes so that she could ask more questions later. Afterward the group of three exited the building, Zaria whispering questions to Mo Ye as they went back to the car. She ducked her head and climbed into the front seat instead of the back with her boss. He frowned down at her, one hand holding his door open. "Sit in the back."

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"Sir, that seems like it would be very inappropriate to have an assistant sitting in the back when there is a seat up here. I would not want to put CEO Gu in an uncomfortable position during working hours."

Gu Cheng bent over to bring his face closer to hers. "So it is okay when it is not working hours?" While Zaria sputtered and grew hot, Gu Cheng took the opportunity to lean across and attach her seatbelt. The cool mountain scent filled her mind, and she had to squeeze her eyes shut to block out the sight of his face so close.

She did not see his lips turn up in a smirk, but Assistant Mo did. Mo Ye was frozen with one leg still outside of the car, his brain blank as he tried to process his cold and emotionless boss's antics. His eyes darted to the side, and he made a big deal of brushing off the pant leg still outside of the car to give his boss time to finish what he was doing. In his single man's heart, he cursed the two of them for showing such blatant displays of affection in front of him.

The passenger door closed, and after a moment, Zaria heard the rear driver side door open and close. She let out the breath that she had not realized that she was holding and opened one eye to make sure he was really gone. Her eyes stared straight ahead, studiously avoiding meeting Mo Ye's gaze beside her. She knew that she would have to be more careful when in private situations with Gu Cheng, if that was how he was going to behave in front of others. Ignoring his annoying personality, he was incredibly attractive with muscles to drool over. But Zaria had no desire to be some rich man's temporary plaything.

By the time the visits were finished, Zaria was mentally exhausted. She was aware enough of what was around her that she was already pulling her seat belt across her chest as she got into the car, not leaving an opening for Gu Cheng to do it for her. She managed not to pinch her hand this time, smiling smugly as her door was shut.

The ride back to the company was quiet. In the back seat, Gu Cheng was immersed in paperwork. Zaria took the opportunity to lean sideways a little and ask Mo Ye in a low voice. "Was there anything out of the ordinary with the first visit we did this afternoon?"

"It was pretty normal for a company of that size. In a larger company, we would be there longer, or for the largest ones, we would focus on a different department on each visit." He spoke in a low voice as well, his eyes trained on the road ahead of them.

"So it seemed normal? Even that secretary trying to glom onto CEO Gu?"

Mo Ye smiled at her and looked at her briefly from the corner of his eye. "Miss Joseph, you don't have to worry about CEO Gu falling for a honey trap like that."

Zaria snorted indelicately. "Assistant Mo, really."

Zaria leaned against the passenger side window. Outside, the clouds passed over the sun,casting shadows on the world below. "Assistant Mo, would you tell me if I behaved in an embarrassing manner? I felt like a little kid in my school clothes trailing after the adults. I would hate to act like one as well."

The handsome man laughed and reached across as if to ruffle her hair. "We will just tell everyone that you are my little sister following me around if they say anything."

"Oh har har." Zaria laughed despite wanting to glare at him, ducking her head to escape. There was a gust of cold air, and she wrapped her arms around herself. "Goodness, why is it so cold all of a sudden."

Mo Ye sighed in his heart. " This car has very good air conditioning. I could turn it down if it is too cold?" He studiously kept his eyes on the road, resisting the urge to check the rear view mirror. The look on his boss's face was likely not a gentle one. He shivered and made sure his hands were clearly on his side of the car and wrapped around the steering wheel.

Zaria shivered again but did not answer him. She peeked behind her into the backseat to see how CEO Gu was fairing. "Sir, is the temperature alright back there?"

Cold dark eyes shifted from where they were boring into the back of Mo Ye's head. Taking in the head with short curly hair poking out from above the passenger seat with a worried expression, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I am fine, thank you."

She twisted back around in her seat. "It is fine, Assistant Mo, thank you." The car warmed up on it's own, little by little, and soon they were back in the parking garage underneath Shooting Star Entertainment. A shift and a shuffle, and Zaria was ushered into the front passenger seat of Gu Cheng's car. Assistant Mo gave his farewells before going to the elevator to finish up some work in his office upstairs, and Gu Cheng slid into the driver seat . He watched as Zaria struggled with the restraining belt.

"Is it such a bad thing to let me help you?" Gu Cheng frowned as he watched her.

"I can't let my boss help me with something so small," she said, smiling triumphantly when the belt clicked without pinching her hand. "CEO Gu should be allowed to concentrate on important things and not be concerned about something small like a junior assistant's safety belt."

"I don't mind doing it, but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable either." He turned the key in the ignition and started the car, pulling out of the parking garage and heading further into the city.

After a few minutes, Zaria tentatively spoke up, "Sir, I don't recognize the direction we are going in. Is this another way to get back to the apartments?"

"We have to buy my assistant some clothing for work, did she forget?"

Zaria's face went blank for a moment before she let out a chuckle. "Ha, I really did. I suppose I am just a bit distracted. I am sorry."

"What are you distracted by?"

"Just a lot to take in on my first day of work. Is every day so hectic for you?" She laid her head back against the headrest and tilted to take in the driver's serious face as he maneuvered through traffic. Shiny black hair was styled into a trendy side part, the front sections combed back at an angle to give it some volume. She ran her fingers through her own curls, thinking about whether she should try styling hers. Her hair had never grown particularly fast, but she was due for a trim before being knocked out of her universe, and the curls were beginning to look a bit wild.

"There is a lot to do, I don't really have the luxury of feeling like it is too much." Gu Cheng glanced to his side,startled to meet her warm brown eyes. She looked away when her appraisal was caught.

"Don't you have people who can run the individual companies for you so that you can concentrate on the bigger picture?"

His eyes moved back to the road again. "I look forward to the day that everything is able to go without constant monitoring. When I took everything over, there were a lot of shady things happening because the people in charge were not paying attention to anything but their own interests. My father has never had a good business mind, and he did not hold anyone accountable. By the time I step away, I want everyone to know that they can't just do whatever they want without accountability. I am keeping my eyes open every time I visit a subsidiary, waiting to find the right person to promote inside of that company."

"I see. I'm sorry if I am being too forward. My dad used to tell me that sometimes I am too curious, I need to learn when not to ask questions." Zaria smiled sadly and looked down at her hands in her lap for a moment before looking out the window.

They pulled up to a large department store, parking alongside the road, close to the door. Zaria hurriedly got out and looked at the front of the building. Large windows showed mannequins in various types of outfits along with large but elegant signs advertising brands.

"Do any of those look like your preferred clothing styles? We can focus on those shops."

Zaria fought to keep her eyes from rolling. "Honestly? Those look far beyond my income bracket. I understand that you've offered to buy a few items as part of my benefits, but I am still just a junior assistant. Maybe we can find something that is a little less...the cost of a car?"

"I am sure we can ask a sales associate to show us only the clothing that costs less than a car."

"Was that...a joke?" Zaria raised an eyebrow at him as they walked toward the front door.

"It is possible." She was sure that she saw a smile pull up the edges of his lips.