Chapter 399: 184 Guardian (Second Update)_2

Translator: 549690339

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

“Well, that depends on whether he’s capable or not. He almost caused the Zhu Group to go bankrupt. If it wasn’t for the young lady pulling everything together, we would’ve been starving by now. Now, everyone in the company is loyal to the young lady, who even cares about Mr. Zhu? Wouldn’t it be better if he just stayed at home and retired? What’s the point of coming to the company and stirring things up?”

“But you have to admit, Tao Xianxian going from being an intern to kicking out a project manager and becoming the youngest project manager herself really changed the atmosphere in the company. Everyone’s more energetic, and it just goes to show that as long as we have the strength, promotions and raises are within reach. It’s much better than the old days when everything was stagnant and rigid. Having a young leader makes the company’s atmosphere feel younger, too. Plus, the proportion of handsome men among the newcomers has gone up, so now my favorite part of the day is coming to work.”

“So, why is Mr. Zhu even coming back? The young lady is simply the best.”

At the same time, the news of Zhu Wentao’s return to the company spread like wildfire to every corner of the company.

This was a signal that it certainly wasn’t a good thing for everyone.

Although Zhu Wentao was the founder of the Zhu Group, he didn’t do much good during his tenure, allowing his subordinates to embezzle funds and form cliques. His morality and integrity were also dubious, causing the stock price to plummet and bringing the Zhu Group close to bankruptcy. Employees resented him, and it was only the appearance of his daughter Ming Jing that helped restore some of his reputation. But his only value was having a good daughter. That’s it.

Yang Lin walked into the manager’s office with the documents and knocked on the door: “Manager, you’re quite busy these days. I have to make an appointment with your assistant just to see you.”

Tao Xianxian raised her head from the documents and laughed, “Even you are leaving me behind.”

She got up and poured a glass of water for Yang Lin.

Yang Lin looked at the luxurious and spacious office, and then at Tao Xianxian, who was wearing high-end fashion and had a sophisticated and elegant makeup look, exuding the air of a powerful career woman.

She remembered that Tao Xianxian had just graduated from college when she became the project manager of Zhu Group, already holding a high-ranking position.

And then there was herself, who had been in the Zhu Group for four or five years but was still a low-ranking employee.

Comparing oneself to others could really be demoralizing.

“Did you hear? Mr. Zhu is back.”

Tao Xianxian wasn’t aware of the gossip at work, so she didn’t know that Zhu Wentao had returned. She frowned, “Perhaps the young lady has other arrangements.”

Yang Lin took a sip of tea to moisturize her throat: “You’re still young, so you don’t understand the intricacies of the situation. The Zhu Group was founded by Mr. Zhu, and he is in the prime of his life. He definitely won’t just sit back and watch the company fall into the hands of his daughter. There is bound to be a tough battle ahead, and we, the small fry, will be the ones to suffer. Since you were promoted by the young lady, and the whole company knows you’re loyal to her, you’re now in the front line. You’d better start thinking about how to protect yourself.”

Tao Xianxian glanced at Yang Lin. The woman in front of her had a mocking expression on her face, as if she had seen through everything, which made Tao Xianxian feel uncomfortable.

“We can’t control the company’s power struggles. As employees, our job is to do the work at hand well.”

Yang Lin sneered, “I’m just looking out for your best interest. Mr. Zhu has been in business for more than a decade, and the young lady is just too inexperienced. I don’t think she’s a match for him. Why don’t you try to find out which way the wind is blowing up there so we can be prepared?”

The smile on Tao Xianxian’s face gradually disappeared, and she looked at Yang Lin seriously, “If you spent the time you spent gossiping on your work, you wouldn’t still be a low-ranking employee after four or five years.”

“I’m very busy, so if there’s nothing else, please leave.” Tao Xianxian coldly ordered her out.

Yang Lin’s face turned pale green and then white. The newly promoted manager now looked down on her former colleagues. Yang Lin wondered how long Tao could remain triumphant.

