The CEO and Her Gentle Director - Chapter 3

A soft chuckle came from the other end of the line. “You are our company’s ultimate all-rounder a national treasure of a resource. How could I ever bring myself to sell you out?”

Ye Tong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Lin Su just demanded that my team relocate to the LT Group, and she claimed you already signed off on it. Why was I kept completely in the dark about this?”

“Lin Su actually called me personally to request it. It happened barely half an hour ago.”

Xu Nan offered an apologetic tone. “I’m terribly sorry for not getting a chance to notify you in advance. However, considering her demand isn’t unreasonable, I had no grounds to refuse.”

Having received verification directly from Xu Nan’s mouth, Ye Tong’s knit brows relaxed slightly. She teased in a dry tone, “Your partner was right after all vile capitalists really are just bloodsucking parasites preying on the working class. Big Boss Xu, as a member of the proletariat, I strongly advise you to engage in some serious self-reflection.”

“This capitalist will perform the necessary soul-searching. Wishing you a smooth workday. Goodbye,” Xu Nan said, turning around right after hanging up to give Lin Sheng, who was lounging right beside her, a playful swat.

Now that she understood the mechanics behind the situation from her big boss, Ye Tong disconnected the call. Her right hand dropped to her side, fingers tightening their grip around her phone as she stared out the floor-to-ceiling office window with a furrowed brow.

To say she wasn’t irritated would be a blatant lie. That old fox had actually pulled off a brilliant tactical outflanking maneuver!

Barely thirty minutes before their scheduled meeting, Lin Su had personally phoned the big boss to make that demand, and the big boss had readily conceded. Ye Tong had no leverage to refuse on either a professional or personal level, especially considering that Big Boss Xu of the XM Group was slated to become family with Lin Su in the near future.

Furthermore, objectively speaking, the demand wasn’t entirely outrageous. It merely required a temporary relocation to the LT Group to execute Project A, with a maximum timeframe of six months. If they worked efficiently, they could easily wrap it up within three to four months.

From a purely professional standpoint, this was completely beyond reproach; it served to maximize the mutual interests of both entities. To Ye Tong, the logistics of the project weren’t the source of her headache. Her true dilemma lay in figuring out how to draw a definitive line between herself and Lin Su. That woman was far too dangerous, and outside of essential corporate interactions, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.

Ye Tong had never imagined that their path to a reunion would be forcibly forged by the iron chains of a corporate assignment.

Since their professional crossover was inevitable and Lin Su’s condition could not be refused, Ye Tong—acting in her capacity as XM’s Project Director knew she had to prioritize the bigger picture. She could not allow private sentiment to interfere with her professional execution. Since matters had devolved to this point, she could only play the hand she was dealt and take things one step at a time.

Standing in silence for a few minutes, she successfully compartmentalized her turbulent emotions. She lightly massaged the rigid muscles of her face, anchoring a calm, subtle smile to ensure she didn’t betray even a hint of trepidation.

It was nothing more than seeing each other on a daily basis. Was she, Ye Tong, truly supposed to be terrified of Lin Su?

The moment she stepped back into the conference room, her stride hitched slightly at the sight of the poised, elegant silhouette seated at the table.

Lin Su had her head down, flipping through the files. Hearing the approach of footsteps, she slowly raised her eyes toward the doorway. Caught off guard, Ye Tong failed to retract her gaze in time, and their lines of sight collided head-on.

Through the shifting tides of time, it was as if Lin Su was looking back at the green assistant of years past. Back then, when the girl came to the conference room to deliver documents, she would stand at the entrance exactly like this completely dazed and losing herself in a trance.

But the lapse in composure lasted only a fraction of a second. The woman standing before her today was no longer her personal errand girl.

Ye Tong pulled her standard corporate smile back into place. “President Lin, my apologies for keeping you waiting.”

“Think nothing of it,” Lin Su replied, watching Ye Tong walk back inside with seamless poise. As the director brushed past her, a pleasant, distinct fragrance drifted through the air. A slight arc traced the edge of Lin Su’s lips as her two slender fingers resumed their alternate, rhythmic tapping on the cover of the commercial proposal.

“Has Director Ye reached a decision?”

Ye Tong nodded firmly. “I will agree to relocate to the LT Group. However, I expect my operations to proceed without any form of external interference, nor will my team be subject to your company’s internal regulations.”

“That is perfectly acceptable. I will personally ensure you are allocated an office where no one will disturb you.” Lin Su tilted her head slightly. “Does Director Ye have any further stipulations?”

