Chapter Two: Dark Undercurrents, Crisis Looming

Chapter Two: Dark Undercurrents, Crisis Looming

During the lunch break, the sun was still blazing fiercely. Its rays streamed through the windows, casting bright, luminous patches of light on the office floor. Su Yao had hoped to find a quiet corner to take a short nap, replenishing her energy to face the challenges of the afternoon. However, she encountered another setback in the pantry. As soon as she stepped in, she heard several colleagues whispering.

"I heard that Su Yao is a down - and - out heiress. Her family's business went bankrupt, so she came here to make a living. I wonder if she can adapt to the high - intensity work."

"Hmph, she'll probably leave in a few days. A pampered young lady like her, who used to live a life of luxury and never did any real work, coming here now. I'm afraid she can't even complete the most basic tasks. She'll just end up making us all clean up her mess."

Su Yao's hand froze on the doorknob. A wave of bitterness welled up in her heart, and the pain caused by her family's misfortunes over the years was brutally torn open. But in an instant, a stubborn glint ignited in her eyes. She held her head high and walked in, making coffee as if no one else was around. Her calm presence silenced the gossip. Clutching the coffee cup tightly, her hand trembled slightly. She silently swore to herself, "I'm not only going to stay, but I'll also make everyone know that I, Su Yao, am no worse than anyone. I will definitely wash away the shame of my family."

In the afternoon, the busyness continued. Su Yao was racking her brains over the details of the plan when Lin Xiao sashayed over, her hips swaying. She was carrying a large stack of documents in her arms, wearing a fake smile on her face. When she reached Su Yao's desk, she dropped the documents with a loud "thud," jolting Su Yao out of her concentration. Lin Xiao tilted her chin up slightly, looking down at Su Yao with a condescending gaze. "Su Yao, Manager Zhang said this project is tight on schedule and heavy on tasks. You must finish sorting these documents today. Do some overtime, please." Su Yao looked up at the mountain of documents, her heart tightening. But she gritted her teeth and replied, "Okay, I'll do my best."

Su Yao thought that was all the work assigned to her. However, not long after, Lin Xiao came back, holding several additional files in her hand. Still wearing that half - smile with hidden motives, she said casually, "Su Yao, we just received notice that there have been some urgent changes in the requirements of these clients. These supplementary materials also need to be included in tonight's work scope. Handle them well. You're new here, so bear with it. This is a great opportunity to show your abilities." Su Yao's eyes widened. Facing the increased workload, she was filled with helplessness and indignation. She knew Lin Xiao was deliberately making things difficult for her, but at this moment, she had no choice but to force a response, "Okay, I understand."

One by one, colleagues left work. The number of people in the office gradually decreased, and the sky outside gradually darkened. Only the pale light of the desk lamp on Su Yao's desk was still shining. The surroundings were eerily quiet. Su Yao buried her head, her fingers constantly flipping through the documents. Her eyes were bloodshot from staring at the files for a long time. She rubbed her sore temples, trying to force herself to stay focused and speed up.

Just then, Zhang Feng entered quietly. He gently closed the office door, and his deliberately slow footsteps echoed in the empty space, making one's hair stand on end. He first stood still at the door, his eyes roaming wantonly over Su Yao's busy back. His gaze was like that of a venomous snake secretly eyeing its prey, filled with greed and ill intentions. Then he slowly paced over, each step extremely slow. The soft sound of his leather shoes rubbing against the floor seemed like a heavy hammer striking Su Yao's heart.

Walking up behind Su Yao, he bent down, his face almost touching her ear. The hot breath he exhaled, reeking of disgusting tobacco, blew on Su Yao's neck. He whispered softly, "Little Su, still busy? Take a break if you're tired. Don't overwork yourself." As he spoke, one of his hands seemed to casually rest on the back of Su Yao's chair, but his fingers twitched slightly, intentionally or not, occasionally touching Su Yao's hair.

