Chapter 14 Promotion

At the last minute before the working hours started, Ruan Shishi finally reached the office and punched in just in time; she managed to save her full-attendance bonus that was worth two hundred for this month. Ruan Shishi was lying on her desk to gasp for breath. At first, she thought that she would be discovered, but little did she know that Yu Yimo actually had private access where no one else was permitted. Thinking that she could carpool with him without worries in the future, she was delighted. Just when Ruan Shishi was pleased at her good luck, the departmental meeting was about to begin. She brought her notebook with her and quickly found a seat at a corner of the conference room. Yu Family Group’s administration department was a huge department as there were more than fifty employees to coordinate with other departments. The content of the meeting was just the usual stuff, including paying attention to appearance, being aware of working hours, and never being late nor leaving early. People were feeling sleepy as they listened to it. However, Ms. Lan, the administrative manager, suddenly called Ruan Shishi’s name. Everybody was awakened by the call and they all looked in Ruan Shishi’s direction. Although Ruan Shishi was more confused than others, she had no choice but to stand up obediently. “From today onward, Ruan Shishi will be promoted to the position of an administrative assistant.” Administrative Manager Lan started clapping her hands after announcing the news. Although everyone was surprised and doubtful about this arrangement, they followed in the clapping as a token of their congratulations as well. The meeting then ended. Being the one who was directly involved, Ruan Shishi hurriedly followed Manager Lan and asked confusedly, “Manager, what did you mean just now? A-Am I getting a promotion?” Manager Lan glanced at Ruan Shishi and then replied with a poker face, “I only received the order from the human resource department this morning. About the reason, I have no idea as well.” Manager Lan walked away upon saying this. In an instant, Ruan Shishi became the hot topic of conversation in the department. There were actually a set of strict standards that one would need to fulfill to be able to get a promotion at Yu Family Group. For interns, they would need to work for at least three months, then go through a test and an interview. They could only become Yu Family Group’s permanent employees once they passed everything. Meanwhile, for regular employees who wished to get promoted to assistant positions, they needed to work for at least three years and then get reviewed by their supervisors. As Ruan Shishi had only been working for two years, she was not qualified from the time condition. Hence, everyone was talking about this and doubting her promotion. “How can Ruan Shishi become an assistant? By the way, I remember that you’ve been working for three years, right? Your supervisor treats you well too. No matter what, the position of assistant should be yours, isn’t it?” “Who knows what kind of luck she has!” In the restroom, there were more criticisms than congratulations about Ruan Shishi’s promotion. Sitting in one of the restroom’s cubicles now, Ruan Shishi felt upset as she listened to her colleagues’ comments about her. Although she just joined the company for two years, she had been working diligently and earnestly. Throughout these times, she had been on good terms with every colleague as well. Why am I ostracized after getting a promotion? “Congratulations, Shishi!” After Ruan Shishi went back to her seat feeling depressed, Wang Lei suddenly showed up and passed the apple in her hands to her. Wang Lei, who just reached twenty years old this year, was a girl interning at the company for almost three months. She had been working under and learning from Ruan Shishi since she entered the company. Throughout this period of time, Ruan Shishi had been treating her like her younger sister. As Wang Lei was the first person to congratulate her, Ruan Shishi felt slightly better. Smiling at Wang Lei, she said, “Thank you so much, Lei.” She then took the apple from Wang Lei. Since she was promoted now, Ruan Shishi needed to hand over her previous job to Wang Lei. When Wang Lei followed Ruan Shishi around and listened attentively to her guidance about the work handover, her gaze suddenly landed on the ring on Ruan Shishi’s ring finger. Wang Lei’s eyes lit up and she said in surprise, “Shishi, your ring is so beautiful!” Despite there being no diamonds on the ring, its design and pattern was exquisite. Hearing Wang Lei’s praise, Ruan Shishi paused what she was doing and casted a glance on her ring too. Looking at it, she could not help but recall the scene where Yu Yimo put the ring on her finger. Although it was not a romantic scene, having a good-looking man for herself was romantic enough. Unconsciously, Ruan Shishi’s face blushed as she thought about this. “Shishi, can you let me wear this for a while?” Wang Lei asked earnestly as she fixed her gaze on Ruan Shishi’s ring. Ruan Shishi did not expect that Wang Lei would come up with this request. Meeting Wang Lei's eager eyes, Ruan Shishi was put in a dilemma. This was because Yu Yimo had said that she was not allowed to take this ring off whenever or wherever she was. After hesitating for a while, Ruan Shishi said apologetically to Wang Lei, “I’m very sorry but this is my wedding ring.” Upon hearing Ruan Shishi’s words, Wang Lei looked surprised and quickly said, “Oh! Oh my god! I’m so sorry. I didn’t know about it. I’m being too rude.” However, a look of loss and discontent still flashed across her eyes.