Transmigrated as the Domineering Scumbag Alpha Forced into Marriage by a Delicate Subordinate (GL) - Chapter 14

The first thing Assistant Jian did when she started her afternoon shift after the lunch break was to report to CEO Qin on the progress of her lunch with the “little lover.”

“CEO Qin, Secretary Tang seems to really enjoy her work in the project department,” Jian Zhen said.

“Is that so? Is she in a good mood?” Qin Jue looked up, interested.

“Yes, she seems better suited for a technical role, and it matches her academic background,” Jian Zhen said.

“What was her academic background again?” Qin Jue asked.

“H University, Computer Science Department,” Jian Zhen said.

“Oh, right,” Qin Jue remembered. Tang Yun seemed to have mentioned it when they were in the car with Mrs. Qin. It looked like this move was somewhat tailor-made for Tang Yun.

What a pity.

Jian Zhen weighed Qin Jue’s attitude. She was increasingly certain that Qin Jue arranged for her to play the role of the sympathetic friend because Qin Jue herself couldn’t bring herself to openly show concern for her little lover. Since that was the case, reporting more of her own analysis must be what Qin Jue wanted to hear.

So, Jian Zhen carefully opened her mouth: “CEO Qin… After listening to Secretary Tang all lunchtime, I can’t help but feel she might have been set up by someone.”

“Hm?” Qin Jue raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Jian Zhen recounted the story of Tang Yun being inexplicably saddled with an independent development task on her first day of work. Jian Zhen didn’t understand the specifics of technical roles, but she understood the workplace: a novice independent task was essentially a setup to take the blame.

“Unless she’s very capable and can actually produce something,” Jian Zhen said.

“Is she very capable?” Jian Zhen couldn’t help but ask.

Qin Jue chuckled: “I don’t know.”

To her, Tang Yun was more like a game NPC that required daily check-ins and strategy, and she wasn’t very interested in digging up the hidden plotlines of an NPC.

“That’s enough. Just keep an eye on her occasionally, but don’t focus too much,” Qin Jue said.

Jian Zhen left Qin Jue’s office. In the large CEO’s office, only Qin Jue remained. She could finally spare the energy to deal with the System.

System: “Host, although I don’t understand many of your actions, I must remind you that your mission is to bully the female lead, not to support her, right?”

Qin Jue rubbed her temples and leaned back in her chair, clearing her mind.

“Of course, I remember. Same as before: don’t rush,” Qin Jue said.

“Someone should be getting restless now,” Qin Jue muttered to herself.

No sooner had she spoken than there was a knock on Qin Jue’s office door. She sat up straight and put on a welcoming smile.

“CEO Guan,” Qin Jue greeted him.

“Xiao Jue, there’s no need to be so formal. It’s just us,” Guan Li walked in with a smile and sat down across from Qin Jue.

“Why did you put Secretary Tang in my department? It doesn’t seem appropriate,” Guan Li said.

“Why is it inappropriate? She was willing to go, so I sent her to broaden her horizons,” Qin Jue smiled with a look of indulgence.

“Xiao Jue, you know the Xun Dao project is currently stuck. Everyone below is under immense pressure. Even if you want to woo someone, don’t send her to my team,” Guan Li began to complain.

“It’s fine, we have CEO Guan. I’ll just wait to see the next quarter’s financial report,” Qin Jue completely ignored his complaints.

Guan Li’s expression stiffened for a moment. Based on the current real-time data, the next quarter’s financial report would definitely not look good. Was Qin Jue subtly hinting that he was an incompetent leader?

“Secretary Tang told me she likes development work. Sending her to your team to gain some experience is fine. Help me educate her, just treat her like any new hire, so she doesn’t bother me with her novelty,” Qin Jue said.

Both she and Guan Li knew she was talking nonsense, but Qin Jue’s reasoning was plausible enough that Guan Li couldn’t easily refuse.

“The pressure is pretty high over there. Don’t come looking for me if she ends up crying from exhaustion,” Guan Li joked.

