The chairman of this company, surnamed Liu, is 45 years old and has studied at Harvard University, making him appear gentle and courteous. On my first day at work, those worries in my mind were cleared away, and he was a far cry from the bosses I had met before. He treats his subordinates very well, and every employee of the company respects him.

Everything seems to be going very smoothly. I work hard and my talent is gradually recognized by the chairman. He began to delegate some important tasks to me, such as asking me to visit important clients on his behalf and signing some important documents for him. I have become his trusted assistant. In addition to working contacts, I maintain a good distance with him.

I secretly congratulated myself, thinking that I had come through all my hardships and had really followed a good boss. However, this beautiful situation only lasted for half a year. In October 2003, I accompanied him to Nanchong to investigate a piece of land. At that time, our company was adjusting its strategy to enter the real estate market in secondary cities, so the chairman of the board of directors was determined to acquire this land located in the Jialing River. But at least four companies were competing with each other. That night, the chairman and I were drinking with one of his "friends". I noticed from the man's eyes and movements that he meant no good to me.

In fact, this situation is often encountered when I accompany the chairman for entertainment, but every time he helps me out. However, on that night, he seemed to have been indulging in various unusual actions of his friend. After dinner, he pulled me aside and begged me to spend the night with his friend, promising to provide me with a flat and send me to the United States to study. "I stood there, cold all over, and all my respect for him evaporated into nothing.". In other words, the professional pride I had so hard to establish crumbled in his pleading gaze.

That night, I entered his friend's room with a sense of despair and revenge. Soon after, our company succeeded in capturing the land. The chairman made no mistake. He gave me a small apartment in the center of the city and asked me to go to the United States for further study for three months. On the night we returned from the United States, we were together.

This was the entire process of my being "hidden by the rules". At that time, I graduated from college less than a year ago, and I was only 23 years old. Later, the chairman's wife came to me and handed me a check for 100000 yuan, saying that she wanted to buy out my remaining two-year contract and ask me to leave the company with the money.

In front of his wife, I tore up the check and scattered it on her face. Later, I realized that I shouldn't have done that to her. She is also a tragic victim. Later, I left the company, sold the house in Shizhong District, and went to Shanghai alone. During my three years in Shanghai, I changed four companies and still worked as a secretary for my boss, becoming accustomed to those hidden rules.

Only when I face my parents and friends can I feel intense pain inside. Every time I change jobs, I deceive them and say I'm doing another job. The constant forced smiles and endless false feelings have exhausted me. Over the years, I've been in love several times before and after, but all of them have been just for fun. I can sympathize with the girl in Chongqing who worked as a secretary and failed eight blind dates. As long as you have done this job, even if you really get out of the mud without getting stained, how many people believe in your innocence?

Or, even if you want to be clean and conservative, how much capital and courage do you have to refuse the dirty demands of some bosses?

(Intern Editor: Cai Junyi)