Su Yao's body stiffened, and an inexplicable sense of unease welled up in her. She forced a polite smile and replied, "Thank you, Manager Zhang, for your concern. I need to hurry up. I have a lot of tasks today."

Zhang Feng showed no sign of leaving. Instead, he pulled over a chair and sat down right next to Su Yao, his thigh almost touching hers. His arm also deliberately rubbed against Su Yao's. The corners of his mouth curled into a meaningful arc, and he said in a low, ambiguous voice, "Little Su, you know, I noticed you on the first day you joined the company. There's something about you that's really charming. In this company, the interpersonal relationships are extremely complex. As a newcomer, you can't get a foothold without a backer... I'd be happy to give you a hand." As he spoke, his hand slowly reached towards Su Yao's hand, his fingers slightly curved, as if about to seize his prey.

Su Yao's heart skipped a beat. She instantly understood Zhang Feng's despicable intentions. Shocked and angry, she jerked her hand back, stood up, and distanced herself from Zhang Feng. She stared at him coldly and fearlessly, saying, "Manager Zhang, please respect yourself! I'm here to work, relying on my own abilities. I don't need this kind of 'help'."

Zhang Feng's face darkened. The pretense of kindness he had just now instantly crumbled. The anger and humiliation in his eyes surged up like a turbulent undercurrent. His face twitched violently several times. Being a shrewd and calculating person, he quickly suppressed his anger and put on his hypocritical mask again. He suddenly straightened his back, casually adjusted his wrinkled collar, and walked towards Su Yao with seemingly steady but actually menacing steps. Each step, as his leather shoes hit the ground, made a "clack" sound, like a death knell pounding on Su Yao's tightly - strung heartstrings.

As he paced slowly, he tilted his chin up slightly and squeezed out a low voice through his teeth, filled with bone - chilling coldness, word by word, "Su Yao, you're too naive! In this project department of the Li Group, I'm the boss. Everything here is under my control. If I say go east, no one dares to go west. Since you're so ungrateful today, don't blame me... for making you taste the consequences of defying me." After saying that, he had already approached Su Yao like a ghost, and the malice emanating from him was like a tangible black mist, enveloping her tightly.

Just as the situation was getting tenser and it seemed that Zhang Feng was about to act recklessly, the office door was suddenly pushed open forcefully from the outside. With a loud "bang," the tense atmosphere was shattered. The two of them turned around in shock and saw the intern, Xiao Yan, standing at the door, gasping for breath.

"Manager Zhang... Sister Su, sorry to interrupt. I just found that this document is extremely important for our project. I thought Sister Su might need it, so I rushed over here." Xiao Yan stammered, her eyes quickly darting between Su Yao and Zhang Feng, as if sensing something was wrong.

Zhang Feng was extremely annoyed, but in front of Xiao Yan, he couldn't show his anger. He could only suppress it and force a dry laugh. "Oh, Xiao Yan, you're thoughtful. Put it down." Xiao Yan carefully placed the document on the table, secretly gave Su Yao a reassuring look, and then whispered, "Then... then I'll leave first. Sister Su, Manager Zhang, you two continue." After that, she quickly left.

Xiao Yan's appearance made Zhang Feng hesitant. He glared at Su Yao viciously and threw down a sentence, "Think carefully about what I said!" Then he left in a huff.

Su Yao slumped into the chair, still in shock. Tears welled up in her eyes. She looked gratefully in the direction where Xiao Yan had left, knowing in her heart that this seemingly innocent intern had saved her at a critical moment.

However, what Su Yao didn't know was that Xiao Yan had long been aware of Zhang Feng's improper intentions. Earlier, when sorting out the materials, Xiao Yan had quietly approached Su Yao, seemingly casually pointing at one of the documents and whispering, "Sister Su, the data in this document seems a bit off. If you check it carefully, you might find a breakthrough and make Manager Zhang look at you in a new light." At that time, Su Yao didn't think much of it, just considering it as Xiao Yan's kind reminder. Now, looking back, she realized that Xiao Yan had been subtly helping her deal with Zhang Feng's harassment.