Chapter 32: The New Employee

Han Haoyuan patted him on the shoulder.

“Kid, you look sharp! Work hard and keep our President Lu safe! His safety is tied to the fate of the whole company!”

“Got it…wait, no! Can’t call him ‘President Lu,’ gotta call him ‘Classmate Xiao Lu’!”

Du Shuo said very seriously.

“Can’t mess this up, or they’ll dock my pay!”

A muscle in Han Haoyuan’s face twitched.

“Right, right. Keep ‘Classmate Xiao Lu’ safe. I’m counting on you!”

“Don’t worry! I’m a sanda champion and I can throw down!”

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“Please, Sister Ran, give him a chance. He only got fired because of me…”

Lin Ran frowned.

“But didn’t Zhou Qibo get arrested?”

Lu Lanxiao didn’t bat an eye.

“He fired me before that.”

Lin Ran turned to Meng Xiao.

“And what’s your beef with Ge Siyu? Why mess with her for no reason?”

Meng Xiao pouted.

“Didn’t I tell you before? That time I finally landed a role, only for someone to steal it? It was Ge Siyu! The director was serious about casting and he auditioned over a dozen rounds before picking me. However, Ge Siyu exerted pressure and compelled him to substitute me.”

“Oh… so that’s the grudge.”

Lin Ran pondered for a moment before turning back to Lu Lanxiao skeptically.

“I saw you flying business class on your last trip. Are you really that broke?”

Lu Lanxiao replied, “I’m not poor. I just spent a lot, so I’m short on cash.”

Lin Ran was stunned by his matter-of-fact tone.

“If you’re broke, can’t you just spend less?”

“No.”

Lin Ran: “…”

Zhang Yuetong knew Lu Lanxiao’s real identity but couldn’t reveal it.

All she could do was warn, “Ah Ran, this kid’s full of lies. Don’t trust him!”

But Meng Xiao immediately countered, “He helped you snag tickets and even edited videos for you! How can you say that? He’s just looking for a side gig… And part-time pay isn’t even that high, right? Plus, he’s seriously skilled, and any company could use a computer science major.”

Zhang Yuetong refused to back down.

“No way! This guy’s up to no good. Absolutely not!”

Meng Xiao grew agitated.

“Why not? I checked; he’s a sophomore at Qingdao University, not some shady character. And his grades are top-tier and ranked first in his major!”

Lin Ran rubbed her chin.

“Sister Yuetong can handle video editing, and a computer science student… isn’t a must-hire. Our company’s broke and we can’t afford deadweight.”

Lu Lanxiao pointed at Lin Ran’s laptop.

“Do you check company emails often? How long does it take you?”

“Of course I check business emails… but since the inbox is public, it’s flooded with fan mail and pranks.”

Lin Ran thought for a moment.

“Takes me about half an hour to sort through.”

Lu Lanxiao pulled a flash drive from his pocket.

“Mind if I take a look at your inbox? I won’t read the content.”

Lin Ran opened her email.

Lu Lanxiao plugged in the drive, fingers flying across the keyboard.

A minute later, a spreadsheet popped up, filtering all the valid emails and highlighting key sections.

Zhang Yuetong couldn’t help but marvel.

“This is crazy convenient. With this, you could sort emails in minutes. Where’d this software come from? Your department’s?”

Lu Lanxiao shook his head.

“Last week’s programming homework. I threw it together.”

Zhang Yuetong: “Your homework’s… this insane?”

“Nah, the assignment was too easy, so I added a tiny bit of difficulty.”

“A tiny bit?”

Zhang Yuetong felt a pang of frustration.

She hated so-called “geniuses” and they made ordinary effort seem worthless.

If he were just a computer whiz, fine. Qingdao had no shortage of talent, and it wouldn’t have fazed her.

But Zhang Yuetong knew Lu Lanxiao’s abilities went far beyond that.

Lin Ran stroked her chin and nodded.

“Not bad. Really handy. Alright, you’re hired. You can start part-time.”

She turned to Zhang Yuetong.

“Draft a contract. We’ll sign tomorrow… No, tomorrow we’re leaving for Legendary Journey. We’ll be gone for days. Let’s sign when we get back.”

