Princess Syndrome - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Trust

Su Lingyue genuinely disliked Chen Zhiyao.

Of course, Chen Zhiyao didn't like her either. When she first joined the branch office, Chen Zhiyao spread rumors about her throwing her weight around and causing chaos in the head office, calling her spoiled and prone to making unreasonable demands.

Su Lingyue didn't know why Chen Zhiyao harbored such deep resentment towards her, as if they had some deep-seated feud.

She never found out the reason after joining the design department.

Or rather, people knew the reason but didn't want to tell her.

She didn't care, but she overheard the whole story in the restroom. Chen Zhiyao's hatred wasn't just for her; it was because of her friend, a former colleague in the design department who had a close relationship with someone who went to the head office for a meeting, met Su Lingyue, and then dumped the design department colleague to pursue her at the head office.

Su Lingyue's reaction upon learning this: ???

So many people pursued her that she had no idea which ones came from the branch office.

However, the colleague involved in the rumor had resigned before she was transferred to the branch office. Chen Zhiyao had always blamed her, hence her constant targeting.

What an absurd reason.

But Su Lingyue could understand it.

Just as there's loving the house because of the crow, there's hating the crow and everything related to it.

Moreover, when you dislike someone, you dislike everything they do, and even a small thing can fuel your animosity. But to the point of deliberately misreporting work information?

That was something Su Lingyue couldn't understand.

No matter how much you disliked someone, it shouldn't interfere with work matters.

Chen Zhiyao really needed to learn from Ji Zhiyi in that regard.

Ji Zhiyi was much better.

Thinking of Ji Zhiyi made Su Lingyue's heart feel a little lighter. She quickly walked to the secretary's office, where she heard Zhang Ting frowning and saying, "We can't add anyone now. There are dozens of people in the design department, how can we add them?"

The team-building event had a limited number of slots, and she had spent a week just coordinating the accommodation. The personnel had finally been confirmed, and now they were suddenly telling her to add more people.

Adding people was possible, but it meant they would have to stay at a hotel in the city center, which was quite a distance away.

The people in the design department were very unhappy about this.

They argued that they were the first to sign up, so why should they be sent so far away?

Everyone knew that the main reason for the high participation rate in this team-building event was Ji Zhiyi's attendance, which was why the design department was being so difficult.

Su Lingyue walked in with her high heels clicking.

Wu Meiyan said, "Assistant Su, who did you confirm the numbers with?"

Su Lingyue said, "Chen Zhiyao."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Chen Zhiyao said, "Assistant Su, you can't just make false accusations! On the phone, I clearly told you that everyone in the design department would be attending. You're mistaken, why are you blaming us?"

Su Lingyue said, "I'm not mistaken. I asked you, and you said no one would be attending."

"That's ridiculous," Chen Zhiyao said. "How could no one from the design department attend?" Her contempt was obvious, not taking Su Lingyue seriously. Wu Meiyan frowned, looking displeased. "Do you have any proof that you said that?"

Chen Zhiyao said, "I made the call in front of everyone after tallying the numbers. You can ask anyone in the design department."

Wu Meiyan frowned at her confident demeanor.

The others remained silent.

Su Lingyue said, "But I asked you twice, and both times you said no one was attending."

Chen Zhiyao said, "Assistant Su, even if you disregard us, what about Xie Lan, our top designer? She's admired President Ji for so long, would she miss a team-building opportunity?"

Su Lingyue said, "But..."

Wu Meiyan interrupted, "Alright, we understand. Secretary Li, please escort Ms. Chen out."

Chen Zhiyao glanced at the people in the secretary's office, looking displeased, and left with her head held high.

Zhang Ting walked over to Wu Meiyan. "Sister Wu, we really can't add anyone. I just finished finalizing the personnel count."

Wu Meiyan said, "I know. What did the logistics department say?"

Zhang Ting said, "They're quite unhappy about it."

She then looked at Su Lingyue.

Su Lingyue's expression was calm, showing no emotion.

Wu Meiyan said, "Everyone back to work. Assistant Su, come to my office."

Su Lingyue followed Wu Meiyan into her office.

When Ji Zhiyi returned to her office, she didn't see Su Lingyue. She paused, and seeing everyone busy, decided not to ask and went into her office.

She didn't see Su Lingyue all morning.

Ji Zhiyi called Su Lingyue before lunch.

Su Lingyue answered quickly. Ji Zhiyi asked, "Are you busy?"

It sounded noisy on her end, with sounds of "Assistant Su" being called. Su Lingyue said, "A little, what's up?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Then let's not go out for lunch. I'll order in."

