Princess Syndrome - Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Scolding
The imagined jeers and humiliation didn’t follow. Ji Zhiyi simply sat in the car through the door she had opened. Su Lingyue stood next to the car door. Even though no one had said anything to her, she was overcome by a delayed sense of shame and embarrassment.
She was no longer the princess everyone doted on, no longer the object of everyone's attention, no longer the young lady for whom cars were prepared outside the company door.
She had recognized this fact with absolute clarity before this.
But at this moment.
That recognition ran even deeper.
Shame repeatedly leaped on her numb nerves, growing thorns, each one piercing her, leaving her battered and bruised. Yet, her expression remained calm. Only after Ji Zhiyi was in the car did she close the door.
As she reached for the steering wheel, Ji Zhiyi said, "Change your shoes."
She paused, looking down at her high heels. They were indeed inconvenient for driving. Ji Zhiyi said, "There are spare shoes in the trunk."
Su Lingyue looked at Ji Zhiyi in the rearview mirror. She was looking down at a report on her tablet, not even lifting her head. Her tone was nonchalant. Su Lingyue remained silent for two seconds before saying, "Yes, President Ji."
She bit her lip and got out of the car, walking to the trunk and opening it. Inside were several pairs of new flat shoes, each packaged in a shoe box. She found a pair in her size and heard Ji Zhiyi say, "Keep a pair of your shoes in the car from now on.”
Su Lingyue looked at her slender back and replied, "Understood."
Ji Zhiyi stopped turning the pages of her report, listening to Su Lingyue changing her shoes behind her.
She hadn't had such an obedient personality before. If anyone had told her what to do, she would have started an argument, and even if she was in the wrong, she would have had the same fiery attitude. She had said, "This is psychological warfare. If I back down, I lose."
She would not allow herself to lose.
Ji Zhiyi lowered her eyes and continued reading the report.
After changing her shoes, Su Lingyue got back into the car, gripping the steering wheel. She looked at Ji Zhiyi again in the rearview mirror.
The light outside the window was strong, but it was filtered out by the car's tinted windows. The air conditioning inside the car was at a comfortable temperature. She leaned back in her seat, her head slightly lowered, her eyelashes long, curled, and thick. They were still curled from when she had curled them earlier. Even with the high-quality tint, some thin rays of light still managed to sneak through, landing on her profile. Ji Zhiyi pursed her lips, her gaze fixed on the tablet. Perhaps because she had been still for too long, Ji Zhiyi lifted her eyelids and tapped her watch face, neither too hard nor too softly.
Su Lingyue snapped back to attention, started the engine, and drove away from the company.
The reception was being held at the Haotai Hotel.
As one of the few platinum five-star hotels in the country, Haotai catered to successful people and was also a popular venue for corporate events. Su Lingyue was familiar with the place. As soon as she parked the car, the door was opened, and a service attendant stood respectfully by the car. She heard the sound of high heels on the marble floor, and turning her head, saw that Ji Zhiyi had already gotten out.
She followed Ji Zhiyi out of the car, changing into her heels, and handed the car keys to the valet.
Then, she followed Ji Zhiyi inside.
The reception was scheduled to start at 4:30, but there were already many people inside. Lin's Group mainly sold clothing popular with young people, from students to office workers, with a wide range of consumers. There had been rumors that they were going to collaborate with Ji Zhiyi's company to launch a new line of professional suits. At the time, it was just a rumor, but now that they saw Ji Zhiyi appearing at the launch, everyone guessed the rumor was very likely true.
In the past few years since Ji Zhiyi had returned to the country, her name had become like a hurricane. Wherever she went, nothing was spared. She had expanded branch offices and acquired other shoe companies at an alarming rate. And when the Su Group was teetering on the edge of collapse, she had stepped in, splitting it in two.
If the Su Group hadn't had such a firm foundation, and a carcass of a camel were bigger than a horse, it might have been completely uprooted, its name entirely changed.
Those in the industry felt both joy and fear at Ji Zhiyi's appearance.
