C15 Dispersing

Shu Ann and Zhou Yang outside were both stunned—Lih Jingyan actually apologized to someone.

Shu Ann was too surprised to speak. Seeing her silence, Lih Jingyan said, "This is the first time I've ever apologized to someone. Why aren't you saying anything? You're making me lose face here."

Shu Ann finally snapped out of it, "Huh?"

Relieved that she spoke, Lih Jingyan relaxed a bit. Outside, Zhou Yang was overjoyed, thinking, "I can't believe I just heard the boss apologize. Wow, even he has days like this!"

"Have you had lunch?" Lih Jingyan asked Shu Ann. She was puzzled as to why he was asking, and even Lih Jingyan felt awkward, thinking, "Wasn't I supposed to ask her what she was up to?"

"I had lunch at a restaurant," Shu Ann replied.

Hearing this, Lih Jingyan's temper flared up again. "What? You went to a restaurant? Do you know what I had? Hard rice, poorly cooked potatoes, and shrimp with the veins still in. And you had such a nice meal! You need to admit your mistake."

Internally, Shu Ann rolled her eyes, and outside, Zhou Yang did the same.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Feeling guilty?" Lih Jingyan pressed.

Shu Ann sighed, "Boss, did you ask me anything? What do you want me to say?"

"Oh right, I almost forgot. I wanted to ask, what were you up to this afternoon?"

Shu Ann felt exasperated, as did Zhou Yang outside. The boss had gone in circles just to ask this one question.

"Fu Xiaoya invited me to lunch, so I went," Shu Ann answered.

"And then?"

"Then I came back after lunch!" With that, Shu Ann returned to her desk.

In the large break room of Jingtai Company, a woman with long hair down to her waist stood alone, angrily clutching a cup of coffee, her eyes filled with frustration.

Every time Shu Ann thought about how Lih Jingyan had spoken to her that morning when she delivered some documents, she got angry. It wasn't her fault the data was wrong, so why blame her? Does being a secretary mean she has to be her boss's punching bag whenever he's in a bad mood?

Shu Ann suddenly remembered what Xiaoya had said to her earlier today. She had foolishly defended Lih Jingyan, thinking he was just being childish. Clearly, she must have been out of her mind to think that.

After lunch, everyone at the company gradually returned to work. One of the girls who had joined the company with Shu Ann saw her sipping coffee alone in the break room and curiously asked, "Shu Ann, why are you drinking coffee here by yourself? Didn't you have lunch?"

Shu Ann, lost in her thoughts about Lih Jingyan, was startled back to reality by the question. She looked at Chung Xi and said, "Oh, Chung Xi, don't even get me started. Who needs lunch when I've already had a huge serving of our Chairman Lih's attitude today? I'm still trying to digest it with this coffee."

Chung Xi looked at Shu Ann in disbelief and said, "No way! Even though our chairman seems distant and unapproachable, he's incredibly handsome! A little attitude is fine when you look that good."

Shu Ann watched Chung Xi's starry-eyed expression and wondered if being handsome really excused bad behavior. Her worldview was so shaken that she couldn't even finish her coffee.

Meanwhile, in his office, Lih Jingyan listened intently as Special Assistant Zhou briefed him on recent developments. It was clear that the attack on the city's network database was no mere accident; someone had been eyeing the city for a while.

Special Assistant Zhou, seeing the serious look on his boss's face after the report, was too scared to even breathe, fearing Lih Jingyan might lash out at him.

Lih Jingyan noticed Zhou's nervous demeanor and recalled how Shu Ann had stood her ground earlier that morning. It seemed his little secretary had quite the prideful streak.

Assistant Zhou noticed the shifting expressions on Director Lee's face and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Director Lee, the lunch from Linglong Pavilion will be here shortly."

Hearing this, Lih Jingyan suddenly remembered his proud little secretary probably hadn't eaten yet. He looked up at Zhou Yang and said, "Alright, I know. Have Shu Ann bring the meal to my office."

Zhou Yang smiled and asked, "If there's nothing else, I'll get back to work."

Without looking up, Lih Jingyan simply replied, "Alright."