Su Lingyue was silent for a few seconds. "Okay."

Ji Zhiyi hung up.

Thinking about Su Lingyue's voice, something felt off. She pressed the intercom. "Secretary Wu, come in."

Wu Meiyan put down her files and immediately went to Ji Zhiyi's office. Hearing Ji Zhiyi ask about Su Lingyue, she bit her lip, looking troubled.

The last dismissal scare hadn't completely died down yet. They had just had a team dinner and were thinking of teaching Su Lingyue some workplace rules, but this incident happened. Ji Zhiyi had been busy and hadn't paid attention to the internal dynamics of the company. Now everyone was criticizing Su Lingyue.

News had leaked, saying Su Lingyue had omitted the design department when compiling the list, preventing them from attending the team-building event.

At first, it was just an omission.

Later, it turned into a deliberate act.

Su Lingyue had worked in the design department before, so some people believed it was intentional.

[She did it on purpose, didn't want the design department to participate.]

[What else could it be? When she threw her tantrum as a spoiled young lady, she directly scrapped Xie Lan's design.]

[I think she still sees herself as a privileged young lady, hasn't adjusted to her current role.]

[Didn't they say she always disliked the design department? It's not surprising she'd deliberately leave them out.]

[The design department is so pitiful, stuck with someone like that.]

Wu Meiyan chose her words carefully. "She's busy with the team-building arrangements."

Ji Zhiyi said, "Team building? Isn't Secretary Zhang in charge of that?"

Wu Meiyan said, "She's helping with the statistics for a few departments."

Ji Zhiyi hadn't heard clearly on the phone, but she vaguely heard the design department mentioned. She nodded. "Understood, you can go."

Wu Meiyan looked at Ji Zhiyi with concern before turning to leave.

Standing at the door, she sighed.

She felt Su Lingyue was facing a difficult situation.

Chen Zhiyao would definitely not let it go. If so many people were squeezed into the resort, some would have to be removed. Who would be willing to leave?

It would definitely cause widespread anger.

She slowly walked back to the secretary's office.

Secretary Li said, "Sister Wu, does President Ji know?"

Wu Meiyan shook her head. "Not the specifics."

Secretary Li said, "President Ji will definitely find out."

The secretary next to her said, "If you ask me, this isn't Assistant Su's fault. Secretary Zhang is also responsible. She started coordinating without even seeing the written application."

Other secretaries said, "Who could have expected this?"

The old habits from Su Qi—verbal instructions and coordination between departments—had never caused problems before, so written applications were seen as unnecessary formalities. This incident was a wake-up call.

Wu Meiyan said, "If you don't learn from this, how will you do your jobs? This is a reminder to all of you, from now on, all applications must be submitted in writing!"

Her face was stern, clearly upset.

The others exchanged glances, not daring to speak.

Wu Meiyan went into her office.

She had many group chats, a dozen large and small ones. She even had smaller groups with colleagues from other departments she was close to. After this incident, private messages were flying, and the group chats were buzzing with discussion.

They said Su Lingyue was just that kind of person.

They brought up the incident with Xie Lan.

They mocked Su Lingyue for only causing trouble, and now no one was going to cover for her. She would definitely be packed up and thrown out by President Ji, or perhaps even worse, severely reprimanded. The malice in their words was palpable.

Of course, some dissenting opinions were quickly drowned out.

They said the matter wasn't settled yet, Chen Zhiyao had always disliked Su Lingyue, and maybe her report was the problem. People were being too biased.

[The design department colleagues all heard it, what reporting problem?]

[Exactly, unless the entire design department is lying!]

Wu Meiyan rubbed her temples.

She looked at the messages flashing on the screen.

She hesitated about whether to talk to Ji Zhiyi.

Ji Zhiyi called Zhang Xian.

Since it was a design department matter, Zhang Xian would definitely know. But she was wrong. Zhang Xian had gone to the processing plant after the meeting and wasn't in the office. She wasn't very familiar with the other colleagues and wasn't in their small group chats, but she had a capable assistant.

Xie Lan.

Xie Lan gave her a brief rundown.

When Zhang Xian received Ji Zhiyi's call, she said, "You should know better than I do, you're at the office."

Ji Zhiyi pursed her lips.

Zhang Xian sensed her displeasure over the phone and said, "It's just a small issue with Assistant Su's team-building list."

Ji Zhiyi asked, "What issue?"

Zhang Xian said, "She missed the design department."

