The project team members didn’t recognize her, but seeing her dare to stand up to Chen Shuru, they knew she must be someone of significant weight, and they instinctively cleared a path.
The young woman walked toward Ye Tong step by step. She was dressed in a knee-length trench coat over slim-fit suit trousers, accented by a pair of stylish, cool flat Martin boots. Her crisp, polished look gave her an extraordinary aura, and her refined features and clean jawline were complemented by a mischievous, slightly rebellious smile at the corners of her mouth.
Her assistant, Li Qian, recognized her and couldn’t help but shout excitedly, “Young Manager Lin!”
The crowd suddenly realized who she was. They all recognized her as the young manager of the LT Group, the niece of LT’s Chairman Lin Lin Sheng. It was said that the young manager was very close with the big boss of the XM Group and had an excellent relationship with their director.
Ye Tong watched her in a daze, but Chen Shuru reacted quickly. She reined in her aggressive stance and offered a cold, insincere greeting: “Young Manager Lin, it’s been over a month. Welcome back to the company.”
“Is that how you welcome people?”
Lin Sheng arched a brow, walked to Ye Tong’s side, and wrapped an arm around her waist, shielding her behind her. She asked leisurely, “Director Ye is my guest. Do you have a problem with me?”
Chen Shuru wasn’t new to this shameless attitude. She darkened her face and said, “Young Manager Lin is an executive at LT, yet you favor an outsider. Doesn’t it hurt to slap your own face like this?”
Lin Sheng pointed at her own face. “Want to touch it and ask it if it hurts?”
Chen Shuru: “Shameless!”
“Yes, yes, I am shameless. You already knew that, didn’t you? It’s still a hundred times better than some people who act shameless by bullying the younger and weaker, right?”
The legendary young manager was indeed as outspoken and shameless as rumored. The crowd couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Chen Shuru shot a sharp glance at them, and they quickly stifled their laughter, not wanting to openly offend her.
With the Chairman’s backing, almost no one in the company dared to provoke Lin Sheng, except for Chen Shuru, who harbored ambitions of becoming the mistress of the Lin family. Chen Shuru was no longer young, had been divorced, and had no children. It was said she had lost faith in men and had turned her affections toward women. She was arrogant and had extremely high standards; she had set her sights on Lin Sheng’s aunt at first glance. If Xiao Ziyu hadn’t told her, Lin Sheng wouldn’t have known her aunt had such a troublesome “rotten peach blossom” clinging to her.
Seeing Chen Shuru’s face change color, Ye Tong worried that things might escalate and impact Lin Sheng’s reputation and authority in the company. She tugged at the sleeve of the arm Lin Sheng had wrapped around her waist, giving her a subtle look to signal for her to let it go.
Lin Sheng received Ye Tong’s hint and ground the shredded paper beneath her boots. “Let’s end this here. I signed the contract and approved this project. If you have any issues, come directly to me. Please do not disturb Director Ye’s work or affect the progress of the project, Manager Chen.”
Because of their professional disagreements, Chen Shuru had been confronted by Lin Sheng several times before. Usually, Lin Sheng would give her enough face to avoid embarrassment, but today, she had openly undermined her in front of everyone for the sake of an outsider.
Chen Shuru had come over early that morning just to test Ye Tong’s hand and, incidentally, to probe Lin Su’s attitude. She hadn’t expected to trigger a confrontation with the young manager. Chen Shuru’s gaze fell on the hand Lin Sheng had draped over Ye Tong’s waist, and she offered a meaningful smile.
“Fine. Since Young Manager Lin has stepped in to handle the matter personally, I’ll let it go for your aunt’s sake.”
Chen Shuru looked at Lin Sheng, then at the calm Ye Tong. She tried to walk past them but was blocked again by Lin Sheng.
“Don’t be in such a rush.” Lin Sheng pointed at the mess on the floor with a playful grin. “You should at least clean up this disaster before you go, shouldn’t you?”
“What do you want?” Having been provoked again and again, Chen Shuru suppressed her anger.
Lin Sheng: “Clean it up, then go.”
“Isn’t that going too far?!”
“They are partners of LT; they should be treated with courtesy when entering this company, not used as a personal outlet for your frustrations. We are all adults we should take responsibility for our actions.” Lin Sheng’s smile slowly faded. The grinding sound of her boots on the floor and her cold tone made her seem remarkably similar to Lin Su commanding respect without even raising her voice.
Though her words were reasonable, being this aggressive clearly gave Chen Shuru no face at all. The project team members looked at Chen Shuru with sympathetic eyes; she had come to kick the door down and ended up hitting an iron plate. They had been sweating, thinking their director would suffer, but with the sudden arrival of their young manager as a powerful ally, their confidence was bolstered.
