CHAPTER 556: CHAPTER 556: SELF-AWARENESS

"Hey, did Shen Siyuan take a day off today?"

Wei Suhua, holding a completed script early in the morning, prepared to find Shen Siyuan for filming, but saw that his seat was empty.

"President Ruan said he took a day off," Zhang Hicheng replied.

"Off again?"

Long Shihai, who was eating breakfast, poked his head out from his seat.

"He’s only worked for a few days, right?" Zhao Guangcai pushed his glasses and murmured softly.

Guan Yanping and Ge Changsheng, who were slightly older and more composed, didn’t comment.

"Can you compare to Shen Siyuan? He goes to work purely to pass the time; he’s going to be a boss one day," Zhang Hicheng said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, everyone showed envy instead of disdain for Shen Siyuan, wishing they could take his place.

"There are so many people chasing after President Ruan in the company, yet it was Shen Siyuan who picked the peach, so he must have some strengths."

Zhao Guangcai pushed his glasses again, and everyone, including Wei Suhua, showed a knowing smile. In today’s society, everyone has been part of it already, and there’s hardly anyone as pure as a blank sheet of paper.

"Guan Yanping, you’re so handsome, you could pursue Secretary Jiang," Long Shihai suddenly said.

The number of people in the company pursuing Jiang Taoshi was certainly no less than those pursuing Ruan Hongzhuang.

After all, Jiang Taoshi not only had a good family and was pretty, truly having both wealth and looks, but most importantly, she had a bit of innocence that really struck a man’s G-spot.

So, strictly speaking, Jiang Taoshi was even more popular amongst male colleagues in the company than Ruan Hongzhuang.

"Forget it, I wouldn’t even know how to beat a hundred competitors, and besides, I’m completely unrelated to Secretary Jiang. In the few years I’ve been at the company, I’ve spoken to her less than in these past two months, and that’s because of Shen Siyuan..." Guan Yanping was untypically clear-headed.

Though he wasn’t bad-looking, there were many more handsome people in the company.

Zhao Guangcai pushed his glasses again, then said, "You can’t say that. What if you manage to win her over? Before Shen Siyuan was with President Ruan, he was just a small operator at a gaming company; who could have predicted that..."

With a look of Conan, Zhao Guangcai lamented that besides his height, nothing else resembled Conan.

However, his words drew the crowd’s attention: "What do you mean? Gaming company operations?"

Everyone was surprised upon hearing this. They thought that even if Shen Siyuan wasn’t as excellent as some of President Ruan’s suitors, he was certainly not lacking, but Zhao Guangcai’s tone suggested otherwise.

"You guys know Guanghui Animation, right?"

"Of course."

As the largest gaming company in Bin Hai, several people in the office knew it, and those who didn’t immediately started searching for it on their computers, including Wei Suhua.

"Shen Siyuan was originally just a game operator at Guanghui Animation, the most ordinary kind of employee, and his university seemed quite average..." Zhao Guangcai said.

"How do you know this?" Wei Suhua curiously followed up.

"You know He Ruixiang from the sales department, right? His girlfriend works at Guanghui Animation, and she knows Shen Siyuan. It’s said that when President Ruan went to their company to find Shen Siyuan, it caused quite a stir, as people found it surprising that Shen Siyuan could date a Bai Fumei like President Ruan..."

Given the size of Bin Hai, it’s not surprising that Shen Siyuan’s story was widely known.

"Besides his looks, Shen Siyuan’s background, education, and capabilities are pretty ordinary. If he can pursue President Ruan, why can’t you pursue Secretary Jiang?" Zhao Guangcai continued to incite.

Guan Yanping, fueled by excitement, became somewhat tempted.

"But... I feel like Shen Siyuan has an unusual aura; he doesn’t seem like an ordinary person," Wei Suhua said softly.

"If I could win over President Ruan, I’d have an unusual aura too."

Zhao Guangcai was quite dismissive, believing that whatever aura Shen Siyuan had was merely the confidence bestowed by President Ruan.

Ge Changsheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke: "Do you really think so?"

"What else?" Zhao Guangcai seemed quite unconvincing.

Ge Changsheng smiled but didn’t explain further.

Meanwhile, Zhang Hicheng spoke up: "Alright, it’s work time, let’s not discuss these things anymore."

For a moment, the office fell silent, and everyone returned to their individual tasks.

However, Ge Changsheng’s words left Zhao Guangcai feeling as if a cat was scratching at his heart, and it wasn’t just him; others felt the same way.

So soon enough, they somehow returned to the topic.

This time, Zhang Hicheng didn’t speak to stop them, instead showing a listening expression.

Ge Changsheng didn’t keep them in suspense and directly said, "Haven’t you noticed the way President Ruan looks at Shen Siyuan?"

"I’ve noticed; what’s wrong with it?"

"It seems very affectionate."

These words were from Wei Suhua, who often filmed the two of them and thus observed more closely.

"Right, if it were Shen Siyuan pursuing President Ruan, her gaze wouldn’t be like it is now; Shen Siyuan is the one being loved. And during daily interactions, haven’t you noticed it’s always centered around Shen Siyuan?"

"Do you mean that President Ruan was the one who pursued Shen Siyuan?"

Everyone expressed an incredulous look, except for Wei Suhua and Zhang Halong, who seemed thoughtful.

Ge Changsheng smiled without explaining and instead told Guan Yanping sitting nearby, "As for Secretary Jiang, you don’t stand a chance either."

"Eh, why?" Guan Yanping asked in surprise.

Then he laughed and explained, "I know I don’t stand a chance; do you really need to be so direct?"

Ge Changsheng smiled, "I just think you don’t stand a chance."

His explanation was evidently perfunctory, and the others didn’t take it seriously.

Only Wei Suhua seemed deep in thought but didn’t pursue further, opening some previously shot materials to edit them.

Without new videos, she could only edit some from previous shoots.

But as she edited, Ge Changsheng’s words kept echoing in her mind. Comparing them against the three in the videos, gradually, an expression of surprise appeared on her face, as if she had discovered something incredible.

Shen Siyuan naturally wasn’t aware of any of this, and even if he knew, he wouldn’t care. After all, life is for oneself, not for others, so why bother with what others say.

At this moment, he reached a seaside location in the Forest Park.

The terrain here was steep and remote, with no tourism development. But to Shen Siyuan, it was an excellent place for cultivation.

Facing the sea and backed by the forest, the abundant Water Element Qi, Wood Qi, and Earth Element Qi were continuously absorbed into his body, replenishing his depletions.

Meanwhile, within his Sea of Consciousness, a new sun was faintly emerging.

As the blazing sun began to take shape, a small flame started to form slowly on the once-barren Fire Tree.

Everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction.