Dawn of Life

Shi Potian was taken aback. He seemed surprised that Lin Yue was still considering the training program at this time. He had just talked so vividly, yet he hadn't managed to draw her attention from the project to the person. So he shook his head and replied truthfully, "No, he really wants to decline, and he specifically asked me to support him no matter what."

After saying that, he picked up his drink and took a sip, waiting for Lin Yue's reply.

Zhang Wei certainly wanted to push this project forward. Such a high-profile project would yield tangible results simply by being implemented. Moreover, Shengxing had explicitly emphasized this project at the department's weekly meeting, so Zhang Wei naturally wanted to seize this opportunity to make a good impression.

Lin Yue just didn't want to give him the opportunity right now.

Lin Yue also picked up her drink and took a sip, then said calmly, "That really puts him in a difficult position. Being forced by me, the new boss, to do something he doesn't agree with must feel bad. I don't really care. If he doesn't want to do this project, so be it. Compared to the other projects, this one has the lowest priority and importance to me."

Shi Potian stared at her with great interest for several seconds before finally revealing a meaningful expression.

Although Lin Yue's explanation was impeccable, the shrewd Shi Potian naturally understood her underlying meaning. She didn't want Zhang Wei to push the project too smoothly, and since he was here to ingratiate himself with her, he would naturally give her face. So Shi Potian nodded and said, "Don't worry, I will support Zhang Wei's work as much as possible, but the premise is definitely not to affect my own business progress, because I've been extremely busy lately."

Lin Yue picked up her drink and clinked it against Shi Potian's, then looked at him and said, "Thanks in advance, Brother Shi. But you didn't just come to me today to talk about this, right? If there's anything else I can help with, just let me know. We need to support each other."

Shi Potian tilted his head back and took a big gulp of his drink, squinting as he praised Lin Yue for becoming increasingly intelligent. Then he began to inquire about the current progress of the "Competency Model Project." After a while, Lin Yue finally understood from his rambling words that he was very worried about his job title and hoped that Lin Yue could reveal some information to him before the evaluation.

Lin Yue quickly considered the situation in her mind. According to the current competency model, Shi Potian definitely qualified for the title of senior director, but his recent performance hadn't been very good. If he were to be reviewed by the evaluation panel, he might face some criticism from the judges.

Shi Potian probably guessed this as well, so he came to Lin Yue in advance to inquire about information and make some preparations.

Lin Yue could certainly tell him about the rules, and since he had gone to such lengths today, she had to give him face both publicly and privately.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yue nodded and said, "Your abilities are not a problem. There are still half a month before the final review of your performance evaluation. You can keep working on it to avoid any questions raised by the judges during the review process."

Shi Potian put down his chopsticks and asked with a serious expression, "When evaluating job titles, is it more important to consider ability or performance?"

Lin Yue: "Of course it's ability, but performance is the result of that ability. If we strictly follow the current plan, we first assess job level based on ability, and then evaluate performance based on job level, which creates a time lag."

Upon hearing Lin Yue's words, Shi Potian's expression gradually relaxed, and he gave her a confident and composed smile.

For some reason, seeing his expression, Lin Yue suddenly felt like she'd been tricked. She wanted to try and smooth things over, but then it seemed like what she'd said wasn't wrong, and logically, the plan fit perfectly.

She thought perhaps she was being too tense. Regarding Zhang Wei, she would still need Shi Potian's cooperation later, so she decided to leave a clue for both of them today. As for the matter of rank, she would deal with it as it came.

Lin Yue and Shi Potian returned home after dinner, which was already past nine o'clock in the evening. As soon as they entered the door, they saw Liu Cuiying sitting angrily on the sofa in the living room, while Lin Haifeng sat far away at the dining table by the door with his head hanging down.

Lin Yue's heart sank as she recalled receiving messages from them a few hours earlier, saying they were upset by Xiao Yu. She subconsciously glanced at Xiao Yu, who was sitting in the corner of the sofa, engrossed in playing with Ultraman cards.

She calmed herself down a little and asked, "What's wrong?" She tried to keep her voice calm, afraid that she might accidentally ignite the heavy atmosphere.

Lin Haifeng forced an awkward smile at her and said, "Your mother and the child had a fight." Then he lowered his head helplessly.

Seeing that Lin Haifeng didn't want to go into details, Lin Yue changed her shoes and walked over to Xiaoyu, asking softly, "Sweetie, tell Mommy, what did you do to upset Grandma?"

Xiaoyu stopped fiddling with the Ultraman cards, looked up at Lin Yue with a pitiful expression, and said, "Grandma scolded me."

Liu Cuiying turned to look at Xiaoyu, snorted coldly, and said, "How did I scold you? Am I wrong? Your father is out there having a good time every day and doesn't want you anymore."

An hour ago, Liu Cuiying saw photos of Gao Ming's recent trip to Hainan on Douyin and WeChat Moments. In the photos, he looked radiant, showing off the beautiful scenery and delicious food. This reminded Liu Cuiying of her own daughter leaving early and returning late, while she and her husband traveled a long distance to Hangzhou to take care of her child, and she suddenly felt very resentful.

Xiaoyu grabbed the Ultraman cards from the sofa, threw them heavily on the ground, and yelled, "Dad wants them! He said he'd come see me when he has time!"

Liu Cuiying wanted to hear Xiaoyu say hello to his mother, and hello to his grandparents, but she didn't expect that her expression would cause the child to rebel.

Liu Cuiying turned her head to look at Lin Yue and said sarcastically, "See? Your son is an ungrateful wretch. It's no use even if you win custody of him. His heart is still with his father."

Xiaoyu didn't understand what "ungrateful wretch" meant, but judging from Liu Cuiying's expression, it definitely wasn't a nice word. Then he burst into tears, ran to Liu Cuiying's side, and started hitting her while crying, shouting, "Bad grandma, I don't like grandma, go away, go away..."

Liu Cuiying pushed Xiaoyu away, went back to her room, and slammed the door shut. Xiaoyu cried even louder, "Waaah..."

Lin Yue went over and hugged Xiao Yu, stroking his back, and then took him to wash up.

After settling Xiaoyu down to sleep, Lin Yue poured another glass of water and went to Liu Cuiying's room. She handed the water to Liu Cuiying and said, "Xiaoyu is just a seven-year-old child. Why bother arguing with a child?"

Liu Cuiying pushed the water glass, snorted, and said seriously, "Don't take this lightly. You can tell a person's character for life from their childhood. You can tell what a person will be like at three years old."

Lin Yue was speechless. Life is so long, and one experiences so many things; every event can potentially change one's personality. How could Liu Cuiying be so confident?

This reminded Lin Yue of when she was little, when Liu Cuiying would always say the same thing to her, saying that she could tell from a young age that she wouldn't amount to anything. At first, she would argue with Liu Cuiying, and Liu Cuiying's expression back then was exactly the same as now. Later, she gradually stopped arguing, and eventually, she even started to believe Liu Cuiying's words, feeling that she was worthless.

As she grew older, she gradually discovered that she had a very low sense of "worthiness," especially in close relationships where she was afraid to make demands. To avoid feeling disappointed, she would lower her threshold to the minimum from the very beginning. Over time, others would take her understanding and sacrifices for granted.

Lin Yue was determined to have a talk with Liu Cuiying today; she couldn't let Xiao Yu repeat her life.