Wang Qin was speechless.
In fact, she had indeed acted on Huo Xiao's instructions.
But Ling Nuan was too cunning. She had elevated the matter from a personal feud to the company's interests.
Huo Xiao was a member of the Huo family and would not harm the interests of the Huo Corporation. However, having the same surname didn't mean they were part of the same interest group.
Back then, Huo Xiao's father, Huo Zhen, the second brother of Huo Linsheng, had vied for power with Huo Linsheng and had suffered a crushing defeat at his hands.
Once this matter was framed as an attempt by Huo Xiao and her daughter to seize power and insert someone beside Huo Linsheng to stir up trouble...
Just thinking about the consequences, Wang Qin clamped her mouth shut tighter than anyone else and dared not utter a sound.
"Huo - Xiao?" Huo Linsheng uttered this name, but his gaze fell on Ling Nuan.
From just a name, Huo Linsheng had already guessed the whole story.
He looked at Ling Nuan with a half - smile: "How did Secretary Ling find out that it was Huo Xiao who told her to do this?"
Ling Nuan looked innocent: "I don't know. I'm just giving an example. After all, Miss Huo just came to the company a few days ago."
Huo Linsheng raised his eyebrows.
Wang Qin was so scared that her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
Ling Nuan wasn't done yet.
"Of course, the person instructing you couldn't be Miss Huo. So who is it? A rival company, or someone within the company who wants to usurp General Manager Huo's power?"
Wang Qin's face turned deathly pale. She was even less likely to drag Huo Xiao into this at this moment.
Huo Linsheng was getting bored with this farce.
"The Huo Corporation doesn't need employees who have ulterior motives towards the company." With this single sentence, he had sentenced Wang Qin to "death" and determined the outcome of this farce.
Then, he looked at Ling Nuan.
"As for Ling Nuan, considering it's her first offense during the probation period, deduct three days' salary."
One was severely punished, while the other was let off lightly.
Wang Qin's legs gave way on the spot. She slumped to the ground and started crying.
Ling Nuan didn't feel the slightest bit of sympathy for her.
After announcing the results, Huo Linsheng walked towards his office. However, halfway there, he suddenly stopped and said, "Secretary Ling."
Ling Nuan: "?"
"Come in." Huo Linsheng was concise.
Dropping these two words, he walked straight into his office.
Ling Nuan had a bad feeling. She was afraid that Huo Linsheng would settle scores with her later.
But...
Secretary Ling didn't want to go in.
But Secretary Ling had no choice.
Ling Nuan could only reluctantly follow him into Huo Linsheng's office.
In the past, whenever she entered the office, Ling Nuan would always try to get as close to Huo Linsheng as possible. But today, she wished she could hide in the farthest corner from him.
Huo Linsheng glanced at Ling Nuan and scoffed: "Now you're scared? I didn't see you being timid when you were scheming against me."
Ling Nuan had always been adaptable. She immediately bowed 90 degrees to Huo Linsheng, with a sincere and earnest attitude: "I'm sorry, General Manager Huo. I was wrong!"
If it weren't for the inappropriate place, Ling Nuan would have shouted louder to show how sincere her apology was.
Huo Linsheng glanced at her and replied, "You'll do it again next time."
Ling Nuan: "..."
Huo Linsheng tapped on the table and urged, "Come here."
Ling Nuan timidly stole a glance at Huo Linsheng. Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, she could only shuffle over to Huo Linsheng's side in small steps.
Huo Linsheng raised his eyebrows: "Secretary Ling, did I tell you to stand beside me? Have you ever seen a superior scolding a subordinate this close?"
Hearing this, Ling Nuan didn't refute or struggle. She simply moved from beside Huo Linsheng to in front of the office desk.
She felt safer with an office desk between them.
After she stood still, Huo Linsheng finally spoke: "Have you thought about what to say?"
"Turning the tables, making an example of others, and giving a warning. Secretary Ling, you have quite a few tricks up your sleeve."
Using Wang Qin's scheme to get rid of Wang Qin and warn those colleagues who were eager to make trouble for her because of Huo Xiao, and using Wang Qin to warn Huo Xiao behind her.