They were happy that she had reshuffled the entire shoe industry in just a few short years. Many of her peers took the opportunity to promote themselves, allowing their companies to gain more attention and their profits to increase several times over. They were afraid because they didn’t know who Ji Zhiyi’s next target would be.
Luckily, acquiring the Su Group would keep her busy for a while, and everyone could relax a little.
As soon as Su Lingyue entered the venue, she sensed all the eyes turning to look at her. From the well-dressed men talking in the corner to the servers weaving through the crowd, everyone's gaze was fixed on her.
The moment Ji Zhiyi stepped into the venue, the room became unusually quiet.
The familiar faces and the strange stares were like thorns piercing Su Lingyue. Sweat began to form on her back, and with the air conditioning, a cold shiver ran down her spine. Ji Zhiyi took a step forward, the sound of her heels on the marble floor ringing in everyone's ears. Lin Shu walked forward, smiling. "President Ji, you're here."
Ji Zhiyi gave him a slight nod. Lin Shu caught sight of Su Lingyue at her side.
Which single man in the room hadn't had a secret crush on Su Lingyue? He had proposed marriage to the Su family before, but Su Lingyue wouldn’t budge, refusing every date. Later, Chairman Su had chosen Zhou Yan as her son-in-law and forced Su Lingyue to marry him. Su Lingyue had even argued with her family and moved out. After the Chairman's death, everyone had thought that Zhou Yan would be able to win Su Lingyue. After all, he had the advantage of being close by and Su Lingyue had just lost her family, so she needed someone to rely on. They had all thought that Zhou Yan was about to win both love and success. No one had expected Ji Zhiyi to suddenly appear.
Everyone had heard, more or less, about the conflict between Ji Zhiyi and Su Lingyue. When Ji Zhiyi had just returned to the country and established her company, no one had thought she would so quickly gain influence in the shoe trade and even become a leader. As her career grew rapidly, there were naturally rumors about her. However, she rarely attended gatherings, so very little was known about her personal life.
Her issues with Su Lingyue were thanks to the marketing accounts.
When promoting Ji Zhiyi as an up-and-coming career woman, they had inevitably compared her to the current sensation, Su Lingyue.
Upon comparison, they discovered that both had attended the same school.
And that they had a history.
A humiliating one at that.
Anyone else would have been unable to bear it, and would have sought revenge. Not to mention Ji Zhiyi, who was now in such a high position?
Therefore, the acquisition of the Su Group, in the eyes of others in the industry, carried a sense of revenge. Many were waiting to see Ji Zhiyi’s next move. Su Lingyue’s mouth and her behavior had offended many people. Those secretly enjoying the show were now staring at them.
Ji Zhiyi nodded slightly at Lin Shu, greeting him before walking inside. Su Lingyue followed her.
The whispers around her were like an incurable disease, grating on her ears. The more Su Lingyue tried to ignore them, the more those voices would seep into her.
“I heard that Ji Zhiyi made Su Lingyue her assistant.”
“How clever, keeping her close to punish her with impunity.”
“And she can’t escape either.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you know? Zhou Yan is waiting for her outside. As soon as she resigns, Zhou Yan will definitely be the first to make a move, doing everything he can to bring her back home. I heard that Zhou Yan was originally planning to transfer her from the branch to headquarters, but it was delayed because of the acquisition by Ji Zhiyi."
“It’s useless even if he did, Ji Zhiyi is obviously after Su Lingyue. How would he dare ask her for her in front of Ji Zhiyi?”
Su Lingyue wanted to laugh.
How had she become so popular?
No, a rotten apple.
Everyone wanted to step on her.
She listened to the gossip. Only when she heard Zhou Yan’s name did she frown with disgust, as if hearing it again would be torture.
Unfortunately, she didn't just hear it.
She also saw Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan was sitting at a table further inside, holding a wine glass. He was wearing a well-tailored suit and was handsome. Su Lingyue remembered the first time they met. Zhou Yan had come as a guest after returning from studying abroad. He had stared at her for a few seconds, then asked Zhou Shiyu, “Is she Lingyue?”
