I Secretly Read My Boss' Diary (GL) - Chapter 10

As the primary person in charge of CHI, Yan Zhao needed to be aware of certain internal matters.

Previously, CHI had been acquired by CNK, transitioning from a private enterprise to a state-owned company. Now that the General Manager’s term had expired, CNK refused to select a successor from within CHI and instead appointed someone directly from headquarters.

The newly appointed General Manager naturally brought his own resources. With CHI’s massive annual order volume, he naturally wanted his own people to get a share of the pie. However, CHI’s existing suppliers had been collaborating with the company for many years, and abruptly cutting them off would be unjustifiable. To justify replacing them, the General Manager needed to find fault with their performance.

Unfortunately, these suppliers had maintained a generally clean record over the years. To find grounds for replacement, the General Manager had to look elsewhere for problems, starting with the historical transaction records between the two parties.

For a company like Yan Zhao’s to secure such large orders from CHI, it was understood that “tributes” were necessary. During each holiday season, Yan Zhao personally sent out at least eighty to a hundred gift cards. Moreover, every order included kickbacks, though these were never explicitly stated, everyone involved was well aware of the arrangement.

Finance is the lifeblood of every company, and now the other party was coming to strike directly at this vital point. Zhang Sheng and Gong Muyu couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“There aren’t any… issues with the accounts, are there?”

Gong Muyu’s words were unspoken, but their meaning was clear to all three present.

Hearing this, Zhang Sheng’s expression darkened. He moved his lips, glanced up at Gong Muyu, then turned to Yan Zhao, who was still standing there like a clueless goose. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Yan Zhao, go to the Finance Office and bring the Supervisor and Lisa here.”

Yan Zhao, who had been thoroughly enjoying the office gossip, was startled by Zhang Sheng’s sudden request. She quickly nodded and hurried out of the office.

Just before she left, she overheard Zhang Sheng telling Gong Muyu, “There were indeed some issues with the accounts when Lao Wang was in charge, but…”

Yan Zhao couldn’t linger at the door. She left the office without hearing the crucial part of Zhang Sheng’s explanation. Glancing at the colleagues outside, all buried in their work, she sighed. She knew that with this move from above, her days ahead might become quite difficult. She pursed her lips and headed toward the Finance Office.

In the following days, Yan Zhao’s company supervisors held frequent meetings to prepare for the arrival of CHI’s new leader. As the primary person in charge of CHI’s business operations, Yan Zhao was summoned to attend several of these meetings. Although she had little opportunity to speak, the conversations revealed that the company’s situation was far from optimistic.

The previous General Manager had left some accounting discrepancies with CHI unresolved. The current priority was to conceal these issues before CHI’s new General Manager audited the books. While this was primarily a headache for the Finance Department, Gong Muyu, as a leader, needed to focus on it as well.

After several sleepless nights, Gong Muyu looked visibly exhausted, with faint dark circles under her eyes. Yan Zhao quietly observed Gong Muyu across the round table—her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, her face bare of makeup—and couldn’t help but feel a pang of admiration.

The capable always bear the burden, Yan Zhao thought. A slacker like me just gets by.

“For the next step, Yan Zhao, you just need to forward the emails to me. No problem on your end, right?”

Startled by being called out, Yan Zhao froze, having completely missed the preceding context. She let out a soft “Ah” and turned to Zhang Sheng beside her, hoping for a clue. But under the watchful eyes of the group, Zhang Sheng couldn’t speak openly. He reluctantly stroked his chin and nodded silently at Yan Zhao.

Yan Zhao, feeling like a kite with its string cut, watched Zhang Sheng nod and nearly burst into tears. She could only mimic his gesture and nod as well.

Lisa, seated to Yan Zhao’s right, was on the verge of laughing at her silly expression, but Sun Yiming intervened with a cheerful smile to ease the tension.

“Since Yan Zhao has no objections, let’s proceed as planned. We’ll just need Yan Zhao to put in extra effort and keep a close eye on things.”

“Of course,” Yan Zhao replied with a faint smile.

Before she could finish the word “of,” Gong Muyu, her brow furrowed, abruptly stood up.

“Everyone has been working hard lately, but zoning out during meetings? Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

This was the first time Yan Zhao had seen Gong Muyu lose her temper so fiercely. The smile from her earlier conversation with Sun Yiming froze on her face.

The entire conference room stiffened under Gong Muyu’s harsh tone.

Sun Yiming, noticing Yan Zhao’s awkwardness, also rose to his feet.

“General Manager Mu, everyone’s been under tremendous stress lately. Occasional lapses in focus are understandable. There’s no need to be so harsh—you’re about to make the poor girl cry.”

Hearing this, Gong Muyu finally realized her tone had been too severe. Across the table, Yan Zhao was trying to appear composed, but her eyes were already reddening.

Gong Muyu’s heart jolted. She wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words. Her hand, hidden beneath the table, clenched into a fist. After a few seconds of silence, she declared, “Meeting adjourned,” grabbed the documents from the table, and strode out of the conference room.

Back in her office, Gong Muyu peered through the blinds at the Silly outside, silently weeping. A pang of sympathy struck her. She knew how hard the Silly had been working to keep up with everyone, but when she saw the Silly flash Sun Yiming a sweet smile, she had lost control. By the time she realized what she’d said, it was too late.

The Silly might not understand Sun Yiming’s feelings, but Gong Muyu, as an observer, saw them clearly. That was precisely why she couldn’t bear to see Sun Yiming being kind to the Silly. If she hadn’t come along, it wouldn’t have mattered. But if the Silly were to be snatched away right under her nose, she’d rather die.

Support I Secretly Read My Boss’ Diary (GL)