Chapter 4: Chapter 4 Double Duty

"Wow, so handsome!""Really handsome!"

"I love the way he kicks, so cool!"

"I love the way he fights."

"I love his muscles."

The women watched Li Xiaoyao, their eyes sparkling with stars as they fluttered.

Li Xiaoyao clapped his hands, looked down at the men, and said, "Okay, stop playing dead, all of you scram."

When the men heard this, they swiftly scrambled up from the ground and ran off without a trace.

Li Xiaoyao had held back when he started throwing punches; otherwise, with his strength, a single punch could kill a bull.

In the chairman's office, Zhuo Yi and Zhang Meng sat opposite the chairman and recounted what had just happened.

The chairman was Lan Cai, the head of Pan-Blue International, with stunningly beautiful features and a temperament that seemed to elevate her above the mundane. In the company, Lan Cai was known by a nickname, the "aloof female CEO."

After hearing the two women's account, Lan Cai said, surprised, "One person took down more than twenty strong men? And this person came to interview for the position of marketing department manager?"

Zhuo Yi nodded and said, "Mm-hm, everyone saw it. He took those men down with ease."

Lan Cai asked, "With such an incident happening, where was the security department?"

Zhuo Yi answered, "The security wasn't there at that time."

"So many people came for interviews and yet there was no security present to maintain order," Lan Cai's eyes flickered with severity as she said, "Zhang Meng, go tell the HR department to pass on a message. Tell Security Department Chief Li Yong there's no need for him to come in tomorrow."

Zhang Meng simply nodded, not daring to ask more.

Don't be fooled by Lan Cai's beautiful appearance; at her core, she was a decisive and swift woman who would easily fire anyone not taking their work seriously.

With such a major incident occurring today and the head of security not arranging for someone to maintain order on-site, the fate of the security chief was almost foreseeable.

Zhuo Yi hesitated after hearing Lan Cai's words, then said, "Director Lan, if we fire Li Yong now, there'll be no one in charge of the security department."

Lan Cai said indifferently, "Didn't you just mention that man named Li Xiaoyao? He's quite skilled at fighting, let him run the security department."

Zhuo Yi and Zhang Meng said, "But he applied for the position of marketing department manager."

Lan Cai said, "Let him manage both departments."

"Ah?"

The two women were stunned, at a loss for words.

It was the first time they had heard of someone serving both as the marketing department manager and the head of the security department, two roles that were entirely unrelated.

"If there's nothing else, you may leave now. Go and process Li Xiaoyao's employment, and by the way, tell him that he's only temporarily in charge of the security department. If we find a suitable candidate later, we won't need him for that role. Oh, and include the salary for the head of the security department in his compensation."

After the two women left, they looked at each other and both gave a bitter smile.

Zhang Meng asked, "Do you think Li Xiaoyao will agree?"

Zhuo Yi shook her head and said, "I don't know, let's talk to him first."

Li Xiaoyao was still lounging on the hallway seat, enjoying the air conditioning, when the two women approached him. Opening his eyes, Li Xiaoyao cracked a slight smile and said, "If you're here to thank me, then don't bother. Heroes saving damsels in distress, oh wait, that's not right—it's all in a day's work for a hero like me."

For some reason, both women felt their hearts inexplicably racing upon seeing the smile on Li Xiaoyao's face.

"Li Xiaoyao, thank you for what you did just now. Who knows what would have happened if it weren't for you," Zhuo Yi said. "About your job, the upper management has made a decision. There are a few details we'd like to discuss with you. Let's go to the conference room."

In the conference room, there were two women and one man.

Li Xiaoyao sat across from the two women, and when they mentioned putting him in charge of two departments, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What? You want me to manage the security department? No way, I don't have the energy for that."

Li Xiaoyao had been looking for a laid-back job, and although he had never worked as head of security, he knew very well it wouldn't be a breeze. Besides, they wanted him to manage two departments by himself.

Li Xiaoyao's outright refusal left the two women somewhat flustered, unsure of what to do next.

Zhang Meng, with a pitiful look and watery, pleading eyes, said to Li Xiaoyao, "We're only asking you to temporarily manage the security department. We're currently in the process of hiring a new director for security. Once we find someone, you won't have to handle it anymore. It's just for a little while. Can you help us, please?"

Zhang Meng spoke in such a vulnerable manner that it seemed as if tears might fall from her large, watery eyes at any moment.

Li Xiaoyao really couldn't bear to see a woman cry in front of him, but the idea of managing two departments all on his own was a bit much to ask. He felt truly torn.

Zhuo Yi added from the side, "Don't worry, your salary will be doubled. You'll be paid for being both the Marketing Department Director and the Head of Security."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoyao immediately took on a nobler stance and said, "I am a man of principles, but since you both insist, it would be difficult for me to keep declining."

The two women excitedly asked, "So you agree?"

Li Xiaoyao nodded, then casually inquired, "How much does the Head of Security make a month?"

The two women were taken aback, not quite used to Li Xiaoyao's sudden change of subject.

Zhuo Yi answered, "The Head of Security makes fifteen thousand a month. With full attendance and bonuses, it comes to about twenty thousand. The base salary for the Marketing Department Director is eighteen thousand, and with performance bonuses, it adds up to around fifty or sixty thousand a month."

Li Xiaoyao hadn't expected the salary to be so high, and with delight he said, "Well then, let's get that contract signed quickly." Sёarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The two women couldn't help but laugh at Li Xiaoyao's money-grubbing antics.

Li Xiaoyao signed the contract quickly and would officially start work the next day. Before he left, a tailor came to take his measurements for a custom-made uniform.

Li Xiaoyao left happily, but someone else was looking rather grim.

That person was Li Yong, the current Head of Security.

Li Yong couldn't believe he was fired over such a trivial incident.

He had planned to speak to Director Lan about the situation and convey his awareness of his mistake, promising it wouldn't happen again, but Director Lan refused to see him.

This made Li Yong's anger surge within him. He'd been at the company for a year or two and had solved many problems. He knew hard work wasn't always recognized, but to be fired over something so minor was infuriating.

Li Yong decided he simply could not tolerate this and came up with an idea.

A strike!

He planned to organize all the security personnel to strike, to show Lan Cai who really had control over the security department in this company!

As for Li Xiaoyao, after signing the contract, he shamelessly asked for an advance of ten thousand yuan from his salary.

And Zhuo Yi, she even helped with his request, and damn it, his application was approved.

Li Xiaoyao, holding ten thousand yuan in cash, did not squander it but went to the market to buy a bunch of groceries, then headed home to cook.