Su Xiaolan felt like she must still be in the middle of her afternoon nap, or perhaps the expired potato chips she ate yesterday were causing hallucinations.
She stood stiffly in front of the understated yet luxurious private elevator—one that only the CEO and a select few vice presidents had the authority to access—clutching a thin black card emblazoned with the Li Corporation logo in her icy fingers.
Secretary-General Wang Jing's words, "This is the 'Vertical Transportation Efficiency Optimization Card' personally arranged for you by CEO Li," still echoed in her ears like a haunting refrain.
Vertical Transportation Efficiency Optimization Card?
In plain terms, it meant: The CEO's private elevator is now yours to use exclusively, Su Xiaolan!
"Se-Secretary Wang…" Su Xiaolan's voice trembled as she made one last desperate attempt to refuse, "Th-This is too much! I'm just a small assistant—the regular employee elevator is more than enough! Really! I promise I won't be late! And… and this will look so inappropriate…" She could already imagine the intensity of her colleagues' stares.
Wang Jing took a deep breath, her expression one of resigned martyrdom. Clearly, she had already been thoroughly brainwashed (or perhaps traumatized) by CEO Li's "innovative thinking."
"Assistant Su, CEO Li's instructions were very clear. He believes that employees wasting excessive time waiting for elevators during peak hours is a tremendous drain on the company's human resources and time costs. This 'Vertical Transportation Efficiency Optimization' measure is designed to maximize the conservation of employees' valuable time, redirecting it toward core work output." She paused, taking in Su Xiaolan's near-tearful expression, and softened her tone with a hint of helpless consolation. "Just… consider it your contribution to 'optimizing the company's overall time utilization.' Take it. This is an order."
With that, Wang Jing turned and walked away almost like she was fleeing, her back radiating a "Don't ask me, I know nothing" aura of despair.
Left alone, Su Xiaolan stood frozen in front of the elevator that symbolized supreme privilege, clutching the card like a hot potato. She felt as if a giant neon sign had materialized above her head, flashing: "Look here! A salted fish receiving special treatment from the CEO himself!"
Just then, a cacophony of footsteps and chatter approached—the crowd was returning from lunch break!
When her colleagues turned the corner and saw Su Xiaolan standing before the private elevator, that eye-catching black card clutched in her hand, the entire floor fell dead silent. The air itself seemed to freeze, leaving only the faint hum of the air conditioning.
Every pair of eyes locked onto her. Shock, disbelief, envy, curiosity, and outright hostility (this time with zero attempt to hide it) stabbed into her back like needles.
"X-Xiaolan?" Lin Xiaomei's voice quivered as she pointed at the card. "Is that… what I think it is?"
Su Xiaolan closed her eyes in despair, then forced herself to answer in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz: "Secretary Wang said… this is a 'Vertical Transportation Efficiency Optimization Card'… and I'm supposed to… use this elevator from now on…" Her voice trailed off, her cheeks burning.
"Pfft—"
"Cough cough!"
"What kind of card?!"
"Did I hear that right? The private elevator?!"
Gasps and suppressed exclamations erupted around her. The way everyone was looking at Su Xiaolan had shifted from "lucky duck" to "alien lifeform." A massage chair and a temperature-controlled cup holder could maybe be excused as "ridiculous pilot programs," but now she was being given access to the CEO's private elevator?! This wasn't just special treatment anymore—this was outright privilege being dropped into her lap!
"Assistant Su's 'optimization' is really next-level, huh?" A snide voice cut through the murmurs. It was Zhang Li, a colleague known for her sharp tongue. "We ordinary people will just have to keep 'wasting company resources' by squeezing into the regular elevators."
Her words were like a spark to tinder, igniting a wave of discontent and whispers.
"Seriously, what makes her so special?"
"Is there something going on between her and CEO Li?"
"Shh! Don't say that! But… this is way too much, right?"
Su Xiaolan wanted to vanish under the weight of their stares and gossip. She gripped the card so tightly it might snap, wishing she could throw it as far away as possible. Just as the pressure and embarrassment threatened to crush her—
"Ding—"
A crisp chime broke the tension.
The private elevator doors, right in front of the stunned crowd, slid open.
And standing inside, to the utter horror of everyone present, was none other than the CEO himself—Li Chenyuan!
He had clearly just come up from the underground parking garage, dressed in an impeccably tailored dark suit that accentuated his tall, imposing figure. His handsome face was expressionless, his sharp gaze sweeping over the silent, wide-eyed crowd before finally landing on Su Xiaolan, who stood frozen like a startled rabbit at the front.
