The Secretary - Chapter 5

Understanding your superior’s thoughts and attitude was a crucial survival skill in the workplace.

The image of him lighting that fire would not leave Wei Wan’s mind, no matter how hard she tried.

Her chest felt constricted; as a lowly shrimp like her, there was no way she could confront her director and say, “Sir, where did I go wrong? Tell me, and I will fix it.”  

She didn’t have that kind of authority. She couldn’t even manage to utter a casual greeting to the director without feeling intimidated. 

But then that scene kept replaying in her head.

On her drive to work, Wei Wan pondered how to gauge the director’s true feelings toward her.  She needed an opportunity to test the waters. 

But such opportunities rarely came knocking. Unfortunately, a distracted Wei Wan ran a red light.

After parking her car, she rested her head against the steering wheel for a while. She was losing it; panicking wouldn’t help. If Director Xie truly disliked her, he wouldn’t have bothered with that display.  She couldn’t afford to be so pessimistic.

Two weeks passed in an orderly fashion. The department’s annual awards ceremony was approaching. Zhang Cheng was still angry with her and avoided her in the corridors. Wei Wan decided she needed to visit him at his dorm after work; perhaps that would help mend their relationship. 

The awards weren’t a joke; they were a chance for advancement, and a small civil servant couldn’t afford to waste those opportunities.

As Wei Wan was packing up her things, Director Xu tapped on the desk, calling out, “Xiao Wan, there’s a report here that needs your attention.”

“No problem,” she said, immediately putting down her bag and phone. 

Director Xu didn’t leave but continued to check something on his computer until another clerk walked by.  He then turned to Wei Wan with a smile, saying, “Come, sit down, have some tea.”

Wei Wan proactively tidied the coffee table; it was common knowledge that you couldn’t simply wait for the leader to pour their own tea.

After boiling water, she skillfully made two cups of tea using her kung fu tea set – pouring the hot water over the leaves and then filling the small bowls with the vibrant green liquid.

“Sit down, don’t rush,” said Director Xu. 

Director Xu was forty-five years old, with thinning hair styled in a side part. He wasn’t particularly noticeable in the department; he had held his position for over ten years.  He lit a cigarette and smiled, “Xiao Wan, you’ve been here for three years now. I’ve been observing you – your work is very solid…Everyone is busy preparing for the awards ceremony, any thoughts?”

Wei Wan felt a tremor in her heart. Leaders rarely engaged in idle chatter; everything they said had meaning. She needed to decipher it.

“Director Xu, to say I have no thoughts would be dishonest. But within our department, I naturally support you.”

It was crucial not to appear too humble at this moment. Humility could be perceived as a lack of ability or courage. 

But she also couldn’t seem overly ambitious; the most important thing was to show loyalty.

“Good,”  he replied simply. “That’s all I needed to know.”

It was a clear dismissal.

Wei Wan walked out, feeling a strange mixture of excitement and unease. She wanted to call her mother with the good news but hesitated. It might be premature; perhaps Director Xu had just been privately gauging her. Maybe he had spoken similarly to Xiao Liu.

However, by the end of December, the award results were in, and Wei Wan was selected. Two weeks later, Director Xu went on sick leave and recommended Wei Wan as acting director. The higher-ups approved it.

Director Xu handed over the handover documents to Wei Wan and instructed Xiao Liu to assist her. “This report is urgent; please deliver it,” he said.

“Okay,” Wei Wan replied. After Director Xu left, she sat there with the printed document in her hands for a moment.

It was crisp and smelled faintly of ink—like burning embers. This was a hot potato; it was time to confront the director about his attitude. 

Taking a deep breath, Wei Wan stood up and headed toward the sixth floor. The director’s office was at the end of the hallway, behind a pair of dark green double doors.

From her perspective, she could clearly see his high, proud nose, like a steep mountain peak, framed by thin-rimmed glasses. His lips were thin; a cigarette ashtray sat on his left side, with a smoldering cigarette in it.

“Director Xie,” she said softly, “Here is the annual report on epidemic control in Chunhua County that you requested.” 

He seemed surprised for a moment, pausing mid-sentence before looking up and glancing at her. Then he looked down again, resuming his writing.

“How could it be you?”  he murmured.

Although his tone was calm, Wei Wan felt it as a veiled accusation. Her face flushed instantly. She berated herself mentally for being so incompetent. 

She placed the report on the desk, pushing it forward slightly, and briefly explained her temporary position as acting director.

“Good,” he said curtly. “That’s all I needed to know.”

It was a clear dismissal.