“If she cries from exhaustion, she’ll learn her lesson. I’ll have to thank you then,” Qin Jue’s smile was impeccable.

“So you’re really letting her work in my team? How about finding her a temporary workstation there? It’ll be more convenient for communication when she has tasks,” Guan Li suggested.

Qin Jue narrowed her eyes, knowing that Guan Li was making a concession. She could agree to that.

“Sure, whatever you arrange in your department is fine,” Qin Jue readily agreed.

Guan Li acted quickly. That afternoon, Tang Yun received a notification and, full of confusion, moved to a temporary workstation in the project department. She was even provided with a computer. She felt that the department valued her and that she looked no different from the other colleagues in the project department.

She secretly took a photo of her workstation and sent it to Auntie Wang’s phone, asking her to show it to Xin Xin.

Her job is legitimate.

At nine o’clock in the evening, the project department was brightly lit. It seemed that these colleagues had no concept of going home. Tang Yun was concentrating on debugging code when Lin Hao suddenly stood up and shouted: “Let’s go, time for a late-night snack.”

A large group of people enthusiastically headed out. By the time Tang Yun saved her progress, the main group had disappeared before her eyes. She was new here and didn’t know the area, nor did she know where they went for a late-night snack. Standing at the door of the large office, she saw lights going off in ones and twos in the building across the street as people went home.

Should she send a message to Lin Hao and ask?

But Lin Hao hadn’t seemed to invite her. She wasn’t familiar with this group. Wouldn’t it be awkward to join their late-night snack unexpectedly?

While Tang Yun stood there, debating, someone spoke to her.

“Waiting for someone?” the person asked.

“You look new. I heard a newcomer joined the Xun Dao team. Is that you?” he asked.

“Yes, it’s me. My name is Tang Yun,” Tang Yun quickly turned around. The person who spoke to her was a Beta man in his thirties or forties, looking tired, with the permanent frown lines etched between his eyebrows.

The man extended his right hand in greeting: “Hello, my name is Xiao Jianming. I’m from the Brave Warrior team next door.”

“Brave Warrior!” Tang Yun was surprised. That was a game she played when she was a child. It had several sequels and was once immensely popular everywhere. Later, as she grew up, she hadn’t heard anything about the series anymore.

Xiao Jianming gave a bitter smile: “You’re surprised too, huh? The Brave Warrior series is still going.”

“Alas, there’s no buzz. It’s already been phased out by the market,” Xiao Jianming shook his head.

Xiao Jianming was telling the truth, but Tang Yun didn’t know how to comfort him. In fact, she felt just as depressed as Xiao Jianming. Games, in her mind, should be like the old Brave Warrior series.

They were both in the same boat, people abandoned by the times.

“Are you hungry? Shall we go grab something to eat?” Xiao Jianming invited.

“Sure,” Tang Yun agreed.

Following the seasoned employee, Tang Yun discovered a vibrant area behind the Changfeng Technology building. A whole street was filled with hot, bustling northern and southern snacks. She bought a handful of fried skewers, and Xiao Jianming bought a roujiamo (meat sandwich). The two sat on plastic stools at an outdoor stall, eating and chatting, looking nothing like employees from the upscale Changfeng Technology.

Xiao Jianming took a bite of the roujiamo. Oily juices ran down the side of the bread. The aroma of the meat filled the air, and one bite was enough to smooth the wrinkles between his brows.

“Brother Xiao, how many years have you been at Changfeng?” Tang Yun couldn’t help but ask, mainly because Xiao Jianming looked so weathered.

“Came right after graduation. Ten years? Something like that,” he couldn’t be bothered to calculate.

“How about you? Just graduated?” Xiao Jianming asked.

“Um… yes, I guess,” Tang Yun didn’t want to tell the full truth and could only give a vague answer.

“It’s great to be young,” Xiao Jianming couldn’t help but sigh. “Only when you’re young do you have a chance to make it big. Develop well in the Xun Dao team. You have a future there.”

