Guild Boss's Ambition

(Ancient Mountain)

Hello everyone, I am Gushan, an inconspicuous poster girl.

The workday starts at 7am and the official lunch break is at 2pm.

In the stone house, Miss Lannong and Miss Kololo usually rested at the same time as me, and today was no exception.

"Hello, Senior Ke Luoluo! Hello, Senior Lan Nong!"

As soon as I stepped into the lounge, I gave the two of them a lively greeting as usual. Since I don't have any eye-catching qualities, I have to work hard to increase my presence in various ways. However, my greeting only attracted the attention of half of the people in the room.

"Hello, Gushan, are you hungry?"

"Hmm! Hmm! I'm starving!"

Miss Kololo from the kitchen greeted me as usual with her masculine yet gentle voice, but Senior Lan Nong seemed to have encountered something bad today. She was leaning against the window, staring at the sky with a look of despair.

I looked at Miss Kololo in confusion, and she shrugged at me, indicating that she didn't know the truth either.

After thinking about it, I walked over and patted Senior Lan Nong on the shoulder out of concern.

"Senior Lan Nong?"

"Huh? Who's looking for me?"

She turned her head and looked at me dazedly, then narrowed her eyes menacingly.

"traitor……"

"What? Senior, what did you say?" I thought I had misheard.

"Traitors. Gu Shan and Ke Luo Luo, you are both traitors..."

Senior Lan Nong reiterated his words once again, and this time even Miss Kololo was included in the criticism.

But just when we were both in doubt, her sinister look turned into a tearful expression in two seconds. She pouted and complained, "Why did you two accept magazine interviews without telling me? And why can they introduce me without permission? Do they know what the right of portrait is? I don't want to be a public figure or a popular lover──"

"So it's because of the Gunposhu incident..."

I originally thought that every poster girl would want to become famous, so I was actively providing information to the magazine at that time. However, I didn't expect that Senior Lan Nong would be so resistant to increasing her popularity. Seeing her about to collapse, I suddenly became at a loss and didn't know what to say.

"senior……"

Just when I was feeling helpless, Miss Luo Luo came between me and my senior. She smiled and stuffed a red bean bun into my senior's hand. She said like she was coaxing a child, "Okay, I'll treat you to a little snack and stop being so mad, okay?"

Senior Lan Nong looked at the red bean bun in his hand, silently put it in his arms, and then raised his eyes with righteousness.

"Do you really think that a mere red bean bun is enough to buy off my moral integrity?"

But Miss Lolo stuffed another one into her mouth.

"Not even if there are two!"

But Miss Luoluo stuffed the third red bean bun into her mouth.

"That's enough! Can you please stop insulting my character with food?"

Miss Ke Luoluo took out a big bag of red bean buns in one go.

Senior Lan Nong immediately reached out to take the sack.

However, Miss Luo Luo retracted her hand at the right time, put away the bag, and showed an extremely evil smile: "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have insulted you, Xiao Lan, I'd better feed this bag of red bean buns to the dog..."

Senior Lan Nong struggled for a moment, then opened his hand and said with a squinting look, "It would be a waste to feed it to the dogs. I'll keep it for you first."

At this time, Miss Luo Luo had obviously mastered the rhythm. She shrugged nonchalantly, walked towards the door of the lounge, and said playfully, "Forget it. If no one eats it, it will go bad. It's more environmentally friendly to feed it to the dog."

When he was about to leave, Senior Lan Nong had already leaned against his back like a little bird, and said in a mosquito-thin voice: "I'm not angry anymore, so can you leave the red bean bun to me? Miss Ke Luoluo."

For the sake of red bean buns, the senior really has no moral integrity at all.

How much does she like red bean buns?

Looking at Senior Lan Nong chewing on a red bean bun while enjoying Miss Kololo's pat on the head, I always feel that I can no longer have any respect for this senior of mine.

"I'll buy some red bean buns some other day."

Thinking so, I opened the lunch box prepared for me by my sister Gulin. Since she had only learned cooking for a few months, her cooking skills were not very good. The taste of the food would give me some jaw-dropping surprises from time to time. However, the contract did not include employee lunch, so every time the time came, I had to pay out of my own pocket and patronize the Stone House for lunch.

After the red bean buns made Senior Lan Nong smile again, the lounge returned to its usual tranquil atmosphere, with the aroma of food wafting in the air. Senior also started a conversation with us while eating bread.

"By the way, Gu Shan, do you have someone you like?"

Unlike the usual casual chats, today Senior Lan Nong started by asking some very explosive questions, and he specifically mentioned me. For a moment, my heart was beating wildly and making a non-stop noise.

"I...I haven't thought about this carefully yet." I replied with a blushing face.

