Hearing him being called "President Lin" left Xu Lin and the other two stunned. All three of them turned in unison to look at Lin Jiang.
Pointing at Xu Lin’s store, Lin Jiang said,
"This is my friend’s store. This guy, Fu Yaohua, said the product display is substandard. You’re the professionals, so come take a look and see if there’s really a problem."
Huang Youwei and He Jing were both sharp people and immediately understood the subtext in Lin Jiang’s words. Still, they made a token gesture of looking inside.
"The display is very neat and well-organized. It could be a benchmark for the entire mall."
Huang Youwei said with a chuckle,
"I know this store. The quality of their products is good, and the prices aren’t high. I even came here to buy some medicine not long ago."
"Now take a look at the one across the way. Manager Fu said their setup was good. Let’s see if that’s true."
The two of them walked over to the other woman’s counter and glanced inside, but they didn’t say a word before turning back to face Fu Yaohua.
"What kind of inspection did you do? The price tags are placed incorrectly, and there’s a bunch of stuff piled up in the corner. Is this what you call ’good’?"
"President Huang, I..."
Fu Yaohua stammered, unable to get a single word out.
"I’ll deal with you later!"
After scolding Fu Yaohua, Huang Youwei returned to Lin Jiang’s side with a smile.
"President Lin, Manager Fu’s handling of this was indeed problematic. His work methods and attitude also have issues. We will definitely handle this."
"Mm."
Lin Jiang nodded. "Let’s go. I needed to talk to you two about something anyway."
"I’ll go notify the management team for a meeting right now," He Jing said perceptively.
"No need to go to all that trouble. I’ll just tell you two, and you can pass the message down."
"Yes, yes, of course."
As they left, Lin Jiang smiled, looked back, and winked at Xu Lin. She responded by motioning to her phone.
The gesture meant for him to call her when he was done.
Following Huang Youwei and He Jing, the three of them went up to the fifth floor together.
"President Lin, the office we reserved for you is ready. I’ll take you to see it."
"Alright, lead the way."
The three arrived at the new office. At over sixty square meters, it was quite spacious.
The walls had just been painted, and some spots were still wet. The office supplies were all new. The only drawback was that the style was a bit dated.
’But it doesn’t matter. I won’t be spending much time here anyway.’
Lin Jiang sat down in the office chair. It was quite comfortable.
"Have a seat. No need to be so formal."
Huang Youwei sat down.
Just then, his secretary walked in with a tea tray. He Jing stepped forward, took it from her, poured a cup of tea for Lin Jiang and Huang Youwei, and then stood off to the side.
"President Lin, this incident was indeed our oversight. I will notify HR as soon as possible to process Fu Yaohua’s termination."
"You’ll find people like that everywhere. Just deal with it promptly."
Huang Youwei let out a breath of relief. ’President Lin is still very reasonable.’
"But what were you thinking, allowing two Chinese medicine shops in one mall? Don’t you understand something so basic? What the hell is the business development department even doing?"
"You’re right, President Lin. It is indeed a problem. I will definitely handle it." A cold sweat broke out on Huang Youwei’s back, and he now dared to only sit on the edge of his seat.
"The owner of Hengxin Chinese Medicine Store is your friend. How about we offer her a Class-B contract?"
The so-called Class-B contract was similar to the one signed by the noodle shop, with only minor differences in the details.
"Give her a Class-A. We’re not hurting for that little bit of money."
The so-called Class-A contracts were reserved for major international brands. They were practically free, with only a symbolic management fee.
Standing to the side, He Jing thought of Xu Lin, whom she had just met.
’He’s offering a Class-A contract right off the bat. Their relationship must be something special.’
’If my relationship with President Lin were a little deeper, that vice-president position would probably be mine.’
"Understood, President Lin. Starting today, we will focus on rectifying the mall’s existing problems and strive to elevate our service quality to the next level."
Lin Jiang nodded and fell silent for a few seconds.
"It’s been almost twenty years since the mall was built, right?"
"Eighteen years, to be exact."
"The mall’s interior and exterior design are a bit behind the times. I want you to coordinate with the other departments and come up with a renovation plan. Optimize both the interior and exterior, and upgrade the decor. Start working on this, and give me the proposal when it’s ready."
