Chapter 53: A Secret Beneath the Secret

Jiang Yang was left speechless.

During the time they had spent together, she would affectionately call him her husband every single morning when she woke up, and then help him straighten his collar. Now, she was doing the exact same thing, yet demanding that he address her as President Wang.

What on earth did this woman want from him?

He felt as though he were being treated like a puppet, played right in the palm of her hand. This sense of oppression ignited a fierce desire for retaliation within him.

Locking his gaze onto her beautiful eyes, Jiang Yang said coldly, "Since we are merely ordinary colleagues, an employer and an employee, you shouldn't interfere with my private life, right?"

"Of course. I'm not an unreasonable person, and I won't interfere with your personal life."

"Then you wouldn't mind if I'm with other women, would you?"

A fleeting chill flashed through Ruolan's eyes, but it vanished instantly. She maintained her leisurely tone and said, "Don't flatter yourself. Whatever promiscuous nonsense you get up to has nothing to do with me."

Leaning forward slightly, Jiang Yang pressed on, "Even if I were to marry another woman, you wouldn't care, right?"

Ruolan's lips quivered slightly, but she still smiled brightly as she replied, "Of course it would matter. Just remember to let me know so that I, as your boss, can give you a wedding cash gift."

"Fine, remember those words." Flinging down a harsh ultimatum, Jiang Yang turned and strode toward the door.

"Just a reminder," Ruolan's cool voice drifted from behind him. "We are only boss and employee. You had better keep your mouth shut about what happened between us before, or you'll have only yourself to blame..."

Utterly repulsed by her threats, Jiang Yang just wanted to get out of the room as fast as possible. "Rest assured, I won't go blabbing. But Chen Hao has seen you, and I can't control what he says."

"He won't talk," Ruolan stated with absolute certainty.

Jiang Yang had no idea what method she had used to shut Chen Hao up, nor did he understand why she had gone so far as to buy out the company. What on earth was she playing at?

Since she claimed she wouldn't interfere in his personal affairs, he no longer cared either.

In the past, believing she was his wife, he had been extremely cautious when interacting with other women, never daring to cross the line even half a step. But he didn't need to do that anymore.

Not only did he no longer need to restrain himself, but he was determined to date and even marry other women right before her eyes, purely to exact revenge for the way she had toyed with him.

In truth, what angered Jiang Yang the most was the way she had materialized out of thin air into his life while stubbornly refusing to reveal her true purpose.

Even if she genuinely loved him, or had fallen for him, how had this whole process even come about? Was it really that difficult to be honest with him?

Naturally, he had no way of knowing that Wang Ruolan could never tell him the whole truth. If he were to discover that, he would likely be scared out of his wits.

Staring at the closed door, Ruolan bit down hard on her lower lip, pressing until a tiny trace of blood stained it.

When she heard Jiang Yang tell her to her face that he wanted to be with other women, she had been using every ounce of her willpower to suppress a raging fury, barely stopping herself from losing control on the spot.

She knew very well that if she lost her composure in front of him now, any chance of a future between them would be utterly destroyed.

If she wanted to snatch him back from other women, she had to play a long game, eliminating those rivals one by one from his side.

For now, she had to endure whatever he did. Who told her to let him discover those hidden cameras?

Actually, back when she and Jiang Yang were still getting along harmoniously, being all lovey-dovey and sweet every single day, she had briefly thought those cameras might be redundant and considered taking them down.

It was just that during those few days when she had to return to handle the acquisition of Jiayu Company, being separated from him meant she went out of her mind if she couldn't see Jiang Yang.

Thus, she had harbored wishful thinking and left the cameras in place, only for him to discover them in the end.

That's right—those cameras hadn't been installed only after they returned from abroad and she was home alone.

That was a secret she could never, ever let Jiang Yang find out! Absolutely never!

At ten o'clock, Wang Ruolan summoned all the department heads of the company for an introductory meeting. As the new head of the design department, Jiang Yang naturally had to attend.

He had originally assumed she bought the company purely for amusement, and that this meeting would be nothing more than a superficial show.

To his utter surprise, Ruolan proved to be thoroughly familiar with the advertising industry—its design work, business operations, and general market conditions. Her only unfamiliarity lay in the internal affairs of the company itself.

Not only that, but her demeanor during the meeting was remarkably seasoned. She bore no resemblance to a twenty-five-year-old young woman, acting instead like a veteran corporate elite who had spent years rising through the ranks of the industry.

Once the meeting concluded, Ruolan began assigning tasks to the department heads:

"Director Zhao of the Business Department, please organize the files of the new clients we are currently following up on after this meeting. This morning, you and President Du should bring them to my office so we can discuss the progress of our new client acquisitions.

"Director Cai of the Finance Department, print out last year's financial statements as well as those for the first quarter of this year from the management system. Come to my office for a private meeting this afternoon.

"Director Cao of the Human Resources Department, prepare a comprehensive summary of the company's personnel status and bring it to my office tomorrow for a full debriefing.

"Director Jiang of the Design Department..." Ruolan paused here, casting a glance at Jiang Yang with the corners of her mouth curling upward slightly.

Jiang Yang's heart skipped a beat; he had no idea what kind of arrangement she intended to make for him.

"I'll be quite busy these next two days, so you will be in charge of all specific design work. If any major issues arise, you can consult with me then."

To his relief, she gave this simple instruction, which constituted her entire assignment for him as a department head.

Just as Jiang Yang began to breathe a sigh of relief, she continued, "Director Jiang, you are now heading the design department, which puts a great deal of new product information from various clients in your hands.

"Let me remind you, you must keep these materials strictly secure. There must be no leaks whatsoever. Do you understand?"

Everyone in the conference room turned in unison to look at Jiang Yang. The entire meeting had seemed perfectly normal up to this point; the new President Wang, though young, appeared experienced and professional. Why would she suddenly single out Jiang Yang with such a warning?

Maintaining client confidentiality was a basic professional ethic in the advertising industry. Leaving aside the fact that Jiang Yang had been in the field for nearly two years, even a fresh college graduate entering the industry would understand that much.

A thin film of cold sweat broke out on Jiang Yang's forehead. This wasn't a warning at all; it was an undisguised threat.

Now that she had put him on notice publicly in front of everyone during a meeting, if he ever dared to leave the company in the future, wouldn't she have a readymade pretext to accuse him of leaking corporate secrets?

How had he never realized what a formidable and ruthless woman she truly was?

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Yang replied, "Don't worry, President Wang. I still possess that basic level of professional ethics and self-discipline."

*Since you want to play hardball,* he thought to himself, *I'll just go find someone even more formidable to rely on.*

And when it came to formidable women, who could possibly outshine Su Muyun?