Manager Yan’s gaze slowly turned to Xu Xiaoyue, her eyes flickering as if deep in thought.  

After a moment, she finally spoke. “This matter has indeed wronged you, but the proposal has already been submitted. It’s very troublesome to make changes now.”  

“How about this? Zheng Jiaojiao’s probationary conversion spot will be given to you, along with an extra ten yuan as compensation.”  

Zheng Jiaojiao, who had been basking in the joy of her impending promotion, froze at these words. Her smile stiffened. She opened her mouth to say something, but when she met Manager Yan’s dark, gloomy eyes, she obediently closed it again.  

Xu Xiaoyue let out a cold laugh, her eyes filled with defiance. “Manager Yan, the proposal was written by me. Even if I were to get the probationary conversion spot, it’s what I rightfully deserve—legitimate and justified.”  

“But the way you put it makes it sound like I’m getting some huge favor and should be grateful to you?”  

The woman sat in her chair, lightly pressing her fingers to her forehead, her face full of helplessness. “Comrade Xu Xiaoyue, I understand how you feel, but the proposal has already been submitted. Changing it now is clearly impossible.”  

“How about this? You make a request—tell me how you’d like to be compensated.”  

“Manager Yan, my request remains the same: correct the name on the proposal and have Zheng Jiaojiao apologize to me.”  

“Don’t think about sweeping this under the rug. The proposal was my work. If you can’t correct this for me, then I’ll find someone who can.” Her gaze was firm, unwavering as she looked at the woman.  

At this, Manager Yan flew into a rage. She slammed the table and stood up. “What do you mean? Are you trying to bypass the chain of command? Who gave you the audacity?!”  

The woman couldn’t care less about who actually wrote the report—as long as it created value for the company.  

But she never expected this girl to be so stubborn.  

The atmosphere instantly turned tense, the entire office enveloped in an icy chill.  

Just then, a round of applause came from the doorway.  

All three of them froze, turning toward the sound. There stood a refined-looking man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.  

“Director Gu?”  

Manager Yan was the first to react. Flustered, she quickly stood up and hurried over, inwardly cursing.  

She had no idea how much of the conversation he’d overheard.  

“Director Gu, when did you arrive? There was no notice—what a lack of hospitality on our part.”  

Gu Yichen pushed his glasses up with a finger, his gaze sweeping past Manager Yan to land on Xu Xiaoyue behind her. A faint, enigmatic smile played on his lips.  

“If I’d announced myself, I wouldn’t have gotten to see such a good show.”  

“What this young comrade said—I quite agree. It’s reasonable and well-argued.”  

The man’s deep voice resonated through the office, calm and composed, yet carrying an invisible weight.  

Lu Yi, standing beside Gu Yichen, shrank back slightly, his skin prickling with goosebumps.  

Since when did their boss speak to others so gently? No sarcasm, no irony—just genuine praise.  

Manager Yan’s face turned ashen.  

Although Gu Yichen wasn’t directly involved in the operations of their state-owned supermarket, most of the imported goods in the store were supplied by him.  

In other words, he was their biggest vendor.  

But Gu Yichen usually stayed in Hong Kong and rarely came to the capital. There had been no prior notice of his visit, and his sudden appearance had caught her completely off guard.  

“Yes, yes, this matter is entirely my fault for acting without verifying the details first. I was planning to correct the proposal’s author to Comrade Xu Xiaoyue after resolving the issue between them.”  

“That’s for the best. I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t disturb you further.” The man’s eyelids lifted slightly, his smile not reaching his eyes, before he turned and strode away.  

Xu Xiaoyue lowered her gaze, her heart filled with mixed emotions.  

It was true, no matter the era—those with power and influence always had it better than ordinary folks like her. Even their words carried more weight.

Seeing that the person had walked away without a trace, Manager Yan seemed to let out a sigh of relief, steadying herself as she sat back down.  

“Alright, I’ll handle this matter. The two of you don’t need to worry about it anymore.”  