"Understood, President Lin."
"Alright, you can go back to your work."
"Then I won’t disturb you any further, President Lin."
Huang Youwei stood up and left with He Jing.
As she was leaving, He Jing gave Lin Jiang a lingering, reluctant glance, her eyes practically overflowing with flirtatious charm.
He leaned back, propping his feet up on the desk.
There was a message on his phone from Xu Lin, asking if he had eaten lunch.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—
Just as Lin Jiang was replying to Xu Lin’s message, there was a knock on his office door.
"Come in."
The person outside pushed the door open. It was He Jing, standing in the doorway.
"President Lin."
Just as Lin Jiang was about to speak, a game notification suddenly appeared in his mind.
[Pet detected. Capture?]
[Hunger Level: 60%]
[Capture Condition: Feed the pet until its hunger level reaches zero.]
Seeing the red arrow above He Jing’s head, Lin Jiang froze for a moment.
’You can play it like this?’
’But what exactly does it mean to "feed" her?’
’Am I supposed to feed her through a tube, projectile-style?’
"Come in, have a seat."
Lin Jiang had a pretty good impression of He Jing. She had helped him out quite a bit when Liu Jinting was causing trouble for him.
Plus, with a figure that looked like it came straight out of a Korean webtoon, it was hard to see her as just a subordinate.
But figuring out how to "feed" her was going to be a technical challenge.
After coming in, He Jing closed the door, and the CLICK-CLACK-CLICK of her high heels echoed as she walked over to stand in front of Lin Jiang.
"Did you need me for something?"
"I’m also partially responsible for business development, so I have a share of the blame in this matter. I came to admit my mistake to you, President Lin."
He Jing smiled, but her smile was somewhat reserved.
’Admitting her mistake...’
Lin Jiang mused to himself. ’The responsibility for this incident lay with Ma Shangxi; it had nothing to do with He Jing.’
’For her to come and say this now... she clearly has an ulterior motive.’
"I’m not an unreasonable person. I’m well aware of where the root of the problem lies, so you don’t need to overthink it."
"Thank you, President Lin. We have each other’s contact information. If anything comes up at the mall in the future, you can just call me directly," He Jing explained.
"I don’t mean to overstep my bounds, of course. For major issues, you should still go to President Huang. But for small matters or errands, you can just find me."
Lin Jiang smiled. ’So she’s volunteering herself.’
"The problem is, that’s all work for a secretary, not for a manager like you."
"It’s more or less the same," He Jing laughed.
"If President Lin happens to need a secretary, I could be your secretary too."
"So you’re my secretary. Are you ready to work?"
He Jing suddenly lowered her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear to hide her racing heart.
"Ready to... work."
Leaning back in his chair, Lin Jiang sized He Jing up and down.
"How exactly are you ready to ’work’? Tell me about it."
He Jing stood rooted to the spot, neither moving nor speaking.
Lin Jiang wasn’t in a hurry either, just waiting for her.
After a few seconds, He Jing quietly walked to the door, discreetly locked it from the inside, and then quietly returned to Lin Jiang.
This time, however, she didn’t stop on the other side of the desk. Instead, she came right up to Lin Jiang’s side and unbuttoned her blouse in front of him.
About an hour later, a game notification appeared.
[Pet capture successful.]
[Hunger Level: 0%]
[Skill: Swift Sonata]
[When performing an accelerated charge, there is a 30% chance to trigger a 30% speed boost. If the opponent is in a state of surrender or is disarmed, the speed boost increases to 50%.]
[When the pet’s hunger level reaches 30%, the trigger probability and speed boost are halved. At a hunger level of 50%, the Swift Sonata Skill cannot be used.]
’Holy shit!’
’So there’s this kind of high-level gameplay too.’
[You have grasped the pet feeding technique. Comprehension +1]
BURP~~~
He Jing stood up and let out a satisfied burp.
She really wasn’t hungry anymore.
"President Lin..."
He Jing’s eyes were alluring as she said in a sweet, delicate voice,
"Can I be your secretary now?"
