Ji Mi walked to the table, stopping at a position where he could clearly see the computer screen without being too close to his superior.
He Jingyan opened the workstation: "How are you adapting?"
After not seeing each other for a few days, Ji Mi had apparently integrated into the executive office. During their last meeting, he hadn't even recognized everyone, but this time he had already figured out the operational system.
Every day at work, he proactively followed the secretaries' lead, doing odd jobs and observing when not assigned specific tasks.
After work, he carefully wrote daily reports and summarized his findings. To keep up with the office's pace, he hadn't even taken a break on weekends.
Now, when asked about his status, he was able to respond clearly and systematically about his progress.
"From now on, I'll be guiding you. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask directly. If you encounter something you can't handle, report it to me. I'm also your direct supervisor," He Jingyan said.
Ji Mi nodded, and immediately had a question: "Is my job to schedule tasks weekly?"
He Jingyan replied: "The development team does it that way. At the beginning of a milestone, they define the iteration volume, with a small checkpoint every week on version day."
"But it's different here compared to the development side. We have more green light orders and big projects, which are either very urgent or have long work periods, so scheduling is more flexible."
Ji Mi took note of this, while already being familiar with other requirements.
Although he had impulsively rushed here in a daze, he had carefully studied the job description for a technical assistant.
This position was both an assistant role and a technical one. Compared to the specialized programming positions in the development team, this role was backed by the CEO's office and could access the full-stack development pipeline.
Daily work could be summarized as partnering with the CEO to handle professional challenges, and Ji Mi had no other questions about this aspect.
"Did the previous assistant leave any work that I need to take over?" Ji Mi asked. "I might need to contact them about the details later."
He Jingyan replied: "No, the technology middle platform took care of it. You'll pick up any new program orders from these few days."
As he spoke, he filtered through work orders, assigning them to Ji Mi's backend.
He continued: "The J02 team is optimizing the anti-cheat system. They're working on a tactical competitive game, and with the new season approaching, this system is crucial. We need to keep a close eye on it."
"When is the submission date for testing?" Ji Mi asked about the most pressing matter.
"They'll submit whatever is ready. The QA side has assigned a special team to work with them on testing," He Jingyan said.
The rest were miscellaneous items. Ji Mi planned to communicate with the project team later to further nail down the conditions.
Then, he saw He Jingyan scrolling with his mouse.
The page gradually moved down, and for the first time, Ji Mi witnessed what could be called a "densely packed backend." In terms of length, it could be compared to "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea."
Ji Mi even doubted if the scroll bar could reach the bottom.
Business, operations, development – just observing them all together was enough to make one's blood pressure soar.
There was even an entry about an employee in Guangzhou reporting their superior for pressure and bullying, with the group specially hiring a foreign third-party investigation team to handle it.
"By the way, have you ever used Cute Heart?" He Jingyan suddenly asked.
Ji Mi was slightly taken aback, then quickly shook his head, as if any hesitation would leave a record on his file.
He Jingyan was preparing to discuss business, but seeing Ji Mi's nervous demeanor, he chuckled: "I'm just asking, why are you reacting like this?"
Ji Mi stammered: "I just don't really use dating apps..."
He Jingyan drawled an "Oh," as if there was something he didn't say.
So Ji Mi asked in return: "What did you think?"
He Jingyan said: "I thought you might be afraid I'd add you as a friend."
Ji Mi: "."
...He shouldn't have given him a chance to answer!
When He Jingyan was discussing work earlier, he was very different from his private demeanor. He had reined in his casual and laid-back attitude, appearing calm and speaking seriously, fully embodying the tone of a superior.
Ji Mi had to concentrate hard just to keep up with the pace, almost forgetting the other's mischievous personality.
Ji Mi gritted his teeth and said: "I have many requirements, I usually actively choose."
He Jingyan looked up: "Excuse me for asking, but do you currently have a love life?"
Ji Mi unilaterally considered Jing as a potential online friend, and boastfully replied: "I-I just finished choosing. If we're talking about picking cabbages, it's just been planted in the ground."
He Jingyan found this somewhat amusing, wondering who the unfortunate soul was that this heartless guy considered a cabbage.
He half-jokingly reminded: "This place doesn't care much about employees' private affairs, but I don't want to see you in the news for online fraud."
Ji Mi's ears immediately turned red: "I absolutely won't!"
Hearing Ji Mi's almost bashful promise, He Jingyan stopped teasing and returned to business.
Interactive Entertainment's NLP lab provided technical support for Cute Heart, and there were many modification items for the recent product launch.
The executive office had related tracking orders. He Jingyan assigned the secondary person in charge under Ji Mi, asking him to follow up on the progress when he had time.
It only took half an hour to arrange all these items one by one.
Ji Mi was surprised by the efficiency here, considering that in the development team, cross-checking schedules used to take at least an hour and a half of back-and-forth...
"Is there anything else I should pay attention to?" he asked.
He Jingyan looked up, his gaze passing over Ji Mi's shoulder: "In the future, you don't need to help close the door. If you have anything to report, come in anytime."
No further explanation was needed; Ji Mi instantly understood the implication.
