Chapter 15: CEO Heartbeat Level: 25% — Would You Be My Secretary…

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Su Shangfei’s statement landed like a hammer—firm and resounding. Mu Ruyé found it pleasing to the ear and smiled.
“Why are you still standing? Sit down and speak your mind. Manager Huang is here to support you.”

At this point, Manager Huang was completely speechless. He hadn’t expected the seemingly gentle and delicate Su Shangfei to speak and act with such an assertive style—eerily similar to Mu Ruyé’s own—strong enough to be shocking.

Zhang Yuan was infuriated by the challenge from a junior employee and snapped back,
“So just because you say the proposal is different, it’s different? Besides, everything has an order—seniority and experience matter! You just became a full-time employee, and you have the nerve to say you can handle everything? You’re using some brand-new technology—what if it goes wrong? Won’t the company end up having to clean up your mess?”

“She’s a young woman! Even if you’re her superior, there’s a line you shouldn’t cross when you speak!”

Mu Ruyé slammed the teacup heavily on the table, sending the tea splashing. A storm cloud settled over his cold expression.
“She’s under my guidance. If she fails, I’ll take responsibility. You have no right to interfere.”

He had long run out of patience. His earlier silence was just to see whether Su Shangfei had the courage to stand up for herself. Now that she had, he had no intention of dragging this out with Zhang Yuan.

Manager Huang hadn’t expected Mu Ruyé to get so angry, going as far as to openly break the tenuous peace between the two teams just to shield Su Shangfei. Even he, the manager, didn’t know how to deescalate the situation.

Honestly, he never fully understood Mu Ruyé. This young man was remarkably composed and competent for his age. His presence and natural charisma couldn’t be faked—it was clear he was no ordinary talent.

That’s why even a manager like him, who enjoyed suppressing his subordinates, never dared push Mu Ruyé too far. What if this kid got promoted or married into wealth? With his vindictive and sharp-tongued personality, he’d be a nightmare to deal with.

“Mu Ruyé, we’re equals—don’t go too far!” Zhang Yuan had long been jealous of him. Now that things were out in the open, he couldn’t hold back any longer.
“You think you’re so great? Just because your numbers are slightly better, you think you can twist the truth and cover for your people? I don’t care about saving face today—I’m taking this deal back!”

Mu Ruyé looked at Zhang Yuan’s bluster with disdain. He casually pulled out his work phone, opened WeChat, and found Yang Jie’s contact. He showed it to Zhang Yuan.

“That night, we met President Yang at the gala. It was President Shen who introduced me to her. I added her on WeChat at exactly 8:27 p.m. I watched you run over afterward, pestering her until she reluctantly added you.

By your logic, whoever contacted the client first gets the deal, right? Then there’s no doubt—President Yang is Team One’s client. So what’s the issue with a Team One rep following up?”

Su Shangfei hadn’t expected Mu Ruyué to have such a trump card. Her admiration for him surged.
So, his earlier silence wasn’t apathy—it was strategy. He was just waiting for the perfect moment to shut Zhang Yuan down completely.

Zhang Yuan’s face turned pale. He hadn’t imagined Mu Ruyé would remember such small details so clearly.

“You say Yang Jie was about to sign? Do you even believe that yourself? Recently, Denei has been meeting with her frequently. She’s visited their facilities twice in the last two weeks. She’s very interested in their new tech—they’re already preparing to sign a letter of intent next week!”

“Impossible! You’re lying!”

Just today, Yang Jie had seemed genuinely interested during her visit. There was no way she’d turn around and sign with Denei. Zhang Yuan suspected Mu Ruyué was fabricating this to cover for Su Shangfei’s alleged client poaching.

“How do you know that? She talked to me for a long time today, asked about all kinds of details. Why would she just ignore us and choose Denei?”

“If you don’t believe me, ask around. She talked to you just to feel you out—it doesn’t mean she was going to sign with you. She’s recently been consulting researchers in advanced tech—it’s obvious she wants to upgrade her product. And you’re still using price cuts as your strategy?

Have you even analyzed the client’s real needs? Or do you think clients are just clay you can mold however you like—without a mind of their own?”

Zhang Yuan had heard Yang Jie mention upgrading products, but since new tech was hard to implement, he hadn’t wanted to put in the effort. He’d been trying to talk her into signing, hoping to close a quick deal.

He didn’t know she was being friendly on the surface while exploring other options behind his back.

Mu Ruyé saw right through him and was disgusted with his carelessness.
“If I hadn’t secured Professor Su’s patent authorization in time, neither Team One nor Team Two would’ve gotten the deal. If we lost it altogether, you wouldn’t even be here yelling!”

