Indifference

In the end, Ye Shuang agreed not to address Chen Qin as "President Chen" when it was just the two of them.

At noon, Chen Qin had to rush to the airport for urgent matters, leaving Ye Shuang with just one message—

["Go ahead with confidence, act boldly."]

This wasn’t just Chen Qin’s intention—it was also Uncle Chen’s.

Originally, Uncle Chen had only wanted Ye Shuang to warm up at a subsidiary company. But after seeing how quickly the Zhao family’s company collapsed without Ye Shuang, he realized just how capable Ye Shuang was.

He needed a stage like this.

Now, Ye Shuang arrived at his office, accompanied by an assistant.

"President Ye, this is your office. If you need anything else, I can arrange it for you," the assistant said. She was a young woman who seemed experienced, carrying herself with efficiency.

"This is enough. Just get me a new keyboard, one suitable for long hours of typing."

"Understood."

Ye Shuang sat in his office chair, gazing at the river view behind him—the scenery from the 30th floor was breathtaking.

"Rustle—" Ye Shuang rummaged through his bag and placed a photo frame on the desk.

It was a group photo—a picture of the Light Music Club.

The gesture felt like a parent placing their child’s photo on their desk after starting a new job.

"By the way, what should I call you?" Ye Shuang asked the assistant.

"President Ye, my name is COCO."

"COCO? Does everyone in this company use English names?"

"Yes, our corporation operates internationally. We frequently deal with foreign clients, so English names are standard," the assistant explained.

Ye Shuang didn’t dwell on it. "Tell me about the company and the work I’ll be handling."

The assistant spoke for a full half-hour. After memorizing everything, Ye Shuang let her take a short break.

Soon, the assistant returned with a new keyboard. Ye Shuang tested it, pausing briefly as if noticing something, then remarked casually, "Does the company always keep these in stock?"

"Yes, all keyboards and computers are procured and allocated uniformly."

Ye Shuang didn’t press further. "Have the procurement director come to my office."

"Ah? Right away." The assistant was surprised—most new executives would spend their first few days familiarizing themselves with operations, not jumping straight into action.

A short while later, a middle-aged man knocked on the office door.

"Hello… President Ye?"

The man had only just heard about the newly appointed vice president. Seeing how young Ye Shuang was, his initial nervousness faded.

Whatever this man wanted, it probably wouldn’t concern him much.

Surely a new executive wouldn’t make him their first target?

"Director Luo Song, correct?" Ye Shuang’s calm tone stunned Luo Song.

How does he know my name when I don’t even know his?

"Yes…"

"This keyboard was part of a company-wide procurement, right? Under your responsibility?" Ye Shuang asked.

"Uh… yes, that was a while ago. It was a uniform purchase, and I oversaw it." Luo Song wasn’t sure where this was going.

"And the price?"

"The price?" Luo Song hesitated, then forced a smile. "That procurement was years ago. I don’t recall the exact figure, but I can look it up for you later."

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Ye Shuang was probing for something.

Thud!

Ye Shuang tossed the keyboard onto the floor, the sharp clatter jolting Luo Song’s heart.

"No need. This is a counterfeit. I’ve already checked the procurement records."

Luo Song frowned, but panic was already creeping in.

"President Ye, all our supplies come from official partners. There must be some misunderstanding. Sometimes products just have minor quality issues—"

"The ‘official partner’ is your younger brother. How could there not be a misunderstanding?"

The offhand remark sent Luo Song’s sweat pouring down in an instant.

"I—I—I—" His legs trembled as he stared at Ye Shuang like he was seeing a monster.

"Don’t worry. You’re still useful to me." Ye Shuang rested his chin on his hand, calmly flipping through documents. "Bring me all the procurement records from recent years. List every problematic item—in detail."

"Y-Yes, President Ye."

Pale as a ghost, Luo Song staggered out of the office. Ye Shuang then pressed the intercom, summoning his assistant.

When she entered, she looked puzzled—Luo Song had left looking like a dead man walking. What had they discussed?

"COCO, bring these with me." Ye Shuang stood, straightening his suit.

Only then did the assistant notice the stack of red envelopes in his hand.

"President Ye, are we going to…?"

"Hand them out as we go."

"Oh…"

For the next few hours, Ye Shuang toured the departments under his management—dozens of them, ranging from small project teams to large groups of employees.

His assistant trailed behind like a lucky mascot, distributing red envelopes one after another.

Meanwhile, Ye Shuang observed silently.

Though employees at this level didn’t need the money, they still preferred tangible rewards over empty promises.

Eventually, they returned to the office.

"Here, these five are for you." Ye Shuang handed the assistant five envelopes from the remaining stack.

"Thank you, President Ye!"

Then, he passed her a notebook.

Confused, she opened it to find a list of names—some of which she recognized as particularly unpleasant colleagues.

"These are…?"

"Notify HR. These people are to be terminated immediately, with compensation as per company policy."

"What?!" The assistant froze.

Sir, I can’t keep up with your pace—you just got here! Do you even know these people?

But then it hit her—

How did President Ye know their names?

"P-President Ye, won’t firing so many people disrupt operations?" she ventured cautiously.

Ye Shuang gave her a calm look. "Parasites don’t affect operations. And as my assistant, your job is to execute my orders."

"Y-Yes, right away!"

Compared to the amiable school doctor she’d heard about, this version of Ye Shuang was sharp—like an unsheathed blade.