The silence was deafening. You could hear a pin drop.
Everyone's hearts leaped into their throats. This was it! Su Xiaolan had been caught blocking the CEO's private elevator with that card in hand! She was done for!
Even Su Xiaolan's mind went blank, bracing for the inevitable thunderous reprimand. She could practically feel Zhang Li and others gloating.
But the expected scolding never came.
Instead, Li Chenyuan's eyes flicked to the black card in Su Xiaolan's death grip, and then—to the absolute shock of everyone present—he did something unimaginable.
He didn't question her.
Instead, he stepped aside, making room in the spacious elevator, and spoke in a deep, commanding voice that left no room for argument:
"Assistant Su, get in. Your time is valuable. Don't waste it on unnecessary waiting."
Su Xiaolan: "...!!!"
Everyone else: "...!!!" (Internal screaming: Whose time is being wasted here?!)
When Su Xiaolan remained rooted in place, Li Chenyuan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, his tone carrying a hint of impatience: "What are you waiting for? Do I need to invite you?"
The words snapped Su Xiaolan out of her daze. Trembling, she shuffled into the elevator like a malfunctioning robot, her limbs stiff and uncoordinated. The spacious interior carried a faint, crisp scent of sandalwood, but she didn't dare look up, keeping her eyes glued to the polished elevator walls as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world.
The doors closed slowly, cutting off the sea of stunned expressions. Inside the confined space, it was just her and the overwhelmingly imposing presence of the CEO of Li Corporation.
Su Xiaolan's heart pounded so violently she thought it might burst. She pressed herself into the farthest corner, wishing she could dissolve into the wall.
Silence. Oppressive, suffocating silence.
Just as Su Xiaolan felt like she might pass out from lack of oxygen, the man beside her spoke, his voice low but clear in the quiet elevator:
"The chair," he paused, as if choosing his words carefully, "and the cup holder. Are they… satisfactory?"
Su Xiaolan's head snapped up, her eyes meeting his deep, unreadable gaze. Li Chenyuan was looking down at her, his expression neutral, yet something in his eyes made her pulse race.
"Th-They're great… Thank you, CEO Li," she stammered, her voice barely audible.
"Mn." He acknowledged her response with a slight nod, his gaze lingering on her flushed cheeks for a fleeting second before he looked away. His tone was detached, as if discussing the weather. "Good. Improving work efficiency requires proper tools and time management."
Su Xiaolan: "..."
Efficiency again! Time management again! CEO Li, do you have some kind of obsession with these two concepts?!
Mustering every ounce of courage she had, she finally blurted out the question that had been burning in her mind all day, her voice shaky with nerves:
"Ce-CEO Li… Why… Why me?"
Why was she, of all people, the target of these absurd "optimizations" and "pilot programs"?
Li Chenyuan's eyes returned to her face. For the briefest moment, something complex flickered in his gaze—too fast to decipher. He was silent for a few seconds, and just as the elevator chimed to signal their arrival at the top floor, he finally spoke, his voice quiet but firm, carrying an inexplicable certainty:
"Because… you are Su Xiaolan."
The doors opened.
Without another glance at her, Li Chenyuan strode out, leaving behind only his tall, aloof silhouette.
Su Xiaolan, however, stood frozen in place as if petrified.
Because… you are Su Xiaolan?
What kind of answer was that?! It explained nothing! Did her name having the character for "lazy" make her the perfect mascot for "efficiency optimization"?
Dazed, she stumbled back to her workstation—now upgraded with a luxury massage chair and temperature-controlled cup holder—her mind a swirling mess.
Meanwhile, the entire floor, having witnessed "CEO Li personally inviting Su Xiaolan into his private elevator," had erupted into chaos. Rumors and speculation spread like wildfire.
"Did you see that? CEO Li let her in!"
"And said her time was valuable!"
"Oh my god, this is definitely not just special treatment anymore!"
"Is Su Xiaolan really… CEO Li's…?"
"No wonder she got the massage chair and the private elevator!"
"Better be extra polite to her from now on…"
Secretary-General Wang Jing listened to the whispers outside, then glanced at the internal email from Li Chenyuan on her screen—a lofty notice about "promoting efficient work practices and reducing unnecessary waiting time, with management leading by example."
She massaged her temples in despair.
Leading by example?
CEO Li, your "example" is… a little too "personal," don't you think? And your definition of "efficiency" seems… suspiciously targeted!
Her gaze drifted to Su Xiaolan, who was still standing dumbfounded in front of her massage chair, and she sighed deeply.
That salted fish's peaceful, slacker life was officially over.
And the storm had only just begun.