By Tuesday morning, Shen Yuqi understood one thing clearly.
Yesterday had not passed unnoticed.
The office looked the same—glass walls, neutral colors, soft keyboard sounds—but the air felt different. Conversations resumed when she approached, yet the rhythm was slightly altered, like a song played half a beat slower.
She sat at her desk and logged in.
Two new meeting requests waited in her inbox. Both were from departments that had never contacted her directly before.
She paused.
Then forwarded them to Wang Zihan for confirmation, just as she had been advised.
A few minutes later, Wang Zihan appeared beside her desk.
"You did the right thing," she said quietly. "For now."
"For now?" Shen Yuqi echoed.
Wang Zihan glanced around before continuing. "People are trying to figure out where you stand."
"I stand here," Shen Yuqi said simply, gesturing to her desk.
That earned a small, tired smile. "If only it were that simple."
Before Shen Yuqi could ask more, Li Wei's office door opened.
He walked out with his jacket draped over his arm, speaking on the phone. His expression was calm, but his tone was clipped—decisive. He passed them without a glance and headed toward the elevator.
Only after he was gone did the office breathe again.
Wang Zihan straightened. "Remember this—visibility in this company is currency. Spend it carefully."
Shen Yuqi nodded, though she wasn't sure how she had acquired any in the first place.
Mid-morning, she was called into the records room to help retrieve archived contracts. The task should have taken twenty minutes.
It took an hour.
Not because the files were hard to find—but because someone else was there.
Zhao Min from administration.
She smiled as Shen Yuqi entered, warm but assessing. "You're the new assistant."
"Yes."
"I've heard about you," Zhao Min said lightly, flipping through folders. "You're very… responsive."
Shen Yuqi chose her words. "I try to be efficient."
"Mm," Zhao Min hummed. "Efficiency is good. But sometimes, waiting is safer."
"For?"
"For instructions," Zhao Min replied, still smiling.
They worked in silence after that.
When Shen Yuqi returned to her desk, Li Wei had sent a message.
CEO Li: Bring the procurement summary.
She gathered the file and walked to his office.
He was seated this time, reading. He didn't look up immediately.
"Yesterday," he said, without preamble, "did anyone speak to you after the meeting?"
She hesitated, then answered honestly. "Some colleagues asked questions."
"What kind?"
"Where I studied. Who assigned me tasks."
He looked up then, gaze steady. "And what did you tell them?"
"The truth."
"Which is?"
"That I follow instructions," she said. "And that my role hasn't changed."
He considered that.
"Good," he said. "Don't explain more than necessary."
"Yes."
He took the file from her, scanned it quickly.
"Leave it here," he said.
As she turned to go, he added, "You didn't do anything wrong."
She paused.
"I know," she replied.
That answer seemed to surprise him slightly—but he didn't comment.
Later that afternoon, Shen Yuqi overheard raised voices near the pantry.
"…she was in the meeting."
"She's not management."
"Then why was she there?"
Shen Yuqi walked past without slowing.
At her desk, she focused harder than usual. She double-checked every email. Confirmed every instruction. Precision became her shield.
Still, when five o'clock came, she felt more tired than usual.
As she packed up, Zhao Min passed by again.
"You're adjusting well," she said. "Just remember, people don't question silence. They question exceptions."
"I'll remember," Shen Yuqi said.
Outside, dusk had settled. She waited for the bus, arms folded loosely, mind quieter than expected.
She thought of Li Wei's words.
You didn't do anything wrong.
In this place, that wasn't reassurance.
It was permission.
She didn't know yet what it allowed her to do.
But she sensed that whatever balance she had stepped into—she was now standing squarely in it.
And moving would not be as easy as standing still.