Less money
Meeting room 6603.
The marble conference table reflected the overhead lights, the air was filled with the mixed scents of ambient perfumes, and the conference room was so quiet that the hum of the central air conditioning could be heard.
Qu Shiyao sat listlessly on the side, yawned silently, and her eyelids were drooping.
Opposite her, Lin Weiwei, Zhang Li, Wang Qian, and Sun Mei sat in a row, each in a different pose, looking like a carefully posed group of plastic mannequins.
The system noticed the host glancing at Sun Mei out of the corner of his eye, and was quite puzzled: [Host, even if Sun Mei is pitiful because of workplace bullying, does that warrant your constant attention?]
Qu Shiyao looked away, picked up her phone and scrolled through short videos, replying, "What do you think of her?"
[How is it...] The system brought up today's original plot excerpt.
Sun Mei's description is pitifully short. The only highlight is that after the female protagonist retaliated today, she bumped into Sun Mei feeding stray cats in the alley after get off work, and Sun Mei even apologized to the female protagonist.
Based on Sun Mei's submissive demeanor today, the system said uncertainly: "[She seems... to be a kind-hearted pushover?]"
Qu Shiyao's lips curled into a subtle smile.
System alert: [Isn't that right?]
"Then what do you think of the other three on the other side, their methods?" Qu Shiyao threw the question back at her.
The system perked up and began its analysis, combining the original text with today's observations:
[Lin Weiwei? A typical example of someone who's ambitious but brainless, uses brutal and direct methods, and wears her emotions on her sleeve.]
"Yes, that's a good summary."
Qu Shiyao looked at Lin Weiwei, who was applying bright nail polish as if no one else was around, and added, "To put it simply, she's a classic idiot beauty inside and out."
As if to confirm her words, Lin Weiwei had just finished painting the nails on one hand and was admiring them with satisfaction when she looked up and found Qu Shiyao looking at her.
She snorted coldly, brandishing her shiny claws in a showy manner towards Qu Shiyao, her eyes filled with disdain.
The system looked at the claw; it certainly lived up to the title of a beautiful woman. It then continued: [Zhang Li? A two-faced tiger! A master of backstabbing! The kind you can never guard against!]
“This person is very simple,” Qu Shiyao said, looking at Zhang Li who was carefully adjusting her bangs with a small mirror. Zhang Li noticed her gaze and immediately returned a flawless smile.
"She will maintain a good image on the surface and will not cause trouble on her own initiative, so she is easy to guard against. If she wants to cause trouble behind the scenes, she needs someone else to act as her pawn, and... she cares a lot about her reputation."
System: [...] It felt that the host's "simple" standard was a bit too simplistic and crude.
It looked at Wang Qian: [Wang Qian? A total lackey of Lin Weiwei! A ruthless traitor!]
“Tongzi,” Qu Shiyao corrected it, “there are no true lackeys in the workplace. They are either allies with shared interests or true sisters.”
She watched as Wang Qian praised Lin Weiwei's nail polish color with an admiring look, and continued:
“Look at this morning, Lin Weiwei made Sun Mei take the blame. Did Wang Qian do anything? Lin Weiwei didn’t even order her around. It’s more like they have some kind of relationship.”
Wang Qian sensed Qu Shiyao's gaze, but she didn't turn her head and continued talking to Lin Weiwei, though her body language clearly leaned closer to Lin Weiwei.
Qu Shiyao sighed to the system in her mind: "System, think about it again. From this morning until now, besides some simple isolation and small tricks, what other real harm have they done? This level of bullying is so low that even a junior high school student would think it's low-level."
Seeing that the system was still a bit confused, Qu Shiyao looked at it with exasperation and pointed at it: "System, how come you remember the outline even worse than me? The source of the female lead's persecution is not only the male lead, but also her colleagues in the office."
The system seemed to grasp something; it pieced together the plot:
Based on what we know so far, those people are just causing trouble, but the outline mentions bullying to drive the plot. So we need to find the person behind it all. This person must be close to the CEO to know about his relationship with the female lead…
The system CPU was running at high speed, suddenly recalling the only exception the host had interacted with that morning!
The host specifically talked to her about work and mentioned how much President Si valued her. Sun Mei did not refute it at the time!
[I get it! Host, you mean Sun Mei! The one who seems the most honest and the most bullied, Sun Mei, has a problem?! She's the mastermind?!]
"It's very likely," Qu Shiyao said, not giving a definitive answer, her gaze sweeping over Sun Mei again.
Sun Mei was sitting upright, her hands neatly placed on her knees, holding several project reports in her hands.
"We'll have to wait and see to confirm the situation."
The time jumps to exactly 11:30.
The meeting room door was opened precisely on time.
Si Cheng strode in, dressed in a perfectly tailored dark suit, exuding an aura of domineering CEO who keeps strangers at bay.
Assistant Wen, carrying a thick stack of documents, followed closely behind like a silent shadow.
Lin Weiwei and the others immediately stopped fidgeting, straightened their backs, and put on their sweetest smiles.
Si Cheng walked straight to the head seat and sat down casually, as if the expensive chair were his own sofa.
