The Bowl of Seven Emotions

Secretary Wu's entrance into the office instantly silenced the entire secretarial pool. He stood in the center, hands clasped before him, his expression stern.

In Tang Susu's eyes, Secretary Wu had always been good-tempered. However, in the eyes of most of the secretarial staff, his temper was far from pleasant.

"Do you know why I'm here?"

No one uttered a sound.

"You don't?" Secretary Wu swept his gaze across his silent subordinates. "I don't want your attention focused on irrelevant matters. Who the boss is with is not something you should concern yourselves with. Mind your own business. Di Jiang hired you to work, not to spread rumors. I don't want any more unsubstantiated gossip coming from the secretarial pool. If there's a next time, you can pack your things and go home."

After Secretary Wu finished speaking, the office became deathly quiet. No one dared to question him. Everyone huddled at their desks like quails, heads lowered, afraid of being noticed.

Secretary Wu seemed satisfied with their attitude. He looked around, his gaze finally settling on Lü Yao, who stood out from the rest.

He frowned and pointed at her. "What's your name? I haven't seen you before."

Lü Yao bit her lip and stood up as soon as Secretary Wu addressed her. "Hello, Secretary Wu. My name is Lü Yao. I'm the new intern."

"Intern? Oh, I remember. You're the one Manager You made an exception for, right?"

At the mention of the "exception," Lü Yao's face flushed crimson. The thing she least wanted people to know was that she got into Di Jiang not through her own abilities but through connections. However, with Secretary Wu bringing it up, she couldn't deny it.

"Y-yes," Lü Yao mumbled, her ears burning.

"The secretarial pool isn't short of people right now. Go to the 23rd floor and find Manager Lu in Human Resources. Have her arrange a new internship position for you."

Not only was Lü Yao dumbfounded, but the others were also confused by Secretary Wu's intentions.

It felt like their boss was deliberately targeting Lü Yao.

Lü Yao's eyes welled up. "Secretary Wu, what did I do wrong? Why are you transferring me?"

Secretary Wu looked amused. "Transferring you? You weren't originally part of the secretarial pool, were you?"

"But… but I've been here for half a month."

"So what?" Secretary Wu grew impatient. "There are many interns in the company. There's no rule saying your internship positions can't be changed."

"But…"

Lü Yao wanted to say more, but Secretary Wu cut her off with a wave of his hand. He turned to two male employees beside him. "Help her pack her things."

With their help, Lü Yao's belongings were quickly packed. As she carried a box of her things out of the secretarial pool, tears streaming down her face, several male employees felt a pang of sympathy.

She looked so pitiful. The young woman hadn't done anything wrong and was suddenly dismissed. Their boss seemed to be venting his anger unfairly.

Secretary Wu acted as if nothing had happened. He walked around and left, leaving the group to exchange bewildered glances.

"What do you think our boss meant by that? Why did he single out Lü Yao? She's so unlucky, somehow offending him." Someone craned their neck to look outside the office, only speaking louder once she was gone.

"Who knows? Maybe the boss was in a bad mood and just happened to dislike Lü Yao."

While they expressed pity and sympathy, it was only superficial. No one would stick their neck out for someone they'd known for less than half a month.

Besides, Lü Yao might not become their colleague in the future. Since there was no chance of working together, they were just strangers.

Everyone knew that although Secretary Wu had politely told her to find Manager Lu for a department change, what would actually happen? Would any other department dare to take someone who had been kicked out of the secretarial pool?

"Are you dense? The boss came down, didn't touch anyone, and specifically targeted Lü Yao. Didn't you notice anything?" Sister Xu scoffed, rolling her eyes at the young man beside her who was feeling sorry for Lü Yao.

She knew that he had given Lü Yao two movie tickets a couple of days ago, which were gratefully declined. Yet, Lü Yao's tactics were impressive; even after rejecting him, he still spoke highly of her.

It was a good thing the boss had her removed; otherwise, their secretarial pool would have been lively.

"Notice what…? Wait, could that rumor have been spread by her? No way! It couldn't be. Lü Yao has only been in the company for a few days. How could she have the ability?"

Those with a bit more insight guessed something after hearing Sister Xu's words, but then shook their heads in denial.

"I don't know if she has the ability, but I do know she has a backer." Sister Xu's words silenced everyone.

Some had compared her to Tang Susu before, saying she got in through her own merits, unlike Tang Susu. And the result? A harsh reality check.

If Secretary Wu hadn't said anything, who would have known she also got in through connections?

At least Tang Susu never hid it. Lü Yao, on the other hand, pretended to be something she wasn't. Honestly, she was worse than Tang Susu.

Someone finally caught on and couldn't help but ask, "What was her motive?"

"What else could it be? You men are all clueless. She didn't target anyone else, only Tang Susu. Isn't it because of Tang Susu's relationship with our boss?"

"You're saying Lü Yao has her eyes on the Chairman?"

"Most likely. Unfortunately, she's too stupid. And clearly, the boss would never look at her." Sister Xu sneered, truly despising Lü Yao. She acted all soft and weak in front of the male colleagues, who would then run around for her like dogs. With the female colleagues, she played the aloof card. Sister Xu had always wanted to ask her if it wasn't tiring to keep up the act.

Now, Secretary Wu had stepped in and solved the problem at its root.

Of course, Secretary Wu's actions also made people think. As the boss's right-hand man, handling so many matters every day, for him to personally investigate a mere rumor… anyone with a brain knew something was up.

"Do you think… Tang Susu and the boss are a thing now?" someone cautiously ventured.

Silence filled the office.

What else could they say? It was highly likely!

There had been others who had their eyes on the boss before, and the company was rife with rumors, but Secretary Wu never bothered to address them.

"Tsk, our Chairman is really thoughtful, quietly eliminating Tang Susu's rival."

"Rival? Don't make me laugh. She's just flattering herself." Those who disliked Lü Yao no longer had to hold back, their glares directed at the male colleagues who had once fawned over her.

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