CHAPTER 1454: CHAPTER 1377: RECOGNIZING THE SITUATION

Her heart felt an icy chill, as though a large chunk was missing, leaving a hole through which the December wind howled, stripping her body of any warmth.

Up to now, she had finally come to terms with the situation.

Fu Rong didn’t look at her, his perpetually cold gaze sharp enough to cut through ice: "Pick up the beads on the ground and restring them."

As if worried Ye Ranran might refuse, he added, "This is an order."

Indeed, he was the superior, and she the subordinate—when the boss gives orders, the subordinate must obey.

This wasn’t the kind of place where you could simply quit, and years of effort would amount to nothing if she resigned.

She considered trying to transfer somewhere else, even to an unpopular department, just to avoid the mutual aggravation.

"Understood." Ye Ranran crouched down.

Just as she picked up one bead, the woman presumptuously remarked, "Forget it, I suppose she didn’t mean it. Let it go."

"Did you hear that? Hurry up and thank Miss Sun."

"Thank you," Ye Ranran responded readily, her face devoid of any hint of displeasure.

When under someone’s roof, you have no choice but to bow your head—it’s nothing worth feeling aggrieved about, just like how working for others inevitably entails some humiliation.

Having endured so much, even venting complaints felt like a waste of effort.

The woman had initially expected a sense of triumph, yet in front of Fu Rong, Ye Ranran acted as docile as a cat, her sharp claws nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, she found it boring.

"I have some matters I need to discuss with her; you may leave now," Fu Rong dismissed the woman.

Sun Yi didn’t object and sauntered away, her figure swaying gracefully.

This beauty even walked with a mesmerizing charm.

Ye Ranran found it odd—up to now, her mood remained calm, perhaps because she had accepted reality.

She had come to terms with the fact that Fu Rong didn’t love her, so there was nothing left that she couldn’t accept.

"I’ve reviewed the report. It’s well done, but if this amount of funds is to be allocated all at once, where exactly do you plan to get the money?"

"From the fund meant for aiding underprivileged students." If the families were to bear all the cost themselves, those kids wouldn’t have tuition money to continue schooling.

Taking it from that fund wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

"Alright, you handle this matter."

Ye Ranran had no objections: "Anything else?"

"Are you resentful of me?" Fu Rong suddenly asked.

"Resent you for what? Isn’t it natural for a superior to assign tasks to a subordinate? Besides, I’m your secretary." Calling it a secretary sounds nice, but frankly, the real term is nanny.

"She’s Sun Yi, the daughter of Gua state’s governor."

A single sentence, and Ye Ranran understood the stakes at play. Every presidential election required more than just achievements; securing a sufficient number of votes was also necessary.

Gua state was the most populous state in F country, holding thirty electoral votes—far surpassing other states. During elections, many people sought to win over Gua state’s governor by any means.

Fu Rong had really gone all out this time—for the presidency, he was willing to gamble his entire future.

She truly didn’t understand him, and now, she had no desire to understand either.

"But I won’t marry her. Just give me some time," Fu Rong suddenly looked up at her. "When the time comes, you can deal with her however you please."

"That won’t be necessary."

By this point, he still didn’t know what she wanted. What was left for them to discuss?

"I’ll go find an identical bracelet to replace Miss Sun’s," Ye Ranran said before leaving.

He told her all this, likely just to make her help soothe the other woman’s feelings.