Chen Zhe noticed that Yang Yun's behavior was becoming increasingly strange. She would make a special trip to his office to explain things that could be explained over the phone. Her reports were no longer as concise and clear as before. She would deliberately pause several times while speaking, as if she was just padding the time. Sometimes she would stand there after finishing speaking and not leave.
Chen Zhe couldn't stand it any longer.
"Sister Yang, what's wrong? Is there something you want to tell me?"
Chen Zhe was thinking to himself, "Did I demote her too much? Is she having mental problems now? Her frequent visits to me—is she dissatisfied with her current position?"
Yang Yun's face flushed slightly as she stared blankly at Chen Zhe, lost in thought. She didn't know what had gotten into her; the more she looked at Chen Zhe, the more handsome he seemed, and she wanted to see him all the time. She would seize any opportunity to run up to him, and she felt like she was a little obsessed.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Chen, did I bother you?" Yang Yun asked.
Chen Zhe: "..."
Chen Zhe hesitated, not daring to say that Yang Yun was bothering him. Such words would hurt her feelings. Right now, Yang Yun was coordinating with Yang Siqi on work, which was exactly when they needed her, and he still needed to pay attention to her condition.
"No...no, I just thought it would be tiring for you to run around like this. You can just call me for small things, there's no need to come all the way up here."
"It's alright, Mr. Chen. I can express myself more clearly when we're face to face. I'm not tired..."
[You're not tired, but I am!]
Chen Zhe was inwardly groaning. He had tried to call Xie Yuhan several times, but Yang Yun had interrupted him each time. He was anxious. When he came back, he felt like he had forgotten something. Then he finally remembered that he hadn't coaxed Xie Yuhan yet. He had been so busy with work that he had forgotten about her. Damn it!
"Sister Yang, you should be alright now, right?"
Chen Zhe seemed to be looking to kick them out.
But Yang Yun seemed not to understand; "I'm fine."
[If there's nothing wrong, why aren't you leaving?]
Just as Chen Zhe hesitated whether to tell her to leave, the office door opened, and Aunt Wang, the cleaning lady from the lobby downstairs, walked in with a smile, holding a gift box in her hand; "Mr. Chen..."
She was about to speak to Chen Zhe as usual when she suddenly caught sight of Yang Yun standing to the side. Her expression changed, and the casual smile on her face suddenly turned into a somewhat restrained one.
"Manager Yang... Manager Yang is here too..."
Although Yang Yun was reassigned, many people still refer to her as Manager Yang, rather than the lower-ranking Foreman Yang.
Yang Yun found it strange when she saw the cleaning lady come to find Chen Zhe, but when she thought about how Chen Zhe used to chat and laugh with them, she suddenly felt it was normal. When she saw that Aunt Wang was holding a gift, she thought of the idea of staying here a little longer.
"Auntie... what are you holding in your hand?"
Yang Yun originally wanted to greet her like Chen Zhe did, but she suddenly realized that she didn't know the cleaning lady's name.
Aunt Wang was startled when her usually cold and aloof boss suddenly spoke to her. Apart from Chen Zhe, all the other leaders ignored them whenever they passed by, calling out names like "so-and-so" when they needed to, always in a commanding tone. Only Chen Zhe was an exception. She had become familiar with Chen Zhe before he became the company president because he would take the initiative to talk to them when he came to and from get off work. So, over time, everyone naturally came to regard Chen Zhe as a friend.
But the other leaders were different, especially this Manager Yang. She used to be very fierce. Sometimes when they passed by those meeting rooms, they could hear her scolding others.
So when Yang Yun took the initiative to speak to her, Aunt Wang was a little nervous; "I'm sorry, Manager Yang, I didn't mean to slack off, I... I'm delivering a gift to General Manager Chen. Today is General Manager Chen's birthday, and my son picked it out for him. I'll leave as soon as I put it down."
Aunt Wang placed the gift on the table, nodded apologetically to Chen Zhe, and prepared to leave. She didn't want to make things difficult for Chen Zhe. Almost everyone in the company knew that Manager Yang and President Chen didn't get along. Sometimes when they argued, President Chen would give in to her. She didn't want to be scolded by this person.
"Oh! Is today Mr. Chen's birthday?"
Yang Yun suddenly couldn't help but shout, her slightly regretful eyes suggesting she had missed a great opportunity.
