The New CEO

In the end, Yu Qingkong gripped the note tightly, let out a breath through furrowed brows, and set it aside.

In the blink of an eye, Monday arrived.

When Yu Qingkong woke up and arrived at the company early that morning, she overheard several people whispering about whether the new boss would be terrifying; everyone was in a bit of a panic.

Afterward, Yu Qingkong organized the items on her desk and checked the time.

She grabbed her laptop, stood by the elevator, and headed to the conference room.

After taking a seat, Yu Qingkong took a deep breath, opened her laptop, and began her preparatory work.

Soon, everyone arrived one after another, sitting down and whispering to each other.

The conference room, which had been somewhat empty and cold, instantly became very lively.

Yu Qingkong vaguely heard someone questioning Lin Wanzhao’s professional capabilities, feeling she was just a “vase” relying on her powerful father to enter through the back door, and even expressing indignation on behalf of the former CEO who had left.

A few minutes later, a rhythmic sound of footsteps came from outside.

The group fell silent, turning their heads toward the door.

A young girl stepped inside and made a “please” gesture.

Yu Qingkong couldn’t help but look up, narrowing her eyes as she gazed toward the doorway.

With that single glance, Yu Qingkong’s hand instantly tightened as a wave of awkwardness washed over her.

The newcomer was wearing a black suit skirt with a thin silver necklace around her neck.

Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall; with almond eyes and crimson lips, the slight upward tilt at the corners of her eyes made her radiantly beautiful beyond words.

Everyone in the conference room couldn’t help but stare blankly.

This woman was exactly…

Yu Qingkong was stunned.

The woman she had met that night at Snake Bar was her.

With the click of high heels against the floor, Lin Wanzhao walked to her seat, scanned the crowd, and sat down gracefully.

Finally, her gaze landed on three empty seats.

“Where are Manager Chen, Manager Li, and Manager Hu? Why haven’t they come?”

Her voice wasn’t too heavy or light; it was very pleasant to the ear.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one dared to tell the truth.

Those three were the company’s veteran pillars who had followed the previous CEO for years; they were fiercely loyal.

At the same time, they were quite dissatisfied with this corporate transfer, so their absence was effectively a protest.

“They are because…” At this moment, someone prepared to speak.

However, Lin Wanzhao didn’t wait to hear the rest.

Instead, she looked directly at the HR Manager, Zhang Xue.

“After the meeting, tell them they don’t need to come anymore.”

Zhang Xue was stunned for a moment, her hands hovering over her keyboard, and she hurriedly nodded.

The others in the conference room were also shocked into silence.

Yu Qingkong remained quiet.

Seeing her make decisions so swiftly and decisively, executing the “killing the chicken to warn the monkeys” strategy the moment she stepped in…

Undeniably, an ordinary “vase” wouldn’t have this kind of boldness.

Lin Wanzhao would be someone not to be underestimated.

“Let me state clearly: I will not grant leniency just because someone has deep seniority or has made great contributions to the company in the past.”

“The past does not represent the present. I don’t care about the past; I only care about the now.”

“Whether it is someone who is lazy and negligent or someone who refuses to follow management, as long as I see it, I will never tolerate it.”

This time, Lin Wanzhao’s voice was still lazy, but it carried an indescribable aura.

“Hello everyone, I am the new CEO—Lin Wanzhao.”

As soon as she finished speaking, applause broke out.

Yu Qingkong also raised her hands and slowly clapped while looking at her.

At that moment, Lin Wanzhao looked toward her.

As their eyes met, the corners of Lin Wanzhao’s lips curved upward.

In that gaze, there was a faint hint of flirtatiousness—the same look from that night.

Seeing this, Yu Qingkong turned her head back and stared at her computer screen.

A while later, the meeting ended.

After Yu Qingkong returned to her office, she let out a long, heavy sigh.

Her head felt like it was about to explode.

**********************************

At noon.

While Yu Qingkong was eating alone in the cafeteria, Zhang Xue sat down opposite her with a tray of food, sighing.

“Talk about a new official bringing a clean sweep…”

Moreover, the CEO was like a “smiling tiger.”

She appeared charming and easy to communicate with on the surface, but her way of doing things was quite different—whoever crossed her was in for bad luck.

“You must have been busy to death today, right?” Yu Qingkong picked up a piece of green vegetable and put it in her mouth.

“More than that. I feel like I could prepare for the civil service exam for the Underworld early, just in case I drop dead suddenly without being prepared…”

Zhang Xue used her spoon to stir her pork rib soup.

“Big Boss Lin spent today hacking away at everything, restructuring the entire company. Even now, she’s still going department by department to make adjustments.”

“Everyone in HR is busy as hell, handling procedures while posting job ads, and even comforting a few young girls who were crying after being demoted.”

Yu Qingkong arched an eyebrow but didn’t offer an opinion.

“But,” Zhang Xue took a bite of rice and looked at Yu Qingkong.

“The CEO is really beautiful. That figure, that neck, that collarbone—wow, I’ve got nothing to say. It makes me, a woman, want to reach out and touch her!”

Zhang Xue’s words acted like a trigger, pulling Yu Qingkong’s thoughts back to the night before last.

That sweet breath, those soft lips…

It felt as if they were haunting her even now, making her entire body feel uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong? You seem a bit off today.” Zhang Xue couldn’t help but ask.

Usually, Yu Qingkong was someone who loved to smile and talk, but today she looked like a punctured balloon.

“Nothing,” Yu Qingkong set down her chopsticks and picked up her tray to walk toward the recycling conveyor belt.

“We’re all women, what’s there to touch?”

Hearing this, Zhang Xue bit the tip of her chopsticks and dithered; it was just a joke.

It was true—Yu Qingkong was indeed strange today! Very strange!

After Yu Qingkong placed her tray on the belt, she frowned and reached out to touch the back of her neck.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, a pair of hands holding a tray appeared beside her.

Those hands were clean and fair, with the faint blue veins visible beneath the skin.

Immediately following that, a familiar voice drifted into Yu Qingkong’s ears.

– The food in this cafeteria tastes quite good.

Yu Qingkong turned her head to see Lin Wanzhao standing beside her, staring at her with a smile.

“It is quite good.” Yu Qingkong turned back, raising a hand to touch her nose as she nodded.

She didn’t know what Lin Wanzhao was thinking or what she wanted to do, so she remained alert.

“Yu. Qing. Kong.”

Lin Wanzhao parted her lips slightly, enunciating each syllable of her name.

“Yes.” Yu Qingkong nodded, staring into her smiling eyes, unsure of her intent.

Then, Lin Wanzhao patted her shoulder and walked gracefully around her.

“At four-thirty this afternoon, organize the performance evaluation charts for the employees in your marketing department for this quarter…”

As she spoke, Lin Wanzhao leaned in close to Yu Qingkong’s ear.

“Then come to my office for a moment.”

Afterward, the corners of Lin Wanzhao’s lips curled, and she left the cafeteria with light steps.

Her black hair brushed against her well-defined back, looking exceptionally alluring.

Yu Qingkong watched her figure from the side, feeling as if she were being entwined by a vine climbing out of an abyss.

“Is it your department’s turn already?”

At this moment, Zhang Xue came running over to Yu Qingkong’s side with her tray.

Yu Qingkong looked at her and nodded.

“Good luck. You’re the ‘strongest’!” Zhang Xue looked at her with an expression that said, ‘Have a safe trip to the afterlife.’

Yu Qingkong didn’t say much.

Only when she walked out of the cafeteria did she pause, narrowing her eyes as she tugged at her collar to catch her breath.

*************************************

At around four-twenty in the afternoon, Yu Qingkong straightened a stack of documents and tucked them under her arm as she walked out.

Upon arriving at the CEO’s office, Yu Qingkong looked down at the time, closed her eyes, and sighed.

Ultimately, she knocked on the door. It was just delivering something.

“Come in.”

Hearing that, Yu Qingkong opened the door and walked inside.

In the spacious and bright office, Lin Wanzhao was sitting behind her desk, holding a mouse and looking at her computer.

Yu Qingkong walked over and placed the evaluation forms on the desk.

“CEO Lin, the items are here. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait.”

However, just as Yu Qingkong turned around, Lin Wanzhao called out to her.

Yu Qingkong had no choice but to stop.

“Tell me about their general situations,” Lin Wanzhao picked up the forms and looked at them for a while, pondering.

“What’s this Lu Yong like?”

“Just like his name—brave. He works solidly and with drive. His downside is that his learning ability isn’t very strong.”

Yu Qingkong turned and walked back toward her, standing beside the desk.

“Oh…” Lin Wanzhao nodded.

Then she also stood up, holding the evaluation forms as she walked to Yu Qingkong’s side and leaned back against the desk.

“And Chen Jingli?”

Yu Qingkong didn’t look at her, instead focusing on the desktop.

“Her work efficiency is high. She’s good at summarizing routines and experience. Not long after joining, she won first place in quarterly sales.”

“Oh…” Lin Wanzhao gave the evaluation forms a flick, drawing out her response.

The floral scent on her was quite intoxicating.

“Is there anything else you want to know?” Yu Qingkong asked.

“You.”

At that moment, Lin Wanzhao reached out her finger and gently poked Yu Qingkong’s shoulder.

Although her strength was light, Yu Qingkong felt the heat from her fingertip was enough to penetrate her clothes and reach her skin.

Inexplicably, Yu Qingkong’s heart skipped a beat.

Then, Yu Qingkong turned her head slightly.

“Those involved are confused, while onlookers see clearly. Therefore, my own view of myself isn’t accurate. Although I think I’m doing okay, it’s not objective. It’s unavoidable to be like a house cat that always thinks it’s a tiger.”

“Is that so? It seems that if I want to understand you, I have to rely on myself…”

Lin Wanzhao leaned over, her eyes darting as she observed her face.

“Speaking of which, the ‘you’ at night and the ‘you’ during the day are truly night and day. There really is a need for someone to get to know you well…”

Hearing this, Yu Qingkong immediately turned her head to look into Lin Wanzhao’s amber eyes.

Because the distance was so close, she could fully feel Lin Wanzhao’s warm breath.

That breath was like a vine climbing onto her body, spreading out bit by bit toward her surroundings, eroding everything—including her sanity.

Afterward, Lin Wanzhao reached out, hooked Yu Qingkong’s collar to straighten it, and pressed her red lips together.

Her voice was low.

“After work later, do you have time?”