Princess Syndrome - Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Control

Ji Zhiyi and Su Lingyue didn't stay in the office for too long. Their colleagues outside were nervous. "Did Assistant Su get another scolding?"

"Is it about the Southern District branch?"

"Will President Ji blame her for making decisions without authorization?"

"Making decisions without authorization? Are you kidding me? President Ji and Sister Wu are both in the meeting. She's the only one in the office who can issue notices. Should we let the situation escalate and wait for President Ji to come out and scold us for inefficiency?"

Everyone fell silent. That made sense.

But what if Ji Zhiyi used this as an excuse to make things difficult?

Ji Zhiyi really wanted to use this as an excuse, but Su Lingyue wouldn't allow it. Ji Zhiyi walked out of the office with a cold expression. The secretaries' office fell silent, everyone busy with their work. Su Lingyue followed Ji Zhiyi to the door, watching her enter the lounge.

After a while, Wu Meiyan came out.

She asked Su Lingyue, "Didn't get scolded too badly, did you?"

Su Lingyue, remembering her persona, said, "Just a little."

Wu Meiyan comforted her, "That's good."

She had heard about this after coming out of the meeting and was startled, worried that Ji Zhiyi might fire Su Lingyue out of displeasure. Now that it was just a scolding, she said, "President Ji is quite fair and impartial."

Su Lingyue nodded in agreement.

Wu Meiyan patted her shoulder, then, thinking of something, asked Su Lingyue, "Why did you directly ask the marketing department to issue a statement?"

Su Lingyue thought of Xie Lan's matter but couldn't discuss it with Wu Meiyan, so she had to find a reason. "I thought this matter couldn't be delayed. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it is for us."

Wu Meiyan's gaze towards her changed slightly.

She nodded and asked again, "Do you know who is targeting us this time?"

Su Lingyue said, "Su Qi."

Her tone was calm, without much emotional fluctuation, looking at Wu Meiyan openly.

Actually, everyone knew it was Su Qi. It was completely unnecessary for Wu Meiyan to ask her this, but she still did. After hearing Su Lingyue's words, Wu Meiyan said, "Before entering the meeting room, I kept wondering why President Ji would leave her phone with you. I understand now."

She understood.

Su Lingyue was confused by her words.

Ji Zhiyi left her phone with her to handle urgent matters. How did Wu Meiyan seem to interpret it differently?

She didn't understand at all.

But it wasn't convenient to ask Wu Meiyan directly.

So, she kept it to herself.

It wasn't until lunchtime when she was eating with Ji Zhiyi and talked about this that Ji Zhiyi asked, "Are you and Secretary Wu familiar with each other?"

"We don't know each other." Su Lingyue thought for a long time but couldn't recall any interactions with Wu Meiyan.

Ji Zhiyi: …

It's okay, she was used to it.

Seeing her silent, Su Lingyue asked, "What's wrong?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Nothing, I just think she cares about you a lot."

This couldn't be denied.

Wu Meiyan had indeed taken good care of her since she joined the secretaries' office. Su Lingyue chewed on her chopsticks. "Could she have a secret crush on me?"

Ji Zhiyi: …

Su Lingyue shrugged.

After all, she couldn't think of any other reason why someone would be so kind to another person for no reason.

Then she said, "I remember now, she has a younger sister."

Ji Zhiyi turned her head. "You know her?"

Su Lingyue said, "I don't."

Ji Zhiyi: …

Su Lingyue said, "Maybe she sees me as her younger sister."

Ji Zhiyi: …

Su Lingyue: "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Ji Zhiyi couldn't help but say, "Eat your food."

Su Lingyue: "Oh."

She lowered her head to eat. Ji Zhiyi thought of her outrageous guesses and chuckled. However, Wu Meiyan was quite smart. She said, "Ask Secretary Wu to come in later."

Su Lingyue looked up. "What's wrong?"

