Chapter 15: I’ll Remember You

As expected, with Zhang Yantong's deft maneuvering, the city government fell silent, and the Public Security Bureau rescinded their arrest warrant. The latest updates on television saw all news of the shooting vanish. Ye Chen couldn't help but marvel—this Zhang Yantong truly possessed some remarkable methods. Who would have thought she'd clear away such a mountain of trouble in a single afternoon? It seemed he could finally rest easy. Still, he wondered what exactly that girl wanted with him.

Tianya Group.

"Ziwen, how is the situation?" Li Ruo asked personally about Ye Chen's predicament. To put it bluntly, it was a matter of conscience—he had saved her, only to get dragged into trouble. She owed it to him to do what she could.

"President Li, the lawyer has already gone to negotiate with the city government," Lin Ziwen nodded. "But word is, the city government has changed its tune. The news has been suppressed on television, and the matter of the shootout seems to be sinking out of sight."

"Who did this?" Li Ruo frowned.

"It's still unclear," Lin Ziwen shook his head. The situation had developed so abruptly, it felt almost as if the city officials were playing some kind of game, changing their stance from morning to night, making it hard to keep up. Still, the information had been kept well under wraps.

"Keep the lawyer on it," Li Ruo said, lightly furrowing her brow, cradling a cup of coffee in her hands as she took a sip. "Any word on Ye Chen?"

After such a major event that morning, with police chasing him all the way to the company, the fallout for Ye Chen was terrible. If it made him up and quit, they'd lose an outstanding bodyguard.

"Understood," Lin Ziwen nodded, casting a glance at Li Ruo. "He hasn't returned to the company yet, and now all sorts of nasty rumors are spreading about him."

"Have all departments clarify the facts—say it was a police mistake," Li Ruo instructed, lifting her gaze to Lin Ziwen. "Also, give me Ye Chen's number."

"Of course," Lin Ziwen quickly found Ye Chen's number using her business communicator. As the chief assistant, her device was connected to the company intranet, allowing her to look up any information or issue any orders with a simple touch—a swift and convenient process.

Having noted Ye Chen's number, Li Ruo's slender finger tapped her touchscreen phone, and the call went through at once.

...

Whew...

At that moment, Ye Chen was sprawled on the sofa, sound asleep. That morning's dual pursuit by both the police and Yaoyue had left him utterly exhausted. Now, with the knot with Yaoyue untangled and the police pursuit lifted, he could finally sleep in peace. Yet, no sooner had he dozed off than the phone at his ear rang incessantly. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he glanced at the unfamiliar number.

"Hello, who's this?" Ye Chen yawned.

"This is Li Ruo." The voice was icy cold—how could it not be? While everyone else in the company was working themselves to the bone, this guy was sleeping like a little emperor. Li Ruo was anything but pleased. She asked curtly, "Where are you? What are you doing?"

"I..." Ye Chen's eyes darted. Damn, caught napping by the boss. He scrambled up from the sofa and dashed into the bathroom. With a quick twist, he turned on the flush, letting water roar in the background. Grinning, he said, "President Li, I... I'm busy in the bathroom right now!"

"You..." Li Ruo was momentarily speechless, cursing inwardly at this rascal. She couldn't see for herself, so she could hardly argue. Awkwardly, she said, "Get back to the company immediately. Skipping work during office hours—watch out, or I'll dock your pay!"

"But President Li, there's nothing urgent at the company..." Ye Chen began to protest, then realized his mistake.

"Idiot! Who said there wasn't?" Li Ruo snapped. "Get back here at once. There's work to assign you!"

Having no choice, Ye Chen could only comply. He quickly changed into his uniform and hurried to the company. His little Alto couldn't muster much power; even with the pedal floored, the car barely chugged along, spewing thick black smoke.

No sooner had he entered the company lobby than he saw several employees pointing and whispering at him. Ye Chen was instantly annoyed.

"What are you staring at? Never seen a man before?" he shot back, glaring at a group of gossipy women. "It's just a difference of anatomy. You all should mind your own business instead of gossiping about everyone else!"

