Chapter 93: Internal Coordination (Part 2)

"Work? What do you mean?" Guna asked with a puzzled look. "Is there a salary?"

Liu Zichen smiled faintly. "If you want one, of course I can pay you."

"You really are a wealthy woman," Guna said happily. "Still, I've heard the box office for the Mermaid movie you released this time around isn't doing so great. Director Lai is alright, but the board of directors is definitely unhappy. Didn't the company dock your pay?"

She let out a soft sigh. "You might think our company is huge, but the bosses are actually quite stingy. They really just treat people according to their usefulness. If you can help them make money, they treat you like a princess. The moment you can't make money, or make too little... sigh."

Liu Zichen nodded in deep agreement. "Capitalists, after all. Everything is about money, which is pretty normal. Otherwise, how could a company this large keep running?"

Guna asked with a hint of worry, "Do you really plan to keep working here? After messing things up this time, it might not be so easy to gloss over. Oh, I almost forgot, you're..." She almost blurted out the word 'police'.

Liu Zichen quickly stopped her bluntness. "What do you think? Of course I'm going to keep pushing forward."

Guna glanced at her and smiled knowingly.

"Don't worry, I would never leak your identity," she said, having spent enough years navigating the world. "That being said, the favor you want me to do is related to the company as well."

Liu Zichen nodded. "Mmm-hmm. You're a veteran employee here, so you definitely understand certain things better."

Guna looked puzzled. "Is there really something wrong with the company? I haven't been here all that long, but besides being obsessed with money, these people still run the business quite cautiously."

"It's not very clear yet," Liu Zichen felt there was no need to beat around the bush. "That's why I need your help."

"Don't worry, I won't make it too difficult for you," Liu Zichen added.

Guna spoke with considerable boldness. "I don't have much to find difficult. For someone like an outsider like me, I can't really say I have deep feelings for the company. I'm quite happy to do you a favor. What do you call this... what is it, executing justice on behalf of a family member?"

"No, no, it should be called turning over a new leaf." Guna's cultural education wasn't high, and she thought of this purely as running about in the pugilistic world and cutting down one's friends to help another.

Liu Zichen smiled. "It's not that serious. I think you're exercising clear judgment and showing great righteousness."

"Whatever works," Guna said cheerfully. "Tell me, how do you need me to help? Let me state in advance, my tasks lately have all been quite trivial, and I don't have a lot of free time."

Liu Zichen thought for a moment. "I understand. How about this—can you tell me about the board of directors first?"

Guna was stunned. "How on earth would I know about that?"

Liu Zichen said, "It doesn't need to be comprehensive. Just tell me what you know, rumors and gossip are fine too. I see people whispering strange things behind closed doors anyway."

"Rumors?" Guna thought about it. "Well, there's plenty of that."

"It's fine, I have the patience to listen. Are you free today?" Liu Zichen wasn't in a particular hurry.

Guna considered this. "Probably not right now. I still need to go out and order catering, then organize people to clean up, and so on. Probably by the afternoon. I can spare an hour or two in the afternoon."

Liu Zichen nodded. "Alright then, let's meet at two o'clock this afternoon and find a place to have a proper chat."

Guna nodded as well. "That works. You can let me know the place later."

"How about a coffee shop? There's one right next to our company," Liu Zichen suggested.

Guna shook her head. "I'm not used to drinking coffee, and there are too many acquaintances there. Why don't we go to the Canger Teahouse? It's not far from the company, and mostly frequented by lower-level employees like us."

"Fine by me," Liu Zichen had no objections. Guna nodded and bade her farewell.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Canger Teahouse, second floor.

There weren't many people upstairs, making it perfect for a conversation. Liu Zichen had arrived early and was waiting. She ordered a pot of tea for herself, sipped it quietly, and observed her surroundings. Since it was the afternoon, the entire second floor had only a sparse few tables, all located quite far from where she sat.

Those few tables were chatting quite animatedly, though not a single word could be heard clearly. A breeze would occasionally sweep through the teahouse, scattering all secrets into the wind.

This was precisely what she had hoped for—chatting without any reservations, even if it was just a little chilly.

Guna arrived late. She had tidied herself up simply, without acting like a middle-aged matron who felt the need to change into a brand-new outfit just to go out, yet at first glance, she still retained a certain charming grace.

True to her past as a leading star of the stage, Liu Zichen felt a slight inner sigh.

Upon arriving at the teahouse, Guna was completely in her element. Although she had changed her clothes, her personality remained unchanged. As soon as she sat down, she crossed her legs and pulled out a cigarette to smoke on her own.

Seeing Liu Zichen looking at her, Guna took the cigarette away from her mouth and said with a touch of embarrassment, "I'm making a fool of myself in front of you." In her heart, she had always viewed Liu Zichen as the proper, ladylike type.

Liu Zichen chuckled. "Actually, I smoke too. Nothing to make fun of."

"Huh?! Really?" Guna was genuinely surprised. "Did I hear that right?"

Liu Zichen smiled faintly. "Back when I worked at a real estate company in Shenzhen, everyone would light up when they had a free moment, so I picked it up too. But I smoke menthols."

"So that's how it is," Guna took a deep drag. "Ladies' cigarettes are too light; the tobacco flavor isn't strong enough. All these years, I've gotten used to this kind." She picked up the cigarette pack on the table and shook it—it was a heavy-duty 13mg brand.

She suddenly smiled mysteriously. "However... I do carry ladies' cigarettes with me too." Not knowing where she pulled it from, she produced a flat pack of mint cigarettes, pulled out a slender one, and handed it to Liu Zichen.

Liu Zichen didn't stand on ceremony; she was hoping to close the distance between them anyway. As it turned out, they actually shared some common hobbies. Sometimes, interactions between women were not all that different from those between men.

Furthermore, female best friends have always outnumbered male best friends, fundamentally because they are able to find more common ground.

Sure enough, after the two of them drank some tea and blew out a few puffs of smoke, they naturally grew much closer.

"I hate going to coffee shops, mostly because I hate their inexplicable rules." Guna was, of course, referring to smoking, which was not allowed in cafes.

Liu Zichen nodded in deep agreement. "Actually, I only developed the bad habit of drinking coffee after moving into the city. Back in the countryside, we were completely free and unfettered. Who would have thought I could endure staying in such a stifling place?"

Guna asked in surprise, "You used to live in the countryside? I really couldn't tell."

Liu Zichen nodded and told her about the days she and Chen Tianyu spent living in seclusion in a mountain village. Speaking of those times, her face inevitably carried a trace of happiness and sweetness.

Guna watched her, a rare gentleness appearing in her eyes. Perhaps stirred by a sudden impulse that touched the softest part of her inner heart, the tough woman's eyes actually grew somewhat moist.