11: Chapter 11 Cao Kun made Ji Guangli cry.

A hint of self-mockery suddenly flashed through Cao Kun's mind.

Am I being a masochist?

Actually rushing to get scolded.

But the urge to strike back was so strong that he could almost hear the sound of his blood racing.

He had thought that, given Ji Guangli's usual fiery temper and strictness with work, she would immediately slam the table and use her sharp eloquence to tear him to shreds upon seeing this completely unchanged proposal.

He had even prepared several retorts in his mind.

However, Ji Guangli didn't explode immediately.

She simply closed the folder and stared at him with those eyes that seemed to see through everything. Her voice was cold, yet carried a hint of restraint as she suppressed her anger.

“Cao Kun, did you bring the wrong file? Why is this proposal exactly the same as the version I returned to you yesterday?”

Cao Kun was stunned, a bit surprised.

Has this She-Devil changed her nature today?

She actually bothered to ask first?

It seemed the blows from last night and this morning had left her a bit exhausted, or... perhaps the stimulation wasn't enough?

He immediately decided to pour another ladle of cold water into this pot of oil that was about to boil.

Cao Kun shifted into a more relaxed posture against the back of the sofa, even crossing his legs. A reckless, almost provocative expression of indifference appeared on his face.

He replied airily, “I didn't bring the wrong one, Manager Ji. I just didn't change it. To be precise, I didn't want to change it.”

The words “didn't want to” were like a lit match thrown into Ji Guangli's powder keg of simmering rage.

“Bang!”

The folder was slammed hard onto the heavy solid wood desk, making a loud noise.

Ji Guangli stood up abruptly. Her chest heaved with anger, and her fair cheeks flushed with a tint of resentment. Her phoenix eyes, usually calm and composed, were now burning with a raging fire.

“Cao Kun! What kind of attitude is this?”

Her voice suddenly rose, piercing through the glass door that wasn't completely soundproof, clearly vibrating in the eardrums of the colleagues eavesdropping outside.

“You didn't want to? Is this your attitude toward work? Is this the explanation you give me after spending a whole day?”

She took a step forward, her finger almost poking the tip of Cao Kun's nose, her speech fast and sharp.

“Do you think the company is a charity? That we support people like you who just drift along? I'm telling you, Sales Department Two doesn't keep idlers! And it certainly doesn't keep useless trash like you, who can't even handle basic work properly and still has the nerve to act self-righteous!”

Her voice grew shrill with agitation: “Do you really not want to work anymore? Huh? If you don't want to, write a report and get the hell out of here right now!”

“My 'temple' is too small to accommodate a 'great Buddha' like you who's too lazy to even lift a pen for a proposal! There are plenty of people lining up outside waiting to join Xingchen!”

Outside the door, the eavesdropping colleagues all held their breath, looks of shock on their faces.

“My god, that's a brutal scolding...”

“It's over, it's over. Cao Kun has really pissed off the She-Devil this time. She even told him to get lost.”

“Sigh, although Cao Kun is at fault, the She-Devil's words are too hurtful... she even called him 'useless trash'.”

“It looks like Cao Kun won't be staying...”

However, inside the office, as Cao Kun listened to this relentless and merciless tirade, instead of feeling afraid or dejected, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction surge from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!

It was as if the long-awaited starting pistol had finally fired!

He wasn't afraid of Ji Guangli scolding him.

What he feared was her not scolding him or letting him off lightly.

In that case, wouldn't the energy he had built up all morning have nowhere to be released?

Now it was perfect; the fire was fully unleashed, exactly as he had hoped!

In the brief silence after Ji Guangli finished speaking, Cao Kun also stood up abruptly from the sofa.

He was more than half a head taller than Ji Guangli. Standing straight now, he instantly exerted a counter-pressure in terms of presence.

The reckless expression on his face vanished, replaced by a cold, mocking calmness.

“Ji Guangli, enough!”

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear and steady, instantly cutting through the lingering echoes of the roar in the office.

“Who do you think you are? The King of Heaven?”

Cao Kun looked directly into Ji Guangli's slightly widened eyes of shock. His speech wasn't fast, but every word was clear and powerful.

“All day long, you put on an air of superiority, slamming proposals in people's faces at the slightest provocation, shouting at us, and bossing us around! Yes, you're the manager, and you have the right to demand quality work, but have you forgotten how to respect people?”

Ji Guangli was completely stunned. She opened her mouth as if to retort, but was silenced by Cao Kun's next words.

“Yes, I didn't change the proposal this time, that's my fault. But what about you? You messed up with an important client outside, lost the deal, got scolded by the boss, and were mocked by the people in Department One. It's because of your own lack of ability and improper handling! What kind of skill is it to vent the frustration you received outside on us subordinates?”

Cao Kun stepped half a pace closer, his presence intimidating. “Constantly saying 'get lost if you don't want to work'—what else can you do besides threaten people with firing? Do you really think that without you, Ji Guangli, or without Xingchen Advertising, I, Cao Kun, won't be able to survive? I'm telling you, I've been sick of serving you for a long time!”

This series of counterattacks, like a sudden storm, hit Ji Guangli squarely and left her completely dazed.

She stood frozen in place, staring at this completely unfamiliar Cao Kun—sharp-tongued and imposing—her mind a complete blank.

The humiliation and sense of helplessness she felt with the client yesterday, the embarrassment of being publicly criticized in the meeting this morning, the frustration of being mocked by Su Hongliang without being able to refute him, and the immense pressure of the slim hopes for the competition...

And now, being so sharply contradicted and accused by a subordinate she usually looked down upon, her hard shell—which she had always tried to maintain—was ruthlessly torn open, revealing the true self inside who also felt wronged, exhausted, and afraid of failure...

All the emotions—grievance, anger, shame, helplessness, despair... like a bursting flood, instantly demolished all her psychological defenses.

Her back, which she had always kept straight, slumped slightly, and her tightly clenched fists loosened, trembling.

In those eyes that were always full of sharpness and calm, a layer of mist quickly formed, and then, large tears rolled down without warning.

“Wuu... waaa...”

First, it was suppressed sobbing, which then turned into uncontrollable, wallowing wails of emotional collapse.

Ji Guangli suddenly turned around, covering her face with her hands. Her shoulders shook violently, and the sound of her crying leaked through her fingers, filled with unspeakable sadness and vulnerability.

The She-Devil who, just a minute ago, had been exuding a powerful aura and commanding the room, was now crying like a lost child, her strong facade shattered into pieces.

...