You Must Marry Me! - Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Saturday morning at 9 a.m., Xingyun Entertainment’s first round of internal promotion interviews officially began.
Yan Yiyun was the lead interviewer. She was a little nervous and had to do two rounds of deep breathing in her office before picking up the documents and heading to the conference room.
Once she stepped through the door, she was back to her usual self—composed and professional.
With delicate makeup, a meticulously styled updo, and a perfectly fitted business suit, she looked elegant and poised—an image commanding enough to hold authority in the room.
Yu Xiaotao followed behind her and sat at the assistant’s desk, ready to take meeting notes.
This was only the first round of interviews. Each department’s candidates would introduce themselves, present past achievements, and submit their work or portfolios for the panel’s evaluation. The second round, scheduled for tomorrow, would focus on the candidates’ visions and planning for their departments.
Each department had three to four candidates. Although each person only had a few minutes, the total time quickly added up and became quite overwhelming.
By the end of the morning, after listening to one generic report after another, Yan Yiyun sat at the table, beginning to question her life choices.
Some candidates already held their positions and spoke confidently but showed little innovation. Others were new rising stars, recommended by their departments—they had fresh perspectives but lacked experience, which made Yan Yiyun frown frequently.
She marked a few acceptable candidates and filed their evaluations away. Seeing this, the other two board members in the room also packed up, preparing to leave for lunch before reconvening in the afternoon.
They didn’t particularly care about the process—internal promotions often ended up offending people. Though it appeared fair and just, once the results were out, the candidates with connections who weren’t chosen would inevitably stir up trouble. That’s when the real headaches would begin.
These two board members were assigned here simply because they held little sway on the board and got stuck playing the support role for the heiress.
Strictly speaking, Xingyun Entertainment was a Yan family business. While there was a board of directors, its members were mostly relatives or old family friends who had the foresight to invest in Mr. Yan’s ventures early on and now enjoyed easy profits.
Naturally, among them were those with ulterior motives—greedy for more, always trying to push their connections into key roles to siphon off a share of the Yan family empire.
During the years Yan Yiyun was overseas, such schemes grew bolder by the day.
The Yan family only had one child, and she was always abroad. To them, she looked like a naïve heiress—easy to manipulate whether or not she eventually returned.
What good were dual degrees in finance and management if she hadn’t yet faced the brutal realities of the business world?
Some went as far as bringing young men to the Yan household under the guise of friendly visits, inviting the family on outings—all with the unspoken goal of pairing the young men with Yan Yiyun. If a marriage happened, they could take over the Yan family’s businesses without a fight.
But unfortunately for them, Yan Yiyun was incredibly oblivious. No matter how hard they hinted, switching out boys from age eighteen to twenty-five, none caught her eye.
Plus, her father kept a strict guard—he firmly forbade her from dating before graduation. That’s how they dodged this disaster.
After returning to the country, some people still held out hope that the old tactics might work. But to their surprise, Yan Yiyun gave them no chance at all—she went straight to work at the company.
She was given the title of head of the business department but sat in the president’s office. Anyone with eyes could tell she was being groomed as the successor.
Her so-called cousins who had been “training” in basic roles at the company were livid.
They weren’t exactly talented to begin with—otherwise they wouldn’t have needed connections to get jobs—and even after years, they hadn’t climbed the ladder. Some weren’t even qualified to participate in this internal promotion round.
Yan Yiyun knew all this very well. Her goal with this internal interview process was to clean house—remove those who would only drag the company down.
She had no interest in turning the company into a full-blown family operation. She preferred hiring competent professionals and letting experts manage the business.
Just look at what the company had become under her uncles and aunts.
With relatives in the mix, it was difficult to enforce rules. Her parents were too sentimental and often gave favors, which naturally created resentment among regular employees who had entered through proper channels—damaging the company’s development.
Yan Yiyun closed her folder, nodded politely at the two clearly disengaged board members, and headed out for lunch with Yu Xiaotao.
After taking meeting notes all morning, Yu Xiaotao’s hand was sore. The moment they stepped outside, she begged to buy some yogurt.
Just as they turned into the convenience store, Yan Yiyun spotted Qi Zhen sitting in the rest area outside, as if waiting for someone.
Yu Xiaotao saw her too and froze. “Should I just go eat by myself?” she asked.
Qi Zhen turned her head, raised a plastic bag in greeting, then handed a yogurt to Yu Xiaotao and said, “This is yours.”
Seeing that, Yan Yiyun felt a little sour inside. Why give it to Yu Xiaotao first?
Qi Zhen then gave her a gentle smile and handed over the entire plastic bag.
Qi Zhen said, “Fresh milk—your favorite kind, the slightly sweet one. And some snacks for you to eat during your break.”
Having just misunderstood her, Yan Yiyun felt a bit guilty.
She asked, “Aren’t you going to eat with us?”
“How could I?” Qi Zhen smiled and patted her on the shoulder. “You’re the interviewer, and I’m a candidate. What would people think if they saw us eating together?”
