News that Lin Zhao was not the true young master of the Lin family swept through the upper-class social circles practically overnight.
Within the circle of second-generation heirs, the people who usually knew Lin Zhao held varying thoughts. In the past, with the backing of the Lin family and Lin Rong, everyone had only dared to cozy up to Lin Zhao while keeping any other intentions tightly concealed.
But now, Lin Zhao was no longer a child of the Lin family and had already left them.
With yesterday’s news breaking out, almost everyone knew about it by today. As descendants of upper-class aristocratic families, most of them understood what this implied.
The Lin family had given up on Lin Zhao and chosen their true young master. It was also Lin Zhao’s own choice.
Although the Lin family was only a mid-tier wealthy family, without them, all those covetous gazes and prying eyes that used to lurk in the shadows would begin surfacing one by one.
Fang Qu: Zhaozhao, I heard you’ve left the Lin family now. Since you’re so pure and kind-hearted, and some people outside have too many tricks up their sleeves, I’m worried you might get taken advantage of. Why don’t you come stay at my place, Zhaozhao? You can stay as long as you want!
Liu Mingxi: Brother Zhao, my kitty has been missing Brother Zhao a lot lately. When will Brother Zhao have time to come over to my place and see the kitty~
Lü Yuanyuan: Precious Zhaozhao!!! Are you not treating me as a friend anymore?! If you need any help, I’ll definitely be the first one to come and help you out! Other people have ulterior motives, so you really have to be careful and pay attention!
Looking at the WeChat messages popping up on his phone, Lin Zhao couldn’t help scratching his head. He hadn’t expected that even after his identity had been made public, those people would still remain so enthusiastic.
Some even went as far as asking if he would consider getting married.
Lin Zhao’s head was spinning completely. He thought he must still be asleep and haven’t woken up yet.
Patting his cheeks, he checked the time and saw that it was almost eight-thirty.
Lin Zhao hurriedly got up to freshen up and get dressed. Although he had arrived in a rush, fortunately, Fu Yansheng had previously prepared an entire walk-in closet filled with clothes tailored to his size.
When Lin Zhao appeared in the dining room, Fu Yansheng was already seated at the table, browsing the day’s financial news on a tablet.
“Why didn’t Zhaozhao sleep a little longer?”
Fu Yansheng lowered the tablet in his hand and asked gently.
Hearing this, Lin Zhao shook his head: “I was woken up by messages.”
First thing in the morning, his phone notifications hadn’t stopped ringing.
Lin Zhao casually placed his phone on the table while it continued to chime with endless notifications. Without even looking, he knew they were probably similar to what Lü Yuanyuan and the others had said.
These people were so strange.
Why were they showing such enthusiasm toward a fake young master, especially since most of them usually only maintained a superficial, polite relationship with him on ordinary days?
In Lin Zhao’s eyes, it was truly rather abnormal.
Breakfast was served right in front of Lin Zhao by Butler Lai, prepared in the flavors Lin Zhao usually favored.
The notification sounds on his phone gradually slowed down, and right as Lin Zhao finished his breakfast, the noise finally stopped completely.
Watching Lin Zhao finish eating obediently, Fu Yansheng pushed a glass of milk toward him, waiting until Lin Zhao drank it down sip by sip before standing up to give a careful reminder:
“Eat up and get a little more sleep afterward. I’m heading to the corporation; if you need anything, just tell Butler Lai directly.”
Fu Yansheng turned to leave right after saying this.
Finishing the last gulp of milk, Lin Zhao scrambled to his feet and spoke with bubbly enthusiasm: “I’ll go with Brother Fu! Since Brother Fu gave me a job, there’s no way I can just sleep at home, right?”
Lin Zhao had never held a job before and had never experienced the misery of going to work. For his very first day on the job, he actually felt a bit of anticipation inside.
Hearing this, Fu Yansheng cast a rather strange look at Lin Zhao. It was his first time hearing someone be so eager to go to work.
Even though the wages paid by the Fu Corporation could already be considered the highest in the industry, the employees beneath him still occasionally complained about work.
