81: Chapter 81 A New Chapter for the Provincial Capital

Lin Yu was awakened by a slight commotion; he opened his eyes, immediately got up to wash, and then walked into the living room.

She was wearing a pale purple professional yoga outfit, the form-fitting fabric outlining her graceful, undulating curves. At this moment, she was performing a difficult "King Pigeon Pose," her body arched back into a full bow, hands grasping her toes, her slender neck tilted toward the ceiling like a proud swan.

The morning light shone on her, gilding the thin layer of sweat on her skin with a golden rim.

Lin Yu leaned against the wall, watching this scene quietly. Jiang Shuying's beauty was restrained, like an unpolished piece of jade; only under specific light could one see its warm, lustrous glow.

"Hoo..."

Jiang Shuying slowly released the pose and exhaled a long breath. When she turned around, she happened to meet Lin Yu's eyes, which held a faint, amused glint.

She was slightly startled, but immediately regained her cool composure. She picked up a towel from the side to wipe off her sweat. "Mr. Lin is awake? Breakfast is on the table; millet porridge and sandwiches."

Lin Yu put on his bathrobe and walked slowly to the dining table to sit down. The sandwich was toasted to a golden crisp, and the millet porridge had been cooked until a thick layer of rice oil formed on top. Beside it was a small dish of pickled radishes she had made herself.

"Your cooking is excellent." Lin Yu took a bite of the sandwich, praising it indistinctly. "If Fatty had even half of your culinary skills, I wouldn't have to order takeout all day."

Jiang Shuying was tidying up her yoga mat. Hearing this, her movements paused, and the corners of her mouth lifted in an imperceptible arc. "Mr. Lin is a big businessman. Having a driver by your side is probably for the sake of appearances, right?"

"Appearances?" Lin Yu took a sip of porridge, feeling a warmth in his stomach. "Fatty is my driver, but he's also my classmate. He drives steadily, so I feel at ease riding with him. As for the rest..."

He paused, not elaborating further.

Lin Yu knew that the security system of this building had already been taken over by Leng Yue. Yu Yi and Yu Er were on standby downstairs, and Tang Guo... that seemingly harmless little girl was perhaps lurking in some corner right now, watching every move in this building.

"By the way," Jiang Shuying glanced at the wall clock. "I need to leave at 8:30 to take the subway."

"Why take the subway?" Lin Yu put down his spoon and pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth. "Although Yunxi Mansion isn't far from the IFC, squeezing into the subway during the morning rush is a real ordeal. It just so happens I need to head over there for some business as well. Let's go together."

Twenty minutes later, the black Rolls-Royce Phantom slid smoothly out of Yunxi Mansion.

Fatty sat in the driver's seat, glancing at the two in the back through the rearview mirror. Lin Yu sat on the right, and Jiang Shuying sat on the left, with a wide armrest box between them. The atmosphere between the two was subtly quiet.

"Miss Jiang, you look... quite professional today." Lin Yu broke the silence.

Jiang Shuying had changed into a dark gray professional suit today, her hair coiled immaculately, and she wore light makeup. She appeared capable and cold, a completely different person from the classical beauty who had worn a cheongsam and brewed tea while listening to the rain last night.

"It's required for work." Jiang Shuying looked at the streetscape flying by outside the window, her tone indifferent. "Although Yayun Culture is a cultural company, it is in a CBD like the IFC after all. Dressing too casually would be seen as unprofessional."

"That's true." Lin Yu nodded, his gaze deep. "However, being too beautiful is also a burden. Especially in a place where there is more competition than opportunities."

Jiang Shuying glanced at him without responding. She felt that Lin Yu's words had a hidden meaning, but it didn't sound like he was flirting; it felt more like a warning.

"We're here." Fatty parked the car in the IFC's underground parking garage.

Jiang Shuying unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed the door open to get out. "Thank you for the ride, Mr. Lin. See you tonight."

"See you tonight." Lin Yu sat in the car without moving, just watching Jiang Shuying's retreating figure as she walked toward the elevator hall through the dark car windows.

"Old Lin, are we not going to Xingyao Media?" Fatty asked, turning back.

"No rush." Lin Yu took out his phone and dialed Leng Yue's number. "Keep a close eye on things. Zhao Tai should be there today."

"Boss, don't worry." Leng Yue's voice was calm and capable. "Tang Guo has already infiltrated the internal network of Yayun Culture, and every move Zhao Tai makes is under surveillance. Furthermore, I found that Zhao Tai has recently been laundering a sum of money for his connections in the province, using shell projects of Yayun Culture."

