Xue Ziang had an assistant and a secretary.
In reality, the difference between the two was not big, it was only that one was administrative with management responsibilities, and the other handled guests, logistics and other administrative work.
Zhao Yu replaced the original assistant, but she did not resent Zhao Yu; rather, she gladly handed over the work to her.
This was due to Xue Ziang's generosity in privately giving the female assistant a large sum of severance pay. The former assistant had been dreaming of this day for so long, and now that it had arrived, she treated Zhao Yu as if she were her savior.
Zhao Yu asked Xue Ziang why he helped her and for a moment, his eyes had a meaningful look as he looked at her. It was then that Zhao Yu knew that she had succeeded in becoming unforgettable in his heart.
After a few seconds of being dazed, Xue Ziang smiled lightly and said, "I can't bear to see someone get bullied."
Zhao Yu didn't ask any more questions and didn't bring it up anymore. She then proceeded to turn a deaf ear to the new rumors, carrying on as if nothing bothered her.
On the other hand, Xue Ziang once asked her, "People in the company are saying I am interested in you. What do you think of this?"
Zhao Yu smiled. "Mr. Xue, don't worry, I know my place."
Xue Ziang raised his eyebrows. "What if I really did like you?"
"At this point, is not a question of whether Mr. Xue is interested in me, but of the gap between me and Mr. Xue. Considering your status, it is impossible for you to marry someone like me. Knowing this is enough for me. "
Xue Ziang looked at her for a while, then chuckled in a low voice and left, dropping the topic.
The relationship between Zhao Yu and him was indeed just an ordinary working relationship. Although the new rumors persisted, people didn't dare be as presumptuous as before.
In the past, there were those who dared to use the reporting mechanism to question the relationship between Zhao Yu and Fu Tao, but that was because they were ordinary employees and still restricted by company rules and regulations.
But Xue Ziang was different.
After all, most of the shares of the entire group were held by the Xue family. Although Xue Ziang's position was not high, everyone knew he was the Xue family's oldest grandson. While he was indistinguishable from other employees on the surface, in truth, the difference was as large as heaven and earth.
It was as the saying goes, "a clever fox uses the tiger's might to intimidate others"1, Zhao Yu thought it was extremely applicable to the current situation.
Obviously, she was still a small assistant like before, still reported to the secretarial management department and her salary had not changed much, but with Xue Ziang's backing, it seemed like her position in the company had risen sharply.
At least those who dared to mock her behind her back in the past have now learned to shut up.
Xue Ziang's secretary, Ye Zi, was the only exception.
The two had to work together with adjacent workstations. Ye Zi's disgust for Zhao Yu was now brought into daylight and unconcealed on her face.
When Xue Ziang first said that he would give Zhao Yu a chance to avenge herself, he wasn't only talking about appointing her as an assistant. If she also wanted to deal with Ye Zi and Gu Yunfei, he was ready to do it.
However, Zhao Yu did not ask for Ye Zi and Gu Yunfei to be fired. One reason was because she already couldn't stand that he was doing her a favor and the other was because she needed to consider the company's image.
After all, the reporting system was established by the company. Ye Zi and Gu Yunfei did not violate any rules and should remain anonymous. If they were fired, the company would get a lot of backlash as soon as word got out.
However, reporting this kind of thing was not something that could be done on a whim. Especially since this time it involved a person like Fu Tao who, despite his low position, was of great value to the company. It didn't matter whether or not the content of the report was true, the two people who initiated the report were both implicated and would not be favored by the management anymore.
It didn't take long for Gu Yunfei to resign and only Ye Zi was left struggling painfully.
Even in her dreams, Ye Zi couldn't fathom that it was not she who had hurt Gu Yunfei, but that Gu Yunfei who played her for the sake of money and had encouraged her to make an anonymous report… all under Zhao Yu's instruction.
Looking at the fool nearby who stared dumbly at her at every turn, Zhao Yu smiled slightly and continued to sort out the speech on the computer.
In fact, she should be grateful to this woman and thank her for adding fuel to those rumors, helping them spread further. It really saved Zhao Yu a lot of trouble.
When Zhao Yu sent the speech to Xue Ziang's office, he looked at it on the spot and was very satisfied. "Much more beautiful than what Xiao Liu wrote. Are you really just an undergraduate?"
"Mr. Xue read my resume right?"
Not only the resume but any sense of personal privacy she had was long exposed when she was jointly investigated by the four major departments that day.
Xue Ziang put down the documents and said, "In the afternoon, you will accompany me."
Xue Ziang attended a routine jewelry summit.
Originally it was enough to send a high-level manager to occasions like this. Xue Ziang didn't need to go in person. Not only that, he was a cheerful and sociable person so within the past few years, he became the spokesperson for Huacan and was the company's first choice for these events. Whenever he was in a good mood, he was happy to attend any event – big or small.
Zhao Yu had previously inquired about who was participating in the summit and confirmed that there would not be much press. As an assistant, she would not get any camera either so she didn't find an excuse to refuse.
After all, it was not time for her to appear in front of some people yet.
After the summit, the organizers had prepared dinner. Xue Ziang sat at a table with a group of industry insiders and chatted. After drinking a lot of alcohol, he was already a little intoxicated when he left.
It was only then that Zhao Yu really played the role of an assistant – help her boss drive the car.
The previous assistant once told Zhao Yu before she left her job that Xue Ziang was the face of Huacan and entertained a lot of people. It was normal for him to go to dinners and bars but he had a high alcohol tolerance.
When going out with him, the assistant's job wasn't to help control his drinking – only to send him home safely if he didn't bring a driver.
In the words of that former assistant, there was nothing to complain about when it came to Xue Ziang. He had looks, status, a good personality, and he was quite easy to get along with too so it wasn't difficult to be around him.
Zhao Yu had experienced all this herself in the past few days.
Xue Ziang normally lived downtown in the city center. However, the summit venue was in a newly opened manor in the outskirts of the city and a one way trip was nearly a two hours' drive. By the time he arrived at his villa, it was already past nine o'clock.
After getting out of the car, his footing was a little unstable. Zhao Yu reached out her hand to support him, and he accepted, putting his whole center of gravity on her and walked into the villa half-hugging her.
Zhao Yu didn't send him to his room, just putting him down on the sofa in the living room and tried to leave but he grabbed her wrist.
Zhao Yu struggled for a while and asked calmly, "Do you still need something Mr. Xue?"
"You didn't drive your own car, how can you go back so late?"
"I'll call a cab."
"There are so many rooms here. Just pick one." Xue Ziang raised his eyebrows slightly and motioned upstairs. "We can go to work together tomorrow."
"No need Mr. Xue, I don't live far, and I will be home soon."
When Zhao Yu turned around, the hand on her wrist pulled hard and she fell into his arms.
1 狐假虎威 Lit. the fox exploits the tiger's might, could also be used to describe a situation where someone uses the name of big wigs to bully/intimidate others.