“What university did you graduate from again? Starting high means you rise fast,” Xiao Jianming asked.

“H University,” Tang Yun replied.

H University was strong in engineering, and the Computer Science Department had produced several industry leaders. Tang Yun was proud of her background, but the person opposite her seemed even more proud.

“H University! I’m from H University too!” Xiao Jianming exclaimed in surprise.

“A fellow alumna! That’s rare. I haven’t met an alumnus in years.”

“Come on, add me on WeChat,” Xiao Jianming took out his phone to scan the QR code.

Tang Yun noticed that Xiao Jianming’s phone screensaver was a picture of a young man in a graduation gown, who looked like a more vibrant version of Xiao Jianming himself.

“Oh, that’s my younger brother. He’s studying in the US,” Xiao Jianming noticed Tang Yun’s gaze and proudly introduced him.

“Say, your department head now is that person, right? He came back from the US. He’s much better than our department head back then…”

Suddenly meeting an alumnus felt like running into an old friend in a foreign land. Xiao Jianming grabbed Tang Yun and started talking enthusiastically, complaining about everything from the department head to the office, listing all the inhumane rules of H University. While they were chatting, Tang Yun suddenly received a message from Lin Hao asking where she was. Only then did Tang Yun remember that she and Xiao Jianming had sneaked out for a late-night snack.

“I need to go back. I still have a few lines of code to revise,” Tang Yun said.

“Alright, you hurry back,” Xiao Jianming said.

Having inadvertently chatted with Tang Yun for too long, Xiao Jianming felt a bit awkward. He scratched his head and said to Tang Yun, “What section are you responsible for now? If you keep getting stuck, I can help you take a look. Sometimes, you just can’t see the forest for the trees.”

“That would be great! I’ll find some time to go over it with you. I feel like I’ve gotten myself tied up in knots right now,” Tang Yun was very pleased.

She hadn’t expected such a good result from going out for a late-night snack. Tang Yun walked back to the office with light steps. Inside, it was quiet. Besides the sound of typing keyboards, you could almost hear a pin drop. Lin Hao glanced at her leisurely. Tang Yun slunk back to her workstation.

“Those who have nothing to do and those who are stuck and can’t move forward, go home. Don’t waste time here,” Lin Hao said.

Someone left in relief, grabbing their bag and walking out. Tang Yun watched the person’s retreating figure, suspecting Lin Hao was hinting at her.

But her screen was currently full of red error messages. She was definitely stuck and wouldn’t be able to finish anytime soon.

Her phone screen flashed, showing Qin Jue’s chat box:

“Get off work.”

Two words, concise and to the point, consistent with CEO Qin’s usual style. But right now, Tang Yun’s mind was in a whirl, and she couldn’t quite figure out what Qin Jue meant.

Was CEO Qin reporting to her? No need for that.

“Want me to wait for you?” Qin Jue’s second message arrived.

Tang Yun suddenly snapped back to reality. She almost forgot she had a night shift to work!

“Parking garage, five minutes,” Qin Jue said.

Tang Yun abruptly jumped up, disregarding any attention she might draw, quickly packed her backpack, and rushed out.

In the underground parking garage, amidst a crowd of similar-looking black cars, the headlights of the most expensive one lit up. Like a moth drawn to a flame, she quickly ran toward the light. CEO Qin was waiting for her in the car.

“Are you even busier than I am?” Qin Jue asked her.

“No, no, I’m not busy,” Tang Yun quickly denied.

Qin Jue smiled charmingly. This child really is artless. Her boss was actively asking if she was busy, and she foolishly said she wasn’t. Wasn’t that just giving ammunition away?

Sure enough, the heartless capitalist was about to smugly assign her a new task in the next sentence.

“Not busy? Then you were deliberately waiting for me to get off work?” Qin Jue raised an eyebrow.

“That’s good. From now on, your work hours will synchronize with mine,” CEO Qin said.