She remembered discussing the list with Su Lingyue that day. Su Lingyue had said she confirmed it with Chen Zhiyao. Why hadn't she asked more questions? Zhang Xian felt a bit annoyed with herself. She wanted to say a few words in Su Lingyue's defense, but Ji Zhiyi said, "I understand,"

And hung up.

Zhang Xian looked at the darkened screen, guessing Su Lingyue was about to get another scolding.

Su Lingyue's mistake in omitting the design department became a minor scandal in the company, known to everyone. The news spread from the design department to other departments, followed by ridicule and mockery.

Su Lingyue didn't really care about that.

But she hated being misunderstood.

It reminded her of the past, when some people, after their advances were rejected, spread rumors about her being promiscuous, which infuriated her. Su Lingyue, still fuming, lowered her head and called the resort, trying to negotiate.

Zhang Ting slumped her shoulders and looked at Su Lingyue. "Assistant Su, how's it going?"

Su Lingyue shook her head.

Zhang Ting said, "It's not working on my end either. None of the other departments are willing to give up their slots."

Just discussing it had made people from other departments unhappy. If they were forced to give up slots, they would be even more dissatisfied, and the blame would definitely fall on Su Lingyue.

Secretary Zhang was also at fault, but she wasn't in a position to criticize Su Lingyue, as she was swamped with work.

When her phone suddenly rang, she was taken aback for a moment before answering.

"President Ji." Secretary Zhang stood up. Su Lingyue saw her tense expression. Zhang Ting cleared her throat. "Okay, I understand."

She urged Su Lingyue, "President Ji wants to see us."

She sighed. "We're done for!"

Su Lingyue watched her pack her things and whispered, "I'm sorry."

It was rare for her to apologize since entering the workforce, and it felt a bit awkward. Zhang Ting scratched her head. "I'm fine, I'm just worried about you. You know what the colleagues are saying..."

Su Lingyue knew.

They were all criticizing her.

Saying she deliberately removed the design department's application.

Just like when she scrapped Xie Lan's design draft.

She said, "Let's go."

Zhang Ting nodded and followed her into Ji Zhiyi's office.

Ji Zhiyi said, "Secretary Zhang, please pour me a cup of tea."

Zhang Ting quickly said, "Of course."

Su Lingyue looked at her.

A sudden wave of sentimentality and vulnerability washed over her. She lowered her head.

Ji Zhiyi's voice was a bit softer. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Su Lingyue's voice was listless. "Tell you what?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "About the list issue, why didn't you tell me?"

Su Lingyue said, "I didn't know how to."

Perhaps—she was also afraid of Ji Zhiyi's distrust.

Just like with Xie Lan's situation.

She preferred not to say anything, so she wouldn't know Ji Zhiyi's thoughts.

When did she develop such an ostrich mentality?

Su Lingyue felt like she was becoming less and less like herself.

Ji Zhiyi tilted her head, looking at her. Su Lingyue's expression was calm, her eyes lacking the spark they had earlier when they held hands in the car. The current Su Lingyue was a bit like when they first met.

Reserved, quiet.

And taciturn.

Ji Zhiyi looked at her for a couple of seconds and said, "Call everyone from the design department here."

Was she going to question them one by one?

Su Lingyue looked at Ji Zhiyi, and inexplicably thought of the time she found out about Xie Lan's design. She had scrapped the design draft and stormed into her father's office, telling him that Xie Lan's design had problems.

He had also called Xie Lan to the office then.

He hadn't chosen to believe her.

Su Lingyue's heart sank, looking at Ji Zhiyi. Her current mood was even more uneasy than back then.

Perhaps it was because she knew her father wouldn't believe her, so she was prepared. But she had also prepared herself for Ji Zhiyi not believing her, so why did it still hurt so much?

Su Lingyue didn't say anything.

Ji Zhiyi looked at her. "Lingyue?"

She snapped out of her thoughts, her eyes reddening.

Ji Zhiyi heard her say, "Okay, President Ji."

Her voice was a bit cold.

Ji Zhiyi frowned.

Soon, the colleagues from the design department walked into the office one after another. They exchanged glances, wondering how this matter had alarmed Ji Zhiyi. But thinking about the past conflicts between Ji Zhiyi and Su Lingyue, maybe Ji Zhiyi was going to use this as an excuse to make things difficult for her.

A shadow of resentment flashed in Chen Zhiyao's eyes.

She stood at the front.

Su Lingyue and Zhang Ting stood to one side.