Zheng Jiaojiao bit her lip. Her gaze, which had been fixed on the doorway, snapped back. Hearing Manager Yan’s words, she grew anxious.  

“Manager, you already promised me the probationary conversion—”  

Manager Yan, already seething with pent-up anger, glared at her with a livid expression, her dark eyes boring into the woman’s face.  

“Probationary conversion? How exactly did I promise you that? Don’t you remember? Do I need to refresh your memory?”  

“You have three seconds to get out of my sight.”  

Zheng Jiaojiao trembled, startled. Since joining the company, she had never seen Manager Yan this furious. Her legs moved swiftly, and she bolted faster than a rabbit.  

Meanwhile, Lu Yi watched the man walking ahead of him, realizing just how little he truly understood Gu Yichen.  

“How much longer are you planning to stare at my back?” The man stopped in his tracks, his tone indifferent.  

Lu Yi quickened his pace to walk beside Gu Yichen, his face full of confusion.  

“You just played the hero, said less than three sentences, and then left?”  

“At least ask for the female comrade’s name.”  

They say that women with beautiful backs don’t always have beautiful faces.  

But Lu Yi had to admit—the woman in the office was stunning even from the front.  

Her jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall over her shoulders. Beneath her delicate willow-leaf brows were almond-shaped eyes that sparkled like pools of water. Her face was a perfect oval, her skin smooth and fair, her lips as red as cherries.  

No wonder she had caught the attention of a playboy like Gu Yichen.  

Gu Yichen smirked as if he’d heard a hilarious joke, then flicked Lu Yi’s forehead with his fingers.  

“Do you honestly believe that if I showed obvious interest and asked for her name, she’d be thrilled?”  

“She’d probably curse me out in her head.”  

Lu Yi rubbed the red spot on his forehead, muttering indignantly, “How could that be? Someone like you—anyone can tell you’re a big shot. She might even try to butter you up.”  

The man’s tone remained cool. “You’re judging a noble heart with a petty mind. If she were truly money-obsessed, why would she refuse the ten-yuan compensation?”  

Lu Yi wanted to argue further, but when he met Gu Yichen’s gaze, he shut his mouth.  

Whether or not she loved money, Lu Yi could say one thing for sure: Gu Yichen was the textbook definition of *love over loyalty*—choosing women over friends without hesitation.  

The morning’s incident had caused quite a stir. Gao Yuan, Liu Honghong, and the others sat restlessly at their posts, constantly glancing toward the doorway, their eyes nearly worn out from waiting.  

No one believed that Xu Xiaoyue had written that proposal.  

After all, both she and Zheng Jiaojiao were from the countryside. In everyone’s minds, people from rural areas could hardly produce such a well-crafted plan.  

But if they had to pick between the two, they’d still rather believe Zheng Jiaojiao.  

In their eyes, Xu Xiaoyue dressed up extravagantly every day—how could she possibly focus on her work?  

After what felt like an eternity, the two finally appeared.  

Zheng Jiaojiao walked in first, her head lowered, her expression unreadable. Xu Xiaoyue followed behind, her mood visibly subdued.  

The clerks exchanged knowing glances, already drawing their conclusions.  

Gao Yuan couldn’t wait to rush forward, linking arms with Zheng Jiaojiao in an overly familiar manner, her face full of sycophantic delight.  

“Jiaojiao, so the truth is out now, huh?”  

Her tone was ingratiating, but her eyes kept darting toward Xu Xiaoyue, gloating.  

“Honestly, some people are just shameless and completely lack self-awareness. They should step up and apologize. If they can’t produce results themselves, they resort to envy and slander—utterly despicable.”  

Xu Xiaoyue listened, a cold smile curling at her lips, her eyes brimming with mockery.  

“The one who should apologize is someone else entirely.”  

As the words fell, Zheng Jiaojiao clenched her fists, her face twisting as if she’d swallowed something vile.