Chapter Seventy-Two: First Place

After Zhang Hua asked that question, everyone suddenly realized that the head of the most talked-about department—the one ranked dead last—had yet to make an appearance.

“Our department head, he…” Qin Feng didn’t know how to continue. Not to mention others, even he felt puzzled. Yang Jiekai had been acting oddly for a while now, as if something was off. And at a time like this, even if coming in last was embarrassing, it wasn’t enough to make someone too ashamed to show their face.

“Our department head is busy!” Qin Feng was forced to offer a reason that even he found flimsy.

“Busy?” A trace of disdain curled on Zhang Hua’s lips. “What’s a little head of security got to be busy with? Busier than me, perhaps? I bet he’s just hiding from embarrassment!”

A ripple of snickering swept through the crowd, most of it coming from the sales department. They were all dressed to the nines, clearly having prepared especially for today, ready to celebrate their impending victory.

“Heh, coming in last, might as well stay hidden and save himself the shame.”

“If I were him, I’d hide too—look at that score, zero! Ha!”

Amidst the laughter and comments, the members of the security department could do nothing but stamp their feet in frustration. Yet the reality was right in front of them; they could only flush with indignation, gritting their teeth as they stared at that glaring zero behind their department’s name. They simply couldn’t lift their heads.

Zhang Hua checked his watch, stretching out his arm. “Alright, let’s leave the matter of who hit whom for tomorrow. There’s less than ten minutes left before the competition ends. I say we wrap this up early and don’t waste any more time. We in sales aren’t like some departments who wander around aimlessly all day—our time is money!”

At that moment, Lin Sha happened to come downstairs, catching Zhang Hua’s words. She glanced at the scoreboard, her eyes betraying a hint of disappointment as she saw the security department’s score. Zhang Hua’s arrogant demeanor didn’t sit well with her either, but there was no denying their results.

“Assistant Lin,” Zhang Hua greeted her, lifting his chin with a victor’s smile. “I don’t think there’s any chance of the results changing at this point. Shall we end things early?”

Lin Sha particularly disliked Zhang Hua’s attitude, but with the results plain to see, there was little she could say. She frowned slightly. “Let’s wait five more minutes.”

Zhang Hua shrugged. “As you wish, just a few minutes.”

Lin Sha scanned the crowd but didn’t see Yang Jiekai. She cursed him under her breath, frustrated by his lack of resolve. She couldn’t say exactly why, but she’d been unusually concerned about the security department’s score today, almost as if she were hoping for something.

Damn Yang Jiekai, where has he run off to? Even if you come in last, at least show your face. Didn’t you promise…

“Assistant Lin?” Zhang Hua, noticing Lin Sha lost in thought, lightly tapped her shoulder.

“Ah!” Lin Sha snapped back to herself, suddenly embarrassed by her inexplicable thoughts. God, what was she thinking?

“Oh, what is it…” Lin Sha hurriedly composed herself, though her reply was still a little flustered.

Zhang Hua didn’t give it much thought, smiling as he said, “Since our sales department took first place, I’d like to take the team out to celebrate. Would you honor us by joining? It would be a great encouragement to the team, and good for the company’s future, too. Please don’t decline.”

“Yes, Assistant Lin, do join us,” chimed in a few of the male sales members, their eyes burning as they looked at Lin Sha’s tall, elegant figure. Though they kept their fantasies in check, the idea of dining with their goddess was a pleasure in itself.

Lin Sha had no real desire to go. She respected Zhang Hua’s abilities but never warmed to him as a person. Yet he had all but forced her hand, and to refuse now would be to embarrass him publicly. So, forcing a polite smile, she replied, “Very well, then…”

“Director Lin!”

Before Lin Sha could finish her sentence, a member of the security department called out, looking in a certain direction.

Everyone turned to see Yang Jiekai approaching, eyelids drooping, looking utterly listless.

“Yang Jiekai!” Seeing him, Lin Sha felt a strange surge of excitement. She called his name and hurried towards him in her high heels.

Left standing awkwardly, Zhang Hua felt a wave of irritation and muttered sarcastically, “Well, the last-place finisher finally shows up!”

“Yang Jiekai, where have you been? We’ve all been waiting for you!” Lin Sha said as she reached him.