After today's show, at least for a while, no one in the secretary's office would dare to have any ideas about Ling Nuan, and Huo Xiao would have to behave herself.
Ling Nuan didn't expect to be able to hide it from Huo Linsheng.
"General Manager Huo, I know it was wrong of me to scheme against you. But in fact, I didn't cause you any harm. On the contrary, I helped you root out the cancer among the employees. Can my merits offset my faults?" Ling Nuan bargained.
Huo Linsheng laughed: "Cancer?"
Ling Nuan said without batting an eyelid: "Isn't it? Just because of a little personal grudge, she tried to do something harmful to the company. Even if she didn't succeed, it proves that this person has the wrong motives. If this hadn't been exposed this time, there would be a next time."
Huo Linsheng scoffed.
He listened to Ling Nuan's glib talk.
"Makes sense. So how does Secretary Ling plan to thank me?" Huo Linsheng had a strong learning ability.
"What does General Manager Huo mean?" Ling Nuan probed.
Huo Linsheng raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Secretary Ling, you don't think my help just now was for free, do you?"
Ling Nuan was shocked: "Didn't General Manager Huo take such drastic measures because someone was trying to interfere with the people around you?"
She wasn't some naive girl with a romantic mindset who would think that Huo Linsheng was avenging her!
It was obvious that Huo Linsheng was dissatisfied with Huo Xiao's attempt to interfere with the employees around him.
Huo Linsheng didn't deny it. He just asked with a smile, "Do you feel relieved, Secretary Ling?"
To be honest, Ling Nuan nodded.
She did feel relieved.
Huo Linsheng added, "Didn't I also avenge you?"
Ling Nuan: "..."
Ling Nuan didn't reply. She just looked at Huo Linsheng. Although she didn't say a word, her eyes clearly said, "Aren't you ashamed?"
Huo Linsheng laughed: "Secretary Ling, judge by actions, not by intentions. The fact is that I helped you gain an advantage."
"Moreover," Huo Linsheng added slowly, "I learned this from Secretary Ling."
Ling Nuan froze. Her memory went back to not long ago when she had said righteously that she had helped the company catch a cancer and that her merits should offset her faults.
At this moment, she deeply realized that a wage - earner could never outwit a capitalist in this lifetime.
Ling Nuan felt complicated, but Huo Linsheng had already happily moved on to the next topic: "What did Huo Xiao say and do when she came?"
"She said that I had a feud with her and that she didn't want to see me stay in the company any longer." Ling Nuan didn't cover for Huo Xiao at all. Moreover, she added fuel to the fire: "General Manager Huo, you're her uncle. Isn't it inappropriate for her to interfere with the employees around you like this?"
Huo Linsheng twitched the corner of his mouth: "Family matters. Don't bother yourself with them, Secretary Ling."
Ling Nuan wanted to say more, but Huo Linsheng had already issued an order to leave.
"Remember, Secretary Ling, you owe me one. Now get out."
Ling Nuan was speechless. So this was the reason he had called her in?
While Ling Nuan was with Huo Linsheng, colleagues from the Personnel Department had also come to the top floor. They personally supervised Wang Qin as she packed up her things and left the company.
Wang Qin was on the verge of a breakdown: "Do you really have to be so cruel?"
The colleague from the Personnel Department was cold - hearted: "We don't know if someone with ulterior motives towards the company will leak the company's secrets."
Wang Qin was almost crazy: "I didn't!"
The colleague from the Personnel Department said expressionlessly: "Do you think General Manager Huo is framing you?"
Wang Qin had no answer.
In the midst of her breakdown, she saw Ling Nuan come out of Huo Linsheng's office.
Thinking about how she had lost her job while Ling Nuan had gotten away unscathed, a hateful jealousy welled up in Wang Qin's heart.
She stared at Ling Nuan venomously as she approached.
"Ling Nuan, you bitch!"
Wang Qin raised the cardboard box in her hand and threw it at Ling Nuan without hesitation.
The cardboard box was filled with a lot of things, including many hard objects. If it hit...
"Ling Nuan!" There was an outcry in the office.