Chapter 10: The New Director  

The deep, powerful hum of the Bentley Mulsanne’s engine still echoed in Yu Ling’s ears. The embrace of the premium leather seats, the intricate and delicate buttons on the console, and the stunned, reverent gazes of the security guards as she drove into the company’s underground garage—it all felt like a bizarre, surreal dream.  

Her hands and feet were practically weak as she parked the car in the absurdly spacious reserved spot, B-18. Pulling out the heavy key, her palm was damp with sweat.  

Before she could even process the overwhelming shock, the company’s sudden emergency meeting hit her like a bucket of ice water.  

The atmosphere in the conference room was so tense it could be wrung out like a wet cloth. The projection screen displayed alarming red arrows and a cliff-like plummeting graph—the core data from the first three days of the “Star Ocean Project” launch: user activation rates far below expectations, abysmal retention rates, and the conversion funnel nearly collapsing at critical stages. The massive marketing budget seemed to have vanished into thin air!  

Director Chen’s face was livid, his knuckles rapping against the table with a dull thud. “What the hell happened?! Wasn’t the plan scrutinized repeatedly?! Zhang Wei! You’re the lead strategist! Explain! Where did things go wrong?!”  

The blame was squarely on Zhang Wei. Gone was the smug confidence she had displayed during the project kickoff meeting. Her meticulously applied makeup couldn’t hide the pallor of her face, and her eyes darted frantically across the cold, hard data on the screen. Her lips trembled, but she couldn’t string together a coherent sentence. “This… this might be… user habits… or… technical interfaces…”  

“Might?! Or?!” Director Chen slammed the table, his voice like thunder. “I want concrete reasons and solutions! Not your guesses! The company poured millions into this, and all we get is a loud thud?!”  

Zhang Wei flinched at the outburst, her gaze instinctively seeking help from Yu Ling, who sat pale-faced in the corner.  

Yu Ling smirked inwardly but kept her expression neutral. The higher Zhang Wei had climbed on stolen credit, the harder she was falling now. Yet Yu Ling’s own heart was heavy. The core framework and execution details of the plan had been her work, the data models her creation. Now, with everything collapsing, she couldn’t escape responsibility. The crushing weight of pressure made it hard to breathe.  

The meeting ended in a tense, unresolved mess of arguments and finger-pointing. Director Chen ordered Zhang Wei and Yu Ling’s execution team to deliver a detailed post-mortem report and a viable recovery plan within three days—or the entire team would face the consequences.  

Returning to her desk, Yu Ling felt like she had just lost a battle, physically and mentally exhausted. The glaring data curves on her screen only deepened her frustration and helplessness, like icy waves slowly drowning her. The optimizations she had proposed, though clever, seemed like a drop in the ocean against such a catastrophic failure. Where had things gone wrong? What was the root cause? How could they turn this around? The heavy weight of these questions pressed down on her heart.  

Her phone buzzed. A message from Zhao Chen.  

**[ZhaoC]:** [Image: A steaming bowl of wonton noodles, garnished with green scallions and golden egg strips]  

**[ZhaoC]:** Battle over? Victory and defeat are both common in war. Eat first. I sent a delivery—it’ll be downstairs in ten minutes. Think after you eat.

A brief message, accompanied by a picture of a steaming bowl of wonton noodles that looked especially warm and inviting under the soft lighting, pierced through the gloom in Yu Ling’s heart like a faint yet steadfast beam of light.  

He was always like this—offering the most comforting care in the simplest way when she was at her most disheveled and helpless. That bowl of noodles seemed to carry warmth, soothing her stomach and thawing her icy heart even through the screen.  

She sniffled and replied: **[Yeah. We lost. Badly.]**  

**[ZhaoC]**: [*head-pat sticker*] Eat first. Even if the sky falls, you’ll need the strength to hold it up.  

Yu Ling held her phone, staring at the “head-pat” sticker, imagining Zhao Chen’s gentle, smiling expression as he said those words. The corners of her lips curled up involuntarily. Yeah, eat first.  

Two days later. The project team was still shrouded in a heavy atmosphere. Zhang Wei flailed around like a headless fly, uselessly venting her frustration on subordinates.  

Meanwhile, Yu Ling and the rest of the team were buried in data analysis, desperately searching for the root of the problem, their eyes bloodshot from exhaustion. Yet, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t pinpoint the core issue. Every recovery plan they proposed was shot down by Director Chen as “superficial” or “lacking fundamental breakthroughs.” With every passing minute, the air grew thicker with despair.  

