Chu Junlin was completely numbed after watching the entire promotion ceremony.
It was only at this moment that he truly realized he had been nothing but a clown, daring to go up against a woman like her.
Her ability to command and control subordinates was, without a doubt, the highest level he had ever seen—almost no one from the younger generation could match her.
If this woman ever went crazy and ran off abroad one day, anyone who had a grudge against her would probably die without even knowing how.
And that might well include him.
As he followed Liu Yutong downstairs, Chu Junlin finally couldn't hold it in any longer and asked to rejoin the Cloud Mountain Society.
Even if it meant being just a regular member, he would accept it.
"The Cloud Mountain Society isn't a place anyone can just walk into," Liu Yutong said.
"What I need isn't a turncoat. I need people who are truly of one heart, people who can really get things done."
Chu Junlin immediately asked, "Miss Liu, what do you want me to do? Whatever I can do, I won't hesitate for a second."
Liu Yutong saw that he seemed sincere enough, thought for a moment, and said, "We'll talk about that later. Before that, you'll only count as a probationary member of the Cloud Mountain Society. If you can't even get through the probation period, then don't blame me."
Chu Junlin nodded.
That condition was reasonable. After all, given what he had done before, Liu Yutong not kicking him out outright was already doing him a favor.
"Before that, you need to do something first," Liu Yutong said.
"What is it?" Chu Junlin asked.
Liu Yutong glanced at Yun Cheng.
Yun Cheng understood the signal, stepped forward, and said to Chu Junlin, "Young Master Chu, our group recently organized employee family trips and staff children's summer camp activities. We're short on manpower and need someone to help out."
Chu Junlin: "You mean... you want me to look after kids?"
Yun Cheng nodded: "Yes, looking after kids."
Chu Junlin's mouth twitched.
He, the young master of the Chu family, the head of three listed companies, was going to babysit?
If word got back to the capital, where would he put his face?
"What, not willing?" Liu Yutong said.
Chu Junlin gritted his teeth: "I'm willing! I'm willing!"
"That's good."
Liu Yutong nodded: "The summer camp just happens to be short-staffed. You'll be in charge of taking the kids to places like the aquarium, the zoo, and the science museum, and making sure they're well taken care of in terms of meals and daily life."
"Remember, those kids are all children of our group's employees. The youngest is only three, and the oldest is around ten. If you dare mess up even a little, you know the consequences."
Chu Junlin immediately assured her: "Don't worry, I'll take good care of them."
"Then it's settled. Report to the summer camp tomorrow."
"Alright."
When Chu Junlin agreed, he had already fully accepted reality in his heart.
He now saw things clearly: if you go against Liu Yutong, she'll crush you to death.
But if you genuinely admit defeat and are willing to follow her arrangements, she doesn't seem that heartless after all.
As for his desire to rejoin the Cloud Mountain Society, it wasn't an impulsive decision—he truly had no other choice.
He was already buried in enormous debt. Although the billion-yuan bet had been waived, between the 1.8 billion yuan in compensation and the messy accounts from the Junlin Society, he still faced a shortfall of nearly ten billion.
To close that gap, he had to find a chance to turn things around.
Right now, his best option could only be found through Liu Yutong.
His father had managed to help mediate the situation, but as for the debts he had racked up, his father didn't ask or care, leaving Chu Junlin to solve it on his own.
It couldn't really be said that his father was cold-hearted—this hole was of his own making, and the bulk of it had to be filled by him.
Sometimes he found it laughable. Not long ago, he had been her opponent, even her enemy.
Now, in the blink of an eye, he was groveling at her feet, wanting nothing more than to be part of her camp.
Not to mention, after this battle, he had come to see a lot of things clearly.
Especially Liu Yutong.
This woman might be young, but her vision, her insight, and her methods were the most top-tier he had ever seen among the younger generation.
And her strength was also the greatest, even when you set aside her background.
When Liu Yutong came down with the group of men in black, the staff's family members had mostly already boarded the buses.
Then the core members accompanying the team also got on board one after another, each holding two cartons of cigarettes, handing them to the drivers as they got on.
The two cartons of cigarettes were a way of hoping the drivers would stay alert and do their utmost to ensure the families' safety.
After all, when you're out and about, safety comes first.
The next day.
Early in the morning, Chu Junlin was woken up by Yun Cheng.
"Chu Junlin, time to go."
Chu Junlin groggily glanced at his phone—it was only five in the morning.
"So early?"
"The kids assemble at seven-something. As one of the escorts, you need to arrive early."
Chu Junlin resignedly dragged himself out of bed, washed up, got dressed, and followed Yun Cheng out the door.
After he finished breakfast and arrived at the assembly point, he was completely dumbfounded.
The square was packed with kids, all different ages from three or four to ten. Some were crying, some were making a fuss, some were chasing each other around, and some were clinging to their parents' legs, refusing to let go.
"These... all of these are—"
"Yes, the first batch of summer camp kids. Around two hundred of them, divided into ten groups. Each group gets two preschool teachers and two security guards. Honestly, it's basically like being nannies. As for you, you're the head nanny."
Chu Junlin: "..."
He suddenly felt like he had boarded a pirate ship.
"Young Master Chu, don't stand there in a daze. The kids need to get on the buses. Go help keep order."
Chu Junlin took a deep breath and strode toward the kids.
"Okay, kids, line up! One by one, get on the bus, no pushing!"
"You, yes you, stop running! Come back!"
"Hey, you there, hold onto your water bottle, don't drop it!"
"Damn, this kid can't even hold his pee—he just sprayed all over me..."
An hour later, all two hundred kids had finally boarded the buses.
Chu Junlin was dripping with sweat, feeling completely drained, like his body had been hollowed out.
He truly never imagined looking after kids would be this exhausting—more tiring than negotiating deals worth billions.
And this was only the beginning. The real torture was still ahead.
......
