Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 72

Xu You raised an eyebrow and cast a sidelong glance at Li Rui beside her. The rest of the people in the conference room were still discussing the new project, and few noticed the tension brewing between the two.

She let out a light laugh, her lips curling with disdain. “Is it that they can’t tolerate me, or that I don’t want to stay? Use what little brain you have left to figure it out.”

Li Rui’s grip on her bag strap tightened. As a college graduate with a normal IQ, she couldn’t possibly miss the insult. Her charming eyes flashed with anger, as if she wanted to tear Xu You apart.

Her hatred for Xu You wasn’t just because of her outstanding academic performance.

It was Xu You’s calm and composed demeanor in the face of challenges, her extraordinary talent in the arts, and the effortless way she seemed to have everything needed to rise above others, all of it made Li Rui feel like a clown, toiling away in vain, putting in futile effort, and experiencing empty joy.

Being so easily provoked by Xu You’s few words was, in fact, inevitable.

Li Rui was sensitive and brooding, and Xu You had a knack for hitting her where it hurt the most. With a few empty threats, Xu You could subdue her without even lifting a finger.

“Don’t get too cocky. The more arrogantly you laugh now, the more bitterly you’ll cry later,” Li Rui hissed through gritted teeth.

“I’ll return those words to you,” Xu You replied with a cheerful smile.

An invisible war raged between them as the conference room door opened and closed several times. The department head entered with her assistant and took a seat at the short end of the long table, about a meter or two away from them. The room fell silent instantly.

Xu You blinked nonchalantly at Li Rui, then turned her head away, waiting for the meeting to start as she tuned out the nonsense.

“You’ll regret this, Xu You,” Li Rui said, enunciating each word slowly.

The words fell on deaf ears. Xu You ignored her, opening her notebook and unlocking it as if nothing had happened.

The department assistant projected the meeting’s PowerPoint slides, ensured the software was running smoothly, and stepped aside. The department head adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. “Colleagues from the design department…”

She got straight to the point, introducing the meeting’s agenda and outlining the recent work plan.

With the confirmation of the “Otherworld: Investiture of the Gods” project, the leisurely days for the YUYOO design department were officially over as of today.

“As usual, after the meeting, Xue Jie will distribute the tasks to each team. This is a project the company values highly, and I don’t want anyone slacking off or submitting subpar work just to get by.” After reprimanding a few colleagues who had been slacking off too much, she switched slides and outlined the most critical tasks at hand.

Xue Jie, the assistant, stood upright nearby. Once the department head finished, he added calmly, “I’ve emailed the specific details and requirements to each team leader. If you have any questions or objections, you can find me after the meeting.”

“The first draft is due in one week.” The department head’s sharp gaze swept across the faces in the room before settling on the one in front of her. She reached out and closed her laptop. “That’s all for today. Everyone, get back to work.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the murmurs in the room ceased. A unified “Okay” echoed in response, and within two minutes, almost all the department members had cleared out of the conference room.

In the suddenly empty room, only the department head, Xu You, and Qian Doudou remained. Xue Jie had slipped out unnoticed with the crowd.

This was Xu You’s first department meeting. Haunted by memories of previous tedious experiences, she had opted to bring her laptop instead of taking notes by hand. Who would have thought the meeting would end before she could even type the title? She glanced at Qian Doudou, who gave her a meaningful look. Understanding the signal, Xu You quickened her pace.

She knew better than to gossip in front of leadership.

But as she withdrew her gaze, it inadvertently met the department head’s, a look she couldn’t quite decipher.

Not daring to dwell on it, Xu You, whose only workplace experience was a brief internship, decided to keep a low profile and avoid drawing attention. She quickly packed her laptop into her bag and followed Qian Doudou out of the room.

“Sis Qian, is the department head always like this?” Xu You asked softly, after they had walked a fair distance from the conference room and confirmed the head wasn’t following.

Qian Doudou blinked rapidly and filled her in on the department’s recent changes.

The previous department head had overstayed his position, letting power go to his head. Department evaluations and task assignments were no longer based on merit but on his personal whims. Those who knew how to flatter got the easy jobs, while the less slick ones were stuck with the hardest, most thankless tasks, only to be nitpicked on top of it all. After several projects, discontent simmered, and someone secretly reported him. Once the details were verified, he was fired on the spot.

The new department head, a decisive and efficient woman, had been poached from an overseas gaming company with a high salary. Unlike her predecessor, who dragged his feet, she prioritized efficiency. Department meetings were kept as short as possible, and tasks that could be handled by one person were never turned into group discussions that dragged on without yielding results. That’s why today’s morning meeting had wrapped up in just over ten minutes.

Xu You nodded repeatedly. A good work environment really was crucial for them.

The two returned to the department office together, where the other teams had already begun their group meetings under the direction of their team leaders and deputies. The moment Xu You stepped in, she felt a scorching gaze fixed on her face. Sure enough, when she looked over, it was her “wonderful” deputy, Li Rui.

From halfway across the office, Li Rui leaned back in her chair as Xu You approached, her expression one of unmistakable annoyance.

As Xu You drew nearer, Li Rui didn’t shift her posture but spoke coldly, “Well, Team Leader Xu, taking your sweet time, I suppose you’ve already got our team’s work all sorted out?”

