Copycat - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
â—ŽWen Jiao Forced to Resignâ—Ž
The Zhou family.
As soon as the car entered the villa area, the once expressionless third young lady of the Zhou family completely changed her demeanor. As soon as the driver opened the car door, she happily threw herself into the arms of the Zhou family’s eldest daughter. The speed of her face change left the driver dumbfounded. Most of the Zhou family’s servants were old-timers who had worked there since they were young, so they were used to this kind of scene.
The woman she called “sister” was tall and had a bracelet with blue diamonds on her wrist, which looked very expensive. She was wearing a white silk blouse with two ribbons tied at the collar and a custom-made suit jacket over it. Her short hair was neat and capable, and she had the look of an elite.
Zhou Na smiled with pursed lips and affectionately tapped her youngest sister’s nose. “You say you miss me, but you just stay at school all day. I barely see you a few times a year, and I even come home more often than you do. You’re such a busy person.”
“Sister is the really busy one. I don’t know what the company would do without you.”
Zhou Na chuckled. “You’re so sweet. What do you need my help with?” “A sports car? A luxury watch? Or did you fall for something at an auction house?”
“I do need to ask for your help with something,” Zhou Ziyan said, holding her sister’s hand in a coquettish tone. “I want to intern at ER this winter break.”
Zhou Na’s smile faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered. Her tone was still doting, but she couldn’t help but add a hint of probing. “You’ll be a senior next year. You should indeed learn more about company management. Why don’t you come directly to our group to familiarize yourself with the business so you can help me after you graduate?”
Zhou Ziyan was startled. She quickly let go of her sister’s hand and pretended to be angry. “Sister, you know I’ve never liked the troubles of the company. I just want to be a rich and idle person.” …
In the heart of the city, where every inch of land was precious, the multinational investment bank ER occupied three financial skyscrapers.
Wen Jiao stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the 31st floor, looking down. The crowds of people looked as small as ants. People gathered below the financial skyscrapers to take photos and crowded at popular scenic spots along the Huangpu River.
This was not the first time Wen Jiao had interned at a top investment bank, but the generosity of the industry leader, ER, still exceeded her imagination. As a mere intern, she was given her own office and a daily salary of over a thousand yuan. The effort and hard work of three written tests and five interviews were worth it.
Wen Jiao sat back down at her desk and continued to read the equity contribution and pricing agreement for a company that was about to go public, which her superior had sent her. A notification popped up on her computer. She looked down and clicked on the red dot in her inbox.
Ruan Anran: Come to my office.
Her superior was a resolute woman who spoke concisely and hated people who dawdled. Wen Jiao quickly put down her work, grabbed her laptop, and took the elevator to the 38th floor using her intern pass. Ruan Anran was her final interviewer. At that time, there were eight candidates with experience at top investment banks competing with her, but Ruan Anran ultimately chose her.
Wen Jiao knocked on the door and walked into Ruan Anran’s office. Ruan Anran was the executive director of ER, responsible for the overall operational decisions and business plans of the investment bank. She was direct and had a bad temper. Most of her subordinates were afraid of her and secretly called her the “female devil.”
When Wen Jiao walked in, Ruan Anran was reprimanding a department head. “Do it all over again. If I see this kind of garbage file again, you can go find the HR department yourself!” The elegantly dressed woman threw a stack of documents into the trash can and sat down on her office chair, fuming. The department head standing in front of the desk was being timid and promised to have a new plan ready within three days.
Wen Jiao opened the door but didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned around and walked towards the coffee machine. Ruan Anran’s heart ached from anger. She clutched her chest, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she had calmed down a bit, she noticed a cool sensation on her hand.
A cup of iced coffee was placed next to her. The coffee was made from high-quality coffee beans and had imported low-fat milk to neutralize the bitterness. On top was a perfect heart-shaped latte art. Why is my assistant so considerate today? Ruan Anran picked up the cup and took a big, satisfied gulp. Just as she was about to praise her, she remembered that her assistant had taken a day off today.
