She thanked Hu Jiasheng and was about to hang up.
Hu Jiasheng, however, said, "I'll help you. Split the materials into two parts. For my share, photograph all the models. Let's try to finish everything within an hour."
Tang Nannan felt awkward asking him to stay with her, especially since he was cooped up in the car and likely uncomfortable.
"Stop the nonsense. You're staying up until all hours of the night by yourself. If something happens, as your roommate, wouldn't I be responsible? Hurry up."
In reality, he was just concerned about her. Tang Nannan could tell that Hu Jiasheng was someone who was skilled at being the opposite of what he said.
He seemed to enjoy doing good deeds anonymously, perhaps fearing others would be too grateful.
Actually, he cared about her deep down.
Suddenly, she felt happy again.
This overtime shift was truly worth it; she learned something new and felt his care.
Working together, they finished the remaining materials in less than an hour.
Tang Nannan reorganized the files, prepared the spreadsheets, sent them to Manager Ma, turned off her computer, and went downstairs.
Even though it was past 11 o'clock, the streets were still bustling.
Looking at the flashing neon lights, the scantily clad, cool guys and girls of summer, and the red taillights of cars forming streaks, Tang Nannan felt the charm of Nan Cheng for the first time.
Hu Jiasheng, sensing her quietness, couldn't help but glance at her.
He saw a smile on her lips, the window open, her leaning out to let the breeze caress her hair, and he found himself smiling too.
"So happy? Did finishing the work give you such a sense of accomplishment?"
"Yes, I truly felt the joy of working today. Thank you so much, Mr. Hu."
Hu Jiasheng smiled and didn't reply, but he unconsciously eased up on the accelerator.
If she liked the breeze and enjoyed looking at the night view, he would let her savor it a while longer.
They meandered home, and it was almost midnight.
Hu Jiasheng had already finished his evening routine. He bid Tang Nannan goodnight and went to rest.
Although Tang Nannan hadn't freshened up, she had been sitting at her desk all day without moving, so she didn't feel particularly dirty. She boldly called out to him.
"Mr. Hu, wait a moment."
Hu Jiasheng stopped and looked at her. "What is it?"
"Can you give me a hug? I feel like today has been almost perfect, and a warm hug would make it even more so."
"Don't worry, I don't mean anything else by it. I just want to make this day a little more perfect."
Hu Jiasheng walked over and opened his arms to her.
Having lived abroad since childhood, he had a more open understanding of hugs than many Chinese people.
A warm embrace and a kind smile could offer great encouragement.
Tang Nannan rested her head on his chest, hearing his clear, pleasant voice from above, his large hands patting her back.
"Keep it up. Sweet dreams. Goodnight."
Despite the difficult day they had the previous day, Tang Nannan woke up feeling refreshed and energetic.
Manager Ma received the files from Tang Nannan early in the morning. Checking the time, she saw they were sent around 10 PM the previous night.
Manager Ma had witnessed Tang Nannan's anxious efforts at her desk during the day.
She had assumed that even an all-nighter wouldn't be enough to complete them, so she was surprised they were finished so quickly.
With Tang Nannan's individual capabilities, it was unlikely she had suddenly become so proficient; she must have found external help.
Just as she was pondering this, Tang Nannan arrived at the company.
It was as if yesterday's unpleasantness had never happened. She greeted her colleagues enthusiastically, sat down at her desk, and began reviewing company documents.
Manager Ma watched her through the blinds of her office and thought, "She's quite difficult to deal with. Such good psychological resilience? It seems I can't get rid of her. I'll have to increase the difficulty today."
Tang Nannan rested for about half an hour, and then it was time to start work.
Manager Ma approached her desk with a feigned smile and praised her for her work the previous day.
"You're picking things up quickly. Since that's the case, I need you to help out temporarily today."
"The clerk in the warehousing and logistics department, Xiao He, is getting married today. The other two colleagues are serving as her bridesmaids, leaving three positions vacant. We're really short-handed, so go and help them."
Tang Nannan was taken aback.
Three vacant positions? And she was expected to fill them all by herself? One person covering for three?
"We believe in giving more responsibility to capable people. Since you are my assistant, your abilities are naturally not on the same level as theirs. This task shouldn't be a problem for you."
"Moreover, this is a critical period for the company in terms of staffing, and we don't have the luxury of strictly dividing job responsibilities. Go quickly."
As the boss, Tang Nannan had no right to refuse what she was told.
She didn't even know where the warehousing and logistics department was. After asking around, she found out it was the warehouse where goods were stored and shipped.
This department, which involved physical labor, was quite different from what she had encountered before. As soon as she arrived, it was already a hive of activity.
People were moving back and forth with forklifts, others were carrying goods, and some were counting inventory. People from other departments were delivering goods.
It was like a busy marketplace, with a cacophony of voices.
Tang Nannan had to ask several people before she found the department head and understood the three roles she was supposed to cover that day.
The first was processing incoming goods. When deliveries arrived from other departments or external vendors, she had to properly register them for the department and issue invoices to external parties.
Then, when the finished goods department received orders from sales, they would come to collect products for shipment. She had to process their outgoing shipments and issue invoices.
Finally, she also had to handle the incoming and outgoing shipments for colleagues dealing with foreign trade, container shipments, and international business.
Fortunately, Tang Nannan had strong comprehension and communication skills, making it easier to interact. Otherwise, as someone new to the company with no prior knowledge of the operations, she would have been completely overwhelmed by the supervisor's explanation.
Without further ado, now that everything was clear, it was time to start working.
She began with the first role, but halfway through processing, the finished goods outbound section called her.
"Hurry up! Is anyone there? What's going on? It's been over half an hour since work started, and no one has come to issue invoices yet. Do you still want to work? Who will be responsible if we miss the shipping deadline?"
"If you don't come over soon, I'll call the Vice President of Sales. Don't blame me if something goes wrong!"
Tang Nannan hurriedly finished her current task and rushed to the other section.
Colleagues preparing for container loading started to make noise outside as well.
In short, no one seemed to understand that she was stretched thin; everyone was shouting about their urgent deadlines.
It was worse than yesterday. She was running back and forth between three workstations, drenched in sweat by lunchtime.
Finally, it was time for the lunch break. While everyone else went to eat, she dared not.
Because she had processed so many orders in the morning, she was worried there might be mistakes.
She took advantage of the lunch break to meticulously check each one. As soon as she finished, the busy afternoon session began again.
The supervisor watched from the side, shaking her head. She quietly said to her colleagues,
"I don't know how she offended the boss, but they personally called to instruct them to give her a hard time. I feel sympathetic. Such a beautiful and capable young woman, sigh!"