9
Jiang Siyu lifted her gaze and glanced at the hesitant An Ning. That single look, devoid of any emotion, felt like a heavy hammer striking An Ning’s heart.
She didn’t know why this woman, who appeared younger than herself, carried such an imposing presence, but she was well aware that if she continued to cower, she might as well forget about her position as the president’s executive assistant.
Taking a deep breath, An Ning replied quickly and clearly: “Vice President Lin and his assistant haven’t arrived yet.”
Everyone present was sharp enough to have already noticed that Vice President Lin hadn’t shown up.
Now that Jiang Siyu was aware of this, how she chose to handle it would dictate the attitude they should adopt toward their new president.
Jiang Siyu’s face didn’t show the displeasure some had anticipated. She calmly confirmed with An Ning:
“Did you notify him properly?”
An Ning nodded. “I even made a special trip to Vice President Lin’s office three minutes ago to remind him.”
Although An Ning was a veteran of Mirror View, she understood that Jiang Siyu was her direct superior.
As someone on the same boat, she naturally didn’t want Jiang Siyu to clash head-on with the company’s old captain, which was why she had gone out of her way to remind Vice President Lin.
However, it seemed he wasn’t interested in giving her face.
“Okay.” Jiang Siyu withdrew her gaze from An Ning and looked at the woman seated in the third row to her right:
“Director Wang, how does the company discipline employees who are late or absent without cause from major meetings?”
Wang Xue hadn’t expected to be the first one called out at today’s meeting.
Under Jiang Siyu’s sharp gaze, she instinctively straightened her back before replying:
“The company…”
“Sorry, I’m late.” A voice suddenly sounded from the doorway, cutting off Wang Xue’s unfinished words.
Wang Xue nervously glanced at Vice President Lin, who appeared completely at ease, and was still wondering what to do when Jiang Siyu’s voice came through again.
She lightly tapped her knuckles on the desk. “Continue.”
Two words—concise yet brooking no argument—immediately put everyone in the room on edge.
Lin Sui also keenly sensed the tense atmosphere in the conference room. His lips moved slightly before he continued:
“My apologies, President Jiang. I was held up by some matters and arrived a bit late. I hope I haven’t delayed your schedule?”
Seeing that Jiang Siyu was only staring at the computer in front of her, not even sparing him a glance, Lin Sui felt a lump of frustration stuck in his chest but had to swallow it down.
Seeing that he was about to speak again, Wang Xue quickly seized the gap to finish answering Jiang Siyu’s question.
“Company policy states that anyone who is late for or absent from major company meetings without cause, upon verification, will receive a written warning and have their entire monthly performance bonus and bonus deducted.”
As Wang Xue’s voice trailed off, Jiang Siyu hummed in acknowledgment, swiveling her chair half a turn to face Lin Sui, who stood there awkwardly.
Leaning back against her chair, she lightly tapped her crossed leg:
“As a veteran employee of Mirror View for many years, Vice President Lin must be even more familiar with company regulations than I am. Do you have any objection to this penalty?”
The moment Wang Xue’s words landed, Lin Sui knew that while he had been trying to put Jiang Siyu in her place, she had no intention of letting him off the hook either.
But he shouldn’t have let his pride get the better of him and handed Jiang Siyu a handle to use against him.
Realizing this, Lin Sui felt a pang of regret.
At his position, a month’s worth of performance bonus and bonus was already a considerable sum. Having it deducted like this made his heart bleed.
He took a deep breath. “President Jiang, I was only a few minutes late because I was busy with other matters. As a veteran employee of the company holding the position of vice president, I have a lot on my plate.
You’ve just arrived, so you might not be fully aware of the situation. There’s no need to make such a big deal out of this, is there?”
His words carried a sharp edge, but Jiang Siyu remained unruffled.
“Evidence,” she said.
Lin Sui was taken aback. “What evidence?”
“Show me evidence that you were busy with official matters. I, Jiang Siyu, only speak based on facts.”
Lin Sui had deliberately been killing time in his office—how could he possibly produce any real evidence?
The smile on his lips stiffened slightly, and he resented Jiang Siyu for being so merciless.
His earlier words had clearly given her a way out. Since Jiang Siyu wanted to burn bridges, then she couldn’t blame him for playing dirty.
A flash of malice flickered in his eyes as Lin Sui shrugged with an innocent expression:
“My apologies, President Jiang. I can’t produce the so-called evidence you’re asking for. But as a core member of this company, I’ve worked tirelessly for it over the years, and I believe I have a clear conscience.”
“President Jiang, as a new broom sweeping clean, if you insist on lighting this fire, then I, Lin Sui, will accept it.”
At those words, Jiang Siyu’s gaze turned even colder.
Playing the emotional card with her? Trying to pressure her with seniority?
The corners of her lips, which had shown no discernible curve, slowly curled upward. “Vice President Lin’s reminder is well taken.”
Seeing Jiang Siyu break into a smile and echo his words, Lin Sui relaxed somewhat.
He knew it—how much guts could a pretty face like her have to go against him? She’d cave easily enough.
Lin Sui smugly lifted his lips, about to ease the atmosphere, when Jiang Siyu said with a smile:
“As a veteran employee of the company, Vice President Lin still knowingly breaks the rules. If I don’t make an example of you, I’d be letting down my status as a ‘newcomer.’ So…”
“The punishment will be doubled, as a sign of my respect for your old bones.”
The smile that had just appeared on Lin Sui’s face froze instantly. “President Jiang!”
“Isn’t this punishment too harsh?!”
“Harsh?” Jiang Siyu cast a sidelong glance at him, her shadow gracefully drifting back to its original position. “Isn’t this what Vice President Lin worked so hard to earn?”
She folded her hands on the conference table, her gaze sweeping across every face in the room.
Beside her, Lin Sui’s furious glare was almost tangible, yet Jiang Siyu remained perfectly composed.
“As the directly appointed head of this branch, I know there are plenty of people who don’t accept me. Take our Vice President Lin, for example…”
“But if you don’t accept me, you can openly voice your objections to my face. I, Jiang Siyu, may be younger than you veterans, but that doesn’t mean I know less than any of you.”
“As a vice president of this company, resorting to such childish and foolish tactics—no wonder the company’s revenue hasn’t even cracked the domestic top ten in all these years.”
“Jiang Siyu, anyone can talk big!” Since the gloves were off, Lin Sui didn’t hold back either. “Just don’t let the company lose even its current achievements after you take over—now that would really be a laughingstock.”
Jiang Siyu raised an eyebrow, looking at Lin Sui, who had already slouched lazily into his seat. “And what if my results after taking office surpass the best performance Vice President Lin has achieved through all your years of hard work?”
Lin Sui narrowed his eyes. It wasn’t that he looked down on Jiang Siyu, but the domestic market was already saturated. For her to surpass his results in such a short time—absurd!
Seeing Jiang Siyu’s brimming confidence, Lin Sui pondered for a moment before speaking slowly: “Since President Jiang is so confident, why don’t we make a bet?”