Double evil in the business district

The sunlight filtered through the glass curtain wall of the Shen Enterprise Building, illuminating every inch of the reception room, but it could not reach Xiao Yue's gradually cooling heart.

The clock on the wall ticked away, as if mocking the passage of time and her futile wait. From nine in the morning to twelve at noon, three hours had passed, and there was no one else in the reception room except her.

Xiao Yue placed the briefcase she brought on her lap and adjusted her sitting position from time to time. Her initial anticipation and excitement had been completely worn out, replaced by a vague sense of uneasiness.

She recalled Manager Li's hesitant expression yesterday, and felt strangely irritated. Shen's Enterprise, as a leading industry player, was completely baffled by the neglect.

Finally, when Xiao Yue was about to give up, Manager Liu finally arrived. He was holding a thin folder in his hand, and he walked hurriedly, not even glancing at Xiao Yue. He walked straight up to her and threw the folder on the table.

"Everything you want is here." Manager Liu said in a cold tone, as if saying even one more word would be a waste.

Xiao Yue picked up the folder and flipped it open. Inside was a brief project overview and a few blurry data charts. She frowned slightly. The information contained in this document was pitifully scant, even more concise than their company's initial research.

"Manager Liu, this..." Xiao Yue spoke hesitantly, trying to express his doubts.

"That's all the information we can provide right now," Manager Liu interrupted her impatiently, not even glancing at her. "Go back and study it first. If you have any questions, we'll talk to you next time."

"But..." Xiao Yue still wanted to fight for it. This information was of no real help to her at all.

"Ms. Xiao," Manager Liu finally looked her in the eye, a hint of contempt in his eyes. "You're new here, so it's understandable that you don't know the rules. But the Shen Corporation's project is no joke. Do you think all the information will be laid out before you? Some things require you to dig deep and understand them yourself. Go back and study this information carefully, and come back to me when you truly understand it."

Xiao Yue took a deep breath, trying to suppress the resentment in her heart. She knew she couldn't give up easily; this cooperation was crucial to the Xiao Group. She forced herself to calm down and looked through the thin document again, trying to find some clues.

At this time, the door of the reception room was pushed open and Assistant Sun walked in. He walked straight to Manager Liu and whispered a few words.

Manager Liu's expression changed slightly. He then glanced at Xiao Yue and said to Assistant Sun, "...let her wait for a while."

"Manager Liu," Xiao Yue took a deep breath, trying to sound calm and professional. "The information in this document is too brief. I need more detailed project requirements and data before I can proceed."

Manager Liu chuckled disdainfully, as if he'd heard something funny. "Ms. Xiao, are you questioning my ability to do my job? I told you, this is all the information I can provide right now. If you can't even resolve this, then I don't think we can even discuss this cooperation."

Xiao Yue's heart sank. She knew Manager Liu was deliberately making things difficult for her, but she didn't understand why. Was it because she was sent by Xiao's company, rather than sending an experienced employee to take charge of the project like other companies did?

"Manager Liu, I'm not questioning your opinion. I simply hope to gain more information so I can better complete my work," Xiao Yue patiently explained. "As you know, this collaboration is very important to both of our companies. I hope to do my best to facilitate it."

"Don't try that on me!" Manager Liu waved his hand impatiently. "I'm telling you, at Shen's, you have to follow the Shen's rules. If you want to get something done, show your sincerity first. Don't always think of taking shortcuts!"

Xiao Yue wanted to argue again, but was stopped by a sharp look from Manager Liu. Knowing that it was futile to continue, she picked up the useless document and quietly left the reception room.

After leaving the reception room, Xiao Yue decided to visit other departments of Shen's company to try to obtain some information from other channels. However, the reality was even more cruel than she had imagined. Every time she visited a department, she was rejected for various reasons.

"I'm sorry, but the information in our department is confidential and cannot be leaked."

"We are very busy now and don't have time to receive you."

"It's no use looking for us. All project information is under the unified management of Director Liu."

……

Xiao Yue spent the entire day scouting every department at Shen's, but to no avail. She realized this collaboration was far more challenging than she'd imagined. It wasn't just a work challenge; it was more like an invisible game. And she seemed to be on the defensive from the start.

Dragging her tired feet back to the reception room, Xiao Yue found Assistant Sun sitting there waiting for her.

"Ms. Xiao," Assistant Sun said with a formal smile on her face, but her words made Xiao Yue's heart instantly rise to her throat, "Mr. Shen, please come over."

Assistant Sun's words resonated like a thunderclap in Xiao Yue's ears. She froze for a moment, then a chill shot up from her feet to her head. She knew this was a sign of the approaching storm.

Following Assistant Sun down the long corridor, Xiao Yue's heartbeat grew faster and faster. The Shen Group's headquarters building was magnificent, and the interior decoration was extremely luxurious. But in Xiao Yue's eyes, all this splendor seemed like a cold cage, trapping her inside, with no escape.

Finally, they arrived at the CEO's office. Assistant Sun knocked gently, and after getting permission, he pushed the door open and motioned Xiao Yue to enter.

Xiao Yue took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, and walked in. Shen Ting was sitting behind a large desk, looking down at a document. He raised his head and cast a deep gaze on Xiao Yue, as if he could see through everything.

"Ms. Xiao, I heard that you ran into a lot of obstacles in the company today?" Shen Ting's voice was low and magnetic, without any emotion.

Xiao Yue bit her lip and answered truthfully: "Yes, Mr. Shen. I hope to obtain some more detailed project information, but..."

