The Minister's Silly Girl

Ms. Yumemi Kato, congratulations on passing your exam. Please report to Kuran Business Corporation with your credentials and seal.

Yumemi hurried across the street, her long ponytail and scarf fluttering high. The mist from her breath was swept back by the cold wind, warming her flushed cheeks.

Her steps were hurried, yet her face was filled with a radiant smile, infecting even the people rushing to work with her lighthearted cheer.

Before running up the escalator, she spotted an elderly woman selling flowers in front of a convenience store and stopped. "Your flowers are so beautiful! It's rare to see flowers on such a cold day!"

The old lady smiled sweetly back at her. “These come from my husband's greenhouse, young lady. Would you like to take one home?”

Yumi shook her head with a smile. “Today's my first day at work, and I'm running late! I'll leave early tomorrow and buy some from you then!”

“Alright. Good luck!” the old lady said with a smile.

“I will, thank you!”

Watching her half-run up the escalator, the old lady called after her with concern, “Be careful, don't fall!”

Yoshimi waved from the top of the escalator, “Don't worry, I'm fine!”

Glancing at her watch, the train would arrive in five minutes—she'd have to run. No problem, she was the Kansai women's sprint record holder!

Running through the mall atrium, Yumemi spotted a man leaning against a chair near the back entrance of a hotel not far ahead of the station. He seemed to be asleep.

Sleeping outside in this weather would freeze him!

Unable to ignore it, Yumemi ran up to him, crouched down, and gently tapped his hand. “Sir, sir! You can't sleep here. You'll catch a chill!”

The man opened bleary eyes, looking momentarily lost as if unsure where he was.

Could he be a tourist?

Yukimi switched to fluent English: “Sir, do you need help?”

Ge'an blinked. Normally, hearing such a sweet voice might have made him want to chat, but now that bright smile only annoyed him!

“Go away!”

Unharmed by his anger, Yumi remained gentle. “Sir, it's minus five degrees outside. You'll freeze to death sleeping here.”

“Go away!” The last thing he needed now was insincere concern. She knew nothing—what gave her the right to smile like an angel?

He was running late for the train. Yumi took off her scarf and wrapped it around his neck, her smile radiant. “Smile, and you'll feel happier!”

Ge An Gang's frozen hands couldn't stop her in time. He could only glare hatefully at that overly innocent smile.

Yumi waved goodbye. “See you! Take care!”

With only two minutes left, he had to run!

Her fleeing silhouette vanished as abruptly as her arrival, leaving only the warm, fragrant scarf around his neck.

That day, Kato Yumemi officially joined Kato Trading, while Kato Gang—ordered home by his father to inherit the family business—insisted on fighting for one last year of freedom.

You have the freedom to be angry, child. But as the sole heir of the Kato family, you bear responsibilities you cannot evade or shirk.

Yukimi dashed across the street, her ponytail and scarf fluttering behind her, her rosy cheeks still beaming with a smile.

She stopped in front of the convenience store. “Good morning, Granny! How's business today?”

For the past year, she'd passed this flower stall every workday, always pausing to chat with the elderly vendor.

“Not too bad. Cold weather keeps folks from buying flowers!”

Yukimi crouched down to chat with the cheerful old lady. “Wow! New flowers today!” She picked up a pot with orange-yellow, deep purple, and snow-white blooms. “Grandma, what's this flower called?”

“It's called a pansy.” The old lady pointed at the flowers with a smile. “Also called cat's face. Look, doesn't the deep purple center look just like a cat's face?”

“Cat’s face? It really does! Granny, I'll take this one!”

"You often buy flowers for the office. Do you have space for them? My son says Ge'an Trading is a huge company! Your headquarters alone has thousands of employees. Big companies have so many rules—is it okay for you to keep bringing flowers there?"

“Don't worry, Grandma. The female colleagues at my office love the flowers Grandpa grows. They say they're easy to care for and hardy. Once I bring them in, they'll be snapped up right away.” Yumi handed over the money.

The old lady accepted it with a smile. “Is that so? Heh heh, my husband would be so pleased to hear that.”

A muffled whimper came from the cardboard box nearby. Yumemi crouched down, meeting the round, shiny eyes.

“What an adorable puppy! Grandma, may I pet it?”

“Of course!”

“So fluffy and cute! Grandma, what's the puppy's name?”

“I don't know. I found it curled up in the corner this morning, looking cold, so I asked the staff for a box to keep it warm.”

The puppy wagged its tail vigorously at Yumi, its innocent, round eyes utterly endearing.

