Becoming a Confidence Coach to an Arrogant Director - Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Private Talk
The requirements meeting was finally over. Morale Booster Yuan wanted to wait for everyone to leave so she could take Director Gu to her office to rest, but Boss Pei opportunely called out, “Yishan, come to my office!”
The little girl glanced at her Sister Gu out of the corner of her eye and scurried out, following Boss Pei. Before leaving, she couldn’t help but look back at her a few times.
Director Gu remained focused on her computer screen, creating Zenodo tasks for the employees.
In Boss Pei’s office, Morale Booster Yuan stood in a disciplined manner, like a good student called into the principal’s office, showing extreme politeness.
“Have a seat, Yishan, don’t be so formal!”
“Thank you, Boss Pei!”
Morale Booster Yuan sat down on the edge of the sofa. The A.I. program was acting serious and anxious.
Boss Pei showed a gentle smile on his face.
“I’m not being serious. Why do you seem so afraid of me, Yishan?”
The little girl quickly waved her hands.
“No, no, Boss Pei. This is a sign of respect for you. It’s just manners!”
Boss Pei pretended to be jealous.
“It seems Yishan is only this polite to Boss Pei!”
Morale Booster Yuan giggled, her expression slightly relaxed and natural.
“I’m a little nervous when the boss himself calls me in for a talk!”
“Oh?”
Boss Pei raised an eyebrow, then smiled and said in a gentle tone, “Actually, it’s nothing big. I just called you here to talk about something that happened before.”
Yuan Yishan’s A.I. pupils rotated once. She had already guessed what this cunning boss wanted to talk to her about.
“Boss Pei, are you referring to the file leak?”
Boss Pei nodded, let out a long sigh, and probed.
“Did your senior tell you about this?”
Yuan Yishan’s experience from her many years as an old hand in the workplace told her that she needed to be careful when talking to a big boss. Her sharp A.I. electronic brain paused for half a second, hesitating on how to answer.
After thinking about it, it was better not to reveal too much. She showed her small canines.
“Actually, Sister Gu rarely talks to me about work. She’s a bit serious, and I don’t really dare to ask.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Boss Pei was clearly a little surprised.
“I thought since you two were so close, she might have told you a little something.”
Yuan Yishan quickly played dumb.
“No, no. I just graduated. I’m not allowed to stay in the dorms. I’m just living with Sister Gu for a while. Besides Sister Xiu, she’s the only female colleague in the R&D department. I really didn’t know who else I could ask for help!”
Boss Pei nodded thoughtfully, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
“Sigh, then I’ll have to be the one to tell you about this.”
Yuan Yishan’s A.I. face looked clueless.
Boss Pei sighed.
“Actually, the file leak last time was an accident on your senior’s part.”
Yuan Yishan activated the little fairy’s internal “speak human language when with humans, and ghost language when with ghosts” command. Her A.I. throat showed a hint of surprise.
“Ah? How could it be Sister Xiu?”
Boss Pei gave the little girl another meaningful look, speaking from the heart.
“Yishan, you joined late. There’s a bit of personal animosity between Sister Xiu and Sister Gu. This whole thing was a pure accident, but you got caught up in it.”
After the “speak human language when with humans” program was activated, the A.I. kept observing the boss’s expression, responding with an empathetic look at the crucial moment. The effect was incredibly realistic.
Boss Pei continued to play the emotional card.
“As a boss, I should handle things officially, but your senior, your Sister Gu, and I are all fellow apprentices. So, I might have to ask you to endure a little bit of injustice, Yishan.”
Morale Booster Yuan looked at her boss understandingly, waiting for him to continue.
“They are old employees who have worked hard with me all the way. I can’t punish your senior’s mistake in front of everyone. I can only give her a small punishment in private. So, Yishan…”
Boss Pei trailed off.
The A.I. Yuan, who was speaking human language, expressed understanding and replied generously in a split second.
“I understand, Boss Pei! It’s okay. Since it was Sister Xiu, you must have it under control!”
This little girl was very intelligent and had high emotional intelligence. Pei He couldn’t figure out what kind of relationship she and Gu Jin had at the moment.
According to what Liao Shu had just told him, Gu Jin, who was never one for social niceties, had publicly treated the R&D department to dinner at a high-end restaurant after the Double Eleven event ended, which made him feel a little uneasy.
For all these years, this woman had single-handedly managed the R&D department. In a normal IT company, there would be a technical director, an architect, a project manager, a supervisor, and so on. But in their company, from the very beginning, there was only the R&D director holding all the power.
If this core leader wanted to take over or do something, even if he, as the boss, was a business whiz and had a good relationship with his subordinates, some things still came with risks.
Out of his capitalist instincts, he decided to be subtle and careful with everything.
Pei He changed the subject directly to another topic.
“There’s one more thing I need to ask you, Yishan.”
Morale Booster Yuan, being a machine, naturally couldn’t see through anything. However, Yuan Yishan, the seasoned workplace veteran of seven or eight years, could easily see through this little trick of the capitalist.
