Ke Xin stared at the screen, the soft glow of the monitor reflecting in her dark eyes. The first of the three training modules was titled Handling Team Conflicts in a Fast-Paced Environment. Estimated time to complete: 30 minutes.

She clicked Start.

Five minutes later, the completion screen flashed green.

Next: Client Communications and Workflow Efficiency.

Another five minutes.

Corporate Policy Scenarios.

Also five minutes.

She leaned back slightly in her chair and glanced to the side at the towering stack of disorganized files and binders sitting near the corner of the room. It loomed like a small paper mountain. Without hesitation, she stood up and walked over, picked up a stack about the width of a splayed hand, and returned to her desk.

No one around her seemed to notice. Everyone was absorbed in their own work, phones ringing softly, keyboards clicking, whispers passing between teams.

Everyone except the other new hire in pink.

She blinked as Ke Xin passed behind her, watching her sit down again and place the hefty stack beside her computer. After a few seconds of curiosity, she leaned over slightly.

“Um… aren’t we supposed to finish the coursework before we start that?” she whispered.

Ke Xin didn’t even look up. “I did.”

The woman blinked again, eyebrows slowly lifting. She glanced at Ke Xin’s screen.

Sure enough, three glowing green check marks lined the page, all marked “Complete.”

Meanwhile, her own screen still showed the halfway point of the first module.

The woman leaned back into her seat, eyes narrowing in faint suspicion.

She probably just clicked through without reading, she told herself.

But then came the sound of rapid typing.

The soft, efficient rhythm of fingers dancing across a keyboard.

Ke Xin had already opened one of the binders. This one detailing a long list of company expenses, organized poorly across dozens of receipts and loose print-outs. Expenses related to photoshoots, business trips, formal dinners, travel budgets, and supply orders.

Ke Xin had an Excel spreadsheet open with multiple tabs already forming.

She was categorizing each line item with perfect precision: grouping, calculating, cross-referencing, and sorting as she went. She only glanced down at the documents for a second or two before typing whole lines. Then she flipped the page.

Click clack click clack.

The co-worker in pink glanced over again at the sound.

Another set of cells filled. Another table formed.

Her speed wasn’t rushed. It was clean and accurate.

The other woman’s mouth fell open slightly.

She stared for a few more seconds, then hesitantly leaned over again.

“…Um. Hey.”

Ke Xin paused and looked at her.

“I’m Wen Rou,” she said with a quick smile. “I never introduced myself. Sorry about that.”

Ke Xin gave a small nod. “Li Ke Xin.”

Wen Rou grinned. “I know. I heard the other lady say it earlier.”

She tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “Hey, since we’re both new… do you want to grab lunch together later?”

Ke Xin blinked, then nodded once. “Okay.”

Wen Rou looked relieved. “Cool! Okay. I’ll let you work.”

She returned to her desk and her still-half-completed training course.

Meanwhile, Ke Xin resumed her reorganization. She never wasted a single motion. Never paused longer than necessary. Her back remained straight as the spreadsheet grew with numbers and categories.

Wen Rou glanced over again about a hour later as she wrapped up her own course modules. She stood, walked to the corner, and picked up her own stack of binders. Not quite as thick as Ke Xin's stack.

When she returned to her seat, she noticed Ke Xin actually already had a second stack beside her.

Just as thick as the first.

And her fingers were still flying across the keys like a pianist.

Wen Rou sat down slowly, watching her out of the corner of her eye.

Maybe she really is just that good.

—

By the time the lunch hour rolled around and someone stood calling out for lunch, the towering stack of binders and papers that once haunted the office corner had completely vanished.

What had started as a looming mountain of expense reports, outdated files, and misfiled purchase orders was now neatly categorized, filed, and entered into the system with surgical precision.

Ke Xin had gone through five thick stacks, each one nearly as wide as a hand span. She hadn’t rushed, just moved with quiet and consistent efficiency. She remained relaxed and unbothered, her typing never missing a beat.

Wen Rou, just started working on her second stack when she realized the mess was gone, staring wide-eyed at the empty corner.