Zhou Shiyu had said, "Yes. She's your brother-in-law's beloved daughter.”
Zhou Yan had walked up to her and said, “We're not that far apart in age, you can call me older brother.”
He had placed his hand on her shoulder. She had felt disgusted and immediately pushed him away. Zhou Shiyu had said, “Lingyue, don’t be so rude.”
She had found it amusing. "Who do you think you are to lecture me?"
Zhou Shiyu’s expression had darkened. She had enjoyed seeing Zhou Shiyu lose control and her facial muscles twitch. Although she would inevitably be scolded by her father afterward, she didn’t care. Her father had been flirting with Zhou Shiyu by her mother’s sickbed; they didn't care about her, so why should she care about them?
But she had never expected that her father wouldn't care enough to push her into a fire pit.
Forcing her to marry Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan had seen Su Lingyue the moment she walked in. Her brilliance had been impossible to conceal even when she had been surrounded by a crowd of people. She was like a flower nourished by the finest soil, beautiful beyond compare. And unlike her usual outspoken nature, she had an air of languid charm about her when she was silent. This made him want to possess her even more!
From the first moment he had seen Su Lingyue, he had wanted to have this woman.
But Su Lingyue was full of thorns. Until they were removed, he wouldn't be able to get close.
After her father died, his first action had been to prepare to remove Su Lingyue’s thorns, but then Ji Zhiyi had suddenly appeared.
Zhou Yan stood up with his glass, walking towards Ji Zhiyi and Su Lingyue. The eyes watching them intensified, each curious stare eager to peel Su Lingyue bare. She stood there impassively, but her stomach churned as Zhou Yan approached.
The day she had returned from her graduation trip, she had gone home to rest, and in the middle of the night, Zhou Yan had entered her house and tried to open her bedroom door. When she opened the door, and Zhou Yan was close, she had calmly said, “If you take one more step, I’ll make sure you never get out.”
At that moment, she had been thankful for her everyday act and spoiled behavior, which had made her unassailable.
Zhou Yan had not taken another step forward.
She had moved out of that house that very night.
Ever since then, whenever she faced Zhou Yan.
She had felt a constant sense of nausea.
Just like now.
Zhou Yan walked closer, the sound of his leather shoes on the floor growing louder. Su Lingyue’s body stiffened, her fingers curling. Ji Zhiyi turned to her. "Get me a glass of wine."
She blocked Zhou Yan’s approach. A clear fragrance wafted towards Su Lingyue. She met Ji Zhiyi’s eyes for a few seconds, then turned to get Ji Zhiyi a glass of wine.
Zhou Yan was only a few steps away from Su Lingyue when he saw her leave. He had no choice but to greet Ji Zhiyi instead. “President Ji is here as well.”
Ji Zhiyi raised her lips. “Since Mr. Zhou is here, how could I not come and show my support?”
Zhou Yan smiled. “I wonder if President Ji will have time later. I’d like to apologize to President Ji.”
Ji Zhiyi said, “I don’t know what Mr. Zhou would need to apologize for.”
“It's about Lingyue,” he said. "Lingyue was a bit rude. She offended President Ji. But she is, after all, a member of the Su family. We are willing to apologize. I wonder if President Ji would be willing to….”
Ji Zhiyi interrupted him, “What if I’m not?”
Zhou Yan was at a loss for words.
Ji Zhiyi said, “And besides, if she's from the Su family, what does it have to do with you, the Zhou family?”
Zhou Yan gritted his teeth.
If it hadn’t been for Ji Zhiyi’s appearance, Su Lingyue would be a member of the Zhou family now!
Ji Zhiyi touched her earrings, her movements elegant and her expression natural. “Mr. Zhou, do you know what the biggest difference between people and animals is?”
Zhou Yan frowned, “What?”
Ji Zhiyi said, “People have self-awareness.”
You don’t.
Zhou Yan choked. Was Ji Zhiyi indirectly calling him an animal!?
Kkkkkk boa Ji Zhiyi
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