Chapter 143: The Mask of Hypocrisy

Ye Chen had finally seen through the true faces of these people. These worldly individuals wore hypocritical masks, with their hearts set solely on money and power. For the sake of profit, they had no qualms about shedding their dignity. Looking at their hypocritical expressions, Ye Chen wore a calm and indifferent smile. Along the way, acquaintances and strangers alike offered him words of blessing. Ye Chen knew that their superficial smiles were entirely due to the fact that he temporarily wore the mantle of vice president.

"Ye Chen!" Suddenly, a thunderous voice came from behind him, causing Ye Chen to shudder. Slowly turning around, he saw all the employees in the corridor hastily turning their backs to him, pretending not to notice the two of them. Ye Chen knew that his personal jinx had arrived. Grinning, he said, "Oh, Deputy Director Qian? What's this? You actually have time to come looking for me again?"

The employees covered their mouths to suppress their laughter, amused by how Ye Chen's teasing remark made it sound as though Deputy Director Qian kept constant tabs on him.

"Ye Chen..." Deputy Director Qian suddenly squeezed out a smile, nervously twisting her hands together as she said, "I... I suddenly realized I was mistaken about many things. Your work performance last month was completely normal; therefore, your salary for last month will be issued as usual. The funds have already been transferred to your payroll account. Please verify it!"

Ye Chen was momentarily stunned. He reached up to touch his head, confirming he had no fever, and then pinched his cheek, feeling a slight sting. Bewildered, he muttered, "Not a dream, and no fever either."

By this time, Deputy Director Qian had already retreated into the elevator lobby. As Ye Chen gazed at her retreating figure, the surrounding employees suddenly burst into thunderous applause, cheering for Ye Chen. Everyone knew about the bitter feud between Deputy Director Qian and Ye Chen, yet none could have anticipated that Ye Chen's promotion would force her into an immediate surrender. After all, Ye Chen's new rank was now one level higher than Deputy Director Qian's. In the bureaucratic hierarchy of the corporate world, being outranked by even a single level could crush a person.

Feeling as though he were sleepwalking, Ye Chen drifted back into the office. Everyone inside immediately stood up, looking at him with solemn respect. Fang Fei, in particular, gazed at him with a grievance-stricken expression, tears welling up and spilling down her cheeks. Startled, Ye Chen looked around at the crowd and asked, "What... what is wrong with all of you?"

"Ye Chen, you... you're leaving us!" Fang Fei wiped away her tears, her beautiful phoenix eyes red and swollen.

Curious, Ye Chen asked, "Why would I be leaving you? I'm not going anywhere; I'm still with Tianshui Group!"

"No, you're a vice president now! The administrative vice president of the company, ranking right beneath President Li!" Fang Fei looked at him through her tears and said, "By then, you'll have a new, bigger, and much nicer office. Who knows, you might even get a private secretary and assistant..."

Deep down, Fang Fei was furious at the thought, a wave of resentment washing over her. She had always regarded Ye Chen as uniquely hers, and she had no desire for anyone else to insert themselves between them. Nor did she want Ye Chen to leave the Group One office. Within Group One, no one could compete with her, but once Ye Chen ascended to the position of vice president, beauties from all corners of Tianshui Group would flock to him, causing her own competitive edge to plummet rapidly. Fang Fei pouted miserably.

"Haha, don't worry, I'm not leaving this place!" Ye Chen looked earnestly at everyone and said, "This will remain my workspace. From now on, not only am I the vice president, but I am also the supervisor of the Group One office in Tianshui Group's business department!"

"Really?!" The group exclaimed in pleasant surprise, staring at him wide-eyed.

"Yes!" Ye Chen nodded. Fang Fei and the others instantly cheered, hugging one another in excitement. Fang Fei went a step further, throwing herself straight into Ye Chen's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and hopping up and down with joy. Sitting at his desk, Liu Shang watched the scene unfold with a helpless expression. Ye Chen's excellence was obvious to all, and Fang Fei's pursuit of him left Liu Shang feeling utterly deflated. When Ye Chen had first joined the company, he was merely a bodyguard. Although bodyguards commanded high salaries, the position lacked true status—it was essentially acting as a human shield for others, trading one's life for high wages. Yet, before long, Ye Chen was promoted to business supervisor. Not only that, he successfully designed the North District project, won the approval of the board of directors, and was ultimately elevated to acting vice president in charge of the very same North District project. If that project succeeded, Ye Chen's position as vice president would be permanently set in stone.

With a bitter expression, Liu Shang watched Fang Fei embrace Ye Chen. The greater Fang Fei's happiness, the more agonizing his own torment. Watching the girl he loved wrapped in another man's arms caused a heartache so intense it felt as though a hundred thousand ants were gnawing at his chest.

Ye Chen hurriedly pushed Fang Fei back, laughing as he said, "You little rascal, are you taking advantage of me?"

"Hmph, absolutely not!" Fang Fei, always a bold and outspoken girl, let out a soft huff before smiling. "It's clearly you taking advantage of me! I should be filing a complaint against you!"

