After ending the call, Lin Xiao once again pressed down on the accelerator, causing the Rolls-Royce to speed up. Guided by his GPS, Lin Xiao had been driving for almost an hour, and Jinghai City Airport was nearly in sight.
However, at that moment, Lin Xiao was forced to slow down. Something had happened up ahead, attracting a large crowd. Lin Xiao furrowed his brows in concern.
Driving forward at a reduced speed, he discovered a traffic accident had occurred. A small car had accidentally veered into the roadside railing. The railing had snapped, smashing into the car's front window.
From the surrounding chatter, it seemed that the driver had been seriously injured.
As Lin Xiao slowly passed the scene, he noticed a stylishly dressed, mature woman in her thirties anxiously standing by the roadside. Not far from her lay a man, his head covered in blood.
She was frantically trying to flag down passing cars, but all the vehicles seemed to ignore her plea, not a single one stopping.
As Lin Xiao's car approached, the mature woman waved again, her face reflecting a loss of hope. She had already flagged down dozens of cars without any luck.
However, much to her surprise, Lin Xiao actually brought his car to a halt.
"Young man, please help. My brother is seriously injured. Could you please help me get him to the hospital? I can pay you," she pleaded anxiously, her eyes filled with a mix of hope and fear.
Lin Xiao got out of the car, glanced at the unconscious man soaked in blood, and responded, "No need for money. Let's get your brother into the car quickly."
"Thank you, thank you," the woman uttered, her face etched with gratitude and stained with tears.
"It's no trouble," Lin Xiao assured her, "Saving a life is far more valuable than constructing a seven-story pagoda."
With no further hesitation, he lifted the injured man carefully and placed him onto the back seat of the car. The woman, seeing this, quickly climbed into the car and sat in the back making sure her brother was comfortable.
After consulting the GPS, Lin Xiao discovered there was only one hospital nearby, and it was situated in the complete opposite direction of Jinghai City Airport. Nonetheless, Lin Xiao didn't hesitate. He restarted the Rolls-Royce, made a U-turn, and headed towards the hospital.
He hadn't forgotten his duty to pick up the president. However, when compared to human life, even if his tardiness would negatively impact the president's opinion of him or lead to his dismissal, Lin Xiao would still make the same choice. This was his character. This was his bottom line.
During the journey, aside from the woman's expressions of gratitude, there wasn't much conversation between them. The woman was too worried about her brother to engage in idle chatter. Lin Xiao needed to concentrate as he was driving at a high speed.
After half an hour, they finally reached the hospital. Lin Xiao assisted the woman in carrying her brother inside.
Meanwhile, at Jinghai City International Airport, a plane from the capital was gradually descending. Strangely, most passengers lingered even after disembarking, especially the men. Not one left.
Their gazes were collectively drawn to the cabin door as if anticipating something.
After a short while, a woman appeared at the cabin door. Dressed in a long, white gown with her long hair flowing over her shoulders, her demeanor was nothing short of noble. She exited the plane, and the moment she appeared, she immediately attracted everyone's attention at the airport. Numerous men looked at her as though they were about to devour her, with some even secretly taking pictures of her with their phones. This was because this young woman was extraordinarily beautiful.
She was more beautiful than anyone they had ever seen. Any starlet, TV hostess, or socialite paled in comparison.
It could be said that if this young woman entered the entertainment industry, she wouldn't need any acting abilities. Her mere presence would be enough to gain nationwide fame.
Her tall, slender figure, eyes that twinkled like stars, and ethereal beauty aligned perfectly with men's idealized fantasies of beautiful women. Her allure, if set in ancient times, would probably create a femme fatale, capable of inciting chaos among kings and feudal lords.
The woman, fresh off the airplane and turning heads with her striking beauty, was none other than Wan Caixuan, the new CEO of Brilliant Aya Chemicals, a subsidiary of the Brilliant Group.
Indifferent to the awestruck gazes around her, Wan Caixuan strode through the airport. She had grown accustomed to such attention from an early age. But upon exiting the terminal building, her eyes swept the area, only to find no one was waiting to pick her up. Her expression soured instantly.
Five minutes passed…
Then ten...
Fifteen...
