Beside her, a young girl mustered her courage and stood up.
“Director Qi, let me go buy coffee for everyone instead!”
“Li Xiaoman! You’re just an intern who hasn’t even passed probation yet, trying to show off how helpful you are? When we’re speaking, who gave you the right to interrupt?”
Qi Yue, having been embarrassed, instantly redirected his anger toward Li Xiaoman nearby.
Li Xiaoman gritted her teeth, feeling as if she had nothing left to lose.
“I am helpful! You keep putting on that seniority act all day long, constantly exploiting newcomers to buy you coffee. Drink, drink, drink—you look like coffee to me!”
Everyone in the meeting room widened their eyes again.
Furious, Qi Yue raised his hand to strike Li Xiaoman across the face.
Before the slap could land, Shen Zhiyi caught his arm.
“I think what she said was excellent. Since Director Qi loves coffee so much, why don’t you go buy a cup for every employee in the company?”
“What did you say?”
“I said, either you buy coffee for the entire company, or you pack up and get out today.”
Just as Qi Yue was about to erupt in anger, he noticed the jade thumb ring on Shen Zhiyi’s finger.
That was… the matriarch’s jade thumb ring?!
It also represented the highest authority in the Lu Corporation, even higher than Lu Junyue’s!
Why would the old lady give the jade thumb ring to Shen Zhiyi?
Could it be…
Could it be that Shen Zhiyi was President Lu’s secretly married wife?!
No matter how unwilling Qi Yue was, he had no choice but to comply.
Two hours later, every employee in the company received a cup of coffee.
When Qi Yue returned to the meeting room, he found the meeting was already wrapping up.
Shen Zhiyi had taken his seat and finished conducting the meeting.
Resentful yet powerless, he seized the opportunity during the closing remarks to reclaim his speaking rights.
“From now on, department heads and HR should regularly interview employees and establish a performance scoring system to facilitate…”
Before he could finish, Shen Zhiyi interrupted.
“That’s just useless formalism. Instead of squeezing every ounce of effort out of employees with that time, why not raise their salaries? You pay employees five thousand and expect them to work like slaves? Dream on.”
“But if you pay employees a hundred thousand per month, with weekends off and overtime pay at five times the rate… you won’t even need to ask—employees will willingly live and die for the company.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the company staff felt as if they had seen a savior, nodding repeatedly with tears in their eyes.
Damn, that makes so much sense!
Qi Yue’s face darkened, but before he could speak, Shen Zhiyi threw a document in front of him.
“The materials are overly complicated and repetitive, making meetings long and tedious. From now on, focus on key points in meeting documents, and keep the duration under half an hour.”
“?”
Qi Yue felt so angry he thought he might explode.
Right at that moment, the straightforward intern Li Xiaoman raised her hand.
“Secretary Shen, the reimbursement procedures are such a pain! I’ve been here for three months, and not a single reimbursement of mine has been approved.”
Shen Zhiyi nodded. “From now on, submit receipts on the spot and get reimbursed immediately. If there’s a delay, reimbursement will be doubled.”
The finance department frowned in dissatisfaction. “What? Secretary Shen, this…”
Shen Zhiyi: “In that case, the workload for finance will increase as well. Therefore, finance staff salaries will be doubled.”
The finance team performed an instant about-face, smiling brightly. “Of course, Secretary Shen, whatever you say.”
Shen Zhiyi’s series of workplace reforms earned cheers and support from many.
Only Qi Yue, who had been repeatedly stripped of power and humiliated, wore a grim expression.
Outside the meeting room.
Lu Junyue, who had just returned from the gym, watched everything unfolding inside through the glass.
His thin lips curved into a faint smirk.
“It seems when the tiger is away, the kittens will play.”
Han Ming remarked, “President Lu, haven’t you always wanted to address these company issues? It seems Madam shares your thoughts—you two are truly in sync.”
After the meeting concluded, Shen Zhiyi had gained a group of devoted followers.
The crowd exclaimed, “Secretary Shen, you’re truly too kind!”
Shen Zhiyi responded, “…You’re overthinking it. I increased your salaries and benefits so you’d dedicate all your energy to the company and work your hardest for it.”
After all, the Lu Corporation would eventually fall into her hands.
These people were essentially working for her.
Spending a little money to maximize their contribution to the company’s profits was a worthwhile investment for her.
The crowd insisted, “Secretary Shen, your words may be sharp, but your heart is soft! My friends work elsewhere, barely scraping by on a salary of three thousand. Now that the government mandates employers to provide social security, their bosses deduct a thousand from that meager pay for insurance. In comparison, Secretary Shen, you’re practically a living bodhisattva!”