This was to facilitate communication efficiency, and also to avoid suspicion between superiors and subordinates.
Having this awareness was actually good for both parties.
He Jingyan took a step back, and Ji Mi also made sure to maintain distance, indicating that he had inadvertently closed the door earlier and would definitely remember in the future.
In the afternoon, the executive office prepared for an internal meeting. The administrative staff pushed a food cart, distributing refreshments.
This was the company's atmosphere – snacks and drinks were provided every now and then. During regular meetings or on version days, everyone worked while eating.
"Delay, is it okay to leave your door open like this?" The administrative staff noticed the detail.
He Jingyan said: "Mm, don't worry about it."
The administrative staff member who came to deliver the food had a very outgoing personality and intentionally tried to make an impression in the executive office, even on the top floor.
He made conversation: "Is it to make it convenient to supervise your assistant?"
Ji Mi, who was drinking yogurt nearby, paused, glancing darkly towards He Jingyan, feeling pitiful and weak.
He Jingyan also looked him over, with a barely noticeable smile at the corner of his eye.
"No, although I can see him from my position, I don't have the time to keep an eye on him every day."
The administrative staff responded as if to humor him, and Ji Mi breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, He Jingyan said leisurely: "But the same might not be true for my assistant."
Ji Mi: ?
"After all, he can steal glances at me with just a turn of his head, who knows?" He Jingyan said.
Ji Mi: ??
Continuing his nonsense, He Jingyan even suggested: "Come to think of it, we should set up a toll booth."
Ji Mi: ???
He had lost that timid, pitiful air and was now grinding his back teeth, unable to bear He Jingyan's wild ideas.
"Are you planning to perform a dolphin ball-balancing act or a strip show? Preparing to sell sightseeing tickets?" Ji Mi asked sharply.
He Jingyan cleverly responded: "Consumer preferences influence demand, so the result naturally depends on your preference."
Ji Mi had lost his initial restraint towards his boss and didn't want to answer whether he preferred nature or adult shows.
He said he had important matters to attend to and was going to help debug the projector in the meeting room.
The administrative staff was also about to leave, but turned to take a few more glances at Ji Mi's workstation.
There were more than ten sticky notes pasted there, arranged very systematically, filled with different tasks.
He smiled: "A few days ago when I came by, it was empty, but today it's so full, almost like the setup of the secretaries."
He Jingyan looked over at the sound, then glanced at Shell nearby, who was standing up with an aching back to type on the keyboard, with a massage pillow around his neck.
Seeing this, the administrative staff guessed He Jingyan might say the secretarial office was even busier, but He Jingyan tapped on Ji Mi's desk.
"Install a height-adjustable stand and a screen light here, charge it to my account. If he asks, just say it's to improve the equipment."
Compared to the well-equipped setups of his predecessors, which were only missing a foot bath under the desk, Ji Mi's area seemed rather simple.
He wasn't particularly picky about the environment, thinking he could make do with what he had. However, during a break in the meeting, he found new equipment on his desk and curiously went over to investigate.
"The administrative staff saw my sticky notes, realized I'd be busy with overtime later, so they upgraded the accessories?" Ji Mi was somewhat delighted.
The lamp was from a brand he really liked, its quality and effect far surpassing other products in the industry, but it was too expensive, and he had never been willing to buy it for himself.
He stroked the charcoal black casing: "So cool, I should send a banner of appreciation to the administrative center!"
Shell pondered, "My onboarding package wasn't this thorough. Could it be because Delay hadn't taken over the business group back then?"
Noah consoled him, "Hey, you had it good. When I joined, Delay was managing the development team, usually sitting with the planners. During that half-year rush before the public beta, he just had a folding bed in the hallway..."
"Haha, really? Delay actually squeezed onto a folding bed?" Shell exclaimed. "Got any photos? I'd love to see that!"
He Jingyan, walking behind them, sneered, "I'm writing your performance evaluation these days. You'd better keep those dark thoughts to yourself."
"I'm sorry," Shell immediately bowed, explaining, "It's just my ugly soul. I truly don't have a bad attitude towards the leadership's work ethic."
They had a short break now, with forty minutes for dinner.
The group, not wanting to queue at the cafeteria, lazily ordered salad takeout from the internal coffee shop. The staff delivered three bags of green grass and leaves, looking at first glance like they had harvested the roadside landscaping.
They had already discussed the important agenda in the afternoon, so the evening's tasks were much lighter, just discussing the situation of various studios in Interactive Entertainment.
Except for Ji Mi, who had worked in the development team in Shanghai, the others had all been transferred from Guangzhou and weren't clear about the real situation here.
The secretaries had been busy with communication and investigation recently, all to get a grasp of the information. Now that they had a certain understanding, they could discuss the future direction.
"If the schedule wasn't so tight, we should have made a few charts of the past investment data to cross-reference with the milestone future plans," Noah mused.
Ji Mi, who had been taking notes, paused upon hearing this.
He hadn't said much in this setting, and after a moment's hesitation, he asked, "I have a simple summary here. Do you need it?"
"What a coincidence," Noah chuckled in surprise. "I saw you working on something the other day. So this is what it was?"
"I'm not familiar with the situation in other teams either, so I did this as a preview. It's all public data from the monthly reports."
"The monthly reports are fine. Just compiling this must have been quite tiring."
Ji Mi was meticulous in his work. Even for materials he prepared for personal use, every detail could withstand scrutiny.
Some aspects were still a bit naive, and his analysis was relatively shallow, but the others didn't criticize. Instead, they shared their experiences and insights with him.
It was rare to have such open and sharing colleagues. Ji Mi filled three pages with valuable summaries.
By the time the meeting adjourned, it was already 10:30 PM. Everyone, having talked for so long, fell into an exhausted silence.
Ji Mi, with a vacant look, was munching on a pear, his mouth full of sweetness.
Beside him, Shell didn't rest for long. After catching his breath, he casually called his girlfriend.
Judging by the calm reactions of the others, they seemed used to Shell's daily displays of affection.
After Shell hung up, Fang Xiyun inquired, "Did you visit the matchmaking temple before coming to Shanghai because you lacked confidence in your long-distance relationship?"
He Jingyan, hearing about the temple visit for the first time, asked, "Shell, have you become spiritually enlightened?"
Ji Mi, who was throwing away his fruit core, almost couldn't hold back his laughter. Then he saw Shell pat the table.
Shell said, "Delay, don't be so quick to mock. I went there with good intentions for you!"
"We often work overtime until the wee hours, which has a lot to do with the boss leading the way in being a workaholic. I'm begging you to find someone to love soon, so you'll stop wasting water, electricity, and life in the company all day."
Ji Mi, worried that Shell's trip might have been in vain, asked, "Is that temple effective?"
Shell lamented, "I don't think it worked very well. At least it couldn't save Delay."
He added, "This guy came straight to the company as soon as he got off the plane. How is heaven supposed to arrange a relationship for him? He's on his own!"
He Jingyan snorted, turning his head away indifferently.
Ji Mi, being quite kind-hearted, felt sorry for Shell, "The temple tickets aren't cheap. What a waste of money."
After they bantered for a while, Ji Mi, still not too tired, went to look at the cooperation plan between Interactive Entertainment and Cute Heart.
A moment later, he cautiously glanced towards the CEO's office.
He Jingyan was discussing something with someone else, so Ji Mi, like a student making small movements, covered half his face with his arm and secretly opened Cute Heart.
[Notice: Your avatar has been removed TAT The system has automatically blocked it, please upload a new photo~]
Ji Mi: "..."
Thinking about the planning document he had open on his screen, which included related guidance measures and governance...
He gave up. What do you call investigating yourself? He was caught in the first batch.
Ji Mi was dejected and no longer in the mood to burn the midnight oil for Hongni.
Realizing that only he and He Jingyan were left on the entire floor, Ji Mi became aware of how late it was. He called for a ride-share and shouldered his backpack to leave.
Few people were willing to work overtime on a Friday, and only a handful of lights remained on in the towering office building.
He walked along the complex's corridor towards the exit, cradling his phone and trying several random pictures, all of which failed to pass the review.
Then Ji Mi stopped alone, casually taking a photo under a streetlight.
This time it was instantly successful.
The page jumped to the main screen, smoothly refreshing the avatar to a photo of his right hand making a V sign.
·
[Speaking of which, your head office hasn't had any new faces for a long time. Did your secretary find someone to your liking?]
The new product launch was the busiest phase, and after ChiChi's head had been spinning, he noticed that He Jingyan was still online.
It was already 2 AM, and talking about work at this hour would be inhumane, so he sent over a casual chat message to show his goodwill.
Within the group, everyone wanted to maintain good relations with Interactive Entertainment, and He Jingyan was used to such overtures and negotiations.
He disdained false flattery and maintained his usual tone.
[You make it sound like a blind date. When did Noah start moonlighting as a matchmaker behind my back?]
ChiChi spoke boldly: [There are couples in the company too.]
He Jingyan had always found this hard to understand: [Even animals don't eat where they sleep. Why get involved with colleagues? Don't you get sick of seeing each other at work?]
ChiChi was at a loss for words and decided to talk about work instead.
Earlier, He Jingyan had sent a screenshot of Mi's profile page, and he had quickly dealt with this oversight, personally removing the avatar.
ChiChi: [The next time he logs in, the system will remind him to change his avatar. However, it's not a mandatory requirement, and the machine review hasn't been optimized much, so he might find a way around it again.]
ChiChi: [Keep an eye on it? Who knows, it might be a cute guy, haha.]
He Jingyan opened the app to check, and Mi's avatar had indeed changed.
The photo mysteriously showed only a right hand.
Although the lighting and pixels weren't great, it was clear that Mi had very fair skin.
Unlike the rugged contours of most men, Mi's fingers were long and slender, and his hand seemed about a size smaller than his own.
He Jingyan thought to himself, with such a slim build, how is he worrying about his boss's early demise?
What kind of black-hearted factory does this weak online friend work at, where his wrist could be grasped in one hand? He looks like he's about to suffer from malnutrition.
Thinking of this, He Jingyan noticed a corner of a flower rack in the background...
How is it identical to the one at the bottom of his own company building?