CHAPTER 4

Perfect… Yet Annoying

The executive floor of the company headquarters in Beijing remained as quiet and intimidating as ever.

Inside the CEO’s office, Lu Se Cheng sat behind his desk reviewing documents from the finance department. His expression was as cold as ice.

He had given his new secretary a difficult task earlier.

Every ongoing project.

Every upcoming product plan.

Most people would need at least two or three days to organize that amount of information.

Lu Se Cheng checked the time on his watch.

Three hours.

Not enough.

He closed the file in his hand.

Then—

Knock. Knock.

The knock was calm and precise.

Lu Se Cheng’s eyes lifted slightly.

“Come in.”

The door opened.

Shi Yan walked in carrying several neatly arranged folders and a tablet.

His expression remained calm and professional.

Lu Se Cheng frowned slightly.

Already?

Shi Yan walked toward the desk and placed the files in perfect order.

“CEO Lu, the information you requested.”

Lu Se Cheng leaned back slightly, folding his arms.

“You finished already?”

His tone carried obvious doubt.

Shi Yan nodded calmly.

“Yes.”

Lu Se Cheng stared at him for a moment before opening the first file.

The room fell silent again.

Page after page flipped.

Project timelines.

Investment details.

Market analysis.

Research department progress.

Supplier contracts.

Everything was arranged with frightening clarity.

Each file had summaries.

Important sections were marked.

Even potential problems were already noted.

Lu Se Cheng slowly turned the last page.

Then he looked up.

His sharp eyes landed directly on Shi Yan.

“Did you prepare these yourself?”

“Yes.”

His answer was simple.

Lu Se Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Three hours.”

His voice was calm but sharp.

“Most people need days.”

Shi Yan replied evenly.

“I’ve been working here for two years.”

“I already know most of the company’s project structures.”

Lu Se Cheng studied him for a few seconds.

Then he opened the tablet Shi Yan placed on the desk.

Inside it was a detailed digital report.

Graphs.

Statistics.

Market trends.

Everything organized perfectly.

Even the upcoming perfume product development timeline was included.

Lu Se Cheng’s fingers paused slightly on the screen.

This level of preparation…

For the first time, genuine interest flickered in his cold eyes.

But his expression quickly returned to normal.

He placed the tablet down.

“Not bad.”

It was a short compliment.

But from someone like Lu Se Cheng, it meant a lot.

Shi Yan simply nodded slightly.

“Thank you.”

His calm attitude made Lu Se Cheng’s eyes narrow again.

There was no excitement.

No attempt to gain favor.

Just professionalism.

Too calm.

Too composed.

Almost like he didn’t care whether Lu Se Cheng approved or not.

That feeling…

Annoyed him.

Lu Se Cheng tapped the desk lightly.

“You seem very confident.”

Shi Yan looked at him.

“I’m simply doing my job.”

His tone was respectful.

But his calm gaze almost looked like quiet defiance.

Lu Se Cheng leaned forward slightly.

“Most employees try to impress their boss.”

“But you…”

His voice turned colder.

“You act like you’re already certain of your position.”

Shi Yan didn’t react.

He simply answered.

“I only believe in results.”

Silence filled the office.

For a moment, the air between them felt strangely tense.

Lu Se Cheng stared at him.

This man…

Why does he talk like he’s not afraid of me at all?

It was rare.

Very rare.

And strangely irritating.

He closed the file and leaned back again.

“You’re efficient.”

Another short compliment.

“But don’t misunderstand.”

His voice became sharp again.

“This only proves you’re capable of basic tasks.”

Shi Yan nodded calmly.

“I understand.”

That calm response again.

Lu Se Cheng’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

Does nothing shake this man?

He suddenly gave another order.

“The marketing department report.”

“I want a new market strategy proposal for our next perfume launch.”

Shi Yan replied immediately.

“I’ve already prepared a preliminary strategy.”

He pulled another folder from his stack.

Lu Se Cheng paused.

“You… already prepared it?”

“Yes.”

Shi Yan placed the file on the desk.

“I anticipated that the new CEO might want to review product strategy.”

“So I prepared a proposal.”

Lu Se Cheng slowly opened the file.

His eyes scanned the pages.

Market positioning.

Luxury branding.

International expansion.

Online promotion channels.

Influencer marketing strategies.

The proposal was extremely detailed.

Lu Se Cheng’s fingers paused on the last page.

He looked up again.

His gaze was deeper this time.

“You anticipated my request.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Shi Yan answered calmly.

“A CEO who invests 200 million to acquire a perfume company will definitely prioritize product restructuring.”

Silence.

Then Lu Se Cheng slowly closed the file.

A faint smirk appeared on his lips.

Not warm.

But sharp.

“You’re either very smart…”

His eyes locked onto Shi Yan.

“Or very arrogant.”

Shi Yan met his gaze.

“Just experienced.”

For a moment, the room became completely silent.

Then Lu Se Cheng suddenly let out a short laugh.

It was rare.

Cold but genuine.

“Interesting.”

But immediately after, his expression turned serious again.

“Secretary Shi.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t mistake my patience for approval.”

Shi Yan replied calmly.

“I won’t.”

Lu Se Cheng pointed at the documents.

“For now…”

“You can keep your position.”

A small pause followed.

“But if you make even one mistake…”

His voice became ice cold again.

“I won’t hesitate to replace you.”

Shi Yan nodded slightly.

“I’ll remember that.”

Then he gathered the remaining files.

“Is there anything else, CEO Lu?”

Lu Se Cheng studied him for another moment.

Then he waved his hand.

“That’s all.”

Shi Yan nodded politely and turned to leave.

The office door closed quietly behind him.

Inside the office, Lu Se Cheng leaned back in his chair again.

His eyes moved toward the neatly organized documents on his desk.

His fingers tapped the table slowly.

“Shi Yan…”

He repeated the name again.

Something about this man bothered him.

Too capable.

Too calm.

Too confident.

Almost like he had nothing to fear.

Lu Se Cheng’s eyes darkened slightly.

“Let’s see…”

“How long that confidence lasts.”

Meanwhile outside the office—

Shi Yan walked down the hallway toward his desk.

His expression finally relaxed slightly.

He knew one thing clearly.

He had passed the first test.

But he also knew something else.

Working under Lu Se Cheng…

Would never be easy.

Shi Yan looked toward the large glass office at the end of the hallway.

His old bully.

Now his boss.

And this was only the beginning.

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