The Receptionist
Today is my first day at Dao Ming Group as the receptionist for the director's office. This is the best job I've had in a long time because they pay enough that I can support myself and help out my mother with some our of bills. When I came in, the director's secretary told me that the number one duty as receptionist was to chase away people without appointments to meet the director.
"Director Dao Ming does not like to deal with people who just drop in. Even if it's an emergency, if they haven't scheduled anything with me they may not go through this door!"
This door she mentioned requires a special security card to open and only me, the secretary, and the director have these cards. I don't even own the card, it stays in a secured cabinet at my desk during the night. Apparently, I can't even leave the office until the secretary has verified that it is back in the cabinet.
On my first day, the director has had several meetings scheduled. He's so busy that there's no time for me to officially meet him. The only time I get to see him is when I open the door for the people he's meeting with and I catch a glimpse of him sitting stone-faced at his desk. I saw pictures of him online but they don't do him justice. He's so handsome but he seems so scary. One of the appointments who left today even looked like he was going to cry. I had never seen a grown man look like a terrified three-year-old in my life.
So far the day is going smoothly. I have only had to turn away one person so far but that was resolved when he realized that his appointment was for the following week. He left embarrassed but in peace.
It's nearly three o'clock when a new visitor arrives and she's not someone who seems to fit the environment. She's dressed very casually. She's wearing white overalls and it looks like they're covered in paint. And she's carrying a lunch bag.
I am even more surprised by her when she says, "Hi! I'm here to see the director, please let me through the door."
I raise an eyebrow at her and ask, "Do you have an appointment?"
She scrunches her face at me, "No, do I need one?"
"Actually, you do. I can't let anyone in through this door unless they schedule an appointment with Director Dao Ming's secretary. Would you like me to give you her business card?"
"Um, that won't be necessary. The director must be very busy today," she replies.
"Oh he is! In fact, he's in a meeting right now. He's had meetings all day!"
She bites her bottom lip thoughtfully and I instantly feel sorry for her. I really don't want to turn this lady away, she seems nice. Maybe she was having a hard day before she got here and didn't even have time to get changed and leave the lunch bag somewhere. I decide that I would help her get a meeting with the director and hopefully she'll come back better dressed and more prepared. Poor woman.
"Ma'am, if you give me your name, I can speak to the secretary and have her schedule an appointment for you and you can come back later," I offer.
She smiles at me and says, "My name is Shan Cai."
"Great! I'll let the secretary know as soon as she comes back from her break. Would you mind sitting in the waiting room for a little while? There's coffee, tea, and bottled water. Help yourself!"
"Well, thank you. I'll go ahead and sit there for a while," she says graciously then walks over to the white sectional couch in the waiting area. She pulls out her phone and sends a quick text message. She then takes a book out of her backpack and starts to read. I shake my head at her. Poor woman. I'm not sure what she could possibly want with the director but she's probably better off not meeting the mean director who makes grown men cry.
Fifteen minutes later, the clients Director Dao Ming was meeting with leave. They seem happy with the outcome of their discussion and I watch as they walk to the elevator. I look over at Shan Cai and she's engrossed in her book. She seems fine waiting for the secretary to come back.
Suddenly, the giant security door shoots open and a very angry looking Director Dao Ming comes out.
"SHAN CAI!" he yells and rushes over to the strange woman at the couch. I stand up from behind my desk feeling very confused. How does the director already know Shan Cai?
"Dao Ming Si!" she says as she stands up cheerfully.
He grabs her shoulders and asks, "Why are you waiting out here? You're late!" My mouth drops open and I look back at the schedule I was staring at all day. I didn't see Shan Cai anywhere!
"Dao Ming Si! Stop yelling! I came as soon as I could! I just finished helping Xiaoyou paint her apartment and I rushed home and grabbed lunch. I was rushing and forgot my security card again!" she yells back at him.
"Then why didn't you tell the receptionist to let you in?!" he responds and angrily gestures at me.
She rolls her eyes at him, "I did but I didn't have an appointment. You're so strict with your stupid office door. Of course she couldn't let me in."
Director Dao Ming's eyes widen and he turns a menacing gaze at me. He grabs her hand and stalks over to my desk. Reflexively, I back up a little and stop when the back of my knees hit my chair.
The director narrows his eyes and he shouts, "New girl, why didn't you let my fiancée through the door to my office? Why did you make her wait!"
My mouth drops open in shock. Fiancee?! How was I supposed to know that?! Suddenly I'm scared that my first day will be my last day. "I-I didn't know she was your fiancée! Please forgive me!"
"DAO MING SI! She's new and doesn't know I am! Of course she didn't know to let me in!" Shan Cai says in my defense.
The director keeps his eyes on me and doesn't respond to her. "You know, your job is very simple. We can replace you at any time." My panic shoots through the roof.
Shan Cai rips her hand out of his grasp and folds her arms over her chest with the lunch bag swinging on her wrist. "Dao Ming Si! If you fire this woman for doing her job, I'm leaving!" This statement seems to break his concentration on me because he turns to her.
"But she didn't let you in! You waited out here for an hour!" he tells her with matching folded arms. I gulp and watch the exchange in silence.
"First off, I wasn't waiting for an hour. Second, you were in a meeting anyway! If I went in earlier, I would've been waiting for you and reading a book anyway in the private suite!"
"But if she let you in, you would've been more comfortable in the private suite!"
"But I was already confortable in the waiting area out here!"
"But she still didn't let you in. I can't stand for that kind of stupidity here!"
"She didn't know who I am! If you fire her, I'm leaving right now!"
"If you leave, I'll follow!"
"Fine, if you follow I won't let you touch me for a week. You won't be able to hold my hand or anything!"
"What?! You're going to do that just because of this woman?!"
"Yes! I don't want to be the reason that someone loses her job just because she didn't know who I was!"
The director seems to pause and think about what she just said. He then pulls out his cell phone, "Fine! Then I'm going to send one of our engagement pictures to my secretary and tell her to send it to all employees of Dao Ming Group!"
"DAO MING SI! Don't you dare!" Shan Cai shouts as she rushes to grab his phone. He raises the phone high above her head and she jumps to grab at it. If I wasn't so terrified that I was about to be fired, I would be amused by what I was seeing.
She stops trying to reach for his phone, pouts, and turns her back to him, "Then I want to choose which one!"
For the first time since he's come out of his office, he smiles. He gently lowers his phone in front of her and seems to cradle her. As she flips through pictures in the phone he continues to hold, he smiles adoringly at her. My heart clenches because I'm not completely sure if I'm safe. This really is a cute sight but my life is on the line!
"D-d-director, um, am I fired?" I stutter on the brink of tears.
They both look at me with different expressions. He looks startled as if he forgot I was there. She smiles apologetically. She looks up at him from the circle of his arms and says, "Ah Si?"
The director clears his throat and simply says, "Don't do that again. You were doing a good job until this point." He then smiles at Miss Shan Cai and turns her towards the security doors.
Before they open the door, she leaves his arms and runs over to me. "I'm sorry you had to go through that on your first day! It's my fault, I was late with our lunch and he was hungry. He's usually not like this towards his receptionists. I hope you understand," she whispers.
My affection for this woman grows as I smile tearfully at her, "Thank you for defending me. I'm so sorry I didn't let you in!"
She runs back to the director who was watching our exchange curiously. She takes his hand and his radiant smile returns. My breath catches in my throat at how handsome he is when he smiles. He's handsome when he's mad too but his smile is disarming. He seems so young.
He pulls out the security ID from his pocket and gestures with his head to the lunch bag, "What did you bring me today? I smelled something delicious in the kitchen last night and didn't feel like eating anything the whole day because I only wanted to eat what you made!"
"DAO MING SI! You better eat something when I'm late! I'm going to put snacks in desk and…" Miss Shan Cai replies as the door closes behind them and muffles all sound.
On my first day as receptionist at Dao Ming Group I learned that absolutely no one can get through those security doors without an appointment… unless you are a tiny woman who has the director of the company wrapped around her finger. Given what I saw of his temper today, I don't even want to imagine what he's like without her! I shudder at the thought of them not being together and sit down. Where the heck is that secretary and why didn't she tell me anything about the director's fiancée who brings him lunch everyday?