The CEO and Her Gentle Director - Chapter 1

“Has she arrived yet?”

“Not yet. The meeting is scheduled for three o’clock.” The tone coming from the other end of the line was less than pleasant.

Ye Tong sat up straight in her office chair. She set down the fountain pen she had been twirling between her slender, delicate fingers, lifted her wrist, and checked her watch. It was 1:30 PM.

“From your tone, it sounds like you aren’t taking this seriously at all. I called to give you a wake-up call. It is crucial to keep a clear head right now, and above all, a good horse never turns back to eat old grass! Don’t go back to your ex!”

Ye Tong froze for a moment. A wave of helplessness softened her beautiful features, and she replied softly, “This is a partnership between two conglomerates. It’s strictly business, and I must approach it with absolute professionalism, regardless of who the other party is.”

“You say ‘regardless of who the other party is,’ but does that really include her?”

“Yes. No exceptions.”

“Can you honestly stay calm?”

The corners of Ye Tong’s lips curved upward into a faint smile, though a subtle, imperceptible ripple crossed her eyes. “Do you think I climbed my way to the position of director by sheer luck?” she countered calmly.

Of course it wasn’t by luck. Ji Huaiqiu raised an eyebrow on her end of the line. “I have never questioned your competence. I’m just wondering what your big boss is plotting. He transfers you back to headquarters as the Chief Financial Officer, yet immediately assigns you to interface with the LT Group on this collaborative project.”

“The situation is somewhat complicated, and I can’t explain it to you in a few words.” Ye Tong pressed her left hand to her forehead, gently kneading the space between her eyebrows. “Huaiqiu, let’s find some time to go out and catch up properly.”

“Fine, I’ll set up a date once I finish the work on my plate. I’m just worried about the two of you meeting. Knowing how soft-hearted you can be, you might just blindly fall right back into the trap she sets for you. If you can’t afford to provoke a woman like that, steer clear of her. Better safe than sorry, so you can live a peaceful life. Do you copy?”

“I know exactly what I’m doing, and my head is perfectly clear. Stop worrying about me.”

“Bullshit. How could I not worry? I’m terrified she’ll devour you whole until there’s nothing left of you again! She has been swimming with the sharks in the business world for how many years now? You need to be careful!”

“I will be,” Ye Tong said. She picked up her fountain pen again, letting it spin a circle through her fingers. Lowering her gaze, she softly added, “Though it’s still up in the air who will end up devouring whom.”

“Oh? So much confidence?”

“Naturally. I was born with it.”

Ye Tong had always spoken in a gentle, soft-spoken manner never overly intimate, yet never cold or distant. Listening to her felt like a breath of fresh spring air. Her temperament was a perfect blend of strength and grace, carrying an innate charm whenever she spoke.

Unconsciously picking at her desk with her finger, Ji Huaiqiu’s mind conjured up the image of a face with crescent-shaped eyes, smiling with absolute tenderness. Trying to sound casual, she asked, “Ye Tong, if I remember correctly, you turned twenty-seven this year, right?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“Nothing. Just a random thought.”

“Well, Miss Workaholic, it’s past one o’clock. Isn’t this usually your busiest time of day? How do you have the leisure to chat with me?”

“I am merely offering a friendly warning so you don’t get tricked and end up counting the money for the person who just sold you out.”

“Alright, alright. I know my boundaries.”

It was still a while before the 2:00 PM shift began. Holding her phone in one hand to chat with Ji Huaiqiu, Ye Tong used her other hand to organize the documents on her desk.

Ji Huaiqiu was a friend from her university days, and they shared a close bond. Ji Huaiqiu was also the executive in charge of a well-known local enterprise that did business with both the XM Group and the LT Group, making her an important client for XM as well.

Currently, Ye Tong held the title of Financial Director at the XM Group, but she was effectively performing the duties of the Project Department. In light of her outstanding capabilities and stellar track record, headquarters had only recently transferred her back to the main office to assume her post.

Shortly before this, the LT Group and the XM Group had officially signed a partnership agreement, and many of the project details happened to tie back to the subsidiary branch where she used to work. To make matters worse, Vice President Luo Huan that absolute menace had run her mouth in front of the big boss, mentioning that Ye Tong personally knew the CEO of the LT Group and used to be on quite good terms with her.

