BACKING IT UP

Hu Lei could sense a bit of dislike from Amazonian Lin as she faced her. She could not trace the precise source of her animosity, but it did not seem like she held malice. So, she shrugged it off. It would be stupid to expect everyone to love her on sight. If her dislike escalated, it would be another issue.

The little Hu lady shivered as her imagination ran wild, picturing the tall woman in warrior clothes, pursuing her with a spear. The image of a fiercer Manager Lin filled her with dread but also caused her a measure of amusement. Her small mouth stretched into a smile.

Unfortunately, the amused look was caught by the other woman. The frown on her face deepened even more.

"Miss Hu, I do not care about how you got into this Etude Technologies. However, I will not let you compromise the integrity of the company in the coming week. A lot of people have worked to ensure the continued growth of our operations through this coming trade exposition. You must take them into account before taking any irresponsible actions." Manager Lin spoke in a school principal tone.

Hu Lei could not help feeling annoyed by the woman. But she could understand the reservations the woman had. She had not exactly left the gleaming impression she had hoped when she had fallen asleep. Therefore, she could not be an immature child and argue back without backing it up with evidence of reliability.

"I understand. I will naturally work hard." She replied with humility.

Lin Man stared at her for longer before determining her words to be true. She nodded with satisfaction, though the unfriendly look in her eyes did not fade.

"I hope your commitment is true. Our goal today is to turn you into a person who can represent Etude Technologies. Though your role is interpreting, you will be required to interact with a lot of persons of interest during the conference. You must be equipped to respond to question, comments and complaints to avoid losing the company's face."

Hu Lei once again nodded in acceptance. It seemed that all she had done since she had come in was nod over and over. The little person in her heart wanted to cry at how sad her life had become.

"Which other foreign languages can you speak?" Manager Lin asked.

Lin Man felt a little ashamed because she did not know Arabic and Russian. Her lack of reliability was the reason they had to hire this wisp of a girl and other outside translators and interpreters. But still, she knew three foreign languages which she could use.

She felt that it would be best if she could train Hu Lei in a foreign language for the upcoming conference. Typically, understanding materials in the local language did not always translate well in another tongue, especially for people who were unfamiliar with a specific industry like technology.

"I speak quite a number. You can pick one in accordance with your preferences." Hu Lei spoke with a wide smile and twinkling eyes.

Hu Lei felt a little smug at her pettiness, especially when the other woman's face seemed to twist at her tone of superiority. She was looking down at Lin Man who had seemed to have it out for her since she showed up. Of course, the arrogant statement was not false.

She did not believe that there was a language that the woman spoke that she did not know. She wanted to deflate the ego of this manager who had acted superior her just because she did not come into the company through regular means.

Lin Man felt like shaking the smug little lady, but at the same time, she felt that the arrogant look was quite adorable. She felt anger at herself, feeling like she had been led astray.

She chose to overlook the prideful woman and focus on the matter at hand. After careful deliberation, she spoke in fluent Italian, looking forward to the crumbling of that face. It was not wrong of her to assume that Hu Lei could speak Italian. The girl was quite young, and she knew some of the more difficult languages. If she took into account the time spent in regular school and her age, learning more languages would be difficult.

Unfortunately, her logic did not match the girl before her. She responded in the same language with a perfect accent and more pride.

Lin Man still wanted to shake her, but she was a consummate professional. Thus, the training session began.

Four hours passed, leaving Hu Lei feeling like an empty husk. Her smugness had long disappeared. All she wanted was food and sleep. She felt that a certain ill-advised journey through the Australian outback with her energetic otaku father was better than these hours spent with Amazonian Lin.

However, she had to admit that she understood interpretation in IT more clearly. If she had gone ahead without the training, she would have been effective as an interpreter but not efficient.

Now she was equipped with the right tools, minimising the time required to adapt to her new role. In addition, she now had a clear idea on the things she needed to know before the conference began. Whether she needed to handle trade exhibition or provide some guidance during the workshops, she would not be stranded.

Once Lin Man indicated that the session was done, Hu Lei stood up faster than she thought possible, ready to fly out of this little prison. Still, she did not abandon her good manners.

"Thank you for your help, Manager Lin. I have learned a lot." She said, discretely backing out.

Manager Lin's eyes no longer held her initial contempt. She even nodded at the girl with some approval in her gaze. She spoke a few more reminders but stopped when she saw the miserable look on that small cute face.

"It looks like I misjudged you. I thought you are one of those young women who enter companies using their parents' connections without any experience or education." She finally confessed with a sigh.

"You were not wrong. I am." Hu Lei said with a laugh, escaping from the feminist Amazonian.