"Don’t worry about being a secretary. The mall has a vacant vice-president position. You can take over Liu Jinting’s spot and manage the mall for me."
"Thank you, President Lin! I’ll definitely work hard."
"You’re in the deputy position for now. If you do a good job, I’ll promote you to Huang Youwei’s position."
He Jing’s heart raced. She never expected that taking the initiative once would yield such a reward.
"Don’t worry, President Lin. I’ll definitely do a good job."
"Go on, get back to your work."
"I’ll take my leave then, President Lin."
"Mm."
After He Jing left, Lin Jiang sent a message to Xu Lin, telling her he was in his office and that she could come find him.
Xu Lin arrived a few minutes later, carrying sea cucumbers and ginseng.
Seeing Lin Jiang in his office chair, Xu Lin turned to lock the door, then strode over to him and wrapped her hands around his waist.
"You little rascal, you became the big boss of Berkeley and didn’t even tell me. You let me get pushed around for days for nothing."
"I’ve been too busy these past few days. I barely even replied to your messages."
Lin Jiang placed his hand on Xu Lin’s butt.
"Actually, I’m not the President of Berkeley. It’s more accurate to say I’m the owner. I bought the whole place."
"Ah?!"
Xu Lin was so shocked she couldn’t keep her legs together.
"You... you bought it...?"
"That’s right."
Xu Lin cupped Lin Jiang’s face in her hands and just stared at him for more than ten seconds.
"I feel like I can’t quite figure you out anymore. It’s a little hard to believe."
"You think I can’t afford it?"
"No, it’s that I feel like I’ve been blessed by the heavens. I’m just an ordinary woman, and I never thought I’d one day become involved with someone like you. It feels like a dream."
SLAP!
"Ahh—"
Lin Jiang gave her rear a hard slap, and Xu Lin let out a sharp cry.
"Why’d you have to hit me so hard?"
"Does it hurt?"
"It hurts."
"Then you’re not dreaming."
"You devil..."
Xu Lin hiked up her pencil skirt, spread her legs, and straddled Lin Jiang’s lap.
Lin Jiang had a feeling he was in for another battle today.
’Good thing I have my Pure Yang Physique and Silver-level Kidney. Two of my kidneys are stronger than six normal ones; I have no fear of back-to-back battles.’
’I can also take this opportunity to test out my new skill and see how well it works.’
"Let me give you a kiss..."
His hands on Xu Lin’s waist, he asked, "Just a kiss?"
"If you can hold back, then I’ll only give you one kiss."
Lin Jiang picked Xu Lin up and placed her on the desk.
"Time to unlock a new scene."
"You devil."
Looking at Xu Lin collapsed on the sofa, Lin Jiang contentedly put his clothes back on.
’The skill’s trigger rate is pretty high. By the halfway point, it was basically triggering at 50%.’
’Very nice.’
About twenty minutes later, Xu Lin managed to sit up from the sofa.
"I am never doing this here again."
"You don’t like this scene?"
"It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s that I feel like I’m going to fall apart. I don’t even want to move now that we’re done."
Xu Lin’s hair was a mess. She leaned against the sofa, weak and breathless, and said,
"How come I feel like you have more stamina than before? You haven’t been working out somewhere, have you?"
"I train a little here and there."
"You’re going to be the death of me. Please, spare me."
Xu Lin straightened her clothes and skirt. "Next time, I’m picking a place where I can go straight to sleep afterward."
’The speed-up effect really is instantaneous. If even Xu Lin can’t handle it, no one else stands a chance.’
"No problem," Lin Jiang said with a smile.
"I’ll take you out for a good meal tonight to help you recover your strength."
"I don’t think I can tonight. I have to take Xuanxuan to my mom’s for dinner," Xu Lin said, her cheeks flushed.
"You should eat some of the ginseng too. It replenishes your energy. No matter how incredible you are, you still have to take care of your body."
"Alrighty."
Leaving Berkeley Mall, the two of them got into their respective cars.
Seeing that it was about time, Lin Jiang called Chen Jingxian. There were a few things he needed to entrust to her.
’I wonder if I’ll have a chance to score a hat trick.’

Comments

Loading...