Chapter 156: Assistant to the General Manager!

"Pfft—"

Lin Weixiao chuckled, her eyes narrowing into crescents.

Up top, she wore a simple white, low-cut T-shirt, layered beneath a vintage-style denim shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing a brown leather-strapped watch around her fair wrist.

Below, she wore black trousers and small, round-toed leather shoes. The contrasting colors came together in a remarkably harmonious style.

When Tang Chong first met her, she had been wearing various evening gowns while hosting a massive stage program in front of nearly ten thousand spectators. Her demeanor was warm and confident, her delivery witty and sharp—shifting effortlessly between elegant and deeply emotive. She completely outshone her male co-host and was deeply adored by the faculty and students of Jiangnan University.

Back then, when he had led Qiu Yihan to the backstage area, Lin Weixiao had repeatedly urged him to treat Qiu Yihan well. She was a busybody with a slight chivalrous streak. It was precisely because of this that Tang Chong had risked having his identity exposed to step forward and help her.

At the time, she was a girl bathed in limitless glamour. He had never expected that she would also harbor such bitter and humiliating experiences.

"I've heard that saying before," Lin Weixiao said with a smile. Her given name was Weixiao, which meant "smile," and she truly did love to smile. The two dimples that appeared on her cheeks when she smiled were perhaps the best gift God had ever given her. "That's how the saying goes, sure. But which woman doesn't hope that the very first person she loves turns out to be the right one?"

"That's why women always fall so easily for traps," Tang Chong said with a smile. "Every time they find someone, they assume that person is the indispensable one in their life."

Lin Weixiao laughed even more brightly. "You seem to understand women very well."

"I understand human nature," Tang Chong replied.

"Ah, that's right. I almost forgot you're a psychology major—your name is Tang Chong, right?" Lin Weixiao asked, her eyes curving like full moons as she looked at him.

"I thought you'd call me Hua Ming," Tang Chong said with a helpless, wry smile. It seemed his stunt of taking Hua Ming's place on stage had become common knowledge. "If I had known you recognized me, I wouldn't have bothered playing the hero. With so many men at the scene, I'm sure plenty of them would have gladly stood up to drive away the beast and rescue the beauty."

"The campus was in such an uproar, how could I not have known?" Lin Weixiao giggled. "Men are all bastards, and Jiangnan University's Hua Ming is the cheapest of them all—someone in my dorm even took a screenshot of that banner and sent it to me. When I saw it, I immediately thought of how you looked when you went up on stage. I just never expected that you fooled all of us."

"It was a necessity at the time," Tang Chong said, too lazy to explain the hidden circumstances. Doing so would only deal another heavy blow to Hua Ming's reputation.

Lin Weixiao looked at Tang Chong thoughtfully, wearing an expression that suggested she had something to say but hesitated.

"We aren't together," Tang Chong said, knowing what she wanted to ask. The matter had spread all over the school; he and Hua Ming had become heartless scoundrels akin to Chen Shimei in the eyes of the students. She must have heard those rumors too.

"Sigh," Lin Weixiao sighed softly. "What a pity. I really thought the two of you were a great match. She moved everyone in the audience, so how could she fail to move you?"

"I was moved too," Tang Chong said in a gentle voice. "It's just that things were far more complicated than you all imagined. Drinking water, one knows for oneself whether it is cold or warm."

"Indeed," Lin Weixiao nodded in deep agreement. "I originally thought love was the cleanest and simplest thing in the world. As long as two people caught each other's eye, all problems would cease to be problems. But now... sigh, perhaps I've stayed in the ivory tower of the university for too long and forgotten the malice of people's hearts in the outside world."

"A man like that isn't worth keeping anyway," Tang Chong said. He rarely judged whether someone was good or bad because he knew everyone's life came with its own hardships. However, a man who traded his own woman to superiors in exchange for a promotion and a salary raise was simply lower than an animal. The moment he saw one, he felt an urge to treat them savagely.

"He was a senior in our Broadcasting Department," Lin Weixiao said, likely holding back too much turmoil in her heart as she finally couldn't help confiding in Tang Chong. "Back then, he was a campus celebrity and the male host of the welcome gala. I really liked his hosting style—when he pursued me, I put up almost no resistance before becoming his girlfriend. Until today, I honestly thought he loved me."

"He graduated a year before me. After graduation, through connections, he managed to get into the news department of Pearl TV Station. For our major, a television station is the absolute best workplace. Back then, I practically prayed every day to graduate quickly so I could work at the station too. We would have become colleagues. I didn't think I looked bad, I knew my professional theory well, and I had plenty of hosting experience—the moment I graduated, landing an ideal job should have been a piece of cake, right?"

"I was just so naive," Lin Weixiao shook her head helplessly. "A few of my classmates and I were assigned to intern at the television station, and one of the station's executives showed some interest in me. I'd heard about that sort of thing long before, so after rejecting him, I didn't give it much thought. I never expected that today, he would lure me to this place and act as a lobbyist for that executive, throwing such an outrageous demand at me."

"That's actually a good thing," Tang Chong said with a smile. "The worse he is, the easier it is for you to walk away from this hurt."

