Chapter 44: Does This Still Matter?

“No need to follow me. Go back and prepare. Meeting room in ten minutes.” His voice was cold as he gave his orders, but then he added one more sentence.

“Bring the fruits of your year’s work. I hope this time you won’t disappoint me again.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

The moment those words were spoken, the bustling lobby on the first floor fell instantly silent. The atmosphere grew heavy and tense.

Everyone was startled, instinctively drawing in a sharp breath.

After all, the big boss only visited a few times a year, but each time was enough to leave everyone on edge for half a month.

Only the little shadow trailing closely behind Shen Hanzhi blinked in curiosity and confusion. She glanced at the panic on everyone’s faces, then quickly averted her gaze.

But in her heart, she couldn’t help but wonder: these people are so strange. Could they be suffering from the same illness as she is? They all looked so frightened.

Shen Hanzhi swept his gaze over the crowd’s panicked expressions and instantly guessed what was going on. A trace of anger flickered across his handsome face.

As his eyes grew sharp and he was about to explode—

Zhou Bei, sensing something was off, hurried over and whispered in Shen Hanzhi’s ear.

“Boss, perhaps we should send Miss Lin to her office first.”

An outburst from the boss was never pleasant, and with Miss Lin’s illness still unresolved, what if she was frightened or agitated and her condition worsened to the point of confusion? What then?

As soon as Zhou Bei finished speaking, Shen Hanzhi’s expression paused. Only then did he recall something. He turned and glanced at Lin Nanxun, who had been quietly following by his side.

“Come.” In the next moment, he turned and strode away.

As they left, the people remaining behind wore expressions more miserable than tears.

“When did President Shen get a female assistant?” Suddenly, a bespectacled man noticed the inconspicuous figure who had been trailing behind Shen Hanzhi and asked in confusion.

He had barely spoken when someone nearby shot him a glare and snapped.

“Is that important right now? Instead of gossiping, wouldn’t it be better to think of ways to avoid getting scolded too harshly later?”

A collective sigh escaped the crowd.

……

Lin Nanxun followed Shen Hanzhi into the elevator. Only when there were no strangers around did she finally poke her head out of the hood of her down jacket.

“Meanie, are all the people here like me?” Unable to hold back any longer, she asked Shen Hanzhi curiously.

Shen Hanzhi’s face was set in stern lines. At the sound of her voice, he frowned.

“What?”

“They all looked so scared, too,” Lin Nanxun muttered.

Could it be, she wondered, that they were just like her—unable to control their fear around strangers, unable even to speak properly?

Her question caught Shen Hanzhi off guard, and for a moment, a smile threatened to break through his stern expression.

Her mind truly was a simple thing; her thoughts, so pure.

“No,” he denied.

“Then why are they all—”

“Because they’ve all been naughty, and they’re about to be thrown out,” he said seriously, his handsome face grave.

The moment his words landed, Lin Nanxun’s expression changed, a look of concern crossing her features.

The next second, she hurried to explain herself, desperate to distance herself from the others, afraid she’d end up being thrown out by the meanie too.

“I’m not like them. I’m very well-behaved.”

Zhou Bei, standing in the elevator, could only break out in a cold sweat…