Helping Beautiful Women Become Stronger, I Have a Love System

42: Chapter 42 Cao Kun decides to go to Ji Guangli’s house.The lie was like a snowball, growing larger and larger, on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Cao Kun had been watching her expression. Seeing her look even more worried after the call instead of relieved, he pressed for the reason.

”I shouldn’t have listened to you!” Ji Guangli said, explaining the situation with frustration. ”Now look, they insist on meeting him. So many neighbors know about it. If this gets exposed, my parents... I really can’t bear to think about it.”

Seeing her flustered state, Cao Kun smiled instead. He put an arm around Ji Guangli’s shoulders, his tone light yet carrying a reassuring strength. ”Is that all? That’s no big deal! So they want to meet me? Let them! Didn’t I say I could make a guest appearance? I’ll just go back with you.”

”You’re still joking!” Ji Guangli gave him a weak punch. ”We can’t keep lying...”

”How is this lying?” Cao Kun said seriously. ”Listen to me, Guangli.”

”First, you don’t like that blind date guy. That’s a fact.”

”Second, you don’t want your parents to be gossiped about or lose face in the village because of your marriage. That’s also a fact.”

”This is a white lie. Once we go back and your parents see their daughter is cared for and loved, they’ll be completely at ease.”

Ji Guangli was stunned. What Cao Kun said... seemed to make sense.

Under his gaze and persuasion, the defenses in Ji Guangli’s heart finally crumbled completely.

She nodded, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum. ”Alright. I’ll tell them we’ll go back at the beginning of next month, after we finish the company work for this month.”

”No problem!” Cao Kun grinned. ”When the time comes, I guarantee your parents, and everyone in your whole village, will be incredibly satisfied with your boyfriend!”

Ji Guangli was amused by him, and the gloom in her heart finally lifted for the most part.

With Cao Kun’s support and promise, she seemed to have gained some confidence in facing the pressure from home.

...

Over the next few days, Ji Guangli was busy with company matters.

Meanwhile, in Department One, Su Hongliang presented a completely different picture.

As the end of the month approached, feeling victory was assured, he became increasingly smug. He walked with a spring in his step, and his voice seemed an octave higher.

His team’s performance was indeed good. Coupled with the fact that Department Two clearly lacked momentum after Ji Guangli lost the major client, the shifting balance made the advantage seem unshakeable in his eyes.

He was practically counting the days on his fingers, eagerly awaiting the moment to see Ji Guangli and that overconfident Cao Kun make fools of themselves in front of everyone.

These past few days, he had been making all sorts of thinly veiled sarcastic remarks and provocations around the company.

”Ah, some people just aim too high with too little fortune. Choking at the critical moment. I think it’s better to just accept being an also-ran from now on.”

In the pantry, Su Hongliang spoke to a few key members of Department One. His voice was just loud enough for the Department Two employee getting water nearby to hear.

”Brother Liang is right. A position like Sales Manager should be held by someone with real capability and skill, like you, to be stable.”

His subordinate immediately flattered him.

”Naturally. But some people just won’t give up until they hit a wall. They insist on waiting until the last day to perform a dog crawl in front of the whole company. I suppose I’ll just have to oblige them.”

Su Hongliang laughed heartily, deliberately glancing at the Department Two employee not far away, whose face had turned unpleasant.

Similar scenes played out almost daily.

The people in Department One, following Su Hongliang’s lead, were in high spirits. Their gazes towards Department Two were filled with superiority and pity.

Over in Department Two, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

Although everyone knew Ji Guangli and Cao Kun had gone on a business trip to the City of Luo, the specifics of their results were unclear. The two hadn’t said much after returning, only instructing everyone to carry on with their work as usual.

With the month’s end approaching, the numbers on Department One’s performance report looked better and better, while Department Two showed no improvement apart from a few scattered small orders.

Sister Zhang and others were so anxious they developed mouth sores. They discussed it privately often, all believing Department Two was truly doomed this time.

Cao Kun took all of this in but remained unperturbed. Occasionally encountering Su Hongliang’s provocations, he would just smile and reply, ”Manager Su, no need to rush. The best part is yet to come.”

This infuriated Su Hongliang, who thought he was just being stubborn in the face of defeat.

Finally, the day of the monthly performance review meeting arrived.

At two in the afternoon, the company’s large conference room was filled.

Boss Zhang Wei sat at the head of the table, with department managers and key employees seated on either side.

The atmosphere was serious, tinged with tension, especially in the Sales Department One and Two areas, where undercurrents were swirling.

The first half of the meeting consisted of reports from other departments.

Su Hongliang was distracted the whole time, lightly tapping the table, his face unable to hide his smug satisfaction. He was just waiting for the Sales Department’s turn to put on a proper show of dominance.

It was the Sales Department’s turn to report.

Following Convention, the manager of the currently leading department would give the summary first.

Su Hongliang cleared his throat, stood up, straightened his crisp suit, and with a confident smile, began his performance.

”Boss Zhang, colleagues, I will now report on this month’s performance for Sales Department One.”

He opened an elaborate PPT, which displayed staggering performance numbers and growth curves in bold, enlarged fonts.

”Under the company’s correct leadership and the joint efforts of all colleagues in Department One, we have exceeded our performance targets this month, achieving a 185% completion rate!”

He paused deliberately, savoring the soft gasps of surprise from the audience.

He then detailed the breakdown of the specific performance figures.

With each number he announced, his voice grew louder, and his gaze swept over the Department Two area opposite, full of provocation.

After reporting the current performance...

...he went on to discuss future prospects.

He was already carrying himself as the Sales General Manager, outlining future development plans for the Sales Department.

Su Hongliang’s speech won considerable applause, especially from Department One employees, whose clapping was particularly enthusiastic.

Boss Zhang Wei also nodded slightly, clearly quite satisfied with Department One’s performance.

Su Hongliang sat down, leaning back slightly, crossing his legs, and looked leisurely across at Ji Guangli. The meaning in his eyes was unmistakable.

Your turn. Let’s see how you handle this.