Chapter 45: A Harmless Opponent [1]
Listening to his mother's words, Lin Fan felt thoroughly unsettled. He had just returned from Paris, only to be packed off right back there. If he left, what would happen to Rourou? With so many elites in the company, why did they have to assign this project to an inexperienced novice like him?
Naturally, Lin Fan's mother saw right through his worries, which stemmed from his desire to take advantage of the situation with Wen Xiaorou. However, in the eyes of a businesswoman, making money naturally outweighed matters of the heart. She thus said to Lin Fan, "Lin Fan, Jingnuo only signed such a favorable contract for the company this time out of regard for the friendship between our two families. If you handle this project well, your father can rightfully hand the position of president over to you, and only then will the other shareholders have nothing to say. Romantic attachments can be pursued in the fullness of time. Wouldn't it be even better if you accomplished something significant to make Rourou look at you with newfound respect? Besides, Rourou and Jingnuo have just broken up; you won't be able to insert yourself into the picture right away anyway. Wouldn't it be better to give her some space to clear her head?"
His mother's words left Lin Fan with no reason to refuse. Wen Xiaorou liked Jingnuo simply because Jingnuo was more capable than him. If he could become just like Jingnuo, would Wen Xiaorou develop favorable feelings for him? Lin Fan weighed in his mind whether his mother's reasoning held water.
Sensing Lin Fan's hesitation, his mother pressed on, "Then it's settled."
Gritting his teeth, Lin Fan nodded and gave a soft hum of assent.
And so, having been back from Paris for less than a week, Lin Fan hurried away once again. Before his departure, he met Wen Xiaorou for a brief gathering, offering various promises and sketching out blueprints for their future life together. Wen Xiaorou merely listened without taking any of it to heart. In fact, she felt a quiet sense of relief that Lin Fan was being dispatched to Paris; otherwise, her life would have known no peace.
The Monday following Lin Fan's departure was also Wen Xiaorou's first day of work at the Shangjing Group. She woke up exceptionally early that morning, waited an hour for Cheng Yiyi, and the two finally set off from home for the company. Since Cheng Yiyi owned a car, Wen Xiaorou got off lucky, sparing herself the ordeal of squeezing onto the subway.
In the employee parking lot of the Shangjing Group, Cheng Yiyi fumbled awkwardly and ended up parking crookedly. Pressed for time to get to work, she didn't dwell on whether the vehicle was parked straight.
After getting out, she pulled Wen Xiaorou toward the elevators while briefing her on some of the company's regulations.
From Cheng Yiyi, Wen Xiaorou learned that the social hierarchy and prestige of employees within the Shangjing Group were determined by the height of their office floors. The lowest-ranking staff occupied floors one through three. Those who performed well could gradually move upward; climbing floors signified a step-by-step rise in corporate status. The top floor was the exclusive domain of the big boss. Aside from the boss's office and his secretarial team's office, the top floor also housed one large conference room and two small ones, while the remaining space had been transformed into a sky garden. Anyone working on the top floor was undoubtedly a favored favorite of the boss.
Hearing Cheng Yiyi's description, Wen Xiaorou pursed her lips and shook her head, remarking, "What a bunch of perverts, acting like feudal emperors."
Hearing Wen Xiaorou's characterization, Cheng Yiyi burst out with a muffled laugh, finding the analogy rather fitting. She chimed in, "Indeed, and those secretaries must be the imperial harem! Hahaha!"