Su Chenglan had studied fashion design, so the job was in her field. Without giving it much thought, she agreed.
But before Su Chenglan started work, Lin Xiwen laid down the ground rules: she was not allowed to reveal that she was the Su Family's daughter, and she had to start at the bottom.
Su Chenglan had always been proud. Since her mother had made the request, she naturally stiffened her neck and agreed, declaring that she would definitely achieve something and show her mother what she could do.
Lin Xiwen did not expect Su Chenglan to do particularly well. She only wanted this experience at the bottom to let Su Chenglan meet more people and develop some discernment in judging them.
As for Hou Yuanwu, the latest intake of management trainees had already started a week earlier, leaving him considerably behind, so arrangements were soon made for him to start as well.
Ye Jin had no way of knowing exactly how the two were doing at work, but she guessed that things probably would not go too well for two people who had never weathered the trials of the workplace.
The more simple-minded Su Chenglan might actually come to understand some of the hardships ordinary workers faced and grow from the experience.
But Hou Yuanwu was proud and arrogant, with eyes aimed high and hands that fell short. With Lin Xiwen also forbidding him from revealing his relationship with Su Chenglan, he would most likely make quite a few laughingstocks of himself.
[Sigh, what a shame I can't watch Hou Yuanwu make a fool of himself in person. Having gossip right there and not being able to feast on it is such a pity.]
Then, all of a sudden, Lin Xiwen began excitedly sharing the day's "amusing incidents" from Hou Yuanwu's work whenever she came home.
For instance, on Hou Yuanwu's first day, he thought so highly of his own academic qualifications that he disdained cooperating with or asking advice from the other management trainees. During the introductions, however, he discovered that his qualifications were actually the lowest, and his first presentation also earned the lowest score.
Then there was how narcissistic Hou Yuanwu was: he thought he was handsome and that all his female coworkers liked him. Otherwise, why would those women have invited him to join their project team? In reality, they had only brought him in to serve everyone tea and water and handle logistics.
After that, Hou Yuanwu felt deeply ostracized and refused to join any more project teams, determined to produce a "masterpiece" all by himself and stun everyone. Yet when the deadline arrived, he had completed less than a third of his proposal. He frantically made excuses, claiming he had been sick for the past few days, but everyone merely smiled without a word.
Ye Jin maintained a ladylike smile on her face, but inside, she was already rocking back and forth with laughter.
[Hahaha, I'm dying! That's exactly the sort of thing Hou Yuanwu would do. Does he really take everyone else for fools? Too bad they won't indulge him!]
Lin Xiwen also took a sip of tea, fighting to maintain her image as an elegant lady. Sure enough, feasting on gossip was only fun when you did it with someone who knew how to roast people.
And when Ye Jin heard that Lin Xiwen had already sent people to Hou Yuanwu's hometown to investigate, she finally set her mind completely at ease and turned to focusing on her own career.
Ye Jin had originally thought Xu Yan's earlier words were merely polite pleasantries. Unexpectedly, however, Xu Yan really did introduce several projects to her and even took her to industry gatherings.
This time, it was a charity gala hosted by the Xu Group. Many big-name stars, directors, producers, and others in the industry had been invited. Charity was the name, but maintaining connections was the reality.
Ye Jin knew Xu Yan was helping her, so naturally, she did not refuse.
She did not dress up especially for it, though. She simply picked a dress with an elegant cut and went to the gala hand in hand with Huo Yun.
For a newcomer production company like theirs, Ye Jin did not expect much preferential treatment, even with the Su Family behind her. After all, although the Su Family had extensive wealth and holdings, they had barely invested in entertainment-related industries.
Yet Xu Yan's actions once again took Ye Jin by surprise. She personally greeted the two at the entrance to the banquet hall and led them around to meet major directors and producers, even quietly telling them about the new productions those people were about to start and whether there were opportunities to invest.
[Sob, sob, sob, what kind of little angel is Xu Yan?!]
The rainbow farts in Ye Jin's thoughts made Xu Yan's toes curl despite herself. Thank you, but actually, it was the warning from your thoughts that let me seize every advantage in my divorce from Fu Ruiming!
Since Fu Ruiming had insisted on getting divorced, Xu Yan had maintained her image as the victim in front of both sets of parents.
The Fu Family, in particular, had been unable to stop Fu Ruiming from divorcing her, yet still wanted to maintain good relations with the Xu Group. They could only find all sorts of ways to compensate Xu Yan, giving her shares as well as various properties and letting her reap a hefty windfall.
Thinking of those forced-love videos Fu Ruiming had filmed himself, which she had already collected, put Xu Yan in an even better mood.
Her mind turned, and she thought of a tactful way to put it. "Miss Ye, speaking of which, I really ought to thank you. After your reminder last time, I had someone investigate, and they certainly found quite a few good things."
Ye Jin felt a little excited.
[Xu Yan really is smart. I only gave her the slightest hint, and she caught on. That's wonderful. She probably won't end up being hurt so badly by that scumbag like she was in the original novel.]
On the surface, however, she still pretended to know nothing and asked in confusion, "Hmm? What did I say last time? What did you find out, Miss Xu?"
How could Xu Yan not know that Ye Jin was deliberately playing dumb? She did not expose her, merely saying, "Miss Ye, it's all right if you don't remember. An offhand remark of yours helped me enormously. The benefits of these projects I'm introducing you to don't amount to even a tenth of what you've done for me, so there's absolutely no need to feel embarrassed. You can accept them with a clear conscience."
Ye Jin sighed inwardly. Although that was indeed the case, the fact that Xu Yan felt grateful to her was enough to show her fine character and willingness to repay kindness.
Still, this kind of help in business could go both ways. Ye Jin believed she could repay her in the future, so she stopped dwelling on it and happily followed Xu Yan around to meet all sorts of seasoned industry professionals.