When Li Shu saw the face of the new president, her eyes widened in a daze. She excitedly grabbed Wen Yao’s hand. “Look! The new CEO is really handsome!”
“He’s got to be at least 1.9 meters tall, right? And that physique—clearly from years of working out. He looks even better in a suit than a model.”
Wen Yao didn’t hear a word Li Shu said. As she watched Xing Yu walking closer step by step, her instinct was to run—but her body felt frozen in place.
Why is it him?
After introducing the company’s senior management and key staff, the vice president smiled and said, “President Xing, these are all the company employees.”
Xing Yu lifted his gaze and swept it across the room, calmly looking at a sea of unfamiliar faces.
The moment his eyes passed over, Wen Yao instinctively lowered her head. Standing toward the back of the crowd made her less noticeable.
Xing Yu only gave the employees a brief glance before withdrawing his gaze.
The vice president led the newly appointed CEO to his office, and the employees gradually dispersed, returning to their posts.
Wen Yao watched the tall figure step into the elevator. Just two days ago, she had told him her name was Wen Yao—well, technically Wen Yao with a different character. Since they weren’t familiar, as long as she didn’t say anything, he wouldn’t notice.
But now they were in the same company.
Sooner or later, he would realize she had lied.
Li Shu noticed something was off. “Wen Yao, what’s wrong with you? You seem distracted.”
Wen Yao pulled her gaze back and shook her head. “I’m fine. Probably didn’t sleep well last night.”
Li Shu actually felt a bit sorry for her. “You’re working and raising a child all by yourself—it’s really not easy. Doesn’t your ex-husband pay child support at all?”
Wen Yao didn’t think her life was difficult anymore.
Because she had already endured the hardest three years.
Now, every day she spent with her daughter felt like happiness.
It was just that this happiness had been disturbed by Xing Yu’s sudden reappearance.
“My child has nothing to do with him. He doesn’t need to pay child support.”
President’s Office
“President Xing, the company’s profit reports from the past two years are all here, along with the current ongoing projects. At the moment, you only have one special assistant and one secretary. The assistant resigned a week ago,” the vice president said with a polite smile.
Xing Yu was reviewing the financial reports. The performance over the past two years could only be described as average. Whether it was due to the overall economic environment or intense competition in the industry—these required further investigation.
He then picked up a recent project. The technical department was developing a metal similar to platinum, which could replace it once successfully created.
Xing Yu set the document down and looked at the young woman standing nearby. “You’re the special assistant?”
The assistant nodded. “Yes, President Xing.”
“Take one day to prepare a market report for me.”
The assistant froze for a moment and explained, “President Xing, market research isn’t part of my job—that’s the research department’s responsibility. They can submit the report.”
Xing Yu’s voice was cold and flat. “You don’t need to come in tomorrow.”
The assistant stood there, stunned.
“Recruit a new assistant. Also hire a new special assistant and a secretary.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a woman in a tight, short skirt stepped forward in high heels, her voice soft and coquettish. “President Xing, I’m the secretary.”
Xing Yu didn’t even spare her a glance. “What I need is a capable secretary—not a seductive vase.”
The secretary had specifically chosen that outfit for his first day—custom-made to highlight her figure.
Instead, it cost her her job.
Regret flooded her.
The atmosphere in the office turned tense. The vice president broke into a cold sweat.
News that the new CEO had dismissed both the assistant and secretary on his first day quickly spread throughout the company.
“They say a new leader makes bold moves—he just took over and already fired two people. That’s seriously decisive,” Li Shu whispered.
Wen Yao wasn’t surprised at all. Anything Xing Yu disliked—he would never keep.
Li Shu looked worried. “Wen Yao… do you think there’ll be layoffs?”
Wen Yao paused slightly. “Hard to say.”
Right now, she wasn’t worried about layoffs—she was afraid that Xing Yu would discover she had lied to him, and even more afraid that he would find out she had secretly given birth to a daughter.
She was still just an unknown designer, and finding another job wouldn’t be easy.
“Wen Yao, you know the CEO’s secretary, right? She dresses so provocatively every day—those tight skirts are so short you can almost see everything. President Xing said she was just a flashy vase and fired her.”
Li Shu couldn’t help but laugh after saying that. “As expected of President Xing—cold and abstinent.”
Wen Yao thought back to their time at A University. The number of girls who liked Xing Yu could line up from the track field all the way outside the campus.
On top of that, he had been in the military. Besides excelling academically, he was unmatched in almost every other aspect.
He disliked girls who dressed revealingly to deliberately attract his attention.
And she… was also one of the girls he disliked.
At lunchtime, the company had a cafeteria where employees could eat for free. The downside was that the dishes were very bland, and many people weren’t used to it.
So a lot of employees would rather order takeout than eat in the cafeteria.
The minimum for delivery nearby was thirty-five, which meant spending at least over a thousand a month on takeout.
Wen Yao always ate at the company cafeteria—it saved her more than a thousand each month.
She got herself a tray of food and found a seat by the window. It was a table for two in a corner, rarely occupied.
She took out the chili sauce she had brought, unscrewed the lid, scooped some onto her plate, and set the jar on the table.
Then she took out her phone and opened the class group chat.
The kindergarten teacher would upload videos and photos every day of the children playing and eating.
As Wen Yao scrolled through pictures of her daughter, she picked up tofu dipped in chili sauce and slowly chewed.
Seeing her daughter eating obediently, a gentle smile curved her lips.
Xing Yu, having grown used to eating in military cafeterias, came to the company cafeteria as well.
Holding his tray, he scanned the room and found it a bit strange—there were very few employees eating there.
Then he caught sight of a familiar figure in the corner. Looking closely, he realized it was Wen Yao.
He walked over with his tray. “You’re an employee of Shenghua?”
Hearing his voice, Wen Yao looked up. When she saw Xing Yu standing in front of her, the smile in her eyes vanished, replaced by surprise.
She put down her phone and replied respectfully, “President Xing, yes, I am.”
Xing Yu said, “Mind if I sit here?”
Wen Yao minded very much, but outwardly she shook her head. “Not at all, President Xing. Please.”
Xing Yu placed his tray down and sat.
Wen Yao glanced at his food, a little surprised that a CEO like him would eat in the cafeteria.
“How long have you been working at Shenghua?” Xing Yu asked, picking up a piece of tofu and putting it into his mouth. After chewing twice, he frowned slightly and looked down at it. Was there no salt?
“Less than half a year,” Wen Yao replied. Noticing his frown, she remembered from their two years together that he didn’t like overly “bland” food. She pushed the chili sauce toward him. “President Xing, try some chili sauce—it’ll taste better.”
Xing Yu glanced at the chili sauce, then looked up at her. “You already knew the food was this bland?”
Wen Yao nodded. “Yes, the cafeteria food is always light.”
Xing Yu finally understood why a free cafeteria had so few people eating there.
He glanced at the nearly empty jar of chili sauce—she must come here every day.
Someone who didn’t like bland food, yet ate here daily…
There could only be one reason: to save money.
Her daughter also had the surname Wen—so she was a single mother?
Xing Yu lifted his gaze. Wen Yao had very fair skin and was quite beautiful—someone you’d notice instantly in a crowd.
“Which department are you in? Why didn’t I see you today?”