“Of course, the principle we’ve always upheld at the firm is to put the company’s interests first. That is an indisputable rule.”

“What if personal beliefs conflict with the company’s interests?”

“The company’s interests come first.”

“How is that possible?”

“There’s nothing impossible about it. We offer salaries that are a third higher than any other company in Lanjing. With more money, we can hire a more dedicated workforce. If anyone is unwilling to follow orders, they are free to resign.”

Chen Yuan walked out of the conference room with Pei Youwen following behind him.

All the other managers had long since departed.

Chen Yuan had passed the first hurdle. His performance during the meeting was acceptable; Pei Youwen had basically set the pace, while he just sat nonchalantly in the chairman’s chair, nodding in approval from time to time.

‘Being chairman is actually pretty interesting.’

Every department head vied to present their current status, digging up nearly a year’s worth of achievements to show Chen Yuan. He didn’t need to understand the function of every single department, only the final results they produced.

‘In that light, it’s actually pretty fun,’ Chen Yuan thought.

‘Truth be told, he was just a figurehead. Pei Youwen was the one doing all the legwork, acting as his lackey. This lofty position within the company would allow him to better observe the grim world of adults. Outside of school, he now had a real, demanding responsibility.’

A huge weight was lifted from his shoulders.

A spring came to Chen Yuan’s step.

Jiang Zhengfeng hadn’t misunderstood his intentions after all; he had given him the right kind of support. For once, father and son were in rare agreement on how to handle things.

“Chairman Jiang… Chairman Jiang!”

He had only taken a few steps out the door when a man’s shout suddenly came from beside it. Chen Yuan turned his head at the sound.

It turned out to be the interview supervisor who had berated him in the hallway earlier.

The man had completely shed his previous arrogance and indifference. His expression was purely sycophantic as he scurried over with small, subservient steps.

“I’m sorry, Chairman Jiang! I was blind and failed to recognize your importance. I’ve offended you! I know you don’t need an apology from a nobody like me, Chairman Jiang, but I am truly and sincerely sorry!”

The refined-looking man swallowed hard, his hands trembling with nervousness. He glanced at Pei Youwen, then quickly bowed low.

“Chairman Jiang! I’m sorry!”

He had been waiting outside the conference room for nearly an hour. After the meeting finally ended and everyone else had cleared out, he had grown anxious when Chen Yuan still hadn’t emerged.

Pei Youwen felt a mix of pity and disgust. He normally wouldn’t care if a supervisor was a bit harsh with applicants, but this guy had the rotten luck to chew out the one person he absolutely shouldn’t have.

If this incident angered the new chairman, Pei Youwen felt that firing this bastard a hundred times over wouldn’t be enough to satisfy him.

Life isn’t fair, and Pei Youwen had no intention of making excuses for him.

Chen Yuan watched him in silence, his expression unreadable. The hallway fell quiet. The refined-looking man, who was in his thirties, kept his body bent low. Not hearing a word of acknowledgment, he didn’t dare lift his head, keeping it bowed deep…

A bead of cold sweat appeared on the man’s forehead.

Pei Youwen also stood by in silence. He discreetly glanced over, trying to gauge Chen Yuan’s attitude, but to his surprise, he saw no expression on the young man’s face at all.

“People can’t be trusted with even a tiny bit of power, because they’ll get carried away, right?”

For some reason, the clear, youthful voice carried a hint of profoundness.

After a moment of thought, Chen Yuan left him with those words and turned to walk away.

‘The refined-looking man was lucky he was a company employee. Otherwise, Chen Yuan would never have crossed paths with someone like him. They were fundamentally different, and he couldn’t be bothered to waste his breath on him.’

The refined-looking man was already bent over, but now he seemed unable to straighten up at all, as if his spine had been snapped. His face was a mask of disbelief.

Only two words echoed in his mind:

‘It’s over!’

‘Everything was over. If he lost this job, he’d probably be fighting with his wife by tomorrow. The day after that, he’d be just another one of the countless, desperate job applicants, running around in the cold wind, looking for a new place to land.’

