Imperfect Desires

Just as Xiu placed the receiver down, a familiar figure knocked on her door. Xiu lifted her eyes to look at the bright and cheery girl before beckoning her inside.

"What brought you here?"

"Senior Xiu, of course, I needed your help," replied Bo Jiu. The same intern from the Planning Department whom Xiu had taken under her wings. 

"Follow me to the pantry, I need a coffee first," Xiu got around the desk and walked out with Bo Jiu walking beside her. As they both entered the pantry, Xiu saw all her female colleagues gathered there as if they were having a private meeting. Xiu greeted them before shifting her attention to Bo Jiu, "Take a seat. Would you like some coffee?"

"Can I ask for one?" Bo Jiu sounded uncertain.

Xiu shook her head and prepared two cups of coffee before sitting beside Bo Jiu. "So you're saying that next month is the product launch banquet and your superior has put you in charge of the preparations?"

"Exactly. I mean is it alright to give such a huge project to an intern?" Bo Jiu was talking about how she was being ostracized by her own colleagues but Xiu was too engrossed in the burning and bitter taste of her coffee. "Senior Xiu, are you even listening?"

"I'll start listening when you'll stop whining. You think you have it tough. Come on, everyone is having it rough in life. Stop whining about it already," Xiu rapped on her forehead and added, "And since you have been chosen for an important project, it means that your superior would like to test your capabilities. Perhaps, this will be your chance to get that position of a permanent employee."

Bo Jiu had a look of realization as she said, "Ah, I didn't think it that way." Taking a pause she added, "But senior Xiu, can't you control your sharp tongue? It's painful whenever you talk." Xiu shrugged her shoulders indifferently and sipped on her coffee.

She noticed the eyes of her colleagues and asked, "Is something written on my face? Why are you all giving me such looks?"

"Ms. Bai, you're very nice to your junior from your previous department but why don't you ever help us out? We are also working in the same department now," Liu Jinjing took the lead to ask with a hateful glare towards Bo Jiu.

"Exactly. And you never even sit with us in the pantry to talk," Wang Hualing jutted in.

Xiu smiled at them which didn't look like a smile at all and said, "Has anyone of you ever come to me for help?" Her question left them at a loss for words. "None of you ever asked me to help you out. You guys never even ask me whether I'd like to join you for lunch or not much less asking me for a coffee break. I have a very simple logic in life, I'll give you the same treatment that you give me. I'm certainly no sorcerer who would know that you guys need my help with something neither am I a nosy person to ask."

Bo Jiu was the only person amused by what Xiu stated while the rest were left with a red face. Their faces were thoroughly slapped by her without even trying. Looking for trouble with Bai Xiu, tsk tsk, they must really be delusional, thought Bo Jiu to herself as she looked at them with pity.

"We can include you in our group now," Gu Luli tried to mediate the situation as she placed her tablet computer before Xiu and said, "Ms. Bai, did you check this post? Apparently, our CEO has an illegitimate daughter."

Both Bo Jiu and Xiu spurted out and coughed as they heard this bit of news or more appropriate word would be a rumor. Xiu looked at Gu Luli and took the tablet from her hand. She skimmed through the article and looked at the photo where Dylan was holding a cute girl in his arms. The way they smiled looked exactly alike.

Bo Jiu also craned her neck to look and rolled her eyes saying, "That's not his daughter." All eyes in the room turned to her. Only then Bo Jiu realized what she had just said. She laughed awkwardly and explained, "I meant to say that it's not possible. Mr. Dylan Qiu would never hide something like this from the media. It must be a misunderstanding."

"Although I'd love to believe you... But... This picture is from his own house' terrace. Can you still say that it's a misunderstanding?" Fu Suyin said in a saddened tone.

Bo Jiu was about to speak up when Liu Jinjing cried out, "Does that mean his mistress also lives in the same house as him? That's heartbreaking."

While those women were making a mountain out of the molehill, Bo Jiu was busy shaking her head at them. Xiu had seen Bo Jiu's reaction with a scrutinizing gaze. She could tell that Bo Jiu knew something but she wasn't going to ask. As she had said, she wasn't nosy enough.

"Enough!" Xiu suddenly stood up and said, "It's a company policy that gossips are strictly prohibited. Even if he has a mistress and a daughter, it has nothing to do with you people. He has the responsibility to fulfill your monetary needs, it's not his responsibility to cater to your emotional needs as well."

Bo Jiu gave her a round of applause but stopped when Xiu's eyes turned to her. "Get back to your work now. This much of a coffee break is enough."

As all of them left the pantry, only Bo Jiu and Xiu were left inside. "Senior Xiu, I knew you'd never believe in gossips. This is all our social media's fault. Always assuming the worst of people." Xiu stayed quiet in response. "But Senior Xiu, I heard you don't like our CEO."

"I don't like him at all. But rather than gossiping about him, I'd love to curse at him. That'd be more fun to do," replied Xiu which surprised Bo Jiu. "He's a rotten egg. A no-good, blood-sucking, hopeless, walnut-brain..."

As she continued to curse, Bo Jiu signaled her with her eyes to look behind. "Why are you stopping me? I'm not done yet."

"Not done yet?" A voice came from her back.

Not noticing who had asked, she continued, "Nowhere near done yet. I learned the new curse vocabulary just for that worm face bastard!"

"I'm confused whether I should be honored to know that you did so much effort just to curse at me or feel hurt instead," Dylan's voice only now registered in Xiu's brain and her body stiffened up.