Sitting at the head of the table, Yi An spoke calmly.
“Let me introduce myself. I’m Yi An. Starting today, I’ll be overseeing the work of the project department. From now on, we’ll all be colleagues.”
“Director Yi, you’re truly young and capable. Having you lead our department is an honor. I’m sure with your guidance, our work will reach new heights.”
The speaker was a slightly chubby middle-aged man, smiling as he spoke. On the surface, his words sounded like flattery, but the undertone in his very first sentence made his true meaning clear. The others exchanged amused looks, clearly waiting to see how Yi An would respond.
She simply looked at the man in silence, expression unreadable. The atmosphere in the room cooled immediately. The man’s smile began to falter under her steady gaze and became increasingly forced.
The room grew quiet. So quiet, in fact, that one could hear a pin drop.
“Since Director Yi is just settling in, why don’t we all take a moment to report on the current project progress?” Ye Chuan spoke up, breaking the silence. Several others nodded in agreement, trying to smooth the atmosphere.
Yi An’s gaze lingered on the man for a moment longer before shifting to Ye Chuan, who gave her a polite smile. She returned a brief nod.
“Let’s begin.”
Ye Corporation’s operations were spread across several sectors. The company had six main divisions, each with its own management but interconnected enough to maintain a well-integrated ecosystem.
Each division had a general manager overseeing several projects, with further departments handling specific responsibilities. The structure ensured each project ran efficiently with minimal top-level involvement. Yi An’s role was primarily to provide strategic direction.
With that in mind, all she had to do now was listen to each team lead present their updates.
She listened quietly, taking everything in. Coincidentally, if Qinglan Group were to move forward with a partnership, the project would fall under the responsibility of Sun Zhao.
Yi An lifted her eyes and looked at the man seated quietly in the middle, someone who had said very little but had been observing everyone closely. He came across as low-key, but there was a sharpness in his gaze that revealed a much shrewder mind.
He managed one of Ye Corporation’s more significant corporate collaboration portfolios, typically working with long-term partners. That made his position relatively stable, and he was also considered an important figure within Ye Hai’s faction.
The rest of the meeting went smoothly. Yi An didn’t nitpick or raise unnecessary concerns. She appeared easygoing, and from the looks exchanged around the table, she could tell some of them were starting to relax. Most likely, they had already decided she was inexperienced.
After all, she had previously worked in Ye Corporation and her resume had probably been thoroughly studied over the past two days. Although she had graduated from a prestigious university, she was young and had only worked at entry-level positions. She had no management experience. None of them had found anything particularly impressive in her background. To them, manipulating someone like her would be simple.
Yi An did nothing to correct those assumptions. She let the meeting finish without interruption. As it ended, she turned once more to Sun Zhao.
“Manager Sun, I need a full set of project documentation. Please send it to my office shortly.”
In an instant, all eyes turned to Sun Zhao. He looked briefly confused but quickly nodded in agreement.
Back in her office, Yi An reviewed the space and found a few design issues that bothered her. She asked her assistant to arrange for a renovation.
When Sun Zhao arrived with the documents, the office was already in disarray. Renovation crews were moving things around, and there wasn’t even a clear place to walk.
“I just moved in. It’s still a mess. I hope you don’t mind,” Yi An said, gesturing casually. “Just set the files there.”
“Of course,” he replied as he put the documents down. Glancing around at the work being done, he hesitated, then asked cautiously, “Director Yi, is there a problem with the reports?”
“No,” she said without looking up. “I just noticed that the files I had were incomplete. I asked for the full set, that’s all. You can return to your work.”
“I see. Understood.”
Her explanation left little room for further questions. Sun Zhao could tell he would not get more out of her, and internally, he chalked it up to posturing. To him, it all looked like a show. He said nothing more and left the office.
The office renovation wasn’t done even by midday. As Yi An was checking emails, a notification popped up on her phone.
It was a message from Ming Lan, asking if she wanted to grab lunch together.
The two of them worked practically across the street from each other. Going out for lunch would have been easy. Besides, this was their first official day in leadership roles, and both had a lot on their minds they wanted to share.
However, Yi An had other plans scheduled for lunch. She looked out the floor-to-ceiling window. She could see Qinglan Group from here. The proximity made things more sensitive. The more often they met in public, the more it could raise suspicions. Once she handled the first wave of issues, things would settle down.
After hesitating for a second, she replied to Ming Lan, letting her know she wouldn’t be able to make it.
Ming Lan saw the message immediately and felt a bit disappointed, though she understood. Yi An’s position was more complicated than hers and would be much busier. In fact, this kind of schedule would likely become normal for her.
Not wanting to distract her further, Ming Lan simply wished her a smooth day. As for her own project, she would ask Fang Yixing for help.
Over the next few days, Ming Lan fully immersed herself in her work. She also kept a close eye on Ming Yu and Xie Jin, regularly checking their movements and the progress of their investigation.
At the same time, word had reached Li Jue that Ming Lan had rejected a partnership with the Li family.
