The World is So Small—Li Yuebai Became Her Own Boss

But when Xing Leshan actually met Xu Mo, he was genuinely stunned.

He truly didn’t recognize Xu Mo at all.

Not recognizing him wasn’t a big deal, though, as someone quickly spoke up.

“Boss, this is the new guy, Xu Mo.”

Xing Leshan nodded, grinning widely. “New blood, huh? Good! If you don’t mind, I’ll call you ‘Little Xu.’ Little Xu, you’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. But I gotta warn you—this job’s no joke. It’s all about skill.”

Before Xu Mo could even respond, a colleague started listing off his academic background and capabilities.

Xing Leshan smacked his forehead, his attitude shifting instantly. “Not bad, not bad! Heroes emerge from—ahem—anyway, I’ll take you guys over there.”

A total big shot.

Top-tier university grad.

Impressive resume.

No way someone like that would step into the spotlight without serious chops.

Xing Leshan was no fool either.

And with fresh meat willingly walking into the grinder,

he was more than happy to oblige.

Later, Xing Leshan roped in another capable colleague as extra manpower.

The guy wasn’t thrilled,

but what could he do? He’d always been a high performer.

So, the three of them headed to a spacious conference room.

Others were already inside—members from different teams.

Xing Leshan exchanged greetings with a familiar team lead, then turned to Xu Mo and the other colleague.

“For the next few days, you’ll be working here. Once the project wraps up, you can head back.”

Xu Mo and the colleague nodded in understanding.

As for the project’s difficulty?

To Xu Mo, it was nothing.

Executing it would be a breeze.

And he wasn’t exaggerating.

Just a multimillion-dollar deal, that’s all.

No empty bragging here.

But for everyone else,

a deal worth tens of millions—even just one million—

would leave them shell-shocked for ages.

Not everyone had Xu Mo’s experience or skills.

And this deal? A massive 30-million-yuan project.

One misstep,

and they’d be in deep trouble.

After bringing them in, Xing Leshan, like the other team leads, didn’t rush off.

They had to introduce their subordinates to the higher-ups,

just to avoid any accidental disrespect.

Disrespect the boss?

Good luck dodging the fallout later.

So they stuck around.

Just a few minutes of formalities.

Soon, the conference room was packed—about twenty people.

Once the team leads left, a dozen or so remained.

Xu Mo found it all amusing.

Back in the day, people waited for him.

Now, the tables had turned.

Finally, he was the one waiting.

And this project manager—his boss’s boss—really knew how to make an entrance.

Kept them waiting a full twenty minutes.

Then—

Clang.

The conference room door swung open.

A tall, striking woman in a black office dress strode in, heels clicking sharply.

“Did all the team leads brief their members?”

Her voice sounded familiar to Xu Mo.

But sitting in a corner,

he couldn’t quite make out her face yet.

The other leads chimed in.

“All done.”

“Yeah, we covered everything you asked.”

The woman nodded, stepping to the center of the room. “Good. You can all leave now.”

The team leads and non-essential staff nodded and began filing out.

Then—

“It’s you!!”

An incredulous cry burst from the woman’s lips.

Loud.

Everyone froze.

Heads turned, curiosity piqued.

“It’s you...” Xu Mo’s lips twitched violently.

If he had a choice,

he’d nope right out of this mess.

Xing Leshan and the others were baffled.

What the hell?

How did their team’s newbie know Li Yuebai, their top boss?

Yep.

This woman was Li Yuebai—the same Li Yuebai who’d barged into Xu Mo’s apartment the night before and helped herself to his midnight snack.

Li Yuebai seemed to recall the awkwardness, her cheeks flushing faintly. She quickly raised a delicate hand to her lips, clearing her throat.

“We’ve met once before, so I was a bit startled. If there’s nothing else, you can all go. I have important matters to handle.”

Before leaving, Xing Leshan shot Xu Mo another glance.

Damn.

This kid’s full of surprises.

Li Yuebai might’ve played it cool,

but subordinates knew how to read between the lines.

Who knew what was really going on between them?

But speculation was just that—no proof.

Even if there was something,

it wasn’t their business.

At most, they’d butter Xu Mo up,

hoping he’d whisper a good word in the boss’s ear.

That’d secure their careers.

Soon, only the essential staff remained.

Li Yuebai had someone bring in confidentiality agreements.

Everyone in the room got one.

With stakes this high and the project’s sensitive nature,

leaks could give rival companies an edge.

They might swoop in with better offers,

stealing the deal outright.

And that’d be a disaster.

So, NDAs were a must.

The others in the room were still reeling from the earlier exchange,

eyeing Xu Mo with newfound interest.

But shock aside, work came first.

After signing, Li Yuebai pulled out a USB drive, loading the files onto the conference room’s laptops.

“This is the full project scope. Review it, get a sense of how to secure and execute it. We’ll discuss further this afternoon.”

Everyone nodded, focusing on the laptops.

Was staring at these clunky screens fun?

Hell no.

The real eye candy was their stunning boss.

But they didn’t dare look too long.

This was their boss’s boss.

The department manager.

Cross her, and their careers here were toast.

So they all turned into monks—

eyes down, minds blank,

utterly zen.

As for Xu Mo?

He was reviewing the proposal too.

No choice.

He was desperate for cash.

He’d sworn to tough it out on his own.

Less than a month in,

he couldn’t exactly call home for help, could he?

He’d rather starve,

or jump off a building,

than take a single cent from that woman.

As for other women... ahem—

better not go there.

Whose fault was this, anyway?

His own, for leaving home with too little cash.

And for talking too big.

If he’d just taken a measly million as pocket money,

he wouldn’t be in this mess.

Meanwhile, Li Yuebai stole glances at Xu Mo, relieved yet oddly disappointed he wasn’t looking her way.

Soon, noon arrived.

Lunchtime.

With permission granted,

everyone started filing out.

Xu Mo was about to follow when—

a voice like heaven’s melody called out to him.

“Xu Mo, stay behind. I need to talk to you.”

(¯﹃¯)

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