Chapter 133: A Brave Soul

Su Zhenxin was still buried in work and showed no signs of finishing anytime soon.

Lin Luoyou thought to herself that she couldn't just sit there idling; she had to find a way to "save herself" and keep busy. With that in mind, she set her sights on the company intranet. If the reason she had been kicked off the project was her lackluster programming skills, then she would start cramming right now. If she couldn't catch up in a day or two, what about a week or two? If that still wasn't enough, she would dedicate a whole month to it! She refused to accept defeat; whatever had been snatched away from her, she would eventually make them give back with interest.

Although Tang Xiao had been subtle, Lin Luoyou wasn't a fool. Before, she simply hadn't anticipated such "human malice," but after being alerted by Tang Xiao and Qin Shishen, she had become much sharper. So, the moment Tang Xiao spoke earlier, Lin Luoyou guessed that Cheng Li must have had a hand in her being replaced. Even though her reason told her that being replaced was ultimately due to her own lack of skill, she still felt a sense of stifled resentment emotionally.

Yet, Lin Luoyou hadn't expected the most aggravating part to come next.

Cheng Li looked up toward Lin Luoyou’s desk, then walked over with a pen and notepad in hand. "Youyou, are you busy? Could I steal a few minutes of your time? Just a few minutes!"

Even with her good temper, Lin Luoyou wanted to give her a cold shoulder and snap, "I'm busy, no time." But considering the colleagues around them—and the fact that she couldn't afford to break her persona of being easygoing—Lin Luoyou switched on a smile in a split second, turned her head, and said, "It's fine, I'm not busy right now. Go ahead."

"Oh, good," Cheng Li nodded repeatedly. From the look on her face, Lin Luoyou could actually read a mix of joy and feigned caution. "It’s like this: even though I’ve joined the labeling project team, I didn’t attend the meeting this morning... so, could you briefly tell me what was discussed?"

Cheng Li rattled on for quite a while, but Lin Luoyou had no desire to listen. If you want to know what happened at the meeting, just say so! Why beat around the bush? Is this your way of showing off? Showing off that even without attending the meeting, you still managed to secure a spot on the project? Lin Luoyou couldn't help but recall the look on Cheng Li’s face that she had caught by accident when she was preparing to head to the meeting that morning.

Despite feeling incredibly disgusted, Lin Luoyou still patiently recounted the morning's meeting to Cheng Li, highlighting what she considered to be the key points and essential information.

*I must be a masochist reincarnated,* Lin Luoyou thought to herself once Cheng Li had finished. *I’m even impressed by my own patience.*

Turning her attention back to her computer, she saw that Su Zhenxin had sent her several messages in the short time she had been distracted. Lin Luoyou scanned them quickly, immediately grasping the general tasks she was responsible for regarding the market monitoring.

***

Before it was even six o'clock, Zhao Mian started tidying up his desk. He threw his backpack over his shoulder with a carefree flick, stuffed one hand into his pocket, and strutted out of the office.

*Just... like that? He’s actually leaving? Impressive. A true daredevil.*

Lin Luoyou watched him leave, silently giving him a thumbs-up in her heart. While Max valued employee well-being and life-work balance above all else, that didn't mean one could slack off or leave early at will. Zhao Mian was likely the first person to make leaving early such a public affair.

A little while later, Chen Xujia returned from her meeting. She set her things down, looked around, and asked with a puzzled expression:

"Where is Zhao Mian?"

"He left."

"He left??!" Chen Xujia’s voice rose an octave at Yang Tianqi’s reply. "The analysis report he was supposed to finish hasn't even been turned in yet!"