After hearing my answer, Senior Lan Nong did not show any disappointment, as if he had never been expecting my answer from the beginning to the end. After me, Senior Lan Nong turned his head and looked at Senior Ke Luoluo who was standing beside him.

"So, what about Miss Koro? Do you have someone you like?"

Different from the way she treated me, Senior Lan Nong stared at Miss Korolo with eyes full of respect. I suddenly realized that her question to me just now was just a cover, and her real target was actually Miss Korolo!

Is it possible...

Senior Lan Nong actually fell in love with...

I suddenly felt as if I had accidentally touched upon a shocking secret. Recalling the conversation about Red Bean Buns at the beginning, my eyes involuntarily softened as I looked towards Senior Lan Nong.

"It turns out that what's important is not the red bean bun, but the person who feeds you..."

"Ah... so sweet! So cute!"

Considering that Senior Lan Nong actually hid such delicate girlish feelings, I couldn't help but look forward to Miss Korolo's answer with her. I saw Miss Korolo playing with his hair and giving a wry smile.

"No, I don't have anyone I like yet."

"Not having someone you like means there's still a chance, doesn't it?"

"That's great! Lan Nong-senpai!"

As if she had thought of the same thing as me, Senior Lan Nong smiled a tiny smile, but she quickly hid it and changed it into a bored expression: "Eh──I originally thought there would be some blushing and heart-pounding stories, but I didn't expect that none of us have a lover. It seems that this world really lacks love!"

No, no!

Senior, you already have enough love! Really!

Silently watching the senior who was feeling amorous, I, the junior, couldn't help but feel amorous too. I couldn't help but reach out and pat Senior Lan Nong's long black hair, which made her look puzzled.

“Why did you pat my head…”

"Because you are so cute, Senior..."

Hearing the word "cute", Senior Lan Nong seemed to recall the incident at the Qunfang Gathering: "As a senior, I must solemnly warn you that the beauty of women does not lie in cuteness. We should pursue true temperament and connotation. Simply being cute is not a way to survive forever. As for those who only focus on appearance, they are just a bunch of pitiful creatures. Gu Shan, you must not learn from them!"

Senior, what you mean is that Miss Luoluo has discovered your inner beauty?

Do you fall in love with someone because you feel understood?

Ah! So sweet! So romantic!

My eyes sparkled, and I nodded confidently: "Yes! Gu Shan has fully understood what you meant, Senior! In the future, Gu Shan will definitely follow in your footsteps and use a sincere attitude to affirm what truly belongs to him!"

"Well! Since you can understand this truth, that's great!"

Seeing me understand, Senior Lan Nong wiped away tears of relief, then snapped his fingers, looked at Miss Kololo, and asked her second question: "By the way, do you think it's appropriate for employees to fall in love in the workplace?"

……

……

16. To Defend Love (Gu Shan)

(Ancient Mountain)

"By the way, do you think it's appropriate for employees to have a romantic relationship in the workplace?"

No wonder people say that girls in love are always sentimental.

After confirming that Miss Kololo was single, Senior Lan Nong still couldn't be completely relieved. Although they had not yet officially established a relationship beyond friends, the far-sighted senior had already thought about their future life. If just now I was still a little skeptical that she would not fall in love with a transvestite with distorted values, now I have completely believed in the magic of love.

True love has no reason.

At this moment, Senior Lan Nong was anxiously waiting for Miss Kololo's reply. There was no trace of me in her eyes, only the person in her mind. However, before Miss Kololo could answer, an unexpected person suddenly joined our conversation.

"Good afternoon everyone, what are you talking about?"

President Ehard sat down with a cup of coffee, apparently just passing by.

"Oh, beautiful president, please accept my warm embrace--ah!"

As usual, the masochistic Miss Korolo immediately launched a disgusting attack on President Ehard, and the great President Ehard appropriately kicked her to the ceiling, skillfully satisfying his subordinate's masochistic desire.

"It seems that without a certain level of martial arts skills, it would be difficult to win the heart of Miss Korolo!"

"Senior Lan Nong, you have to work hard!"

Looking at the happy expression on Miss Ke Luoluo's face, I can't help but worry about my senior's love life. Although Senior Lan Nong has good conditions in all aspects, Miss Ke Luoluo is a complete weirdo. If I can't please her, it will be difficult to get closer to each other.

As soon as I saw President Ehard appear, I, the lowest-ranking employee, hurried to make my presence felt.

"Good afternoon, President. We are discussing whether employees should have romantic relationships in the workplace."

Hearing this, President Ehard sat down, nodded, and expressed his own views.

"Need I say more? Burn them to death!"

"Eh?"

I was instantly frightened by the president's remarks. Are our seniors going to be burned at the stake in the future?

