Assistant Architect

Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

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Chapter 18: Meal Supplement

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The weather turned cold. Zhang Siyi got a head cold and was afraid oftransmitting it to everyone. On Monday, he brought a large box of medicinalteas to the office and paid attention to keeping warm.

Thinking about the past weekend's conversation with his friends, hecouldn't help but compare his work environment to that of his friends. Overall,he found the atmosphere of Borderless to be particularly harmonious. Everyonewas very hard-working and helpful. There was no such thing as a person wholoved to chew on the back of the tongue.

Although Gu Yu did not let his colleagues help Zhang Siyi on the drawing,Zhu Hongzhen gave him a reference book. Bi Lele also quietly taught him how touse the atlas in the company’s data room. In reality, he wasn't actually isolated.

The day he had a hangover, Du Rui gave him a bottle of honey flower tea,saying that it can alleviate the symptoms after drunkenness. In addition,colleagues who have brought delicious food will also share with each other. Notonly in their group A, but also next door in Group B. Last week they brought 2watermelons at their own expense and gave one away. Everyone is exceptionallyfriendly.

Unlike his friends work environment, Zhang Siyi feels that Borderless ismostly like a warm family.

Zhu Hongzhen gnawed at his breakfast buns on the side while browsingthrough Archidaily’s newly released design and greeted Zhang Siyi. He wasdiscussing the new works by a Danish firm.

Zhang Siyi, holding the hot tea, could not help but sigh: “Theatmosphere of our company is very good.”

Zhu Hongzhen chuckled: “Yes, I agree.”

However, Zhang Siyi is also feeling the environment is too good. It's a bitstrange. Even when he is studying abroad, there are people like Qi Rui. Thereare one or two unstable factors in any environment. How can they be soharmonious here?

On the opposite side, Bi Lele seemingly knowing Zhang Siyi's thoughts, added:"recently its very good, but it hasn't always been so."

Zhang Siyi: “Really?"

Bi Lele looked around the room in a conspiratorial manner and said, "Whenthere isn't harmony, our Boss is quick to remedy it." She put her hand up toher neck and made a cutting motion.

Zhang Siyi: “…”

Zhu Hongzhen was shocked: “Is there such a thing?”

Bi Lele glanced at Zhu Hongzhen and replied, "Other than work, you don'thave a mind to pay attention to your surroundings."

Zhu Hongzhen： "……"

Yuan Zhicheng, who kept mainly to himself, lookedup at Bi Lele suspiciously: “What's going on?”

Bi Lele: “Do you still remember from lastyear, Little Li who came to the company?”

Zhu Hongzhen: “I do. He was a very gooddesigner. But he was only here three months. What’s wrong with him?"

Bi Lele nodded: “He was quite bullish and proud.He thought he was too good for small work. After a few projects, a few peopleprivately complained. Then Boss talked to him directly and said he isn'tsuitable to work at Borderless."

Zhu Hongzhen shocked: “Crouchinggroove!” He was kicked out, wasn’t he? I thought he was so bullish that hecouldn’t see our company and walked on its own."

“I said that you are stupid and sweet,”Bi Lele snorted. “There aren't a lot of firms in Haicheng that have asgood of treatment as we do here. My classmates who graduated at the same time don'thave as high of salary as I do. Little Li came to Borderless based on ourcompany's excellent reputation, but his own arrogance got in the way. He wasn'tparticipating fully with the group. Our projects are mostly teamwork, sonaturally he couldn't fit in."

Bi Lele said again: “There is another onecalled Xiao Qi. She left at the end of last year. Remember?”

Zhu Hongzhen: “Yes, a little beauty, andworked very hard… Don’t you tell me she was fired, too?"

Bi Lele: “Yes, she secretly had a crush onour boss.”

Zhu Hongzhen: “There’s something wrong with havingsecret love here? Isn’t there a lot of secret love for the Boss?"

Zhang Siyi: “…” Yes! Du Rui alsosecretly loves Gu Yu!!! (#°Д°)

Bi Lele rolledher eyes: “You don’t understand! You also know that our boss will usuallywork with employees. She deliberately stayed so late every day just to let GuYu accompany her. She was fired on the grounds that her work efficiency is toolow.”

Zhang Siyi： "……"

Zhu Hongzhen:“the boss is too hard……"

Bi Lele gavea few more examples. Someone provoked a colleague behind his back. After beingdiscovered by Gu Yu, he forced him to work straight for two months. Later, hewas overwhelmed by his work assignments, so he resigned. There was another whowas excused because they were careless and shirked their duties. Those who cameand went in a hurry and disappeared inexplicably could all be said by Bi Lele.

ZhuHongzhen: “You love gossip so much. Why didn’t the Boss do something to you?”

Bi Leleshrugged: “Because I have not violated the principle of the problem. Itdoesn't affect both the work and relationships between colleagues.”

She can drawpictures while joking with them gossip, but also a capable person!

YuanZhicheng sighed weakly and summed up the routine of work: "Anyway, following arule is always right – do more things, less bitching.” Then he buried hishead and began to draw.

Zhu Hongzhenshrunk his neck and quickly began to work.

Zhang Siyi suddenly became fearful. Evenseemingly good, well-educated and hardworking persons could be eliminated.