Having watched Zhang Yuan and Manager Huang gang up on Su Shangfei earlier, Mu Ruyé was done being polite.
“You have time to bully junior staff but not to improve your skills? Under your leadership, Team Two’s performance is tanking—and you have the nerve to collect a salary without shame?”

Manager Huang couldn’t sit still anymore. As Mu Ruyé’s anger escalated, he worried the two men might come to blows. He quickly stepped forward, trying to intervene.
“Alright, alright. Since Shangfei doesn’t want to share the deal, let’s leave it at that.”

Zhang Yuan, thoroughly humiliated and betrayed by his client, lost all control. He stood up and pointed at Mu Ruyé’s nose, shouting:
“What gives you the right to look down on me like that?! I’ve tolerated you for too long! You think you’re some big shot?! I’m telling you—we’re not done!”

Mu Ruyé tilted his head slightly, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
“I’m always ready. Just make sure your skills match your big talk.”

Su Shangfei sat beside Mu Ruyé, watching Zhang Yuan step forward as if to challenge him physically. She was overwhelmed with panic.

She instinctively tried to retreat but was blocked by Mu Ruyé’s arm. In her fright, she grabbed his suit jacket tightly, as if it were a lifeline.

Only then did Mu Ruyé realize how frightened she was. He immediately sat upright and wrapped his arm around her protectively, shielding her behind him.

“Alright, enough! The whole office can hear you. Keep it down!”

Zhang Yuan saw Mu Ruyé’s chivalrous display and assumed he was doing all this to win Su Shangfei’s favor. He felt like a stepping stone in their secret affair—and refused to back down.

“Don’t think we don’t see how you’re protecting her. You’re just doing all this to give credit to your little lover. It’s disgusting! And you expect me to drop this? Dream on!”

Mu Ruyé hadn’t expected Zhang Yuan to stoop so low as to spread rumors. He immediately stood up, furious:
“You’d better watch your mouth! If even one rumor like that gets out, I won’t let this go!”

Manager Huang, now panting from trying to hold the two back, finally lost it. He grabbed the white porcelain teapot from the table and smashed it on the ground.

Porcelain shards scattered, and hot tea splashed everywhere. The once chaotic office fell instantly silent.

Mu Ruyé felt sudden warmth in front of him. Looking down in surprise, he saw that Su Shangfei, who had been cowering behind him, had now stepped in front of him—trembling.

He held her shaking shoulders, confused and flustered. This was not an act.

He hadn’t realized how much she truly cared about him—to the point of putting herself in harm’s way.

“You… are you okay? Did you get burned?”

He crouched down to check her ankle and knee for scalding, gently guiding her away from the shattered porcelain on the floor.

But Su Shangfei seemed lost in a haze, trapped in some memory she couldn’t escape. She let him settle her on the sofa, oblivious to everyone else in the room.

The fierce argument had triggered something buried deep in her past—leaving her frozen, her eyes unfocused.

After confirming she wasn’t hurt, Mu Ruyé stood slowly and turned to Manager Huang with an icy expression:
“We’ve argued, we’ve smashed things—is he still allowed to cause trouble in the office like this?”

Zhang Yuan, jolted back to his senses by the teapot crash, was now filled with regret.

The fragile peace between Team One and Team Two was broken. Competition would now be fiercer than ever—and Mu Ruyé wasn’t the type to show mercy.

Though Manager Huang didn’t like Mu Ruyé’s tone, he still gave Zhang Yuan a look, signaling him to apologize.

Zhang Yuan swallowed his anger and mumbled,
“Today, I…”

But Mu Ruyé interrupted, his eyes lowering to the red marks on Su Shangfei’s pale legs.
“No need. Some words, once spoken, leave no room for retreat. We still have work to do—we won’t be seeing you out.”

The moment the office door opened, everyone outside couldn’t help but look inside. Manager Huang’s large frame blocked most of the view, but someone caught a glimpse of a strange scene through the gap.

That famously aloof Team Leader Mu… was kneeling on one knee in front of Su Shangfei—like a devoted believer.

The cold touch on her leg brought Su Shangfei back to reality. Realizing Mu Ruyé was kneeling in front of her, she panicked and reached for the cold drink in his hand.

“I… I can do it myself.”

But Mu Ruyé stubbornly refused to let go, continuing to apply the cold compress to the red marks on her legs.

The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension. Su Shangfei was on pins and needles, until finally she heard his muffled voice:

“Why… did you shield me like that?”

She didn’t want to revisit the old wounds in her heart, so she vaguely replied:
“I… I don’t know.”

Mu Ruyé kept his head low, as if gathering all his courage. After what seemed like endless hesitation, he finally spoke softly:

“Would you be my secretary? Work with me—and climb higher.”