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Chapter 9: CEO Heartflutter Meter: 3.1% – Unintentional Protection

Wang Nan, caught red-handed, felt guilty but refused to back down. Instead, she tried to get ahead of the situation by playing the victim. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand. If your data’s missing, maybe you were careless. How can you blame others for your mistake?”

Su Shangfei had never seen someone so brazenly twist the truth. Without a word, she raised her phone and shoved a screenshot in Wang Nan’s face—it showed her deleting data from the shared file. “Take a good look. Would I confront you without evidence?”

Wang Nan had been sneaking in late at night to delete files, never expecting Su Shangfei to still be online—and catch her in the act.

Her face went pale, but unwilling to admit to sabotaging a colleague, she clung to her excuse. “I was working late and must’ve deleted it by accident.”

“By accident? Three nights in a row?” Su Shangfei swiped her screen twice and showed two more screenshots. “Once or twice I could’ve let slide. But don’t push your luck.”

The usually noisy office—with ringing phones and constant keyboard clatter—fell into silence. No veteran staff stepped in to stop the argument; instead, they sipped coffee and watched the scene unfold.

Incidents like this weren’t rare. During internship periods, some people would do whatever it took to stay—working hard or, unfortunately, dragging others down.

The new interns had been oddly cordial for almost two weeks, which had surprised the old staff. Now that sparks were flying, they were curious to see who would come out on top.

Mu Ruye ended a phone call and looked up just in time to see Su Shangfei coldly confronting Wang Nan, who was now crying after being exposed.

Even with tears in her eyes, Wang Nan kept arguing. “It was an accident! Why won’t you believe me? You’ve been distant from the start. We tried being friendly, but you ignored us. I get it—you see us as competition. And now you’re trying to frame me in front of everyone just to push me out? Fine! I’ll leave if that’s what you want!”

She pretended to pack her things, and her ally Qiu Tian stepped in, holding her backpack and shouting at Su Shangfei, “Aren’t you going to stop her? Are you really going to just let her walk out?”

Shu Rui, aware the senior employees were silently watching, didn’t want to be seen in a bad light. Trying to mediate, he stepped forward: “Alright, that’s enough. We’re on the clock—let’s calm down. Su Shangfei, couldn’t this wait until after work? Why cause such a scene and disrupt the office?”

The way Wang Nan, Qiu Tian, and Shu Rui stuck together made Su Shangfei seem even more isolated.

But Su Shangfei wouldn’t back down. If she didn’t seek justice now, who knew how many more injustices she’d have to endure later?

“Fine. Then apologize,” she said firmly, standing tall. “I won’t hold a grudge, but you need to acknowledge what you did.”

Wang Nan had hoped her allies would pressure Su Shangfei into letting things go. But the soft-spoken girl turned out to be stubborn.

Yet she couldn’t admit guilt—doing so would confirm she had acted maliciously, and she’d have no face to stay at the company.

Still stalling, Wang Nan slowly kept packing while glancing toward Mu Ruye’s office, hoping he’d intervene and defend her. After all, he’d spent effort training the new hires—he couldn’t possibly let her go so easily.

But Mu Ruye didn’t budge. He kept clicking away at his mouse, entirely indifferent.

Realizing Wang Nan was in too deep, Qiu Tian quietly let go of her backpack and returned to her seat.

Wang Nan looked at her in disbelief. This was the colleague who’d been like a close friend. Why was she backing out now?

Qiu Tian avoided her gaze. The truth was simple: GuiShang’s standards were high. Fewer competitors meant higher chances of staying. Good jobs were hard to come by. She’d fought hard to get into the company—no reason to ruin it over loyalty.

Besides, Su Shangfei was clearly determined to see this through. If things escalated and she got dragged in, upsetting Team Leader Mu, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Now trapped with no way out, Wang Nan made a last-ditch gamble. She dropped her bag, marched into Mu Ruye’s office without knocking, and tearfully exclaimed, “Team Leader, I really didn’t do it!”

Mu Ruye noticed the office’s curious glances toward his door. He calmly handed Wang Nan two tissues, then stood up and closed the door before returning to his desk.

Seeing this, Wang Nan thought he was being kind and was ready to comfort her. She confidently took a seat and even looked back at Su Shangfei with a smug, challenging smirk.

