Thirty-Eight Floors Above Her Pay Grade

The elevator creaked as it climbed, its aged motor humming a dull chorus that did nothing to calm Lin Yanyan's nerves. Her reflection in the mirrored walls looked back at her, pale and anxious. She adjusted her tote bag for the fifth time in the last two minutes, smoothing her blouse with trembling fingers.

The air inside the lift felt thicker with every floor passed, as though the pressure of ambition and power was slowly crushing the oxygen from her lungs. She had only been interning at HuaLing Corporation for three weeks—just a summer internship to pad her resume before her final year of university. Nothing in her wildest imagination had prepared her for this moment: being asked to deliver a confidential file to the executive suite on the thirty-eighth floor.

It wasn't even supposed to be her task. Ms. Wang in HR had tossed her a weak smile and said, "You're the least intimidating. The assistant up there doesn’t bite. Probably."

So, here she was.

"Just deliver the folder," she whispered to herself. "Don't look around. Don't make eye contact. In and out."

The numbers lit up.

Thirty-six.

Thirty-seven.

Ding.

Thirty-eight.

The doors opened to silence.

The hallway outside was a world apart from the rest of the building. The scent of citrus and faint sandalwood lingered in the air, and soft, recessed lighting cast a golden glow over gleaming white marble floors. Frosted glass walls enclosed private offices, each with minimalistic nameplates and sleek silver accents. It felt less like an office and more like the entrance to a high-end hotel or a gallery where noise was sacrilege.

Yanyan stepped out hesitantly, her sneakers making quiet taps that felt offensively loud. She walked slowly, shoulders squared with the effort of appearing calm. The confidential file was tucked tightly under her arm—a thick folder bound with a red seal and embossed with the golden insignia of Aurelian Technologies. She had only been told it needed to go to the CEO’s executive assistant.

She approached the reception desk stationed just outside the largest glass-walled office.

Behind it sat a woman whose posture was so straight, she might have been trained in classical ballet. Her makeup was artfully done, not a hair out of place in her glossy black bun. She typed with a mechanical efficiency, her focus never wavering.

"Excuse me," Yanyan began timidly. "I was told to deliver this. For the assistant."

The woman didn’t pause. "He’s in a meeting. Leave it."

Yanyan placed the folder on the desk, both hands steady despite the fluttering in her chest. She bowed slightly, more out of habit than necessity, and turned to leave.

Her eyes caught on a movement in the corner of her vision.

One office, at the far end, was not fully frosted. Its glass offered a half-blurred view into a room that looked like a command center: dark wood furniture, a leather-backed chair turned toward a floor-to-ceiling window, and the silhouette of a man standing before it, hands in his pockets.

Yanyan felt her steps falter.

There was something about the stillness of the man inside. He wasn’t moving, but the energy he radiated was unmistakable. Authority, confidence, power. His presence filled the space as if he owned it.

She didn’t know who he was. She didn’t even know what the CEO looked like. She hadn’t cared to research it—after all, she was only here for the summer. And a man like that would never cross paths with someone like her.

Still, she couldn’t help but glance again.

As if sensing her gaze, the man turned.

Not all at once—first his head, then his body, the movement fluid and precise. Like he already knew someone was watching.

Yanyan froze, heart hammering.

Their eyes met.

She couldn't move.

His gaze didn’t flicker, didn’t shift, didn’t blink. It held her in place, curious and impassive, as if trying to place her face. The tension in the air curled around her like smoke. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t surprised. But there was a question in his eyes.

Yanyan lowered her gaze quickly and turned away, forcing herself to walk calmly to the elevator. Her fingers trembled as she pressed the button.

Behind her, silence.

She didn’t look back.

The elevator opened with a soft chime. She stepped in and faced forward, pretending she couldn’t feel his eyes still on her. Her reflection looked back at her, flushed and wide-eyed. She shook her head and whispered, "Stupid. Don’t look next time."

The doors closed.

Back on the twelfth floor—where the interns were tucked away behind budget partitions and clunky office chairs—the world felt louder, warmer, safer. She returned to her cubicle, tucking her tote under the desk and opening her laptop like nothing had happened.

But something had.

For the rest of the day, her mind drifted to that brief moment. To the glint of light on the man’s watch, the way the shadows caught the lines of his face. To that gaze.

She was nobody. Just a summer intern. Her name wouldn’t even be remembered once she left in a few months.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***