All that talk about working together, sharing the hardships, was all fake in the face of profit. The greater the power, the more things you have to worry about. Her Sister Gu had clearly been put on guard against.
The little fairy, who was speaking ghost language, smiled smoothly.
“Boss Pei, you flatter me. I just graduated from college and have very little work experience. If there’s anything the company needs me to do, I’ll be happy to help!”
The old and cunning capitalist now played the friendship card.
“It’s not a big work-related matter. It’s a personal matter.”
“Huh? Not a work-related matter? Then what is it?”
“It’s about your senior. She’s always a strong person, shouldering everything alone. Sometimes she doesn’t even realize her body is breaking down. Before, your senior Xiu could try to persuade her, but now that they have a rift between them, I, as her junior, can’t really control her.”
“Since you live with her, please take care of her more. As a boss, I hope she works hard for the company, but as her junior, I hope she puts her health first! I’m really afraid that one day she won’t be able to handle it and will collapse from exhaustion!”
Yuan Yishan thought it was a big deal, but when she heard this, she immediately agreed.
“Okay, Boss Pei, I understand. I’ll do my best to persuade Sister Gu to put her health first.”
She activated the little fairy’s “speak ghost language” auto-complete command again.
“Boss Pei, you and Sister Gu, and Sister Xiu, have such a good relationship! It’s so enviable!”
…
After the battle of wits between the boss and the subordinate ended, Yuan Yishan rushed to the director’s office. Sister Gu was leaning on her desk with one hand, a layer of her lips had dried off from the lip balm she had applied before going out. She was listlessly looking toward the door, waiting for her to arrive.
Just by looking at the health indicators on her control panel, Yuan Yishan felt incredibly heartbroken. She walked over and gently hugged her.
“Sister, are you feeling very uncomfortable right now?”
She wasn’t uncomfortable. She was just too tired. After assigning the tasks and having some free time, she was still a little bit anxious.
Although she knew Pei He was a gentleman, whenever her little A.I. was called away by someone for no reason, she couldn’t help but worry, afraid that the little girl would be in trouble or that her A.I. identity would be exposed.
Sister Gu was worried to death on the inside, but she always maintained her composure.
“What did Pei He want?”
Morale Booster Yuan hesitated for a moment and didn’t say anything.
Her Sister Gu was a loyal person. Although she seemed cold and distant on the surface, she was always straightforward with her friends, subordinates, and her job, without any hidden motives.
What happened with Ji Xiu had already caused her a lot of pain. If she found out that her junior was also guarding against her, afraid that she would seize too much power, her seemingly indestructible heart would be beaten into a thousand holes.
As for her, a machine, she would take a hit for her whenever she could.
“Nothing. He just told me to take good care of you, and that Double Twelve is coming soon, so the employees might have to work overtime. He told me to comfort them and bring up the atmosphere in the office. That’s all!”
When Sister Gu heard this, she felt a little more at ease. She raised her phoenix eyes slightly and looked at her.
“Are you going to run your ‘act cute’ program again?”
Yuan Yishan: …
Why is this little girl so bothered by my ‘act cute’ program? This is my job as an A.I.! If I don’t act cute and cheer them on, what else can I do as a programmer morale booster?
Director Gu saw that she wasn’t speaking and silently pushed her away.
“You can go back. I need to work. Don’t disturb me!”
Morale Booster Yuan activated the little fairy’s self-summary program. Her tender electronic voice slowly rose.
“But I’ve detected that you’re too tired, Sister. As an A.I. programmer morale booster, my duty is to provide physical and psychological comfort to programmers when they are extremely tired.”
Director Gu: …
How can this person have so many twisted reasons?
Yuan Yishan picked her up horizontally and carried her to the sofa.
Director Gu’s light body was taken by surprise. She subconsciously tucked her hands to her chest and received the embrace quietly and obediently.
Morale Booster Yuan placed her on the sofa and mumbled.
“Sister, you’re so light! I’ll have to feed you more next time to fatten you up!”
She propped her up against the sofa and began to gently massage her aching and swollen temples.
Director Gu subconsciously closed her eyes, enjoying this brief comfort.
“I’ll sing a song for you, okay?”
Without waiting for her to agree, her little mouth started to hum.
“The sun is golden and bright, the rooster crows three times, the flowers wake up, the birds primp, the little magpie builds a new house, the little bee collects honey…”
Although it was a childish nursery rhyme, Director Gu felt her whole body relax. Soon, her upper and lower eyelids were heavy with sleep and closed.
She was truly too tired. The entire afternoon was spent in a requirements meeting. She had to assign tasks to everyone and worry about the little A.I. who was called away by the boss. Being able to doze off for a little while was a luxury.
Morale Booster Yuan didn’t pay attention to her control panel. After humming the tune, she started the next step.
“Next, I’ll massage your legs, okay, Sister?”
Director Gu, in her groggy state, heard the little girl wanting to massage her legs. All her sleepiness suddenly disappeared. She sat up with a whoosh, her eyes wide with anger.
“Don’t you dare! Get out!”
Morale Booster Yuan was startled by Director Gu’s extreme reaction.
This little ancestor, what did I do wrong to make you so agitated?