Chapter 142: Chapter 139: Ye Chen Returns

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Everyone lowered their heads to check the time, and immediately a wave of frustration erupted inside the elevator. One by one, they were so caught up in the commotion that they forgot they were supposed to be going upstairs. Then, all eyes turned to Li Ruo. Ye Chen also fixed his gaze on Li Ruo, smiling cheerfully as he asked, "President Li, what do you think?"

"Hmm," Li Ruo nodded and said, "Since the company has this rule, then we’ll just follow it."

Deputy Director Qian’s face darkened. It was well known that a single violation meant losing the full attendance bonus for the month. Everyone cared less about the fifty yuan fine for being late and more about the attendance bonus, since one tardiness could dash their hopes for the whole month. That was why Deputy Director Qian harbored a deep hatred for Ye Chen. Five hundred yuan—the cost of a single piece of clothing—was gone. Although he was deputy director, his salary was just over ten thousand yuan, so five hundred was the equivalent of one of his own outfits.

Whistling proudly, Ye Chen swaggered inside, smiling brightly at Li Ruo. “President Li, truly leading by example. Excellent, excellent—here’s a meat bun as a reward for you!”

Li Ruo’s beautiful eyes widened in shock. She stared at Ye Chen in disbelief, thinking to herself, This bastard actually dares to tease me in front of so many people. Could it be that he intends to shove that meat bun at me? A flicker of panic flashed in her eyes. The surrounding employees were stunned by the unexpected turn of events—they knew this day was far from ordinary. However, Deputy Director Qian’s massive frame stood like a wall between Ye Chen and Li Ruo, preventing any closer approach.

When the elevator reached the tenth floor, Ye Chen stepped out, and Li Ruo finally breathed a sigh of relief, lightly patting her chest. But just as the elevator door was about to close, Ye Chen’s head suddenly popped back in. With both hands holding the elevator doors open, he grinned at Li Ruo. “President Li, I’ll come by your office later to discuss the Northern City District project!”

“Ah… okay… okay!” Li Ruo was so startled she nearly fainted. Ye Chen’s antics had almost scared her senseless. The elevator was empty upon arrival at the tenth floor, so a sudden head popping out was enough to make anyone jump.

“Goodbye!” Ye Chen slipped out again like a ghost.

Li Ruo stared at the elevator doors until they closed, still uneasy, afraid Ye Chen might open them again. Ye Chen walked out with his hands in his pockets, whistling as he headed toward Sales Team One.

“Ye Chen!” Fang Fei suddenly lunged at him.

“Haha… my compatriots, I’m back!” Ye Chen swept Fang Fei into his arms, wrapping his hands around her slender waist and spinning her midair. The office erupted in applause. Liu Shang sat, looking plaintive and jealous. Seeing Fang Fei greet Ye Chen so warmly left him feeling deeply disappointed.

Fang Fei excitedly said, “Ye Chen, I heard you really humiliated Deputy Director Qian again today?”

“Haha, that’s nothing!” Ye Chen laughed heartily.

“Heehee, but it was you who last time made Deputy Director Qian strip down and show off his underwear in the lobby!” Fang Fei smiled.

“Haha…” Ye Chen laughed again.

Chen Qiong, Liu Ke, and the others soon gathered around. These women had a favorable impression of Ye Chen. After all, he was handsome and approachable. Although he’d become a leader, he carried no airs like past supervisors, who always wore stern faces as if everyone owed them a fortune.

“All right, this time I have a task for everyone!” Ye Chen stood before his desk, scanning the group. “Our sales team’s design proposal has been approved by the board. The official appointment letters will arrive soon. So, we must start moving ahead immediately.”

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“Ah?!” Everyone was stunned at first, then burst into joyful cheers. They looked at Ye Chen excitedly. “Ye Chen, is this for real? Has the project really been approved?”

“Yes!” Ye Chen nodded. “Now, we wait for development to begin. Let’s witness skyscrapers rising from the ground with our own eyes.”

Clapping and cheers filled the office. Everyone was thrilled. They knew the proposal for this land was the fruit of their hard work. Sometimes effort doesn’t guarantee success, but without effort, success is impossible. As Fang Fei, Chen Qiong, and the others realized their vision was about to become reality, tears of joy welled up.

“All right, everyone, prepare yourselves. Finish your tasks!” Ye Chen glanced around. “Let’s review the entire project once more to catch any oversights.”

“Yes, sir!” Fang Fei and the others nodded. As Ye Chen prepared to leave, Fang Fei playfully blew him a kiss. Ye Chen hurried out, unable to resist the little temptress’s charm. Whistling, he walked past others who whispered and pointed at his back. He didn’t mind—they treated him like an oddity at Tianya Group anyway.

