Cannot Afford to Offend

The staff in the marketing department had lost all interest in work by now, whispering among themselves.

But before they could gossip for long, some of the female employees suddenly thought of something and quickly turned to look at a certain workstation.

"Zhiyi, come on, tell us—what's your relationship with this Mr. Lin?"

"Yeah, he stood up for you like that. You two must have something special going on."

"Right, if you ask me, this Mr. Lin probably has his eye on our beauty Shang's looks, that's why he stepped in."

"Hey, now that you mention it, that's possible. Sure, Mr. Lin's impressive, but our Shang Zhiyi isn't bad either. Just her face alone puts her at the top in all of Zhonghai."

Seeing her colleagues getting more and more ridiculous, Shang Zhiyi quickly waved her hands to stop them. "What are you all babbling about? He and I are just classmates. It's not what you think."

She said that out loud, but inside, she had a different thought.

"Lin Chen is so outstanding—would he really take a liking to a Cinderella like me?"

Gurgle—

Not long after Qi Zhenxing had been accompanying Lin Chen on the group inspection, his stomach suddenly let out a series of growls, followed by a sharp, unbearable cramping pain.

"Mr. Lin, I..."

Seeing Qi Zhenxing's embarrassment, Lin Chen smiled. "It's fine. Go ahead. I can manage on my own."

"Then please take a look around, Mr. Lin. I'll be back as fast as I can."

With that, Qi Zhenxing wasted no more time and hurried off toward the restroom.

So Lin Chen continued his inspection alone. Before long, he felt that the so-called group was nothing special.

Sure, the space was bigger, the decor more luxurious, and the staff and equipment more advanced—but aside from that, it wasn't much different from any ordinary small company.

He looked around a bit longer, found it uninteresting, and turned back toward the marketing department.

He planned to say a quick goodbye to Shang Zhiyi and wrap up the day's group inspection.

Twenty-eighth floor, marketing department.

"Ahem—ahem—"

Just as everyone was chatting and gossiping, an abrupt cough rang out through the department.

The staff instinctively turned to look. When they saw who it was, their expressions shifted sharply, and they quickly scurried back to their workstations.

Deng Wenji, in the manager's office, also heard the cough.

When he saw the newcomer's face, his expression changed, and he immediately got up to greet him.

But as he stepped out of the office, he couldn't help glancing at Shang Zhiyi not far away.

"General Manager Xia, weren't you on a business trip just yesterday? How come you're back today?"

The newcomer was a middle-aged man—bald, potbellied, with big ears, the picture of bloated prosperity.

This was Xia Tiejun, the General Manager of Shilin Guomao Group.

Xia Tiejun had been in a decent mood, but when he heard Deng Wenji's words, his face immediately darkened.

"Deng Wenji, looks like your bones are getting stiffer by the day. Now you dare to meddle in my business?"

"What, do I need to report to your marketing department every time I come back to the company from now on?"

"No, no, no. You're the Group's General Manager. I'm just a small department manager. I wouldn't dare meddle in your affairs."

Deng Wenji quickly put on a fawning smile.

"Good, you'd better not."

Xia Tiejun shot him a glare, then immediately switched to a smiling face and headed straight for a certain workstation in the department.

"Zhiyi, did you miss me after a day apart?"

"General Manager Xia, we only have a working relationship. Please don't say things like that anymore."

Shang Zhiyi frowned at his words. She had no good feelings toward this Xia Tiejun—in fact, he made her sick to her stomach.

In the years she'd worked at the group, she'd suffered no shortage of his frivolous advances.

Lines like "Did you miss me?"—she'd heard them so many times her ears were practically calloused.

If he weren't the Group's General Manager, she'd have slapped him twice by now.

But she knew she couldn't.

First, he held a high position, had family money, and a wide network of connections—she couldn't afford to offend him.

Second, she really needed this job. The competition in today's society was brutal. Even a small company was a struggle to get into, and a big corporation with good benefits like this was rare.

Third, even if she quit voluntarily, Xia Tiejun probably wouldn't let her go that easily.

With all three factors combined, Shang Zhiyi had no choice but to swallow her anger and resentment.

"Alright, alright. I won't say it, then."

Xia Tiejun was a bit annoyed inside, but still forced a smile and said, "Zhiyi, are you free after work tonight? I'll treat you to dinner and a movie."

"Sorry, General Manager Xia, I already have plans with a friend tonight, so I can't join you."

"How about tomorrow? Tomorrow works too."

"Really sorry, tomorrow's no good either. I've got plans with a friend then too."

Hearing this, Xia Tiejun's face started to sour. This wasn't about having plans with friends at all—it was clearly an excuse to brush him off.

He held back the anger threatening to erupt and said, "Then the day after tomorrow? Surely no one's got you booked then."

"I'm really sorry, General Manager Xia, but I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. Actually, it's not just the day after tomorrow—I'm booked all this week and next week too."

Seeing Shang Zhiyi turn Xia Tiejun down one after another, everyone held back their laughter.

On any normal day, they'd definitely be worried for Shang Zhiyi.

After all, being targeted by a lecherous manager like him was bound to be a headache.

But things were different now. Shang Zhiyi had some unclear, unspoken connection with Lin Chen, the big shareholder.

With that backing, a mere General Manager couldn't stir up much trouble.

Not only was there no need to worry, but these marketing department colleagues, seeing Xia Tiejun in this state, actually felt a flicker of anticipation.

They looked forward to Lin Chen showing up and giving him a proper thrashing.

BANG—

Just as everyone was mentally preparing for a good show, the sound of something shattering rang through the entire marketing department.

Then came a roar.

"Shang Zhiyi, I've been giving you face, haven't I?"

"Three years I've asked you out, and every time you make up some excuse about having plans with friends. Do you really take me for a fool?"

"Let me make this clear right now, Xia Tiejun: tonight, you're coming with me whether you like it or not."

If it were any other woman, Xia Tiejun wouldn't have bothered with all this trouble—he'd have had his way with her hundreds of times by now.

It was only because Shang Zhiyi's beauty was so rare and stunning that he had the patience to play the long game.

But a man's patience has its limits, especially for a lecherous manager like Xia Tiejun.

Making it this far was already remarkable—almost saintly, even.

But today, Xia Tiejun seemed different from usual, as if he'd already steeled himself. Not only was his attitude firm, but he even resorted to force.

He reached out his right hand, grabbed Shang Zhiyi's small hand, and began pulling her slowly away.

"What are you doing? Let me go! Let me go!"

Shang Zhiyi had only ever seen this kind of forceful dragging on TV, never in real life—let alone happening to her.

Terror flooded her heart, and she started screaming loudly.