What shouldhe do? He said bad things about Gu Yu in front of Du Rui and he quietlythreatened Gu Yu's cactus. Could he live well if Boss found out? Life is sohard!

Zhang Siyifinished his work on Friday and had not receives a new assignment yet. He wasflipping through the atlas in the gallery, waiting to be summoned.

However, thecall from the finance department came first. "It's time to recover your mealexpenses. Please send each group to the finance room."

All aroundthe room, there is a rustling sound. One after another, his colleagues areopening their desk drawers and pulling out a pile of receipts. With a jubilantexpression they head to the finance room to collect their money.

Stunned and surprised,Zhang Siyi didn't know the routine. "What receipt? I thought it was a salarycard?"

ZhuHongzhen: “No, it's during company hours.”

Zhang Siyi puzzled:“But we aren't ordering the company’s package."

Zhu Hongzhenscratched his head and said: “It’s not the same thing. The receipts areused to avoid taxes. It has nothing to do with the actual food and beverageconsumption. Anyway, you should contribute to the company.”

However,Zhang Siyi did not get a single receipt!

The phoneshook a bit and received a spam message. Zhang Siyi looked –

“Freesoftware development tickets/receipts please call xxxx…”

Theseharassing phone calls and small ads are ubiquitous. Ah!

Zhang Siyiput another number in his blacklist. Seeing everyone coming back with theircredits, he felt envious and worried. It was then that the call of Gu Xiao camealong.

Zhang Siyiwent to Gu Yu office with uncertainty. He gave him a task of painting corefunctions again! He was a little anxious, and could not help but whisper aword: “How can I paint this again?”

But as soonas the words expressed, Zhang Siyi regretted it. The pile of examples that BiLele had just reported made him feel scared!

I didn’texpect Gu Yu to be calm: “Don’t want draw that? Then I'll change it.”

Zhang Siyiis happy, so simple?

Gu Yuflipped through the information on the edge of his desk and took a piece ofpaper and handed it to him. He smiled and asked, “How about the parkinglot?”

Zhang Siyi:“…” What is the difference?! He wants to make his own design plan.

Regardlessof whether he objected or not, Gu Yu directly told him: “Arrange theparking spaces under the most economic conditions for this underground parkinglot of a large shopping mall in City X. Also draw a section of the ramp to theentrance and exit of the parking lot at night.”

With mixedemotions, Zhang Siyi nodded. Although the parking lot isn't what he wanted, itis better than drawing more toilets.

As he wasabout to get up and go out, Gu Yu said: “Go directly to the financialoffice. I have helped you hand in this month's receipts.”

Wonderingabout the rare warmth of Gu Yu, Zhang Siyi's emotions welled up: “Thankyou.”

“Don’tthank me,” Gu Yu moved away from his sight to look at the work content onhis screen. "I got receipts for last weeks dinner. 500 of them are yours. Nextmonth, remember to prepare them."

…… It’sso ruthless that it makes people clench their teeth!

Going to thefinance room and receiving his first “subsidy” in life, Zhang Siyi’sfeeling of depression was quickly relieved.

In theafternoon of the same day, he also got a message from the bank that hispaycheck was deposited. Although it was only four thousand and five, Zhang Siyifelt a full sense of happiness.

Ah~~ Itfeels so good to have a job!

He happily drewthe parking lot for the day, but before leaving work, Zhang Siyi went to Gu Yu.He had an unpredictable expression and made Zhang Siyi uneasy.

“Canyou drive?" Gu Yu looked for a long time, suddenly asked.

“I havea license.” Zhang Siyi graduated from high school and got his driver’slicense to go abroad, but he never had the chance to use it."

"It's stillbeing done like this?" Gu Yu frowned and with a pencil he circled severalfigures and positions. One by one commented on them. "Is this enough? Thereisn't enough space on the end. Are you having parallel parking here? This spaceis too small. And this section, since the car can come from another direction, whyadd an extra road?"

“……,”too much was said for Zhang Siyi to life his head.

Gu Xiaoquickly counted a few parking spaces and said: “This underground garage intheory can have 510-520 parking spaces in a row, but you only lined up450.” He shook his head and sighed, tore a large piece of parchment paper andcovered Zhang Siyi drawing. He personally demonstrated and drew a section withappropriate traffic flow and parking positions."

Zhang Siyistared at his hand holding the marker moving steadily drawing straight linesperfectly. Gu Yu did not use a ruler. Finally, the main position of the parkingwas framed.

Whenfinished, Gu Yu looked up at Zhang Siyi, gave him the papers, and didn't sayanything. He only shoo-ed him away to let him work on the layout on his own.

Zhang Siyireturned to his seat with a gray face and glanced at the drawings. With just afew simple lines, there is an inexplicable attraction. This is from the handsof an expert.

Zhang Siyifrantically stretched out his arms in the air for a while. He was angry butneeded the resolve to finish.

If life only had the expense of eating, drinking, and playing, then Zhang Siyi thinks that he can be very happy, and he can bear more in his work. The biggest burden is always rent. If you want to enjoy the city's most prosperous location, you must pay the price. Even more problematic, Zhang Siyi has only been paid for one month on a probationary salary. In the fourth month of returning to China, Zhang Siyi is about to face a major economic crisis: rent overdraw!

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