Chapter Twenty-Seven
After Qin Zhenzhen disappeared from the company, the desk by the window in the administration department was covered in dust. It wasn't until Luan Mingfeng took office that the human resources department hurriedly typed out a belated recruitment notice.
The HR specialist spent two days sifting through more than eighty resumes, ultimately keeping only three.
"Mr. Luan, these are the applicants for the position of General Manager's Assistant. When would you like to schedule an interview with them?" Pang Lijuan said cautiously, placing three resumes on the brand-new solid wood desk. She dared not be careless; this new CEO had only been in the company for a few days and had already completely reshuffled the senior management. Although she hadn't been replaced, she was constantly on edge, living in constant anxiety.
Luan Mingfeng flipped through the resume, stopped after the first glance, and suddenly looked up to ask, "Is there no one in the company?"
Pang Lijuan paused for a moment, then nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, internal employees are familiar with the company's business and understand the company's strategy, which can reduce the adjustment period and promote departmental collaboration..."
Luan Mingfeng glanced at the time; it was almost five o'clock. He had a business dinner that evening and didn't have the patience to listen to her finish. He waved his hand to interrupt her and said directly, "I think Zuo Xutong from the R&D department would be quite suitable. What do you think?"
Pang Lijuan vaguely remembered this girl; she was someone Jiang Zhuoli had helped bring in, and she had just finished her probation period. Why would President Luan notice her so soon after joining the company, and even specifically ask her to be his assistant? Pang Lijuan was very puzzled, but she still reluctantly agreed, "Zuo Xutong has been with the company for a while now, and her performance in all aspects is quite good. I also think she's quite suitable."
After listening, Luan Mingfeng nodded slightly: "Then let's go with her."
Before leaving get off work, Pang Lijuan came to the R&D department and personally told Zuo Xutong the good news: "The company wants to promote an assistant general manager from within. Compared to new hires from outside, internal employees are more familiar with the company's business. After careful consideration, the leaders think you are more suitable. I just talked to Director Jiang. Since you don't have much work right now, you can be transferred to the administration department starting tomorrow."
Zuo Xutong was shocked and blurted out, "No, I can't be an assistant."
Pang Lijuan hadn't expected her to be grateful, but to her surprise, the woman was cold-faced and bluntly refused. Pang Lijuan was displeased and immediately abandoned any thought of winning her over, inwardly cursing: "Fool, you'll never amount to anything!"
This was an opportunity that countless people would fight tooth and nail for, yet she discarded it like trash.
"I'm here to inform you, not to ask for your opinion. If you don't want to do it, go explain it to General Manager Luan yourself," Pang Lijuan said, then turned and left.
Zuo Xutong didn't go to Luan Mingfeng to explain. She continued to go to the lab to do tests as usual. One morning, as soon as she arrived at the third-floor lab, she saw that there was an extra lock on the lab door. Obviously, someone had deliberately added it.
Zuo Xutong returned to her office and, after making inquiries, learned that the new general manager had ordered the lab to be locked. In a moment of impulsiveness, she ran upstairs and angrily asked Luan Mingfeng, "Why was the lab locked?"
Luan Mingfeng turned the leather seat halfway around and asked her in return, "You really don't want to be my assistant?"
Zuo Xutong then realized that the office had been completely transformed since Peng Kun left, with a new Chinese-style display shelf, a rosewood desk, and an Australian wool rug at her feet...
"I have low emotional intelligence and I can't do jobs that involve dealing with people."
"I heard that you often go to the lab downstairs and stay there for half a day."
Zuo Xutong was startled, but she pretended to be calm and retorted, "I'm going to do an experiment, not to slack off. What right do you have to do this?"
“Because all your efforts have been in vain,” Luan Mingfeng slowly sat back in his chair. “I know you had a project to reduce the cost of membrane electrodes, but it was later stopped. However, judging from what Director Jiang said, it seems that you did not give up on the project. The company has undergone a major adjustment recently, so he has turned a blind eye to you.”
He leaned forward slightly, and a faint scent of roses wafted into her nostrils, the fragrance of which woman had left behind. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again: "You probably don't know this yet, but Chaoma is also developing this project. They've just made some progress, and once the results are in, they can be shared with Polar Blue Sky."
Zuo Xutong froze on the spot, her heart trembling with fear, her voice shaking: "They...they've developed it?"
"Not yet, but Professor Tian has already started developing ultra-low Pt film electrodes abroad. With the previous foundation, the progress is going very smoothly, and we should see results soon," Luan Mingfeng said with a smile.
Zuo Xutong blinked her sore eyes, but her body felt like a snake being held by its vital spot, unable to move. She had originally planned that if she couldn't refuse the assistant's job, she would resign and find another way. But now it seemed everything was being held in place by an invisible hand; she had no time left and had to finish the two thousand hours of testing as soon as possible.
"If I agree to be an assistant, can you let me continue using the lab?"
“Of course.” Luan Mingfeng took out a key, held it in his hand and shook it; the metallic gleam stung her pupils.
Zuo Xutong accepted the assistant position in a daze, without understanding what she was supposed to do. It wasn't until more than ten hours later, when she was woken up by a phone call in her hazy sleep, that she finally realized that what an assistant was, nothing more than a errand boy, a handyman, someone who was available whenever she was called.
On the other end of the phone, Luan Mingfeng's voice was drowned out by loud music. It took Zuo Xutong a while to make out one sentence: "I'm at Dongsheng International. Come over here."
"do what?"
"I've been drinking, I can't drive."
“You can’t drive…” Zuo Xutong rubbed her eyes. “You can find a designated driver.”
"Find a designated driver? What's the point of having an assistant then?" Luan Mingfeng mumbled, clearly indicating he had been drinking quite a bit.
Zuo Xutong reluctantly hung up the phone, glancing at the time—12:25 AM. She felt even angrier. Even a nanny wouldn't be at her beck and call 24/7, would she? She opened her navigation app to find the location of Dongsheng International. Luckily, it wasn't far, and a taxi ride would only cost the starting fare.
Half an hour later, Zuo Xutong dawdled into Dongsheng International, a high-end club designed for the wealthy. It usually opened at six in the evening and remained bustling until three or four in the morning. The interior was extremely luxurious, with colorful phoenix carvings and golden splendor, resembling a modern palace, while she looked like a refugee entering a palace.
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