Dawn of Life

After staring at Lin Yue for several seconds, everyone began exchanging glances in small groups, and then started whispering among themselves.

"The company doesn't allow superiors and subordinates to date, so how come Xiao Feng took over Lin Yue's department?"

"Who can argue with that? If we don't break up, one of us will have to quit our job."

Before entering, Sheng Xing symbolically asked Xiao Feng if it mattered whether introducing him directly at the meeting, especially since Lin Yue was also present. Xiao Feng pondered for a long time before replying, "We haven't been in contact for a week; we should have broken up by now."

Sheng Xing wasn't surprised to hear this, and patted Xiao Feng on the shoulder, saying, "Okay."

Sheng Xing turned to look at Xiao Feng, only to see that Xiao Feng's gaze was fixed on Lin Yue. Sheng Xing also turned his gaze to Lin Yue and said loudly, "Alright, let's end the meeting here for today. Lin Yue, stay behind for a moment, I need to go over Xiao Feng's onboarding procedures with you. Everyone else, please go ahead and get back to your work."

Soon, only Sheng Xing, Xiao Feng, and Lin Yue remained in the conference room. Lin Yue took out her notebook, looked past Xiao Feng and focused directly on Sheng Xing, saying in a calm tone, "Mr. Sheng, please speak. Is there anything you need to tell me? I'll write it down."

Sheng Xing remained calm and said, "First, talk to President Xiao about the company's HR matters. He signed a partnership agreement, and the legal department has already taken care of it. You can just complete the onboarding procedures later."

After saying that, he stood up, patted Xiao Feng on the shoulder, and walked out of the conference room.

Lin Yue felt incredibly oppressed at that moment. She wanted to escape, but there was nowhere to run away.

When Xiao Feng appeared in the conference room as COO, she already knew the answer. He wanted to distance himself from her when taking over the senior management position at Dasheng. She initially thought Shengxing had offered him very generous terms, and that he was only considering his own career plans. Therefore, he ultimately chose her over his career.

But she quickly realized something was amiss. Given the current situation, Xiao Feng's ability to join as a partner and take over the entire management team suggested that, besides his classmate relationship with Sheng Xing, he must have another identity: a close associate of the Wenxing Group's upper echelons. Therefore, his presence here today was inevitable, and something he had already discussed with Sheng Xing.

The two remained silent for a long time before Xiao Feng's voice came: "Lin Yue..."

Hearing his voice, Lin Yue suddenly felt uncomfortable. She turned to meet his gaze, raised her voice a decibel, and interrupted him firmly, saying, "President Xiao, do you have any questions about the company's benefits? I can explain them to you. If you don't need to know, I'll go directly to President Sheng."

This was the first time Lin Yue had spoken to Xiao Feng in such a tone and attitude. He suddenly felt a little embarrassed, but still forced himself to try and salvage the situation, saying, "Do you have time tonight? Let's have dinner together after work."

Lin Yue's lips curled into a contemptuous smile, her gaze sharp as she coldly said, "I don't have time today, and I won't have time in the future. If President Xiao has no other instructions, I'll be going now."

After speaking, she stood up, grabbed her notebook, and walked straight out of the meeting room. The rhythmic clatter of her high heels echoed across the floor, a sound that resonated with the turbulent thoughts swirling within her. The walk from the meeting room to her workstation felt unusually long and lonely.

When she arrived at her workstation, Su Ling was already sitting there waiting for her. Seeing her approach, Su Ling stood up and gave her a tight hug. Lin Yue was about two centimeters taller than Su Ling, and her head could now rest comfortably on Su Ling's shoulder. She whispered in Su Ling's ear, "Su Ling, lots of people are watching."

Su Ling was slightly taken aback. The company was such a small place, and the news that Xiao Feng had suddenly come to the company as COO and that Lin Yue had been kept behind by the big boss quickly spread throughout the company.

So Su Ling had been waiting at her seat for a long time. When she saw her walk over, she was completely dazed. So she completely forgot about the scene at the company and just wanted to hug her as soon as possible, hoping to give her some strength.

Su Ling's feelings for Lin Yue ran so deep not only because Lin Yue helped her secure a trial opportunity at Dasheng four years ago, but most importantly because Lin Yue was there for her during the lowest point in her life. She grew up in a loveless family, suffering from her father's favoritism and indifference, her brother's demands, and her mother's weakness, all of which made her crave love.

So Su Ling has always had a knack for attracting jerks. Four years ago, just a few months after she arrived at Dasheng, she was dumped by her ex-boyfriend. She suffered from severe depression and even had suicidal thoughts and extreme behaviors. Lin Yue stayed by her side and helped her find a psychologist. At first, Lin Yue was only there because of her HR position, but as they spent more time together, Su Ling gradually realized that Lin Yue genuinely wanted to help her and treated her as a friend.

From that moment on, Su Ling secretly decided that Lin Yue was the most important friend she would ever have. Therefore, at this moment, she truly hated those who bullied Lin Yue.

Su Ling seemed not to hear Lin Yue's voice, still holding her tightly until Lin Yue struggled to push Su Ling away. Su Ling felt a pang of heartache looking at her pale face, took her arm, and walked out, saying, "Let's go, let's go downstairs for a walk."

After arriving at Starbucks, Su Ling helped Lin Yue sit down, ordered two coffees at the counter, and then sat down next to her a while later, handing her one of the coffees.

Lin Yue took the coffee, looked up and said softly, "It's working hours now, let's go back. If people see us, they'll say we're not working hard enough."

Su Ling stomped her foot heavily on the ground in anger and said sternly, "Lin Yue, can't you stop being so hard on yourself? Can't you just let yourself go this once?"

Lin Yue lowered her eyes, a deep bitter smile playing on her lips: "What can I do? Slap that scumbag twice and then slam my resignation letter on Shengxing's table? That's just a plot from wish-fulfillment novels. I don't have that kind of money. I have elderly parents to take care of and a son to raise." With that, a hot tear fell onto the table.

Su Ling sighed deeply, stood up, and said, "Let's go back to the company."

Just then, Lin Yue received a WeChat message from Xiao Feng: "Lin Yue, let's break up. I owe you an apology, and I hope you can forgive me."

Lin Yue gritted her teeth, gripping her phone tightly. Seeing her expression, Su Ling leaned closer. The moment Su Ling saw the message, she felt like she was about to explode, and immediately snatched Lin Yue's phone.

Lin Yue made a voice call to Xiao Feng, and by the time she realized what was happening, the call had already been connected.