As time ticked away, Wan Caixuan's face darkened, her annoyance apparent. She was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
Just then, a black Mercedes pulled up in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing a young man, handsome and in his twenties, who smiled and said, "Hey, beautiful, need a ride?"
"Get lost!"
"Excuse me?"
The young man was taken aback. He may have had less than honorable intentions, but he had offered a ride with a seemingly kind exterior. Was she always this fiery?
"Is something wrong, miss? Bad day? I know a stress relief club in Jinghai. Care to join me?"
"I said, disappear. Now!" Wan Caixuan said, staring coldly at the young man.
"Excuse me!" The man retorted, his anger rising.
But upon seeing Wan Caixuan's attire and accessories, he bit back his retort. Every piece of her jewelry alone was worth more than his entire car.
"I apologize for the inconvenience."
As the man drove off in his Mercedes, Wan Caixuan glanced at her watch. Another five minutes had passed. Unable to bear it any longer, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
"Logistics department?"
"Yes, President. This is Lu Yufei, head of logistics."
"What in the world is going on? Where is the car that was supposed to pick me up? I'm still waiting. Do you even want your job?"
After confirming her identity, Wan Caixuan's voice rose in irritation.
"Oh, a car was arranged, President. Assistant Ning was personally in charge of it. Hasn't it arrived?" Lu Yufei's voice trembled over the line.
"Ning Xi? Alright, I'll call her."
"Yes, President. Do you want me to arrange another pickup?"
"No need." She hung up.
At this moment, in the Brilliant Group's logistics department, mirth filled the air. When Wan Caixuan hung up the phone, uproarious laughter echoed through the department.
"Haha, kid, I can't wait to see how you'll meet your end." Lu Yufei chuckled heartily.
Initially, he believed that he would have to be submissive in front of Lin Xiao. But to his surprise, Lin Xiao was paving his own path to doom by arriving late and keeping the president waiting.
The president was very particular about punctuality. Given Lin Xiao's tardiness today, his prospects, as her personal bodyguard or even as an employee at the Brilliant Group, seemed doubtful.
At the airport, after ending her call with the logistics department, Wan Caixuan waited for another five minutes. However, there was still no sign of anyone coming to pick her up. Her patience wearing thin, she was about to dial Ning Xi's number.
Just then, Lin Xiao finally arrived at the airport, driving a Rolls Royce. He spotted Wan Caixuan standing at the entrance of the terminal building at first glance.
Even someone as composed as Lin Xiao couldn't help but be taken aback by the sight of Wan Caixuan. However, he quickly regained his composure and drove the car toward her.
Though there was no hard evidence, Lin Xiao connected the dots with what Ning Xi had previously told him. He inferred that this woman was probably the person he was supposed to pick up and would also be his future boss.
Lin Xiao parked the car not far from Wan Caixuan, alighted, and walked toward her. At that moment, Wan Caixuan noticed Lin Xiao. She ended the call she was about to place to Ning Xi and said coldly, "Are you the chauffeur who was supposed to pick me up?"
"Chauffeur?" Lin Xiao was somewhat taken aback. Wasn't he supposed to be a bodyguard? However, seeing the icy demeanor of the female president, he wisely nodded without asking any further. "Yes, I apologize–"
But before he could finish his sentence, Wan Caixuan cut him off. "Regardless of your reasons, tardiness is still tardiness. Have you read Brilliant Group’s employee handbook? Everything must be conducted according to our rules and regulations."
Without waiting for Lin Xiao's response, she walked past him and settled herself in the passenger seat. She slammed the car door shut, leaving Lin Xiao standing there.
All Lin Xiao could do was offer a wry smile, climb into the driver's seat, start the engine, and pull away.
Despite the female president's frosty attitude, he had no complaints. He was indeed late, a whole half-hour late. He also understood that since the female president insisted on following the company's rules and regulations, his tardiness had been duly noted and would be dealt with.
Had it been a harsher boss, he might have been immediately terminated. From this perspective, his boss, despite her cold exterior, wasn't a bad person at heart.
Nevertheless, he felt a pinch. According to the employee handbook, being half an hour late would lead to a ten percent deduction from his salary. Given his monthly salary of 150,000, ten percent amounted to 15,000.