All he could say was that Lin Zhao truly lived up to his name.
From childhood all the way through his school years, he had always shone like a little sunshine it seemed nothing could ever defeat someone like Lin Zhao.
Over at the Fu Corporation’s assistant office, upon hearing that a newcomer was joining them, the assistants already working there couldn’t help feeling a wave of surprise.
According to standard protocol, new assistants at the Fu Corporation had to be interviewed by the chief assistant. Only after passing the interview could they enter the assistant office for a one-month internship, and only by passing the internship could they officially join the Fu Corporation’s assistant office.
Yet this newcomer was a parachuted arrival!
Judging by the chief assistant’s expression, the rest of the assistant office probably hadn’t even been tipped off about a newcomer arriving.
Taking advantage of their free time, several assistants approached the chief assistant to probe what kind of background the newly arrived assistant had, as this would determine how they ought to treat the newcomer.
“Chief Assistant, you’ve got to give us some inside information, right? A newcomer dropping in out of nowhere like this goes against all the rules!”
One of the assistants glanced toward the doorway to confirm no one else was around, then lowered his voice to ask.
Dressed in a formal suit, the chief assistant paused slightly while organizing his documents, casting his gaze over the group of assistants surrounding him.
“Once the person gets here, you’ll all find out naturally. Why aren’t you going off right now to prepare the materials needed for the upcoming meeting?”
The chief assistant’s tone was cool and detached. After quickly finalizing his documents, he turned on his computer to check the projection materials needed for the meeting shortly.
Verifying that everything was error-free, the chief assistant picked up the files requiring President Fu’s signature for the day and headed toward the office.
At this time of day, President Fu should have already arrived at the company.
“President Fu, these are the documents that need your signature today.”
After knocking and receiving permission, the chief assistant pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The moment he walked in, the chief assistant spotted Lin Zhao sitting on the sofa. The chief assistant was very familiar with Lin Zhao; most of the gifts Fu Yansheng bought for Lin Zhao had been delivered to the Lin residence by the chief assistant himself.
Only, Lin Zhao had never visited the Fu Corporation before in the past, leaving the chief assistant feeling somewhat puzzled.
Outwardly maintaining a calm demeanor, however, the chief assistant placed the documents before Fu Yansheng, then turned his head to greet Lin Zhao softly.
“Good day, Young Master Lin. It’s been a while.”
“Assistant Fan!”
Lin Zhao had still been pestering Fu Yansheng to ask which assistant he should shadow, but upon seeing the chief assistant walk in, his eyes instantly lit up.
He fixed a direct, unblinking gaze on Fu Yansheng, as if silently asking for his approval.
Fu Yansheng felt a mix of helplessness and amusement. Lin Zhao was far more enthusiastic about going to work than he was, having spent the entire journey from the villa asking what tasks needed to be done at work.
It left Fu Yansheng both helpless and laughing inside.
“All right, all right. Then have Assistant Fan take you around the assistant office for a tour, just to get familiar with everyone’s faces.” Finishing his sentence, Fu Yansheng glanced at the chief assistant standing frozen nearby, a hint of warning in his eyes.
With just that single glance, the chief assistant understood Fu Yansheng’s meaning completely.
Lin Zhao wasn’t here to actually work; he was a parachuted young master of wealth. The “getting familiar with faces” that Fu Yansheng mentioned was simply meant to ensure the others wouldn’t lack common sense and accidentally offend the young master.
“Thank you, Brother Fu! I knew Brother Fu was the best!”
Assistant Fan was the assistant who followed closest by Fu Yansheng’s side, and his professional competence was famously outstanding in the industry.
Yet, even with all his experience, hearing Lin Zhao address him as “Brother Fu” still made the chief assistant feel a twinge of guilty conscience.
Only Lin Zhao could view President Fu as an absolute, saintly paragon of a good person.
Yet, even Lin Zhao himself hadn’t expected that his very first job would involve being mentored by the most formidable assistant in the entire industry!