‘His three years at the company, all for nothing.’

The TAP-TAP of footsteps faded into the distance. Listening to the sound, the refined-looking man felt a sting in his nose, and tears began to well up in his eyes…

“Transfer him to another department. Just make sure I don’t have to see him. He’s an eyesore.”

Abruptly, from around the corner.

Chen Yuan’s voice drifted over.

The refined-looking man’s head shot up, his eyes wide. He trembled, thinking he must have been hearing things. But then Pei Youwen acknowledged the order, and only then did he believe he hadn’t misheard.

He immediately began to weep with joy. The tears that had been welling in his eyes now streamed down his cheeks.

“Thank you, Chairman Jiang! Thank you…”

He squatted on the floor and pounded the wall, so ecstatic he felt like running a victory lap around the building. It took him a good ten minutes to calm down before he could purse his lips and get back on his feet.

…

“If I hadn’t said anything, would you have fired him?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Is company policy that strict?”

“Not exactly. We’re not short-staffed, and besides, his position as a supervisor is non-essential. But why do you ask, Chairman Jiang?”

“You’re surprised?”

“A little.”

“I… guess I wanted to see what power feels like.”

“I see… How did it feel?”

“Not bad.”

Chen Yuan chatted idly with Pei Youwen as he pinned the “Chairman” badge that he was handed to his chest. A beautiful Bauhinia Flower now adorned his white shirt.

…

“Whoa, where’d you get the car!?”

In front of the maid cafe, Wei Zhen stared dumbfounded as the car window rolled down, revealing Chen Yuan’s face.

“It’s one of my family’s cars.”

“Holy shit! How come you never mentioned it, man? You’re a rich kid!!!”

“Not really, I just have a dad who struck it rich, that’s all.”

‘Chen Yuan was starting to readily accept the fact that he was, indeed, a rich kid. All of this had originally belonged to him, but the wide rift between him and Jiang Zhengfeng had prevented him from ever feeling a sense of ownership. Now that the chasm between father and son was beginning to close, he no longer felt any psychological burden in accepting it.’

Since he needed a way to get to and from the office, and the company had plenty of cars, Pei Youwen had casually assigned one to him.

This Mercedes, worth over half a million yuan, was just for getting around town.

Chen Yuan drove over to find Wei Zhen. They had agreed he’d come by the shop to hang out after work.

Wei Zhen circled the car, inspecting it, before finally plopping right into the passenger seat.

“This leather upholstery… this sound system… this emblem… Fam, your boy has officially made it! I’m riding in a Mercedes!” Wei Zhen took out his phone, gleefully recording a video to send to their dorm group chat.

“You look pretty pleased with yourself.”

“Of course! It’s a first for me.”

“Alright, let’s find a place to park and go hang out at the shop.”

“I know a place. The mall to the right of the shop has a free underground parking garage. I’ll guide you.”

Whether it was Wei Zhen’s infectious grin, the relief of having his work situation sorted out, or the fact that Jiangg Ning was coming back tomorrow, Chen Yuan was brimming with an indescribable cheerfulness.

He was even smiling much more than usual.

The two parked the car and horsed around all the way to the shop’s entrance.

He pushed the door open and went inside. Chen Yuan had passed this place countless times, his curiosity piqued each time, but this was his first chance to actually go in.

“Welcome, Master!”

Two maids spoke in unison, one on each side of the door, bowing reverently. Their outfits were made with very little fabric, revealing long, pale legs that instantly left Chen Yuan dumbstruck.

If Liu Nan were here, he’d definitely have sighed, “Damn, those legs go on for days.” Long legs, it seemed, held a unique appeal for just about everyone.

Even for Chen Yuan, it took a great deal of effort to tear his eyes away.

‘He was starting to see why this place was so popular.’

“Manager, this is my friend. I’m taking him to the second floor to play games.”

“Okay, have fun you two! I’ll have Jiajia bring up some drinks for you in a bit.”

“Orange juice?” Wei Zhen asked, turning back to Chen Yuan.

“Nah, I’ll have a Coke.”

“Alright, one Coke and one orange juice it is.”