“Waiting for me?” Yang Jiekai glanced up, his voice dull. “What for?”

Lin Sha realized her words were poorly chosen—she couldn’t very well say they were waiting for him to come out and embarrass himself. “Where have you been? Why are you only coming down now?” she quickly changed the subject.

“Just tidying up a few things upstairs,” he replied half-heartedly, not even glancing at her as he walked past.

“Wait!” Lin Sha was so angry she wanted to stamp her foot. In the entire Silky Group, only this self-important head of security dared speak to her this way—even the chairman was always polite.

“Where are you going?” Her tone was tinged with annoyance.

“Home, where else?” Yang Jiekai replied without turning his head, still moving forward as if burdened by some heavy thought.

“Stop right there!” Lin Sha finally lost her temper, her voice rising.

Yang Jiekai, already irritable these days, felt a sudden flash of anger at her command. He stopped and turned, retorting rudely, “If you’ve got something to say, out with it!”

“You—!” Lin Sha was so furious she wanted to stomp on his foot with her heel. Struggling to contain her anger, she pointed at the scoreboard. “Look for yourself—what’s that?”

She meant for him to look at the glaring zero after their department’s name and feel some shame.

But Yang Jiekai seemed not to care. He glanced at the scoreboard, paused, and then, as if suddenly remembering, said, “Oh, that—I almost forgot.”

He fished around in his pocket, finally pulling out a crumpled receipt and tossing it casually toward Lin Sha.

“What’s this?” she asked as she caught it, puzzled.

“Order form,” Yang Jiekai replied impatiently, turning to leave.

Lin Sha paused, but upon realizing what it was, an unexpected joy welled up inside her. At least he wouldn’t lose too badly this time; with a zero, the year-end bonus would be out of the question.

“At least you’ve got some backbone,” she muttered, not bothering to open the slip but handing it to a nearby security team member. “Go register this. Looks like you’ve got some luck and won’t have to face a goose egg this time.”

Watching Lin Sha smile as she looked after Yang Jiekai’s departing figure, Zhang Hua felt a sudden pang of jealousy. Like many other men in the company, he secretly considered Lin Sha his goddess, and had often indulged in private fantasies about her. As head of the sales department, with his looks and status, he had no shortage of female admirers, but with Lin Sha, he never dared to dream too much, always feeling that he was not quite her equal. His striving over the years was not just for success, but also, in part, to narrow the gap between himself and his ideal woman.

“Well, well, an order. Congratulations!” Zhang Hua put on a flawless smile, taking the crumpled order from the security member. As he unfolded it, he sneered, “Not bad, at least you won’t have to eat humble pie. Let’s see, maybe you’ll even beat the next-to-last department!”

Everyone could hear the sarcasm in his words, but curiosity about the wrinkled order form outweighed all else—especially the logistics department, who secretly prayed it wasn’t a large order. If it was, they’d end up in last place themselves.

“Hm?” Zhang Hua’s voice caught in his throat as he opened the order. “Not bad, it’s from Yongcheng Group. Looks like your department head really has some skills, selling products to female staff in other companies. Impressive, truly…”

Suddenly, Zhang Hua froze, rubbing his eyes as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. When the numbers on the order became clear, he stood rooted to the spot as though struck by lightning.

“Director Zhang?” someone nearby called, noticing something was off.

But Zhang Hua didn’t respond, just stared blankly at the order form as if he’d seen something impossible.

“Damn, haunted!” Qin Feng, curious as well, grew impatient with Zhang Hua’s silence. He strode over and snatched the order from Zhang Hua’s hands.

“Look at this! If anyone ever says we’re eating humble pie again, I’ll slap his mouth!” Qin Feng waved the order at the crowd before taking a closer look. After reading the first line, his smile froze, and he stood there, dumbfounded, with the same expression as Zhang Hua.

“Brother Li?” another security member asked in surprise.

Qin Feng stared at him, eyes wide, and slowly handed over the order. The man took it hesitantly, but as soon as he read the first line, he too was petrified.

While everyone wondered if these men had encountered something supernatural, a burst of laughter exploded from the crowd.

“Hahaha! First place, first place! Our security department is in first place!”