Lu Yuning didn't wake up until past nine o'clock today.
It couldn't really be considered sleeping in, especially considering she hadn't gotten home to rest until late into the night yesterday.
However, compared to her usual work schedule, this was obviously much more relaxed.
Last night before bed, Lu Yuning had requested time off from her manager via the company's messaging app, stating she had personal matters to attend to and would be arriving late.
Yet, upon waking up, she found her inbox stuffed with the manager's complaints.
It was actually quite intimidating.
After she went online, she even received a voice call from the manager, urging her to finish her business and get to work immediately.
Not long after hanging up the call, Zhou Jialu arrived near Lu Yuning's rental apartment just as Lu Yuning was about to head out.
Consequently, the two met inside Zhou Jialu's car.
While it was referred to as Zhou Jialu's car, it was actually a recent purchase by Su Bai, registered under the accounts of Shengxi Technology.
It was a Mercedes-Benz E300L, a very formulaic, business-appropriate black luxury sedan.
Su Bai had purchased this after soliciting advice from multiple sources. He hadn't just bought one, but a whole fleet at once.
Aside from this model, there were other familiar faces often seen in corporate reception, such as the Toyota Alphard...
The main idea was to be comprehensive, dignified, and presentable without being wasteful.
For business reception, driving something too flashy wouldn't be appropriate.
That said, wearing a professional business suit and driving this car, Zhou Jialu really exuded the aura of a female elite.
At the very least, she had Lu Yuning successfully bluffed.
Lu Yuning hadn't really sat in a car of this price range before, and after getting in, she appeared quite ill at ease.
"Don't be nervous. I'm Su Bai's assistant. He asked me to come today to help you process your resignation. We'll be colleagues in the same company from now on... we're all sisters here, no need to be too formal."
"Mhm, thank you, Sister Zhou..."
Lu Yuning looked around the car's interior again and couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "Su Bai... is so impressive. Opening a company at such a young age."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly felt silly. Stupid girl—he was someone who could laugh and chat with the SVIP circle of the OUT12 nightclub owner. For a wealthy person of that level, opening a company was probably just like playing a game.
"Let's go. We can discuss some details on the way."
Zhou Jialu had seen cases where employees were given a hard time when resigning.
To be honest, it was never anything major, just petty things meant to disgust people.
However, those disgusting tactics were usually reserved for the powerless nobodies. As long as you radiated an aura that said "I'm not to be messed with," companies would politely process your paperwork and send you on your way.
It was classic bullying of the weak and fearing of the strong.
Therefore, Zhou Jialu understood the significance of Su Bai asking her to step in.
According to Su Bai, this girl was introverted, socially anxious, and innocent, so Zhou was essentially there to provide backup and presence.
The plan was simple. Zhou Jialu drove the company car and wore a suit bespoke-tailored in the same batch as Su Bai's—the fabric alone looked expensive.
Her jewelry, watch, and handbag were all the most expensive ones she owned.
She even perched a pair of rimless, non-prescription glasses on her nose, looking full of intellect.
As the saying goes, "clothes make the man." With this getup, she radiated a "strangers keep away" vibe, looking every bit the high-level female executive of a major corporation.
As for the effect?
Lu Yuning saw it very quickly.
When they entered the office building where the studio was located, the security guard at the access control obviously noticed Zhou Jialu, a stranger. However, unlike his usual fussy behavior, the guard didn't stop her at all. As she passed, he actively helped open the gate, bowing with a face full of smiles.
Such a posh beauty was surely here to negotiate a big deal.
Why ask blind questions? It would be meaningless.
He just let her straight in.
Lu Yuning was dumbfounded. She used to hear colleagues complain all the time about how strict the security in this building was. Sometimes, part-time delivery couriers weren't allowed in without a uniform, and restaurant delivery staff were stopped from going upstairs.
People from other companies coming for business were frequently interrogated.
In short, it was overly strict.
Yet today, Zhou Jialu walked in smoothly without a single pause!
Was this the legendary power of luxury goods?
Lu Yuning worked in the fashion design industry, so she could naturally recognize luxury items easily and assess their value.
According to Lu Yuning's estimate...
The price of Zhou Jialu's entire "loadout" added up to enough to buy a very large house back in her hometown.
"Xiao Lu, what happened to you? I said this is a critical point for our business, we can't afford any slip-ups, so how could you just..."
The two walked through the corridor, under the curious and slightly awed gazes of the employees, arriving at the studio owner's office door.
Just as they were about to knock, the boss happened to come out holding a coffee cup.
The moment he saw Zhou Jialu, he froze for a second.
That kind of breathtaking beauty, mixed with a noble temperament, momentarily left the boss in a daze.
However, years of honing his sensitivity in the industry prevented him from getting lost in admiring a beauty; he quickly realized that this person had a significant background.
"Hello, Miss. I don't see an appointment on my schedule, may I ask if you are here to..."
"Oh, hello. I am the Assistant General Manager of White Night Holdings. Here is my card."
Zhou Jialu handed over an exquisite business card and stated her purpose directly.
Actually, the matter was quite simple. For a small studio like this, having an employee poached by another company was perfectly normal; it was a high-turnover industry to begin with.
Usually, the boss was powerless to stop it, but would try to squeeze some surplus value out of the employee before they left.
In fact, when she decided to resign, Lu Yuning had thought of this and assumed she would suffer, especially since she had several projects in hand.
The result was the exact opposite of what she predicted.
The boss not only didn't make things difficult for her but even pleasantly encouraged her to work hard at her new company.
This was too strange!
Lu Yuning organized her thoughts and finally grasped the key to the situation.
How should one put it... although she was soft and meek, she wasn't stupid.
At the start, when he heard she was being poached, the boss had complained a little.
Zhou Jialu immediately smoothed things over, mentioning that the head office was planning to acquire a local fast-fashion supply chain in Jiang City soon.
She hinted that there might be opportunities for cooperation in the future.
The boss's attitude did a 180-degree turn instantly. He stopped complaining, and his whole demeanor became incredibly understanding.
He had to be understanding!
It appeared his employee was jumping ship to a new company that was filthy rich.
This meant that if he wanted to discuss business cooperation later, there was a good chance, especially with the connection through Lu Yuning.
Currently, clothing manufacturing was basically a sunset industry; only new capital entering the market could easily secure the profits. The boss understood this logic.
Since the other party was wealthy and influential, he naturally had to welcome them with a smile and build a good relationship. Even if Lu Yuning's resignation did bring some losses to the studio... it didn't matter!
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