After playing the “bad cop,” Ye Tong cleverly played the “good cop,” offering Chen Shuru another way out. “Manager Chen is very busy with work; we won’t take up any more of your time. We will clean it up ourselves.”
With Lin Sheng protecting Ye Tong, Chen Shuru didn’t press her luck. She nodded sensibly and said without changing her expression, “Then I will trouble Director Ye to help clean up.”
Lin Sheng wasn’t satisfied and wanted to lash out again, but Ye Tong gripped her arm and shook her head. “Forget it.”
“Just like that?” Lin Sheng deliberately raised her voice, shouting at Chen Shuru, “I’m still not satisfied! Anyone who dares to bully my person will have to answer to me!”
Chen Shuru glanced back at her, helpless against the repeated provocations since Lin Sheng was Lin Su’s niece.
Her voice had been loud enough for everyone outside the office to hear. Now, everyone in the entire group knew that Director Ye, who had joined the company, was under the protection of the young manager.
Lin Sheng made a face at Chen Shuru as she turned to leave.
Ye Tong didn’t want to cause trouble while she still had several months to stay at LT, preferring to settle matters quietly. However, looking at the situation, it seemed that even if she didn’t seek trouble, trouble would find its way to her.
Once Chen Shuru left the office, the atmosphere lightened. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but the next second, they watched as the young manager, who had been so cool just a moment ago, abandoned all image and let out a shriek, pouncing on their director.
“Ye! I’ve missed you so much!”
The crowd: “…”
Image? Young Manager Lin didn’t care about that.
Lin Sheng nearly hung off Ye Tong, hugging her with immense joy, acting like a child in front of her.
Their meeting was a matter of fate. Ye Tong had known Lin Su had a niece in school but had never met her. They first met at the entrance of a hospital in Z City. Ye Tong had been in a rush and hadn’t held her documents firmly; they fell, and Lin Sheng had kindly helped pick them up. A few days later, a new accountant joined the company, and coincidentally, that accountant was a subordinate of hers.
Lin Sheng’s personality was the complete opposite of Lin Su’s she was sunny, lively, humorous, and likable. Plus, she looked like Lin Su, so Ye Tong had naturally taken extra care of her.
Ye Tong flicked Lin Sheng’s smooth forehead with her finger. “Getting bold, aren’t you?”
“Ye, you’re so childish!” Lin Sheng rubbed her forehead, glaring at her, but immediately softened. “With me here, today’s incident will never happen again.”
Ye Tong felt a warmth in her heart. Looking at Lin Sheng’s beaming face, she couldn’t help but chuckle. She pinched Lin Sheng’s cheek and inspected her carefully. “Little Lin, it’s only been a few months, and your skin has gotten much thicker.”
“Skin can’t be eaten as food; what do I need it for?” Lin Sheng pouted, looking at Ye Tong apologetically. “I’m sorry I’m late; I almost let you be mistreated.”
“It’s nothing. I’ve dealt with clients even more unreasonable than her. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known what to do.” Ye Tong pushed Lin Sheng aside with a smile and said to the group, “Back to work, everyone. We’ll have the meeting in half an hour.”
At the director’s command, the crowd dispersed.
“Little Lin, why did you come back so suddenly without telling me?” Ye Tong asked, bending down to pick up the paper scraps.
“I wanted to give you a surprise.” Lin Sheng tried to gloss over it. Seeing Ye Tong picking up the scraps, she knelt down to help, saying, “Don’t take what happened earlier to heart. Chen Shuru just loves to pick on people. When I first joined the company, she squeezed me out in the open and in secret too. Later, we had a falling out, and she didn’t dare to be so arrogant in front of me again.”
“Don’t be polite with people like that. The more you tolerate her, the more she’ll push. Don’t worry, Ye; as long as I’m at the company, no one dares to give you trouble. If anyone bothers you, just tell me, and I’ll handle them!”
“Alright, I’ll rely on you to cover me at LT from now on.” Ye Tong gave a faint smile and took the scraps from Lin Sheng to toss them into the bin.
Lin Sheng knelt obediently in front of Ye Tong, blinking as she watched her pick up the scraps. When she saw Ye Tong look up, she said sweetly, “Ye, you’re so beautiful.”
Ye Tong wasn’t buying it. “Little brat, what kind of mischief are you plotting now?”
“I’m giving you a sincere compliment,” Lin Sheng said with a straight face. “I’m praising your beauty, your gentleness, and your understanding.”
“Fine, I’ll take it as a compliment.” Ye Tong smiled, picking up the scraps and asking, “Did the big boss come back with you?”
Lin Sheng turned her head away and started tearing the scraps in Ye Tong’s hand. “Don’t mention her.”
“What’s wrong?”
