A sophomore in college starts by getting a marriage certificate with a female CEO.

Chen Yan's gaze shifted from gossip to curiosity.

Lu Yang realized he had let something slip and coughed lightly, saying, "I don't have any other clothes, I was talking about that dress."

"Then what was the meaning of that 'also' you mentioned earlier?"

"A slip of the tongue."

Chen Yan narrowed her eyes slightly, her face full of suspicion.

Feeling a little guilty, Lu Yang quickly steered the conversation back on track: "By the way, Sister Chen, what exactly was discussed at the meeting this afternoon?"

Chen Yan glanced at him, and although she wanted to ask more questions, she pushed a document with key points marked in front of Lu Yang.

"The heads of the three departments will be present to discuss the implementation plan for the new project in Nancheng."

"This is the first draft that General Manager Li approved before. Today's main discussion is about adjusting the details and allocating the budget."

Lu Yang picked it up and flipped through two pages.

To be honest, he could probably understand about 60% of the numbers and technical terms above.

For the remaining 40%, we'll have to guess.

At that moment, Chen Yan came over with a cup of coffee.

"Mr. Lu, have some coffee to perk yourself up."

Lu Yang took it and drank a sip.

The bitterness made him frown slightly.

"What kind of coffee is this?"

"Black coffee, that's what Mr. Li usually drinks."

Lu Yang took another sip; it was still bitter.

"Does she drink this every day?"

"At least two cups a day."

Lu Yang placed the cup on the table and stared at the black coffee for a while.

It's plain black, without sugar or milk, and tastes like medicine. It's awful.

What kind of miserable life has this woman been living?

He thought for a moment, then picked up the glass and took another sip.

Oh well, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

"There's something else."

Chen Yan lowered her voice, "Among the three department heads attending the meeting today, one is named Sun Zhigang."

"What's wrong?"

"This person is from the old shareholders' side, and he doesn't usually get along with President Li."

"What do you mean by 'not getting along well'?" Lu Yang put down the documents.

Chen Yan lowered her voice.

"This person has been with the company for several years and is very senior. When President Li first took over Xueyu, he was the most vehement opponent."

Lu Yang leaned back in his chair and didn't say anything.

Chen Yan continued, "Later, President Li stabilized the company, and he quieted down for a while, but recently he's started causing trouble again."

"What's going on?"

Chen Yan hesitated for a moment.

"Sun Zhigang, well... how should I put it, his attitude towards President Li goes beyond just work-related disagreements."

Lu Yang frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Chen Yan pursed her lips and continued, "He has a crush on President Li."

The office was silent for two seconds.

Lu Yang's expression didn't change much, except that his eyebrows were raised slightly.

"Unrequited love?"

"right."

Chen Yan nodded, "And it's not the ordinary kind of unrequited love, it's the kind... I don't know how to describe it, it's kind of weird."

Lu Yang put down the pen in his hand.

"Tell me more about it."

Chen Yan thought for a moment and said, "He often uses work as an excuse to meet with President Li alone, whether it's for project reports or data exchange. Things that could be resolved by email, he insists on saying in person."

"And every time I come to President Li's office, I always find an excuse to stay a little longer, to get a glass of water, or to chat for a bit."

Lu Yang listened without interrupting.

"There was one time it was even worse."

Chen Yan took a step forward. "At last year's company annual meeting, he had a few drinks and went straight to President Li and said he wanted to take her home."

"and then?"

"Then Mr. Li had the security guards take him away."

Lu Yang's lips twitched slightly.

"The next day, he sobered up and came to apologize to President Li, saying that he was too drunk to remember. President Li didn't hold it against him, but from then on, President Li always had me present for all the work that required a separate report."

Chen Yan sighed as she finished speaking.

"But this guy is shameless. He changed his tactics and started deliberately contradicting President Li in meetings. If President Li said to go east, he would insist on going west. If President Li proposed a plan, he would find fault with it."

"On the surface it's a work disagreement, but having worked with President Li for so many years, I can tell that he just wants to get President Li's attention."

Lu Yang turned the chair halfway around so that it faced the window.

The sunlight outside is very bright.

He thought about it.

He had a crush on his female boss, and after being rejected, he tried to make his presence known by going against her.

He had seen people like that before.

It's not dangerous, but it's annoying.

"Was he also at the meeting this afternoon?"

"exist."

Chen Yan nodded, "Moreover, he is one of the main promoters of the South City project, so this meeting cannot bypass him."

Lu Yang turned back, picked up the document on the table, and flipped through two more pages.

"Did he know I was coming today?"

"have no idea."

Chen Yan shook her head and said, "I only informed them that today's meeting would proceed as scheduled, I didn't say that President Li wouldn't be coming."

Lu Yang seemed to be deep in thought.

To put it simply, there are two issues: first, how to allocate the budget, and second, how to respond after the Gu family seizes the land.

"What about the heads of the other two departments?"

"One is the CFO, who is quite cautious in her work. She generally doesn't object to what President Li says, but she also doesn't actively take sides. The other is the Director of the Development Department, who has a good relationship with President Li and is quite cooperative at work."

Lu Yang nodded.

One troublemaker, one neutral, one ally.

He roughly knew what was going on.

"There's something else."

Chen Yan hesitated for a moment, "Sun Zhigang not only causes trouble in meetings, he also has a group of people in the company."

"What do you mean?"

"He was brought in by the old shareholders, and several of the senior executives under him are his people. Usually, when it comes to the implementation of some of President Li's decisions, his department is always a step behind."

Lu Yang tapped his finger twice on the table.

If they don't dare to do it openly, they'll sabotage it secretly and dawdle.

The best way to deal with this kind of person is not to reason with them.

But today isn't his home turf; he's just filling in for him for the day.

We can't make any big moves, otherwise it will be difficult to handle when Li Xixue comes back.

After Chen Yan finished speaking, she put the documents away and added, "President Lu, there's nothing important this morning. You can stay in your office. I'll come in and let you know if anything comes up."

"it is good."

Chen Yan went out.

After the door closed.

Lu Yang sat in that chair and spun around twice.

I've always been curious about what this woman is busy with at the company all day.

Now he's finally experiencing it.

The office is very large.

To the left is a floor-to-ceiling window offering a view of most of the city, and to the right is a row of bookshelves containing several business magazines and some trophies.

The table is very clean.

Aside from the documents and a pen, there was only a small photo frame.

Lu Yang picked it up and glanced at it.

This is a photo of Li Xixue when she graduated from university.

Wearing an academic gown, his hair was longer than it is now, and he had a slight smile on his face.

Compared to now, there's much less of a sense of distance.

He put the photo frame back.

Then he suddenly noticed a small notebook next to him.

It is a diary.