Ke Yaruo gave up trying to make things difficult for Xia Yan this way. As soon as Xia Yan left, she immediately called the HR director to inquire about Xia Yan.
After a moment of thought, she held the phone and said softly, "Since you know Xia Yan's qualifications don't meet the company's requirements, whose arrangement was it to have her on the internship roster?"
"Manager Ke, well, we were following orders from above."
"Orders from above?" Ke Yaruo murmured. Could it be Lu Zhengting? But he never concerned himself with company interns.
"I want you to fire her immediately."
"Manager Ke, I'm afraid that won't work. We'd need to get approval from higher-ups."
Hearing this, Ke Yaruo nearly choked, her face flushing red with anger. "Are you saying my words don't matter anymore?"
"Manager Ke, you're putting us in a tough spot. The company has its rules. Xia Yan hasn't done anything wrong, so we can't unilaterally fire her."
Ke Yaruo narrowed her eyes. Going through the HR director was a dead end. She'd have to find another way to drive Xia Yan out; leaving her in the company was too much of a threat. After a moment's thought, she hung up, staring at the stack of documents Xia Yan had submitted on her desk. If Xia Yan wanted to compete with her, she was still too green.
At noon, Ke Yaruo had already arranged a lunch appointment with Lu Zhengting. Watching him approach casually, she couldn't help but smile, her gaze tender as she looked at him. "Zhengting, I know a place with great steak. I thought I'd invite you to try it together. It won't interfere with your work, will it?"
"No," Lu Zhengting said flatly, adjusting the buttons on his sleeve.
"Then let's go."
Whether it was because Ke Yaruo had someone keeping an eye on her, Xia Yan was run ragged all morning. Even taking a moment to catch her breath felt like a luxury. She slumped half-collapsed in her chair, tilting her head back with eyes half-closed, savoring any rest she could get.
"Xia Yan, aren't you going to eat? It's lunchtime now," Li Ru said, tidying up her desk and trash while speaking to Xia Yan.
"I am, I'm starving. But I'm too exhausted to move right now. Let me rest a bit, or I'm afraid I'll pass out before I even make it to the cafeteria." Xia Yan was too lazy to even open her eyes, her arms dangling loosely over the sides of the chair. Give her a bed, and she'd sleep until the end of time.
"You really do look worn out."
"Yeah, go ahead and eat when you're done. Don't worry about me."
"I still have some documents to finish. It'll take a bit, so we can go together."
"Huh?" Xia Yan squinted, raising an eyebrow at Li Ru, and said lazily, "If you need help, just tell me."
Li Ru smiled faintly and continued her work. Seeing this, Xia Yan closed her eyes again to doze off. When Li Ru tapped her shoulder, Xia Yan opened her eyes drowsily, looking confused. "You're done?"
"Yeah, want to go eat?"
"Let's go. I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow."
"No way? With a frame that small, you've got that big an appetite?"
"I'm just really starving."
The benefits at Lu Corporation were excellent. Besides generous salaries, the company offered special perks in food and housing for certain employees. Li Ru had told her this, and Xia Yan hadn't believed it at first. But after thinking it over, she understood why so many people were desperate to get into Lu Corporation.
The cafeteria was packed. Xia Yan followed Li Ru with her tray past various counters, eyeing the colorful, appetizing dishes. She instinctively swallowed, quickly picked her meal, found an empty seat, and started wolfing it down. Image was irrelevant.
Li Ru stared wide-eyed at Xia Yan's ravenous eating, blinking rapidly. "Xia Yan, you've shattered my impression of you, you know that?"
"Impression? What impression?" Xia Yan swallowed a mouthful of rice and wiped her mouth.
"You're, well, beautiful... Xia Yan, take it easy. Look at the guys sneaking glances at you. Keep this up, and your romantic prospects will vanish." Li Ru sat perfectly upright, smiling gracefully, her demeanor like a refined lady—a stark contrast to Xia Yan's gluttony.
"Romantic prospects? I'm just here for an internship. I haven't even thought about that stuff, so I'm not worried."
"Xia Yan, don't you know how many women dream of marrying a man who works at Lu Corporation?" Li Ru leaned in and whispered.
"Why?" Xia Yan took a bite of rice, curious.
"Let me tell you, a guy working at Lu Corporation can afford a car and a house no problem. You know that's the bare minimum women expect from men these days."
"That's it?"
"What more do you want? Xia Yan, don't tell me you'd stick with a guy who has no car or house?"
