The White Moonlight Who Went Mad in Silence [Rebirth] - Chapter 12

Ming Lan had already prepared herself mentally. Her sudden appointment was bound to draw some opposition. However, perhaps due to the recent scandal involving Director Zhang, everyone at the company was on edge. Ironically, this made her onboarding process smoother than expected.

At this meeting, Ming Lan finally had the chance to formally meet the key figures from all departments of Qinglan Group, as well as a few influential individuals. These were the people she would be working with moving forward, and she gradually began forming her own understanding of the internal structure.

Once the meeting ended, Fang Yixing personally accompanied her to her office. It was located on the top floor as well. Though the space was not large, it had an excellent view and was fully equipped with everything she might need. There was nothing to complain about.

“As for your assistant, Human Resources should be sending someone over this afternoon. Of course, if you prefer, you can conduct the interviews yourself and choose your own candidate. We can arrange onboarding at any time,” Fang Yixing said.

“Thank you, Uncle Fang,” Ming Lan replied. She was quite satisfied with the office environment and didn’t have many requirements when it came to choosing an assistant.

“Also, I assume you’ve reviewed the group’s internal materials. I’ll have my assistant deliver documents for the major current projects so you can get up to speed. One more thing: after Director Zhang’s resignation, the position he left behind is still vacant. I haven’t decided who should fill it yet.”

Fang Yixing had not assigned any specific tasks to her. Letting her join the company was one thing; assessing her ability was another. Besides, she was still unfamiliar with the company’s operations, so it made sense for her to observe and learn for the time being. However, because she had the backing of the former chairman, she still held decision-making power in both major and minor matters.

Ming Lan understood this completely, and it matched her own intentions. As for the vacant position, she already had a candidate in mind.

In her previous life, Director Zhang was the first to betray the company. After his departure, one of his former subordinates took over. Ming Lan didn’t work with that person for very long, but under the harsh conditions Qinglan Group faced at the time, this individual had still chosen to stand with the company. His character, as far as she could tell, was solid.

He also had strong capabilities and a cautious personality. The only reason he remained obscure was due to Director Zhang’s suppression. Still, he knew how to seize opportunities. That was how he stood out last time. Whether he could do it again now that Zhang had fallen remained to be seen.

“I believe the position should go to whoever is capable. I’ll leave that to your judgment, Uncle Fang. I don’t know enough about the group yet. I just think, given what happened with Director Zhang, it would be better to choose someone detail-oriented and careful for this role.”

Ming Lan didn’t try to force a personnel decision on the company. She only gave a general suggestion. She trusted Fang Yixing to act fairly. As for whether her preferred candidate could rise on merit, that would be up to him.

Having spent many years navigating the business world, Fang Yixing immediately sensed that she had someone in mind. But since she hadn’t named them, it meant she wanted to observe the candidate further before taking action. And arranging that opportunity would be his responsibility.

Understanding what needed to be done, Fang Yixing left without disturbing her any further.

Alone in her office, Ming Lan wheeled herself around to get familiar with the space. She then supported herself against the desk and transferred to the chair behind it.

Before long, Fang Yixing’s assistant arrived with a stack of project files. Ming Lan stretched a little and began working.

Among the files, she saw several familiar names.

The Ming family originally grew through mechanical manufacturing. Later, with the creation of Qinglan Group, they diversified into various sectors such as electronic engineering, smart technology, and cloud computing. They even established a significant presence in finance. This strategy of diversified growth helped the group remain stable and significantly improved its risk resistance.

Naturally, this also meant that Qinglan Group had business relationships across many industries and with a wide range of partners.

Ming Lan pulled out one particular project draft. It had not been initiated yet, but the plan was to develop smart equipment software. The proposed partner for this project was the Li family, with Li Jue listed as the point of contact.

The Li family was an established real estate business that had once been highly prominent. However, in recent years, the market had shifted, and real estate was becoming a declining industry. This forced them to seek a transformation.

One of their new ventures was a software development arm, and Li Jue had been put in charge of it. However, entering a new industry was never easy.

Qinglan Group had worked with the Li family in the past on multiple occasions. This new collaboration appeared to be offered more out of goodwill than confidence, likely to maintain the long-standing relationship.

As Ming Lan reviewed the proposal, she recalled that this project marked the beginning of a series of similar collaborations between Qinglan Group and the Li family. These deals helped the Li family establish themselves in a new industry. But instead of resulting in a long-term win-win partnership, it gave the Li family a reason to set their sights on Qinglan Group.

