But Pang De still canceled the betting mechanism and collected the money she had earned, considering it a wrap-up. She was quite clever, knowing that Longjie would never allow these gambling activities to continue, so before he could figure out how to deal with her, she very sensibly shut down the electronic newsletter.
Several days had passed, and she lived in an office atmosphere that appeared calm on the surface, but this calmness was only because some undercurrents were known only to her and Longjie.
He Yuhua was completely unaware of these changes, such as the CEO’s gaze no longer fixed solely on documents; when Secretary Pang delivered something to the CEO, he no longer continued working without looking up.
These changes made De quite uneasy, but she would never show the slightest sign of discomfort.
“CEO, here are the summaries of some important meetings for the next few days, which you asked me to compile last time. Also, I’ve booked a Sichuan restaurant that the Yuzheng Company chairman likes, and I’ll confirm the time with Chairman Ye’s secretary tomorrow,” De reported formally, stealing glances at him.
Longjie’s recent gaze was different, looking at her as if studying something interesting, an expression of keen interest that always made her scalp tingle.
This was nothing like him; she preferred the cold and rigid CEO Longjie.
“That can wait. What do you think about the new case discussed in yesterday’s meeting?” Longjie asked casually.
De was stunned. He had never asked for her opinion before!
Although he occasionally asked her to help with assessment reports, he rarely asked her views on company decisions.
“I’m just a secretary,” she restrained herself, on guard.
Longjie shrugged. “I’m not testing you, just asking your thoughts, or… am I not qualified to ask?”
“You’re the boss,” her words carried multiple meanings, including some reluctance. He was clearly forcing her to speak. “While going completely paperless is good for the group, since Pu Te is a tech company and can save paper consumption…”
“But?” he prompted.
“But for documents requiring multiple signatures, ensuring the security and encryption of electronic signatures is crucial. Otherwise, anyone capable could potentially become the CEO.” At that point, documents could be signed at will, easily causing company chaos.
“Not bad, close to my thinking,” Longjie was now more convinced that this woman was extraordinary.
She was very smart.
But she disliked being discovered as such.
She preferred to be an invisible presence, like before, which gave her the opportunity to publish the electronic newsletter and run betting pools, with no one in the company suspecting the mastermind was her – a seemingly outdated secretary completely disconnected from trending topics.
“This is unavoidable. After all, the CEO manages such a large group, and it’s inevitable to make some sacrifices. In the future, even if she becomes the CEO’s wife, she’ll probably need to tolerate these things,” the German woman said calmly, elegantly sipping her coffee, leaving a fragrant trace on her lips, how wonderful!
Ke Yizhen wasn’t stupid. As soon as she heard this, she lowered her posture and asked, “Does Jie have many girlfriends?” Her crisis awareness immediately heightened.
She had seen Long Jie’s secretary a few times, and because he seemed so rigid and monotonous, she wasn’t worried that Long Jie would engage in an office romance. But if she could win over this secretary as her own, it would be greatly advantageous to her.
“Although I’m the CEO’s secretary and he lets me help him handle many of his social interactions, I really don’t know him well enough,” the German woman said, seemingly troubled. “Like last time, there was a secret report analyzing the type of women the CEO likes. I read it and was truly impressed – I could never write such an article!”
“What report?” Ke Yizhen immediately asked, her face serious and anxious.
“Ah! I shouldn’t have said that…” The German woman seemed to suddenly realize she had misspoken. “Take your time, I’ll go back to work now.” She hurried to leave.
Ke Yizhen no longer cared about her image and grabbed her. “Secretary Pang, please tell me!”
“But…” She still looked conflicted. “That report is very secret. Subscribers paid a lot of money to subscribe, and there’s a clear rule against leaking it.”
“How much is a copy? I’ll pay you, just consider it as me subscribing. Is that okay? Please!” Ke Yizhen’s face was written with “I want it! Sell it to me!” urgency.
“Well…” She paused. “Okay! Since you really want to see it, I’ll give it to you, but you can’t tell anyone, okay?”
“Okay, I’ll definitely keep it secret.” Ke Yizhen was overjoyed; she had finally obtained information others didn’t have. “How much should I give you? Is 50,000 enough?”
“No need for that much!” The German woman’s eyes lit up. “A year’s subscription is 10,000, but it’s not being published anymore…”
Ke Yizhen, as if afraid she would change her mind, pulled out her wallet, counted out ten thousand-dollar bills, and directly stuffed them into her hand. “Just consider me a subscriber, give it to me quickly!”
The German woman looked at the money in her hand. “I’ll print it out for you, but it’s best the CEO doesn’t know about this. He doesn’t know others are reporting on him.”
“Of course, would I be stupid enough to let him know?” Ke Yizhen wasn’t a fool and wouldn’t let Long Jie know she was deliberately trying to get close to him!
“Wait here.” The German woman turned and walked out of the reception room, the ten thousand-dollar bills now safely in her pocket.
The smile on the German woman’s face hadn’t yet faded when a tall figure blocked her path.
“CEO…” How much had he heard? The German woman’s smile became a bit stiff.
He stared at her intently, making her scalp tingle and her heart begin to race.
“I didn’t expect you to have such a bright smile. You should smile more,” he said softly as he passed by her.
The German woman stood frozen, her entire face turning a suspicious shade of red, though it was unclear whether from embarrassment or his overly close proximity.
Hurriedly taking something from the drawer and just placing it in a kraft paper bag, she saw Long Jie walking out of the reception room with Ke Yizhen.
“Let’s go! Secretary Pang, you should also get off work early,” Long Jie said.
“Miss Ke, here are the things you asked me to photocopy,” the German woman calmly handed over the kraft paper bag.
Ke Yizhen carefully took it, folded it, and was about to put it in her handbag.
“What is it?” Long Jie asked sideways.
“Nothing, just some materials,” Ke Yizhen quickly said. “You’re not so petty that you won’t even let me photocopy something, are you? Or are you unhappy that I asked your secretary to help me?” Her coquettish voice was both soft and gentle – what man could resist?
The German woman inwardly scoffed, and just as she was about to discreetly excuse herself, Long Jie spoke.
“How could I? My Secretary Pang can handle anything. No matter what you need her help with or what you want, she’ll make it happen.” His gaze met the German woman’s, with a meaning only they two understood.
The German woman’s heart skipped a beat.
She was increasingly disliking Long Jie. He always made her panic, causing her to lose her usual calm and methodical work style.
It should be said that ever since she saw that different side of Long Jie, she was more confused and more troubled!
In her contemplation, the two had already left the office.
The German woman rolled her eyes, ready to get off work. She refused to use her off-work time to study her boss – that would be unnecessary “overtime”!
At eleven-thirty in the morning, He Yuhua brought the newly submitted financial management department documents into the CEO’s office.
