"I’m not going to argue with you about these things because they don’t have any aning, and it’s not the reason I ca today either." Lin ngyao glanced at the woman, then raised her hand to skillfully dial a series of numbers on her phone.
The phone rang just once before it was answered.
A sowhat weary voice of Xu Ke ca through the receiver, "Calling so late, is there sothing wrong?"
"I ca to bring you so food, could you co out of the office to et ?" Upon hearing Xu Ke’s tired voice, Lin ngyao unconsciously softened her own tone.
"Okay, find a place to sit for a while, I’ll co to you right away." Xu Ke’s voice noticeably perked up upon hearing Lin ngyao was there, lightening the unpleasantness she’d felt from being shut out.
"No rush." Just as Lin ngyao finished speaking, the office door, which had been closed, abruptly opened. Xu Ke was holding his phone in one hand and getting dressed with the other. Their eyes t unexpectedly in mid-air.
"I thought you were downstairs, why didn’t you co in after coming up? My office is right in front of you, isn’t it?" Seeing Lin ngyao right in front of him, Xu Ke hung up his phone and walked over to her with a smile. He naturally took the food container Lin ngyao was holding into his own hand.
"It’s so late, why didn’t you go ho to rest instead of coming here to see ?" Xu Ke stood in front of Lin ngyao, holding her hand with the one that wasn’t carrying anything.
"I thought you’d be so busy that you’d forget to eat, so I had the chef at ho make so of your favorite dishes and brought them over." Lin ngyao smiled warmly, linking her arm with Xu Ke’s, not ntioning that she’d been blocked outside earlier.
"My wife really knows . I didn’t eat anything; it didn’t dawn on until you ntioned it, and now I’m feeling hungry." Xu Ke smiled with happiness.
The woman was a bit worried initially, but seeing Lin ngyao not even ntion being stopped outside, she felt relieved and inevitably looked down on Lin ngyao, thinking she’s not cherished by her husband, only pretending in front of others.
The woman’s contempt was undisguised on her face, and Xu Ke wasn’t blind. His steps halted and he turned to look at his assistant, standing beside him, "Assistant Liu, can you explain to why my wife’s footsteps stopped outside the office while coming to visit ?"
Even after hearing Xu Ke’s question, Assistant Liu’s face didn’t show any panic, remaining calm, "You said you didn’t want anyone disturbing you during work, so I had your wife wait outside for a while." Assistant Liu responded assertively.
"If I recall correctly, I said not to disturb with outsiders, so who allowed you to make that decision? My wife is not an outsider; didn’t you know? Keeping the boss’s wife outside the office door without even notifying —who gave you the authority to decide for ?"
As Xu Ke fired one question after another, Assistant Liu’s expression gradually turned pale.
"I’m sorry, it was presumptuous of , and I hope President Xu can give another chance. I will learn from this and ensure the sa mistake never happens again." Assistant Liu lowered her head to Xu Ke, appearing sincerely apologetic.
"If you really want to stay, start over as an intern. Once you’ve completely corrected your faults, you can be reinstated, or you can take a payout and leave this position now." Xu Ke gave her two choices.
Liu Assistant bit her lip, face ashen, body bent over but her mind racing with pros and cons, and in the end, her reluctance to lose prevailed.
Though she could take the payout, it wasn’t as lucrative as staying and getting reinstated.
"I’m willing to start as an intern, as long as you forgive ." The woman responded respectfully.
"I can only hope you adjust your mindset." Xu Ke said as he took Lin ngyao’s hand and left. As soon as the office door closed, the previously calm employees burst into discussion.
Everyone’s gaze towards Assistant Liu changed. Those who had suffered under her before couldn’t resist saying a few sarcastic remarks, while those who envied her previously now donned faces of schadenfreude.
"So people just don’t know their place. She’s just a small assistant and dares to act high and mighty in front of the boss’s wife. Does she really think she’s soone important? Didn’t she see how President Xu’s eyes lit up when he saw his wife, while he ignored so people? It didn’t even take a complaint from his wife for him to defend her. Yet in such a situation, so people still refuse to quit. Truly thick-skinned."
"Right, always with that smug face, who is she showing off to? As the boss’s wife said, her ambition and desire are written all over her face, yet she thinks others can’t see it when she challenges the boss’s wife? Ha."
"Don’t say that, careful she holds a grudge and cos back at you." Soone reached out to pull the two back, signaling them to see the chill in Assistant Liu’s eyes.
The two didn’t back down, even after seeing it, instead reassuring the colleague who warned them, "What are we afraid of? Do you think she can climb back up to the assistant position? As long as the boss’s wife is secure, she won’t get back to her position in this lifeti. Rest assured, she can’t touch us now."
Assistant Liu bit the inside of her lip, even breaking the skin, tasting blood but not relaxing her teeth.
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. I’m down now, but I beca an assistant to President Xu after just a month of training. Now with past experience, I can rise even faster. So, we’ll still be colleagues for a long ti in the future." Assistant Liu smiled without warmth as she spoke.
The faces of those who had been discussing Assistant Liu looked a bit unnatural, especially the two who spoke the harshest, but they adjusted quickly and few noticed.
"I’m a bit petty; if anyone crosses , I won’t let them have an easy ti." Assistant Liu’s gaze swept over the crowd, full of threat, making their spines tingle before she left.
"She’s been demoted to an intern, who is she showing off to? Who knows when she’ll be back?" Soone whispered, watching Assistant Liu’s fully departing figure.
The person next to her nudged her elbow, pushing back the rest of her words.
"Better say less. Assistant Liu may not be nice, but she is capable. What if—I’m just saying—what if she really cos back, and gets close to the boss? Wouldn’t it be easy for her to get you in trouble then? Best not to offend her before she’s officially left."
Hearing her colleague’s advice, the speaker, who wasn’t ungrateful, took a bunch of snacks from her drawer and placed them on the advising colleague’s desk as a treat.
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