SCHS - Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Qin Zhen was originally still feeling awkward about accidentally hugging Wen Shixue, but upon hearing that long string of flowery prefixes, her inner embarrassment instantly vanished.
As long as Wen Shixue didn't think there was a problem, then there wasn't a problem.
She adjusted her mood, lowered her gaze slightly to look at Wen Shixue, and responded calmly and politely, "Don't turn around so suddenly, be careful."
Wen Shixue, while pushing aside the long hair draped over her shoulders and straightening her crooked bow, said, "I just suddenly remembered something I absolutely must make clear with Vice President Qin."
This matter was very important to her; to prevent herself from forgetting it later, she had to say it now.
"What is it?" Qin Zhen asked.
Wen Shixue looked intently into her eyes, her expression more serious than ever before, and called her name for the first time: "Qin Zhen, you cannot lie to me, and you cannot betray me."
This was her first job, her first time managing a company. Although she held the script, it was almost entirely a love story centered around the male and female leads, with Chenfeng Jewelry having no significant presence. Therefore, she couldn't learn from it and could only proceed step by step, steadily moving forward.
But everything is difficult at the start. No one in this world has a smooth journey, including the male and female leads with their protagonist halos; just their love story alone had forty-nine levels of demons and monsters waiting.
And while she wouldn't easily surrender to the unknown path ahead, and would bravely forge her way forward, overcoming obstacles to prove herself, she still hoped Qin Zhen could stay with her and not betray her trust.
Qin Zhen was different from any other employee at Chenfeng. She was the one who came here with her, the one who dared to stand before her second uncle, Wen Changshun, and firmly defend her position, and she was also her teacher, a guiding light showing her the way. Therefore, she selfishly and possessively hoped that Qin Zhen would never betray or deceive her, ever.
She looked at the calm and composed Qin Zhen, reached out, held her arm, and said solemnly, "Don't worry, I will absolutely never owe you wages!"
If she didn't owe wages, employees wouldn't think about leaving, and if they didn't think about leaving, they wouldn't betray her. This was a very serious and solemn promise.
Qin Zhen didn't know how to describe her feelings at this moment. She found it both amusing and helpless. It turned out that the fearless Wen Shixue was still afraid of her betraying or deceiving her, and then spoke like a child saying, "I'll give you all my candy, just don't stop playing with me."
She inexplicably felt it was a little cute, and her expression softened unconsciously. A child is a child; even their promises carried the sweet, unripe taste of candy. While not exactly mature, it wasn't off-putting either.
She gently lowered Wen Shixue's hand, seizing the opportunity to act as a teacher, and said in a gentle tone, "I won't lie to President Wen, nor will I betray President Wen. It's good that President Wen doesn't owe employee wages, but retaining people can't rely solely on that; it also depends on yourself."
"An excellent leader can guide a team upwards, resolve all difficult issues efficiently, and also allow every employee to see hope and follow wholeheartedly."
"So I hope President Wen can become such a leader, just like your father, okay?"
The Wen Group has been able to reach where it is today, establishing a firm foothold, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Wen Lianchang, an excellent leader. It is precisely because of this that the old employees are willing to follow him to this day.
As his daughter, Qin Zhen hoped Wen Shixue could be as excellent as her father, or even surpass him.
Hearing this, Wen Shixue curved her lips into a smile at her, didn't answer directly, raised her hand to take her wrist, and turned to walk out the door: "Let's go, Wen Dong's daughter should work hard."
She absolutely had to get to the bottom of this Tao Wanwan matter. If it really was an internal person causing trouble for her, then she would start by cleaning up the internal environment and move towards becoming a successful, qualified leader!
Wen Shixue: No one can hinder this young lady from building her career, no one!
...
Wen Shixue ultimately decided not to go directly to the Design Department to find Tao Wanwan, fearing that doing so would alert the enemy, Tao Wanwan would be threatened, and wouldn't say anything. Moreover, if nothing was found, it would also harm Zhu Ziming, who had quietly tipped her off.
So she and Qin Zhen discussed it and decided to adopt a one-on-one "concern" approach, randomly selecting a few jewelry designers from the Design Department, calling them up one by one for casual chats, just going through the motions to make everyone in the Design Department relax their guard, and then naturally include Tao Wanwan among them.
Wen Shixue propped her temples, looking boredly at the door. Qin Zhen sat on the sofa, legs crossed, reading the documents in her hand while waiting for Tao Wanwan to come up.
Soon, Tao Wanwan knocked on the President's Office door, half nervous and half hesitant. The first person she saw upon entering was Wen Shixue. Wen Shixue sat elegantly, her slender fingers propping up her head, her expression full of leisurely ease, as if nothing in the world could bother her.
"You're here." Wen Shixue didn't show too much enthusiasm. "Have a seat."
This was Tao Wanwan's first time in the President's Office, her first glimpse of its layout.
Behind Wen Shixue was a large, spotless floor-to-ceiling window. The bright sun silently streamed through the glass, illuminating the entire room and instantly broadening the view. The interior furnishings were understated yet luxurious, simple and elegant, primarily in white and blue tones, creating a fresh and comfortable overall feel. No extra colors were needed, because Wen Shixue herself was the most striking splash of color within it.
