The secretary felt like crying again.
But for some reason, perhaps because she had gotten used to holding it in, or perhaps because Su Ning was far more terrifying than the crowd before her, she swallowed her tears once more.
She even mustered the courage to speak up loudly and persuade them:
"Actually, everyone, please calm down. No matter what, Su is the boss of Taikoo Shipping. She hasn't even officially made an appearance before us yet. Maybe things aren't nearly as bad as we think?"
The shouting died down a little.
Seeing that it was working, the secretary's spirits lifted. She softened her voice and racked her brains, saying:
"Just look at what's right in front of us. Su is very wealthy, and she has brought us a large fleet of ships. We all know what that means: pay raises, promotions, and new jobs."
"Isn't that enough for us to give her a chance?"
And wouldn't you know it.
This humble and cautious approach moved most of the people. After all, they weren't inherently bad; they were mostly just driven by panic and adrenaline.
True, the rumors outside were flying everywhere.
Who knew if they were true or false.
Maybe they could give Su a chance to explain?
Realizing the crowd had calmed down significantly, the secretary couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Feeling a bit smug, she wondered if she perhaps had the potential to become someone important too.
If she could help Su resolve this protest and secure her position as secretary...
Then she could step by step get promotions and raises.
Become a supervisor, a manager...
The editor-in-chief, hidden in the crowd, was somewhat disappointed. Perhaps he had guessed wrong.
It seemed the Golden Princess of the East merely wanted to yield to her employees. Honestly, it was a wise choice. Aside from losing face, it was simple, convenient, and minimized damages.
In similar circumstances, almost everyone would do the same.
But Su Ning?
It was unbelievable!
Even so, he didn't forget to instruct the reporters to snap several photos. The people of Lisbon would also love to see the arrogant Easterner swallow her pride and back down in disgrace.
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"Don't listen to her! She's just a receptionist at the company. Her words mean absolutely nothing."
The secretary's face stiffened.
Because she recognized that voice... Damn Beatriz!
A young girl with brown hair and green eyes stepped out from the crowd. Looking smug and disdainful, she raised her chin and drawled:
"Are you surprised? If I weren't here, you really would have fooled everyone. You're just a receptionist who hasn't even finished middle school. You got into the company on your looks and dumb luck, and now you've stooped so low as to help an Easterner who discriminates against white people. It's truly shameful."
"What? She's just a receptionist? I thought she was an assistant or a secretary or something."
"We were almost tricked... Damn it, that woman actually sent someone like this to persuade us. She has no sincerity at all!"
People are divided into different classes.
The weight of words differs depending on who says them. At least in their eyes, the words and promises of a receptionist were worth no more than scrap paper.
They even felt Su Ning did this on purpose.
Deliberately insulting them.
At this thought, their anger flared up even more than before. They yelled and shouted, some even verbally attacking the secretary. Hearing these words made Beatriz even more smug.
Sure enough, coming to the protest was the right move.
Even though it was dirty and full of men, and she wouldn't have come if not to please Henry, she hadn't expected such an unexpected bonus.
She had helped out so much.
Henry would definitely be thrilled. Maybe they could even get married this year. A beautiful big house, a car, servants... all of it would be hers.
Thinking of this.
Beatriz felt an even greater sense of superiority over Maria, her former colleague.
They used to be rivals—
Competing for good marriage prospects. Although having an uncle as a supervisor made her job much easier, men preferred talking to the penniless but pretty-faced Maria.
Too bad. So what if she had a pretty face? If she didn't have the brains, she just didn't.
To actually listen to that Eastern woman.
What an idiot.
The next second.
"That's right, I used to be just a lowly receptionist. Working day in and day out, it was hard and exhausting, but the pay was so little it barely kept me alive."
The secretary's voice was highly infectious. As if the memories were too painful, she even began to shed tears. The tears rolling down her pale cheeks evoked pity.
At the very least, the predominantly male protest crowd totally bought it.
Of course, that didn't include Beatriz!
She was entirely too familiar with this trick. Several times when she was on the verge of success, this bitch Maria would start crying and putting on an act, drawing people to stand up for her and speak on her behalf.
"But then I met Su, and everything changed."
The secretary straightened her back and said with emotion:
"I went from a receptionist to her secretary, and my life was completely transformed. If even I can achieve this, and many of you are far more capable than I am, are you still afraid of not having opportunities for promotion? Furthermore, this proves she probably isn't racist. At the very least, I am white."
The crowd looked at each other, feeling that this made sense.
If a receptionist could do it.
Then of course they could do it too!
Good job, you're amazing, Maria. The secretary took the opportunity of wiping her tears to secretly observe the situation, happily praising herself in her mind before continuing:
"I know that all of you are actually good people blessed by God. That's why I took the initiative to come here and persuade you. I just hope you won't do something on impulse that you'll regret later."
"What if Chairwoman Su is a good person?"
"Then you, or you, or you..." She pointed at several people in succession, encouragingly saying:
"Could be the next me!"
The people she pointed at felt their hearts race, involuntarily starting to fantasize. Promotions, pay raises, skyrocketing to success... their faces flushed with excitement just thinking about it.
Those who weren't pointed at felt the same.
"She's lying! Don't listen to her, that's absolutely impossible," Beatriz spoke up anxiously, failing to notice the crowd's slightly displeased gazes.
"That Easterner definitely discriminates against white people, otherwise how do you explain her firing so many executives?"
"Because they were no good."
The secretary's mind grew clearer, and she reacted incredibly fast: "Everyone says these executives have been pocketing money under the table and docking our pay and benefits, like last year's Christmas bonuses and gifts..."
She rattled off several instances of docked pay. Most of the protesters were bottom-tier employees.
Which meant.
They were the most exploited ones. Some already knew this in their hearts, while others hadn't realized it at the time. They began whispering among themselves:
"That's right. The sea was rough that month, and anyone who went out to sea was supposed to get extra pay... but we got less..."
"Wait, there was a bonus for that?"
"Those damn executives, stealing our money! They deserved to be fired."
Beatriz offered a few weak words of explanation.
To her surprise, the riled-up crowd turned their hostility toward her. They began shouting curses one after another, and some even rolled up their sleeves, ready to get physical.
Click.
The reporter pressed the button. The editor-in-chief beside him looked at the image captured before them: a sharp, beautiful secretary facing off against another girl who was gritting her teeth. Behind them was a protesting crowd holding banners that read "Go back to the East," wooden boards painted with ridiculous-looking monkeys, and obscenities splattered in paint.
Nodding in approval, the editor said, "Not bad. It tells a great story. This picture can make the paper."
The reporter was naturally thrilled; a selected photo meant extra pay. He remarked, "I just think the girl Su sent over is incredibly smart. Was she really just a receptionist before?"
"Perhaps. Who knows."
