Chapter 13

After Shen Zhizhe finished reading the names, he stood up, adjusted the hem of his suit, and said, “That’s it for now. The meeting will start on time in the afternoon.”

The victims’ alliance exchanged a glance, and both saw a sense of despair and faint brokenness in each other’s eyes.

Chi Xiting’s heart sank slightly, but perhaps it was expected, and there wasn’t much emotional fluctuation.

They were all adults.

It was just a work report.

Not a big deal.

Chi Xiting gave himself a quick two-second mental preparation, then calmly accepted the established fact and went to the cafeteria for a meal.

—–

At exactly 2:00 PM.

Everyone returned to the conference room to continue the meeting.

Shen Zhizhe’s focus was still on the full-time employees. After pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a brief pause, he said, “Continue.”

The reports resumed, and after a short break, Shen Zhizhe began his targeted analysis of each employee, with a level of criticism that was as harsh as it had been earlier in the morning.

As the reports from the full-time employees neared their end, a slight commotion suddenly arose in the conference room. The voices gradually grew louder, even causing the employees who had been focused on their reports to be distracted, slowing their speech and glancing towards the door.

Chi Xiting, who had been quietly organizing his thoughts with his eyes closed, faintly heard a sharp intake of breath beside him. Frowning, he instinctively opened his eyes and, in that instant, caught a glimpse of Chu Yu standing at the door.

Chu Yu glanced at Chi Xiting before calmly shifting his gaze away.

Chi Xiting paused.

Zhou Shan knocked on the door, politely interrupting the meeting. “Manager Shen.”

Shen Zhizhe’s expression visibly turned puzzled as he stared at Chu Yu. After a moment, he stood up and said, “Mr. Chu, what brings you here?”

“Is the sun rising from the west today?” he thought to himself.

Chu Yu stepped inside, his pace slow and measured, exuding the pressure of someone in a superior position. His outstanding aura was impossible to ignore, and the moment he entered, everyone in the room turned their attention toward him.

Chi Xiting also took a few extra glances.

Chu Yu was wearing a simple yet exquisitely tailored suit. Despite its simplicity, his tall, upright frame and distinguished demeanor made the suit appear very refined.

“I just happened to have some free time,” Chu Yu said, raising an eyebrow. “Thought I’d drop by and listen.”

Although Shen Zhizhe still had his doubts, he didn’t ask further and instead gave up his seat for Chu Yu.

The room became chaotic again. The marketing department employees subtly stood up to adjust their seating, sneaking glances at Chu Yu while letting out quiet sighs.

At their level, it was rare to have the opportunity to see Chu Yu in person.

Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t ideal—this was their work report meeting, and with Shen Zhizhe in a bad mood, there had been a lot of harsh criticism.

The employees who had already finished their reports felt relieved.

“Hey, not bad.”

At least they didn’t have to embarrass themselves in front of Chu Yu anymore.

Though they tried to be discreet, the sounds of chairs moving in the quiet room still echoed sharply, like needles piercing the hearts of every intern about to present their reports.

Good news: This was their first time reporting, and they got the chance to report directly to Chu Yu.

Bad news: Their reports were terrible.

“Ha, what luck,” they thought. “Since joining the company, it’s been nothing but setbacks.”

The reports from the full-time employees quickly wrapped up.

Shen Zhizhe seemed a little tired. He rubbed his temples, sighed, and turned to Chu Yu, quietly asking, “I’ve selected a few interns to report. Would you still like to listen?”

Chu Yu’s gaze was fixed on his phone, seemingly reading a document. He didn’t look up, only murmuring an “Mm” in response.

Chi Xiting couldn’t resist another glance at Chu Yu.

It seemed like Chu Yu was wearing a new pair of glasses, still half-frame, with a delicate chain hanging from the temples, draping down to his neck. The cold chain occasionally brushed against his jawline, accentuating the sharp, smooth lines of his face.

There was a certain charming, rebellious air about him.

Chi Xiting found himself a little intrigued.

Shen Zhizhe randomly pointed to someone on the list.

“Wu Mu Liang.”

Wu Mu Liang’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stood up, holding his computer awkwardly as he moved forward, briefly glancing at the electronic screen. He seemed unsure how to adjust the equipment.

Fang Ben glanced at him and, noticing Shen Zhizhe’s expression, kindly stood up to help.

Wu Mu Liang handed over his laptop, nervously standing by as the PPT appeared on the screen. He didn’t thank Fang Ben, quickly taking the mouse, but in his rush, he dropped it on the floor.

A brief chuckle echoed from the room.

Wu Mu Liang’s face turned red, and his neck flushed as well. He couldn’t decide where to look, glancing at Chu Yu and then at Shen Zhizhe, nervously preparing to present. After a few words, he stumbled and faltered. His performance caused Shen Zhizhe to furrow his brow more than once.

The work was mediocre, with some basic tasks left incomplete.

“Next,” Shen Zhizhe said, clearly uninterested in further commentary. He called for the next person.

Wu Mu Liang seemed surprised that Shen Zhizhe had said nothing, standing still for a moment, frozen, until Li Yang stepped forward to remind him. He then hurried back to his seat, his face still flushed.

Li Yang performed much better than Wu Mu Liang.

Though still nervous, her posture was less rigid as she stepped up. She didn’t dare to look around much but sneaked a glance at Chu Yu before focusing on her PPT.

Her work was good, and she was familiar with the content. Though she hesitated at first, she became more relaxed as she continued.

Shen Zhizhe seemed quite satisfied with Li Yang’s performance. During the presentation, he even took a moment to look at her resume.

For most people present, the interns’ reports were merely a source of entertainment.

After all, they had only been with the company for less than a week—what achievements could they possibly have?

Moreover, they were just fresh graduates, naive and innocent. Though they tried hard to pretend to be adults, traces of their student mindset still showed in their words.

Chu Yu, however, seemed to listen seriously.

Chu Yu’s ability to assess talent was sharper than Shen Zhizhe’s. After listening to just a sentence or two, he could form a rough judgment of the intern’s abilities.

He had roughly gone through the resumes of the marketing department interns.

He could only say that there was still a gap between their paper qualifications and actual abilities.

No matter how impressive things look on paper, they lose all meaning when it comes to demonstrating work value in a real-world job setting.

The resume is one thing.

What he cares about more is the actual work ability.

Chuyu had been sitting in the meeting room for nearly half an hour. After listening to a few interns’ reports, he put his phone away.

Zhou Shan, who was sitting beside him, kept a close watch on Chuyu’s movements and changes in his expression. She noticed that Chuyu had put his phone away, and after tapping his fingers on the armrest of the chair twice, she realized he was getting ready to leave.

Zhou Shan quickly thought of an excuse and was about to speak when she noticed Shen Zhizhe slightly raised his brow, and there was a slight change in his tone.

“Next, Chi Xiting,” Shen Zhizhe said.

Chuyu, who had been adjusting his clothes and preparing to stand up and leave, raised his eyes and happened to make eye contact with Chi Xiting across the room.

Chuyu’s eyelashes flickered slightly, his expression unchanged. He naturally leaned back against his chair.

Zhou Shan, who had already raised half of her body in preparation to leave, froze: “…?”

Huh?

He’s not leaving after all.