On the twentieth floor, Ye Chen encountered Lin Ziwen descending the stairs. Seeing Ye Chen step out of the elevator, Lin Ziwen blushed slightly and smiled. “Ye Chen, you’re here? President Li is waiting for you.”

“Hehe, Assistant Lin, haven’t seen you for a few days. You look great—much prettier!” Ye Chen grinned.

“Ah…” Lin Ziwen was caught off guard, touching her smooth face awkwardly. “Is that so?”

“Days with a man around tend to be different, right?” Ye Chen chuckled and turned to leave. Lin Ziwen was momentarily speechless, only realizing after he vanished that people often said a woman with a man’s care looks more beautiful. She shook her fist at Ye Chen’s retreating figure, angry. “Bastard, you beast!”

But Ye Chen couldn’t hear her ire. He walked confidently to Li Ruo’s office, adjusted his hair, and knocked. A clear female voice replied, “Come in!”

Ye Chen gently pushed the door open, smiling as he entered. “President Li, I’m here!”

“Hmph!” Li Ruo snorted. Ye Chen was taken aback and quickly corrected himself, “Xiao Ruo, hehe!”

“You’re such a scoundrel, daring to bully me like that in the elevator today!” Li Ruo immediately stood and threw herself into his arms, pounding his chest playfully. Ye Chen held her tenderly, grinning. “Life needs some seasoning, haha…”

“By the way, is the matter I mentioned last time okay?” Li Ruo asked softly.

“Since I promised you, I’ll do my best!” Ye Chen looked at her seriously.

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“The board’s appointment has already been issued. I’ve sent it to all departments and asked them to cooperate fully with you!” Li Ruo smiled warmly. “You’re the acting vice president now, so you better save some face for me. If you can’t handle this, we’ll both lose face.”

“Don’t worry, President Li!” Ye Chen said solemnly.

“Hmph, call me Xiao Ruo!” Li Ruo snorted.

“Um… when do I call you Xiao Ruo, and when do I say President Li?” Ye Chen asked curiously.

“When I’m happy, call me Xiao Ruo; when I’m not, call me President Li!” Li Ruo pouted like an adorable sprite. This woman was truly bewitching—sometimes a cute little elf, sometimes a seductive temptress, sometimes a wistful Athena. She seemed to embody all the virtues and beauty of women in the world.

“All right then!” Ye Chen nodded, a slight smile curling his lips. He bent down and kissed Li Ruo’s rosy lips. Prepared, she entwined her pink tongue with his. Their kiss deepened as Ye Chen’s hands roamed over her shapely waist and hips, kneading the supple flesh firmly.

A burning desire surged from Ye Chen’s core, igniting his flesh and making his arousal press against Li Ruo’s secret place. Li Ruo arched her hips slightly, struggling under his touch. Ye Chen’s hand slid down beneath her short skirt, instantly brushing the edge of her underwear. His fingers traced the line and slipped inside, touching a few delicate petals.

Li Ruo’s heart fluttered. She opened her eyes wide and hastily pushed Ye Chen away, cheeks flushed. “Stop, don’t go on—we… we can’t do this!”

“Uh…” Ye Chen froze, surprised at his own lapse. Embarrassed, he smiled awkwardly. “Xiao Ruo, sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

“It’s okay, just don’t continue,” Li Ruo said, lowering her head, hands restless and unsure where to place themselves. Seeing this, Ye Chen quickly excused himself. Li Ruo nodded; staying longer would only make things more awkward.

Ye Chen left, and Li Ruo collapsed onto the sofa, sliding slowly down until she lay flat, eyes fixed on the ceiling as if trying to see through it to the sky beyond the railing.

Emerging from Li Ruo’s office, Ye Chen sniffed his finger, still carrying her subtle fragrance. He grinned. “Truly an exquisite woman.”

Exiting the office and stepping into the elevator, Ye Chen immediately sensed something different. Before, people looked at him as if he were an oddity, but now their gazes were unmistakably tinted with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

“Congratulations, Ye Chen!” The sales manager of Team Two approached, handing him a pack of Furongwang cigarettes with a smile. “Now that you’re promoted, don’t forget your brothers!”

“Yeah, Ye Chen, don’t forget us when you make it big!” Others gathered around.

Seeing their eager eyes and false smiles, Ye Chen understood. The appointment letter from Li Ruo must have arrived, and now everyone knew he was acting vice president. Ye Chen bowed slightly to the crowd, smiling calmly—neither arrogant nor servile.