The punishment from Lu Lingchuan also had its benefits. Including her internship, Jiang Lingling had been in her job role for just over half a year, not even a full year, so her mindset hadn't fully transitioned into a work mentality.
Because Shen Nian had been protecting her all along, Jiang Lingling's career path had been much smoother and easier than her peers. This was both an advantage and a disadvantage.
Shen Nian couldn't guide and shield Jiang Lingling forever. If Jiang Lingling got used to being protected and failed to learn how to grow on her own, it would be fatally damaging to her.
Today's punishment from Lu Lingchuan would make her much more clearheaded, helping her understand the harsh realities of society, and not to take the word "diligence" lightly.
He's the employer, she's the employee. He pays her salary, so she needs to work for him. In society, it's not like at school where shedding a few tears and apologizing can make things go away. If she slacks off, getting fired is what she deserves.
Copying the employee code of conduct one hundred times would teach Jiang Lingling an important lesson - no one will unconditionally tolerate, indulge or forgive you; society is just that harsh.
After this incident, Jiang Lingling wouldn't dare slack off at work again because she had tasted the bitterness of her mistake.
When everyone went for lunch, Jiang Lingling was still diligently copying the code of conduct.
Shen Nian passed by on her way to lunch and saw Jiang Lingling still copying.
"You still have work in the afternoon, you can't skip lunch."
It was break time, so they could chat leisurely.
But Jiang Lingling was holding a black pen, copying with utmost seriousness, not even lifting her head. "Sister Nian, I made a mistake and deserve this punishment. I need to copy more, and the more my wrist hurts, the better, so I'll remember this lesson!"
Because of her negligence, she had almost cost Sister Nian her job too, so she had to make sure she learned from this mistake.
"Sister Nian, thank you for speaking up for me. If not for you, I might not even have this chance to accept punishment."
Hearing this, Shen Nian pursed her lips. "Why are you thanking me? I didn't do anything."
If anyone deserved thanks, it should be... Lu Lingrui.
When Jiang Lingling teared up earlier, Shen Nian noticed a dazed look in Lu Lingchuan's eyes. Not unexpectedly, he saw a shadow of Lu Lingrui in Jiang Lingling.
Even though they knew Jiang Lingling and Lu Lingrui were not the same person, and their appearances were completely different, Jiang Lingling's personality resemblance to Lu Lingrui still softened Lu Lingchuan's heart.
Li Nan from the next office had just finished her work too. After tidying up the files, she smiled and said, "It's good to give her a lesson. If she doesn't grow up, she'll continue to get bullied in the future."
Then she invited Shen Nian, "I'm having dumplings for lunch today. Want to join me, Nian Nian?"
"No, thanks." Shen Nian politely declined.
"Oh, okay then." Li Nan nodded. "I'll go have lunch first."
"Sure."
Watching Li Nan's departing figure, a fragment flashed through Shen Nian's mind before disappearing quickly. She frowned, pondering for a full minute before turning to Jiang Lingling.
"Lingling."
"Hmm?" Jiang Lingling responded while continuing to copy.
"I remember you mentioned earlier that Li Nan called you to ask about the situation, and that's how you found out we were trending, right?"
Indeed, during their earlier conversation, Jiang Lingling had mentioned Li Nan.
Hearing this, Jiang Lingling looked up, puzzled. "Yeah, that's right."
Was there an issue?
"How did Li Nan know it was us?" Shen Nian posed the key question.
If she recalled correctly, Jiang Lingling had said that in all the online videos, neither of their faces was shown.
So how did Li Nan know the people involved were them?
Jiang Lingling blinked, unsure why Shen Nian was suddenly asking this, but she still recounted what had happened after they parted ways yesterday.
"After we separated yesterday, I went home. Not long after reaching home, Sister Nan called me, asking what was going on and how I got bullied. I was confused too and asked her how she knew. Sister Nan said she saw the trending news, and although our faces weren't visible in the videos, she recognized the clothes we were wearing yesterday, so she figured it out. Then I told her about the situation."
"And then?" Shen Nian asked. "Did Li Nan ask anything else?"
"She just checked on me, telling me to be careful and watch out for perverts next time I go out. Nothing much else..." Jiang Lingling pondered seriously, then seemed to recall something else.
"Oh, yeah! Sister Nan also asked me where you were and if you'd gone home. I told her that the younger brother who protected you was injured and in the hospital, and you went straight to the hospital from the police station."
After saying that, Jiang Lingling asked, puzzled, "Sister Nian, is there a problem?"
Shen Nian was deep in thought over the matter. Hearing Jiang Lingling's words, she snapped out of it and shook her head. "No, it's nothing. I just suddenly remembered you mentioned that earlier, so I asked about it."
"Oh." Jiang Lingling didn't think too much about it and continued copying the employee code of conduct.
Shen Nian leaned against the wall, her mind rapidly processing the information.
Suddenly, her phone's ringtone interrupted her thoughts. Shen Nian glanced at the caller ID on the phone she had been gripping and narrowed her eyes, a strange light flashing in them.
Instead of immediately answering, she looked at Jiang Lingling and said, "Well, I'll go have lunch first."
"Okay, bye Sister Nian."
"Yeah."
Turning to leave, Shen Nian finally answered the call. "Hello."
"..."
...............
There were several tea houses and cafes near the company entrance. Many employees would go there for afternoon tea or coffee during their lunch breaks or other rest periods.
It was break time now, so to avoid being seen by company employees, Shen Nian chose to meet at a cafe further away from the company.
When she arrived, the other person was already there, sitting by the window.
He had changed a lot over these years, growing from a little brat into a tall young man almost 1.8 meters tall.
His features were also exquisitely handsome, with thick eyebrows and large eyes - the kind of looks girls adored.
It had to be admitted that their family's genes were impeccable. From the parents to the siblings, each one was better-looking than the other.
Normally, Shen Nian rarely spoke to Lu Lingchen at the company. Lu Lingchen was about two years younger than Shen Nian, just 20 years old this year and currently a student at A University.
Although still a student, he had already started learning at his brother's company, but due to his studies, he was only occasionally seen at the company.
Everyone at the company knew he was the younger brother of the CEO Lu Lingchuan, given their shared surname and similar looks - there was no way to hide it.
Shen Nian was just Lu Lingchuan's assistant. If others saw her frequently meeting and chatting with the CEO's younger brother at the company, it would inevitably lead to speculation.
So to avoid such issues, they chose to meet away from employees when at the company.
