C11 The First Loss!

Miaojie had just parked her car and, in her high heels, hurriedly made her way to the elevator. Luckily, it had just arrived at the basement level, and she quickly stepped inside.

As the elevator doors closed, a black Rolls-Royce appeared around the corner. Shuoyi glanced at his watch, noting the time was nearing noon. He frowned, as being late was one of his pet peeves, and today seemed to be an exception.

The driver noticed Shuoyi's displeasure through the rearview mirror. Despite following the usual schedule, the unexpected traffic in the city had caught him off guard.

“Sir, it’s my fault today. I didn’t plan the route well, and now you’re late for work,” the driver said, taking responsibility to avoid any blame from Shuoyi.

Shuoyi waved his hand, signaling the driver to park quickly. Having often heard about the severe traffic back home while abroad, he was now experiencing it firsthand.

The driver pulled into Shuoyi’s reserved parking spot, only to find a pink Polo parked there. He was at a loss; he had left a note on the windshield yesterday warning the owner, yet here it was again.

Shuoyi slowly lifted his head, his sharp gaze enough to intimidate anyone.

“What’s going on? Didn’t I tell you to inform her this is a reserved spot? Not just anyone can park here. Didn’t you leave a note?” Shuoyi questioned.

“I put the note on her windshield. She must have seen it, but somehow she parked here again today,” the driver replied, scratching his head with a look of frustration.

“Find another spot for the car. I’m heading up,” Shuoyi said, opening the door and walking away with his hands in his pockets, not looking back.

He hadn't taken more than a few steps when something seemed to occur to him. "Oh, right, Liu, stay here after work. As soon as the driver of this car shows up, give me a call." With that, Lin Shuoyi, as usual, headed into the elevator leading to the underground parking garage.

"Okay, boss," the driver, Liu, replied wearily.

Liu's workload had quietly increased today. He parked the car outside the company again. As the top driver for the future heir of GM Cartoon Empire, he'd been pushed around twice already. Today, even if the boss didn't step in, Liu was determined to confront this unruly driver.

Lin Shuoyi was late today, which instantly became the biggest news in the administrative department. It was unprecedented for him. The department was buzzing with excitement.

On his first day as director of the administrative department, Lin Shuoyi had set a rule: anyone late would be fined $50. To the staff, this was a bolt from the blue. Normally, they had control over the company's time clock, and any tardiness could be easily adjusted in the system, ensuring their pay remained unaffected. This was an open secret, even practiced by every previous director.

Today, Lin Shuoyi broke his own rule, and the whole department was waiting to see him slip up. His arrival had made their lives quite difficult.

Rumor had it throughout the company that the administrative department had suddenly become the most desirable place to work at GM Cartoon Empire. Countless fans of Lin Shuoyi were eager to transfer there, unaware that the current staff felt like they were in hot water.

When Lin Shuoyi pushed open the office door at 9:10 a.m., the receptionist looked up at him, her face full of disbelief. When their eyes met, she quickly looked away, intimidated by his stern gaze.

The news of the boss parachuting into the administrative department as director had been circulating for weeks. All the single women at GM Cartoon Company, especially in the administrative department, were thrilled. Everyone had heard that his good looks were unmatched in the city.

He was handsome, wealthy, and talented—practically perfect. This was every girl's dream prince. Suddenly, the single women at GM Cartoon Company, and even some who weren't single, were caught up in a wave of competition.

As soon as Lin Shuoyi entered the office, he loosened his tie. If he hadn't been forced into it, he would never have joined his father's company to take on the meaningless role of an executive director.

His gaze drifted to the photo on his desk—the only picture he had with his mother. He had been at GM Cartoon Company for a while now, but the investigation he was conducting had made no progress. A deep melancholy clouded his eyes.

Standing by the window, he looked out at the skyscrapers. The flicker of his lighter reflected his face in the glass as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and exhaled a ring of smoke in one smooth motion.

Before he knew it, the sunset had painted the sky a deep red. Lin glanced at his phone—it was five o'clock. Time to clock out. Just then, his driver's call came through.

"Sir, the person you're looking for has shown up."

"Great, keep her there. I'm coming down now." Lin tidied up the papers on his desk, put on his coat, and left the office.

His secretary was still waiting by the door.

"You can head home now," Lin said in his usual icy tone. Being his secretary was no easy job.

Three minutes later, the elevator reached the 29th floor. Lin pressed the button for the basement level. Surprisingly, no one else got on, which spared him the small talk with the staff.

Before the elevator doors opened, he could already hear his driver arguing with a woman. His brow furrowed as he walked towards his parking spot, hands in pockets.

"Sir, you're here," the driver said, relieved to see his boss, as he struggled with the sharp-tongued young woman.

"Hasn't anyone taught you that taking someone else's parking spot is quite rude?" Lin's words came out coldly, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes, giving him an intimidating presence.

Miaojie decided to leave five minutes early today, hoping to quietly drive away without any fuss. However, she was caught red-handed by the vigilant parking attendant. In her haste this morning, she had parked in the first available spot she found, not realizing it was the same spot as yesterday. Frustrated, Miaojie silently cursed the city's inadequate traffic system and fumed at GM Cartoon Company for failing to meet even the most basic parking needs of its employees.

With her knack for smooth talking, Miaojie thought she could sweet-talk her way out of the situation with Liu, the attendant, and make a quick escape. But to her dismay, the car's owner showed up, and it was clear they weren't someone to mess with.

It was just like the old saying: "Fate brings foes together."