Chapter 118: We Are Truly Colleagues Now!

The elevator doors slid open, and Wang Zheng and Lin Xuan stepped out. Bai Bing, who had still been harboring doubts about Lin Xuan actually coming to work at Zhongtian, felt a sense of foreboding the moment she saw her. She shot a cold, sharp glance at Lin Xuan before stepping forward to block her path.

Today, however, Lin Xuan seemed to have no intention of clashing with Bai Bing. She was remarkably well-behaved and generous, offering Bai Bing a faint, polite smile before bypassing her and following behind Wang Zheng as they continued into the office. Seeing that Lin Xuan had ignored her, Bai Bing felt a surge of irritation and quickly followed, determined to find out exactly what Wang Zheng’s purpose was in bringing her here.

As they entered the workspace, everyone noticed that Wang Zheng had suddenly appeared with a beautiful woman in tow—a woman who looked strangely familiar.

"Lin Xuan?"

Whispers of surprise began to ripple through the office. Word spread quickly; these young female employees all enjoyed watching entertainment programs, so how could they not recognize the lead entertainment host of Jinghua Television? They simply found it hard to believe that instead of being at the television station, she was standing right there.

Her professional attire gave her a sharp, capable look that differed from the fashionable image she projected on screen, yet it lent her an indescribable, unique charm.

While some were surprised, others were incensed, and Bai Bing was the most frustrated of all. Seeing Lin Xuan receive such a warm reception left a bitter taste in her mouth. The spotlight that should have been hers was being completely stolen by Lin Xuan. In that moment, Bai Bing truly understood how significant a threat Lin Xuan posed to her.

This threat was not professional or physical, but rather a feminine one. Although Bai Bing was confident that she was better than Lin Xuan, her long-standing icy demeanor made her unapproachable, creating a barrier between her and others. Lin Xuan, despite having her own guardedness, was someone people genuinely wanted to get close to. With her undeniable feminine charm, she was the type of person who could win over both men and women alike.

Modern people might shout hysterically about valuing inner beauty over outward appearance, but how many truly live by that? Besides, Lin Xuan’s character was actually quite admirable as well.

As for the obsession with virginity—if a man were to insist on that, where would he even find such a woman? Wang Zheng, having spent eight years in Africa, certainly wasn't in a position to be picky. Men today often lament that virgins are only to be found in kindergartens.

What nonsense. When those men were busy taking advantage of others, they certainly didn't think about that.

"Knock, knock, knock." Wang Zheng rapped on Lin Xiaolei’s office door. Without waiting for a response, he pushed it open and walked in.

Lin Xiaolei was buried in her work, as usual. She looked up, stunned to see Wang Zheng, as it had been some time since he had last entered her office.

"Is something the matter?" Lin Xiaolei removed her glasses and asked. It was only then that she noticed the beautiful woman standing behind Wang Zheng, looking vaguely familiar.

"As your chief assistant, I feel ashamed that I haven't been able to help you much lately. So, I’ve brought you a new assistant. Her name is Lin Xuan. I hope she will be of great help to you in business moving forward," Wang Zheng said, gesturing to Lin Xuan. "I went to great lengths to recruit her. She definitely won't let you down!"

After hearing this, Lin Xiaolei looked at Lin Xuan. No wonder she looked familiar—she was the entertainment host from Jinghua TV. But then, a question formed in her mind: Why would Wang Zheng recruit an entertainment host to work in her company? What did hosting have to do with business?

Perhaps sensing Lin Xiaolei’s doubt, Lin Xuan smiled and said, "I studied economics in university, so please don't worry, Ms. Lin. You can just treat me like an ordinary employee. I will definitely not let you down!"

Wang Zheng had already explained her role: to assist Lin Xiaolei. Wang Zheng knew he wasn't from an economics background; he could come up with a few underhanded tricks, but when it came to real business logic, he was often lost.

