Unlike yesterday, Li Jiao now arrived at the company as President Li rather than the black-famed minor celebrity coming to sign a contract.
Although Li Yichen was extremely reluctant to hand “Gardenia Star” over to her, family scandals shouldn’t be aired in public, and surface-level propriety had to be maintained for the subordinates.
Thus, the first stumbling block—Li Kunming—personally came to receive her.
Wearing sunglasses throughout the entire visit, Li Jiao toured every corner of the company under Li Kunming’s unwilling yet obsequious guidance.
It wasn’t that she wanted to appear profound, but she had no intention of openly revealing that Li Jiao was the head of “Gardenia Star.”
She had thoroughly absorbed Lin Ru’s teachings.
In contemporary society, contrast and slap-in-the-face literature were all the rage, and Li Jiao fully agreed with this. She planned to keep her disguise intact until the timing was right for disclosure.
Even though she wore a smile, the newly parachuted president’s behavior—keeping her head held high and wearing sunglasses while touring the entire company—left an impression on all the employees.
The new boss was probably a show-off.
“Putting on such airs, all because she was born lucky? Acting so pretentious, she’s probably all bark and no bite,” one employee muttered under his breath as he watched Li Jiao’s retreating figure.
“Born lucky? I’m not so sure about that. Maybe she worked hard for it later~” another employee nearby chimed in, wearing a knowing expression.
“Exactly. Who said a daughter has to be a biological daughter? Rich families are messy… you know…” The employee was about to go too far with his remarks when he suddenly felt a gaze sweep over him.
Looking up, he saw Li Jiao slightly turn her head backward.
Even though she wore sunglasses, obscuring her expression, he felt a chilling coldness envelop him.
Instantly terrified, he stammered the last two syllables through clenched teeth.
He hurriedly covered his mouth with trembling hands, his mind racing with panic—what should he do now that she had heard him?
However, Li Jiao didn’t linger. After just a second, she turned back and continued walking.
She had always disdained personally confronting a man.
For those who couldn’t control their mouths, it was best to let someone equally impatient on their first day handle the situation.
“Vice President Li, the company’s atmosphere seems a bit off, don’t you think?” Li Jiao tilted her head slightly and asked with a smile.
“This… yes, yes, I’ll discuss this matter with the management department,” Li Kunming replied, already aware of what the employee had said—after all, he had instructed it.
He had long heard that Miss Li had a bad temper and was used to getting her way. If rumors about her spread throughout the company within days, she would surely lose her temper and run home crying to her mother.
He just hadn’t expected his subordinate to be so incompetent—whispering gossip and getting caught by Li Jiao. It was infuriating!
“However, I’ve never been a fan of collective punishment. As the saying goes, every grievance has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor, right? Just give him individual training on behavioral etiquette and some legal education,” Li Jiao dropped the remark without caring what Li Kunming thought, then strode into her office and shut the door behind her, leaving him outside.
Left alone outside, Li Kunming nearly bumped into the glass door, his nostrils flaring with rage as he panted heavily.
Starting off with a show of authority—he had truly underestimated this young girl.
“Investigation shows, travel programs, farming series, and competition formats…” Li Jiao leaned back on her rocking chair, flipping through the variety show proposals Lin Ru had handed her one by one.
“Which one do you think would best showcase my personal charm?” She spun one document between three fingers as she asked.
“…” Lin Ru took a deep breath. “Recently, investigation and farming shows have been trending more… but I’d still recommend you choose the travel program.”
After all, you can’t understand investigation scripts, and you don’t know how to do farm work – how would we even edit that footage?
This thought Lin Ru only dared to keep to herself.
“This genre has stood the test of time, and if done well, it could become a classic,” she continued to explain.
“Alright, let’s go with this one then.” Li Jiao always adhered to the principle that professional matters should be handled by professionals.
“Understood.” Lin Ru breathed a sigh of relief. She had genuinely worried Li Jiao might give her a difficult task. If not for wanting to show she took the new boss’s assignment seriously, she would have placed only the travel show proposal before Li Jiao.
“There’s also the matter of your Weibo account management. Would you like our staff to handle it or manage it personally?”
“In people’s eyes, does the account represent me?” Li Jiao asked while unfolding and studying the travel show proposal.
“You could say that.”