Then she thought of something. "Is it about the district branches?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Yes, there are a few things I need to tell her."

Su Lingyue didn't even lift her head. "Got it."

Ji Zhiyi saw her picking the liver out of her chicken soup and couldn't help but ask, "Not eating it?"

Su Lingyue met her gaze. "Don't want to eat it."

Ji Zhiyi said, "Didn't you used to eat it?"

She paused after speaking.

Su Lingyue was also stunned. "How do you know I used to eat it?"

Ji Zhiyi's tone was calm. "I saw you eating it during meals."

Her expression was unreadable, and Su Lingyue didn't delve into it. She had been with Ji Zhiyi every day for the past two months, so it wasn't strange for her to have seen her eat it. She just said, "I don't want to eat it today."

Ji Zhiyi picked up the liver that she had moved to the edge of her bowl and took a bite.

Su Lingyue blinked at her action.

Ji Zhiyi asked, "What are you looking at?"

Su Lingyue said, "You actually ate the food I didn't want."

Ji Zhiyi was about to speak when Su Lingyue said, "You really love me."

The liver Ji Zhiyi was chewing tasted sweet.

What kind of things had she learned from books?

She lowered her head and smiled.

Su Lingyue was happy to see her smile.

Coaxing people was such a simple thing, she learned it instantly.

After finishing lunch, she packed up the meal boxes to take out. She couldn't keep loitering in Ji Zhiyi's office, although she really wanted to lie down on Ji Zhiyi's bed and rest. But she restrained herself. After notifying Secretary Wu to go to the office, she lay down on her desk.

Just as she lay down, she received a message from Chu Yi.

Chu Yi: [Is Su Qi going to sue Yilin?]

Su Lingyue: [Not yet.]

Chu Yi: [It looks like the company wants to make a big deal out of it.]

And it was happening right during the Autumn Exhibition.

Su Lingyue immediately realized that Su Qi didn't actually want to blow this incident out of proportion. Instead, they wanted to entangle Yilin in lawsuits and let the negative news ferment. Then, they would reveal Xie Lan's matter, causing a second shock, which would be a fatal blow. By then, Yilin's collaboration with Baoshun would definitely fall through, not to mention the collaboration with Arno.

She saw through Su Qi's intentions, which was why she had asked the marketing department to suppress the news and respond as quickly as possible.

If they didn't respond quickly, Su Qi would definitely take advantage of the chaos to re-expose Yilin's past negative news. Even if it was just rumors and fabrications, they would be dug out.

That's why Yilin needed to suppress the news and issue a statement first.

However, since Xie Lan was involved, she couldn't discuss these things with Secretary Wu.

Of course, she couldn't tell Chu Yi either.

Chu Yi was worried about her: [Will it affect your work?]

Su Lingyue: [It's okay, I have a business trip this afternoon.]

Chu Yi: [Is it to the Arno Autumn Exhibition? They were just discussing it.]

Su Lingyue: [Yes.]

Chu Yi: [That woman is going this time too, try to avoid her.]

Su Lingyue was always unhappy whenever she saw Zhou Shiyu. In the past, their meetings always ended in arguments or fights. As soon as they met, sparks would fly. Now that her father was gone, Zhou Shiyu could bully Su Lingyue without her being able to say anything in return.

So, it was better to avoid her if possible.

Su Lingyue stared at the screen.

In the past, Zhou Yan would attend these kinds of events.

She didn't know if it was because Zhou Yan was still in the hospital, or if they were preparing to sideline Zhou Yan, afraid that she might mess things up this time, which was why Zhou Shiyu was going in person.

The last time she saw Zhou Shiyu was at her father's funeral. Zhou Shiyu was dressed in black, wearing a hat, her attire just like in the movies. If it weren't for the two tears she shed at the end, one might have thought she was attending the funeral of some irrelevant person.

Her makeup was so exquisite.

But her father didn't lose out either.

He got two tears from Zhou Shiyu. Whether they were genuine or fake was unknown.