Ye Tong didn’t pull any punches, choosing to be entirely direct. “Once Project A launches, everything ranging from fabric selection to the final design silhouettes will be executed based primarily on my recommendations.” She smoothly pivoted her tone. “Naturally, if you find anything unsatisfactory, President Lin, you are welcome to voice your critiques.”

Lin Su raised an eyebrow in amusement. With the ultimate creative and operational control over the project so effortlessly locked down by Ye Tong, she, as the CEO, would practically have nothing left to manage.

Seeing that Lin Su had neither voiced an objection nor shown any intent to decline, Ye Tong sought to strike while the iron was hot. “If President Lin finds this arrangement too difficult to accommodate…”

“It is not a problem at all,” Lin Su cut in, instantly dismantling the director’s faint hope of an out. “I agree to your terms.”

Lin Su probed further, “Any other requirements?”

The smile texturing the corners of Ye Tong’s lips stiffened slightly. With matters already driven to this point, there was nothing left for her to leverage.

“None.”

“Excellent. Then let us conclude today’s meeting here.” Rising to her feet a step ahead of Ye Tong, Lin Su intentionally closed the distance between them, extending a fair hand. “Director Ye, may we have a successful partnership.”

Lin Su’s natural height already gave her an advantage, and with her high heels factored in, Ye Tong had to noticeably tilt her chin upward to meet her gaze directly. Yet, the moment she looked up, she found Lin Su looking back down at her with that same faint, steady smile.

With nothing more than a baseline expression and a single look, this mature, elegant, and profoundly sophisticated woman naturally projected a commanding, powerhouse aura.

Yet, Ye Tong refused to be intimidated. Piercing straight into those deep, unreadable eyes, she firmly clasped Lin Su’s soft, remarkably chilly hand.

“President Lin, a successful partnership indeed,” Ye Tong replied smoothly. “Allow me to escort you downstairs.”

“There is no need. Please remain here, Director Ye.”

Since the offer to escort her hadn’t carried a shred of sincerity to begin with, Ye Tong simply nodded while maintaining her practiced smile. Lin Su’s eyes lingered on her for a beat before she casually retrieved the commercial proposal from the table, handed it to Xiao Ziyu at her side, and turned to depart.

Remaining exactly where she stood, Ye Tong tracked the slender, statuesque silhouette as it glided away. Listening to the sharp, crisp click-clack of high heels striking the tile floor, her gaze anchored onto the heels Lin Su was wearing which had to be at least ten centimeters high. She internally resolved that the next time she faced Lin Su, she would absolutely wear a pair of heels that surpassed her. The sensation of being physically looked down upon was incredibly unpleasant  and when it came from Lin Su, it was utterly intolerable.

The rhythmic click-clack abruptly ceased. Having reached the threshold of the conference room, Lin Su turned back around, her voice even and cool. “By the way, Director Ye, I will dispatch a vehicle to receive your team tomorrow afternoon at precisely three o’clock. I trust you will expedite your preparations.”

Ye Tong blinked, caught off guard. “So soon?”

“Naturally. Did you not emphasize just moments ago, Director Ye, that you wished for our entities to seal this partnership as swiftly as possible?”

But there’s no need to be this rushed, is there? Faced with Lin Su’s steady gaze, Ye Tong found herself entirely unable to utter a plea for more time. “Then I shall trouble you, President Lin.”

“You are welcome.”

With that, Lin Su truly departed.

The sprawling conference room was left occupied only by Ye Tong and her assistant. Seeing Ye Tong sitting in her office chair with a deep frown and a less-than-stellar complexion, Li Qian gathered the remaining files from the table and asked in a hushed tone, “Director Ye… are we truly relocating to the LT Group?”

Ye Tong gave a quiet confirmation. “Yes.”

Li Qian let out a succession of sighs, murmuring under her breath, “If only the younger Mr. Lin were the one handling this. He isn’t nearly as impossible to negotiate with as his aunt.”

If Lin Su were an easy person to deal with, the corporate world wouldn’t have branded her a notoriously tough nut to crack. Ye Tong massaged her temples, completely stripping the emotion from her face as she decisively issued her directives: “Li Qian, immediately notify every staff member across the departments involved in Project A. Have them pack their materials now. The entire team will assemble at the company tomorrow afternoon at three o’clock. Forward their names to HR for the deployment registry.”

“Understood, Director Ye! I’ll see to it immediately!”

Now left completely alone in the silent conference room, before Ye Tong could fully map out her strategy, the phone in her pocket began to vibrate. She answered, and Ji Huaiqiu’s voice immediately came through: “Ye Tong, is your meeting wrapped up?”

