Chapter 1 I Stood by the Window for a Long Time

I stood by the window for a long time until I heard a knock on the door and turned around. Pei Xianglong had already walked in.

Seeing me standing motionless, he asked, "Haven't you tidied up?"

"I have, I'll just sweep it later."

"There are dedicated people for cleaning. Let's go to the meeting first."

"Okay."

Pei Xianglong led me to a conference room on the far right of the floor. It was very large. When we went in, everyone was already there, including Pei Shiyu's assistant. I scanned the people present and realized I only knew her. She was also curiously staring at me, and I immediately gave her a smile.

Pei Xianglong went straight to the head seat and sat down, then said to the person on his right, "Xiao Yang, switch seats."

Then he immediately looked at me and said, "Lin Che, you sit here."

As soon as I sat down, I heard Pei Xianglong say, "Today, taking the opportunity of the monthly meeting, I would like to introduce to you all, this is Lin Che, who will take over Pei Shiang's position in the future. Things will continue as they were before. All departments must follow up and cooperate."

Then Pei Xianglong said humorously, "Lin Che, would you like to say a few words?"

I immediately婉转地拒绝 (wǎn zhuǎn de jù jué – politely declined), "Let's skip it today."

Everyone sitting here is more capable than me. I'm not familiar with them yet, and I don't have much experience to introduce myself, so I didn't want to give a speech today.

The meeting was very brief, focusing only on a few key work projects and each department reporting their monthly performance to Pei Xianglong. Before getting up, Pei Xianglong told me, "I'll go back to the office first. You should get to know the personnel in each department and have them introduce themselves."

These words seemed to be spoken to me, but at the same time, they were also meant for them to hear. As soon as Pei Xianglong left, they all gathered around, introducing their respective departments. At this time, a man about my age walked up to me and said:

"My name is Liu Nan. I used to handle President Pei's affairs, so..."

I was stunned for a moment and asked, "President Pei? Which one?"

"The one who passed away..."

"Oh?"

Just as I didn't know how to respond, I suddenly remembered what Pei Xianglong said when he left—things will continue as they were before!

"Then go to my office later."

I observed the heads of the various departments. There were more women than men, and they all seemed young, mainly around forty years old. I felt that it would be difficult to manage them well without some real ability.

I didn't want to deal with them on my first day, so I smiled and said in a serious tone, "Let's dismiss for today."

Then I said to Liu Nan, "Come with me."

I walked directly out of the conference room. Pei Shiyu's assistant was there, and remembering what happened before, I felt like someone was grabbing my neck, and my heart felt uneasy.

I walked into the office, and Liu Nan followed behind me. I felt that Pei Xianglong had somewhat overlooked my feelings, directly appointing me to this position without giving me time to gain experience. I could describe myself as completely ignorant of the work.

"Ask someone to clean the office later, and give me a rough list of President Pei's previous work."

"Okay." Liu Nan seemed very easy-going.

"Since I'm starting work here today, I'm not yet familiar with the work. I'll need your guidance during this time."

"You're too kind. Just ask me directly if you don't understand anything."

"Okay, you can go out first."

Afterward, I went next door. The door was open, so I walked straight in. Pei Xianglong was on the phone. When he saw me enter, he immediately ended the call and asked me with a smile, "How is it?"

"I don't feel confident. I have no clue right now," I replied honestly.

"Today is just to introduce you to the company's personnel. Take your time. Stay by my side for a while. It's not like I'm asking you to be a clerk. What are you nervous about? You just need to lead this team well. If you don't understand anything, let Liu Nan do it."

"Am I just a decoration?" I asked him, a little confused.

"What are you rushing for on your first day? You'll gradually get into the swing of things. You don't even understand the company's structure yet, so of course, you'll feel a little lost."

"It's not a little lost, it's completely clueless."

"Today's purpose is to let them know that you are my confidant, understand?"

"A spy?" I asked in surprise.

Pei Xianglong's words made me more and more confused. Unless there was a problem internally, he sent me to the company as a spy, with a kind of lure-the-snake-out-of-its-hole meaning.

"You're quite sharp. Let me put it this way, since Shiang left, I haven't been in charge for a while, and the company's internal affairs have become very lax. During this time, you just need to keep them in check. You don't have to worry about anything else for the time being. I'll slowly ask you to do official business."

After hearing these words, I finally breathed a sigh of relief and completely understood Pei Xianglong's intentions. The lack of a leader for some time had probably caused internal carelessness, and he wanted to use me to shock them.

"Sit down, let's have some tea together." Pei Xianglong pointed to the sofa gently.

"Are we not going out today?"

"There are no arrangements for the morning. I have to go out in the afternoon. You can come with me."

"Oh, okay."

As soon as I finished speaking, Pei Xianglong changed his mind again, "You should stay at the company. I'll take you when things are stable."

Then, taking out a tea set from under the coffee table, he instructed me, "Go get a pot of water and boil it first. If you have nothing to do in the morning, just enjoy yourself and chat."

I had just picked up the kettle when Liu Nan stood at the door and asked, "President Lin, is it just a general cleaning? Do you want the drawers wiped?"

"Uh...?" I couldn't react for a moment.

"Just clean the floor and the desk. They're already dusty." After a moment of愣了一下 (lèng le yī xià - being stunned), I replied.

"Oh, I see."

Then I didn't leave directly, but holding the kettle, I asked Pei Xianglong, "Is it appropriate to call me President Lin?"

Pei Xianglong didn't even raise his head and said, "How else can you manage them if they don't call you President Lin?"

"So it's a real title?"

"Of course, you have to show some authority. Don't look so insecure."

"Don't worry, I was just clumsy because I couldn't figure things out. Now that you've pointed it out, I have a good idea of what to do."

"That's the effect I want, so don't go to Shiyu's place. It's more suitable for you to stay here."

"But that side is also managed by you."

"I can't manage it anymore. When she first took office, she often asked me, but look at her being abroad for so long, not even a single phone call. Obviously, she thinks her abilities are stronger than mine."

"She's just thinking about the big picture. This trip abroad is quite tiring. They just negotiated a project for a long time."

I said something fair for Pei Shiyu.

"Okay, go get the water."

The office was quite large. Besides the bathroom, I found another door, which must be for resting. I didn't know if Pei Xianglong liked dark colors. Except for the white toilet, the floor tiles and the sink were all black, but the overall look was quite high-end.