13: Chapter 13 Cao Kun became Ji Guangli's shadow.

It was nearing noon, close to the end of the morning shift.

The door to Ji Guangli's office opened once again.

She had reapplied her makeup; except for a faint, lingering redness around the corners of her eyes, she had regained her usual capable and calm appearance, as if the morning's breakdown had never happened.

She walked to the center of the office area and clapped her hands, the crisp sound drawing everyone's attention.

"Everyone," her voice was clear and steady, carrying its usual strength.

"Today is July 21st. Two-thirds of the month has passed, and only ten days remain. I know that because of my mistake, we lost an important client, putting our department at a disadvantage in the competition and leaving very little hope of winning in the end."

She paused, her gaze sweeping across every face before she continued, "However, as I promised you all, as long as everyone gives their all this month, regardless of the final outcome of the competition, I will personally fulfill the two-thousand-yuan departmental bonus for each person."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shaken even more.

Ji Guangli had previously promised that no matter what the final result was, she would pay out of her own pocket to give everyone in the department a two-thousand-yuan bonus.

Ji Guangli's monthly salary was around twenty thousand yuan.

Excluding Ji Guangli, there were fourteen people in their department.

Two thousand per person meant twenty-eight thousand yuan.

Based on Ji Guangli's own description of her financial situation, this was almost her entire salary for over a month without eating or drinking!

They used to think the manager was just being generous, but now they realized the heavy sacrifice behind that generosity.

Someone couldn't help but speak up: "Manager Ji, that bonus..."

"Let me finish," Ji Guangli raised her hand to stop them. She seemed to know what everyone wanted to say, her tone calm yet firm.

"This morning... you all may have heard some of my personal circumstances. I am here to apologize to everyone for my loss of emotional control affecting the work atmosphere. I really didn't mean to play the victim to gain sympathy; I just couldn't hold it back for a moment."

"Just act as if you didn't hear anything. Don't let it be a psychological burden, and certainly don't pity me. Business is business, and personal is personal; a promise is a promise. I hope our Department Two wins respect through ability and unity, not through sympathy."

"Alright, it's lunchtime. Everyone, go eat, and keep up the good work this afternoon." After saying this, Ji Guangli picked up her bag and took the lead toward the door.

Cao Kun stood up almost immediately and followed her.

The other colleagues stayed behind, whispering to each other with complex emotions.

"Manager Ji is just too strong-willed..."

"Yeah, even though she's going through such a hard time herself."

"This bonus... it feels a bit heavy to take."

"Let's put more heart into our work from now on and stop slacking off..."

...

Cao Kun quickly caught up with Ji Guangli in the hallway.

"Leader, I'm sorry. This morning, I really..."

"I said I'm fine. You don't need to apologize anymore," Ji Guangli interrupted him without stopping. Her tone was distant and cold, and she didn't even give him a glance.

Cao Kun hit a wall and felt a bit helpless.

He knew Ji Guangli was definitely still angry with him.

But he was determined to make amends and, more importantly, to complete the system task.

He couldn't just give up so easily.

So, he took the most shameless approach.

He followed Ji Guangli.

"Leader, if you don't forgive me, I'll keep following you."

Ji Guangli didn't expect Cao Kun to act like this. She was speechless, but mostly felt helpless and annoyed: "I said I've forgiven you. Stop following me."

"No, your attitude isn't right. It's obvious you're just brushing me off." Cao Kun started acting like a rogue.

Ji Guangli really didn't want to pay any attention to Cao Kun.

"How can you be so shameless? I said I forgive you and you still won't listen. Since you want to follow me, then just keep following!"

Ji Guangli originally thought Cao Kun was just talking, but she didn't expect him to actually keep following her.

After work in the afternoon, he even offered to drive her home.

Ji Guangli was a bit surprised that Cao Kun had a car.

However, she refused him outright.

Seeing her refusal, Cao Kun didn't drive either and instead followed Ji Guangli onto the Subway.

He followed her all the way to her rental house.

What Ji Guangli expected even less was what happened next.

Over the next few days, Cao Kun completely transformed into a tag-along.

He followed Ji Guangli after work, escorting her all the way to the entrance of the Urban Village where she lived. Only after confirming she had safely gone upstairs did he take a taxi home.

The next morning, he would wait downstairs early with a steaming hot breakfast, forcing it upon her, and then they would squeeze onto the Subway together to go to work.

At lunch, whichever fast-food restaurant Ji Guangli went to, he would follow. He would sit opposite her and eat the same thing. That posture didn't look like someone seeking forgiveness; it looked more like a persistent pursuer.

The department colleagues went from initial surprise to eventually getting used to it, even privately joking about whether Cao Kun had turned a misfortune into a blessing—discovering the She-Devil's vulnerable side and then becoming infatuated with her beauty.

Ji Guangli, on the other hand, went from anger and helplessness to near collapse.

She tried cold words, tried ignoring him, and even tried quickening her pace to lose him, but Cao Kun was like a piece of chewing gum—impossible to shake off and impossible to drive away.

Until the morning of the fourth day, Ji Guangli had been followed so much that she truly lost her temper and was physically and mentally exhausted.

When they reached the bottom of the office building, she stopped, turned around to look at this subordinate who had a face full of sincere remorse but was actually being thick-skinned. She took a deep breath and decided to give him an impossible task to make him back off.

"Cao Kun," Ji Guangli rubbed her temples, her face showing fatigue and a hint of desperation, "Don't you want me to forgive you? Don't you want to make amends? Fine, I'll give you a chance."

Upon hearing this, Cao Kun immediately perked up.

"Do you know Xuefen Food? I've always wanted to secure their company's advertising business. I've reached out a few times, but it's very difficult. If you can help the department—help me—negotiate this business, even if it's just reaching a preliminary intent, I'll count it as making up for your mistake. Everything before will be wiped clean, and I'll completely forgive you."

"Otherwise, please don't follow me like this anymore. It's very troubling for me."

Xuefen Food?

Cao Kun thought the name sounded a bit familiar.

He quickly searched his memory, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

Wasn't this the company where the Subway Girl, Long Huili, worked?

She seemed to be the Chairman's Secretary!

If he asked her to pull some strings, wouldn't there be a chance?

This was truly a case of 'finding a way out when all hope seemed lost'!

"Xuefen Food, right? Fine! Manager Ji, I'll try!" Cao Kun immediately agreed, a flash of confidence in his eyes that Ji Guangli didn't notice.

Seeing how readily he agreed, Ji Guangli assumed he was just forcing himself to accept to stop the pestering; she didn't believe for a second he could succeed.

That was a tough nut to crack that she had personally been working on for a long time without success. She breathed a sigh of relief, finally finding a reasonable excuse to get this chewing gum out of her sight for a while.

"Alright, then I'll wait for your news. However, don't do unrelated things during work hours anymore." Ji Guangli said professionally before turning to leave, feeling like she could finally have a few days of peace.

Meanwhile, Cao Kun couldn't wait to take out his phone and find Long Huili's number in his contacts.

The key to breaking the deadlock and completing the task might just lie in this phone call.

...