Shen Zhiyi tilted her head in contemplation.
Her, a villainess, being called a living bodhisattva?
Unable to vent his frustration elsewhere, Qi Yue fired the intern, Li Xiaoman.
However, the HR department later informed Qi Yue, “Sorry, Director Qi, but intern Li Xiaoman has already been converted to a full-time employee.”
Qi Yue demanded, “Who approved this?”
HR replied, “It was specially approved by Secretary Shen.”
Qi Yue clenched his fists, his expression turning extremely grim.
“Shen Zhiyi, do you enjoy stealing the spotlight that much?”
…
After her conversion to a full-time role, Li Xiaoman became Shen Zhiyi’s devoted admirer.
“Zhiyi-jie, Qi Yue is narrow-minded and holds grudges. Since you embarrassed him today, he’ll definitely try to cause trouble for you. You need to be very careful.”
Shen Zhiyi wasn’t afraid of Qi Yue causing trouble.
Instead, she found Qi Yue somewhat peculiar.
Why did she think so?
As a director, Qi Yue frequently visited the CEO’s office without any apparent reason.
Moreover, before entering the office each time, he would spend a full ten minutes tidying his appearance, preening like a peacock spreading its feathers.
Shen Zhiyi wondered aloud, “Is Qi Yue straight?”
Li Xiaoman’s eyes lit up, “Finally, someone asked this! From what I know, Qi Yue has never had a girlfriend!”
“Although he doesn’t act effeminate in daily life, his eyes can’t lie. No matter how many beauties there are in our company, he never looks at any woman with desire!”
“A director who seems irritable and devoid of desires like him—yet in front of President Lu, he smiles like a blooming flower! So, he must be gay!”
Shen Zhiyi looked at Li Xiaoman with appreciation.
Who said college students were naive and foolish? When it came to gossip, no one could beat a college student.
“Just as I thought.”
It had never crossed her mind that the first rival she would encounter on her conquest would be a male one.
The male rival’s retaliation came swiftly.
“Shen Zhiyi, I asked you to compile the data report, but what is this mess you’ve produced? All the data is wrong! Do you have any idea how severe the consequences could be?”
Qi Yue threw a file in front of Shen Zhiyi. “I don’t know why the Madam granted you the highest authority in the company, but you’re clearly not suited for the Lu Corporation.”
“Don’t think you can throw your weight around just because you have the Madam’s backing. I’m going to request President Lu to fire you tomorrow!”
Shen Zhiyi, with her youthful appearance, seemed easy to bully.
Little did he know, she didn’t play by the rules at all.
“Don’t wait until tomorrow—let’s do it today.”
“Don’t you regret it!”
Qi Yue was brimming with confidence.
He had been with the Lu Corporation for eight years—a senior employee and a project champion. Beyond that, he was deeply favored by President Lu.
Shen Zhiyi daring to provoke him? She was asking for trouble!
However.
Five minutes later.
Lu Junyue looked coldly at Qi Yue.
“She isn’t foolish enough to misread numbers. This data was provided by you. Since she made a mistake, it must be that you gave her the wrong information. Apologize to Secretary Shen.”
Shen Zhiyi, who was holding recorded evidence and ready to expose Qi Yue: “?”
She hadn’t even presented her proof, and he was already unconditionally taking her side?
With a Heartbeat Value of only 25, was it already like this? What would happen if it reached 100…
She didn’t dare imagine how “crazy” her “puppy” would be by then.
Qi Yue’s eyes reddened, looking pitiable enough to move anyone: “President Lu…”
Lu Junyue frowned. “Apologize.”
Qi Yue trembled, biting his lower lip, “Secretary Shen, I’m sorry.”
After saying this, he wiped his tears and ran off like the female lead in a romantic drama—the aggrieved party fleeing the scene.
Leaving Lu Junyue, Shen Zhiyi, and Han Ming in the office utterly bewildered.
Han Ming: “…” Director Qi really is strange!
Shen Zhiyi: “…” Why does it feel like I’m the third party here?
But it wasn’t entirely Qi Yue’s fault—Lu Junyue’s face was just excessively handsome.
Noticing her gaze, Lu Junyue subtly adjusted his posture. His rolled-up sleeves revealed a wrist adorned with an expensive watch, and he straightened his chest slightly, showcasing his fine physique.
Han Ming: “?”
Why is President Lu suddenly strutting like a peacock?