The Former Assistant Seduced The Current President - Chapter 7

Thick clouds obscured the sun, and gusts of autumn wind swept through, swirling dead leaves in a chaotic dance that irritated the mind.

Shi Ye stepped away from the floor to ceiling window and picked up the cup on the table, only to realize that the coffee had long since gone cold.

His frustration doubled.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. Shi Ye set the cup down. “Enter.”

“President Shi, all the project materials are here. Please have a look.”

Manager Ma entered the president’s office, directing his young subordinates to place several thick stacks of boxes onto the long table one by one. Shi Ye braced his long legs against the edge of the table and picked up a file to flip through. “Good. You may go about your business now.”

Manager Ma did not leave immediately. Instead, he smiled ingratiatingly and asked, “President Shi, I heard that you intend to inspect every single project site in person?”

Shi Ye raised his eyelids to glance at him. “Is there a problem?”

“No, no,” Manager Ma said, quick to read the room and replace Shi Ye’s cold coffee with a fresh cup. “I just feel that some insignificant small projects are hardly worth your time or the trip.”

According to his plan, the conceptual store project had not yet reached the stage of poor management. If Shi Ye were to investigate now, it would be difficult to control the outcome.

Shi Ye scanned the heavy boxes on the table and remarked with a half smile, “A project that is not worth my time is a project that has no reason to exist. Do you not agree, Manager Ma?”

“Yes, yes, indeed.” Fearing that saying anything more would lead to a mistake, Manager Ma shut his mouth, let out two dry laughs, and backed out of the room while muttering, “Carry on, carry on.”

Once outside, he silently grumbled: This new president is not old, but his mind is deep and his mood is unreadable. He is truly difficult to figure out.

Three shipments of goods arrived sequentially and were formally stocked. Yan Xi could not understand why a company primarily focused on smart appliances needed a store this large to display conceptual products. Understanding or not, the work had to be done. Without any subordinates, setting up the lighting, arranging products, and decorating the window displays fell entirely on Yan Xi.

Once finished, he looked at the abstract figurines and models on the shelves and decided it was quite difficult to offer a professional opinion. These items had been designed over several months by foreign designers specially hired by the former president, Fang Mo, and their price tags were even more absurd than their appearances. Yan Xi held respect for the former president, but he could not agree with his taste or judgment.

From opening day through the subsequent reorganization and display, the only people who entered were passersby taking a casual glance; there were virtually no customers. At this rate, the store would be finished within a month, and his probationary period would end early. To save himself, he had to establish a distinct style as soon as possible.

On his way home that evening, an advertisement in the subway station caught Yan Xi’s attention.

The charm of art transcends borders and cultures, touching the soul. In this exhibition, you will see masterpieces from artists around the world, including paintings, sculptures, and photography. Feel their creativity and inspiration. Come and enjoy this artistic feast!

A promotional video for the Microcosm: Beauty of the Soul international art exhibition played on a loop. By the time the video scrolled for the third time, Yan Xi had opened his booking app and reserved a ticket for the following morning. Work pressure had left him feeling numb, and it had been a long time since he had felt this kind of anticipation. Before getting off the train, he submitted his leave request to the company.

He had a good night’s sleep. When dawn broke, Yan Xi climbed out of bed before the alarm even rang. He put on carefully coordinated clothes and shoes and styled his hair. Just as he managed to tame the messy strands on his head, the phone on the dining table rang.

Yan Xi’s eyelid twitched.

He picked up the phone, and the screen displayed Company Administration Department. He suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

As soon as he answered, Lin Wei’s voice burst through: “Yan Xi, Manager Ma asked me to inform you that President Shi is going to inspect your store right now!”

“Now?” Yan Xi felt a lump of frustration in his chest and rubbed his temples. “I submitted my leave request yesterday. Did Manager Ma not see it?”

“What leave request? As long as you are still breathing, Ma Zhiming would drag you out even if the world were ending,” Lin Wei said. “Hurry to the store and get ready. Do not cause any delays.”

His lovely plans were completely ruined by a single phone call. In his frustration, Yan Xi ruffled his carefully styled hair, leaving it messy and fluffy, resembling an angry sheep. There was no time for the subway transfer, so Yan Xi spent a large sum on a taxi.

At 9:00 a.m., the black business car departed from YK Company, with Manager Ma in the front passenger seat acting as the guide. Shi Ye leaned back into the spacious seat, listening to the project manager’s report.

At the entrance of the Sunshine Block, Yan Xi stepped out of the taxi and checked the time. He was lucky today. There had been no traffic, and he arrived twenty minutes earlier than the hour long trip usually required. With time to spare, he headed toward the crab bun shop. The shop was packed for a weekend morning, and seeing the long queue, he reluctantly gave up.

After several days of overcast weather, it was a rare sunny day. The sunlight was wrapped in a warm breeze, and it did not feel cold on his skin. Yan Xi crossed the street, intending to go to the bakery in the alleyway opposite to grab a sandwich.

“Take the road on the right, turn to the back of the alley, and there is a parking lot,” Manager Ma finished giving directions to the driver and turned back to say, “President Shi, it is hard to get the car in here. I am sorry for the trouble, but you will have to walk a few steps.”