Feeling as if he had been granted a royal pardon, Zhou Yang happily exited the director's office. Once outside, he breathed a sigh of relief. Today was a day worth remembering—it was the first time he reported to the director without receiving any criticism. This thought made Zhou Yang quite pleased.

Everyone at Jingtai knew that the company's rise from near bankruptcy five years ago to becoming one of the top publicly listed companies in F City was largely due to Lih Jingyan's strict and almost ruthless management style. Each time Zhou Yang went to the director's office to report, he felt like he was marching to his doom. After all, as the director's special assistant, it was his job to handle the tough situations. Despite Lih Jingyan's cold demeanor at work, he was a decent boss outside of it.

Thinking about last year's company bonuses made Zhou Yang smile. Jingtai's year-end bonuses were unmatched in F City, which was why so many people were eager to work there.

Carrying the distinctive lunch box from Linglong Pavilion, Zhou Yang headed to the chairman's assistant office and asked Anna from the secretary's department, "Anna, have you seen Shu Ann?"

Seeing Zhou Yang, Anna immediately smiled and approached him. Special Assistant Zhou was someone every woman in the secretary's office wanted to befriend. After all, if he put in a good word for them with Director Lee, or something similar, they might just find themselves in a much better position. Who wouldn't want to become the chairman's wife?

"Assistant Zhou, is there something important you need to discuss with Shu Ann? She's not here right now, but if it's urgent, you can tell me."

"Anna, the Chairman needs Shu Ann to handle a few tasks."

Hearing that the Chairman was looking for Shu Ann, Anna felt a twinge of annoyance. She couldn't believe Shu Ann had been promoted to the Chairman's personal secretary. However, she held her tongue out of respect for the Chairman and said to Zhou Yang, "Assistant Zhou, I just saw Shu Ann chatting with someone from the marketing department, Chung Xi, in the break room."

After hearing Anna, Zhou Yang headed to the break room. There, he found Shu Ann alone, slumped over a table with a cup of coffee, looking utterly defeated. Zhou Yang quietly approached her and said, "Secretary Shu, so this is where you're hiding out. You were hard to find!"

Shu Ann had been bored after Chung Xi left for work. She didn't enjoy returning to the secretarial office, where the women were always dolled up, vying for the Chairman's attention. She couldn't understand if they were there to work or to find a husband.

Startled by Zhou Yang's voice, Shu Ann quickly stood up and asked, "Assistant Zhou, is there something you need from me?"

Zhou Yang couldn't help but laugh at her guilty expression. "Haha! Shu Ann, you're just too cute."

Confused, Shu Ann wondered if Zhou Yang had come just to compliment her. However, she did have a pressing question for him. Carefully, she asked, "Assistant Zhou, there's something I'd like to ask you."

Zhou Yang replied, "What is it? Go ahead and ask. I'll tell you everything I know."

After hearing what Zhou Yang said, Shu Ann finally felt relieved and quickly asked, "Assistant Zhou, Miss Fu came by to see the Director this afternoon and had quite a bit to say about him. Should I let him know?"

Zhou Yang laughed even louder at Shu Ann's words and replied, "Shu Ann, our Director was right about you. You're truly a rare talent. Yes, you should definitely tell him about it. Why don't you take his lunch to him while you're at it?"

With that, Zhou Yang handed Shu Ann an exquisitely crafted lunch box and left with a smile. Shu Ann took the beautifully designed box, watching Zhou Yang's cheerful departure, and felt even more puzzled. Was what she said really that amusing?

Shu Ann doubted Zhou Yang was genuinely complimenting her. Oh well, she thought, better get this lunch to that temperamental, cold-hearted man and update him about Miss Fu's visit.

Feeling a bit anxious, Shu Ann gently knocked on the Director's office door.

"Come in."

Shu Ann entered, placed the lunch box on the table in front of the sofa, and looked at Lih Jingyan, who was engrossed in reviewing documents. She suppressed her annoyance and said, "Director Lee, your lunch is here. Also, Miss Fu stopped by this afternoon, but you weren't around, so she left after a while."

Lih Jingyan put down his documents, stood up slowly, and walked over to Shu Ann, asking, "You haven't eaten either, have you? Come, sit down and join me for lunch."

Shu Ann was stunned by Lih Jingyan's words, doubting her ears. How could he possibly say something like that?