Adhering strictly to the principle of putting the right talent where it cuts deepest, the big boss gave a grand wave of his hand and ordered Ye Tong to set aside her regular duties to serve as the shield on the front lines.

The two friends didn’t chat for much longer. As a busy woman, Ji Huaiqiu finally had to get back to work and hung up the phone. Before disconnecting, she left behind one final warning: “Ye Tong, remember my words better safe than sorry, so you can live a peaceful life!”

Ji Huaiqiu was dead-set on advising her to avoid any further entanglement with that woman. However, this was no longer a matter Ye Tong could decide for herself. With the two conglomerates collaborating and her being the primary lead for the project, contact was entirely unavoidable…

Not that she wanted to see that woman either.

Ye Tong checked her watch again. There was still an hour left until 3:00 PM.

Her assistant, Li Qian, knocked on the door and walked in. “Director Ye, all the necessary materials for the meeting are ready. Please look over them and see if there are any issues.”

“Thank you,” Ye Tong said with a smile. She took the stack of documents, flipped through them to inspect the details thoroughly, and handed them back to Li Qian once she confirmed everything was correct. Casual as could be, she asked, “When will Vice President Su be back?”

Li Qian looked conflicted. “Director Ye… I’m afraid Vice President Su won’t be attending this meeting.”

“Why is that?”

“Because Vice President Su has never suffered a defeat in her life, so getting completely trampled by the LT Group is something she views as an absolute disgrace. The LT Group is a notoriously tough nut to crack everyone in S City knows how unyielding they are. In her quest to secure a partnership, Vice President Su fought ten rounds against LT’s low-profile CEO. Director Ye, care to guess how it turned out?”

Ye Tong had heard whispers of these office rumors before and had interacted with Su Bei’an herself. She wasn’t particularly curious, so she merely offered a faint, elegant smile.

Li Qian’s eyes widened. “Ten rounds, and she didn’t win a single one! Word has it she didn’t even get to see the LT CEO’s face. In the end, it took our big boss stepping in personally to lock down the partnership. Director Ye, the one you are about to face is exactly that unyielding, stubborn powerhouse!”

“Unyielding and stubborn?” Ye Tong paused, the smile fading from her lips. In a neutral, indifferent tone, she murmured, “She certainly is a tough nut to crack.”

That was precisely what worried Li Qian. “Director Ye, since it isn’t the younger Mr. Lin handling Project A with us, today’s battle is going to be incredibly uphill.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t lose.” Seeing the deep anxiety written all over Li Qian’s face, Ye Tong stood up and gently patted her assistant’s shoulder. “As long as we unite and work hard to execute Project A to perfection, the ultimate control will remain in the hands of our XM Group.”

Boyed by her director’s encouragement, the young assistant’s anxiety vanished, replaced by a slight blush of motivation. “Thank you, Director Ye! We will give it our all!”

Li Qian added, “Then I will leave you to your work, Director Ye. I’ll go out and prepare for the three o’clock meeting.”

“Go ahead.”

Ye Tong watched her leave and saw the door click shut. She walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window of her office, gazing down at the sweeping landscape of the city below. The blazing afternoon sun poured over her, casting a bright, luminous glow over her white blouse.

As she stared out, a wave of restless agitation stirred in her chest. She reached up and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her white shirt, a movement that subtly revealed her well-defined, symmetrical collarbones.

In Ye Tong’s eyes, this city was both intimately familiar and entirely foreign. This was not her first time here.

Many years ago, fresh out of university, she had chosen S City for her internship. Back then, she was naive and completely blind to the treacherous currents of the corporate world. Harboring grand dreams of becoming a powerhouse businesswoman, she had marched forward with her head held high, only to fall into one deep pit after another. The path she had forged, step by painful step, was what brought her to where she stood today.

If only she hadn’t met her…

Years ago, her miserable and chaotic departure from this city had been because of that woman. Now, upon her return to S City, the very first person she had to face was still her.

Ye Tong knit her brows slightly, gritting her teeth as she muttered under her breath, “It really is a small world for enemies.”

The meeting to negotiate the terms of Project A with the CEO of LT Group was set for three o’clock. Since XM and LT had already signed the contract, pulling out without a valid justification would incur a massive termination fee. Furthermore, the big boss had explicitly instructed her that as long as the LT Group didn’t make any outrageous demands, she should simply accommodate them.

