Standing Next To You
Chapter 591: Odd Day

Chapter 591: Odd Day

It was an odd day for Lin Sunji.

She woke up earlier than her alarm, which was unusual—she was normally either startled awake by the alarm or woke up after snoozing it three times.

At breakfast, her mother served her favorite English breakfast instead of the usual soybean milk and deep-fried dough sticks that her brother and father preferred.

At the Lin Company, she didn’t overhear anyone gossiping about her for once. Normally, before she even stepped into the office, she would catch snippets of coworkers whispering about how she had only gotten her position through family connections, not through skill. Sometimes, they’d mock a mistake she made the previous day, saying that if it weren’t for her brother being the current head of the company, she would’ve already been fired.

But today, when she arrived, the office was unusually quiet. The employees were at their desks, sipping their morning coffee, calmly beginning their work.

Lin Sunji: "???"

She went to her designated desk, which was set apart from everyone else. She appreciated this rare of peace and quiet. After all, no one liked hearing bad things about themselves first thing in the morning.

The odd day continued. At lunchtime, perhaps because of the strange flow of the day, she chose to eat in the company cafeteria instead of dining out, like she usually did.

She sat alone at one of the long tables and quietly ate, watching the other employees. Some from her department glanced at her from time to time, probably wondering why she was there.

Lin Sunji ignored their looks and focused on her meal. The cafeteria food wasn’t bad at all—much better than she’d expected.

After finishing, she returned to her desk. She realized that eating in the cafeteria saved a lot of time. Maybe trying the cafeteria had opened her up to trying other new things. So, during her remaining free time, she decided to visit the break room—a place she had never stepped into before.

The room was lively. Employees were scattered across different sections. The pool table area was the loudest. Some were playing video games on a large screen, while others lounged on sofas, taking naps.

At the far end, there was a row of massage chairs, most of them occupied. The employees sitting in them looked rather amusing—vibrating with the chairs, some making strange faces of relief.

Lin Sunji spotted one unoccupied massage chair. She walked toward it cautiously and sat down. It was soft, though not exactly comfortable. She searched for the power switch, but the controls were confusing, and the chair suddenly tilted as she accidentally pressed the wrong button.

As she fumbled with the controls, the person beside her—vibrating mid-massage—spoke.

"The button on the armrest. The smallest one. That’s the power switch."

Lin Sunji turned to look at the speaker. It was a middle-aged woman she didn’t recognize—probably from another department.

Lin Sunji followed her instructions, and the whole chair began to vibrate.

"The three buttons below control the intensity," the woman added. "Once the chair stops moving, you’ll have to power it on again."

Lin Sunji thanked her softly. These massage chairs seemed outdated. She made a mental note to suggest upgrading them to smart, voice-controlled chairs.

A mechanical knob pressed into her back and began massaging in slow circular motions. The sensation was gentle—not quite as good as her salon’s professional massager—but sitting here alongside other employees gave her an odd sense of belonging. Just like everyone else, she was relaxing in the break room during her break.

"Is this your first time using the massage chair?" the middle-aged woman asked again.

Lin Sunji, who usually kept to herself, decided to be friendly today. It was, after all, a good day.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"You should come often," the woman smiled. "It’s a bit noisy today because a lot of people are here. The best time is about two hours after the shift ends. Barely anyone’s around then. You can relax, even nap. The company stays open until 10 p.m., anyway."

"Oh," Lin Sunji replied, intrigued.

"But this time of day is great for gossip," the woman continued. "Since the place is relaxing, people tend to loosen their tongues." She leaned in slightly. "Do you know the beauty from the HR department?"

Lin Sunji was clueless and answered honestly, "No."

"It’s not hard to describe her—you’ll know when you see her. Lots of guys from different departments have courted her. She’s young, single, and beautiful. Who wouldn’t like her? Even the head of the IT department is head over heels for her."

Lin Sunji listened intently. She didn’t know who the head of IT was, but the way the woman spoke was oddly engaging.

"Apparently, the head of IT finally got impatient and confessed his feelings. But guess what? He got rejected!"

The middle-aged woman’s massage chair stopped vibrating. She sat upright and leaned closer to Lin Sunji, eyes gleaming. "She told him she already liked someone. And guess who?"

Lin Sunji blinked. She barely knew anyone in the company besides her direct superior and her brother. She was certain she wouldn’t know the answer.

The woman looked around as if to make sure no one was listening, then whispered conspiratorially, "Turns out, she’s been eyeing our young, handsome CEO!"

Lin Sunji: "..."

So, she did know who.

The woman grinned. "I only heard about it because some people from HR were talking loudly in the break room. But that’s not all—I’ve got even juicier gossip. You know that young guy from the Finance department..."

Lin Sunji listened, fully engaged. She hadn’t realized her chair had stopped vibrating—it no longer mattered. The middle-aged woman seemed to know every rumor floating around the company, and Lin Sunji, for once, was thoroughly entertained.

The gossip had unexpectedly broadened Lin Sunji’s perspective. She had never realized how much went on behind the scenes. The employees in the company... they were certainly lively. Did her brother even know all these things happening under his nose?

That thought made Lin Sunji feel oddly pleased. For once, she knew something her brother didn’t.

"I want to tell you more," the middle-aged woman said, standing up, "but it’s time to get back to work. Next time, if I see you here again, I’ll tell you another juicy bit. I still have a whole backlog, you know." She leaned in closer and whispered, "Have you heard about the CEO’s sister? I’ve never seen her, but I’ve heard plenty of stories. I’ll tell you next time."

She noticed Lin Sunji’s surprised expression and mistook it for admiration. With a playful wink, she hurried out of the break room.

Lin Sunji also stood up. When she stepped outside, the woman had already disappeared. She was surprisingly agile—Lin Sunji didn’t even get the chance to ask what the gossip about her was. Though, truthfully, she could probably guess.