Qin Yuerong's expression seemed a little lost.
Zhuo Ling casually sat opposite him and said, "Whether it was before or now, if we set aside a little bit of self-interest, to me, you are no different from a passerby on the street. You don't need to imagine that I like you or dislike you, because neither is true."
His face looked a little unpleasant. He moved his lips as if to say something, but stopped.
Finally, he said, "I'm sorry, I seem to have caused you trouble. I just felt that we shouldn't be like this. Between us, there should be some story."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Lu appeared at the office door with coffee.
She felt incredibly awkward.
Originally, she thought he was here to discuss cooperation. Although a bit conceited, she never expected him to be interested in her boss.
What was all this?
If it were before she met Chong Yan, Zhou Lu would definitely have supported them. But now, her boss's heart was entirely with Chong Yan, making the possibility of falling for someone else very slim.
"Director Qin, please have some coffee."
"Thank you."
As she put down the coffee and was about to leave, Zhuo Ling stopped her. "Has Professor Lu arrived?"
"Yes, he and Brother Zhao's office are downstairs, and it's all set up."
"That's good."
Zhou Lu walked out.
Zhuo Ling continued his previous line of thought. "There will be no story between us. You're thinking too much."
This was a person trapped in his script.
In that world at that time, if it weren't for a series of changes, he and Gu Ling could indeed have ended up together.
But the changes weren't caused by her, and she wasn't obligated to help him move on.
Qin Yuerong's expression turned dejected.
He looked around, and after a moment, seemed to remember something. He asked, "Are you opening a media company? For Chong Yan?"
"Yes."
Qin Yuerong shifted his posture. "If needed, Tian Yue's resources can be made available for him to choose from."
Zhuo Ling let out a laugh, a hint of mockery in her voice. "I said that my people don't need to take things from others, whether it was before or now."
Qin Yuerong was choked by her words and was speechless for a moment.
She had witnessed this person's capabilities and indeed, he didn't seem to need his help.
"If there's nothing else, you can go. I'm a bit busy."
Qin Yuerong silently stood up to leave. Zhuo Ling spoke from behind him. "A word of advice: if even death cannot separate two people, then nothing else can. Your self-indulgence will only confuse me, it will never move me, much less affect us in any way. So, give up early."
Her words were blunt and hurtful. Qin Yuerong suddenly felt as if the blood in his body was surging upwards.
He paused, then slowly said, "I will try."
He then turned and walked out of the office.
Zhou Lu stood at the door, nodded at him, and after watching him leave, she couldn't wait to go in.
Seeing Zhuo Ling's calm expression, and then thinking about the harsh words she had just uttered, Zhou Lu trembled.
"I didn't expect you to be so righteous. That's the Chairman of Qin Corporation. If you had agreed to him, we'd be soaring by tomorrow."
Zhuo Ling shot her a sideways glance. "If you want to soar, I can make it happen for you right now."
Zhou Lu: "..."
She shivered and quickly shook her head. "No, I don't want to."
"Then stop talking such nonsense."
She sat down opposite her. "But I'm still very curious. You've only met a few times, how can he be so deeply in love with you? This affection seems to have come out of nowhere."
"Perhaps he trusts his intuition too much." Zhuo Ling clearly didn't want to talk about him. "Did you ask me to come back just for this?"
"Isn't this enough?" Zhou Lu put on an exaggerated expression. "The Chairman of Qin Corporation personally came, specifically asking to see you. I couldn't just turn him away. Although, if I had known he was interested... I could have toyed with him a bit."
Zhuo Ling waved her hand. "Don't let him in again in the future."
Zhou Lu felt exhausted listening to her dismissive tone.
She thought, he was the chairman of a corporation, and she was just an ordinary agent. Their company was less than a month old. If she dared to refuse the meeting, what if he had her blacklisted?
But this person was her direct superior, her benefactor.
"Alright then, I'll be careful in the future."
Zhuo Ling got up to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"Is there anything else?"
"There are plenty of things. You're now responsible for all company decisions. Don't be a hands-off manager all day. A new company is like a child; if you don't take good care of it, it might disappear one day."
Zhuo Ling didn't want to talk about this with her. She directly asked, "What is it?"
Zhou Lu said, "First, there are some expenses for the company's establishment. Finance is still calculating the reports. Then, the studio on the 16th floor is delaying its move. We need to contact the sales office. I've used the software you gave me to create an employee information sheet. You can review it when you have time. Salaries have also been adjusted accordingly. Do you think it's reasonable?"
"For the expenses, ask the finance department to report directly to me during the meeting. You contact the sales office. I don't need to look at the employee sheet; I'm aware of everything. Salaries will be as discussed for now. Anyone with objections can raise them, and we'll adjust accordingly."
Zhou Lu felt she was being a hands-off manager again and glared. "I asked you to handle the problems, why are you pushing them all onto me?"
"You can push them onto the people below you as well." She started walking out.
Zhou Lu chased after her. "Don't be like this. How can we build an excellent corporate culture by passing responsibilities back and forth? If you don't want to manage it, let's find a professional manager, have him be the CEO, and you can continue to act with me. I think that would be easier."
She had just said it casually, but Zhuo Ling turned around and thought about it seriously. "Okay, go find one."
Zhou Lu: "..."
What could she do? She was also desperate.
Having a boss like this was truly terrible luck.
A CEO... no, a talent. The best way to find one is to poach from other companies. But they were a newly established small company with little to offer. If they lured someone with money, they might just abscond with the funds.
After much thought, Zhou Lu decided to start with people she knew. She knew quite a few people, including some high-level management from other companies who would be sufficient here.
Then, as she looked, she realized that the agent she had found for Chong Yan was a good candidate.
He had a bachelor's degree in management from a top domestic university and was pursuing a master's degree in finance at an Ivy League school in the United States. Three years ago, due to the Alien incident, he had taken a leave of absence for nearly a year and eventually dropped out of school.
But clearly, he was more than capable.
So she immediately made a call and asked him to come back.
Chong Yan's agent was a 26-year-old young man. Due to dropping out of school mid-way, it wasn't easy for him to find a particularly good job. He was quite satisfied with his work as an agent.
He just didn't expect that after only two months, he would suddenly become a CEO.