Just when all hope seemed lost, a company-wide announcement suddenly popped up on the internal messaging system:  

**[Personnel Appointment Notice]**  

After deliberation by the group, Ms. Lin Wei (Vivian Lin) has been appointed as the Marketing Director of Starlight Technology Co., Ltd., overseeing all marketing operations. Former Director Chen Ming will be reassigned. Effective immediately.  

Ms. Lin Wei boasts extensive experience in international brand marketing and internet operations, having held executive positions at top global consulting firm MBB and multiple multinational corporations. Under her leadership, Starlight Technology’s marketing department is poised to embark on a new chapter!  

The news exploded like a depth charge in the stagnant marketing department, sending shockwaves through the team!  

“Lin Wei? Vivian Lin? That name… sounds familiar?”  

“She’s from MBB?! Oh my god, she’s a legend!”  

“A parachute hire? Director Chen got axed?!”  

“Quick, check the link in the email! It has her full resume!”  

The office instantly buzzed with hushed murmurs. Curious, Yu Ling clicked the link. The resume displayed a photo of a poised, impeccably groomed woman with sharp, confident eyes. Her credentials were dazzling: Yale MBA, McKinsey Global Partner, former CMO of a multinational FMCG giant in the Asia-Pacific region… Each line was enough to blind anyone with envy.  

Yu Ling’s gaze froze on the “Previous Employers” section—her pupils constricting abruptly. One line stood out clearly:  

**Star Capital — Investment Director**  

Star Capital?! That legendary, mysterious, and formidable top-tier venture capital firm often featured in financial news?! Zhao Chen had once mentioned working as an “ordinary employee” at an “ordinary company,” but he’d never named it! Could it be… could it be that Zhao Chen had worked at Star Capital before?! And this newly appointed, terrifyingly well-connected director, Lin Wei—was she his… former colleague?!

The thought struck Yu Ling’s mind like lightning, freezing her in her seat! Her heart pounded uncontrollably! All the temporarily forgotten puzzles—the top-tier daily necessities, the luxurious furniture, the Bentley key, and Zhao Chen’s casually displayed extraordinary insight and skills—now came together like scattered beads suddenly strung by the thread of “Star Capital”! An answer, almost bursting from her throat with overwhelming force, was on the verge of revelation!

Impossible! Zhao Chen… he clearly said he was just an ordinary employee! How could he be colleagues with someone of that caliber?!

Just as her mind reeled and thoughts turned into chaos, the department assistant hurried over and tapped her desk. “Yu Ling, Director Lin wants to see you in her office now.”

“Me?” Yu Ling snapped back to reality, pointing at herself in astonishment. The new director had just taken office, and the first person she summoned alone was… her, a lowly project grunt drowning in work?

“Yes, you. Director Lin just arrived—her luggage isn’t even at the hotel yet—and she specifically asked for you. Hurry up!” The assistant’s tone carried urgency and a hint of barely concealed envy.

With anxiety, confusion, and overwhelming unease, Yu Ling walked toward the director’s office, its ownership freshly changed. The door was slightly ajar. She took a deep breath and knocked.

“Come in,” came a clear, pleasant voice with a hint of British inflection.

Yu Ling pushed the door open. The office’s furnishings had been completely refreshed—sleek, modern, and exuding power. By the floor-to-ceiling window stood a woman. Her back was turned, her tall and well-proportioned figure clad in an impeccably tailored smoke-gray cashmere suit, its sharp lines accentuating her silhouette. Her chestnut-brown, medium-length hair was flawlessly styled. Even from behind, she radiated an aura of authority and the commanding presence of someone long accustomed to power.

She turned at the sound.

Lin Wei in person was younger and more striking than in photos. Her well-maintained face gave no clear indication of age, her features deep and three-dimensional, her makeup as polished as a magazine cover. Those sharp phoenix eyes, like the most precise scanners, instantly sized Yu Ling up from head to toe.

Her gaze lingered on Yu Ling’s face for a few seconds, a flicker of something almost imperceptible—scrutiny?—passing through them. Then, that scrutiny melted into a warm yet professionally distant smile.

“Yu Ling? Please, have a seat.” Lin Wei gestured to the chair opposite her desk, her voice bright with just the right blend of approachability and undeniable authority. She settled back into her spacious leather executive chair, hands folded atop the polished mahogany desk, her posture poised and composed.

“Hello, Director Lin,” Yu Ling said, sitting down somewhat stiffly, trying to steady herself. Up close, facing this formidable new director, she felt her palms growing damp again.