Blooming Media Company (21)

Sister Lian naturally saw it too. No matter how quickly Linda tried to mask it, that malice and jealousy were impossible to hide.

But Sister Lian said nothing.

Nan Yue likewise acted as if she hadn't noticed. She greeted Linda and went to the front desk to pick up coffee for both of them.

Along the way, Linda reported yesterday's work to Sister Lian. She didn't know that Sister Lian had gone to negotiate another deal last night. After all, she had been too busy trying to sabotage Nan Yue and had gone back to rest early.

Halfway there, Nan Yue heard Sister Lian say something, and the usually calm Linda let out a startled cry.

"...Isn't that a bit too fast! The company has no such precedent."

Sister Lian didn't answer. She merely gave Linda a half-smile, and the latter immediately realized her lapse in composure.

Nan Yue had a general idea of Sister Lian's arrangements. After all, having been kept at the hotel last night, it was likely she was intended for a promotion.

If she wasn't mistaken, Linda had been in her position for too long and had grown complacent. She had also likely forced many people out.

Jiang Su was one of them.

Sister Lian needed a newcomer, but the prerequisite was that it had to be someone Linda couldn't easily get rid of.

The superior's balancing act was nothing more than this, and Nan Yue wasn't afraid.

She wasn't even afraid of ghosts.

The two saw Sister Lian off to the top floor. The elevator suddenly became quiet.

After a long silence, Linda let out a cold laugh. "I still underestimated you."

"Being valued by leadership is a good thing, but you have to see if you have the life to enjoy it."

Linda turned to look at Nan Yue. Seeing a face younger and more refined than her own, a flash of anger crossed her eyes.

"Don't think you're special. There are plenty of people like you. In the end, it's all just a fleeting dream."

Nan Yue tilted her head. Linda had pressed the stop button, turning the elevator into an isolated space.

"Why are you so afraid of my promotion? You're still ahead of me, aren't you?"

Linda's expression twisted for a moment. She laughed viciously and suddenly stepped forward.

Linda wanted to give her a slap. Her nails were sharp and long, capable of leaving a mark with a single swipe.

It was an unwritten rule of the company that those of higher rank could strike or berate those of lower rank at will.

However, if the lower-ranking person fought back, it was considered disrespect toward a superior, and they could be fired immediately.

Having been with the company for years, Linda knew exactly how to set traps. This elevator seemed isolated and closed off, but there were actually cameras behind the scenes. As long as Nan Yue was provoked into hitting back, Linda could ruin her.

She had used this trick to get rid of many people.

But Nan Yue suddenly looked up at her. Her gaze was strange, devoid of emotion—no anger, no triumph... nothing.

Linda felt as if she were looking into a deep abyss, one where she would drown if she got any closer.

So, Linda stopped in her tracks.

It was eerie. This woman's eyes were terrifying.

Nan Yue wasn't surprised by Linda's actions. She moved past her and opened the elevator door.

"Sister Linda, let's go clock in first, or we'll be late."

Linda met Nan Yue's clear black and white eyes. For some reason, she shuddered, then raised her head in a show of bravado and walked away.

Nan Yue's promotion was announced to all departments in the morning. She checked Feishu and saw that the few scavengers she remembered were all promoting quite quickly.

Lan Jing Shui had promoted to V6 even earlier than her. Gu Xiang Kai was already a V8, and Zhu Xi Ning had been notified she would rise to V7 next week. Only Wen Xiang Yuan, in the secretary post, had seen no movement.

Although Lan Jing Shui had initially hinted at the possibility of cooperation, Nan Yue knew that with a powerhouse of that level, unless she had a vital clue, she would only be making a fool of herself.

Anything she could deduce, he could too.

She went to the Brand Planning Department to find Bi Danyuan.

Yesterday, the message Bi Danyuan conveyed was a desire to cooperate. Nan Yue also wanted to know what kind of punishment someone like Tan Jiaojiao would face.

To her surprise, when she arrived at the Brand Planning Department and was personally received by the department head, she learned that neither Bi Danyuan nor Tan Jiaojiao was there.

"What do you mean they aren't here?"

The department head was a bit nervous. Nan Yue was already a V6, one rank higher than him, so he spoke very carefully.

"Tan Jiaojiao has resigned, and Bi Danyuan has been transferred."

"I'm not clear on the specifics. For Tan Jiaojiao, it was clearly stated there was a violation, and the company initiated resignation procedures. As for Bi Danyuan, I'm not sure. We only received a transfer notice."

Nan Yue pondered for a moment. "What about the others who went to clean the warehouse with them yesterday?"

The department head pointed. "Over there. Those two are over there. Should I call them over?"

"Yes." Nan Yue's expression wasn't great. "I asked Bi Danyuan about her work yesterday, and she hasn't given me feedback yet."

The department head could tell Nan Yue was unhappy. However, he didn't know the business of the higher-ups, so he could only call the two men over and tell them to speak truthfully.

The two men bowed and scraped, showing none of the arrogance they had displayed in front of Tan Jiaojiao.

"What happened yesterday? If you dare to lie, don't even think about passing this week's evaluation."

At those words, the two scrambled to recount yesterday's events.

Nan Yue listened to a bunch of nonsense but managed to gather that the two had left early. Nothing had happened before they left, except that Tan Jiaojiao kept complaining, mostly targeting Bi Danyuan.

The four were of the same rank, so they hadn't cared. Bi Danyuan had a good temper and was willing to stay with her to clean.

Nan Yue left after hearing this. There was no more valuable information here.

Setting aside what "resigned" actually meant, for a scavenger, it certainly didn't mean they had cleared the mission.

Regardless of whether it was a real resignation to the NPCs, for a scavenger, it was most likely death.

But a transfer...

Nan Yue sent a text to Zhu Xi Ning, telling her to pay a bit of attention.

Gu Xiang Kai didn't show up for lunch. Rumor had it he was currently the star of the Sales Department, signing many contracts and staying busy.

Zhu Xi Ning arrived as agreed, her entire being exuding a faint sense of professional burnout.

"I feel like I'm not going to make it... If I keep working like this, I'm going to wither away."

Zhu Xi Ning buried her head in her food. Nan Yue's rank now allowed her to eat sashimi. Zhu Xi Ning didn't dare take too much herself, instead frantically winking at Nan Yue to put some on her plate.

"The personnel relations in this company are too strange. Not only are there transfers, but all resignations are handled by the Mobile Division."

"But they say the Mobile Division is a secret only known to the company's high-level management. It uses Code X, and its specific functions aren't clear."

This was the first time Nan Yue had heard of the Mobile Division. She understood that this must be the lock on the secret door behind Blooming Media Company.

The Mobile Division was directly managed by Tan Xin. Only someone like Lan Jing Shui could come into contact with it. By the same token, some smaller clues might be easily missed by the first secretary.

The mission was still fair.

Zhu Xi Ning ate for a while longer before saying, "I checked the personnel lists for all departments. Bi Danyuan isn't on them."

"If I try to search for Bi Danyuan directly, it shows up blank. It's not like resigned people where you can see their greyed-out past information."

"I think... it's because my clearance isn't high enough."