A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Lin Yu's mouth. "Understood. Don't alert the enemy; keep the evidence safe. This fly, the Zhao family, needs to be swatted slowly."

As soon as Jiang Shuying walked into the Legal Department's office, she felt that the atmosphere was wrong.

Her colleagues were all busy with their heads down, and no one greeted her as they usually did. There was an extra document on her desk with the cover titled "Accounts Receivable Collection Plan."

"Sister Shuying," a small intern handed her a file, "General Manager Zhao wants you to go to his office at ten o'clock to report on this plan. He said it's for a major client and is very urgent."

Jiang Shuying's heart skipped a beat. Ten o'clock? It was already nine-thirty! And this proposal was dozens of pages long; it was impossible to finish reading it in half a day, let alone prepare a report. This was clearly Zhao Tai deliberately making things difficult for her.

She took a deep breath, returned to her workstation, and quickly flipped through the document. Sure enough, the data inside was all wrong, the logic was chaotic, and it was completely unusable.

"Zhao Tai..." Jiang Shuying bit her lip, her face turning slightly pale. She knew that Zhao Tai had always had bad intentions toward her. She had blocked his previous hints several times, and this time he was trying to use work as an excuse to force her to submit, or to find a reason to fire her.

Time ticked by, and fine beads of sweat seeped from Jiang Shuying's forehead. She tried to correct the data, but time was too tight.

Nine-fifty-five.

She took the document, which she had barely managed to modify, and knocked on the deputy general manager's office door.

"Come in."

Pushing the door open, Zhao Tai was sitting in a large boss chair, his feet propped up on the desk, toying with a lighter in his hand.

"General Manager Zhao, I've reviewed the plan, but the time is too tight, and the data..." Jiang Shuying said, biting the bullet.

"Time is tight?" Zhao Tai put his feet down and sneered. "Director Jiang, you are a long-time employee and a department head. Do you lack even this bit of pressure-handling ability? I think it's an attitude problem. Do you think the company won't function without you?"

He stood up, walked around the desk to stand in front of Jiang Shuying, and lowered his voice. "Shuying, actually, as long as you are willing to be obedient, this position will still be yours. Accompany me to a dinner party tonight to meet some important investors, and this matter will be considered over."

Jiang Shuying clenched her fists, her nails digging into her flesh. "General Manager Zhao, this is a workplace, not a trading market."

"A workplace?" Zhao Tai stepped closer, his eyes becoming sinister. "That makes it even easier to talk about. This is an order, you..."

Just then, the landline on Zhao Tai's desk suddenly rang.

He answered the phone impatiently. "Who is it? Can't you see I'm busy!"

The secretary's panicked voice came from the other end of the phone. "General Manager Zhao, it's bad! Just now... just now, people from the Tax Bureau and the Economic Investigation Brigade came! They said they want to audit the company's accounts! They said they received a real-name report claiming we are involved in money laundering!"

"What?!" Zhao Tai's face changed drastically. His feet slipped from the desk, and he panicked. "Tax Bureau? How could... who reported it? Where is my mother?"

"The Chairperson is dealing with them in the Finance Department downstairs. She told you not to say anything!"

Zhao Tai hung up the phone and glared fiercely at Jiang Shuying, his eyes full of fear and resentment. "You just wait! Did you do this?!"

Jiang Shuying was stunned. "General Manager Zhao, I didn't do anything."

"Hmph!" Zhao Tai had no heart to listen to her explanation. He grabbed his coat and rushed out. "This matter isn't over!"

In the lobby downstairs.

Lin Yu sat on a sofa in the rest area, holding a cup of coffee, looking leisurely.

Leng Yue appeared behind him at some point and reported in a low voice: "Boss, Tang Guo sent the incriminating evidence of Zhao Tai's money laundering to the Economic Investigation Brigade. Although the Zhao family won't collapse this time, Zhao Tai will definitely be overwhelmed for a while and won't have time to harass Jiang Shuying again."

"Well done." Lin Yu took a sip of coffee.

"Boss, Miss Jiang is coming down." Leng Yue reminded him.

Lin Yu turned his head and saw Jiang Shuying walking out of the elevator in a daze, her face pale. It was clear she had just experienced quite a disturbance.

"What's wrong?" Lin Yu stood up and walked over to meet her. "Why is your face so pale?"

Jiang Shuying was a little surprised to see him.

"Mr. Lin? Why haven't you left yet?" Jiang Shuying asked, stopping.

"I had some business to handle here, and I was just about to leave after finishing." Lin Yu's voice was deep and magnetic. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze locking onto Jiang Shuying's slightly pale face. "It's you, why is your face so pale? Are you not feeling well? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

Jiang Shuying subconsciously touched her cheek and gave a bitter smile. "I'm fine."

