Li Shiyan dropped Wei Jia's wrist, the intimate connection between them breaking in an instant.
"Yes, you are." He replied.
Su Mingyi's eyebrows furrowed but she still had smile on her face.
"The board is waiting for your review of the Q2 projections." She said.
Li Shiyan straightened his perfect posture.
"Of course. I was just conducting a quality assessment of our newest consultant's range capabilities."
Su Mingyi's smile widened.
"And what did you find ?" She asked.
"Passable technical range." Li Shiyan replied without looking at Wei Jia. "But requires continued supervision to ensure consistency with corporate standards."
Su Mingyi moved to Li Shiyan's side, her hand settling on his arm.
"Shall we?" She asked, guiding him toward the exit.
Li Shiyan walked away without a backward glance. The moment the laboratory door shut behind her, Wei Jia's legs gave out completely. She slumped against the counter where Li Shiyan had guided her hands for knife work, where he had pressed against her back.
Her entire body was shaking from the emotional whiplash of being treated like something precious one moment, then dismissed as irrelevant the next. Her lip still burned where his thumb had traced. She raised her fingers to her mouth, touching the spot where Li Shiyan had smeared her dish across her skin. The taste of her broth lingered on her tongue, but now it carried the bitter flavor of humiliation mixed with the sweetness of desire that she wasn't supposed to feel for the man who had destroyed her independence.
Three hours later, while Wei Jia was still trying to focus on her assigned optimization projects and failing miserably due to the sensation of Li Shiyan's thumb on her lip, a message appeared in the laboratory monitor.
TO: Wei Jia, Culinary Consultant
FROM: Human Resources Department
RE: Mandatory Review of Conduct
Ms. Wei:
You are required to report to Human Resources Conference Room B-7 tomorrow at 2:00 PM for a mandatory review of conduct concerning recent breaches of professional decorum. The review will address concerns raised regarding inappropriate workplace interactions.
Please bring any relevant documentation and be prepared to provide detailed explanations for actions that may have compromised the professional environment of Tianxia Group facilities.
Failure to attend this mandatory review will result in immediate contract evaluation and potential disciplinary action up to and including termination of consulting agreement.
Complaint filed anonymously in accordance with corporate whistleblower protection policies.
Wei Jia started at the message in shock. She focused on the words. The message was kind of accurate but it was completely different from the reality of what had actually happened. It showed her as someone who had initiated inappropriate contact rather than someone who had been on the receiving end of Li Shiyan's intimacy.
Most frustrating of all was the anonymous complaint status. Tianxia's whistleblower protection policies meant that she would never be formally told who had filed the complaint, but the timing made the source clear. It was Su Mingyi.
Wei Jia's hands clenched into fists. An anonymous complaint meant no direct confrontation, no opportunity for Wei Jia to defend herself against accusations, no way to challenge the credibility of her accuser. The HR review would be conducted based on 'objective evidence' and 'professional standards,' with no consideration of context or the power dynamics that had created the situation in the first place.
And making it even more worse, the complaint put Li Shiyan in an impossible position. If he defended Wei Jia, he would be admitting that their interaction had been inappropriate. If he supported the disciplinary action, he would be destroying her career to protect his own reputation and relationship with Su Mingyi.
Wei Jia looked around the laboratory realising that she was being eliminated not for poor performance or professional incompetence, but for the crime of getting Li Shiyan's attention.
Wei Jia immediately printed the HR message, folded it,and walked out of her laboratory in anger.
Ms. Zhou, Li Shiyan's assistant, looked up from her laptop.
"Ms. Wei, I'm afraid Mr. Li will be busy in the meetings this afternoon. If you'd like to schedule an appointment, I can check his availability for next week…"
Wei Jia walked past her without slowing down, her hand already reaching for the handle of Li Shiyan's office door. The assistant protested, but she threw open Li Shiyan's office door with a force that banged it against the wall.
He looked up from laptop and looked at her as if he was already expecting this. Wei Jia walked inside and slammed the printed message on his desk.
"Call off your attack dog." She snarled.
Li Shiyan's eyes looked at the printed message, then back to her face.
"Close the door."
Wei Jia hesitated, realising that closing the door of his office with only her inside would create exactly the kind of situation that Su Mingyi wanted. But she wanted this confrontation. She turned and closed the door.
Li Shiyan looked from the HR message to Wei Jia's furious face.
""Or what?" He challenged her, leaning back in his chair. "You'll quit? Break our contract? See your family ruined?"
Li Shiyan rose from his chair but instead of maintaining the distance, he leaned forward over his desk, deliberately invading her personal space.
"You have no power here, Wei Jia. You have only the power I choose to give you." He moved closer.
"Remember that. Remember that everything you have be it your laboratory, your ingredients, your family's security, your presence in this building, exists at my discretion. I can take it all away with a single phone call." He threatened her.
"So before you make demands about calling off attack dogs." Li Shiyan continued. "Perhaps you should consider whether you're prepared to face the consequences of challenging someone who holds your entire future in his hands."
His dark eyes searched her face, looking for defeat that he expected. But he found defiance. Wei Jia met his gaze without flinching.
"Don't forget that power without respect is just tyranny with better suits. And tyrants always fall eventually." She replied.
The words were the declaration of a war. Li Shiyan's eyes narrowed, and Wei Jia realized she had just crossed a line that might have consequences she wasn't prepared to face.