Tao Wanwan first quietly greeted Vice President Qin, whom everyone at Chenfeng considered very aloof, and then cautiously sat down opposite Wen Shixue. She didn't know what Wen Shixue would ask her. The nervous feeling and the solemn atmosphere prevented her brain from functioning freely at that moment; it was completely blank, unable to think of anything.
Perhaps it was better not to think. If she couldn't think, she wouldn't have to think about that matter that made her feel utterly suffocated...
Wen Shixue lifted her eyelids to look at Tao Wanwan opposite her. She was fair-skinned and cute, with long eyelashes when she lowered her eyes. She wore a pair of slim-fitting jeans and a simple patterned long-sleeved shirt. Even in the scorching summer heat, the buttons on her cuffs and collar were fastened tightly, leaving no gaps.
Wen Shixue's brow furrowed slightly at the sight; she was successfully made to feel hot and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you hot?"
She remembered seeing Tao Wanwan dressed quite coolly before, in short sleeves and shorts, very summery. How did she suddenly put on a long-sleeved shirt? She couldn't understand it. It was like a giant steam oven outside, which made her start craving cola again.
Tao Wanwan was startled by her words. Her heart jumped, and she suddenly recalled those vexing matters, burying her head even lower for a moment, forgetting to reply.
Wen Shixue also lowered her head slightly and asked softly, "Miss Tao? You don't look well. Did I say something wrong?"
"No!" Tao Wanwan suddenly raised her head, waving her hands repeatedly, and replied slowly, "I, I'm not hot."
She didn't dare provoke Wen Shixue, or rather, she didn't dare provoke any of the senior executives at Chenfeng. She was afraid of interacting with them. She hated the feeling of powerlessness when facing them, which always left her flustered and at a loss, and her fingers would twist restlessly.
But just then, she saw Wen Shixue opposite her smile at her. The smile was friendly and sincere, causing her to pause in surprise.
"Miss Tao, how is working at Chenfeng?" Wen Shixue asked.
Tao Wanwan subconsciously wanted to say "not good," but suddenly remembered where she was and who she was facing. She forced the words back down and said, as if compelled, "Very good..."
"Really?" Wen Shixue said with a smile. "You haven't thought about quitting because of work?"
Tao Wanwan paused, then shook her head slightly after a moment: "No..."
Hearing this, Wen Shixue leaned forward, interlaced her fingers to support her chin, and inhaled sharply with a short "hiss": "That's strange. Is there a fourth person in this room?"
Qin Zhen calmly looked at her.
On the contrary, Tao Wanwan was startled, her eyes wide with fright. S-suddenly a horror movie???
Wen Shixue raised an eyebrow: "Otherwise, why does every word you say sound like it's being spoken with a knife held to your throat?"
Tao Wanwan froze.
Wen Shixue continued: "Miss Tao, you're not doing well in the Design Department. You don't like this job, you don't like the tasks I assign you, you don't like the themes, and you don't want to face those blank sheets of paper waiting for you to fill them anymore. So you want to resign, right?"
Actually, Wen Shixue didn't know if this was the case. Had the person who used to rub her hands together eagerly and jump at tasks really grown tired of this job?
No one answered her. The surroundings were silent, swallowed by dead silence.
But she and Qin Zhen had plenty of patience. They simply sat there, waiting for Tao Wanwan to speak—would she admit it, or deny it?
After a long while, she heard the answer.
"I really like this job," Tao Wanwan said. "More than anyone."
Since she was a child, she had wanted to be a jewelry designer, to let the whole world see her work, and to see her creations worn by people. She loved this job, loved this dream, and had never felt even a trace of aversion.
She just, just didn't like a certain person, to the point of fear.
Wen Shixue's expression was solemn as she spoke: "Miss Tao, I don't know if your thoughts of resigning are due to family matters or company matters. If it's family matters, I can't interfere. If it's company matters, then I absolutely must. Because this is my Chenfeng, and I have an obligation to give you justice."
Hearing this, a surge of fiery courage suddenly welled up in Tao Wanwan's heart, making her want to open her mouth. But the next second, after seeing Wen Shixue's face clearly, she didn't know what she thought of, and that surge of courage wilted again, ultimately not letting her utter a single word.
Seeing her hesitant expression, Wen Shixue knew the matter wasn't simple. But so what? The incident happened in her company. If she didn't resolve it, how could she lead this group of employees in the future?
She said patiently, "Miss Tao, you can tell me the truth. Please trust me."
Hearing this, Tao Wanwan raised her eyes and looked at her quietly. After a moment, she slowly smiled: "Thank you." Then, changing the subject, she said dejectedly, "But never mind. You can't manage it."
Wen Shixue was puzzled: "On my territory, is there something I can't manage?"
Tao Wanwan sighed deeply and conceded, "It's not a matter, it's a person."
Tao Wanwan: "President Wen, you can't manage Chairman Wen's..."
Wen Shixue: "???"
Why would this matter involve her family's Lao Wen???
Comments
Post a Comment