Chapter 52: A Challenge Accepted

“Hmm?”

Zhou Ruoyu’s brow furrowed at Liu Ruyan’s sudden, inexplicable show of goodwill. After a moment, she turned her head and asked softly,

“Team Leader, what do you mean by this?”

“Well… don’t be so tense. Actually, I’ve been thinking this weekend, and I feel… perhaps I shouldn’t be so strict with you. While you certainly defied me before, you are just a newcomer, after all, and it’s understandable that you might not know all the rules. How about this: if you bow and apologize to me in front of everyone right now, admitting that you’ve been slacking off at work, I’ll give you another month to get familiar with the job. You won’t have to worry about your performance anymore, okay?”

A cold smirk touched Liu Ruyan’s lips as she brazenly threatened Zhou Ruoyu, demanding an apology. The young woman with long black hair listened, her gaze turning cold midway through Liu Ruyan’s speech. By the end, she couldn’t help but sigh.

‘Just as expected, how could a scoundrel truly repent?’ Zhou Ruoyu had initially thought Liu Ruyan had calmed down and wanted to reconcile without escalating the situation, in which case she would have graciously accepted the apology. Yet, the young woman had truly not expected this person to demand she apologize in front of the entire customer service department.

If she were truly the weak, timid girl she appeared to be on the surface, she might have indeed let the matter rest. Unfortunately, the now confident Zhou Ruoyu would never betray her twenty years of hard-won self-respect and lose face like that.

‘Bow to you in front of the entire department? Heh… what’s the difference between that and declaring myself Liu Ruyan the Great’s dog? I’d probably just face even worse workplace bullying and lose all dignity after that.’

Zhou Ruoyu let out a cold snort on the spot, looking at Liu Ruyan, who waited confidently for her to stand up and bow. Instead, the young woman with long black hair casually crossed one leg over the other, then pouted and retorted,

“Manager, the conflict between us isn’t really my fault, is it? How can you, the one who struck first, completely absolve yourself? If anyone should apologize, it should be you to me. Do you really think you’re asking a bit too much by expecting me to apologize?”

The sight of the young woman with long black hair, arms crossed, refuting Liu Ruyan, was rather adorable. Several male colleagues nearby instantly felt the urge to step forward and defend her. However, after glancing at Liu Ruyan’s murderous glare, they immediately chickened out.

“Heh… you… you want me to apologize to you? Fine, fine, excellent! You’ve got some temper, Zhou Ruoyu… Alright, if you’re so eager to be fired, then I’ll grant your wish! Heh, work hard this week. I’ll be watching your performance to see if you can keep your job—!”

Ugh…

Watching Liu Ruyan’s aggressive posturing, Zhou Ruoyu actually wanted to scoff. The Dragon Wing boss gave her twenty thousand for a single piece of intel. If she worked a little harder, she could easily rake in money from both Gu Jiachen and the Dragon Wing boss. With two major bosses catering to her alone, she truly wasn’t panicking right now.

Moreover…

‘Hmph, what gives you, Liu Ruyan, the confidence to believe my performance this week will definitely be at the bottom again?’

A slight curve appeared at the corner of the young woman’s lips, a smile born not of anger but amusement. After a moment, under Liu Ruyan’s increasingly exasperated gaze, Zhou Ruoyu spread her hands and spoke,

“Whew… Team Leader Liu, since you’re so eager to fire me, then… waiting a week might be a bit too long for you, wouldn’t it? How about… we make a bet right now!”

Zhou Ruoyu gazed intently at the other woman, proposing this seriously. Liu Ruyan was momentarily stunned before she recovered and frowned slightly.

“What new trick are you playing now?”

“Hmm… I just don’t want to drag this conflict out too long. I want to cut the Gordian knot quickly, and I believe Team Leader Liu feels the same, right? Since we both look down on each other, why not settle this sooner? We don’t even need to worry about this week’s performance. How about this… in front of everyone, Team Leader Liu, do you dare to make a bet with me? We’ll compare just today’s performance, from now until quitting time! If my performance isn’t as good as yours, then I’ll pack my things and leave immediately. But if Team Leader Liu loses, hmph… then I ask that Team Leader Liu also leave Dragon Wing! Where you go, I won’t care.”

Zhou Ruoyu blinked, a confident smile playing on her lips, as she issued this challenge to Liu Ruyan. The blonde woman instantly flared up, but just as she was about to speak, a friend suddenly rushed over beside her, grabbing her hand and whispering,

“Sister Liu, don’t fall for her trick! She’s trying to change her performance ranking into a one-on-one duel with you! You’ve rarely handled actual business since you became Team Leader, so it might not be a sure thing. If you lose and have to resign over this, it wouldn’t be worth it…”

Upon hearing this sincere advice, Liu Ruyan first glared at the friend who had come to warn her, then nervously looked around. Her colleagues’ gazes were all focused on them. Saying such things so loudly in front of everyone at a time like this… wasn’t that completely losing face?

However, her friend’s words did hold some truth. After a long pause, Liu Ruyan turned to Zhou Ruoyu and mumbled softly,

“Zhou Ruoyu, don’t try to play these petty games with me here! Our bet is the previous bet. If your performance is still at the bottom this week, I will fire you according to company regulations! There’s no such company rule for a ‘competition’!”

“What? Team Leader Liu, using rules as a shield? Could it be that you’re afraid of losing to me? Heh, as you said, my performance across the entire company is definitely at the bottom. Could it be… that you, Liu Ruyan, a dignified Team Leader, have business capabilities even worse than a bottom-ranked junior customer service representative like me?! In that case… I’ll have to question whether your abilities are truly suited for this Team Leader position, won’t I?”

The young woman with long black hair shook her head triumphantly, and scattered laughter could be heard among the surrounding onlookers. Sure enough, Liu Ruyan was immediately infuriated by this provocation. She took several deep breaths, then pointed at Zhou Ruoyu and shouted,

“What do you mean, ‘don’t dare’! You don’t think I’d actually dare to compete with you, do you? Heh… how do you think I became a Team Leader? No matter what, I was always the top performer in Group Nine back then! Otherwise, would the leaders have promoted me? Even if I haven’t been in charge of specific customer service work for a long time now, I… I’m still much better than a greenhorn like you!”

With that, Liu Ruyan angrily stomped her foot on the company floor, immediately accepting the bet. “Good, then we’ll compete on today’s performance! I refuse to believe I can’t beat a newcomer like you! Do you really think I’m a pushover?! Heh, don’t say I’m bullying you. I’ll even give you an hour’s head start to see what your business capabilities are truly like, daring to challenge me! After an hour, it’ll be easy for me to surpass you!”