151. Suspension of employment

Wen Ruier's tireless scolding echoed throughout the entire corridor: "Lingling, stop telling me that you are fully responsible! It sounds brave, but it's actually very stupid. What you can afford is not an accident, it's just a business error. This low-level typo was made to a government agency, which makes people have ambiguity about ethnic issues. If it is spread all over the roadside light boxes and billboards, it will have an extremely bad impact. Can you be responsible for this? If the power and Internet are cut off for the entire company if you do this, everyone will be unemployed tomorrow!" Wen Ruier was scolding with saliva flying. Now that he had made a big deal out of it, Lingling had no choice but to say: "I'm sorry, Mr. Wen, it was indeed my dereliction of duty this time. I didn't review the manuscript carefully. I accept any punishment." "Okay." Wen Ruier finally calmed down. He was waiting for Lingling to say this, "I'll take a one-month unpaid leave and see how my communication with the client goes." Ling Ling's tired heart sank heavily, as if an old, dead tree fell on the hard ice, shattered in an instant, and left dirty marks on the clean ice. She understood that Wen Ruier was forcing her to resign. "Okay, Mr. Wen. I'm sorry to trouble you. I'll go get busy first." Ling Ling turned around and was about to leave with her head down. But Wen Ruier added, "You don't have anything to do in the near future. All the manuscripts awaiting review in Group A should be submitted directly to me, and you should also hand over the client relationships in your hands to Gu Chuqi and Shao Yao." Ling Ling turned around and looked at him quietly with a firm look in her eyes. But she said nothing, gently pulled the door handle, and left silently. As soon as she walked out of Wen Ruier's office, she heard the sound of Chuqi and Shaoyao following closely behind. It seemed that they had listened to the whole scene outside the door. As they followed Ling Ling to Group A's office, Shaoyao timidly said, "Sister Ling, I'm so sorry. I wrote the PSA. But I proofread it carefully, and there are no typos." Ling Ling consoled her, saying, "It's none of your business. I didn't look through it carefully. I've been feeling dizzy these past few days, and I was definitely negligent. Let's cross-check the other drafts and make sure there aren't any more mistakes." Chu Qi jumped in to defend her, saying, "I absolutely suspect he's behind this. I don't think there were any typos at all. He set it up." "None of this matters anymore. He has the power, and he can use it however he wants," Ling Ling said dejectedly. Chu Qi was furious. "Why doesn't it matter? Tuo Wu isn't his. He's just a passing cadre hired by the boss. The boss is just too eager for Aojie..."

Wen Ruier's tireless scolding echoed throughout the corridor. "Lingling, stop telling me you're solely responsible! You sound brave, but you're actually pretty stupid. Anything you can afford isn't an accident, it's just a business error. This was just a basic typo, and it was addressed to a government agency, creating ambiguity about ethnic issues. If it's everywhere, plastered all over roadside light boxes and billboards, and creates an extremely negative impact, will you be held responsible? If you do this, the entire company will be unplugged and the internet will be cut off, and everyone will be out of a job tomorrow!"

Wen Ruier was cursing so much that he was exaggerating to such an extent that Ling Ling had no choice but to say, "I'm sorry, Mr. Wen. It's indeed my fault for not reviewing the manuscript carefully this time. I accept any punishment."

"Okay." Wen Ruier finally calmed down. He had been waiting for Ling Ling to say this. "I'll take a month off without pay. Let's see how my communication with the client goes."

Ling Ling's tired heart sank heavily, as if an old dead tree had fallen onto the hard ice, instantly shattering into pieces and leaving dirty marks on the clean ice.

She understood that Wen Ruier was forcing her to resign.

"Okay, Mr. Wen. I'm sorry to trouble you. I'll get busy first." Ling Ling turned around and was about to leave dejectedly.

Wen Ruier added, "You don't have much to do in the near future. Submit all pending manuscripts from Group A directly to me. Hand over your client relationships to Gu Chuqi and Shao Yao."

Ling Ling turned around and looked at him quietly, her eyes firm. But she said nothing, gently opened the door handle, and left silently.

As she walked out of Wen Rui'er's office, she heard Chu Qi and Shao Yao following closely behind. It seemed they had been listening to the entire conversation from outside. As they followed Ling Ling toward Group A's office, Shao Yao timidly said, "Sister Ling, I'm so sorry. I wrote the PSA. But I proofread it carefully beforehand, and there are no typos."

Ling Ling comforted her, saying, "It's none of your business. It's my fault for not looking carefully. I've been feeling dizzy and overwhelmed these days, so I was indeed negligent. Let's cross-check the other manuscripts quickly to make sure there aren't any more problems."

Chuqi jumped out to defend the injustice and said, "I absolutely suspect that he is behind this. I guess there is no typo at all. He set it up."

"None of this matters anymore. The power is in his hands and he can use it however he wants." Ling Ling said dejectedly.

Chu Qi was furious: "How can it not be important! Tuo Wu is not his, he is just a passing cadre hired by the boss. The boss is just too eager to cooperate with Aojie to improve Tuo Wu's style, so he specially contacted him. Now that the contact has been made anyway, it doesn't matter with him or without him. If it is proved that he is the one who caused the trouble this time, it means that he has serious problems from his character to his ability. The boss can just kick him out!"