“Legendary Journey?”

A faint smirk played on Lu Lanxiao’s lips.

“Funny. I’m a guest on that show.”

The moment he said it, Zhang Yuetong nearly exploded.

“Why are you going on Legendary Journey? What’s your game?”

Lu Lanxiao blinked innocently.

“Heard variety shows pay well, so I applied. Didn’t expect to get picked.”

Zhang Yuetong gritted her teeth.

“You expect me to buy that?”

Lin Ran wasn’t fazed.

“The show’s easy to get on, and there’s not much competition. Being a Qingdao ace helps.”

Zhang Yuetong shot Lu Lanxiao a glare.

A Qingdao genius on a variety show? No issue.

But the CEO of Feiye Group? Huge issue.

Ignoring her, Lu Lanxiao said calmly, “Then just bring the contract tomorrow when we meet up. We’ll sign then.”

Meng Xiao grinned.

“See? Told you our company’s legit and even part-timers get contracts.”

Zhang Yuetong wanted to object but had no valid reason.

Reluctantly, she nodded and pointed at the door.

“Let’s go. I’ll walk you out.”

Once in the elevator, alone, Zhang Yuetong’s eyes turned fierce.

“Spill it. What’s your real plan?”

Lu Lanxiao shrugged.

“What plan?”

“You—” She seethed.

“You’re trying to infiltrate our company and destroy it, aren’t you?”

Lu Lanxiao looked baffled.

“Why would I? And… if I wanted to crush a startup, would I go to this much effort?”

“To get to me!”

Zhang Yuetong jabbed a finger at herself.

“You’ll ruin my company, strip me of all hope, and force me to work for you forever, right?”

Lu Lanxiao was stunned.

“We’ve worked together before. I knew you might not get me, but… you think I’m a psycho?”

“Aren’t you?”

“No? I’m just your average genius. If anything’s ‘psycho,’ it’s how freakishly skilled I am. But as a person? Pretty normal.”

Zhang Yuetong scoffed.

“A Fortune 500 CEO slumming it at a startup? What else am I supposed to think?”

“Think of it as… me pursuing someone.”

Zhang Yuetong nearly jumped.

“I don’t like you!”

Lu Lanxiao: “…I don’t like you either. Thanks.”

“Then I get it…”

Lu Lanxiao relaxed.

“Finally.”

Zhang Yuetong: “You found out Meng Xiao’s a girl and finally realized your feelings?”

Lu Lanxiao paused.

“She’s a girl?”

“You didn’t know?” Zhang Yuetong was losing it.

“Wait…if you liked her, how wouldn’t you know? A quick search would tell you. Unless you don’t care at all. So then… you…”

“…”

“No way!”

Zhang Yuetong shook her head violently.

“Ah Ran would never like you. Give it up! There’s no way she’d go for a guy eight years younger!”

Lu Lanxiao frowned.

“I’m just young.”

“Absolutely not. I can’t even picture it.”

“That’s your lack of imagination.”

“But why? You used to hate her, and is it just because she’s pretty?”

“…Is that not enough?”

“Ugh. Men.”

“…”

After seeing Lu Lanxiao out, Zhang Yuetong finally said, “If you ever hurt her, I’ll… break the NDA, even if it costs me the penalty!”

Lu Lanxiao raised a brow.

“Two hundred million? You’d really throw that away for her?”

“…”

Zhang Yuetong winced at the number.

“I was so dumb to sign that contract.”

Lu Lanxiao tilted his head.

“Wasn’t it just last year?”

“…”

Turning, Lu Lanxiao walked toward Du Shuo, who waited by the car.

After a few steps, he glanced back.

“Relax. You won’t get the chance to break it.”

His voice was calm.

“Because I’d never hurt her.”

Zhang Yuetong watched him leave, her mind in turmoil.

Legendary Journey would run from Saturday morning to Monday night.

The crew had asked everyone to meet at City Square at 9 a.m. for the ride to the filming location.

Lin Ran arrived at 8. Zhang Yuetong drove her in her minivan.

Each guest could bring one person, but they weren’t allowed on set.

Lin Ran brought Zhang Yuetong, who, in turn, dragged Meng Xiao along to drive the van back.