Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 538: I Just Won't Compete With Shen Yu

"Is there a problem?"Seeing the strange expression on Zhou Yuwen's face, Li Shiqi couldn't help but feel curious. 'Did I say something wrong?' she wondered.

Sitting there, Zhou Yuwen simply pondered for a moment before saying, "Shiqi, I think there are some things I need to make clear to you."

He spoke with such seriousness that a faint sense of foreboding rose in Li Shiqi's heart.

Meanwhile, Tao Tian was taking Shen Yu through the formal onboarding process. Before coming to the company, Lu Lin had chatted with Shen Yu, expressing her hope that Shen Yu would go to the Cultural Media Company to take over her position as manager.

Currently, the main person in charge of the Cultural Media Company was Qu Jing. As the company grew larger and larger, it was impossible for Qu Jing to manage it all on her own. Furthermore, neither Zheng Yanyan nor Lu Lin wanted to see Qu Jing's influence expand too much. Therefore, Shen Yu's arrival this time essentially represented both Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin.

However, a minor hiccup occurred during the onboarding. Jiang Minmin had just joined the Cultural Media Company yesterday. Appointing two managers within the span of two days created conflicts in both responsibilities and functions. Wasn't this a bit inappropriate?

Besides, Jiang Minmin's entry into the Cultural Media Company had been arranged by Tao Tian. Was it really a good idea to arrange for someone else to step in now?

The Human Resources staff looked at Tao Tian, hesitating to speak.

Tao Tian realized this was her oversight, primarily because she hadn't expected Shen Yu to join the company today. She turned to glance at Shen Yu behind her, pondered for a moment, and said to the Human Resources staff, "How about this? You can arrange for Shen Yu to take the primary role and have Minmin serve as the deputy manager. Put them in the same office for now."

Hearing this, Shen Yu quickly intervened, "Sister Tian Tian, you don't have to do that."

Tao Tian assured her it was fine.

"This is an oversight on my part."

While that might be true, Shen Yu felt that stripping Jiang Minmin of her position right off the bat and making her a deputy would inevitably offend people. Not to mention, Jiang Minmin was her Senior Sister at school. How could she suddenly become her subordinate the moment they stepped off campus?

That wouldn't sit well with anyone.

It would be terrible if Jiang Minmin ended up holding a grudge against her over this.

Ultimately, Shen Yu was just a sophomore. Her perspective on things was still quite naive. She absolutely refused to agree to the arrangement and asked the Human Resources staff if there were any other suitable positions.

The response from Human Resources was that this was the only vacant position currently available in the Cultural Media Company.

"The Planning Company is quite short-handed, though."

As they were talking, Chen Wan happened to walk by. Seeing Shen Yu, she was pleasantly surprised. "Shen Yu, is it really you?"

"Senior Sister Chen Wan?"

Shen Yu was also delighted to see Chen Wan. It was worth noting that although Chen Wan currently managed the Planning Company, she was also the Student Union President at Zhou Yuwen's school and had a decent relationship with Shen Yu. Running into her at the company, they naturally had to exchange a few pleasantries. Upon learning that Shen Yu was joining Zhou Yuwen's company, Chen Wan grew even happier and straightforwardly offered, "Then why don't you just join us over at the Planning Company? Su Qing wanted you to join before, but you never agreed."

"I..."

At this point, Shen Yu hesitated.

The Planning Company's profits had always been stable, but it was also one of the least promising ventures under Zhou Yuwen's umbrella. The so-called planning work was essentially just manual labor. Just like the Jinling University students had discussed during dinner yesterday, the most promising entities under Zhou Yuwen were undeniably two: the financial company, and the internet-based Fun Campus and short-video platforms.

Although Shen Yu didn't study short-video production, she was highly interested in the operations of internet companies. She also hoped to learn more by Zhou Yuwen's side, rather than just doing manual labor at the Planning Company.

Noticing Shen Yu's hesitation, Tao Tian took the initiative to speak up. "Chen Wan, it hasn't been decided exactly which department Shen Yu will join yet. She was specifically brought in by the Boss, so her placement will likely need his approval. I'm afraid you might be disappointed."

Chen Wan was slightly surprised by Tao Tian's words. Someone Zhou Yuwen brought over himself?

Looking at the faint smile playing on Tao Tian's lips, Chen Wan refrained from saying much more and simply replied, "So that's how it is. What a pity. Since President Zhou personally brought you here, he definitely plans to put you in an important position. That makes sense, though. You and Su Qing were best friends who talked about everything. Now that Su Qing is gone, President Zhou certainly won't treat you poorly, if only out of consideration for that connection."