Brother Fan must think he has potential as moldable clay, which is why he values him so much!
This is simply… too amazing!
Brother Fan really cares about him that much!
He’s paying this much personal attention to him!
Lin Zhao felt a wave of surging emotion in his heart.
Fixating his round eyes on Fu Yansheng with a watery, wide-eyed gaze, he looked almost as though a pair of fluffy animal ears might sprout from his head and twitch excitedly.
Smiling and nodding, the chief assistant led Lin Zhao out of President Fu’s office.
“What made Young Master Lin think of coming to work at the Fu Corporation?”
If Lin Zhao wanted to work, he could easily gain experience right at the Lin family’s own company.
Besides, Lin Zhao had an older brother lined up to inherit the firm; even if Lin Zhao spent his entire life eating, drinking, and playing around, the company’s dividend payouts would be more than enough to last a lifetime.
Hearing this, Lin Zhao replied casually: “Brother Fu said he wanted me to be a twenty-four-hour assistant, so here I am.”
Hearing this, the chief assistant wore a bizarre expression.
President Fu told Lin Zhao to come, so Lin Zhao just came?
It was plain to see that young Master Lin had never held a job before, which explained why he hadn’t negotiated his salary, nor asked whether the work schedule included weekends off or single days off.
Venturing out into the workforce even if it was a personal invitation from President Fu himself, Young Master Lin couldn’t possibly be naive enough to just show up blindly like this!
Remembering the HR department’s remark that not even an employment contract has been signed yet…
The chief assistant felt his head throbbing with a massive headache.
Giving a glance to the enthusiastic Lin Zhao, who looked innocent and completely devoid of practical experience, the chief assistant thought, Young Master Lin…
Sighing inwardly, he wished the boy would grow a bit more worldly sense.
The words lingered on the tip of the chief assistant’s tongue; he turned them over and over in his mind, but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to say them.
“By the way, Assistant Fan, what am I supposed to do on a daily basis?”
Lin Zhao wanted to find out what assistants were supposed to do. Since he had never been an assistant, he figured he should learn as much as possible.
The chief assistant hadn’t expected Lin Zhao to take things so seriously. With those round eyes staring straight at him, filled with curious inquiry, he really looked like someone eager to buckle down and work hard.
This proactive energy left the chief assistant somewhat dazed.
Such an opposite state of mind compared to his own it was simply too abnormal.
The chief assistant took a deep breath.
While Lin Zhao’s position was nominally called a twenty-four-hour assistant, in reality, it was just a role akin to a lifestyle assistant.
Fu Yansheng had an assistant office at the company and a butler at home what need did he possibly have for a lifestyle assistant?
At most, it was just a legitimate-sounding title given to Young Master Lin.
Just now, President Fu had only mentioned letting him get familiar with faces, which showed that President Fu didn’t need Young Master Lin to learn any actual business operations; he simply wanted Young Master Lin to hold a title within the Fu Corporation.
“Young Master Lin, a twenty-four-hour assistant reports directly to President Fu, so your duties are different from ours. You only need to keep your attention focused on President Fu at all times.”
Lin Zhao more or less understood.
Adapt on the fly! My job is to adapt on the fly!
Lin Zhao felt as though he instantly grasped what was required of him.
His confidence in his new job skyrocketed.
The moment the six assistants in the assistant office caught sight of Lin Zhao, they couldn’t help freezing in place.
They had all met Lin Zhao before and were even aware of his identity as the Lin family’s young master.
When the chief assistant introduced Lin Zhao to them, none of them had imagined that the newcomer joining the assistant office would actually be Lin Zhao.
No way! What is the Lin family’s young master doing coming here to steal our jobs?!
No wonder the chief assistant hadn’t conducted any interviews. Given the relationship between Young Master Lin and President Fu, if Young Master Lin wanted to come, who on earth would dare interview him?
“Young Master Lin.” The members of the assistant office stood up in a flurry, smiles plastered across their faces.
They certainly wouldn’t dare say anything out of line to this young master.