Zhang Ting clasped her hands, occasionally glancing at Ji Zhiyi and the design department colleagues. She had gone back to pour water and found out that the design department had been called up. The situation was escalating, and she had initially not wanted to bother Ji Zhiyi.

Now, seeing everyone lined up, she had an uneasy feeling.

Ji Zhiyi said, "Please, sit down."

Not all the design department employees were there, just the ones who shared an office with Chen Zhiyao. Ji Zhiyi's invitation to sit made them exchange glances before awkwardly walking to the sofa and sitting down.

Ji Zhiyi said, "Assistant Su, Secretary Zhang, please pour everyone some water."

The colleagues quickly picked up their cups.

No matter how much they disliked Su Lingyue, they wouldn't dare show it in front of Ji Zhiyi. Su Lingyue and Zhang Ting poured tea for everyone.

Ji Zhiyi said, "I've heard some rumors recently. I'm wondering if someone can explain them to me."

Chen Zhiyao sat up straight. "President Ji, please ask."

Ji Zhiyi said, "Regarding the team-building list, who was responsible for the design department?"

Chen Zhiyao said, "I was."

Her attitude was very respectful.

Su Lingyue bit her lip.

Ji Zhiyi nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

Chen Zhiyao was about to say it was no trouble when Ji Zhiyi continued, "And what exactly did you tell Assistant Su?"

Chen Zhiyao glanced at Su Lingyue, lowered her eyes, and suppressed the resentment in them. "I told Assistant Su that all the colleagues from the design department would be attending."

Ji Zhiyi was silent for a couple of seconds before looking at the colleague next to Chen Zhiyao. "Did you hear that too?"

The colleague quickly nodded. "Yes, I was next to Sister Chen, I heard her making the call."

Ji Zhiyi smiled.

She took a sip of tea and said, "Impressive hearing."

Before the person could respond modestly,

Ji Zhiyi put down her cup and asked, "And how did you confirm that the call was to Assistant Su?"

The person paused.

She looked at Ji Zhiyi.

Ji Zhiyi's expression was indifferent, her face cold, exuding an aura of authority that commanded respect. Panic rose in the person's chest, seizing her throat and making her unable to utter a single sound.

The others wanted to speak, but seeing Ji Zhiyi's indifferent expression, they swallowed their words.

Chen Zhiyao said, "President Ji..."

Ji Zhiyi said, "So, you can't be sure either?"

The colleague who had spoken earlier said, "I, I just heard it."

Ji Zhiyi nodded. "Did you hear Assistant Su's reply?"

The colleague was stunned and quickly shook her head.

Ji Zhiyi asked the next person, "And you?"

The next person also looked uncomfortable and shook her head.

Ji Zhiyi asked, "Did anyone hear Assistant Su's reply?"

Her voice was measured and slow, but it felt like a heavy hammer striking their hearts, leaving them speechless.

In reality, they only knew it was a call with Su Lingyue because they heard Chen Zhiyao address her as such.

But what if that "Assistant Su" wasn't Su Lingyue?

None of them had confirmed it.

Chen Zhiyao said, "President Ji, I have the call logs, the time can prove it."

Ji Zhiyi nodded, then asked one of the colleagues, "Do you remember the call time?"

The colleague shook her head.

Who would remember that!

The others remained silent, not daring to make a sound, fearing Ji Zhiyi would call on them.

Chen Zhiyao gritted her teeth. "President Ji, are you saying you don't believe us?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Ms. Chen, give me a reason to believe you."

Chen Zhiyao was dumbfounded, her tongue-tied, as if she had suddenly forgotten how to speak.

Did she need a reason to be believed?

Ji Zhiyi said, "First, you can't confirm that the person Ms. Chen was speaking to was Assistant Su. In legal terms, all your testimonies are invalid."

"Second, Ms. Chen, you said you told Assistant Su that the entire design department would be attending, but Assistant Su's recollection is that you said no one would be attending. There's no recording, no witnesses, so it's possible Assistant Su is lying." She looked at Su Lingyue, and after a few seconds, looked back at Chen Zhiyao. "Or it's possible you're lying."

Chen Zhiyao said, "I have absolutely no reason to lie!"

Su Lingyue stepped out from behind Chen Zhiyao. "Then do I have a reason to lie?"

Chen Zhiyao said, "I don't know about you, maybe you've always disliked our design department..."

Su Lingyue said, "That's just your speculation, but your targeting me is a fact. I can also say that you orchestrated this list incident to get back at me."

Chen Zhiyao's face turned extremely pale, her intentions exposed.

The design department colleagues also realized what was going on. They had wondered why Chen Zhiyao sounded so polite when she called Su Lingyue that day, and now they seemed to have the answer.

