Chapter 107: Someone Is Gossiping

Lin Jian went to the meeting, while Liu Fei sat in the security room, alternately chuckling and sighing. Who knew what Lin Jian had just discussed with him to drive him so crazy?

In truth, Lin Jian hadn’t said a word. He had just looked at him silently for a moment, patted his shoulder, and gone upstairs for the meeting. And it was precisely because Lin Jian had said nothing and merely patted his shoulder that Liu Fei was now laughing and sighing. A pat on the shoulder could be interpreted as encouragement, but it could also be seen as a warning. Thus, Liu Fei was losing his mind.

However, he really was secretly dating Lin Jing. Moreover, Lin Jing wasn’t completely indifferent to him; she had feelings for him too. A few nights ago, when Lin Jian called Lin Jing, Liu Fei had been sitting right next to her as they ate out together.

In the past, Lin Jing had been afraid of neighborhood gossip and kept her distance from Liu Fei. But after she moved away, Liu Fei found that their relationship actually grew closer. A few years ago, Liu Fei had expressed his desire to settle down with Lin Jing, but she politely declined. Back then, Lin Jian was still a hot-headed, immature teenager, and Lin Jing genuinely feared he might beat Liu Fei half to death! Furthermore, Lin Jian was still young and unfixed in his ways, so she hadn’t agreed.

But now, Lin Jian had achieved a small measure of success in his career, and Liu Fei was to thank for all of it. Because of this, the doors to Lin Jing’s heart, which had been closed for years, slowly began to crack open.

In fact, Liu Fei was the most suitable candidate for marriage. He was a hard worker who kept his head down, devoid of malicious intentions or convoluted schemes. A man like him brought peace of mind; she wouldn’t have to worry about him after marriage. Therefore, since moving away, Lin Jing had actually gone on several dates with Liu Fei. They had even reached the hand-holding stage! Mentally, Liu Fei already considered himself Lin Jian’s stepfather. That was why he had earnestly told Lin Jian that morning not to let Lin Jing worry!

However, the moment the words left his mouth, he knew he had messed up. That kid Lin Jian was hardly ever home, and whatever was going on between him and Lin Jing had always been kept hidden from Lin Jian. Thus, Lin Jian’s attitude was crucial. It could even determine whether he and Lin Jing could end up together.

But Lin Jian’s version of "a good talk" was just a pat on the shoulder? Consequently, Lin Jian had him completely baffled. He couldn’t figure out what the kid meant.

Meanwhile, Lin Jian, who had long since entered the conference room, was sitting looking all proper and respectable among the executives of the Recovery Group. Regarding Liu Fei and Lin Jing, he had actually made up his mind long ago: as long as his mother agreed, he wouldn’t object! Because living alone was truly too hard. If Lin Jing had a companion, he would worry less, and she might even smile more!

However, he didn’t want Lin Jing to settle. He felt his mother was a proud woman, an honors student, and an intellectual. If she were to marry Liu Fei, they would actually be a very mismatched pair. But then again, only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches. Anyone else’s concern was just blind worry. So if Lin Jing truly liked Liu Fei, he would support them with both hands raised.

The meeting began. Today’s executive meeting had a staggering turnout of seventy or eighty people. Managers from all the various minor departments were present.

The meeting was chaired by Minister of Administration Ms. Chen Li. A woman around thirty-five years old with a sharp, capable bob, she was Ye Ziqiu’s top executive since her return to the country, always leading the charge in every endeavor. She was the one to announce the Recovery Group’s new personnel appointments.

It was safe to say this round of appointments was a massive changing of the guard. Department heads who needed to be replaced were replaced; those who needed to be laid off were laid off. And Liu Fei’s inside information proved accurate. Lin Jian was appointed Vice Minister of Administration, placed in charge of five minor departments: Security, the Motor Pool, Employee Dormitories, Fire Safety, and Janitorial Services.

Though they were considered minor departments, the authority they yielded was immense. Because of this, many people in the company turned to look at Lin Jian.

Even Ye Ziqiu glanced at him, though her expression remained completely blank. Even though he had her in the "palm of his hand" just that morning, right now she was the aloof and detached Ye Ziqiu, the leader of the company. Thus, her face was as unreadable as a blank slate, devoid of any fluctuation in emotion.

Lin Jian also kept his eyes forward and his demeanor neutral. Surprisingly, that Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Chu Feng or whatever he was called, actually smiled at him. When their eyes met, Chu Feng even nodded!

Lin Jian was a little thrown off. Ye Ziqiu had been right; this guy was insidious! This punk clearly looked down on him, yet he could still nod and smile at him during a meeting. Anyone else watching would think the two of them had a great relationship.

He thought, "Old Ye’s judgment is never wrong, so I have to be careful with this bastard!"

Lin Jian returned a friendly smile, then went back to taking notes.

A moment later, the administrative head concluded the announcements of the appointments, and Ye Ziqiu began her summary! She was exceedingly strict during meetings. Moreover, she had a crystal-clear grasp of every department in the company. She could rattle off numbers from the financial reports off the top of her head and list procurement inventories like the back of her hand!

The meeting concluded at ten in the morning, and Lin Jian headed downstairs with his notebook. However, just before going down, he saw CFO Chu Feng follow Ye Ziqiu into her office. Ye Ziqiu’s expression had looked quite grim.

Lin Jian didn’t think much of it. Chu Feng was there to monitor Ye Ziqiu, essentially acting as the head of discipline and inspection, so it was only natural for him to butt heads with her. But just as he was about to get on the elevator, a secretary from the administration department stopped him, telling him to go see Minister Chen Li.

Logically speaking, as the Vice Minister, he should have taken the initiative to see Chen Li immediately after the meeting adjourned. But in reality, he was completely clueless about workplace etiquette...

A moment later, inside Chen Li’s office, Lin Jian and Chen Li shook hands. This woman also had a stony expression, looking as if someone owed her money.

"Vice Minister Lin, do you have any specific opinions or arrangements for the next phase of work regarding the departments under your purview?" The woman got straight to business without even batting an eyelid.

Lin Jian thought for a moment. "I am only familiar with the Security Department from before. I’m not familiar with the others, so I want to understand them first before considering the next steps for our work arrangements."

Inwardly, Chen Li praised him. Lin Jian’s response was well-measured—neither overly aggressive, nor filled with brown-nosing or sycophantic pleas for guidance. So, his answer was satisfactory enough.

But she didn’t show it on her face. Instead, she suddenly asked an unrelated question: "I heard you’ve been driving for President Ye? Do you go pick her up every morning?"

The question was asked with a high degree of skill, delivered completely impassively.

Lin Jian’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately nodded. "Yes, I go pick her up every morning."

"Well, you have quite a few matters to manage now, so it’s no longer appropriate for you to drive for President Ye. Pick someone from the motor pool to replace you and pass on the standard procedures to them. Your main tasks right now are to manage fire safety and deal with the slacking issues in the Janitorial Department.

"That’s all. We’ll have a departmental meeting next Monday. You can discuss the next phase of work arrangements for those departments then."

Chen Li stood up to see him out.

Lin Jian took a deep breath. Before he could even say anything, Chen Li had already set the tone! Furthermore... something wasn’t right! Chen Li seemed overly eager to stop him from driving for Ye Ziqiu. She had made a unilateral decision rather than discussing it with him.

He wondered, "Could this be Ye Ziqiu’s idea? But that doesn’t make sense. Old Ye let me have her in the ’palm of my hand’ just this morning, so something isn’t right!"

Naturally, Lin Jian didn’t say a word. He just nodded and exited the office.