Lin Zhao waved his hand dismissively: “We’re all colleagues now, just call me by my name.”
Though Lin Zhao spoke casually, the members of the assistant office didn’t dare take his words to heart. Lin Zhao was completely different from them; if he grew unhappy, Young Master Lin could simply walk away whenever he pleased.
Meanwhile, they still relied on the Fu Corporation’s exorbitant salary.
Unaware of what the people before him were thinking, Lin Zhao saw that the assistant office was currently busy organizing the departmental project proposals and materials needed for today’s meeting.
Not understanding the intricacies of the work, standing around here wouldn’t help either.
Consequently, the chief assistant told Lin Zhao to go wait for President Fu in President Fu’s office first.
Dropping his gaze, Lin Zhao noticed the other assistants keeping their heads down in busy concentration.
Realizing that his presence was making them feel awkward, Lin Zhao bade them farewell and left.
The six members of the assistant office, whose nerves had been stretched tight due to his presence, finally let out a collective sigh of relief.
“Isn’t Lin Zhao the Lin family’s young master? Why would he come to work at the Fu Corporation?” The assistant sitting by the window stood up, clutching a stack of files to her chest with a helpless note in her voice.
Another assistant was flipping through her phone screen, looking as though she had stumbled upon some major news, and whispered in shock:
“A piece of news just suddenly started spreading online claiming that Lin Zhao isn’t the Lin family’s young master after all that he’s just a fake young master!”
Hearing this, the rest of the group frowned. Setting down whatever was in their hands, they all grabbed their phones to check the latest trending searches.
“It really is true. In that case, why would President Fu still keep him by his side?” One of them looked at the comments under the trending search, where practically every kind of claim was being made.
In particular, certain people skilled in conspiracy theories directly framed the swapping of Lin Zhao and the true young master as a deliberate plot orchestrated by Lin Zhao’s parents.
Furthermore, since Lin Zhao was the sole beneficiary of this whole affair,
that was a stain he could never wipe clean. In the eyes of outsiders, this was something Lin Zhao owed.
Quite a few people also speculated: Lin Zhao wants to cling to the Lin family’s position and has no intention of returning it.
“President Fu and Young Master Lin are close. Word online is that Young Master Lin has left the Lin family and probably doesn’t have much money on him, so giving him a job is just a way to save face for him, right? Besides, at most it’s just a lifestyle assistant role, with zero clearance to touch internal company secrets.”
Another person shrugged, stating what seemed to be the reality of the situation.
Hearing this, one of them couldn’t help hesitating: “But usually, President Fu doesn’t look like he cares much about Young Master Lin, does he?”
Hearing these remarks, the chief assistant stopped tidying his things.
Reaching his current position hadn’t been achieved through capability alone; a sharp sense of situational awareness played a huge part.
Added to the fact that he had spent the longest time by President Fu’s side, he knew far more than the others.
Hearing the assistants gossiping like this, the chief assistant stepped forward and slapped his palm sharply against the desk. Glaring at them as they snapped their mouths shut and turned their eyes toward him, he frowned and issued a cold, stern warning:
“Whether he is the Lin family’s young master or not, this is the Fu Corporation. President Fu has his own reasons for doing things. Since when did it become your place to point fingers and gossip about President Fu’s affairs?”
“As for you lot, if I catch you running your mouths about President Fu’s personal life one more time, the assistant office will be looking to hire some new faces again.”
Everyone quickly zipped their lips.
No one dared to say another word.
After all, while the Fu Corporation was demanding, the compensation was exceptionally generous, with bonuses several times higher than other groups in the industry.
“The meeting is about to start. Send out the notifications, and all of you keep your mouths shut. Know who is the one paying your wages.”
The chief assistant said softly, then picked up his files, tablet, and other necessities for the meeting and walked out.
Only then did the members of the assistant office let out another breath of relief.
The chief assistant had served President Fu for a very long time, and most of them had been interviewed and hired by him in the first place technically speaking, the chief assistant was still their direct superior.
He naturally possessed the authority to dismiss them.