“Yes, we just finished.”

“How did it go? It’s been so long since you two last crossed paths—that old fox didn’t make things difficult for you, did she?”

“No.” While Ye Tong voiced the denial, truth be told, she felt an immense wave of conflict and entanglement. However, she rationalized that a standard corporate directive shouldn’t technically count as personal harassment.

Ji Huaiqiu flatly refused to believe that a smooth operator like Lin Su would behave so compliantly. The moment Ye Tong informed her about the mandatory relocation to the LT Group to execute the project, she nearly exploded with rage. “This is completely beyond the pale! To actually leverage a condition like that! Ye Tong, Lin Su’s intentions behind this move are entirely malicious. You absolutely cannot go over there. She will devour you whole until there’s nothing left!”

“This is strictly business; it isn’t nearly as terrifying as you’re making it out to be.” Ye Tong dismissed the concern, rising from her chair to exit the conference room and head back to her private office.

“You are drastically underestimating your opponent! Lin Su and I are bitter rivals we can’t stand the sight of each other and constantly clash in the market. I understand her mechanics perfectly. Her pulling a stunt like this simply means she hasn’t given up on you and intends to entangle herself in your life again.”

“She is the supreme commander of a massive conglomerate, entirely consumed by her daily corporate itinerary. What on earth would she gain from entangling herself with me? Besides, my own schedule is packed to the brim I have zero time to play games with her.”

Ji Huaiqiu felt a profound wave of exasperation, desperately wishing she could crack open Ye Tong’s skull to see what was malfunctioning inside. How could a woman possessing a flawless fusion of high IQ and high EQ automatically experience a severe drop in intelligence the exact moment she ran into that specific woman?

“Ye Tong,” Ji Huaiqiu asked, her tone shifting into absolute seriousness. “Do you still harbor feelings for her in your heart?”

Ye Tong shot down the assertion without a second’s hesitation. “No.”

“She isn’t worth it.”

“I am well aware of what you mean. The events of the past are entirely behind us, and I have long since closed that chapter. Right now, my sole focus is executing my career flawlessly.” Ye Tong seated herself in her executive chair, pulling several stacks of unapproved documents toward her. “Huaiqiu, there is truly no need to worry about me. I am not that foolish anymore.”

“Fine. But the moment you run into any hurdle you can’t resolve on your own, you must notify me immediately. By the way, are you free tonight? It’s a rare occasion to have you back in S City, and I haven’t even thrown you a welcome dinner to celebrate your promotion.”

“Let’s touch base tonight to finalize the details then.”

“Alright, get back to your work.”

Setting her phone aside, Ye Tong uncapped her fountain pen and threw herself wholeheartedly into her files. Although dealing with Lin Su left her feeling distinctly irritable, she maintained that while personal sentiment could dictate her mood, it would never be permitted to impact her professional performance.

Meanwhile, the black luxury business van departed from the XM Group tower, smoothly merging into the steady flow of street traffic.

As they caught a red light, Xiao Ziyu brought the vehicle to a halt. She glanced back at Lin Su via the rearview mirror, hesitating over how to broach the topic. Seeing Lin Su look up toward her, she quickly seized the opening. “Boss, the LT headquarters stands thirty stories tall, with the Project Department occupying the twenty-fifth floor. However, that department is heavily staffed, and the workspace isn’t particularly quiet. Which floor do you intend to allocate for Ye Tong’s private office?”

“Position the rest of her team adjacent to the Project Department on the twenty-fifth floor; there are vacant office suites available there. As for her arrange her workspace in the old spot.”

Hearing the words “the old spot,” Xiao Ziyu froze in absolute bewilderment for several seconds, her eyes widening to the size of saucers. “The private office directly adjacent to the Executive Suite?!”

“It was originally her space to begin with.” Lin Su entirely ignored Xiao Ziyu’s dramatic reaction, returning her focus to the latest edition of the financial journal in her hands. In a casual tone, she inquired, “What does my itinerary look like for tomorrow afternoon at three o’clock?”

“Tomorrow at three? At three o’clock, you have a scheduled meeting with the S City Bank Director…”

“Postpone it.”

“Boss… you don’t actually intend to personally drive over to the XM Group to receive Director Ye, do you?!”

Lin Su remained intensely focused on her journal, offering neither a confirmation nor a denial. Yet, Xiao Ziyu clearly caught the definitive curve of a smile tracing the edge of her employer’s lips. She stared back, completely dumbfounded. The domineering CEO is finally making her move!