Chapter Thirty-Five: The Beautiful Assistant

Although Lin Sha was only an assistant to the president in name, her actual authority far surpassed that of ordinary vice presidents. The owner of Silkbud Trading Group was a portly man named Dong, over fifty years old, who had set out into the world at the age of twelve. He was the epitome of a peasant entrepreneur—diligent, conscientious, and building his achievements through sheer hard work. Even after his success, he maintained the industrious habits of his rural upbringing, personally overseeing everything, and was forever busy to the point of exhaustion. But as his business grew, he began to feel stretched thin.

Bound by the limitations of a smallholder’s mindset, Mr. Dong grew increasingly perplexed. The harder he worked—spending every waking moment on his business—the more stagnant the company became, never able to break through to the next level despite all his efforts.

It was only when the management prodigy Lin Sha appeared that Mr. Dong had an epiphany: all along, he had been playing the role of a super-employee, neglecting the true demands of leadership and management.

If Silkbud Group’s foundation was laid by Mr. Dong, then all the company’s present splendor could rightfully be credited to Lin Sha. Such was her significance within the company!

Normally, even the vice presidents—many of whom were Mr. Dong’s own relatives—would make way for Lin Sha whenever she appeared. But today seemed to be an oddity, as if the sun had risen in the west. Lin Sha even wondered if she had misheard: was that young security guard actually talking back to her?

Turning, she regarded the indifferent-looking guard with curiosity. Yang Jiekai stood there, unconcerned, meeting Lin Sha’s icy and menacing gaze with complete nonchalance, his toes tapping out a rhythm on the floor.

“Did you not hear what I just said?” Lin Sha repeated coldly, noting that Yang Jiekai’s face was unfamiliar—clearly he didn’t know who she was.

“I heard you. You told me to clean up,” Yang Jiekai repeated carelessly. “But what does that have to do with me?”

Instantly, the entire lobby seemed to lose its air, as if the oxygen had been sucked out. The passing secretaries and staff all stared wide-eyed at the unremarkable security guard, wondering if he had lost his mind. Even if he didn’t know Assistant Lin, could he not sense her formidable presence?

At that moment, a fair and chubby man in a security uniform came hustling into the lobby, panting and looking exceedingly nervous as he addressed Lin Sha. “I’m terribly sorry, Assistant Lin. He’s new to the security department and doesn’t know you yet. I’ll make sure he apologizes right away!”

As he spoke, the portly man wheeled around and barked at Yang Jiekai, “What are you waiting for? Apologize to Assistant Lin at once!”

Yang Jiekai glanced at the fat man and said, “And who are you?”

The fat man paused in surprise, then snapped, “I’m Wu Daode, head of the security department. You will apologize to Assistant Lin right now!”

In truth, Yang Jiekai had known from the moment the fat man rushed in that he must be a departmental superior, but he had no patience for such sycophantic behavior.

“And why should I apologize? What did I do wrong?” Yang Jiekai asked with apparent indifference.

“You dare talk back to Assistant Lin, and you ask what you did wrong?” Wu Daode stood with hands on hips, issuing orders with an air of authority. Then, switching instantly to a fawning smile, he turned to Lin Sha and said, “Don’t worry, Assistant Lin, I’ll take care of this boy and make sure you’re satisfied!” With that, he spun back, his expression hardening again as he thundered at Yang Jiekai, “What are you standing there for? Apologize to Assistant Lin right now! I’m docking half a month’s pay, and you’ll write a ten-thousand-word self-criticism to be posted on the bulletin board—”

“Docking pay is a matter for the HR department. The company has clear rules—departments may not interfere with each other’s affairs, much less overstep their authority!” Lin Sha had ignored Wu Daode’s flattery from the start, not once deigning to look at him directly. Her voice was cold as she reminded him, “As head of security, you are not blameless in this incident either.”

Wu Daode’s greasy face quivered. He hastily replied, “I’m sorry, Assistant Lin, my fault, entirely my fault. I’ll make sure to discipline this kid strictly after I get back—”

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” Yang Jiekai said, smacking his lips, never once looking directly at Wu Daode. Compared to this disgusting fat man, he found Lin Sha’s tall figure far more interesting, and he made no effort to hide his appraising gaze as he swept up and down her form.

Hmm, probably still a virgin. With his wealth of experience, Yang Jiekai quickly reached his conclusion based on Lin Sha’s figure and bearing. He kept his eyes on her as he spoke. “I was hired here as a security guard. Cleaning up isn’t my business. You just said yourself, departments aren’t supposed to overstep their authority. What, is the security department supposed to double as janitors now? Is that in the labor contract?”

“Shut up! Do you know—” Wu Daode roared, raising a greasy arm as if to slap Yang Jiekai. Yang Jiekai gave him a contemptuous glance and coolly said, “Fatty, do you realize that move is dangerous?”

At that moment, Wu Daode could have killed him. He’d heard yesterday that a new recruit was joining the security department and had been wondering how to squeeze some profit out of the newcomer. Instead, first thing in the morning, he ran into this mess. He’d wanted to make a good impression in front of Lin Sha, but instead he’d been upstaged and even rebuked by her.

“You shut up too!” Lin Sha suddenly cut Wu Daode off, sweeping her gaze coldly around the lobby. “What are you all standing around for? Don’t you have work to do?”

The crowd, frozen in place, snapped to attention and scrambled into the elevators.

