5: He's Quite the Scoundrel

"As I just mentioned, both of these fashion pieces share a common flaw: a lack of creativity and innovative spirit. Therefore, my suggestion is that your company's designers need to strengthen their original design capabilities," Shen Yifei stated calmly.

On Liu Xiaoxiao's beautiful face, her shock was now impossible to conceal. Shen Yifei's insights were astonishingly consistent with those of the Paris Fashion Week judges; her company truly did lack in original design capabilities.

At this, Liu Xiaoxiao found herself unable to retort to Shen Yifei. If he had just been spouting nonsense, or simply made a lucky guess (like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse), she could have easily mocked him. But this guy… he seemed to know far too much, didn't he?

Liu Xiaoxiao knew perfectly well that only a true fashion expert could arrive at such sophisticated conclusions.

Seeing that everyone remained silent, Shen Yifei glanced at Liu Xiaoxiao and chuckled, "Director Liu, I presume this assessment means I've passed, correct?"

"Congratulations, Mr. Shen, you've passed the interview. Assistant Lin, please take Mr. Shen to the Human Resources Department to sign his contract. Report back to me once that's done; I'll then personally take him to the Public Relations Department to familiarize him with the environment," Liu Xiaoxiao stated calmly.

Seeing Liu Xiaoxiao be so straightforward, Shen Yifei was actually a bit surprised. He had thought this beauty would surely find some other way to make things difficult for him.

While Liu Xiaoxiao certainly enjoyed being a bit petty, deep down she always prioritized the company's interests. Although she felt a slight annoyance, she had to admit that Shen Yifei was genuinely a talented individual.

In any case, once this guy started his job, there would be plenty of opportunities to get even.

Shen Yifei, feeling quite pleased with himself, followed Lin Cai'er out of the director's office.

"Haha, Assistant Lin, we'll be colleagues from now on, how quickly things change!" Shen Yifei said, grinning at Lin Cai'er.

Lin Cai'er smiled faintly, "Manager Shen, please look after me."

In her heart, she was quite impressed with Shen Yifei. Simply being fluent in three languages was astonishing enough, let alone his profound understanding of fashion.

Although he was roughly her age, his capabilities were clearly on a different level than her own.

Professional women weren't as superficial as young girls; capable men always attracted them subtly. What's more, Shen Yifei was young and handsome.

Shen Yifei waved his hand, "Don't call me 'Manager, Manager' anymore. From now on, we're friends. Just call me Brother Lang (a casual nickname meaning 'Brother Free-Spirit' or 'Brother Unrestrained,' reflecting a relaxed and uninhibited personality), and I'll call you Cai'er (a common affectionate diminutive for her given name)."

Lin Cai'er's face flushed. "Manager Shen," she said, "this is in the company; such an address isn't appropriate. Besides, I'm your assistant..."

Shen Yifei quickly realized his mistake. Addressing a female colleague so informally could easily lead others to suspect he was "keeping" her, which was indeed highly inappropriate.

"My apologies, I didn't actually mean it that way," Shen Yifei said, scratching his head with a smile. "I just wanted to treat you as a friend."

"Mm-hmm," Lin Cai'er nodded, her face still flushed.

Shen Yifei's witty conversation, coupled with his rather handsome features, left a good first impression on Lin Cai'er. Secretly, she was even looking forward to working alongside him.

It had to be said, Lingya International's efficiency was quite impressive. By the time Shen Yifei arrived at the Human Resources office, his contract was already prepared.

The position of Public Relations Manager offered a monthly salary of 16,000, along with the 'five insurances and one fund' (referring to China's standard social benefits package including pension, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, work injury insurance, maternity insurance, and housing provident fund), commissions, and year-end bonuses. The benefits were excellent.

Shen Yifei was rather excited; a good job wasn't that hard to find after all! That "iceberg" back home had given him such a disdainful look, as if questioning whether he could even find work. Now, Shen Yifei finally felt a sense of vindication.

Back in the director's office, Liu Xiaoxiao wasted no words. She directly led Shen Yifei to the Public Relations Department, with Lin Cai'er accompanying them.

The moment Shen Yifei stepped into the Public Relations Department, seeing a parade of uniformed beauties flitting before his eyes, his heart instantly surged with excitement. He'd give this work environment full marks!

Just as that previous fat guy had said, the entire Public Relations Department was comprised solely of women, all of them young and beautiful, none appearing older than 27.

Lingya International's Public Relations Department was typically responsible for corporate hospitality, client relations, and certain business negotiations. In these areas, beautiful women naturally possessed unique advantages.

They could accompany clients for drinks and chats, but any attempts to go a step further were strictly off-limits.

Lingya International was a highly reputable large company, and it certainly didn't engage in any suggestive or illicit practices.

Seeing Director Liu arrive with a man, the group of female employees immediately cast astonished glances his way, as if they had just spotted a rare species.

Liu Xiaoxiao shot a quick glance at Shen Yifei, then cleared her throat. "Allow me to introduce everyone," she announced, "this is Mr. Shen Yifei, who has now joined us as the Public Relations Department Manager."

"Hello everyone, hello..." Shen Yifei grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth. After all, he was thick-skinned enough not to feel awkward.

"Manager?"

"He's actually a man?"

"Not bad, not bad! He's so handsome!"

"Director Liu truly has an eye for talent, picking such a stylish manager!"

"Don't fight over him! The 'Male God' Manager (a playful, admiring term for a very handsome man, literally 'male god') is mine!"

The group of "fairies" (a playful term for the flirtatious women) below immediately erupted into a frenzy. Countless pairs of eyes scrutinized Shen Yifei, seemingly wanting to examine every inch of him, making him feel utterly self-conscious.

However, seeing the women's enthusiastic expressions, Shen Yifei's vanity was somewhat satisfied. No wonder so many people in this big city fought tooth and nail to become leaders; the feeling of being in charge was indeed quite good, especially when leading a group of beauties.

Liu Xiaoxiao shot a glance at Shen Yifei, then said gravely, "Alright, everyone quiet down and listen to me! Do not, under any circumstances, be fooled by this man's appearance. Although I haven't interacted much with Manager Shen, I can guarantee that this guy is a hundred percent a 'scumbag' (a popular slang term for a 'scumbag' or 'jerk,' typically referring to a man who is disloyal or manipulative in relationships), radiating a rascally aura from head to toe. Sisters, you absolutely must be careful!"

The moment her words fell, the entire office instantly fell silent. The 'female brigade' (a playful term for the all-female group) stared at Shen Yifei, wide-eyed.

Lin Cai'er was also somewhat stunned.

"And what's more, he's utterly disgraceful!" Liu Xiaoxiao added.

Shen Yifei almost spat out a mouthful of "old blood" (a hyperbolic expression of extreme frustration or indignation), protesting, "What are you talking about, slandering me like that? How am I disgraceful?"

Liu Xiaoxiao snorted coldly, ignoring Shen Yifei's protests. In her heart, she secretly scoffed, *Don't you dare think I (a somewhat aggressive or self-assertive term a woman might use to refer to herself, roughly meaning 'this lady' or 'I, your superior') don't know those filthy thoughts of yours. You stinky pervert, you won't be hooking up with a single girl in this company.*