Chen Wan pulled Shen Yu aside for a few more words. It wasn't until someone called for Chen Wan from behind that they finally said their goodbyes, promising to grab a meal together when they had the time.

After Chen Wan left, Shen Yu thanked Tao Tian.

Tao Tian brushed it off, stating that they were all family here, and it was only right to help each other out.

These words made Shen Yu's face flush slightly. Tao Tian just chuckled and added, "It looks like you haven't decided which department to join yet. How about this? Take a walk around first and get to know our company's operational model. Once you find a department you're interested in, you can tell me or Zhou Yuwen."

"I will also coordinate things on my end as quickly as possible to arrange a suitable position for you," Tao Tian added.

Shen Yu nodded, agreeing that this was a good idea.

And so, it was settled.

Tao Tian still had work to attend to, so she arranged for one of the company's girls to show Shen Yu around and introduce her to the workplace.

The girl assigned to guide her had also graduated from Zhou Yuwen's school. Although she was two years senior to Shen Yu, she didn't dare show even the slightest hint of neglect in her attitude. After all, gossip had already started spreading the moment Shen Yu entered the building. She was another beautiful girl who had arrived in the exact same car as the Boss.

"Holy crap, why have so many pretty girls been coming in these past two days?"

"Is the Boss setting up blind dates?"

"This Shen Yu must have quite the background. I just heard from Human Resources that Manager Tao even wanted to replace Jiang Minmin and have Shen Yu take over as the manager of the Cultural Media Company."

"Are you serious? Hasn't Jiang Minmin only been here for one day? If she gets replaced now, wouldn't that be incredibly humiliating?"

"Besides, didn't Jiang Minmin claim to be the Boss's lover?"

"Yeah, she was bragging to her department yesterday, talking about having some scandalous history with the Boss."

"That's just her spouting nonsense."

"The current situation is pretty obvious. The Boss's current girlfriend is Li Shiqi. As for this Shen Yu, things aren't clear yet, but her status is definitely higher than Jiang Minmin's."

"As for Jiang Minmin, at a glance, she's no different from the other crazy fangirls in our company. She just wants to leech off the Boss, but he definitely isn't interested in her."

"I heard she and Manager Tao used to be roommates. Manager Tao probably just pulled some strings to get her a job here."

Wherever there were people, there was never a shortage of gossip. This was especially true in a company full of young people like Zhou Yuwen's. Zhou Yuwen himself was a massive focal point, and the women around him emerged in an endless stream, providing everyone with plenty of material to gossip about.

More importantly, although Jiang Minmin had only been at the company for a single day, she was a highly ambitious girl. Right from the start, she had already been acting as if she were Zhou Yuwen's woman.

While chatting with a Colleague, she even ambiguously hinted that Zhou Yuwen had actually pursued her first. However, since Zhou Yuwen was just starting his freshman year at the time, and she wasn't fond of dating a younger man, she had ignored him. She never expected him to become so successful so quickly.

At that point, a Colleague asked, "So what happened next? Is there a story between you two?"

Jiang Minmin had feigned shyness, replying, "Well, if there wasn't a story, do you think I would be standing here?"

"Wow~!"

Hearing her say that, everyone immediately felt like they understood the situation.

But now, with the latest gossip leaking from the Human Resources department, everyone was deeply skeptical of Jiang Minmin's claims. If she really had a relationship with Zhou Yuwen, how could Manager Tao consider replacing her so casually? "Besides, our Boss is a billionaire tycoon! How could he possibly let his own woman wear cheap knockoffs?"

"What? Are you saying Jiang Minmin wears fakes?"

"Don't tell me you couldn't tell?"

"Uh, I didn't notice. Which piece are you talking about?"

"All of them!"

The more they discussed it, the clearer everyone's perception of Jiang Minmin became, and the more happily they gossiped.

That was until an icy voice rang out from behind them, "Does the company pay your salaries just for you to stand around chatting?"

The moment the voice sounded, the gathered colleagues were startled out of their wits.

The speaker was none other than Qu Jing, known as the company's cold-faced beauty. Everyone knew she was widely regarded as Zhou Yuwen's most vicious attack dog. Sometimes, even when Zhou Yuwen himself didn't mind certain things, she would haggle over every last detail, fiercely defending his interests.

The mere mention of Qu Jing's name was enough to make the colleagues turn pale. Seeing her approach, the group instantly scattered like frightened birds. However, to their surprise, Qu Jing called them back.

"Halt! Whoever dares to run will have three months of their perfect attendance bonus deducted."

"Uh!"

As soon as she said this, everyone froze in their tracks, not daring to take another step.

