89: gossip

Shu Zhonghua organized the reports in his hand into a binder, and after repeatedly confirming there were no issues, his tense spirit relaxed. He called his secretary and instructed the staff to take over in an orderly fashion, then rest.

After completing everything, he also prepared to rest. In the afternoon, he would take the compiled documents directly to the Group headquarters to report to Jiang Chen.

Although Jiang Chen had given him three days, he couldn't possibly wait three days to report to Jiang Chen.

Decades of workplace experience taught him that sometimes when a leader gives you a deadline, if you complete the task perfectly and ahead of schedule, the leader will definitely be impressed, and you might even catch the leader's eye and get an opportunity for advancement.

—

He Xiaomi stood gracefully at the entrance of the Group building, holding a tablet. Employees passing by greeted her, and she responded with a polite nod and a smile.

Although He Xiaomi was still Jiang Chen's secretary, with Xu Jinzhong's rise, her already limited power diminished even further.

During this time, many rumors and gossip about her circulated within the Group.

But no matter what, everyone still had to respectfully greet her as "Secretary He."

When employees saw He Xiaomi standing at the entrance of the Group building, they knew Chairman Jiang was definitely coming to the Group today.

He Xiaomi stood at the entrance, watching the bustling crowd. She thought about the recent rumors about herself within the Group, and the thought filled her with pain.

Her gaze fell upon a convoy of cars approaching from the road. She took a deep breath, suppressing the tumultuous thoughts in her mind, and tidied her appearance.

After confirming everything was in order, she walked forward.

When Jiang Chen's Maybach Pullman came to a stop, she stepped forward, her low heels clicking, and opened the car door.

"Chairman Jiang, good morning."

Jiang Chen stepped out of the car, buttoned his suit, and smiled at He Xiaomi: "Good morning, Xiaomi. It's been a long time."

This "long time no see" caused a ripple in He Xiaomi's heart, but it returned to normal in an instant.

"It certainly has been a long time, Chairman Jiang."

She replied with a businesslike smile.

Jiang Chen could sense the distance in her words. He glanced at her, said nothing more, nodded, and walked into the building.

He Xiaomi took a deep breath and quickly followed.

"Good morning, Chairman Jiang!"

"Hello, Chairman Jiang."

"Chairman Jiang!"

"..."

The moment he entered the Group lobby, any staff member who encountered Jiang Chen stopped and respectfully greeted him.

Jiang Chen didn't put on any airs, responding with a polite nod and a smile.

He Xiaomi walked a step ahead, swiped her card at the turnstile, then went to Jiang Chen's exclusive elevator and pressed the button.

The two entered the elevator, and it began to ascend slowly.

"Xiaomi, how have you been feeling about work lately?" Jiang Chen suddenly asked without turning his head.

He Xiaomi was startled by the question. She gripped the tablet in her hand tightly, her knuckles turning white, and forced a smile: "I've been feeling very good about work lately. I've learned a lot during my time as your secretary."

Her smile was strained.

Jiang Chen turned to look at her, nodded, and said nothing more, "Mm, that's good then."

He Xiaomi controlled her expression the moment Jiang Chen turned away.

Ding—

At that moment, the elevator arrived. Jiang Chen stepped out and walked towards his office.

After seeing Jiang Chen into his office, He Xiaomi returned to her own office on the side. As Jiang Chen's secretary, she also had her own independent office.

She sat in front of the computer, her eyes glazed over, staring at the screen, finding herself with nothing to do.

Originally, she would still receive some instructions from Jiang Chen, but with Xu Jinzhong's rise, Jiang Chen's orders were now directly conveyed to Xu Jinzhong, thus stripping her of her already meager workload.

But faced with the highly capable Xu Jinzhong, He Xiaomi was truly helpless. He not only had Jiang Chen's deep trust but also possessed genuine ability.

In just one month after taking office, he reorganized the Board of Directors Office, making the entire Board of Directors Office look to him for guidance. Later, he even received strong support from Ji Jun, the Executive President and Director.

It was said that even Chang Niande, who replaced Xu Minghao as the Standing Vice President, was firmly overshadowed by him.

He Xiaomi had no ability to contend with such a capable person.

"I'm Chairman Jiang's secretary... and I was here first..." He Xiaomi gritted her teeth, thinking unwillingly. The pressure Xu Jinzhong put on her was simply too great.

He Xiaomi pulled open her desk drawer and looked at the already written envelope.

