"That’s just my level. There are many things I can’t understand, and I don’t recognize any international terminology. Without Baidu, I can’t get through it, so what?"

Listening to her frustrated complaint, Li Yan couldn’t help but laugh: "Please, I’m not making fun of you. I’m genuinely encouraging and praising you, and I’m relieved by your progress..."

"Hmph! No need to console me. I feel like just being a bodyguard suits me fine. Sitting here feels like I’m freeloading. If I go be a bodyguard, at least I can earn some income and cover some of the added staff salaries." Li Jie voiced her discouraged thoughts more than once.

Li Yan stopped massaging her shoulders, realizing that what she needed now wasn’t a shoulder massage but a psychological one.

He pulled a chair over and sat next to her, looking at her seriously: "Isn’t this what you think when you’re feeling agitated from studying? When you calm down, you’ll continue, right?"

Li Jie could now see he wasn’t mocking her but genuinely cared. She sighed softly: "I don’t even know how long I can persist... I’m really not cut out for this; perhaps I’m just suitable to be a bodyguard."

"Then let me ask you a few questions. If you give up now, wouldn’t you be regressing back to where you started?"

Li Yan looked at her and continued before she could answer: "No, it would be worse than before! Previously, you were the company’s manager, controlling the entire company. Even if the team management was lacking, at least they feared you; you had absolute authority. If you now completely transform into a bodyguard, you won’t have to consider or worry about so much.

But what if the current manager has ulterior motives? Since you don’t understand the company planning, finances, or expansion, what if he slowly drains the company? Or starts another company siphoning off employees and clients? Or directly turns the company into his domain, making Jie Rui his—what would you do?"

Li Jie was dumbfounded, not expecting such severe consequences. Her father had great expectations for her, watching closely as the pressure from old associates and subordinates supported her reform efforts. If she ends up ruining her father’s hard work, she’d truly be letting him down!

"I think... Zhao Chengyao isn’t like that, right?"

Li Yan smiled wryly: "I’m just giving an example. He may not be that kind of person, but he’s just a professional manager. If the company is run well, he can get bonuses and raises. If it fails, he’ll leave with no strings attached, seeking employment as a manager or supervisor elsewhere. But you? Can you leave? You carry not only your father’s expectations but also the expectations of the old employees who followed you before!"

"I know..." Li Jie hung her head and timidly asked: "So what should I do? The company is managed by Manager Zhao now."

"You need to perform the role of a boss; you are the company’s owner. You can’t be a hands-off boss..." Li Yan felt slightly embarrassed as he spoke, having played the role of a hands-off boss himself for many years. Without Yue Yao, they wouldn’t have developed.

"How do I be a boss then? Make them fear me? Scold if they’re disobedient? Beat them up?" Li Jie asked naively.

Li Yan was momentarily speechless. Previously, guards both feared and respected her, probably partly because of being Li Chengfeng’s daughter and partly because of her combat skills that matched theirs!

"Ahem, ahem... It’s different now. You managed security with force before, but not anymore. Like Huang Ying, if you suspect her of financial mismanagement, a punch or a kick—due to her fragility—would lay her flat, wouldn’t it?"

"I was just speaking hypothetically... I wouldn’t hit your Huang Ying." Li Jie muttered quietly. Though she didn’t suspect Li Yan and Huang Ying, whenever Li Yan was mentioned, Huang Ying’s expression made it hard to see them as just ordinary friends.

Li Yan didn’t want to discuss Huang Ying now. He wanted to talk about her problem first!

"No matter if it’s Zhao Chengyao or anyone else, they are executors. You are the boss! The boss doesn’t need to focus on small details, getting involved in everything would only exhaust you. What you need is to do a great job at supervision. You must have oversight over various aspects of the company, and grasp the big picture, which is not easy and won’t let you be idle. You are just a bit lost, not transitioned from a fighter to your role yet."

Fighter... Li Jie was a bit embarrassed.

"In detail, reading these books is definitely helpful, but you need to choose correctly. Don’t just read the ones with big names or backgrounds. Not all theoretical knowledge is better. You need to align them to Jie Rui’s present situation and look ahead to what it might be in a year to study appropriately! For instance, many renowned entrepreneurs recommend Jack Welch’s books, saying they’re great. But if you read and study them, you might not gain much since his management is based on the foundation of a huge group like General Electric. Only bosses managing large enterprises can comprehend or utilize them."

Li Jie listened carefully, nodding frequently: "Do you have any recommendations then?"

Li Yan shook his head: "I haven’t been a boss either. However, given Jie Rui’s current environment, I think you at least need a basic understanding of finances. You should be able to understand, without delving too deeply, the professional financial statements that are becoming more prevalent. In this area, you can learn from Huang Ying; she attended classes for it. Grasping enough without any hiccups is good. Also, Zhao Chengyao’s various documents, reports, and arrangements, you need to understand them and anticipate further than he does..."