The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

After Fang Xintong and Shao Hua left, Zhou Yanruo returned to her office, stood by the window, and gazed through the glass at the hazy city skyline in the distance.

The midday sun cast its rays upon the silhouettes of the tall buildings, making the contrast between light and shadow even more striking. Her thoughts, however, were not on this bustling scene, but rather drifted towards those who had already departed—those who struggled and fought against fate, ultimately failing to witness the realization of their ideals.

Zhou Yanruo sighed softly, her fingers unconsciously tracing the window frame. "Perhaps, I can do something for them," she murmured to herself, her eyes gradually hardening.

She picked up the phone and dialed her assistant's number: "Xiao Chen, please make an appointment with someone from the Haoyue Foundation for me."

From the moment she learned from Jian Zheng that Zhang Qian had gifted her shares in Yuehai Technology, she began to have ideas about how to arrange those shares.

She decided to use the shares of Yuehai Technology transferred by Zhang Qian to establish a dividend fund specifically to help the orphans of scientists who dedicated themselves to science. Science is the ladder of human progress, and every scientist who has sacrificed themselves for science is an indispensable brick on that ladder.

Last week, she spoke on the phone with the manager of the Haoyue Foundation, and their ideas were very much in sync: "We established the 'Light of Science' Foundation not only to help children who have lost loved ones, but also to pay tribute to all those who strive for science. We hope that this foundation can become a beacon, illuminating the future of more people."

She hopes the Haoyue Foundation can manage the fund, with the only requirement being that every penny be used to help those who need it most.

She hadn't consulted Shang Yibo about this decision yet, but knowing him as she did, she was sure she would get his support and appreciation.

After dealing with all these matters, she remembered that Shang Yibo was still waiting for her, so she headed towards the president's office.

Just as I passed the reception desk, I ran into Li Mo, the Human Resources Director, who was walking towards me.

Zhou Yanruo: "President Li is still here."

The functional departments of Rushang Group are all located on the 36th floor below.

Li Mo said with a bitter face, "President Zhou, it's President Shang who's looking for me again."

Zhou Yanruo: "Oh, that's perfect, I was just looking for you too."

Li Mo: "President Zhou, is this also because of He Tao?"

Zhou Yanruo: "Did President Shang contact you because of He Tao?"

"Hehe, huh?"

Zhou Yanruo's tone clearly indicated her ignorance, and Li Mo quickly stopped himself, almost letting slip the secret. He chuckled awkwardly, "Should we arrange a driver for President Shang?"

"Yes, arrange another assistant."

"A driver is easy to arrange; I can assign a full-time driver from the president's office. As for an assistant, I don't have a suitable candidate to recommend. Please let President Shang state your needs, and I will recruit someone from outside."

Li Mo is very shrewd. Having been in Ru Shang for many years, he has developed his own style of dealing with factions among the higher-ups, never taking sides and never offending anyone.

He would definitely not touch the president's assistant, who is such a sensitive person.

Zhou Yanruo smiled and said, "Okay, I'll make a request to you."

Just then, Shang Yibo walked over.

"Yanruo, you're here? I've been waiting for you to have lunch together."

Zhou Yanruo: "I was just about to look for you when I ran into President Li. We were talking about personnel matters."

"Oh?" Shang Yibo smiled at Li Mo, but his eyes were sharp. "President Li is too dedicated. You just came out of my office and you're already discussing personnel matters in the hallway?"

A fine layer of sweat appeared on Li Mo's nose. He raised his hand to wipe it away and quickly explained, "President Shang, I'm reporting to President Zhou about arranging a personal driver for you. President Zhou has requested that another assistant be found for you."

"I think just one assistant who can drive will suffice," Shang Yibo suggested to Zhou Yanruo. "I don't need that many people, nor do I need all those resources. Besides, President Zhou will help me, right?"

From the moment Shang Yibo decided to return to work at Rushang Group, she and President Fang rehearsed many possible scenarios and prepared contingency plans, fearing that Shang Yibo, being young, impatient, and inexperienced, might not be able to handle things and would be bullied by the various factions in the company.

Looking at the mature and ruthless Shang Yibo, Zhou Yanruo felt that her worries from a few days ago were unnecessary.

Zhou Yanruo: "That's fine. Mr. Li, please allocate the personnel according to Mr. Shang's requirements."

Li Mo readily agreed, finally able to leave, and turned to go.

Shang Yibo called him back: "Director Li, let's move it an hour earlier this afternoon, let's change it to 2 o'clock. You can bring He Tao directly to my office."

……

Shang Yibo looked at Li Mo and He Tao in front of him and said coldly, "President Li, you talk to Director He."

Li Mo pushed a black folder in front of He Tao and said, "Mr. He, the company has decided to terminate your employment contract. This is the termination agreement."

Upon hearing this, He Tao did not respond. He looked at Shang Yibo, casually opened the folder, glanced at it, and then slammed it shut. "I won't sign this. I'm 42 this year, He Tao. What did you say when you poached me from the internationally renowned investment company? What promises did Chairman Chu make to me? You know best."

"Back then, Rushang was just a small physical company, newly established as an investment company, right? I single-handedly handled over a dozen projects, drinking coffee like water, and dealing with so much information that I had a headache every day. I didn't properly take care of my family and children for a single day, you could say that? Now, Rushang has become an investment group and reached its current scale, and I contributed to that. Doesn't he know, and don't you know?"

He Tao angrily pointed at Shang Yibo and shouted at him.

Li Mo pulled out a tissue and kept wiping the sweat from his forehead and nose. White bits of tissue stuck to his forehead and nose, making him look both comical and disheveled.

He coughed twice, glanced at Shang Yibo, and saw him sitting steadily behind his desk, his eyelids lowered, not saying a word.

Li Mo had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "President He, don't be so harsh. But things are different now. Take a look at the amount of compensation. This is already calculated according to the 2N standard. You know what the company's situation is right now. President Shang specially arranged this standard."

He Tao's voice rose even higher: "You think this sounds harsh? I'm telling the truth. When Chairman Chu got into trouble, I stood up for the company and withstood the pressure. Now that Chairman Chu is back and the situation has stabilized, what do you do? You say you've treated me exceptionally well, but you're just trying to get rid of me with this little bit of money. Even a department head gets more than this. Old Li, don't bother, I definitely won't sign this."

"The workplace is essentially an exchange of equal value. If you have value, we'll hire you. If we don't need you anymore, to put it nicely, it means we don't need your time anymore; to put it bluntly, it means you're not worthy. No wonder you do such stupid things if you don't have a clear understanding of yourself."

He Tao stood up abruptly, pointed at Shang Yibo, and said angrily, "You little brat, I only call you President Shang because I respect Chairman Chu. If you don't know how to respect me, a meritorious contributor to Ru Shang, you can blame me for not telling you beforehand. Don't regret it."

"A hero? More like a parasite," Shang Yibo said calmly. "I've already given you the opportunity, so don't blame the company for being ruthless."

"Mr. Li, please ask Director He to leave. Let's handle this matter according to the rules."