This world feels so real, it seems unnecessary to waste all my energy on such tedious work.
If there were a plot point where my presence was absolutely required, but I happened to be absent, would some magical force bring me back into position, or continue the storyline in another way?
Thinking about it this way, these speculations could actually be tested, right?
But could she bear the consequences of trial and error?
“Hey, what are you thinking about?”
Qiao Feifei called out to Su Lingyu, who was lost in thought.
“Nothing, just stayed up too late binge-watching dramas last night and didn’t get enough sleep.”
Su Lingyu stirred the coffee in her hand. Speaking of which, she’d accidentally discovered that the TV dramas in this world were quite interesting.
“I’ve got gossip more interesting than any TV drama.”
“What is it?”
“Did you know? Everyone who rode the elevator with General Manager Lu yesterday got marked as late.”
Qiao Feifei glanced at their coworkers bent over their work, her lowered voice barely containing her excitement.
“That harsh?”
Su Lingyu raised an eyebrow.
Wasn’t it just clocking in right at the last minute?
And they still got counted as late?
Who would have thought Lu Jiuyan could be so scheming!
“Of course, Lu Jiuyan has always been like this. Otherwise, why would he be called Lu Tangyuan…”
Qiao Feifei immediately shut her mouth when she realized what she’d let slip.
Tangyuan?
Like black sesame tangyuan?
White on the outside, but blacker than anyone on the inside?
Damn, who would have guessed Lu Jiuyan was that kind of person!
It’s all because the original novel didn’t describe him in detail. But thankfully, she’d never offended him.
…Well, she probably hadn’t offended him, right?
“What about Xia Bai?”
Su Lingyu thought of the key character.
“Of course she got marked late too!”
Qiao Feifei immediately perked up at this topic.
“Lu Jiu—I mean, General Manager Lu didn’t go easy on her or give her special treatment?”
“Are you kidding? Xia Bai’s just an ordinary intern. With her status, she’s nobody special. Why would Lu Jiuyan give her special treatment?”
“…”
Young lady, that’s not what you were saying yesterday!
But this seems somewhat different from how things developed in the book?
Wasn’t the male lead second supposed to be the warm, caring type who always comforts and helps the female lead when she’s hurt?
And was there even such a scene in the book?
Su Lingyu couldn’t tell whether she was misremembering the plot, or if her presence had created a butterfly effect that changed the storyline?
“What are you thinking about now?”
Qiao Feifei looked at her curiously.
“Uh, I was thinking, doesn’t the company policy say that one late arrival doesn’t count? Only three late arrivals in a month result in deductions and loss of the full attendance bonus?”
“Exactly!”
Qiao Feifei nodded, then broke into a smile. “But for Xia Bai, this is already her third time this month! Hahahaha.”
“Is it that big of a deal? Being late only costs fifty anyway.”
The old Su Lingyu would never have thought this way.
But in this fictional book world that felt virtual to her, even a month’s salary didn’t matter—after all, it was all fake!
“You have no idea how stingy she is. Fifty for being late, plus two hundred for the full attendance bonus—that’s two hundred fifty total! She must be heartbroken!”
“Her family circumstances aren’t good. Be a little kinder.”
“Come on, I haven’t done anything excessive. What do you mean ‘be kinder’? Su Lingyu, what are you implying?”
“I’m sorry, I spoke too quickly and made a mistake. I apologize.”
Seeing Qiao Feifei’s anger, Su Lingyu immediately realized her error.
Indeed, whether it was Qiao Feifei or Xia Bai, their personalities were defined by the author. Often, many things they did were “against their will” and couldn’t simply be labeled as right or wrong, good or evil.
“Hmph, I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”
“Come on, don’t be like that! I’ve already apologized. Someone as beautiful and kind-hearted as you should forgive me!”
“Fine, I’ll be the bigger person then.”
Seeing the sincerity in the other’s apology, Qiao Feifei tucked a strand of her short hair behind her ear, though she still seemed somewhat displeased:
“Why have you been defending her so much lately? You don’t actually know what kind of person she really is, do you?”
“What kind of person is she?”
Su Lingyu countered. Could it be that Xia Bai had a hidden side?
“I can’t say much right now, but you’ll find out later. She’s not a good woman at all—don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Alright.”
That kind of talk just sounds like pure jealousy~
After all, in the eyes of every female supporting character who dislikes the female lead, she’s always some shameless woman who only knows how to seduce the male lead~
“Recently, I had the marketing department conduct a detailed survey. I believe our current game development should primarily target the 18 to 28 age demographic. While there’s a significant market among those under 18 who love gaming—even to the point of addiction—teenagers aren’t particularly stable for the overall market…”
Lu Jiuyan walked with one hand in his pocket, pushing his glasses up with the other as he spoke to Fu Yuchen beside him.
“The target demographic is correct. I just discussed with the design department—your considerations about the teenage segment are very reasonable. We should indeed implement stricter controls in that area to avoid unnecessary negative impacts. This is both responsible for minors and for ourselves.”
Just as Fu Yuchen finished speaking, he noticed someone mopping nearby.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
Lu Jiuyan initially thought the question was directed at him, but when he turned his head, he saw the woman who’d rushed for the elevator yesterday.
He’d specifically asked his assistant to check the roster earlier—her name seemed to be Xia Bai?
“President Fu.”
“General Manager Lu.”
Xia Bai immediately stopped her work upon seeing the two men.
“I’m asking you—what are you doing?”
Fu Yuchen frowned slightly, his expression seeming displeased.
“I… I was late yesterday, so I’m using my free time to voluntarily clean the company. Don’t worry, President Fu—I haven’t neglected any of my actual work at all.”
“The company policy states that salary deductions only occur after three late arrivals.”
With this explanation, Fu Yuchen immediately understood she was trying to avoid the pay cut.
To maintain a humanized approach, the team had previously established a rule that cleaning the office could offset one late arrival.
However, in all the years since the company’s founding, almost no one had actually used this rule to clean the office.
“I know. Yesterday was already my third late arrival.”
Xia Bai lowered her head somewhat sheepishly, her voice growing faint.
Fu Yuchen pressed his lips together, remaining silent for a moment.
And as the one who caused Xia Bai to be late for the third time, Lu Jiuyan now felt a bit strange inside.