Zhou Mingyue shot him a disdainful look. "So you're this useless? You don't even have the authority to fire an intern?"
As the pampered jewel of the Zhou family out experiencing life, Manager Bai couldn't afford to offend her, nor did he dare to. But he had no legitimate reason to just fire the newly hired intern either.
An Ruo flipped a page of her document, overhearing their conversation, and felt utterly frustrated inside.
Was her character really that terrible? Wherever she went, no one seemed to like her.
Even as her pride was trampled underfoot, her calm and composed nature told her that if she rushed over in a fit right now, it would only make things worse.
Zhou Mingyue came from a wealthy family; she didn't have to fight for a job. But An Ruo couldn't afford to lose this one—she had Xiao Che to take care of.
Many times, when faced with humiliation and aggression, her stubborn nature screamed at her to retaliate tenfold. But thinking about the consequences of such actions, she could only swallow her pride and endure.
"Fine, I won't make it hard for you. Just let her be my personal assistant, fetching me tea and water every day, and I won't chase her away."
An Ruo's hand, holding the pen to take notes, paused slightly. Manager Bai came over with a helpless expression. "Xiao An, look... your talent is highly valued by President Ding, and he doesn't want to lose a promising prospect like you. But the Zhou family holds a lot of power. I can let you stay, but you'll need to butter up Miss Zhou a bit."
He winked at An Ruo, pointing toward Zhou Mingyue, and coaxed, "Don't worry. She's just a bit spoiled. During normal work hours, just occasionally brew her some tea or bring her fruit—it won't affect much."
Seeing An Ruo's hesitation, Manager Bai added ingratiatingly, "You won't have to suffer for nothing. I'll apply for an extra two thousand a month for you."
An Ruo nodded. "I agree."
"..." Manager Bai breathed a sigh of relief.
Just fetching tea and water—such a small task. She'd get her salary plus some extra cash. Why would she refuse?
---
"Miss Zhou, here's the coffee you asked for." An Ruo handed over a freshly brewed cup of hand-ground coffee.
Zhou Mingyue took it lazily, took a small sip, then immediately gasped and spat it into the trash can. Furious, she splashed the rest of the coffee at An Ruo.
"Are you trying to scald me to death?!"
An Ruo dodged just in time. "It was brewed according to your specifications."
"You're still making excuses..."
"What's going on here?"
A magnetic male voice cut through the commotion.
Everyone in the planning department turned to see who it was and greeted him in unison.
"President."
An Ruo froze for a moment, then awkwardly turned around and murmured "President" along with the others.
The man wore a perfectly tailored black suit, broad-shouldered and long-legged, with sharp, rugged features and a masculine aura that exuded raw manliness.
"A Chao..." Zhou Mingyue clung to him like a needy pest, wrapping her arms around his and whining, "Where have you been all this time? Why have you been avoiding me?"
Gu Chao felt a headache coming on just seeing her. "You're way too nosy. Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?"
He looked down at his arm, tightly gripped by her. "Let go."
"No!" Zhou Mingyue nestled against him, acting spoiled. "We haven't seen each other in ages. How about having dinner with me at Manyue Tower tonight?"
Gu Chao's face turned cold as he shook her off. "I don't have time today."
Zhou Mingyue shamelessly chased after him. "I won't let you come for nothing. That piece of land under the Zhou Corporation—you've had your eye on it for a long time, haven't you? What if I convince my dad to give it to you?"
The Zhou Group owned a prime piece of land that real estate companies in the area had been coveting. Zhou Haikong had stirred up hype, claiming it contained vast oil reserves, just to drive up its value.
Whether there was oil or not didn't matter to Gu Chao. His interest in acquiring that land wasn't for himself.
It was because Shen Xiaoxing desperately wanted it.
"That land—Chairman Zhou has set an external price of fifty billion. Can you really get him to budge?"
"I can not only get him to budge, but I can also make him give it to you for free. How's that for sincerity?"
Gu Chao gave her a meaningful glance. "Can you really make your dad part with it?"
"My dad adores me. Forget a fifty-billion project—he'd give up a thousand billion or ten thousand billion for me." Zhou Mingyue tugged at his hand, pouting slightly. "I'd sacrifice anything for you. If you married me... the entire Zhou Corporation would be yours someday."
Gu Chao: "..."
"So, isn't this a great deal?"
Their unabashed conversation sparked hushed whispers across the planning department. An Ruo stood to the side, head down, just hoping they'd finish and leave quickly.
"I'll have my secretary arrange my schedule," Gu Chao said, seeing her excitement, then added, "Don't get too happy yet. I haven't agreed. If I don't have time tonight, this is off."
Zhou Mingyue tilted her head with a smile. "Then it depends on how important this land is to you."
"Let go now. Everyone's watching."
"Then it's settled. I'll wait for you at Manyue Tower tonight."
Gu Chao cleared his throat, loosened his tie, and strode away with long, brisk steps.
Watching him leave, Zhou Mingyue grinned triumphantly. When she turned around and noticed everyone gossiping about her and Gu Chao, she shot them a fierce glare. "Tired of keeping your tongues?!"