Anyway, she didn't cry.

Not only did she not cry, but she also felt a strange sense of relief, followed by a sense of emptiness.

She told Chu Yi about this twisted feeling of relief, and Chu Yi touched her forehead. "You don't have a fever, do you?"

She didn't have a fever.

It was just that the hatred that had been suppressed in her heart for many years dissipated with the man's death, leaving her temporarily unsure of what emotions to face. Chu Yi always thought she hated Zhou Shiyu, but the person she hated was actually her father.

She knew who the main culprit was. Zhou Shiyu bullied her, but that was only with the man's consent.

So, the person she hated was never Zhou Shiyu, but her father.

After her father's death, her life was more like stagnant water, occasionally rippling without a sound. She knew that even if she met Zhou Shiyu again, she wouldn't have such strong emotional fluctuations. Just to appease Chu Yi, she replied, "Okay, I know."

Chu Yi smiled when she received her message.

She felt that Su Lingyue had become quite soft recently.

Although their chats were still in the same tone, there was a noticeable change in her语气. It was really good.

She poked Su Lingyue's profile picture.

Su Lingyue smiled.

Putting down her phone, she saw Wu Meiyan coming out of the office. The others were on their lunch break. Zhang Ting and Secretary Li were discussing something. When they saw Wu Meiyan come out, they greeted her, "Sister Wu."

Wu Meiyan walked over.

Secretary Li asked, "What did President Ji want from you?"

Wu Meiyan tapped her head. "She's going to promote me and give me a raise."

Secretary Li gave a dry laugh.

Knowing that Wu Meiyan was just joking, she didn't ask further. Wu Meiyan knocked on their desks. "Rest now."

Zhang Ting raised her hand. "Got it, Sister Wu."

Then she lowered her head to continue her quiet discussion.

Su Lingyue was lying on her desk, her gaze falling on the blinds. Ji Zhiyi got up from her desk.

Was she going to rest?

Su Lingyue's gaze followed her, realizing that she was just pouring a glass of water before returning to her computer. Su Lingyue didn't even realize the sudden sense of peace she felt, feeling secure looking at her figure, feeling secure hearing her name. Even if Ji Zhiyi didn't do anything, just her presence made her feel at ease.

Ji Zhiyi noticed the following gaze. She looked up and met Su Lingyue's eyes through the glass. After a few seconds, she looked down and sent Su Lingyue a message: [Why aren't you resting?]

Su Lingyue: [Can't fall asleep.]

Ji Zhiyi, remembering she was lying on her desk, sent: [Then come to my office to sleep.]

Su Lingyue immediately thought of the large bed in her lounge.

It looked so soft and comfortable.

She hesitated: [Maybe I shouldn't, what if I oversleep?]

Ji Zhiyi: [I'll wake you up when it's time.]

After sending the message, she looked at the chat history, feeling helpless.

Who was the boss here?

Su Lingyue didn't have that awareness, still pondering: [Then are you going to rest with me?]

Ji Zhiyi stared at this message, picking up her cup to take a sip of water.

The warm water warmed her throat.

The more she drank, the drier her mouth felt.

She hesitated for two minutes before asking: [Do you want to?]

Su Lingyue replied immediately: [Don't want to.]

Ji Zhiyi: …

What was she expecting?

The warm water hadn't even reached her stomach and had already turned to ice water. She typed slowly: [Why don't you want to?]

Su Lingyue: [Because I'm afraid I can't control myself.]

Ji Zhiyi: [Can't control yourself?]

Su Lingyue: [Yeah, if we sleep together, of course I can't control myself.]

Ji Zhiyi's originally chilly chest was filled with a ball of fire, burning fiercely.

She asked Su Lingyue: [Was this line also learned from a book?]

Su Lingyue replied: [This one isn't.]

Followed by a small heart.

And the next line: [This is what I'm thinking in my heart.]

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