Lin Sheng looked aggrieved. “She cut off all my pocket money for next month.”
“Did you get into some trouble again and make the big boss jealous?” Hearing about this bickering couple, Ye Tong couldn’t help but laugh, her lips curling into a smile.
Lin Sheng huffed: “If only I had a girlfriend as gentle and considerate as you! She’s nothing like you—always cutting off my money. Capitalists are all bloodsuckers who exploit the working people!”
As she spoke, she tore the paper even smaller. Ye Tong had seen their daily bickering and loving reconciliations many times before, so she quickly took the scraps from Lin Sheng’s hand and tossed them into the bin.
“Just coax the big boss, she wouldn’t really hit or scold you.” After clearing the scraps, Ye Tong pulled Lin Sheng to her feet and gently brushed the dust from her trench coat.
Lin Sheng rolled her eyes Ye had never seen the big boss being ruthless enough to make her kneel on high heels. She then heard Ye Tong ask: “Did you tell your aunt you were back at the company today?”
“Oh no, oh no.” Lin Sheng slapped her own forehead. “I forgot!”
Ye Tong smiled: “Then hurry up and go.”
“I’ll come find you later!”
With those words, she ran off. Ye Tong watched as Lin Sheng hurried out of the office, her eyes full of warmth. But when her gaze landed on the wastebasket of paper, the smile faded.
Chen Shuru asked why she came back because she wasn’t satisfied? In truth, she had never intended to return to the LT Group, but it was for work. She tried to keep personal matters out of work, so she had to get close to Lin Su.
It was ridiculous that Chen Shuru saw her as an imaginary rival. If she wanted to chase that “old fox,” she should go for it clinging to Ye Tong instead was just pathetic.
Did she think she was still the same soft persimmon, inexperienced in the ways of the world and easy to crush?
Ye Tong frowned. The small incident from the morning did affect her mood, though she tried not to dwell on it.
“Director Ye, shall we start the meeting?” Her assistant, Li Qian, walked over to ask in a low voice.
Ye Tong nodded: “Start the meeting.”
Mood could be affected, but work never should be. She hoped to finish Project A quickly and leave this place of contention. After the meeting, Ye Tong took the elevator to the 30th floor.
The door to the president’s office was open. Ye Tong didn’t see Lin Sheng’s lively figure, but she did see a graceful silhouette sitting in the office chair. She wondered where that little one had run off to.
Lin Su looked up and saw Ye Tong, offering her a gentle smile. Ye Tong quickly averted her gaze, but couldn’t help glancing back at her, offering a polite, faint smile in return.
Even within the Lin family, people raised in different environments were different. Ye Tong got along well with Lin Sheng, and the niece was certainly more interesting than the aunt.
Just as Ye Tong entered her office, Xiao Ziyu followed behind her in a rush, clutching her chest to catch her breath. “Director Ye, do you know? Chen Shuru just went to cause a scene with the boss.”
“I didn’t even provoke her.” The office was heated, and Ye Tong felt beads of sweat on her forehead, so she took off her coat and placed it on her office chair.
“Chen Shuru is just too competitive. Don’t take it to heart. The boss ignored her unreasonable scene and even told her she wasn’t allowed to interfere with the project you’re in charge of.”
“That’s good.” Ye Tong’s face remained calm; Lin Su had already promised to handle Chen Shuru’s interference.
She looked up at Xiao Ziyu and asked, “Is there anything else, Secretary Xiao?”
Xiao Ziyu gave an awkward laugh. “No. I just came to tip you off to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings. I’ll go now, won’t bother your work. Go ahead.”
Ye Tong: “Alright.”
Opening the fashion show proposal on the desk, Ye Tong carefully pondered the details once more. This proposal had already been sent back to the head office, and a copy had been sent to the big boss, Xu Nan.
She couldn’t pull off such a grand event on her own. By utilizing the resources of both groups and handing it over to professionals, the fashion show would be a massive success.
The phone in her coat pocket rang. Ye Tong tore her eyes away from the proposal and pulled it out. “Huaiqiu.”
Ji Huaiqiu: “Little Tong, are you free? When are you coming to pick the models for the show? I’ve saved a few dozen with really great taste for you.”
“I’m free anytime.” Ye Tong closed the proposal. “You tell me the time.”
“Come over at one this afternoon. I’ll accompany you to pick them whatever you want, you’ll get.”
Ye Tong smiled: “So generous?”
Ji Huaiqiu arched a brow: “Can’t treat my bestie poorly, right? It’s settled then, see you at one.”
“Alright, see you this afternoon.”
Hanging up, Ye Tong put the phone down. Just as she was about to open the proposal again, she noticed the office door pushed open a crack. A head poked in, eyes darting around until they met hers, revealing a row of white teeth. “Ye!”