Since that night at the Ye family banquet, Li Jue had been recovering in the hospital. First, because Ming Lan had hit him hard. Second, because he was waiting. He wanted to see whether Ming Lan or the Ming family would make any move. He was also investigating who had drugged him.
To his surprise, days passed with no fallout. Not even a rumor had spread. It was as if nothing had happened. Yet it took him very little effort to identify who had slipped something into his drink.
He gave Miss Ma a minor warning, just to test the waters. But the Ming family still remained silent. That silence made it clear: Ming Lan had completely dismissed him. She didn’t even care enough to confront him. She wanted nothing to do with him at all.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated and suffocated he felt. In fact, he would have preferred it if Ming Lan had gone after him with full force. At least that would have meant she cared.
When he heard that Ming Lan had shut down the partnership between Qinglan and the Li family, his first reaction was hope. He thought she might finally be striking back.
But then he realized the truth. She had not even wanted to give him a reason to appear in front of her again. Not even for business.
As his mood grew darker, his assistant stepped into the office.
“Director Li, Miss Cheng Yurong is here to see you.”
When Li Jue heard the name Cheng Yurong, his eyebrows twitched slightly. Then his eyes shifted.
“Let her in,” he said.
In just a few days, Cheng Yurong had noticeably lost weight. Her pale complexion and delicate, almost fragile demeanor made her look even more like Ming Lan than before. What had once been a faint resemblance had now become something more obvious.
Li Jue’s eyes lit up briefly. Then he recalled the harsh words he had thrown at Cheng Yurong the last time they spoke, after Ming Lan left. Without showing any emotion, he pushed down his thoughts and asked flatly, “Why are you here again?”
“Director Li, this is the pocket watch you ordered earlier. I came to deliver it.”
As she spoke, Cheng Yurong took out a small box holding the pocket watch. She had worked on it while still employed at the artisan workshop, where Li Jue had placed the order. Although she had quit her job, after their last conversation, she had returned to the workshop. She refused any payment and spent a few days finishing the decorative details on the watch, determined to deliver it herself.
Even though Li Jue had said he never wanted to see her again, she still hoped for one final meeting. She had already bought a ticket to leave the city. After giving him the pocket watch, she planned to leave A City for good and leave behind all the pain it held.
Li Jue looked at the box, seemingly having forgotten what he had said before.
“Bring it here.”
Cheng Yurong walked over and handed him the box.
“Open it,” he said.
She complied.
Inside was the pocket watch. Compared to his usual luxury timepieces, this one was clearly of a lower grade. But the delicate decorations showed genuine effort. Though the craftsmanship lacked refinement, it was clear that she had put her heart into making it.
“Put it on me,” Li Jue said after glancing at her. His face remained neutral, but in his mind, he imagined how Ming Lan would have looked if she were the one standing here with her head lowered and cheeks flushed.
Cheng Yurong did not know what he was thinking. She was surprised for a moment, then quickly followed his request. She picked up the watch, bent down beside him, and carefully held it against his chest to see how the chain would fall naturally against the hospital gown.
As she lifted her eyes to read his expression, she suddenly noticed him frowning. She thought it was dissatisfaction and her heart tightened, but before she could feel disappointed, Li Jue pressed a hand to his chest. His fingers had brushed against hers a moment earlier.
“My wound hurts. Call the doctor,” he said.
Cheng Yurong was startled out of her daze and quickly ran to get help.
The doctor arrived shortly. He unbuttoned the top of Li Jue’s gown, revealing the bandages wrapped around his chest. Cheng Yurong stood off to the side, bowing her head so deeply her entire face turned red.
After checking the injury, the doctor reassured them that it was nothing serious. He reapplied the medicine and left the room, leaving only the two of them.
As Li Jue buttoned up his shirt again, Cheng Yurong couldn’t hold back her curiosity.
“How did you get hurt?”
Li Jue paused.
“I drank too much and fell. A pin on my chest jabbed into me. It’s not a big deal.”
“A pin?” Cheng Yurong didn’t find anything strange about that answer, and asked again, “When did this happen?”
Li Jue looked at her and said, “Don’t ask too much.”
She immediately looked down again and said nothing more.
Li Jue glanced at the time and then added, “Didn’t you say you quit the artisan shop? If you don’t have a job right now, I’m looking for a personal assistant. The salary is thirty thousand per month.”
Before he even finished speaking, Cheng Yurong looked up in surprise.
“You… Director Li, you really mean it?”
“If you’re not interested, forget it,” he said, fastening the last button on his shirt.
“I am!” she replied quickly.
Later, as one of Li Jue’s assistants led her out to explain her responsibilities, Cheng Yurong felt as though she were walking on air. At the door, she happened to glance at Li Jue’s medical chart and froze when she saw the date of the injury.
It was the morning after their last meeting, the day after he had told her he never wanted to see her again.
Could it be that he had gotten drunk because of that?
The realization hit her hard. Her heart swelled with a mixture of sadness and sweetness.
So those words he said, they weren’t truly what he meant after all.