"Haha!" Ye Chen immediately burst into hearty laughter.

Having become the company's vice president—albeit in an acting capacity—Ye Chen now wielded the full authority of the office. Both inside and outside the company, people were consumed by curiosity about him. In less than two months since joining the firm, this fellow had leaped from an ordinary bodyguard straight to the position of vice president. The internal reaction was nothing short of a sensation; many expressed shock, while malicious individuals and those consumed by envy and jealousy eagerly began spreading rumors about him.

"If you ask me, Ye Chen only became vice president through bribery and deceit!"

"Hard to say. Look at his ambiguous relationship with President Li; it's very likely he only managed this promotion because of her!"

Within the company, looks of envy among certain individuals swiftly morphed into bitter jealousy. Yet, Ye Chen continued on his usual path, completely unbothered by the stares of others. In his view, as long as his own conduct remained upright, he had nothing to fear from people pointing fingers behind his back.

Having taken charge of the North District design project, Ye Chen immediately plunged into a whirlwind of work. As vice president, he held the authority to mobilize every department within the company. On his very first day in office, Ye Chen dispatched Tianshui Group's affiliated engineering team to the North District to conduct precise measurements and draft a preliminary master plan for the plot of land. At the same time, he ordered the public relations department to launch a full-scale lobbying effort aimed at the municipal government. The business department ramped up its outreach, extending an invitation to the renowned French architect Philippe, asking him to travel to Jianghuai City to design the North District's commercial towers. Since they were going to do this, they were going to do it on a grand scale, firmly determined to transform the area into the most prosperous zone in Jianghuai City—and indeed, all of Z Province—rivaling a central business district.

The murmurs of gossip within Tianshui Group were soon swallowed up by the relentless gears of time. As the entire corporation operated smoothly and efficiently under Ye Chen's command, Master Philippe made a special trip from France to Jianghuai City. After conducting an on-site inspection, he accepted the commission and took up permanent residence in Jianghuai City, immediately throwing himself into drafting his design proposals.

Directing every facet of the North District project—from on-site surveys to government lobbying—Ye Chen personally steered the ship. The members of the Group One office were equally hard at work; though small in number, they gave it their all. Fang Fei, in particular, eager to prove herself in front of Ye Chen, spearheaded a major public relations initiative, for which Ye Chen was deeply grateful. After all, public relations was an exhausting and perilous endeavor; one misstep could result not only in failure but also in self-ruination.

After a week of intense activity on the North District project, wonderful news finally arrived from the municipal propaganda department. The department announced that over the next three years, the municipal government would relocate its headquarters to the North District. The moment the news broke, it sent shockwaves through all circles of Jianghuai City. Numerous large enterprises and wealthy merchants immediately cast their sights on the land plots in the North District.

Even those corporations that had previously viewed Tianshui Group's development of the North District with skepticism now found themselves tempted, allowing Tianshui Group's business department to finally breathe a sigh of relief. Subsequent work proceeded much more smoothly, a far cry from enduring closed doors day after day during the previous week.

Another week later, during the board of directors meeting, Li Ruo presided over the conference room with Lin Ziwen standing quietly behind her. Wearing a stern expression, Li Ruo swept her gaze across every director seated around the oval conference table and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, starting last week, Ye Chen officially took charge of the North District project. After a week of hard work, I would now like the heads of each department to speak about Ye Chen's performance."

Promptly stepping forward, the head of the public relations department—a strikingly beautiful woman with an ample bust and rounded hips—offered a smile and said respectfully, "President Li, esteemed shareholders, Vice President Ye is an exceptionally dedicated individual. Although I am merely the head of PR, I must say that he is a vice president who involves himself directly in every single detail. The members of the public relations department hold a unanimously high opinion of Vice President Ye!"

Li Ruo revealed a faint smile and continued, "Head of the Business Department!"

"Well, Vice President Ye originally came from our business department, so he's always shown us a lot of support," the business department head said with a light smile. "At the start, our operations were extremely difficult, but Vice President Ye went down to the front lines himself, boosting the morale of every single sales representative and conducting motivational sessions. He even went so far as to gather intelligence from other departments and feed it back to our team, which is the foundation of our success today!"

"Very good," Li Ruo nodded, then glanced toward the market research department. The head of market research immediately stepped up and said, "I only have one sentence: Vice President Ye possesses a powerful macro-vision and a strategic mind capable of orchestrating grand plans. He lacks neither an eye for detail nor a grasp of the big picture."

A satisfied smile touched Li Ruo's lips as she looked across at all the directors and said, "Judging by the evaluations of Ye Chen from every department in the company, his performance has been commendable. Therefore, I believe Ye Chen will undoubtedly bring this project to its absolute best outcome. What do your honors think?"

"President Li!" The man who had previously brought along the seductive female assistant abruptly stood up and interjected, "The municipal government just announced this week that it will relocate to the North District within roughly a year. By then, they might end up claiming our territory. If... if that happens, how should we handle it?"

"Heh, there's no need to worry about that. The government will certainly provide corresponding financial compensation," Li Ruo replied with a light chuckle.

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