“Both with ice,” Chen Yuan added.

The two walked single file. Maids bustled back and forth in the corridors, and every girl they passed bowed her head in greeting, proactively clearing a path for them.

Furthermore, the maids all had varied appearances, and their outfits differed greatly as well.

As they passed a large stage off to one side, Chen Yuan’s gaze lingered for a few extra seconds.

“So the manager greets customers at the door?”

“Yeah, when it’s not too busy. If things get hectic, she’ll be moving all over the place.”

“That’s pretty unusual.”

Chen Yuan had seen plenty of shops with the four words “The Customer is God” hung in the most prominent spot, but none of them ever truly lived up to it. Only this maid cafe treated every single customer with the same level of service, even a first-timer like him.

And the maids themselves were so easy on the eyes it was almost dizzying.

‘Chen Yuan suddenly felt like he shouldn’t have come. A place like this held an irresistible attraction for any guy, but if Jiangg Yao found out, she would definitely get jealous.’

“What’s that stage for?”

“Oh, they have performances on the stage, but it’s not time yet. The shows are usually scheduled for around closing time, but not so late that it would disturb the neighbors.”

“They really cover all the bases! Performances, too?”

“You bet. Don’t underestimate our shop.”

As Chen Yuan spoke with Wei Zhen, he saw a girl with long, flowing hair, dressed in a Japanese school uniform, coming down the stairs with another girl who looked like a customer.

From the pristine stockings on her legs and her small leather shoes to the very bow on her chest, the girl was a perfect reproduction of an anime character.

‘What’s more, Chen Yuan had actually seen the anime she was from, but he couldn’t recall the character’s name.’

“This cosplay… is way too professional.”

“Stunned? She’s one of the most popular maids here. Just call her ‘Asa’.”

‘Who could resist a character from an anime brought to life so perfectly!’

The other girl had her arm slung around the cosplayer’s shoulders, her face a picture of pure bliss.

The shop’s interior was filled with elements from anime and manga, like a fantasy factory. Only a single wall separated it from the cold, real world outside. Inside, it was as warm as spring, filled with the scent of fresh perfume, and a myriad of brilliant colors assaulted Chen Yuan’s senses.

It was like a small world, completely isolated from everything else.

…

On the sofa, he and Wei Zhen sat side-by-side. On the screen in front of them was a dazzling array of games. Wei Zhen stuffed a soft cushion behind Chen Yuan’s back and handed him a controller.

“What do you want to play?”

“Anything’s fine, let me look.”

“How about Mario?”

“Sure, let’s try it!”

Chen Yuan was eager to start, finding himself getting swept up in the atmosphere. The surrounding sounds of happy chatter and laughter were incredibly pleasant to the ear—some of it the dopey laughter of guys, some the tinkling giggles of pretty girls. The entire second floor was brimming with a cheerful vibe.

“Your drinks, Masters.”

A girl in an expensive-looking Lolita dress carefully placed the drinks from her tray onto their table.

Wei Zhen nodded his thanks.

Chen Yuan’s gaze, however, was drawn to a girl sitting diagonally across from them, and he found himself staring, momentarily stunned.

This rarely happened to him. But the girl was just so ethereally beautiful. That one fleeting glimpse of her profile was so stunning it was almost dizzying.

“Hey? Yuan… Hey!”

A hand waved in front of his eyes, and only then did Chen Yuan snap out of it.

“Huh?”

“What are you looking at?” Following his line of sight, Wei Zhen also looked over.

The girl was dressed in a white dress adorned with soft, elegant bows. Her snow-white hair cascaded down like a captive galaxy, exquisitely tied into twin-tails with black ribbons.

She wore white ankle socks with pure white sneakers and clutched a black cloth doll in one slender, delicate hand.

“So familiar… I feel like I’ve seen this character somewhere before.”

‘Undeniably, she was gorgeous.’

‘So beautiful it was almost startling.’

“You don’t recognize this character!?” You could hear the astonishment in Wei Zhen’s voice.

“Who is it?”

“Sora… Kasugano Sora.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep