A new week. A new beginning. A fresh start of a new journey.

And…

A very old and detestable Monday; also known as the horror story of white-collar workers.

Our Xiu’s distaste for Mondays was not any less than others if not worse. But this specific Monday was even worse since she didn’t get her whole weekend to herself. Saturday at the golf club and Sunday at the gym with Nora had put her in a horrible mood.

When she entered the company, even her colleagues could feel her horrendously cold and dark aura. It was like her whole being was screaming, ‘Stay far away from me!’ and that’s what everyone did. As much as it was possible for anyone humanly possible, they tried to keep their interaction with her minimum.

Xiu’s brooding continued till the lunch hours that’s how deep her hatred for was Mondays. If anyone would ask her, ‘What’s wrong?’ her answer would be, ‘I don’t do Mondays.’ And that alone is saying something, right?

As an actress, she had to work on weird dates running all around to complete the shooting on time. The working hours as a star were worse than being a white-collar. A nine to five job was a piece of cake for her. But the way she had grown attached to sleeping was the cause of dislike for Mondays. She felt more normal this way. A simple job. Simple working hours. And a very simple but fulfilling life. What more could she ask for?

Pfft!

Who was she kidding? There was a lot of things missing in this simple life of hers. But now, she had truly learned to appreciate the things she had and also learned to be grateful for all of it.

Almost everyone in the department went for lunch either in the cafeteria or outside the company. Other than Xiu, only a couple of other employees were still buried in work. Xiu stretched her body to loosen up the stiffness to some extent. Her body was already sore because of the excessive workout at the gym under Nora’s ‘professional’ and ‘experienced’ instructions.

‘Ay! I shouldn’t follow her workout plan. I won’t be able to even walk otherwise.’ Xiu mused to herself. She still remembered a lot of workout plans from her previous life and decided to just follow those up from now on.

With a sigh, Xiu went to the pantry to make herself a cup of coffee. Her hand had just touched the metal handle of the wooden door when she heard the voices from inside.

“Bo Jiu, don’t be so headstrong.” Xiu recognized that voice to be of another new intern. What was her name? Ahan! Yi Gougou. “I asked for coffee and you didn’t bring it to me. It’s nothing much. You’re the errand girl in the department anyway. It’s your job.”

That snicker and mocking tone didn’t go unnoticed by Xiu as she narrowed her eyes.

“Yes, I am an errand girl. But at least, I know what I’m doing. Unlike some people who are taking credit for other’s hard work.” Bo Ji’s voice sounded resolute and it made Xiu lean her back against the wall with a very relaxed look on her face.

“You!” The other girl, Yi Gougou’s face turned livid. “You think of your own self. Miss high and mighty graduate of Harvard. You’re below me right now in status.”

“To be very honest, I’m glad I don’t have a status like you. Not everyone has a think skin like you.” Bo Jiu’s words made Xiu’s lip curl up slightly in amusement. She could imagine the face of the other girl; red with anger or from the invisible slap. It felt oddly satisfying.

Xiu watched both of the girls leaving the pantry one after the other and had a contemplating look on her face. She went inside the pantry and finally made the cup of coffee that she so needed right now. With her cup of steaming hot coffee, she came back to her cubicle and got busy with work again.

After lunch, the employees came back to their seats and soon, the department was bustling with activity. The sound of typing, papers shuffling, pens ticking, and heels clanking on the floor were distinct.

“Ms. Bai, I’ve brought the files from Finance Department that you asked for,” Bo Jiu placed the files on her desk and continued, “These are some concepts from the Advertisement Department. These need the Manager and the director’s approval.” She was being cautious with her words as she saw Xiu not even shifting her eyes away from the screen of her desktop.

When Xiu didn’t talk for a good few minutes, Bo Jiu felt awkward. “Then. I should excuse myself.”

“Stop,” Xiu called out. “Get the case files for the last six months from the PR and sort out the data. I need a detailed report in two days.” Bo Jiu nodded as she took the instructions. “Also, you don’t have to run errands for anyone anymore.” Her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear but she didn’t stop, “For your internship period, you’ll be my assistant. Exclusively.”

The sound of gasps surprised Bo Jiu who couldn’t understand the weird reaction of everyone. Almost all her superiors were giving her some odd looks which she couldn’t decipher at all. But soon did.

Xiu went to the Manager’s office and behind her, a commotion ensued.

“Congratulations, Jiu!”

“Girl, I don’t know if it’s sheer dumb luck but you certainly have hit a jackpot.”

Bo Jiu was confused, “Senior Lu, what do you mean?”

“Aiyo! Xiao Jiu, you still don’t realize it?” The man whom she called, Senior Lu asked while she shook her head in negation. “Do you know that our Heartless Witch is the second in command after Manager Li in our department?” This, Bo Jiu knew very well. She had heard all about Xiu’s promotions and achievements along with her tyrant nature. “But do you know that our Heartless Witch had never and I mean never had an assistant?”

“This… I didn’t know. But what about it? Ms. Bai has a lot of workloads. It’s obvious that she’d need help.” Bo Jiu said plainly but others shook their head at her naivety.

“Our Junior Jiu, being Heartless Witch’s assistant means she’s taking you under her wings. She’s personally going to train you and with her around, who would dare to even mess with you?” When Bo Jiu heard this detail, she was dumbstruck.

Only now she realized how big of a matter it was to become Bai Xiu’s personal Assistant. Seems like she got herself a real backer but a ruthless one.