"Sister Yang, today is indeed my birthday. Aunt Wang is my friend, so please let her stay a little longer. I also want to see what gift Xiao Bao brought me."
"No, no, no, I didn't mean to send her away, I was just asking."
Seeing that Aunt Wang seemed a little afraid of her, Yang Yun felt somewhat helpless. She had taken the initiative to talk to Aunt Wang earlier, hoping to leave a kind and approachable impression on Chen Zhe, but the effect was the opposite.
Yang Yun felt slightly annoyed.
Chen Zhe chuckled and then told Aunt Wang to stay.
He opened the gift, which was a very cheap toy model, probably worth around 100 yuan on the market.
Aunt Wang felt a little embarrassed. She rubbed the hem of her clothes with her hands, looking somewhat awkward. "Mr. Chen, you gave Xiaobao such an expensive gift before, and we only bought you this. It's really a bit inadequate. But don't worry, after I get my salary this month, I'll buy you something else. I've already discussed it with my husband; we want to buy you a watch..."
"Aunt Wang, you're being too distant! Why do you need a watch? I think this is fine."
Chen Zhe picked up the toy model and played with it, nodding in satisfaction.
"Aunt Wang, when you get home, tell Xiaobao that I really like his gift."
Hearing that Chen Zhe liked it, Aunt Wang breathed a sigh of relief. She would have felt a pang of regret if she had actually used her salary to buy an expensive watch.
"Thank you, Mr. Chen."
“Aunt Wang, there’s no need to be so polite between us. We’ve known each other for so long, just call me Chen Zhe as before.”
Aunt Wang waved her hand; "That won't do, that won't do..."
"Oh, it's fine. There are no outsiders here, so it's still the same as before."
Yang Yun's eyes lit up.
[There are no outsiders here?? So Chen Zhe doesn't treat me like an outsider? He treats me like one of his own!!!]
"Yes, yes, yes!! There are no outsiders here! Aunt Wang, you can just call me Yang Yun. I'm not Manager Yang anymore, so it's more friendly to just call me by my name."
Yang Yun's current friendly expression is much more sincere than before; her smile is truly from the bottom of her heart.
Yang Yun's warm and smooth smile lessened Aunt Wang's guard. She breathed a slight sigh of relief and became as relaxed as usual when talking to Chen Zhe, although she still addressed him as President Chen.
"Mr. Chen, I have some good news to tell you."
"Huh? What good news is it?"
Chen Zhe asked with great interest.
"Do you remember Old Liu, the one with the slightly hunched back?"
"Oh, yes, didn't he resign and retire to his hometown? What happened?"
"Hey, he can't stay at home, so he found another job near his son's workplace, still doing cleaning. Guess where he works?"
"Haha, I can't guess."
“He works at the Shengli Group. Yesterday, he secretly told me that he poured boiling water on the money tree at the entrance of the Shengli Group. He said he was doing it to vent your anger, Mr. Chen. Those people at the Shengli Group maliciously sold that club to us, just to harm you, Mr. Chen. Although we are not highly educated, we can see through it all.”
Aunt Wang spoke proudly, as if she were the one who watered that money tree.
Chen Zhe and Yang Yun were both stunned for a moment.
Then Chen Zhe laughed out loud; "This old Liu isn't afraid of being discovered."
“What’s there to be afraid of? He said he’s so old and doesn’t care about losing this job. He just can’t stand how those people treat you, Mr. Chen.”
"Old Liu is very kind, but it's best not to do this kind of thing again in the future, it's not good if someone finds out."
"Yes, I'll talk to him. Mr. Chen, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now. Happy birthday!"
"Thank you, Aunt Wang. And thank you, Xiaobao, for the gift."
Aunt Wang turned and left the office, and only then did Yang Yun realize what was happening.
She swallowed hard. "President Chen, I now understand why you've been so good to them. Nobody cares about these low-level employees, and they have their own networks. They can notify you immediately about things happening in other companies, and the people in those companies have no idea how the information was leaked. Your move is truly brilliant! I really admire you more and more."
Chen Zhe was slightly taken aback. This woman was smart; she immediately guessed his thoughts. That's right, the reason Chen Zhe became close with these low-level employees wasn't because he was naturally sociable. These low-level employees did have their own networks of connections. They were almost unnoticed while working, but they could move freely between different company buildings. Sometimes, bosses from other companies would discuss important matters without keeping it from them. Chen Zhe had overheard their gossip once and then started to take it seriously.