Ling Ling still tried to persuade them, "How can the rules of the business world be so black and white? Will you open the door to a new world by crossing a hurdle? This is just our first collaboration with Aojie, and we signed a project cooperation agreement, not an annual cooperation agreement. Besides, Wen Ruier is such a shrewd person, would he reveal all his abilities and then wait to be kicked out?" Ling Ling returned to her office and sat down, calmly saying to them, "When you can't see the future, just focus on doing the things in front of you. Let's not think too much. The first step now is to quickly cross-check all the manuscripts in transit. Don't delay any of the video conferences we have with clients today. Lately, when I meet with clients, I always bring Chuqi with me, but I don't tell the client much, just that it's to provide better service. This not only satisfies Wen Ruier's request for me to hand over to you, but also prevents the client from thinking there are changes within the company and causing concerns."

"Mr. Ling, you are too..." Chuqi couldn't help but say.

"Coward?" Ling Ling concluded that she had no good words in her mouth.

"No, no, no," Chu Qi said, uncharacteristically, "She has a high position, a broad vision, is ambitious, and thoughtful. It's truly like 'Don't say women aren't heroes, for every night the Dragon Spring echoes on the wall'!"

"What a mess this is. You can use your poetic inspiration in writing copywriting. Lyrical poetic copywriting is popular recently. You should write a few hits!" Ling Ling coaxed them out.

Calming down, Ling Ling gazed out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the towering skyscrapers of the core foreign trade zone. The buildings were cold, and the people moving through them, clad in golden helmets and iron armor, also shimmered in a cold light.

Ling Ling wouldn't resign over a feud with Wen Rui'er. Although she'd already been offered lucrative positions by colleagues and clients seeking to hire her as brand director, Ling Ling hadn't been tempted. Besides the single obstacle of Wen Rui'er, Tuo Wu was perfectly content. Any disagreements with her immediate boss were temporary and minor. She loved this industry, and this was a bigger, longer-term goal for her.

With this in mind, Ling Ling's subsequent work went much more smoothly. She followed Wen Rui'er's instructions completely without emotion. Submission was a good thing, as it reduced the verbal friction. Her work actually became easier. Every day back at the hotel, she could absorb new advertising theories and case studies to avoid exhaustion. She also worked hard to catch up with Wen Rui'er's professional skills as quickly as possible. She wanted him to become a man for whom she only needed to project contempt, both morally and professionally.

The doorbell of the hotel room rang, and she was a little puzzled, because whenever she came back, there was always a Do Not Disturb sign hanging, and she had also reminded the front desk that she should not be disturbed at all except in life-threatening situations such as fire or house collapse.

She opened the door in confusion, and the person who broke in was Yao Ye.

"Miss Fang, why are you here?"

"Master Ling, I heard you were suspended without pay?"

Yao Ye walked into Ling Ling's room, threw a bunch of strange ornaments and picture albums onto the bed, and said, "These are the new things I collected for you recently. They can help you get some inspiration."

Ling Ling smiled and said, "You make it seem like I have to regularly get my inspiration from you. But you did remind me that I can't stay cooped up in the house all day. I should find some new business districts to explore."

Ever since the last stepmother incident, Ling Ling and Yao Ye have become friends through fighting, and the two have developed a friendship where they can belittle each other.

Yao Ye rolled his eyes at her and said, "Sister, other people go shopping to relax, decompress, and enjoy the thrill of spending lavishly. But you've already skipped work and are using your downtime to recharge for work—how dedicated!"

Ling Ling couldn't help laughing and said, "As an employee, I work so hard, you should feel very relieved, after all, it's for your family's business."

"If you become my stepmother, it will be more beneficial to my family's business. Look, if my father marries a young and beautiful wife, he will definitely live longer. And you can handle copywriting, planning, and Akang, and you will be in charge of both the internal and external work. Wouldn't my family's business be even more prosperous? I have a chance of turning it into a century-old brand with you!"

Ling Ling pushed her and said, "Come on, you're a businessman's daughter, you're really calculating. You want me to be your stepmother, not only to take my intelligence, energy, and talent, but also my body. You two are enjoying life and traveling around the world, while I'm being cheated and slavishly exploited in the company, being squeezed to the bone, and even my bones are being ground into dragon bone powder!"

Yao Ye, sprawled on the other untouched bed, said, "The platform and experience must be different!"

"Is becoming a stepmother the only way I can gain experience?"

"Then I don't like you. It's rare for me to like a woman enough to agree to let her be my stepmother."

"I like you too, but I don't like being your stepmother." Ling Ling firmly rejected her again.

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about this anymore. But why are you staying in a standard room?" Yao Ye said with disdain.

Ling Ling responded to her disapprovingly: "A standard room is cheaper than a king-size bed room. It seems that business accommodation is not as good as hooking up for a good price."

"So I'm saying that the most valuable things must be the things of pleasure. You're currently in a period of emotional emptiness. If you have any ideas, remember to consider my dad!" Yao Ye tugged at her sleeve again in a mischievous way.

Ling Ling shook her hand away rudely and said, "We are independent and educated women. Can you please stop asking vulgar questions about men? Besides, what are you wearing?" She asked as she looked at Yao Ye, who was wearing a yellow dragon-patterned long skirt with black edges.