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through a person's heart. "Since you're not physically unwell, then you must be unhappy at work."

Having been guessed by Lin Yu, Jiang Shuying's repressed mood eased a little. She looked at Lin Yu, a flash of helplessness in her eyes, and nodded gently.

"Let's go." Lin Yu said.

"Ah?" Jiang Shuying was stunned. "Back to Yunxi?"

"No, there's a coffee shop up ahead. Keep me company for a drink." Lin Yu turned to the side, waiting gentlemanly for her to walk with him.

Five minutes later.

The LAVAZZA coffee shop on the first floor of the IFC mall.

It was only a few hundred meters away from the Yayun Culture building, yet it felt like two different worlds. The air was filled with the rich, burnt aroma of coffee beans, and all around were white-collar workers talking in low voices and the soft sound of turning pages.

Two hot lattes were served. Lin Yu didn't add sugar, took a sip directly, and watched Jiang Shuying opposite him through the rising steam.

"Tell me, since you're unhappy, why not change jobs?"

Jiang Shuying held the warm coffee cup, her fingertips turning slightly white. She was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible exhaustion:

"How could I not have thought about it... It's just not that easy."

She raised her head, looking at the hurried crowd outside the window, her tone becoming heavy. "Mr. Lin, you might not understand the circles in Quan City. Some companies have too deep a background. In this territory, as long as they say a word, no formal large company dares to hire me. Unless... I leave Quan City, or even leave Lu Province, and go to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Shenzhen to start from scratch."

"But that's impossible." Jiang Shuying shook her head. "My parents are old and in poor health; they can't be left without someone to take care of them. I can't go far."

Lin Yu listened quietly, his fingers tapping gently on the table.

So that was it.

This was the so-called "local tyrant." Using the power and connections in their hands, they wove an airtight net, trapping people like Jiang Shuying, who were talented but unwilling to go along with them, forcing them to lower their heads, forcing them to submit.

"So, do you plan to just endure it?" Lin Yu asked.

"What else can I do..." Jiang Shuying sighed, her eyes dim. "Let's just endure it for now. Maybe they will get bored after a while."

Lin Yu smiled, leaned forward, crossed his hands on the table, and stared at Jiang Shuying with burning eyes: "Since you're unhappy, why not join my company?"

Jiang Shuying was stunned.

She looked at Lin Yu as if she were seeing this man for the first time.

Join his company?

Although Lin Yu seemed a bit mysterious, living in Yunxi Mansion and driving a Rolls-Royce, he was at best a rich second generation. But in Quan City, or even the whole province, the Zhao family was the ceiling.

"Mr. Lin..." Jiang Shuying took a deep breath, calmed her heartbeat, and her eyes became complicated.

She looked at Lin Yu's expectant eyes, a warmth rising in her heart, but more of it was a deep worry.

She shook her head and said softly: "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Lin. Really... thank you for thinking highly of me."

"But, I can't go."

Lin Yu frowned slightly: "Why? Is the salary too low?"

"It's not a money issue." Jiang Shuying looked at Lin Yu, her tone becoming serious and earnest. "Mr. Lin, those people have no bottom line in what they do and are vengeful. If you offend them for my sake, they will bite you like mad dogs, trip you up, audit your taxes, ruin your projects..."

She paused, her eyes full of sincerity: "I don't want to implicate you. I'm already in enough trouble; there's no need to drag you into this muddy water as well."

Lin Yu looked at Jiang Shuying.

This woman, clearly stuck in the mud herself, was still worried about dirtying someone else's shoes.

He was silent for two seconds.

"Fine, I understand." Lin Yu said in a relaxed tone. "Since you have concerns, let's not talk about this for now; we'll talk about it later."

"However..." Lin Yu picked up his coffee and took a sip, a trace of playfulness flashing in his eyes. "Miss Jiang, don't be too pessimistic. In this world, there is no fortress that cannot be broken, and no dead end from which one can never turn around."

He glanced at his phone and put down the cup: "Let's go, I'll take you home. Fatty is waiting outside."

On the way back, the Rolls-Royce shuttled smoothly through the traffic.

Jiang Shuying sat in the back seat, watching the streetscape receding outside the window, her mood somewhat complicated. Lin Yu didn't mention work again along the way, just occasionally chatting with her about the property at Yunxi Mansion, or asking what kind of food she liked to eat.

This sense of propriety made her feel comfortable, and also made her feel a strange sense of being unable to see through him.

Arriving downstairs at Yunxi Mansion.