During this time, he also heard news about other companies from Aunt Wang or others. This indirect information could be compiled into some data and taken into consideration when he needed to make certain decisions.
Even if some of her own subordinates were secretly talking badly about her or discussing her decisions, these cleaning ladies would tell her.
In a sense, they were their own personal bodyguards.
However, Chen Zhe would not admit this directly.
He coughed and changed the subject; "Sister Yang, if you have nothing else, you can go downstairs first. I still have some things to take care of."
Chen Zhe had already told her to leave, and he figured this woman wouldn't be so shameless as to stay here any longer.
But to my surprise, Yang Yun really didn't leave.
She lowered her head, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, seemingly hesitating about something. After a while, just as Chen Zhe was about to urge her to leave again, Yang Yun raised her head and mustered her courage to say, "Mr. Chen, do you have time after get off work tonight?"
"Hmm? Sister Yang, is there something you need?"
"It's nothing. Isn't today your birthday? I... I wanted to celebrate for you. Don't overthink it. I just feel like I've wronged you in many ways in the past, and I want to apologize. I'd like to treat you to a meal. Please don't refuse me."
"I……"
Chen Zhe didn't place much importance on his birthday; he had never celebrated it before, so naturally he had no intention of doing so.
"Sister Yang, I'm still a bit busy, I might get off work very late..."
"It's okay, I can wait for you, no matter how late!"
Faced with Yang Yun's expectant gaze, Chen Zhe simply couldn't bring himself to refuse.
"Well... okay then, let's have dinner together later. Oh, and you can invite your cousin too, it'll be more lively with another person."
"Uh... okay."
Yang Yun nodded, but she didn't really want to call me her cousin. She just wanted to be alone with Chen Zhe and wouldn't let her cousin ruin everything.
"I'll go book a hotel!!!! See you tonight..."
Yang Yun ran out happily.
"Sister Yang! There's no need for such a grand affair. A simple meal will suffice; there's no need to book a hotel..."
Whether Yang Yun heard the last sentence or not, she had already run out and closed the door.
Chen Zhe shook his head; "This woman... I was planning to talk to Xiaoyu tonight, but I've missed it again..."
...
When Yang Yun got off work, she ran back home and changed into a very beautiful dress. She stood in front of the full-length mirror, swaying her hips and talking to herself.
"Will he like this feeling? Am I being a bit too revealing? Will he think I'm a promiscuous woman? No, I can't let him think that way!"
She changed into another slightly more conservative dress, but when she stood in front of the mirror, she felt dissatisfied again.
"Is this outfit too outdated? Will he think I'm too unfashionable? There are so many beautiful women in the company. If I dress too unfashionably, he'll laugh at me. No, I can't let him laugh at me."
Yang Yun took off the dress she was wearing again and threw it on the bed. She tried on the dress repeatedly, and before she knew it, the wardrobe was empty, and the bed was piled with clothes that she was not satisfied with after changing out.
She scratched her hair in frustration, then exclaimed, "I really do need more clothes!!! How can I have so many unfashionable clothes?"
Knock knock knock!
She couldn't hear the knocking at the door, or perhaps she heard it but didn't notice.
Her cousin, Yang Siqi, was already standing at the door, arms crossed, watching her.
Yang Siqi shook her head; "Xiaoyun, what are you doing now? Are you going to the king's wedding? Why are you so conflicted?"
"Sis?? When did you get here?"
Yang Yun was startled when she heard her cousin's voice.
Yang Siqi rolled her eyes. "I knocked on the door for ages, but you were like a deaf person and didn't hear me at all. I had to use the spare key to open it, and when I came in, I saw you acting like a lunatic. What are you doing?"
Yang Yun came over and took her cousin's hand; "Sis! You have to help me!! Help me pick out a nice dress. You're in the entertainment industry, your taste is definitely better than mine, right?"
"Huh?? What exactly do you want?"
"Hey, never mind that, you pick one for me first!! Come here!!"
Yang Yun immediately pulled Yang Siqi over. She didn't dare to delay for too long, fearing that Chen Zhe would leave before she could wait, so she had to hurry.
...
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