Chapter 58 Appointment

(Two highly recommended books: Yue Guanju’s "Lotus Steps" Book ID 1409408, a historical masterpiece; Feng Xiaojun’s "Official Immortal" Book ID 1017428, a brilliant work on bureaucratic society.)

Li Yan calmly answered Yurong while he had already hidden himself under the table. He hadn’t often crawled under office desks, and this method was so unique that it left a deep impression on him. The first time he learned about it was from the relationship between Mayor Yu Hong and Chen Mingying!

Back then, he and Yu Xiaodi arrived outside Mayor Yu Hong’s home office and heard noises inside. When they entered, they didn’t see anything, just a tidied-up desktop, and later Chen Mingying emerged, he naturally guessed that she was hidden under the desk, having had no time to hide properly. This discovery led him to once hide under the desk in Hai Fu’s office after work, when Zhang Yurong and Ke Yunyun arrived, scaring Hai Fu to the point of not knowing what to do. He used this method to hide.

That time it was out of necessity, but this time it’s intentional!

Indeed, he didn’t really need to hide now, he did it on purpose. He noticed that Yurong was quite physically closed off; touching her just now without much reaction was a rare occurrence. Returning to her usual state, she’d still feel repelled. So he decided to strike while the iron was hot, giving her a bit more development.

For example, what he wanted to do now was something stimulating both psychologically and physically. Moreover, sharing a thrilling secret between the two of them could greatly enhance their intimacy.

Hiding under the table, Li Yan experienced firsthand that the CEO’s desk was larger than Hai Fu’s, with plenty of space underneath.

Initially, Yurong wanted to pull Li Yan out, but just then there was a knock on the door. If she didn’t respond, it might seem unusual to those outside, attracting the attention of multiple girls from the executive office, which would be even more embarrassing. Thus, she had no choice but to tacitly agree to Li Yan’s shameless ploy.

"Come in!" She slid her chair forward, closing in on the desk to block the view, and raised her voice to allow the person outside to enter.

At the moment Ye Jiahong opened the door, Yurong’s heart remained tense. She feared Ke Yunyun or another secretary or clerk would open the door, which would greet her with odd looks.

Luckily, her earlier instructions worked; only Ye Jiahong entered.

"Hello, Zhang, it’s been over a month; I’ve missed you!" Ye Jiahong closed the door behind him, approaching enthusiastically.

Yurong, already filled with disgust for Ye Jiahong after Jiang Xueyin’s words, didn’t expect him to speak so ambiguously upon arrival. With Li Yan hiding underneath, overhearing their private conversation for the first time, would he mistakenly think Ye Jiahong always had this attitude and they were this close?

This made her already unfriendly expression grow even colder. Ye Jiahong’s overly passionate opening confirmed Jiang Xueyin’s words for her because, even if Ye Jiahong wanted to pursue her before, he was always very subtle and didn’t dare express it. Now, such a sudden line made Yurong feel he might have really changed his orientation. It felt more like a greeting between sisters...

"Director Ye, I understand your excitement from recovering and leaving the hospital, but I’m your superior. Please mind your words!" Yurong said coldly.

Ye Jiahong, who was just beaming with smiles, thought being enthusiastic after not seeing each other for so long should bridge some distance, but didn’t expect it to backfire, feeling the temperature around him drop with the coldness in the air. He forced a smile, hesitating to sit down, and meekly said, "You’re right, Zhang. I’m just overjoyed to be back at work, which made me overly enthusiastic."

"Is your health alright now?"

"Yes, no major issues anymore. Though I still need to recuperate, I’ve been away from work for over a month, constantly thinking of the company. Now I can return to work."

Ye Jiahong presented himself as eager to contribute to the company and work, not as someone rushing to reclaim control. Previously, Yurong might have encouraged him, but now her impression of him was so poor that she directly asked, "You should have informed the Human Resources Department about returning from leave. Why did you come to me now?"

"..." Ye Jiahong felt awkward; wasn’t this a rhetorical question? "Well, with the unexpected incident, a lot of work got delayed. I feel quite guilty about it, so I wanted to return to work soon. Although Wen Qianyi is capable and has worked hard over the past days, I’m more familiar with the business department. Of course, it was your arrangement, Zhang, for Xiao Wen to take over, so this matter still needs your decision."

He tried to express his intentions subtly and started to feel apprehensive. From what it sounded like, it seemed the CEO was reluctant to give back the director position of the business department. And now, Wen Qianyi had become one of her close confidants...

...

Under the table, Li Yan was genuinely just hiding. Zhang Yurong was different from Hai Fu; he didn’t dare give her a more intense stimulation. Now, even touching her lightly could frighten her, making it hard to maintain composure.