They watched as Qu Jing walked past them with a frosty expression, scanning each person one by one as if trying to memorize their faces, before finally demanding, "What were you all gossiping about just now?"

They exchanged nervous glances, cold sweat pouring down their backs, but no one dared to utter a single word. They all knew about Jiang Minmin's relationship with Tao Tian, and wasn't Tao Tian's roommate also Qu Jing's roommate?

Even if Jiang Minmin wasn't Zhou Yuwen's woman, with two high-level company executives like Tao Tian and Qu Jing backing her, she certainly wasn't someone they could afford to gossip about.

"I asked you what you were talking about!" Qu Jing raised her voice.

Finally, someone cracked under the pressure and blurted out, "Manager, we were wrong! We didn't mean to talk about your friend on purpose. We were just bored and chatting casually."

"My friend?" Qu Jing couldn't help but ask, her curiosity piqued.

"Yeah, the new girl, Jiang Minmin. At first, we thought she was the Boss's..." The words were right on the tip of their tongue, but upon seeing Qu Jing furrow her brows, they quickly changed their tune. "No, no, she's your and Manager Tao's roommate. We'll never dare to talk nonsense again."

The subordinate stopped right there, but Qu Jing fully understood what they were implying. Raising an eyebrow, she shot back, "You thought she had a relationship with the Boss?"

"No, absolutely not."

Qu Jing let out a cold snort. "Don't let your imaginations run wild. She has absolutely nothing to do with the Boss."

"Yes, yes, yes, we know!"

Qu Jing rarely showed anyone a pleasant face in the company. She originally only intended to clarify that Minmin had zero connection to Zhou Yuwen, but seeing their terrified expressions, she added one more detail, "Also, she is not my good friend."

"I despise her more than anyone."

When Qu Jing said this, she made no effort to hide her disgust for Jiang Minmin. With those words, she turned and left.

The few employees were left staring at each other in bewilderment. It took them a good moment to process what had just happened.

"It seems like Manager Qu wasn't joking?"

"She really doesn't like that Jiang Minmin?"

"Then how exactly did this Jiang Minmin get into the company!?"

"Good lord, so she's actually just an employee with zero background who came here to slack off!"

With this new revelation, the gossiping employees grew even more enthusiastic.

Setting aside the storm of gossip brewing on the lower floors of the company.

Right now, in Zhou Yuwen's Office, a prime-time emotional drama was unfolding. Li Shiqi sat there, pitifully wiping away her tears.

Zhou Yuwen stood nearby, feeling as awkward as one could possibly be. He wanted to go over and comfort Li Shiqi, but he didn't know what kind of status he could use to do so.

'Sigh, better to just cut the Gordian knot and get it over with,' he thought to himself.

Just moments ago, Zhou Yuwen had told Li Shiqi everything about what had happened between him and Shen Yu last night.

Naturally, he could have kept his mouth shut and hidden it from both sides, but Zhou Yuwen had never been the kind of Scummy Man who toyed with feelings and then abandoned people. He had to make things clear.

The gist was that Shen Yu had crashed at his place last night. And as she should know, Linlin and Yan Yan had always been living at his house.

At the time, he genuinely hadn't intended for anything to happen with Shen Yu.

But because certain accidents occurred...

So, it just...

Even someone as logically rigorous as Zhou Yuwen ended up speaking somewhat incoherently while recounting the event.

Fortunately, the initially clueless Li Shiqi suddenly realized what he was saying after listening to his explanation. Immediately, her eyes reddened. "So, what you said last night..."

Zhou Yuwen sighed and said, "Shiqi, please don't cry yet."

"I didn't want things to turn out this way either, but the accident happened too fast. I know I've wronged you terribly, but I have to take responsibility for Shen Yu. I can't just pretend nothing happened afterward."

Feeling wronged, Li Shiqi asked Zhou Yuwen, "So you're just going to Break Up with me?"

Zhou Yuwen hurriedly replied, "I wouldn't say we're breaking up."

"Nothing even happened between us..."

"Then if I had gone out with you last night, wouldn't something have happened?" Li Shiqi's voice cracked with anger.

Zhou Yuwen said, "But the problem is that there aren't that many 'ifs,' Shiqi. I didn't want this either, but I had no choice. I don't want you feeling wronged, and I don't want Shen Yu feeling wronged either. This is the only way things can be right now."

As Zhou Yuwen spoke these words, he didn't even dare to meet Li Shiqi's eyes.

Meanwhile, Li Shiqi stared continuously at Zhou Yuwen with red, tear-filled eyes. Even after he finished speaking, her eyes remained misty. After a long silence, she bit her Lower Lip and said, "Then... I just won't compete with Shen Yu, won't that make it okay?"