“Sweetie, where's your owner?” Yumi picked it up and noticed a small gold tag on its collar. “TK? Are you Taiji?”

The dog wagged its tail happily.

“Grandma, it really seems to be named Taiji!”

“Taiji? What a lovely name!”

Yukimi rubbed Taiji's head with her cheek. “Grandma, since he has an ID tag, it shouldn't be too hard to find his owner.”

“Yes, I plan to wait here and hope Taiji’s owner comes looking for him. However, there's no nearby veterinary clinic. If his owner doesn't show up, I don't know what to do.”

That made sense. With only two elderly people at home, it wouldn't be convenient for them to care for a puppy.

Yukimi thought for a moment. “How about this? If Taiji's owner hasn't shown up by the time I finish work, I'll take him home. There's a vet clinic down the hill from my place. We can ask the doctor to look up Taiji's owner's information.”

“That's wonderful!” The old lady smiled with relief.

Yukimi placed Taiji back in the box and patted his head again. “Taiji, be a good boy and wait here for your owner. Don't cause any trouble for Granny, okay?” Standing up, she added, ”Grandma, I have to go now. A client from Shanghai is visiting the company early this morning. As the switchboard operator, I need to arrive early to greet the guests!"

“Oh? Then go ahead!” The old lady watched her take the escalator in quick strides. “Take your time! Be careful, don't fall!”

Yukimi waved from the escalator. “Don't worry, I'll be fine!”

Watching her energetic figure disappear, the old lady murmured to herself, “Just seeing this child's smiling face every day gives me energy for the whole day!”

“Hello, Kato here from Kōan Trading. Pleased to assist you.”

Yukimi heard the phone ring the moment she entered the lobby. She barely made it to the reception desk before stumbling awkwardly over it to grab the receiver. Even so, her voice remained as professionally sweet as ever.

Her senior colleagues often emphasized that, as a receptionist, even in a disaster like spilling coffee on your skirt, the moment the phone rings, you must respond with professionalism.

Ge'an Corporation was one of Japan's top companies, and the front desk receptionist represented its crucial public face—absolutely no room for error.

A woman's voice came through the line: “Kato, this is Nishijo. I'm feeling unwell today. Could you cover for me? I'll be arriving at the office a bit later.”

Senior Nishijo was supposed to be on front desk duty with her today. Without her, things would get hectic!

“But we have foreign guests visiting today. Could you—” Before she could finish, Yumemi stared at the ringing receiver, sighed, and hung up.

This was not the scene Kōan had anticipated.

Stepping into the company lobby, he saw a female employee sprawled across the reception desk. Her short miniskirt had ridden up to her knees, revealing shapely, fair legs.

Her voice was sweet, almost familiar, yet her silhouette was entirely unfamiliar—she couldn’t possibly know him!

Ge An Gang frowned. While the sight was pleasing, it felt decidedly unprofessional.

Yoshimi hung up the receiver and turned to find a stranger staring at her. She smiled and stepped forward, bowing slightly. “Good afternoon. Welcome to Ge An Trading. I’m Kato, your receptionist. How may I assist you?” "

Ge Angang's brow furrowed. He felt like he'd heard similar words somewhere before...

Did he not understand Japanese? Yukimi switched to English: “Sir, do you need assistance?” Ah! He remembered! “You're the gentleman outside the station!”

Ge Angang recognized her, too—the woman who'd seen him at his most disheveled. A year later, her smile was just as irritating!

“I'm here to see the president.” He skipped pleasantries.

Facing his cold demeanor, Yumi maintained her cheerful smile. “The president hasn't arrived yet. Please wait a moment.”

Ge Angang had no desire to be ushered into the reception area. He'd lost his temper, and his mood was already foul. He brushed past her. “I'll wait upstairs.”

“Please wait!” Yumi blocked his path. “The president hasn't entered his office yet. It's inconvenient to receive guests. Please wait downstairs.”

Ge Angang stared at her coldly.

Yumi felt sweat beading on her forehead. Despite this, she met his icy gaze with a forced smile. “Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Please follow me this way, thank you!”

Ge An Gang shifted his feet but headed straight for the elevator.

“Sir!” Yumi hurried after him, trying to stop him from entering.

The elevator doors opened, revealing Public Relations Director Gen Shuuji.

“Ge An?” Gen Shuuji patted his shoulder cheerfully. “Your father said you'd join the company, but I didn't believe it. Turns out it's true!”

He glanced at the cold-faced Ge An and the flustered Yumi. “What's the matter?”

Thankfully, the most amiable supervisor in the entire company was coming down! Yumi felt relieved she wouldn't be scolded for failing to stop a client.

“Director Gen, this gentleman wishes to see the president, but the president hasn't arrived at the office yet. The gentleman refuses to wait in the reception room and insists on going upstairs...”

Gen Shuichi’s mouth fell open. “You want Ge An to wait in the reception area?”

The manager’s mouth was twitching—was he trying to laugh?

“Yes, I’d like to ask this gentleman to wait in the reception area first,” Yumi answered blankly, then belatedly glared at Ge An Gang. “Ge An?” Did he have the same surname?

Minami Hyuuga flashed a grin at Gao Angang, whose expression had grown grave. “Seems you didn't reveal your identity. No wonder Miss Kato wouldn't let you upstairs.” She turned to Yumi and said, “Let me introduce you. This is Gao Angang, the president's son—the future president.”

“The... the... the...” Yumi stammered.

Ge An Gang, unwilling to waste time, shot her a cold glance before striding into the elevator.

“Wait, I'll go up with you.” Gen Shuuji slipped in just before the doors closed.

Yumi stared blankly at the ascending elevator. After a long moment, she thought angrily: What's the big deal? So he's the future president—does that give him the right to treat people like this?

So infuriating! Infuriating!

The phone rang.

Yukimi hurried back to the counter, her expression sullen and her voice slightly breathless, though still sweet. “Kato & Co., hello. This is Kato. Pleased to assist you.”

Inside the elevator.

“Are you really that reluctant to take over the family business?”

Kato Anko shot his friend a look. "And what about you? Aren't you stuck at Gao'an Trading too, refusing to take over your family's shipping company?"

“True, I'm no better.” Gen Shuichi shrugged indifferently. “Never mind that. You're in a particularly bad mood today. Why?”

Gao Angang wasn't exactly approachable, but he didn't usually go out of his way to pick fights. His attitude toward Kato just now bordered on deliberately looking for trouble.

“Yinu's gone.” Ge Angang rubbed his weary temples.

Yuan Xiuzhi was startled. “How could Yinu be gone?”

Yinu was Ge Angang's beloved dog. The day his friend gave him the puppy coincided with his father's final ultimatum, so Ge Angang had always cherished Yinu as his last vestige of freedom. For the past year, Yinu had been his constant companion.

Ge An Gang ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Last night I took Yinu downstairs to the hotel bar for drinks. I have no memory of how we got back upstairs. When I woke up this morning, Yinu wasn't in the room. The hotel staff hasn't seen him either. He must have gotten lost.”

Gen Shuuji asked without much hope, “Does Yinu have a microchip with owner information registered?”

Ge An Gang shot him a look of regret.

“I don't think so.” Won Su-ji patted her friend's shoulder. “I'll help you look for it after work.”

Poor Kato—turns out he was just taking the fall.

Phew! So tired!

Yumi gently cracked her neck, twitched her lips, and stretched her stiff cheeks. Smiling all day had worn her out!

“Hey!” Nishijō Riko suddenly sat down beside her and whispered, “Did the section chief notice I was late?”

Yūki also lowered her voice. “No, he thought you were out delivering mail. Senior, you're hardly late—it's almost quitting time!”

No sooner had she finished than six chimes rang out in the lobby.

Riko Nishijō immediately stood up. “Thanks! Got another perfect attendance bonus this month. Alright, I'm off.”

“Senior, but the client from Shanghai is still in the Overseas Business Department!” According to regulations, counter staff must wait until all visitors have left before clocking out.

“You've worked hard today.” Nishikata patted her on the shoulder. “Newcomers need to learn. This is your chance to gain experience. Shouldn't you thank me?”

That made sense. Yumi nodded obediently. “Thank you, Senior.”

“You're welcome.” Nishikata glided away.

Watching her senior colleague leave for the day, Yumemi remained seated with a smile. When would the Shanghai client upstairs finally head home? Had Taiji found his owner yet? Her mother-in-law was still waiting for her. Sigh!

“Yumemi.” The section chief approached, glancing at her tidy desk. “Has Nishikata left?”

“Yes, Senior Nishikata had prior commitments and left early. Rest assured, Chief, I'll stay until the client departs.”

“Thank you for your hard work.” The section chief waved a stack of documents. “We're about to welcome a new hire to our department. Headquarters wants us to reassign someone to the secretariat. Based on seniority, I was considering Nishijo. I wanted to consult her directly, but she's already left.”

“I see. I'll ask her tomorrow then.”

“That's the only option.” Just as the section chief turned to leave, he paused as if remembering something. “Kato, you've been with the company for a year now, right?”

“Yes, it was exactly