Now, with Lin Xiaolei’s analytical skills and keen market insight, combined with Lin Xuan’s ability to seize opportunities and her worldly sophistication, the two ambitious women formed a perfect, complementary team—the academic and the practitioner. This was exactly the result Wang Zheng wanted.

Coincidentally, both women shared the surname Lin. It felt like a stroke of fate.

Lin Xiaolei looked at Wang Zheng, puzzled. She didn't understand why he would arrange such a thing without even giving her a heads-up; it felt quite abrupt.

Wang Zheng seemed to read her thoughts. "The company is growing and we are short on hands, especially talent. I heard you were looking to recruit again, so I brought Lin Xuan over to help you!"

"Oh!" Lin Xiaolei nodded. She had mentioned the hiring process to Wang Zheng over lunch the previous week, noting that they desperately needed high-level talent who could integrate into the company quickly. But given that they were poaching a celebrity, she worried about the compensation. A salary of 100,000 a year? That seemed far too low for a star host from a TV station. She hesitated, unsure how to bring it up.

"Ms. Lin Xuan, it is my honor to have you join Zhongtian. But I’m not sure about the salary…?"

"As for the salary, let’s just go with the standard for a regular employee: three thousand a month, with bonuses separate," Wang Zheng said.

Three thousand a month? Lin Xiaolei couldn't believe her ears. Was this a joke? In Jinghua City, three thousand a month was barely enough for an average white-collar worker, let alone someone like Lin Xuan. Lin Xiaolei looked from Lin Xuan to Wang Zheng. What game was he playing? Poaching a host with a six-figure salary to work for three thousand a month sounded absurd.

Yet, this absurdity was unfolding right before her. Lin Xiaolei knew Lin Xuan was a talented host, but she didn't know how she would perform in this role.

"Very well," Lin Xiaolei said, looking at Lin Xuan. "Welcome to Zhongtian, Ms. Lin Xuan."

There was no harm in hiring her. Lin Xiaolei agreed for two reasons: First, getting someone like Lin Xuan for three thousand was a windfall—at the very least, she could handle public relations. She trusted Wang Zheng’s judgment. Second, it was a favor to Wang Zheng. She would observe her for a while; if she proved capable, she would stay. If not, she would let her go, and she was sure Wang Zheng wouldn't object.

Wang Zheng and Lin Xuan weren't surprised by the outcome, as it had been within Wang Zheng’s expectations. Bai Bing, however, was far from pleased.

Three thousand a month? Who was he trying to fool? Bai Bing knew all about the arrangement between Wang Zheng and Lin Xuan. Buying her a house and giving her a credit card—the three thousand was merely symbolic. The real salary was coming directly from Wang Zheng. She couldn't understand why he would drag Lin Xuan into Zhongtian.

Was it just to spend more time with her? But he had clearly handed her over to Lin Xiaolei. Was he really trying to help manage the company? What could an entertainment host possibly know about that? Bai Bing’s confusion only deepened.

A complex mind is not always a blessing; Bai Bing had a habit of over-complicating simple matters, turning them into a tangled mess. Being meticulous is good, but she seemed to be applying it in the wrong places.

Lin Xuan was settled into Lin Xiaolei’s office to familiarize herself with Zhongtian and assist with paperwork. Of course, that was merely the surface; her true value lay in external relations, which was the real reason Wang Zheng had brought her on board.

With a PR expert as sharp-tongued as her, building relationships with other companies would be a breeze.

Back in his office, Wang Zheng looked at Bai Bing, who had followed him in with a sullen expression. He suddenly remembered something and asked, "Didn't you say that if Lin Xuan joined the company, you would resign? So, are you resigning now? If you want to, I can approve it right away!"

"Resign? Hmph! You want me to quit so Lin Xuan can be your secretary? Then it would just be the two of you in this office, and you could have all the fun you want, right?" Bai Bing sneered. "In your dreams. I won't let you get your way!"

Wang Zheng smiled, unfazed. He was used to Bai Bing; she was always so inconsistent with her principles. He sat down and looked at the file on his desk containing information on Liao Tong.

She was next.