"I haven't run into that situation yet, so I don't know. But not all women are like that; there are always exceptions." Xia Yan shrugged. She hadn't really thought about this issue.
Li Ru smiled, giving Xia Yan a meaningful look. "You're not here for the CEO too, are you?"
"The CEO?" Xia Yan was drinking water. Could she get a heads-up before this topic came up? The suddenness made it hard to react normally.
"Careful, you're spilling water." Li Ru handed her a napkin and continued, "Yeah, every woman who works at Lu Corporation harbors a secret dream—to be the CEO's woman."
"Being the CEO's woman? Even as a mistress?" Xia Yan stared at Li Ru in shock.
"Of course. Some women would gladly accept it."
Hearing the faint mockery in Li Ru's words, Xia Yan patted her full belly after eating her fill and let out a burp. "What about you? Do you think that way too?"
"I already have a boyfriend. We're getting married in August."
Hearing this, Xia Yan quickly offered congratulations, then smiled. "See, you're the exception among all the women here. So I'll stick with you."
"Honestly, if I didn't have a boyfriend, I'd be infatuated with the CEO too."
Xia Yan looked at Li Ru's sparkling eyes and shook her head helplessly. No matter how handsome Lu Zhengting was, he couldn't be eaten. If he didn't love you, looks meant nothing—they'd only bring trouble.
"By the way, Xia Yan, let me tell you, that Manager Ke who gave you a hard time today is no pushover. Try not to offend her."
"That Manager Ke, what's her background? She seems pretty full of herself." Xia Yan had been wondering how to bring this up, but Li Ru beat her to it.
"She's highly educated, gorgeous, and has great taste. Everyone in the company knows she has a special relationship with the CEO. Some even say she's his secret girlfriend."
Xia Yan was stunned. "No wonder."
"Yeah, she always gives new women a hard time. Don't worry, she's not just targeting you."
As Li Ru finished speaking, Xia Yan was about to complain but swallowed her words. Manager Ke was clearly targeting her, and it was because of Lu Zhengting.
Xia Yan had gathered most of the office gossip from Li Ru. In the afternoon, Ke Yaruo finally stopped bothering her. The morning had been a blur of exhaustion, but the afternoon was slow. She sat blankly at her desk, thinking about Li Ru's words and connecting them to Ke Yaruo and Lu Zhengting. Her mood grew inexplicably irritable, and on top of that, she began to feel disgust toward Lu Zhengting.
"Xia Yan, take this document to the project department."
"Huh?"
"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up!"
At her boss's shout, Xia Yan snapped back to reality, grabbed the documents, and dashed off like the wind. She stood at the elevator, waiting, but realized she'd forgotten to ask where the project department was.
Forget it, she'd ask when she saw someone.
"Ding..."
Xia Yan glanced down at her clothes, heard the elevator arrive, and quickly stepped in. She noticed a pair of black men's leather shoes beside her and looked up sharply. Seeing Lu Zhengting, she jumped back in fright.
"You, what are you doing here?"
"This is my company. Where else should I be?" Lu Zhengting glanced at Xia Yan. If his private elevator weren't under repair and he weren't rushing to chair a meeting, he wouldn't be here. And he remembered his secretary had notified that this elevator was out of service. This little girl still dared to get in?
Xia Yan frowned. "Don't you have your own private elevator? Why are you competing with employees for this one?"
Competing? When had Lu Zhengting ever needed to compete? He got whatever he wanted.
"Xia Yan, didn't you get the notice that this elevator is out of service?" Lu Zhengting said sternly.
"Out of service?" How was she supposed to know?
Seeing the dark look in Lu Zhengting's eyes, Xia Yan's mind raced. "I'm already in. Do you want me to get out right now?"
Watching Xia Yan's unapologetic attitude, Lu Zhengting didn't get angry but instead smiled. "How's work?"
"Thanks to you, I..." Xia Yan blinked, cutting herself off. She shouldn't mention Manager Ke's harassment in front of Lu Zhengting, or if Ke found out, she'd come up with new ways to torment her.
"You what?" Lu Zhengting squinted casually.
"Nothing. Why would I tell you about my work? If I had to describe it, it's going great." Xia Yan lied without batting an eye.
"Is that so?"
"Of course." Seeing the elevator nearing the 17th floor, Xia Yan remembered her task. The project department was waiting for her documents. She didn't know where it was, but looking around, the only person she could ask was Lu Zhengting.