However, hearing what Ye Jiahong was saying, he realized that his passion for regaining power was even fiercer than expected. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have indirectly pressured Wen Qianyi in the morning and barged directly into Zhang Yurong’s office in the afternoon. Li Yan had no idea how Zhang Yurong had arranged things, and at this moment, he reached over, held her ankle wrapped in silk stockings, and gently squeezed it.

Zhang Yurong’s leg instinctively retracted when touched by Li Yan’s hand, but his hand continued to follow, leaving her no room to escape. She wanted to kick him but was afraid of making too much movement, so she could only remain still. She didn’t know the intention behind Li Yan’s light squeeze, but it didn’t take much guessing to realize it was related to Ye Jiahong.

"I have considered this issue for a long time. Wen Qianyi is indeed excellent, very amiable, with personal charisma, and can manage the existing business well along with general expansion. But in deeper business expansion, she is not as good as you. You have broader vision, a bigger picture, and more passion and drive for new fields, which are areas where Wen Qianyi falls short."

Both men listened seriously to Zhang Yurong. After hearing her words, Ye Jiahong felt elated. It seemed her cold demeanor was a consistent style or due to his enthusiastic first words, but ultimately, she still believed in his abilities over Wen Qianyi.

Li Yan had a different view after hearing it. Initially, he intended for Zhang Yurong to consider carefully, as perhaps Wen Qianyi was also a good choice, not necessarily needing to appoint Ye Jiahong. Instead, hearing Zhang Yurong’s words of praise, he smiled bitterly to himself; it seemed things were backfiring. Perhaps this was her original thought, but because of his actions, she thought he was supporting Wen Qianyi and changed her mind. Was this jealousy? What’s there to be jealous about? Wen Qianyi wasn’t suggested by me, after all.

As the two were lost in their thoughts, Zhang Yurong continued, "Mr. Ye, I need to ask again, is your health really fine? Do you need more time to recuperate? I know you have the company’s best interests at heart, and the company will consider your situation."

Ye Jiahong stood upright and promised, "President Zhang! Rest assured, the remaining minor issues are something I can overcome personally, and they won’t affect my work. I’m ready to go into battle for the company as soon as you give the order!"

"Very well, I had thought to discuss it at a meeting before deciding, but since you’re so eager, should I sign this appointment letter first?" Zhang Yurong pulled out a well-prepared appointment letter and took out a pen.

Ye Jiahong almost cheered! Evidently, Zhang Yurong had long planned to reinstate him to the position of business director. If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have rushed. However, Wen Qianyi was both beautiful and exceptionally charming, and in over a month, she had become familiar with other high-level people. Many envied him, and if decided at a meeting, it might drag on and cause problems.

Thinking of this, he quickly added, "Please rest assured, President! I will not disappoint your expectations. I returned anxiously to work because I wanted to do my job quietly, not publicly. You can sign it directly, without using valuable meeting time."

"Very good." Zhang Yurong swiftly signed her name and then handed the appointment letter to Ye Jiahong to have a look, "Take a look, in a moment I will have the CEO’s office send notifications to Administration, HR, and our department."

Ye Jiahong thanked her incessantly and excitedly took the appointment letter.

Beneath, Li Yan, hearing the continuous appointment of Ye Jiahong as business director, felt uninterested. Holding Zhang Yurong’s ankle, he lifted her foot slightly and then began to play with her foot using both hands.

Zhang Yurong wearing high heels was a must, but they made her feet tired and uncomfortable after long wear. In the office, she would switch to slippers. So now, Li Yan didn’t need to apply much effort to take off her shoe, easily grabbing one and holding her foot.

This made Yurong feel a rush and tingle, hurriedly signaling him with her other foot to stop messing around.

Meanwhile, Ye Jiahong had finished reading the appointment letter, and with disbelief and a tone of despair, he said, "President Zhang... Did I do something wrong? Did I cause a loss for the company? Why am I being banished to the frontier?"

Banish to the frontier? What exactly did Yurong appoint him as? Li Yan was stunned, gently stroking the foot in his hand, and listened to the subsequent dialog.

Without much expression, Zhang Yurong said, "Your capability in business development is evident, and you are confident yourself. A visionary approach and a broad perspective with enthusiasm and drive for new domains are exactly what we need to develop the Western Continent market."

Western Continent!

Li Yan almost burst out laughing. —— This monthly update from the author has been quite active; if any of you have new monthly passes, please kindly contribute one! Thanks a lot.

(Thanks to those who rewarded yesterday: Yue Luoxing, Ayiguli, Shuzhuo, 30184455, zjun971210, Piaoyilesheng, xupingjj, kgjo, ze Daxian, Seabright Liangzai, Deep Love in the Celestial River, dongmin8061, jOESHINODA, Please don’t masturbate, Cp Pampas) (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com for more Chapters; support the author and genuine reading!)