Su Shangfei caught that smirk, then met Mu Ruye’s calm gaze through the glass. Her heart sank, worried he’d downplay the matter to maintain peace.

“Team Leader, Su Shangfei humiliated me in front of everyone. I really don’t know what to do anymore.”

Mu Ruye crossed his arms and listened to her whimpering complaints. After a while, he finally spoke. “So what do you want to do about it?”

Thinking she had his support, Wang Nan forgot to pretend to cry and blurted, “Make her apologize to me—restore my reputation! Otherwise, I’ll escalate this to HR and management if I have to. I just want justice.”

Mu Ruye had seen many thick-skinned people before, but rarely anyone who could flip the truth like this. Without a word, he turned his computer screen toward her.

Wang Nan initially looked excited—until she saw the operation logs tracking every data deletion.

She froze.

“I can accept that you’re not as quick to learn as others. But I don’t tolerate liars or people who shift blame onto others.”

“I… I can explain!” Realizing he’d lost all faith in her, she nearly begged, “My elderly relative has been sick. That’s why I’ve been leaving early—so I can take care of them. I’m not lazy or incompetent… I just ran into some trouble. Team Leader, please, I can explain everything!”

“There’s no need to twist things or make up lies. I never pressured you to work overtime. Everyone values their career differently, and I respect that. But that doesn’t give you the right to sabotage your colleagues. I don’t tolerate manipulation or dishonesty on my team. Go to HR and process your resignation.”

Wang Nan, tear-streaked, cried out: “Team Leader, it was just one mistake! Can’t you give me a chance since I’m still new?”

But Mu Ruye, growing impatient, called HR directly to handle her departure.

Wang Nan’s firing completely shattered any unity among the interns. The divide between Su Shangfei and the others was now obvious.

To Qiu Tian and Shu Rui, Wang Nan’s dismissal was clearly tied to Su Shangfei. Sure, Wang Nan had messed up—but did she really deserve to be fired?

In their eyes, Mu Ruye had backed Su Shangfei. If not for her being favored, he wouldn’t have reacted so harshly.

But Su Shangfei didn’t see it that way. To her, Mu Ruye had always remained detached and professional. He wasn’t protecting her—Wang Nan had simply crossed a line.

After the final training session of the month, Su Shangfei lingered in the office. She had wanted to speak to Mu Ruye alone for days but never found the chance.

Though she didn’t believe he was biased toward her, his handling of the situation had indirectly cleared her name—and she wanted to thank him.

“Team Leader, thank you.”

Mu Ruye was just picking up his laptop when he turned to her and, surprisingly, replied, “Do you think you’re a flawless victim—that you’ve done nothing wrong?”

Su Shangfei was stunned. “I…”

He didn’t wait. “Protecting your own work is the most basic workplace skill. When you discover a problem, report it to your superior. Don’t act on impulse and cause a public scene. Emotions—whether frustration, anger, or pride—don’t belong in professional settings. They won’t help you.”

She had expected thanks or reassurance—not a stern lecture. No one had ever scolded her so bluntly. Holding her notebook, head down, she felt like a student being reprimanded.

Seeing her flustered, Mu Ruye softened slightly. “That’s enough. Get back to work.”

The usually confident Su Shangfei trudged home defeated. Her roommate, Meng Lu, greeted her with a smile and a plate of pasta, only to freeze when she saw her gloomy face.

She set the plate down and gave her a hug. “What happened? Bad day at work?”

Su Shangfei didn’t want to burden her. She forced a smile. “Just tired. Wanted to be spoiled.”

Knowing she wouldn’t open up, Meng Lu didn’t push. Since the weekend was coming, she poured her a large glass of sweet wine. “Drink it and get a good sleep. Ever since you joined GuiShang, you haven’t had a full night’s rest.”

That night, Mu Ruye was suddenly assigned a business trip. Thinking Su Shangfei, who had helped organize the project data, might benefit from some real-world exposure, he decided to invite her along.

But just as he dialed her number, a soft, drunken voice answered, “Hello? Who is this?”

Startled by her state, he didn’t want to deal with someone drunk. He replied flatly, “Sorry, wrong number.”

But even in her tipsy haze, Su Shangfei instantly recognized his voice. Delighted, she said, “Team Leader! It’s you! Hehehe… Why are you calling now? Didn’t get enough scolding in during the day, so you’re calling to scold me some more after hours?”