Wen, the special assistant, stood solemnly beside him like a guard.
Qu Shiyao looked up.
What a coincidence.
Si Cheng's gaze happened to sweep over as well.
Their eyes met.
A knowing and amused glint flashed in Si Cheng's deep eyes.
He curled his lips slightly, revealing a standard, wicked smile, as if to say: Ha, woman, you're really scheming to get my attention again! You've successfully piqued this domineering CEO's interest!
Qu Shiyao: "..."
She felt a surge of heat rising from below, and her body turned red!
If the outline weren't so rigid, she'd grab the crystal ashtray on the conference table and give him a physical send-off! This greasiness is just unbearable!
She suppressed the urge to suddenly lash out and hit someone, and seemingly unintentionally shifted her gaze to the four people opposite her.
Lin Weiwei's face visibly darkened, and her eyes seemed to spit fire as she looked at her.
And Sun Mei...
Her face remained expressionless, still behaving like a dutiful and responsible employee.
But Qu Shiyao keenly noticed that the edges of the reports in her hand were unconsciously being squeezed tighter, and the papers even developed slight wrinkles.
Ha, case solved. The domineering CEO really does have an assistant who is truly in love with him.
Qu Shiyao sneered inwardly.
The "mastermind" in the original work who hides in the shadows and drives the bullying to escalate.
This mental fortitude and ability to conceal his true feelings far surpasses those three loud and boisterous individuals.
Si Cheng gave a signal with a glance.
Assistant Wen immediately stepped forward, deftly connected the computer, the projection screen lit up, and he began his report.
"Everyone, there are two main points to discuss at today's meeting. First, welcome our new colleague Qu Shiyao to the 66th floor assistant team."
Assistant Wen's voice was calm and even, and his gaze lingered on Qu Shiyao for a moment.
"Secondly, I would like to announce an important project progress. Our cooperation project with Dingfeng Industry has been officially signed and launched. Qu Shiyao played a key role in the early stages of negotiations for this project and her contributions were indispensable."
Assistant Wen paused, his gaze returning to Qu Shiyao, his tone formulaic:
"Therefore, with the approval of General Manager Si, Qu Shiyao will be fully responsible for the main coordination and execution of this project. The performance evaluation of this project will also serve as an important basis for Qu Shiyao's future promotion."
The words had barely left his mouth.
Lin Weiwei and the others exchanged glances. Instead of feeling jealous, they all revealed gloating smiles, as if they were watching a good show!
Dingfeng Industry? They're putting a completely inexperienced newcomer in charge? And they have no experience working with established companies.
This isn't giving her a chance; it's putting her on the hot seat! Just wait and see her make a complete fool of herself!
Qu Shiyao felt no emotion upon hearing the appointment; in fact, she almost wanted to laugh.
Project? Connection? She came to this world to change the plot and survive, not to work for capitalists!
But! She caught an even more crucial piece of information!
"President Si!" Qu Shiyao raised her hand sharply, her voice clear and crisp, instantly breaking the subtle atmosphere in the conference room and interrupting Assistant Wen's attempt to continue.
Si Cheng was waiting with great interest to see Qu Shiyao panic or try to beg for mercy, but to his surprise, she showed no fear on her face. Instead, her eyes shone as if she had discovered some treasure.
Hearing Qu Shiyao's words, he raised an eyebrow slightly, with an expression that said, "I knew it," and a hint of condescending tolerance: "Speak."
Ha, women, all they want is convenience or resources.
Since you look like Shen Qingyi, I might consider it.
Qu Shiyao's eyes gleamed with a burning light comparable to a searchlight, her tone filled with an infinite longing for money:
"Mr. Si! I just want to ask one thing! If I complete this project perfectly, will my performance-based salary be paid in full? How much exactly?"
Si Cheng: "..."
His domineering, all-knowing expression froze instantly! His lips twitched slightly!
The conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Vent's hand, which was pushing up his glasses, paused.
The gloating on Lin Weiwei and the others' faces froze, turning into incredulous astonishment.
Jin Yuxi almost choked on her own saliva and quickly lowered her head to cover it up.
It took Si Cheng a few seconds to find his voice. He forced himself to maintain the domineering CEO's authority, but his tone was clearly a little aggrieved.
“Of course. But…” he quickly added, trying to dampen the other person’s inexplicable excitement.
"The amount of money involved in this contract with Dingfeng is not large, so the corresponding performance bonus base is naturally relatively limited as well."
"Less? How...less?" Qu Shiyao's excitement vanished instantly, like a punctured balloon, as she murmured the word repeatedly.
She stood there dumbfounded, her mind blank, with only the glittering golden word "young" playing on an endless loop!
She could almost see her miserable future: scrimping and saving, eating only steamed buns, and drooling over the window of a hot pot restaurant...
The more arrogant they were when they invited Dingfeng, the more desperate they are now!
The system covered its face in its mind's eye: [...]
What's this called? Lifting the giant boulder of Dingfeng and smashing it hard on one's own toes?
Host, your path to making money is starting off on hellish difficulty!
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