Ruan Anran looked up at the girl standing beside her. She stood quietly beside the desk, wearing a white silk blouse on her upper body with a red carnelian on the cuff. The lower half was a black mermaid skirt that accentuated her full hips, and her pointed high heels revealed her fair feet. Her long black hair was elegantly tied up high, and her eyes, with a light makeup, were calm and peaceful.
Wen Jiao, the intern she had personally hired.
The cool coffee flowed down her throat and into her heart. Ruan Anran felt a little difficult to say what she was about to say. She hid the regret in her eyes and looked at the intern in front of her who met all of her standards.
Her superior had informed her that an intern needed to be placed in the M&A department. Ruan Anran knew that the intern spots in the M&A department were already full. She tried to persuade her superior to place the person with connections in another department, but the superior insisted that they had to be in the M&A department. She tried to fight it for a bit, but her superior told her that the person was the third young lady of the Zhou Group. Ruan Anran compromised. She didn’t need to offend a major client for the sake of an intern.
Ruan Anran stared at Wen Jiao’s calm expression, her mood was complex. She slowly put down the coffee cup and said in a low voice, “Wen Jiao.”
“I’m here,” Wen Jiao replied calmly. Her expression was so calm that it made Ruan Anran feel a little awkward. She said tactfully, “…Go back and pack your things.”
“Okay.” Wen Jiao still had that calm expression. “Do I need to hand over my work to the new person?”
On the first day of her internship, the M&A department had already shown its capitalist nature by giving a lot of work to the new intern. Wen Jiao was very efficient and had completed the preliminary data integration in half a day, so there was indeed a need to hand over the work.
Ruan Anran propped one hand on the desk, pursed her lips, and pressed her fingers against her aching forehead. The calmer Wen Jiao was, the more annoyed she felt. Even after switching to ER, she still couldn’t escape the fate of being tormented by people with connections. Maybe that was just how this industry was.
“No need to hand it over,” Ruan Anran said. The new person was the third young lady of the Zhou Group. How could the M&A department dare to give her so much work? Those tasks would probably have to go back to the people who were originally responsible for them.
Wen Jiao nodded slightly to her and prepared to leave the office. She never once asked why she was being fired, which made Ruan Anran think highly of her. As Wen Jiao was about to walk out the door, Ruan Anran called out to her.
“Wen Jiao.” Wen Jiao turned her head. “Come here,” Ruan Anran said. She opened a drawer and took out two letters, signing her name on them. After Wen Jiao walked over, she handed the letters of recommendation to her. The ink on the letters was not yet dry. Ruan Anran capped her fountain pen and crossed her hands. “These are two letters of recommendation. One is for a foreign university, and the other is for a job. I didn’t fill in the specific university or company.” “No matter where you want to develop in the future, I’m willing to be your recommender.”
Wen Jiao was used to not showing her emotions, but at this moment, she showed a look of surprise. Ruan Anran took out a Montblanc pen from her office drawer and gave it to Wen Jiao. She sighed and suggested tactfully, “Firing you was not my intention. It was due to circumstances beyond my control. Next year, ER’s overseas headquarters will be recruiting in Country M. If you have the opportunity to study abroad, I still recommend that you go to a foreign university after you graduate.” “They care more about individual ability over there. Your path will be smoother if you come back after achieving some success.” Ruan Anran subtly hinted.
“…Thank you.”
Wen Jiao held the cardboard box and used her intern pass to take the elevator for the last time. She returned her pass to the HR department to be canceled, then went to the locker room on the first floor to change out of her high heels and mermaid skirt, and tied her hair into a ponytail. The city girl turned back into an ordinary student.
Wen Jiao put the letters of recommendation in her backpack and walked into the cold wind. She saw the college students squatting on the ground taking photos and the tourists gathered by the river. She smelled the aroma of food wafting from a distance. As the hour arrived, she heard the clock tower chime on time. She looked up at the brightly lit financial skyscraper, her expression a little dazed. After a while, Wen Jiao gave a self-deprecating smile. Before her twentieth birthday, she had a copycat roommate and a person with connections who forced her to resign.
This doesn’t look like HE
let’s see:)