One of the more astute colleagues glanced at Chen Zhiyao and Su Lingyue. "I remember the call time, it was in the afternoon."

Su Lingyue said, "I received Ms. Chen's call at noon."

Chen Zhiyao glared at the colleague who had spoken, not expecting to be betrayed like this.

The colleague wasn't stupid.

It was obvious that Ji Zhiyi wasn't siding with the design department or Chen Zhiyao. In fact, she seemed to be protecting Su Lingyue. Although they didn't know what Ji Zhiyi's plans were, at least in this matter, she didn't intend to punish Su Lingyue.

So they clearly knew what to say.

Ji Zhiyi looked at Chen Zhiyao.

Chen Zhiyao said, "I hadn't fully tallied the numbers at noon, so I called Assistant Su again in the afternoon."

Ji Zhiyi smiled. "You hadn't fully tallied the numbers, is that right?"

She looked at Chen Zhiyao. "Okay."

She ended the charade. "Secretary Zhang."

Zhang Ting understood and immediately walked to Ji Zhiyi's side, hearing her say, "Announce that the team-building event is canceled."

Zhang Ting was stunned. "Huh?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Because the design department's list wasn't fully tallied, the team-building event is canceled."

The faces of the design department colleagues turned ashen.

They knew how important this team-building event was. It had the highest participation rate in company history. Just coordinating the resort slots had already made other departments unhappy, and now it was canceled altogether.

The design department was about to be roasted alive!

And the most important thing.

The reason—the design department's list wasn't fully tallied.

That was the reason Chen Zhiyao had given.

So the fault lay entirely with the design department!

Sweat broke out on the backs of their necks.

Even Chen Zhiyao's face was extremely pale. With this news, she could forget about staying in the design department, or even working at Yilin. This reason was a death sentence for her.

She had previously tried to claim Su Lingyue was using her position for personal gain.

Now, this reason completely shattered her facade!

Moreover, her targeting of Su Lingyue was obvious to everyone.

Chen Zhiyao tried to salvage the situation. "President Ji..."

Ji Zhiyi said, "Secretary Zhang."

Zhang Ting looked at Ji Zhiyi.

Ji Zhiyi waved her hand.

Zhang Ting understood and said, "Everyone, let's head out."

Chen Zhiyao was pushed out by the crowd. Zhang Ting didn't give her a pleasant look. It was because of her that so much trouble had occurred. She had just received a message from Wu Meiyan in the office, informing her that all applications had to be submitted in writing from now on.

So she also had pent-up frustration.

Seeing Chen Zhiyao still moving slowly, Zhang Ting said, "Ms. Chen, are you getting old? Are your legs not working properly? Should we find someone to carry you out?"

Chen Zhiyao's face turned a purplish-red from her sarcastic remarks. She huffed and quickly left the office.

Zhang Ting returned to the secretary's office.

The others crowded around. "What did she say?"

"That old hag!" Zhang Ting rolled her eyes. "The team building is canceled."

"What—" Moans filled the office. "Why!"

"Why?" Zhang Ting said, "Go ask the design department why!"

Wu Meiyan walked out of her office. Zhang Ting quickly went over to complain, recounting what had happened in Ji Zhiyi's office. At the end, she exclaimed, "President Ji was so badass!! You should have seen the faces of those people in the design department, especially Chen Zhiyao, her face could have been used as a color palette!"

Hearing her words, Wu Meiyan breathed a sigh of relief.

She said, "Draft a notice for me later."

Zhang Ting nodded. "No problem!"

Wu Meiyan asked, "Where's Assistant Su?"

Zhang Ting said, "She's still in President Ji's office."

The others peered over, unable to see anything inside. Su Lingyue stood in front of Ji Zhiyi and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

She hadn't felt particularly wronged, but being stared at by Ji Zhiyi made her voice soften unconsciously, and her question sounded almost like a spoiled request.

Ji Zhiyi said, "What do I mean?"

Su Lingyue said, "Chen Zhiyao and I..." She looked at Ji Zhiyi. "You believe me?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "When have I ever said I didn't believe you?"

A sudden surge of emotion brought tears to Su Lingyue's eyes. The heat welled up in her eye sockets. Su Lingyue blinked and said, "Then you!" She pursed her lips, and after a few seconds, said, "Then Xie Lan..."

Ji Zhiyi looked at her, as if understanding the little anxieties Su Lingyue had been experiencing lately. She found it amusing. "I never said I didn't believe you then either."

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