Yang Lin stormed out of the office, only to find that the entire project department seemed unbothered by this news, and everyone continued to carry on with their work as usual.

The company’s atmosphere had changed. The slackers had been kicked out, and the energetic young newcomers were eager to prove themselves. Everyone was hoping to get noticed by the young lady and become the next Tao Xianxian. They worked harder than ever, which was great for the company’s atmosphere, but not so great for Yang Lin, because she could no longer slack off at work.

The new human resources manager was also some kind of clairvoyant, recruiting a batch of clever, sharp-eyed newcomers who showed no respect for her as an experienced employee. They would always find faults with her work, making her days feel like years.

How could she not envy Tao Xianxian?

If only she had been the one to deliver the materials to the young lady, maybe she would have been the one to be noticed.

Zhu Wentao stepped out of the elevator. Ding Wei greeted him with a smile, “Mr. Zhu, why didn’t you call ahead? I could’ve arranged for the employees to give you a proper welcome.”

Zhu Wentao gave him a sidelong glance, “You used to be on Zhang’s team, right?”

Ding Wei laughed, “I’m honored that Mr. Zhu remembers me. Yes, it was Zhang who recognized my potential and brought me into the company.”

Back then, it was Zhang Shuda who had supported Ming Jing, leading to Mr. Li’s defeat.

If the company had fallen into Mr. Li’s hands, the current situation wouldn’t have been so awkward.

He could have taken the company back from Mr. Li, but dealing with Ming Jing would be a whole different matter…

Zhu Wentao pushed open the door of his office, and everything was exactly the same as when he left. The layout inside hadn’t changed at all, and someone came to clean every day, making it spotless and as good as new.

Zhu Wentao sat down behind his desk with a solemn expression, lost in thought.

Ding Wei coughed, “Mr. Zhu, do you have any instructions?”

Zhu Wentao must be feeling reluctant, but what could he do? The present Zhu Group was no longer the same as before.

Dealing with the young lady wouldn’t be easy.

Would the upcoming struggle be a father-daughter feud? Ding Wei felt a headache coming on, as it seemed the recent stability was coming to an end.

“Bring me the recent financial report to take a look,” instructed Zhu Wentao.

“I’ll ask Secretary Du to come and report to you. He’s the young lady’s secretary, and he’s been responsible for handling the company’s major and minor affairs lately.”

“Mr. Zhu, please wait a moment.” Ding Wei turned and left, looking for Du at the secretary desk, “Hello, where’s Secretary Du?”

The female secretary replied, “Secretary Du is in the project department delivering materials. Mr. Ding, do you need him for something? I’ll call the project department right away.”

“Tell him to come back quickly.”

At this time, the young lady was still in class at Shengde High School, where cell phones were not allowed, so they couldn’t inform her of the situation.

Ding Wei couldn’t figure out the young lady’s intentions, so the best he could do was have her secretary step in.

Tao Xianxian was lost in thought, recalling Yang Lin’s words. Although she had scolded Yang’s gossiping on the surface, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy deep down.

“Knock knock”, the sound of knocking on the door pulled Tao Xianxian’s thoughts back to reality.

“Come in.”

The person entered, and at Tao Xianxian’s line of sight were a pair of shiny black men’s leather shoes.

This prompted her to instinctively look up and see who it was. She hesitated for a moment.

Du Ze, the young lady’s secretary, was well known. The young lady was a high school student at Shengde High School, where her studies were a priority. Du Ze handled the company’s affairs on her behalf, essentially acting as her spokesperson in the company.

Tao Xianxian had met Du Ze several times during the approval process for some recent joint projects with Ye Group.

He always maintained a laissez-faire attitude, staying emotionless and strictly professional.

No wonder he was worthy of being the young lady’s secretary.

Tao Xianxian hid the disappointment in her eyes and smiled as she stood up, “Secretary Du.”