"True," Lin Weixiao nodded. "I have the urge to tear him to pieces. That's why throwing coffee at him felt so immensely satisfying just now. I even thought about smashing an ash-tray into his head—too bad I missed. When I saw you thrashing him with the tabletop, I felt an unprecedented sense of thrill. Absolute scum."

"Do you have any plans?" Tang Chong asked.

"Plans?" Lin Weixiao thought for a moment before replying, "You heard them. I rejected their demands, so I'll probably get kicked out of the television station tomorrow, and I won't even get my internship completion certificate... I'll just look elsewhere. I refuse to believe that with my own abilities, I can't find a job. If I can't be a host, I'll be a reporter. If I can't be a reporter, I'll be an editor. If I can't be an editor, I'll be a writer, and if I can't be a writer, I'll be an internet novelist. I won't let myself starve."

Tang Chong smiled and said, "I actually have a suggestion."

"What suggestion?" Lin Weixiao asked.

"Would you be willing to switch tracks into management?" Tang Chong asked. "Of course, this could also be temporary. When the conditions are right, you can still return to being the host of your dreams."

Lin Weixiao hesitated for a moment and asked, "Management of what?"

"Exquisite Pavilion," Tang Chong said with a smile. "My first family business."

"Exquisite Pavilion?" Lin Weixiao's mouth formed a small circle, her eyes wide with shock. "This place is run by your family?"

"It wasn't before. It is now," Tang Chong said. "If you agree, I can offer you the position of Assistant General Manager. Of course, if you're not willing, just treat as if I never said anything, and please help me keep it a secret."

"I accept," Lin Weixiao readily replied. "For fresh graduates like us, what we lack most is a job, not chasing some initial dream."

"I like women who know how to compromise," Tang Chong said with a smile.

"This doesn't cross my bottom line," Lin Weixiao said.

Tang Chong nodded and waved at a distance. Soon enough, Zeng Tianxiang, the owner of the Exquisite Pavilion who had grown round as a meatball, trotted over rolling-style.

"Young Master Tang," Zeng Tianxiang said, bowing and scraping. He cast an astonished glance at Lin Weixiao and remarked, "This young lady is truly stunning—even prettier than the actresses on television."

"Thank you," Lin Weixiao stood up and acknowledged the compliment.

Tang Chong knew Zeng Tianxiang hadn't just laid eyes on Lin Weixiao for the first time; those bodyguards who had come and gone earlier clearly meant he had already been briefed.

However, he had no intention of exposing those little tricks.

"Manager Zeng of Exquisite Pavilion," Tang Chong introduced, playing the matchmaker for professional connections. Since he wanted to pull her into his circle, he needed to introduce her to his network.

Lin Weixiao was startled once more.

This was her first time visiting the Exquisite Pavilion. Just a moment ago, her ex-boyfriend had proudly introduced it to her as a high-end club in Pearl City that required membership to enter and spend money.

He didn't have a membership, but the station director he pimped her out to was a member here.

She never expected that the businessman Chen Guangzhong spoke of with such reverence was actually this unremarkable, chubby man right in front of her. Furthermore, this man was treating Tang Chong with such deep respect and flattery, almost as if he held some sort of leverage over him.

"Hello, Manager Zeng," Lin Weixiao understood the rule that one shouldn't ask what shouldn't be asked. Despite her inner shock, she quickly reined in any inappropriate expressions on her face and greeted Zeng Tianxiang once again.

"Lin Weixiao, a friend of mine," Tang Chong introduced her simply.

"Haha, hello Miss Lin. It's a pleasure to meet you," Zeng Tianxiang reached out to shake hands with Lin Weixiao, withdrawing his hand just a moment after the briefest contact.

After introducing the two, Tang Chong asked, "Has the contract been drafted?"

"It has," Zeng Tianxiang answered with a smile, handing over a document he was holding. "I just had a lawyer draw it up, haven't even had the chance to look through it myself yet. Have a look first, Young Master Tang, and we can make changes if anything seems off."

Tang Chong took the contract, sat down in a chair, and read through it word by word.

After finishing, Tang Chong handed the contract to Lin Weixiao, who was standing beside him, and said, "Have a read through it yourself."

Lin Weixiao glanced at Tang Chong, took the contract, and began to read carefully.

Barely a paragraph in, her brow furrowed.

She pulled a fountain pen out of her handbag and began making marks and revisions wherever she found clauses unreasonable.

Reading and editing as she went, it took her about ten minutes to finish the document before handing it back to Tang Chong.

Tang Chong read through it once more, handed the contract to Zeng Tianxiang, and instructed, "Make the revisions according to this."

"No problem. I'll have someone amend it right away," Zeng Tianxiang agreed readily. The salary was fixed, and given the promise Jiang Keqing had made, there was no way he would squabble with Tang Chong over minor details.

Once Zeng Tianxiang had 'rolled' away, Tang Chong looked at Lin Weixiao and said, "Not bad. Looks like you know more than just hosting."

"And you know more than just charming girls," Lin Weixiao retorted with a smile.

Tang Chong stood up and said, "Let's go. I'll take you to meet your boss. Oh, actually, you two might already be acquaintances."

"Acquaintances?" Lin Weixiao's eyes filled with question marks.