“Then of course I’ll manage it myself.” She looked up, her expression astonished as if unable to believe Lin Ru would ask such a foolish question.
Lin Ru could read the skepticism in her eyes.
But she felt helpless too – Li Jiao knew nothing about the current industry situation!
Artists who speak carelessly are everywhere, and those too lazy to post on Weibo themselves are countless.
As an agent, she had to endure criticism on the company account while receiving praise on the artist’s account.
They were practically living double lives, suffering in silence!
“Then please remember to be more active during this period, especially before the show airs. If you’re unsure about any Weibo posts or replies, make sure to consult our team.” Lin Ru spoke with humble deference.
“No problem.” Li Jiao deliberately showed off the foreign phrase she’d recently learned.
She was truly remarkable, already capable of speaking foreign languages.
However, Lin Ru completely missed the cue and showed no intention of expressing admiration. After a polite farewell, she directly exited the CEO’s office.
“…” Li Jiao pouted. If not now, then when would be the right time to sing her praises?!
Oh well, it seemed Lin Ru was indeed someone who wouldn’t flatter but would get things done.
“So, President Song, are you sending us to monitor Young Miss Li… ahem, your wife?” Li Shiyun forced herself to change the address mid-sentence under Song Li Sheng’s “casual” glance.
Perhaps due to sixth sense, she had always been somewhat afraid of this CEO who always wore a gentle smile.
But there was no choice – to better complete her work, she had to gather courage to confirm her assignment.
“Of course not, don’t overthink it. Just focus on doing your job well.” Song Li Sheng spun his ballpoint pen carelessly. “How you work under me is exactly how you’ll work at ‘Gardenia Star.’ Understand?”
Since President Song had made his stance clear, Li Shiyun now stood before Li Jiao’s desk with full alertness.
She felt somewhat anxious, unsure what Li Jiao’s true temperament would be like.
Fortunately, she was here for legitimate business rather than to be a spy, which significantly eased her psychological burden.
Li Jiao slowly looked Li Shiyun up and down.
Standing ramrod straight with bright, spirited eyes—truly impressive.
As expected of someone sent by Song Li Sheng, she quite liked what she saw.
“I’ve reviewed your file,” Li Jiao said, pushing their documents aside and pulling out the variety show proposal. “You’ll be responsible for setting the budget plan for this project.”
Li Shiyun took it and examined it carefully.
“Of course, with your talent, this won’t be your only task. While working on it, carefully compare it with budget plans from previous similar projects and see if you notice anything unusual.”
Li Jiao’s expression remained unchanged, maintaining her leisurely posture.
But upon hearing this, Li Shiyun’s alertness level jumped from twelve to twenty percent.
She understood the underlying message in Li Jiao’s words.
Finance was always the most prone to issues; the slightest carelessness could create loopholes for exploitation.
So… wow, not only was she not a spy, but she could also catch the culprits?
“Understood, I’ll get right on it!” she replied, feeling unexpectedly excited about her first assignment of this nature.
Li Jiao nodded with satisfaction. “Do well. I always treat my people right.” She rose from her chair, walked slowly over to Li Shiyun, and patted her shoulder. “Help me clear all obstacles, and what awaits us is the sea of stars!”
“And promotions and raises!” Li Jiao added immediately, remembering the ultimate goal of modern professionals.
Recalling the salary figure on the contract she had just signed and hearing the words “promotions and raises,” Li Shiyun didn’t feel like Manager Li was drawing a big cake at all—instead, she felt her blood boiling with motivation.
“Yes, my lord!”
The moment she said it, her face flushed red. Why had such a cringey line slipped out uncontrollably? “Manager Li, I—”
“Excellent! Very spirited.” Li Jiao clearly didn’t understand what Li Shiyun had said, interpreting it as a pledge of loyalty and eagerly showcasing her own enthusiasm in response.
“Get to work!” she said, even more pleased.
Watching Li Shiyun leave with the documents, Li Jiao felt physically and mentally content. She thought she should express her gratitude to Song Li Sheng.
But after scrolling through her phone contacts repeatedly, she still couldn’t find Song Li Sheng’s number.
Refusing to believe it, Li Jiao opened WeChat—similarly, his name wasn’t there.
Had the original host really not saved her own fiancé’s contact information?!
She was nearly frantic.
She’d have to ask for it in person!