Lin Sha glanced at Yang Jiekai but said nothing more. She entered the executive elevator with the other company leaders and said coolly to a staff member at her side, “Send this security guard’s file to HR and have them keep an eye on him. If he makes any mistake, punish him immediately and severely.”

Standing nonchalantly in the lobby, Yang Jiekai had no idea he’d already been “blacklisted” by the one woman in Silkbud whose word was law. For anyone blacklisted by Lin Sha, there was never a good outcome. From now on, any dream of promotion or a raise was over; keeping his job would be a stroke of luck.

“So you’re the new guy?” Wu Daode resumed his “high and mighty” air once Lin Sha had left, snorting at Yang Jiekai. “Good thing I came in time, or you wouldn’t have known what hit you. Do you know who you just offended? That’s Lin Sha, the president’s assistant at Silkbud Group—second only to the boss, and hardly anyone in the entire company dares speak to her loudly.”

“So I should thank you, then?” Yang Jiekai narrowed his eyes at the fat man, though inside he despised Wu Daode to the core; nothing disgusted him more than someone who fawned on superiors and bullied those below.

Wu Daode seemed not to catch Yang Jiekai’s tone. He snorted, “You got lucky today, running into me. Come to my office after your shift.” With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and swaggered toward the elevator. Passing the front desk, he glanced over and asked a staff member, “Why isn’t Xiao Shi at work today?”

“She had something to do and took the day off,” the staffer replied.

“Oh, I see.” Wu Daode sighed and, looking disgruntled, stepped into the elevator. After he was gone, the staff member muttered, “He’s just a head of security—does he really think he’s some kind of big shot?”

“Hey, buddy, try this!”

A voice called from behind. Without turning, Yang Jiekai reached back and caught a cigarette between his fingers, lighting it with deliberate leisure before finally facing Qin Feng and the other two, who had somehow approached without his notice.

“Zhōnghuá, huh? Not bad, but a little mild for my taste,” he said.

Qin Feng grinned. “Don’t be ungrateful. You handled yourself well just now. We talked it over and decided to take you out for drinks after work.”

Yang Jiekai exhaled a smoke ring. “I just offended Assistant Lin. Aren’t you worried about distancing yourselves from me?”

Qin Feng laughed. “If you’d wagged your tail like Fat Wu, you’d never have lasted in our security team. But now you’re one of us.”

“Yeah, that’s right! Our security team has more spine than anyone!” Gongsun, greedily puffing on his cigarette, stubbed it halfway and slipped it into his pocket. “You’re the last to join our team, so you’re number four. Just call me Third Brother from now on. Qin Feng’s number two, and Old Stick is number one.”

“Screw you!” Qin Feng swatted Gongsun on the head. “You’re the number two, not me!”

They all burst out laughing, then resumed their patrol around the building.

Soon enough, the end of the day arrived. Qin Feng and the others found a street-side restaurant and laid out drinks to welcome Yang Jiekai.

Everyone was easygoing and forthright, and the hearty talk and drinking made Yang Jiekai feel right at home. Over dinner, he learned quite a bit about Silkbud Group from them, including that the woman he’d offended was indeed a force to be reckoned with—and also considered the company’s top beauty, the object of many a daydreaming bachelor’s desires.

“She’s gorgeous, no doubt about it, but she’s got a cold personality,” Qin Feng said, his pale face flushed from drink. “No one dares cross her at work, but she isn’t exactly popular either—everyone gossips about her. Still, her abilities are unmatched. Since the company put her in charge, we’ve grown faster than ever. For that, I respect her.”

“I respect her too!” echoed Gongsun, equally red-faced. “Just for those legs of hers, I’m a fan for life!”

“Legs, my ass. With your luck, you’ll never even touch her hair,” Qin Feng scoffed.

Gongsun bristled. “So what? She can’t stop me from fantasizing! Besides, I’m already in love with someone else. I swear, I’ll marry Miss Shangguan or no one!”

“Miss Shangguan?” Yang Jiekai nodded. “Not bad. With a name like Gongsun, you two are a good match.”

“Exactly!” Gongsun agreed gleefully.

Qin Feng and Old Stick snickered, raising their glasses. “Let’s have another round—to our dear Gongsun and Miss Shangguan, may they tie the knot soon…”

The mood darkened when the discussion turned to Wu Daode. Even the usually taciturn Old Stick couldn’t hold back. “That Fat Wu is a real bastard. He grovels before the execs but lords it over us like a tyrant.”

“Screw him!” Qin Feng cursed. “Everyone at Silkbud knows our team is the only one that doesn’t give a damn about Fat Wu. He’s like a fat pig—just looking at him makes me sick.”

“Yeah, just hope he never crosses me, or else…” Gongsun shook his fist menacingly.

Qin Feng laughed. “What would you do, tough guy? I hear that pig’s got connections to the underworld.”

Gongsun looked disgruntled but declared, “I don’t care what color his background is. He better stay out of my way!”

After downing another shot, Gongsun changed the subject. “Forget about him. Let’s talk about the beauties at our company. Hey, Fourth, you probably don’t know—our company may not be a big player in Tianhai, but when it comes to the number and quality of pretty girls, we’re definitely top three. Never mind Lin Sha—her looks could put movie stars to shame. I’m talking about our receptionist, Chen Shishi. Any guy who sees her turns to jelly…”

“Chen Shishi?” Yang Jiekai thought for a moment. “Isn’t that the ‘Xiao Shi’ Fat Wu mentioned today?”