Chapter Forty-Eight: The Camera Is Crooked

After lunch had passed, it wasn't long before Ruan Mianmian's room was completely transformed. Old Zhang had thoughtfully added many new things; compared to its former business-like style, the room now overflowed with the charm of a young girl.

“Miss Ruan, are you satisfied?” Old Zhang asked with a smile.

Ruan Mianmian nodded. “It’s all right, not bad at all, hehe.”

“Good. Then please, Miss Ruan, take a rest for now.” Old Zhang smiled and left, heading to Jiang Ce’s room to report the news.

Ruan Mianmian went back to her room and rested for a while. Though she had returned with Jiang Ce, she still had to go back to Hanhai later that afternoon. The matter with the USB drive had been overturned thanks to her coy persuasion, but her heart remained unsettled; she had yet to teach Shen Ting a proper lesson. Moreover, she needed to destroy everything on that USB drive, and for what couldn't be destroyed, she had to find a way to minimize Jiang Ce’s losses.

With her mind made up, Ruan Mianmian seized the quiet of the afternoon to quietly summon A-Kuan and sneak out with him.

This time, A-Kuan didn’t resist. He simply drove the Land Rover and took Ruan Mianmian out of the compound.

Ruan Mianmian found it odd. “Aren’t you going to ask where we’re going?”

A-Kuan glanced nervously at the camera beside him, which was still pointed quietly at Ruan Mianmian in the back seat.

“So, where are we headed, Miss Ruan?” he asked.

“Han Hai Group,” Ruan Mianmian replied in a hushed voice.

“Oh…” A-Kuan showed no sign of surprise, remaining as calm as ever.

This made Ruan Mianmian even more confused. “Aren’t you the least bit curious?”

Only then did A-Kuan put on an exaggerated act, saying, “Curious? Of course I’m curious! Ruan, what are you planning to do there?”

Ruan Mianmian shot him a glare, making A-Kuan feel very guilty.

“What’s with you people? All so strange,” she grumbled inwardly, then lowered her head to check her phone.

To avoid being contacted any further by Jian Yanzhi, Ruan Mianmian had turned her phone off earlier. Now, after turning it back on, message after message popped up.

Hearing the notification sounds, A-Kuan awkwardly pursed his lips and joked, “You’re really busy, aren’t you, Ruan?”

Without looking up, Ruan Mianmian replied, “Of course. I’m full of ambition, you know.”

“The camera’s off center! The camera’s off center!” came Shen Qing’s urgent voice in A-Kuan's earpiece. He hastily checked the round camera beside him and saw it was about to slip; he quickly adjusted it. Only after making sure everything was in order did he glance in the rearview mirror at Ruan Mianmian, who was fully absorbed in her phone and hadn’t noticed a thing. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Ruan Mianmian, still focused on her phone, frowned at the one-sided barrage of messages and hesitated. After a moment, she decided to switch her phone off again.

Upon returning to Han Hai Group, Ruan Mianmian first took A-Kuan to the Human Resources Department.

News of her new appointment had already spread throughout the company, so the HR manager, Zhou Miao, came out personally to greet her.

With a respectful smile, Zhou Miao said, “Good day, Director Ruan. How may I be of service?”

Ruan Mianmian smiled slyly and pulled A-Kuan forward. “This is my newly hired driver. Please handle his onboarding. As for salary and benefits, I don’t ask for much—just make it the same as President Jian’s driver.”

Her eyes shone with shrewdness.

Zhou Miao looked troubled. “Director, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

“What’s inappropriate about it?” Ruan Mianmian leaned against the table and looked at Zhou Miao coolly. “It’s a simple matter. Or should I call President Jian down here myself?”

She pulled out her phone, making her threat clear.

“No, no!” Zhou Miao’s expression changed as he shook his head frantically. “No need to trouble the General Manager!”

Quickly, Zhou Miao waved over a younger female employee. “Xiao Li, take him to complete his onboarding.”

Xiao Li didn’t dare waste a moment and led A-Kuan to the lounge to fill out the forms.

Satisfied, Ruan Mianmian nodded. “Thank you. You may return to your work.”

“Of course, of course.” Zhou Miao hurried off, discreetly wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

Who would dare to offend Ruan Mianmian these days?

Feeling triumphant, Ruan Mianmian thought to herself, “So this is what it’s like to flaunt power borrowed from someone else. Not bad at all!”

But then—ugh—why did she compare herself to a dog?

Still, this commanding presence was truly invigorating.

Once A-Kuan finished his paperwork, Ruan Mianmian took him toward the elevator.

Since it was working hours, the elevator was empty.

A-Kuan couldn’t help but ask, “Ruan, is it really okay for me to join Han Hai just like this…?”

Ruan Mianmian shot him a glance and scolded, “What’s there to be afraid of? You’re getting paid by both sides, and you’re still not happy?”

“It’s not that. I’m just worried the boss will be angry.”

“You really don’t need to worry about that.” Ruan Mianmian spoke with conviction. “You’re spending the enemy’s money for him—he should be grateful! Besides, I brought you in to get things done more easily. He’ll understand eventually.”

A-Kuan sensed something was up. “Get things done? What things?”

Ruan Mianmian smirked mysteriously. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

When they reached the 32nd floor and entered the office, they both felt the atmosphere shift—the room grew instantly quieter.

Ruan Mianmian walked past everyone with a calm face, exuding an air of arrogance as though she didn’t care about anyone.

Once inside her office, Ruan Mianmian shrugged. “Not bad, right?”

A-Kuan looked around in awe. “Ruan, what’s your position here? This office is huge and so luxurious—and it’s just for you?”

He secretly wondered when the Jian family’s young master suddenly started being so generous. Something was definitely off! He made a mental note to report this back to the boss.

“It’s nothing,” Ruan Mianmian replied with a proud smile. But before the smile faded, the office door suddenly burst open.

Jian Yanzhi stormed in, face cold and eyes burning with suppressed anger. He was about to speak, but then noticed there was someone else in the room.

“Who’s he?” Jian Yanzhi pointed at A-Kuan, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

“He’s my new driver!” Ruan Mianmian stated directly.

“Driver?” Jian Yanzhi frowned. “So you left early because of him?”

Ruan Mianmian raised an eyebrow. “Not exactly. I went out for lunch, then brought him back. You know I don’t like driving myself.”

Hearing this, Jian Yanzhi’s expression softened.

“Going out to eat is fine, but why did you turn your phone off? I thought you might…”