Shen Chiâs face was lined with frustration as he lowered his head and lowered his voice, âXu Chaomu, am I spoiling you too much?â
âDonât like it? If you canât stand it, donât look,â Xu Chaomu murmured.
Just at this moment, several high-ranking executives dressed in black suits walked past behind Shen Chi.
Xu Chaomu quickly put some distance between herself and Shen Chi, her demeanor changing instantly as she smiled brightly, âHandsome, thank you, thank you for saying Iâm pretty, for saying Iâm kind and just.â
In this manner, Xu Chaomu seemed utterly harmless, deceiving neither old nor young.
The corner of Shen Chiâs eye twitched. Damn, Xu Chaomu was really pushing her luck; he would have to discipline her properly in the future.
The executives exchanged glances, unsure whether to approach or not.
But Shen Chi paid no more attention to Xu Chaomu and turned coldly, casting a glance over the people behind him.
âWas that woman just now the daughter of the Director of the Business Bureau?â Shen Chi asked, giving a particularly piercing look to that middle-aged man surnamed Qin.
The middle-aged man was sweating profusely, âThe deputyâs.â
âWell, he can return to his hometown and enjoy his retirement tomorrow,â Shen Chi said coldly.
âShenâ¦â the middle-aged man wanted to plead, his face full of helplessness.
âDo you have a problem with that?â Shen Chi shot him a cold glare.
âNoâ¦no problemsâ¦â
The middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead, aware that Shen Chi was a man of his word. If he dared to utter another word, he was likely to be the one to retire early the next day.
âAs for that womanâ¦â Shen Chi paused for a few seconds.
âPresident Shen, sheâs just young and foolish, please let her off this time,â the middle-aged man pleaded.
âI donât like hitting women,â Shen Chi stated indifferently.
âYes, yes,â the middle-aged man said, his face showing a trace of relief.
However, in the next second, Shen Chi turned to Xiao Mo and said, âSo, Xiao Mo, Iâll leave it in your hands. Donât disappoint me.â
Xiao Moâs mouth twitched. President Shen might not hit women, but Xiao Mo didnât hit women either!
âBack to the conference room.â
Shen Chi strode towards the waiting roomâs exit. He knew she had an interview today and it was just as well he came to check; otherwise, she would have already been thrown out by security.
As he walked, Shen Chi casually said to Xiao Mo, âThat guy who was talking to Xu Chaomu, donât hire him.â
After speaking, without waiting for Xiao Mo to respond, Shen Chi walked away stylishly.
Xiao Mo stood there stunned, massaging his forehead and sighing. What happened to fairness and justice? What about hiring purely on merit?!
Inside the waiting room, Xu Chaomu was smiling splendidly, her mood significantly improved.
She casually arranged her documents, casually glanced over a few interview questions, and casually chatted with the male candidate next to her.
Later, the male candidate went in for his interview but came out very quickly, looking somewhat dejected.
Xu Chaomu found it odd, as during their brief chat, she had found the young man to be quite eloquent, logical, and well-educated.
She only found out upon asking that he hadnât passed the preliminary round.
Still optimistic, the young man patted her shoulder, âAll the best to you. Looks like we wonât be colleagues after all.â
âDonât feel bad, youâre so capable, thereâs no need to worry,â Xu Chaomu comforted him.
After a bit more conversation, it wasnât long before the interview usher called her name.
She entered the interview room to find seven examiners, six men and one woman, all with stern expressions and very serious.
Each had a laptop at their fingertips, and the room was also staffed with secretaries and statisticians.
Xu Chaomu presented her resume, design work, and awards certificates, and answered all the questions posed by the interviewers.
The questions werenât too difficult but were quite sophisticated, such as discussing her understanding of aesthetic psychology in decoration and the trend of modern decoration.
After twenty minutes, the main examiner told her, âGo back and wait for the notification of the re-examination.â
Xu Chaomu bowed in thanks and left the interview room.
She felt that her performance was not bad and that she hadnât embarrassed Shen Chi. In fact, when she graduated from college, she had been first in her class.
Shen Chi had never asked, and she had never mentioned it to him.
As Xu Chaomu left Human Resources on the tenth floor, her mood lightened considerably. She hadnât expected that Shenâs corporation was even more impressive than sheâd imagined, and its employees were more rigorous and serious than she had anticipated.
She thought the interview would just be a formality, but the interviewers were all very earnest.
Xu Chaomu had high regard for Shen Chiâs work ethic and was certain of his capabilities.
She thought he was just a showman, always carrying an air of authority and using his poker face to intimidate others, but in reality, he truly commanded respect.
No wonder Xiao Mo had been loyal to him for so many years, not minding his bad temper and always working diligently and without complaint.
However, when she got the chance, she wanted to see for herself what Shen Chi was like at work.
And she wanted to witness how he banged the table and lost his temper with his subordinates!
Even though she would never admit aloud that she found him attractive, deep down, she was genuinely impressed; the man was undeniably handsome, without a single bad angle.
She stood by the elevator waiting for it to arrive, turning to look out the window.
The sunlight outside was just perfect, the traffic flowed like water, and cars moved like charging horses. She quietly watched the light reflect on the glass, filling her heart with a sweet flavor.
It was like ice cream under the sun, melting and dripping onto her heart.
Xu Chaomu rode the elevator from the tenth floor to the first. With a âding,â the elevator doors opened.
She squeezed through the crowd, took a deep breath, and prepared to walk out with her folder of documents in hand.
The crowd was so dense that as she walked with her head down and taking care, suddenly a familiar voice reached her ears.
Even amidst the noise of the crowded lobby, despite the uproar, despite the cacophony of male and female voices, she clearly heard that familiar voice!
âThis is the latest draft of the necklace design, and I need to discuss it again today with the person in charge from Shenâs, we must finalize it by this week at the latest.â
The voice embodied steadiness, an air of authority, and the maturity of a man.
As the voice drifted by, several men in white shirts brushed past her.
Lou Yanli! It was Lou Yanli!
Yes, she had not misheard!
She turned and her gaze swiftly swept through the crowd.
But with so many people on the first floor, as the elevator doors opened, everyone crowded towards them.
Stretching onto her tiptoes, Xu Chaomu tried to spot him!
She pushed through the compact mass of people, but it was just too crowded, especially near the elevators. Unable to make it forward and fearing for her childâs safety, she decided not to push any further.
Disappointed, her eyelids drooped as she clutched her folder of documents, sighing and preparing to leave.
After returning to C City for so many days, she really hadnât seen Lou Yanli.
She had left without a word five years ago and wondered how he had been after thatâ¦
Just when she was about to turn away in disappointment, that familiar voice once again rang in her ears.
This time, the voice carried a teasing laugh.
âItâs not easy getting into a Shenâs elevator,â the voice joked.
âRight, Mr. Lou, itâs always like going to battle every time we come here. Look, we didnât make it onto the elevator again,â another voice chimed in.
âOne of these days weâll have to borrow their presidentâs private elevator,â Mr. Lou suggested.
The men laughed, showing patience as they waited by the elevator.