“Understood.” Shi Ye put down his documents and turned his gaze out the window. It was not a bustling commercial street, the location was relatively remote, and the narrow streets were inconvenient for vehicle traffic; it would be better suited for a pedestrian street than for a brand defining YK store. Shi Ye already had a low opinion of this project, and now it had dropped even lower.

The black business car cruised slowly through the compact main street. Shi Ye scanned the area casually and was just about to retract his gaze when, under the sunlight, a young man with micro curled hair and a warm brown sheen rushed past the back of the car.

The person appeared so suddenly that Shi Ye did not react immediately. He paused for several seconds before realizing he was not dreaming. However, in those few seconds, the business car had already turned into the entrance leading to the parking lot.

Manager Ma was busy texting Yan Xi, telling him to come out to the alley entrance to welcome President Shi, when he heard a shout from the back: “Stop the car!”

The driver slammed on the brakes, and Manager Ma’s phone slid out of his hand. There was the sound of a car door, followed by the project manager’s panicked shout: “Hey, hey! President Shi, we have not arrived yet.”

“Do not follow! You all go ahead first,” Shi Ye said, rushing out without another word.

Manager Ma picked up his phone from the floor, saw that the message had sent, and turned his head to stare blankly at the project manager. What is going on?

The project manager’s expression soured. “What did President Shi see? Could something be wrong?”

Manager Ma sneered. “What is there to fear? Even if something is wrong, it will not fall on your head. I already found someone to take the blame.”

The driver was someone Manager Ma had personally promoted; he gripped the steering wheel, quietly playing deaf and dumb.

Though it was only a few dozen meters, the distance seemed endless under Shi Ye’s feet. He took long strides and rushed to the main road where he had glimpsed the figure, but there was no sign of anyone. In the blink of an eye, the person had melted into the air, disappearing completely. Standing at an unfamiliar intersection with main roads in every direction and complex, tangled alleys before him, Shi Ye felt lost and utterly directionless.

Yet, even if it were an illusion caused by blurred vision, he was unwilling to give up easily.

After waiting for over half an hour, the people standing outside the store could no longer remain still. Manager Ma had nowhere to vent his irritation and could only pace back and forth. “Where on earth did President Shi go?”

The project manager opened a cigarette pack, pulled one out, and muttered, “President Shi usually seems like such a steady person. Why did he act like he was possessed just now?”

Yan Xi leaned quietly against the doorframe, expressionless and silent. He had just stepped into the bakery when Manager Ma urgently summoned him back, saying he had to personally welcome the president. Instead, he had taken a shortcut and rushed over, hungry, waiting until now, without seeing even a single hair of the president.

“I just feel like something is wrong,” Manager Ma checked his phone. “Let us go look for him. President Shi has not been back in the country long and does not know the way; I hope nothing happens to him.”

The project manager said that should not happen, while already stepping on his cigarette butt and heading out.

“Alright, I assume today’s inspection is a washout,” Manager Ma said, throwing a grumpy glance at the store before saying to Yan Xi, “You, just stand by at all times.”

Yan Xi ground his teeth silently.

Centered on the intersection where the bun shop stood, Shi Ye did not spare a single street or alley within the Sunshine Block. On a late autumn morning, Shi Ye was dripping with sweat. He took off his suit jacket and hung it over his arm; his tie was loose, his shirt was soaked with sweat and clinging to his back, and his hair was disheveled across his forehead. Being in such a hurry to chase someone was one thing, but there was another reason he was so disheveled. Twenty minutes ago, when he ran through the alley next to the crab bun shop, he had not been looking and stepped on the tail of a large wolf dog sleeping by the side of the road.

That wolf dog, appearing out of nowhere, had bared its sharp, white teeth and chased Shi Ye for three whole alleys before giving up. That damnable dog had ruined Shi Ye’s sense of direction, causing him to wander in circles until he was finally trapped in front of a brick wall.

Time and orientation were a mess, the figure he had been so focused on was long gone, and continuing the search was pointless. After cursing the wolf dog’s ancestors for eighteen generations, Shi Ye turned around angrily and returned along the route he had come.

Straight, turn left, turn right. His pace slowed and hesitated. When he passed a certain coffee shop for the third time, Shi Ye finally had to admit: he might, perhaps, possibly be lost.

President Shi was prideful and did not want to ask his subordinates for help in such a small matter, so he gritted his teeth and looked for the exit himself. Fortunately, his two subordinates were fast enough, and before long, they found their big boss leaning against a street sign with his jacket in his hand and a gloomy expression.

Manager Ma put one hand on his hip, panting as he called the driver: “Car, bring the car over. President Shi is here.”

After some maneuvering, the business car finally reached them. The three men got on board one after another, the atmosphere inside the car heavy.

Manager Ma carefully observed Shi Ye’s expression and asked tentatively, “President Shi, are we still going to the store?”

“Go to the next location,” Shi Ye said, grabbing his tie and ripping it off with force before throwing it onto the seat. His voice was cold and hard. “Re evaluate this project and produce a report on the losses from termination.”

It seemed this project was going to be shut down immediately. Manager Ma and the project manager exchanged glances; though they each had their own thoughts, they remained calm on the surface and replied, “Understood, President Shi.”