Unlike the fading real estate sector, the Ming family’s businesses in manufacturing and electronics had remained strong and had a promising future. They were steady and reliable.

In her past life, the Li family had taken advantage of Qinglan Group’s crisis. Along with several other companies, they targeted the Ming family. When Qinglan could no longer hold out, the Li family stepped in to acquire it. That acquisition allowed them to merge resources, restructure, and emerge as the leading enterprise in City A.

Another key point was that the success of these joint projects helped Li Jue, who was leading the software division, solidify his position as heir. One year later, he officially took control of the Li family business, laying the groundwork for the coordinated attack on the Ming family.

Holding the file in her hand, Ming Lan tossed it aside. This project was the first shovel of dirt Qinglan Group had dug to bury itself. There was no way she would allow it to go through.

However, if she wasn’t going to work with the Li family, she needed a different partner. She lowered her head in thought. If she remembered correctly, the Ye family’s main business was in this exact field.

The Ye family was well-established and had been in the technology sector for many years. They were clearly a more suitable partner than the Li family.

Even better, Yi An was about to return to the Ye family. That might make this partnership even more useful in the future.

She looked at the time. This project wasn’t urgent, so there was no need to rush a decision. But the first thing she had to do was remove the Li family from the proposal.

As for how much trouble this would cause for the Li family and for Li Jue, Ming Lan thought it would be best if the answer was a lot.

She spoke to Fang Yixing about the matter and simply stated that the Li family lacked the capability. Since this project was critical to Qinglan Group’s next phase of growth, choosing the right partner had to be done with the utmost care.

Fang Yixing took her recommendation seriously. The matter was essentially settled. When the project was officially launched, Ming Lan would reevaluate whether to involve the Ye family or consider other options.

After spending most of the day reading, Ming Lan had only gotten through about half the documents. She was already feeling tired. Stretching lazily in her chair, she decided to leave the rest for tomorrow. She started tidying up and was ready to leave early, but then remembered that Yi An was probably still at work. She had no excuse to leave if she wanted to conveniently pick Yi An up later.

As she waited, there was a knock at the door. Someone from Human Resources had arrived with the assistant they had arranged.

Ming Lan didn’t have many requirements for an assistant. She looked up, but when she saw who it was, her eyebrows lifted slightly.

Cheng Yurong.

Cheng Yurong also looked a little surprised. “Miss Ming.”

Ming Lan responded with a soft “Mm” and opened the resume displayed on her computer. She had to admit it looked quite good. A graduate from a prestigious university with two years of work experience—perfectly suitable for a personal assistant role.

Still, Ming Lan felt uneasy.

She didn’t know much about Cheng Yurong personally. What she did know came from that book. And in her past life, all she remembered was Li Jue constantly kissing Cheng Yurong in front of her, spouting all kinds of nonsense.

Just thinking about that memory gave Ming Lan a headache. When she recalled the way the book described her, she couldn’t be completely sure how accurate it was. But one thing seemed true—Cheng Yurong had a tendency to fall too deeply in love. That alone spelled trouble. And to make matters worse, she was now already somewhat entangled with those three men.

Ming Lan really didn’t want to get further involved with any of them. She was ready to reject Cheng Yurong, but then she remembered that Cheng Yurong and Yi An were still friends at this point.

Glancing at the girl standing awkwardly in front of her, clearly nervous, Ming Lan found herself unsure of what to do. Just as she was hesitating, Cheng Yurong suddenly bowed to her.

“I’m sorry, Miss Ming. I don’t think I’m suited for this job. I apologize for wasting your time.”

With that, Cheng Yurong turned and left the office.

Ming Lan was a little caught off guard, but at least she didn’t have to struggle with the decision anymore. She simply contacted Human Resources to request another candidate.

Meanwhile, after stepping out of Qinglan Group, Cheng Yurong turned around to take one last look at the towering skyscraper. She then looked down at her slightly ill-fitting professional suit, her hands gripping the straps of her backpack tightly. Her eyes shimmered with tears.

This was the kind of person who matched someone like Li Jue. Just one glance made her feel deeply inferior. She truly didn’t have the courage to stand beside someone like that.

Taking out her phone, Cheng Yurong felt overwhelmed with sadness. Her fingers trembled as she sent a message to Yi An.

[I think I messed it up again. (crying.jpg)]

There was no reply. Knowing that Yi An was probably busy at work, Cheng Yurong wiped away her tears and then sent another message to a recently made online friend. This time, the response came quickly. The kind and gentle words of comfort finally eased her pain a little.

Regaining her composure, she straightened up again. There was still another job she had to go find.