1 Shi Yen

Shi Yen was visibly annoyed.

Sitting in her office chair, she had received a report from her assistant. The report informed her of inconsistent patterns of inventory from one of her store locations. The number of sales did not match the numbers in the warehouse, and someone had a habit of placing merchandise under 'lost.'

Shi Yen observed it carefully and said bluntly, "Fire the entire team. Some of them are obviously too comfortable, thinking they can get away with stealing from the warehouse. The management team should have taken notice and addressed the situation immediately, but seeing as they failed to do so, fire them too. Also, contact my attorney and hold them accountable, legally. Then, close down the location for a few days, hire new staff meticulously. I don't want this to happen again."

Her assistant shrank back slightly. "Yes, Miss Shi," she replied softly, taking the report back from Shi Yen's outstretched hand. After shorthaired assistant left, Shi Yen stood up, heading towards the boardroom with a folder in hand.

In the hall, she read the pages as she stalked by office cubicles. Some of her employees straightened and stiffened at the sight of her, but Shi Yen didn't mind them, continuing to read as she walked by.

Inside, she took her place at the end of a long, oval-shaped table with colleagues from her administration team. None of them spoke to each other, patiently and silently waiting for her. They didn't look at her with fear, only in awe and admiration. That was because her administration team understood what it took to be a leader, delegating their company efficiently.

Shi Yen was a driven person, while other onlookers—who do not know her—thought of her as overly ambitious, a trait some people found unattractive.

Shi Yen didn't care what people thought of her. It was unfair that many Chief Executive Officers, Chairmen, and Presidents, are praised as enthusiastic and diligent for being stern and cruel. And yet, because she was a woman, she was referred to as a bitch, not at all enthusiastic and diligent, only cunning. Nevertheless, she was indifferent to all opinions of hers.

She was determined to make something for herself, even after her family fell far from where they originally stemmed. Her father established the Shi family, and Shi Yen worked hard to live up to his name, as his eldest daughter.

However, her parents—before they died—were powerful and invulnerable, not anticipating that they'd leave their daughters with nothing but debts and a mess to clean behind. It had been five years since, and she had to work hard to get to where she was today, and she still struggled—unbeknownst to everyone except her sister.

Yuan Bank was the group that took everything from her once they died due to some debts she didn't know they had. They took her valuables, cars, Shi Group, and almost her home. She didn't let them take her home. But she hoped to one day take back Shi Group and to restore what rightfully belonged to her. What she had now was a growing company she established herself.

Her thoughts shook when the digital clock in the room struck 10:01 A.M.

Shi Yen sighed, standing up to begin the meeting by addressing sales and reiterating how important it is to implement the fraud and theft policy.

Her sister then walked in shortly after she started, silently taking her seat.

Shi Yen glanced at her, and her sister shot her an 'I'm sorry I'm late' look. Shi Yen continued her presentation without further delay, and after she finished, she dismissed everyone except her younger sister.

Shi Yen took a seat across from Shi Ailin and said flatly, "I should fire you."

Her sister pressed her lips into a thin line. "You wouldn't believe the morning I had!" she responded.

Shi Yen kept her face neutral. "I understand, but it's become a daily occurrence, something I don't tolerate in any of my employees. I expect more from my representative."

Shi Ailin couldn't meet her eyes. "I'm sorry, but—"

"Did our neighbour bother you again?" questioned Shi Yen, her face softening slightly.

Her sister nodded.

Shi Yen exhaled a breath. "You make it very difficult to be disappointed in you."

Shi Ailin's lips curved slightly into a half-smile. "Oh, Yen. I'm really sorry. I'm going to keep trying to become the best representative for you."

Shi Yen smiled. "I do not doubt that you will, Ai. But, tell me why 'I wouldn't believe the morning you had.'"

Her younger sister, only one year younger than her, leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "This morning, Bo blocked my way out of the driveway and insisted that I would go on a date with him."

Shi Yen cringed. Bo was their neighbour, who proclaims his love for Shi Ailin now and then in the most embarrassing and absurd ways.

"Well, this morning," she continued to say, "he told me, 'Go on a date with me!' and I said, 'Another time.' And then he replied, 'You said that last time!' So I agreed to him picking me up later." She bit her lip, burying her head on the desk. "Yen, I don't want to go! He's so weird."

Shi Yen sucked in a sharp breath, sympathizing with her sister's strange predicament. "I'll speak with him later when he comes over later."

Shi Ailin lifted her head, blinking confusingly. "Really? What will you say?"

"I'll be honest. I'll tell him you are not interested," Shi Yen replied bluntly.

"Eh?" said Shi Ailin. "That's so cold. If it were easy, I would tell him myself."

Shi Yen grinned, suppressing a laugh. "You don't have the backbone to let him down. But I wouldn't mind at all."

Shi Ailin took a deep breath. "I feel so bad!" she replied.

"That's because you're too nice," Shi Yen replied. "Why do you think Bo likes you so much? You give him too much hope."

Shi Ailin pouted. "But you're the prettier one."

Shi Yen sighed. She didn't think of herself as the prettier one. Her hair was black, as dark as crow feathers, in contrast to her sister's curly walnut-hair. Her eyes were also dark, in comparison to her sister's soft honey-brown eyes.

"Stop it," responded Shi Yen. "If we are to compare our beauty, then I'd say it's your personality that reels people in. I'm pretty flat and unlikeable."

Shi Ailin crossed her arms, furrowing her brows. "You have plenty of good qualities! It's only that you don't show it."

"This again," said Shi Yen. "It's interesting that we, as sisters, always argue about who's better, and we get annoyed for it."

Shi Ailin laughed, and Shi Yen's lips curved. "Now get back to work. I will deal with this later, don't worry about it."

Shi Ailin sniffed. She would have thrown her arms around Yen if her older sister allowed her to, but she didn't respond much to affection, something she wanted to fix without pestering her to.

"Thank you!" Shi Ailin said instead. She then stood up and scurried away to keep herself busy.

Shi Yen then straightened in her seat. She decided to complete some work in the boardroom when she received a notification from her phone, reminding her that she had to attend a workshop the next day. She then resumed her work until the evening dawned; the sky sank from blue to yellow, orange, and purple.