It was an utterly childish provocation. Xu You glanced down at her with disdain.

Xu You had probably been the first in the entire design department to get her hands on the project. She’d been working on her own tasks for days, but Li Rui wasn’t worth explaining any of it to.

After all, Li Rui didn’t deserve to know that much.

“No, do you have any ideas?” Xu You shot back.

Li Rui rested her hand on the plastic armrest. Their exchange had drawn the rest of the team closer, and once everyone had gathered, Li Rui spoke again, her tone tinged with feigned grievance.

“Team Leader Xu, how could I possibly have any ideas? All the details were sent to your email. I just noticed that the other teams have already started, and with only a week left, I was worried we might not finish in time, so I spoke up a bit more. Maybe my attitude wasn’t great, please don’t be upset with me.”

The manipulative speech didn’t anger Xu You in the slightest; instead, a faint smile touched her lips. The colleagues who had just gathered didn’t know the full story or the underlying tension between the two. Initially confused, they quickly grew anxious upon hearing that their progress was lagging.

A shorter young man soon became Li Rui’s unwitting weapon.

“Team Leader Xu, since you’re new, you might not realize how strict our department head’s standards are, or how intense our workload can get. Time is money, if you have any plans or assignments, please issue them as soon as possible.”

“The other teams just started too; we’re not that far behind,” retorted a team member who’d been won over by Xu You’s boba tea treats, siding with her.

“If you’re not in a hurry, then just stand aside and watch. When the draft gets rejected, you’ll be the one getting scolded.”

“What, you think you can finish everything in two or three minutes? I’ve never seen you this proactive before. The moment someone gives an order, you rush to the front?”

“Who are you talking about?”

Someone deliberately stirred up conflict, and the effect was immediate.

With accusations flying back and forth, Xu You didn’t even have time to intervene before the two seemed on the verge of an argument.

Xu You shot a deep glance at Li Rui, who had ignited the conflict and then retreated into the background, seemingly enjoying the escalating quarrel.

“Stop.” Xu You freed a hand and tapped her knuckles on Li Rui’s desk. The conversation came to an abrupt halt. She put on a serious expression and said, “This is my first time as team leader, and I have no experience in guiding team members. I understand the importance of this matter. I forwarded the detailed rules and requirements to Deputy Minister Li as soon as I received them. I was late earlier because I was consulting with Minister Qian. I apologize for wasting everyone’s time.”

As she spoke, Xu You silently apologized to Qian Doudou in her heart. Using her as a shield was a last resort, but as a good colleague, she believed Qian would understand for the sake of the company and the department’s harmony.

The team leader’s humble attitude made the issue seem trivial, it was just an excuse for conflict. Hearing Xu You’s explanation, the team members exchanged glances and shook their heads, saying it was fine.

Li Rui was furious. She had intended to guide everyone to blame Xu You and drive a wedge between them, but Xu You had resolved the situation with just a few words and even shifted the problem back to her. What’s more, she had emphasized the word “deputy” in her title.

Qian Doudou was also a deputy minister, but Xu You hadn’t mentioned that, clearly trying to embarrass her. Li Rui clenched her fists on the armrests, her anger boiling over with no outlet.

But she couldn’t actually explode. Forcing a stiff smile, she said, “Perhaps there was an issue with my device, and I didn’t receive Team Leader Xu’s email. In that case, let’s discuss it together.”

“Has anyone here played Otherworld: Mountains and Seas?” Xu You asked with a nod.

Out of the eight people in the group, including themselves, only two answered affirmatively.

Xu You understood. She withdrew her hand from Li Rui’s desk, rubbing her fingertips together. “Alright, everyone, return to your workstations. This morning’s task is to submit a set of game concept drafts to me. Make sure to play Otherworld: Mountains and Seas for at least an hour seriously.”

She paused, then continued amidst the group’s bewildered expressions, “I’ll announce the role assignments before 10 a.m. By the end of today, I expect at least one complete design draft from each of you.”

The noisy corner fell silent, and the sound of sharp intakes of breath was particularly clear.

After giving her instructions, Xu You noticed Li Rui’s unpleasant expression and retracted the step she was about to take. Li Rui met her gaze and said, “I hope Team Leader Xu will lead by example.”

“Of course,” Xu You replied curtly, then turned and walked straight back to her workstation without looking back, diving into her own tasks.

The team members stood there, confused by her arrangements. After Xu You highlighted and sent out the key points from the file Xue Jie had provided, everyone returned to their seats, ostensibly working but actually slacking off under a legitimate pretext.

Xu You peeked out and saw that only Li Rui remained in her seat, refusing to comply. The others were either busy on their phones or searching for information online. She pulled her head back and began selecting a suitable set of roles from the assigned ones to conduct more detailed research.

Working two jobs for one salary, she was getting the short end of the stick!

However, the boss was quite generous. Just as she had warmed her chair, a flash delivery courier approached the entrance, holding a bouquet and looking around. Spotting her location, he called out loudly.

“Is Xu You here? There’s a bouquet to sign for… oh, and a gift too.” As he spoke, he raised a Cartier gift-wrapped package.

Judging by its size, the contents were definitely more than just a bracelet.