A particularly hefty woman took offense, her sausage-like lips curling as she snorted, "You... sexual offender. The whole company knows the police are after you. Hmph, I'll call them right now and have you arrested!"

"Go ahead!" Ye Chen sneered. "You think I'm a sexual offender? With your looks, I doubt even a boar would be interested. Sows would probably bow to you in awe. Honestly, you look like two pigs—because one just can't capture your... generous proportions and your clueless brain!"

A hush fell over the crowd. That woman wasn't just anyone—she was the wife of Captain Cao from Security. The queen of gossip in the company; anyone who crossed her would be the talk of Tianya Group the next day.

"You..." The hefty woman raised her plump arm, her eyes bulging with rage. Never in her life had she been insulted like this; she was left panting with fury.

"What? Out of breath because you're overweight?" Ye Chen taunted, tossing aside all restraint.

"Mr. Ye, President Li is waiting for you upstairs," the receptionist quickly interjected, trying to prevent the fight from escalating.

"Forget it, I won't stoop to your level. I've got work to do," Ye Chen shot the woman a look and strode off.

"You bastard... I'll remember this!" the woman shrieked hysterically.

Up on the twentieth floor of Tianya Group, nothing that happened in the lobby escaped Li Ruo's ears.

A stifled laugh escaped her lips, her chest heaving slightly. Were any of the male employees to see her like this, they'd lose sleep for a week. Covering her mouth, Li Ruo chuckled, "That troublemaker—he really knows how to stir things up!"

"Doesn't he just!" Lin Ziwen smiled as well. "He's not someone who's easily bullied."

"Enough. He should be here any moment," Li Ruo quickly composed herself, resuming her usual icy demeanor.

And indeed, within minutes, Ye Chen entered, head ducked. Seeing Li Ruo and Lin Ziwen in the office, he forced a laugh and walked in.

"President Li, you wanted to see me? Is it about my salary?" Ye Chen grinned. Truth be told, he had never paid much attention to his pay—and hadn't even read his contract carefully.

"Have you forgotten you're still on probation?" Li Ruo replied coldly. "There's no salary during your probation period. You'd best remember that."

"Damn, why should I work for free?" Ye Chen's eyes widened. He felt utterly played—without a word, he began to strip off his uniform, ready to quit on the spot. Li Ruo panicked and shot a look at Lin Ziwen, who, as her close assistant, immediately understood.

"Wait, Mr. Ye!" Lin Ziwen called out.

"Wait for what? For me to starve?" Ye Chen shot back.

"It's not like that. Why don't you sit down and we can talk this through," Lin Ziwen said with a warm smile, never losing her assistant's poise. Ye Chen glanced at her, "Hmm, Miss Lin, you're much wiser than President Li. What's with all the attitude? So what if she's the boss? Tomorrow I'll open a public restroom, charge at the door, and tell everyone 'Ye always gets in free.' We'll see who's more impressive!"

Lin Ziwen couldn't help but laugh and quickly brewed Ye Chen a cup of tea. "Have a seat first. Our president didn't mean it that way. The probation is only seven days. Once you pass, you'll get your full monthly salary."

"Really?" Ye Chen looked up at Li Ruo.

Li Ruo, still seething from his earlier remarks, nearly coughed up blood. She was just thinking of ways to deal with this thick-headed man, but at his question, she forced a nod and mustered a sly smile. "That's right. In seven days, if you pass the test, you'll be a full-fledged bodyguard at Tianya Group. How does that sound?"

"What kind of test?" Ye Chen frowned.

"Heh, it should be quite simple for you," Li Ruo smiled, while Lin Ziwen, standing behind Ye Chen, looked at her boss in confusion. She had no idea what Li Ruo was plotting, but it was the first time she'd seen her take such interest in a bodyguard. Still, as an assistant, it wasn't her place to pry.

"Let's hear it," Ye Chen said, crossing his legs and leisurely sipping his tea, fixing his gaze on Li Ruo.