Chapter 12: His Talent Is Visible to My Naked Eye

“Brother Liang, this guy is just asking for trouble. I already warned him yesterday…” Seeing Huang Liang take control of the room as soon as he arrived, Sheng Jiong finally relaxed a bit. That was a close call…

Jiang Yichen also let out a heavy sigh of relief. Clearly, playing tricks was still Huang Liang’s expertise—he was still green in comparison.

Shen Baizhou, this guy, was fairly handsome, but unfortunately, he was so cunning and devious! Glaring at him with a hint of hatred, her gaze then shifted—and suddenly she saw Feng Yiman rushing in from outside…

This person hadn’t even knocked, just barged straight in! She ran over to Jiang Yichen’s ear and whispered…

Huang Liang frowned and turned his head, only to notice Jiang Yichen’s expression change again. Before she could even speak, the office door opened once more…

A girl with her hair tied in a ponytail walked in, lively and fresh. She wore a simple, clean casual outfit, sneakers on her feet, and on her cute round face were faint dimples. It was the CEO’s assistant, Liu Susu.

“CEO Liu!” Jiang Yichen and Sheng Jiong quickly stood to greet her. Even Huang Liang forced a smile.

In fact, Liu Susu wasn’t really a “CEO” at all. Her rank wasn’t high—she was just an assistant. But no one dared to treat her as merely an assistant—this was a company where “the CEO hardly ever appears.” Every decision was heard through Liu Susu…

At Jinxiu Media, if the absent-rich-second-generation CEO was likened to Emperor Tianqi of the Ming dynasty, Liu Susu would be equivalent to the notorious Wei Zhongxian. Her words were essentially imperial edicts.

Even Huang Liang, deputy director of the Internet division, was wary of her. Smiling, he asked, “CEO Liu, what brings you here?”

But Liu Susu only nodded lightly at him, without a word. She walked straight to Shen Baizhou, bowed, and extended her hand with a smile. “Are you Teacher Baizhou?”

Huh? Everyone in the office froze…

“Teacher Baizhou?”

Huang Liang let out a small “huh”—this fiery little girl, even when speaking in front of partners, usually had no trace of humility. Who had ever heard her speak in such a modest tone? After she said “Teacher Baizhou,” the atmosphere in the office immediately became awkward…

Shen Baizhou himself was confused. He had a reflexive personality: if someone was rude to him, he would double the rudeness. Now that Liu Susu was polite, he quickly stood up.

“You are…?”

“You can call me Xiao Liu or Susu!” Liu Susu said firmly, holding his hand tightly. “I’m the CEO’s assistant in our company!”

“Oh, so you’re management—my apologies…” Shen Baizhou replied.

“Please don’t call me management!” Liu Susu bent even lower. After being grilled by Su Hongdou in the morning, she was still unsure about Shen Baizhou’s exact relationship with their CEO, but it was obviously close. How could a lowly assistant like her act high-handed in front of the CEO’s friend?

“My role is to serve the company, the CEO, and everyone—especially to serve elite talents like Teacher Baizhou!”

“Uh, CEO Liu…”

“Call me Susu!”

“Is this appropriate?”

“Perfectly appropriate! I’m here to serve you, aren’t I?”

“Uh… well, I don’t think you can serve me anymore,” Shen Baizhou said, shrugging. “I’ve already been laid off… and you came in at a bad time—Director Huang is threatening me and giving me a countdown…”

“Threatening you?”

“Yes. He warned me to give up my salary, compensation, and bonus, and not to make a fuss—or my family would face serious trouble—” Shen Baizhou raised his voice.

“Is that so, Director Huang?”

Director Huang, frowning, looked at Liu Susu and the others. Her gaze instantly turned icy.

“I remember the CEO said at the last meeting not to continue the old-media bad habits in this company. Looks like you didn’t take it seriously.”

In the media circle, Liu Susu hated people like Huang Liang, who made the company feel like a gang with its murky ways.

“No such thing! Shen Baizhou must be mistaken.” Huang Liang laughed awkwardly, trying to cover up, but he couldn’t hide his frown. Who the hell was this Liu Susu? Stirring up trouble for no reason?

“Threatening employees is illegal. CEO Liu, don’t make false accusations without proof.” Huang Liang snorted. He was getting impatient. Liu Susu had the CEO backing her; he, Huang Liang, had the second partner Sima as his backer. Respect was mutual—don’t push too far!

“Oh? Then I want to ask, Director Huang, why are you laying off Shen Baizhou?” Liu Susu countered sharply. “As far as I know, Teacher Baizhou is an excellent screenwriter.”

“Him? Excellent?” Huang Liang scoffed.

“This year, he participated in three web series: When the Wind Rises, Midsummer Nights of Moonlight, and Qiao Yi & Yani. Each one was worse than the last. None were profitable—not even breaking even… You call that excellent?” Huang Liang sneered, folding his arms. “CEO Liu, if that counts as excellent, then the Chinese men’s soccer team can call themselves excellent too…”

“Is that so?” Liu Susu raised an eyebrow, refusing to yield. “Projects are collaborative. Poor results shouldn’t be blamed solely on the screenwriter. Could it be that some management decisions were flawed?”

“Oh?” Huang Liang’s face darkened. She was clearly picking a fight, trying to battle him… “Some management decisions,” he thought—why not just point at me and scream?

Jiang Yichen and Sheng Jiong were stunned. What’s happening? From the looks of it, Liu Susu was defending Shen Baizhou to the death. What was their relationship? Even Shen Baizhou was surprised—CEO’s assistant defending me? I don’t even know her…

“CEO Liu, are you questioning the reasonableness of my decision to lay off Shen Baizhou?” Huang Liang’s voice turned sinister.

“Not at all, but I believe layoffs should be handled cautiously. You should give Teacher Baizhou a fair chance to prove himself…”

“Fair chance? Funny, there happens to be one.” Huang Liang put his hands in his pockets. “Tomorrow is the final pitch meeting for the online microfilm competition. Perfect opportunity! CEO Liu, you said Shen Baizhou has talent, right? I’ll add an extra slot for him to compete—five slots originally, now six!”

He grinned smugly. “CEO Liu, you know about this competition, right? If he finishes in the top two, the company will invest to produce the winning script into a microfilm!”

Looking at Shen Baizhou, Huang Liang said, “If you get into the top two, don’t just worry about keeping your job—you could even direct the microfilm! So? Do you dare to compete?”