With that, she got up and prepared to leave.
As they passed each other, Yan Yiyun heard Qi Zhen whisper softly by her ear, “Be good. I’ll take you out for barbecue tonight.”
Yan Yiyun stood there in a daze, the word “be good” looping over and over in her mind. Strange, she thought. I’ve always hated being told what to do. Why does it feel kind of nice when Qi Zhen says it?
She’d been feeling drained—sitting through presentations all morning, dreading more in the afternoon. But after seeing Qi Zhen, the weight in her chest felt lighter.
Yan Yiyun pulled out the bottle of milk from the bag—it really was her favorite flavor, rich and slightly sweet, but not overwhelmingly so.
Qi Zhen even remembers little things like this?
Yan Yiyun felt herself floating a little.
Yu Xiaotao noticed the strange smile on her boss’s face and said nothing. She quietly peeled open her yogurt and waited for her to snap out of it.
By the time she was nearly finished with her yogurt, Yan Yiyun finally came back to her senses.
“What are you standing there for?” she asked.
“Waiting for you to finish daydreaming so we can go eat,” Yu Xiaotao replied obediently.
Yan Yiyun cleared her throat and pretended she hadn’t been dazed. “Let’s go,” she said, striding forward. “Pick whatever you want to eat.”
They went to a restaurant just outside the office park. Yan Yiyun didn’t feel like making much of a fuss and handed the menu to Yu Xiaotao. “Go ahead and order.”
“Anything?” Yu Xiaotao asked excitedly.
Yan Yiyun glanced at her with mock disappointment. “Order away. You think you can eat me into bankruptcy?”
Yu Xiaotao happily ordered three dishes and a soup—beef, shrimp, the works. A true luxury office meal.
She felt well taken care of and delighted to be Yan Yiyun’s assistant.
After lunch, Yan Yiyun went to the lounge to nap while Yu Xiaotao prepared the afternoon’s materials. The president’s office fell into complete silence.
Yan Yiyun felt a bit lonely. Qi Zhen usually came by at lunch every day, and now that she wasn’t there for just one noon, Yan Yiyun already missed her.
Just wait, she told herself. We’ll see each other in the afternoon.
By the time the afternoon session began, the waiting room for candidates was full. As Yan Yiyun passed by, she could feel the tension in the air.
I wonder if Qi Zhen is nervous, she thought.
Qi Zhen’s department was scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
She was the last one to present from the design department. That day, she wore light makeup, a soft cherry-pink lipstick, and had her long, smooth hair down over her shoulders. Dressed in a smoky gray suit, she looked elegant and composed—making a great impression.
Yan Yiyun’s eyes instantly lit up!
She’d never seen Qi Zhen like this—so professional, so… different. There was a unique charm about it.
Her gaze burned hot as it landed on Qi Zhen, like flames dancing in her eyes.
Qi Zhen opened her report, subtly gave her a look that said “Calm down,” then smiled gently and began her presentation.
She was thoroughly prepared. Her self-introduction and achievements far outshone the two presenters before her.
Unlike others who used lots of jargon to sound professional, she used simple, clear language—making sure everyone could understand her.
Even the two indifferent board members were soon drawn in by her engaging explanation.
Yan Yiyun’s eyes sparkled. She already knew Qi Zhen was good—but she didn’t expect this good!
Qi Zhen shone when she talked about her work.
Her eyes were focused and serious, radiating confidence from the inside out—earning trust from everyone present. In her field, she was the best choice.
When Qi Zhen finished and left the room, the two board members immediately spoke up.
“She’s great—confident speaker, impressive credentials.”
“I agree. I heard she’s worked on several big projects. All went well.” One of them flipped through her résumé. “What do you think, Miss Yan?”
Yan Yiyun, of course, had no objections. Qi Zhen’s performance clearly crushed the competition. With that résumé, as long as she didn’t mess up tomorrow, the position was as good as hers.
She was overjoyed, quietly proud—even though she just nodded calmly and said, “Not bad.”
Qi Zhen received the highest score without any dispute.
With the design department finished, only the administrative department remained. After finalizing the scores with the other directors, Yan Yiyun packed up her things and left the room.
The moment she stepped out, she handed her folder to Yu Xiaotao. “It’s yours now.”
Yu Xiaotao muttered, “So eager?”
But in the blink of an eye, Yan Yiyun had already vanished—leaving her dumbfounded.
There was no sign of Qi Zhen in the office. Yan Yiyun grabbed her purse and checked her phone, finding a message: “Waiting for you downstairs at the convenience store.”
She replied while walking: “Okay~”
The moment the elevator doors opened, she spotted Qi Zhen.
Qi Zhen stood right there and waved at her.
Yan Yiyun looked pleasantly surprised. “Why’d you come up here?”
Qi Zhen gave her a gentle smile and said, “Because I wanted to see you a little earlier.”