"But you got nothing." Shen Ting took over her words, with a subtle hint of sarcasm in his tone, "Ms. Xiao, you should know that time is money. I gave you this opportunity, not to let you come to Shen's sightseeing tour."

Xiao Yue's face paled slightly. She certainly understood what Shen Ting meant. This cooperation was crucial to Xiao Corporation. If she couldn't produce results quickly, it would not only affect the cooperation between the two companies, but also put her position in Xiao Corporation in jeopardy.

"Mr. Shen, I know the importance of this cooperation, and I've been working hard." Xiao Yue tried hard to control her trembling voice, "It's just that I need some necessary information before I can start working."

Shen Ting tossed the document onto the table with a soft thud. "I don't care what methods you use, I just want results. I want to see a preliminary cooperation framework by today. If I don't see it by tomorrow morning, then there's no point in continuing this partnership."

"Within today?" Xiao Yue was shocked. This was almost an impossible task.

Shen Ting ignored her and just waved his hand, indicating that she could leave.

Xiao Yue felt powerless as she left the CEO's office. She returned to the reception room and picked up the thin document, feeling overwhelmed. She knew Shen Ting was deliberately pressuring her, and the only thing she could do now was to give it her all.

For the next few hours, Xiao Yue locked himself in the reception room, trying to dig out some useful information from the public information of Shen's Enterprise.

However, most of this information was superficial and outdated, and was of little help in her needs analysis. As time passed, Xiao Yue's anxiety grew stronger.

She kept looking through the information in her hands, pondering the possibility of cooperation over and over again, but she could not find a breakthrough.

As the sun set, the people in the office gradually dispersed, leaving Xiao Yue alone, still struggling. She looked at the few pieces of information in her hand and the clock on the wall, her heart filled with despair.

Suddenly, a knock on the door broke the silence of the office. Xiao Yue looked up and saw Assistant Sun standing at the door with a document in his hand.

"Ms. Xiao," Assistant Sun said, still with a formal smile on her face, "This is what President Shen asked me to give to you."

Xiao Yue took the document, her fingers trembling slightly. She had no idea what was inside it, nor what would await her tomorrow...

She slowly opened the file.

Xiao Yue looked at the few documents in her hand and rubbed her sore eyes. The clock on the wall had already pointed to eight o'clock in the evening. The office was empty, with only the desk lamp on her desk still emitting a faint light.

She had no idea how to face Shen Ting's questions tomorrow. And what kind of insurmountable hurdle would that stubborn Manager Liu pose?

At this moment, the document sent by Assistant Sun became her only hope. With a hint of trepidation, Xiao Yue opened the document. To her surprise, this document was not the cooperation framework or project requirements she had imagined, but a...

Shen’s internal address book and contact information of the heads of various departments.

Could it be... Shen Ting hinting at her to contact the relevant departments to obtain information? A glimmer of hope ignited in Xiao Yue's heart. If so, then perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope.

The next morning, Xiao Yue dialed the number in the Shen's marketing department according to the information in the address book. After the phone rang a few times, a slightly impatient voice came over: "Who is this?"

"Hello, I'm Xiao Yue from Xiao Enterprise. I'd like to ask you something about your company..." Before Xiao Yue could finish his words, he was rudely interrupted by the other party.

"Xiao Group? Didn't Manager Liu tell you? It's not convenient for us to disclose any information now! That's it!" After the other party finished speaking, he hung up the phone without any hesitation.

Xiao Yue held the microphone, stunned for a few seconds. It seemed that Manager Liu's influence was even greater than she had imagined. She tried contacting several other departments, but the results were the same: either a direct rejection or a perfunctory response.

Just when Xiao Yue was about to despair, she thought of someone - Assistant Sun. Although Assistant Sun was only Shen Ting's assistant, from yesterday's contact, he didn't seem to reject her like the others.

With a try-it attitude, Xiao Yue called Assistant Sun. The call was quickly connected, and Assistant Sun's voice was still gentle and polite: "Hello, Miss Xiao."

"Hello, Assistant Sun, I would like to ask..." Xiao Yue spoke carefully and told Assistant Sun about the difficulties and doubts he encountered.

After listening to Xiao Yue's story, Assistant Sun was silent for a moment, then said, "Ms. Xiao, I understand your situation. How about this, I'll make an appointment for you with Manager Liu. Is two o'clock this afternoon available?"

Xiao Yue was overjoyed when she heard this. Although she didn't know what method Assistant Sun had used, at least she finally had the opportunity to communicate directly with Manager Liu.

At 2 p.m., Xiao Yue arrived at Manager Liu's office on time. Manager Liu still had a cold attitude, but out of respect for Assistant Sun, he reluctantly agreed to talk to Xiao Yue.

"Ms. Xiao, I hope you understand that any cooperation between our Shen Corporation and any company must be based on mutual benefit and win-win results." Manager Liu said arrogantly, "And your Xiao Corporation is not yet qualified to do so."

Xiao Yue took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in his heart, and said calmly: "Manager Liu, I understand what you mean. But I believe that through this cooperation, Xiao Group will be able to demonstrate our strength and value."

Manager Liu sneered, "Really? Then I'll wait and see." He pulled a document from the drawer and threw it in front of Xiao Yue. "This is our Shen Group's minimum requirement for partners. Take a look first."

Xiao Yue picked up the document and quickly glanced through it. The requirements were extremely demanding, almost impossible to complete. She looked up at Manager Liu and was about to speak when she heard whispers coming from outside the door...