The LT Group was the undisputed titan of S City, with business interests spanning multiple sectors. Countless companies practically begged for a chance to collaborate with them. Even a major corporation like XM had gone to immense trouble just to secure a signature, and the big boss had only succeeded by pulling connections through the back door.

Partnering with the LT Group guaranteed both fame and fortune. They were the undisputed corporate giant of S City.

An entity they could not afford to offend.

With more than half an hour left before the meeting, Ye Tong cleared her mind of all stray thoughts. She swiftly shifted into her professional element, analyzing the feasibility of several alternative project implementation proposals.

The Project A being discussed today was the very first joint venture to launch the partnership between the two conglomerates. Its significance was monumental, and whether it succeeded or failed rested entirely on Director Ye’s shoulders.

As the meeting time drew near, Li Qian knocked on the door. “Director Ye, it’s 2:40 PM. Shall we go downstairs to receive the LT CEO?”

Ye Tong thought it over, put down the files in her hand, stood up, and grabbed her blazer. “Let’s go.”

Since the woman was coming in person, how could she possibly not go down to receive her?

The XM Group tower stood twenty-five stories tall, with the Project Department located on the twentieth floor. As the elevator descended past the fifth floor, Ye Tong’s phone rang. “Huaiqiu?”

“Make sure you keep a perfectly level head. That cunning old fox is not easy to handle.”

“You called me just to say this?” Ye Tong’s expression remained perfectly calm and composed. With a soft chime, the elevator doors slid open, and her long, elegant legs stepped out.

Her makeup today was light and subtle, enhancing her natural beauty with an exquisite, understated elegance. Her glossy red lips were lightly pursed as she led several department heads toward the front lobby, keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead.

“I am doing this because I am terrified you’ll get conned!”

Ye Tong switched the phone to her other hand, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. “How could I possibly get conned? Do you honestly think I’m still the green rookie who just left the nest?”

“Even angels clip their wings sometimes, let alone a rookie who was personally raised and trained by her hand!” As Ji Huaiqiu spoke, she tapped her phone screen a few times, composing and sending a text message.

“In that case, I suppose I should thank her.”

“Oh, please. Spare me the gratitude. Neither of you owes the other a single thing. Once this collaborative project is over, the two of you can go your separate ways and find your own happiness. I’ll approach you to collaborate on other projects then.”

“Sure. As long as it’s a good project, our XM Group never turns away business.”

“Then it’s a deal,” Ji Huaiqiu said. “She hasn’t arrived yet, right?”

Suddenly, the deep purr of a car engine caught Ye Tong’s attention. She instinctively looked toward the glass entrance. “She’s here.”

“Tsk. Good luck.”

The moment Ji Huaiqiu finished her sentence, Ye Tong reached the main entrance of the building. She watched as a familiar, sleek, pure-black luxury car pulled to a smooth halt at the bottom of the steps. Hanging up the call, she slipped her phone into her pocket. The corners of her lips curved into a faint, practiced smile, anchoring a standard, professional expression onto her face.

The chauffeur opened the car door, and a woman of elegant, breathtaking stature stepped out onto the pavement. She possessed willow-shaped brows and almond eyes, clad in a perfectly tailored black dress. Her glossy, jet-black hair fell gracefully over her shoulders, the tips slightly curled to frame a radiant, strikingly beautiful face that exuded an air of timeless, classic sophistication.

An imposing, formidable aura rested between her brows, and a chilling aloofness resided in the depths of her eyes—one that made people avert their gaze in submission. Yet, the moment her eyes locked onto Ye Tong’s somewhat forced, smiling face, that coldness quietly dissolved. The corners of her lips curved into an exquisite, pronounced arc as she walked forward, her steps light and graceful atop slender high heels. Her entire being radiated a pristine, magnetic allure refined by the passage of time, instantly capturing the attention of everyone around her, making it impossible to look away.

Despite all the mental preparation she had done to force herself to stay calm, the exact moment their eyes locked, Ye Tong felt herself drowning in that calm, steady gaze. The smile on her face stiffened, and for a fleeting second, she lost her train of thought.

Then, a slender, fair hand with cleanly defined knuckles extended toward her.

The woman looked at Ye Tong, her voice smooth and conversational:

“Hello. I am Lin Su, CEO of the LT Group.”