Love is really heavy.

Fortunately, President Ehard immediately smiled and added, "Okay, I was just kidding, I was just that nervous. However, from the perspective of the guild president, I really don't like the emergence of workplace couples. If they are not handled properly, they can easily cause trouble."

"Creating trouble?" I asked puzzled.

"Oops, I forgot to add the creamer."

President Erhard took a sip of coffee, frowned, then smiled at us and explained, "Love has a magical power that can make people dizzy. The emergence of workplace couples can easily form a group of "communities of interests". Because of the emotional ties, they often have strong solidarity. Once a policy harms their interests, they are likely to form a stubborn resistance."

"Is it that serious?" Miss Kellogg asked, blinking.

President Ehard nodded heavily and sighed, "That is indeed a huge risk. I remember a year ago, the Black Technology Camp lost half of its contract adventurers because they failed to handle workplace couples properly..."

“Half of the adventurers are missing? What’s going on?” I couldn’t help but be surprised.

President Erhard recalled: "The community of interests formed by lovers is certainly an iceberg in management. If the ship accidentally hits it, the ship will be destroyed and everyone will die. However, the real horror of love is often not the sweet moments, but the breakup."

"There are two guild leaders in the Black Tech Camp. One is a male Mist Peak Dwarf, and the other is a female Lizardman. They met because of mechanical technology, and later became a couple. They jointly founded the Black Tech Camp. The main members of this guild are adventurers who yearn for mechanical technology. Among them, there are three major factions: dwarves, goblins, and lizardmen."

Hearing this, Senior Lan Nong raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "I guess someone must have cheated."

Miss Korolo agreed, "And it must be the male dwarf guild leader."

President Ehard nodded, confirming their guess, and said with a sigh: "Inter-racial romance is always difficult, and the union of dwarves and lizardmen is even more unimaginable for ordinary people. Finally, one day, the dwarf president and a young female dwarf fell in love, and not long after, the lizardman president accidentally discovered the two people having an affair. As a result, the two presidents had a heated debate in the guild hall."

"At first they were still trying to make sense, but later, due to some people's instigation, the topic gradually became about racial bloodline. After two weeks of verbal battles between the three races, the matter was finally settled with the delay of the dwarf president. However, because of this incident, most dwarves and a small number of goblins left in displeasure, leaving an indelible scar on the once-thriving Black Tech Camp."

After listening to the president’s words, I suddenly felt that workplace romance is a terrible landmine.

However, for the sake of his own love, Senior Lan Nong expressed a different opinion: "However, despite the terrible precedent, I do not think love can be suppressed. It is inevitable that people will develop feelings for each other, and love is often involuntary. Even if we prohibit it openly, it does not mean that it will not grow in secret. It is better to drain it than to block it."

"Fighting for love is so cool!" - I have great respect for the seniors who defend love.

President Ehard is also a wise president. She has always been humble and open-minded. Although Senior Lan Nong is young, she will not ignore her opinions.

"I understand what you mean, Xiao Lan, but are there really any effective measures to reduce the impact of workplace couples? Normal people are selfish. As long as there is profit to be made, I believe they will forget about public affairs for personal gain, or even abuse their public office for personal gain. Even if they have professional ethics, they will inevitably have emotional fluctuations sometimes. If they fail to do their job well, they will be mediocre at best. But once they mess up things because of their emotions, it will be very troublesome to make up for it."

Senior Lan Nong replied: "President, you are absolutely right, so I personally do not really encourage workplace romances..."

Eh? What's going on?

Senior, don’t you want to live with Miss Kololo?

I looked at Senior Lan Nong in surprise.

The reservation she made next immediately put me at ease: "But we shouldn't oppose the emergence of workplace couples. Once we strictly oppose it, underground romances will multiply, and these romances will be hidden like landmines until they explode due to something at some time and place, catching our guild management off guard. In this case, we might as well let these romances become clear naturally so that we can intervene appropriately when necessary."

"I think Miss Lannong is right." Miss Luoluo cooperated very well and agreed with her senior's statement.

"This……"

Under the joint attack of the two, although President Ehard was a little dissatisfied, he finally gave in and sighed, "Okay, what you said makes sense. Anyway, there won't be any perfect answer to this topic for a while, so there's no point in me trying to break up the couple. How about tomorrow? Tomorrow I'll ask Berlane to write a statement and post it on the wall of the lounge so that everyone in the guild will have a clear idea."

President Ehard ended this small discussion neatly. The president did not stay here to rest for too long. She quickly finished her coffee, left the cup, and then walked out the door alone, returning the leisurely atmosphere to the staff lounge, which made me secretly breathe a sigh of relief.