“You really cleared the whole thing?” she whispered in disbelief.

Ke Xin, already closing the last binder and saving her spreadsheet, nodded once.

Wen Rou shook her head with a small laugh and patted her second, much thinner pile.

“I’ll finish this after lunch. You did way more than your share already.”

Chairs rolled back as voices rose. Employees stretching their arms, saving their work, and beginning to drift towards the elevators and stairs.

Wen Rou was already collecting her things with eyes bright.

“You ready to eat?”

Ke Xin stood while grabbing her phone and wallet. “Yes.”

The café on the second floor was spacious and modern, with a cozy layout that allowed for both casual chatter and pockets of peace. Chestnut wood tables, paintings and greenery on the walls, and gentle music playing overhead that made it feel cozier than the average office cafeteria.

Ke Xin and Wen Rou collected their lunch trays and settled into an empty table near the windows. Wen Rou, unsurprisingly, led the conversation with ease.

“This curry is so good, but I swear I already spilled some on my skirt,” she said, checking her lap with a playful grimace. “Anyway! You’re ridiculously fast, by the way. Like, scary fast. Were you working in admin before?”

“No,” Ke Xin replied simply, poking at her rice.

“Oh? Then where did you work before this?”

“I didn't, I was in college,” Ke Xin said.

Wen Rou raised a brow. “Oh! You seem so mature I didn't realize how young you are! What did you study?”

“Various things,” Ke Xin said, sipping her soup without elaborating.

Wen Rou squinted at her, then grinned. “You’re really mysterious, you know that?”

Before Ke Xin could reply, two more people approached their table. One woman, one man, both with friendly smiles and cafeteria trays in hand.

“Hi! Mind if we sit here?”

Wen Rou gestured excitedly. “Of course! Join us!”

The man sat first and offered a grin. “We’re from the Design and Managerial team too. We wanted to come say hi earlier, but as you may be able to already tell, our section’s kind of… intense.”

“Yeah, Director Xu runs a tight ship,” the woman added, plopping into the seat beside Ke Xin. “It’s always work, work, work until lunch.”

“I’m Jun Yi,” said the man. “And this is Chu Yan.”

“Wen Rou,” she replied warmly. “And this is Ke Xin.”

Ke Xin gave them a small nod and greeted politely.

Jun Yi raised an eyebrow. “Oho. A cold beauty type, huh? Just like Director Xu.”

Wen Rou snorted, while Ke Xin kept her expression neutral.

That wasn’t quite right. Ke Xin wasn’t cold.

She was just… quiet. Introverted. She didn’t shy away from people, but she didn’t reach for them either. Probably one of the reasons she didn't have friends.

Still, she didn’t explain. She just offered a vague half-smile.

Chu Yan laughed. “Hey, that’s still something. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Director Xu smile at all.”

Jun Yi groaned. “God, imagine her trying. It’d break her face.”

They all laughed except Ke Xin. Without knowing who Director Xu was, she didn't understand the humor in it.

The conversation rolled on easily, with Wen Rou carrying most of the banter and Chu Yan following along with office gossip and light questions. Ke Xin only responded when spoken to, keeping her answers short but polite.

Eventually, Ke Xin set her chopsticks down and stood up.

“You’re leaving already?” Wen Rou asked.

“I’m going back to the office.”

“Oh. Okay! I’ll stay and talk with these guys a bit longer.”

Ke Xin gave a small nod and picked up her tray.

After tossing her trash and setting her utensils in the return bin, she walked calmly back up to the office floor.

The room was empty.

Soft sunlight poured in from the tall windows, casting golden beams across the rows of desks. The quiet hum of the building’s ventilation was the only sound.

Ke Xin sat down at her desk and leaned back in her chair for a moment, letting the warmth of the sun hit her shoulders.

She swiveled her chair lazily in slow semi-circles.

The stillness was nice.

Peaceful.

Her eyelids began to droop.

Without another thought, she folded her arms on her desk, lowered her head into them like a pillow, and closed her eyes.

Within moments Li Ke Xin, the quiet newcomer, was asleep, right there at her desk.