She recalled the recent rumors about herself within the Group, as well as Jiang Chen's WeChat Moments post from yesterday.

Taking a deep breath, she immediately made up her mind.

—

Jiang Chen had noticed He Xiaomi's unusual state in the elevator. Her entire mental state was off; she was completely different from when he had last seen her.

Jiang Chen took out his phone and called Xu Jinzhong, preparing to ask him about He Xiaomi's recent situation.

Xu Jinzhong arrived at Jiang Chen's office very quickly.

After leaving Jiang Chen's home yesterday, he returned to the Group to handle work until late at night, eventually just staying overnight at the Group.

It wasn't just this one night; Xu Jinzhong staying overnight at the Group had become the norm.

Jiang Chen first asked Xu Jinzhong about his recent work and showed concern for him, then finally began to inquire about He Xiaomi's recent situation.

"Jinzhong, has anything happened to He Xiaomi recently? Has she encountered any difficulties at work? Or have you noticed anything unusual about her?"

Xu Jinzhong pondered for a moment, then decided to tell the truth;

"Chairman Jiang, there have been some rumors circulating within the Group about Secretary He..."

"Rumors? What's going on?"

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, motioning for him to elaborate.

"It's like this, Chairman Jiang..."

As Xu Jinzhong explained in detail.

Jiang Chen understood what was going on. He hadn't expected so much to have happened to the little secretary during this time.

He mentally summoned He Xiaomi's panel.

He Xiaomi

Appearance: 90

Affection: 60

Looking at the panel, he found that He Xiaomi's affection had dropped from the previous 65 to 60 points.

Then Jiang Chen mentally asked the system;

System, what will happen if He Xiaomi's affection drops below 60? Will the affection gift package be withdrawn?

[No, awarded gift packages will not be withdrawn if affection decreases]

Seeing this, Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief, but he was also very troubled about how to deal with He Xiaomi.

After that awkward incident three months ago, he was completely in a normal person's mindset, and having just gotten the system and money in hand, he didn't think too much when doing things.

He didn't understand the Group's structure at all, so he casually made her his secretary, never expecting that her secretary status would bring her so much trouble now.

Moreover, he later promoted Xu Jinzhong, and he would interface with Ji Jun and Xu Jinzhong for any work matters, which led to him somewhat neglecting He Xiaomi.

Actually, when Jiang Chen appointed Xu Jinzhong as Secretary-General, he had considered whether to transfer He Xiaomi from her secretary position.

But because he had a personal bias towards He Xiaomi, this idea was immediately dismissed once it arose.

But no matter what, He Xiaomi was still his secretary, and the kind of talk circulating within the Group would definitely have a significant impact on He Xiaomi.

Regardless of whether He Xiaomi was forcibly pushed into this position by him, leading to all of this, Jiang Chen felt that both personally and professionally, he had to give He Xiaomi justice.

He was actually extremely angry when he learned of He Xiaomi's plight just now.

Jiang Chen hadn't expected such talk to circulate within his own company. Even if He Xiaomi was just a pretty face, so what? She was his appointed secretary. Criticizing her was tantamount to slapping his own face, wasn't it?

Although he was very angry internally, Jiang Chen now possessed good self-control and could conceal his emotions.

His thoughts drifted back, and Jiang Chen instructed Xu Jinzhong: "Jinzhong, first investigate this matter and see who is spreading these rumors."

He paused, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk, making a sound, and continued;

"Moreover, the appearance of such talk within the Group is very detrimental to Xiaomi and even more detrimental to the overall unity of the Group. As the Group's Secretary-General, if similar incidents happen again in the future, you must nip them in the bud immediately, understand?"

Xu Jinzhong replied seriously: "Yes, Chairman Jiang, I understand. I guarantee I will thoroughly investigate this matter as soon as possible to give Secretary He justice, and I will conduct ideological education for the employees."

Jiang Chen nodded, very satisfied with his answer: "Mm, you may go now."

"Yes."

Xu Jinzhong bowed slightly to Jiang Chen and then exited the office.

Since he had entrusted this matter to Xu Jinzhong, Jiang Chen decided to put the He Xiaomi matter aside for now.

He still had many documents to approve. He had gone to the Group to work with great difficulty, and he couldn't waste all his energy on dealing with He Xiaomi's issue.

Jiang Chen planned to wait until Xu Jinzhong had completed the investigation and there was a result before discussing it in detail with He Xiaomi.