In the office of Jin Yiyuan's deputy general manager, smoke curled in the air. Jin Yiyuan and Li Yongqiang were silently smoking their second cigarettes.
"Old Li, who exactly is Bai Tao?" Jin Yiyuan furrowed his brow, thinking for a long time. His mind went over countless possibilities, but the only thing he could come up with was that Luo He and Bai Tao's relationship was unusual—nothing else made sense.
"As far as I know, she comes from an ordinary family in Donghai. She doesn't seem to have any special background. But now, I'm not so sure anymore," Li Yongqiang said, who was familiar with the basic profiles of the department staff. But now, even he was starting to doubt whether Bai Tao was hiding something.
"I can't accept this! You need to find out the truth!" Jin Yiyuan said, his heart full of unease. He regretted confronting Bai Tao earlier. But then again, at the time, other than Luo He, he was the highest-ranking person in the room. If he didn't speak up, who would? This whole situation seemed like a disaster that came out of nowhere. Who could have predicted that Luo He would treat an ordinary employee so differently?
In the smoke-filled office, Jin Yiyuan's fingers trembled as he held his cigarette. The swirling smoke blurred his vision but cleared his thoughts. His mind kept replaying the scene from the meeting: Bai Tao, so logical yet stubborn, facing off against him, her demeanor that of someone unwilling to back down. Jin Yiyuan exhaled heavily, frustration building up. Back then, the atmosphere in the meeting was tense, and everyone was waiting for the senior executives to speak. As the highest-ranking person present, he had almost instinctively spoken up to question Bai Tao's proposal. But now, looking back, he realized how foolish he had been. He should have been more cautious, especially since Luo He's attention to this ordinary employee had far exceeded normal expectations. If he had been more patient and not so eager to make a point, perhaps he wouldn't have found himself in this predicament.
Jin Yiyuan's frustration grew as he slammed his fist on the desk, the clattering sound of the ashtray echoing in the silent office. He should have acted more cautiously—after all, Luo He's interest in Bai Tao was clearly not ordinary. If Bai Tao had a powerful background, then he was in deep trouble.
Jin Yiyuan shuddered at the thought, regretting his rash actions. Now, he could only wait for the unknown consequences. He lit another cigarette, trying to calm himself, but his trembling hands betrayed his anxiety.
As the smoke filled the room, Jin Yiyuan silently vowed to uncover the truth about Bai Tao as soon as possible and find a way to salvage the situation. Otherwise, his carefully cultivated position might vanish overnight.
Li Yongqiang hesitated for a moment before asking, "Jin, do you really think... their relationship is unusual?"
Jin Yiyuan looked at Li Yongqiang and retorted, "What do you think of Bai Tao's proposal?"
Li Yongqiang hesitated, glanced at the closed office door to ensure no one was listening, and asked, "Can I be honest?"
"Of course."
"That proposal was ridiculous. It was nothing but a pipe dream."
"Exactly!" Jin Yiyuan raised his voice, "We can all see that, so don't you think Luo He knows? He accepted such an unreliable proposal—do you think their relationship is normal?"
Li Yongqiang fell silent, thinking about it carefully. It was true.
"But Bai Tao seems so ordinary. Even if she has some background, what's the big deal? Did you see how she talked to President Luo? That's President Luo! No matter how powerful someone is, they wouldn't dare talk like that in front of him, right?"
Jin Yiyuan nodded. In their minds, the unspoken rule was clear: no matter how impressive someone's background, they had to be respectful in front of Luo He.
"Yeah, her attitude was definitely inappropriate. But to say she's useless... that's not entirely accurate." Jin Yiyuan slowly recalled Bai Tao's appearance and said, "That girl is quite pretty."
"Uh... Heh heh..." Li Yongqiang was momentarily speechless, not expecting Jin Yiyuan to say that.
Jin Yiyuan gave Li Yongqiang a sidelong glance: "What, you think I'm joking? Back when I was young, I was quite the looker. I was the campus heartthrob!"
"Ah, no!" Li Yongqiang quickly shook his head. "Jin, you're still graceful and distinguished."
"Go on, stop flattering me. I'm not like I used to be."
"Where? General Manager Jin is still as charming as ever!"
"Let's get back to business. Go and investigate Bai Tao's background immediately. I just don't feel at ease."
Li Yongqiang reassured him, "Don't worry, General Manager Jin. Your contributions to the company are well-known. President Luo won't hold it against you for criticizing Bai Tao."
"I know that, but I'm afraid Bai Tao will whisper in President Luo's ear."
"Bai Tao?"
"Yeah! Don't you know the power of whispering in someone's ear?" The more Jin Yiyuan thought about it, the more uneasy he became. Even though there wasn't an intense confrontation in the meeting, he had sneered at Bai Tao. If Bai Tao really was a hidden rich heir, he might be in for a disaster. The way Bai Tao looked at him during the meeting... he could still feel it. That look was full of contempt, as if she could make him lose his position with a single word.
The more Jin Yiyuan thought about it, the more afraid he became. He felt like he had to do something before it was too late.
Meanwhile, in the CEO's office, Luo He noticed his assistant, Ji Ziheng, was distracted. He had hesitated several times to speak up, which made Luo He chuckle.
"Ziheng, what do you think of Bai Tao?"
Ji Ziheng looked up cautiously, glancing at Luo He. He hesitated and said, "Can I be honest?"
"Of course."
"You won't scold me, right?"
Luo He smiled. "You've been my assistant for years. Have I ever scolded you?"
Ji Ziheng bit the bullet. "I think that proposal was absurd. It's like she's setting you up! That proposal is just for show—it's all about appearance. I feel like you shouldn't let her fool you."
Luo He paused for a moment before speaking, his smile widening. "Wait a second, I asked you to evaluate Bai Tao as a person, not the proposal. What do you think of her?"
"Huh?" Ji Ziheng was confused at first, but then his expression turned hostile. "She... doesn't seem like a good person."
Luo He couldn't help but laugh. "Don't you think she's cute?"
"Huh?!?" Ji Ziheng froze, his mouth hanging open. Cute? But wait, this was Luo He, the business god. Would he really be attracted to someone's looks? This was... unbelievable!
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。