Although the team had witnessed Director Huo's prowess, her seemingly delicate appearance made them wonder if a palm strike would be too much for her…
Huo Rou, however, felt no concern. She calmly stood up and walked out the door.
“Keep refining it. Don't churn out garbage and embarrass us,” a cold voice echoed through the crack of the door. The team members, as if injected with adrenaline, loudly responded, “Yes!”
The adjacent office was startled by their synchronized, high-pitched response and rushed out, banging on their door. “Brother Wang, are you guys crazy? You didn’t stay up late yesterday, what’s with this huge commotion? You scared us to death.”
“Crazy, absolutely crazy,” Brother Wang replied excitedly, and the team members returned to their seats to continue their work.
Huo Rou, shaking her head, walked back into her office.
With several grown men in one office, the air conditioning was set unusually low. After only a short while, her nose felt stuffy.
Huo Rou reached up and touched her burning forehead, sighing. She threw herself onto the sofa, tilted her head back, and massaged her temples.
The sky outside was gloomy, mirroring Huo Rou's current mood.
She wouldn't bat an eye at swords and blades, but this common cold had managed to hold her captive for years.
Just as she lay on the sofa for a brief rest, the outer offices erupted in a frenzy.
Brother Wang's team had finished their task ahead of schedule, and their cheers in the office attracted the curiosity of their neighbors.
“Brother Wang, didn't you guys not have any leads on that thing yesterday? How did you finish so quickly?”
“Did you sneak off to study by yourselves?”
Brother Wang’s face was flushed, a stark contrast to his usual lethargic state after a late night.
“Director Huo is truly amazing! The moment she arrived, she pointed out the problem and even fixed a few loopholes on the side.” Brother Wang admired capable people the most. He admitted his previous boisterousness.
“No way? Brother Wang, did you take the wrong medicine or are you just addled from too much overtime? That little woman?” The people in the adjacent office clearly didn’t believe it.
“If you insult my goddess again, I’ll fight you!” Brother Wang had now become a devoted fan of Huo Rou.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Was this the same top scorer from B City, the same proud Brother Wang who had ranked in the world's top twenty in computer competitions?
“Director Huo, I'm truly impressed by her!” Brother Yang chimed in, echoing Brother Wang’s words. “Except her typing speed is really too slow…”
“Is she really that good?” Hearing both of these top performers praise Huo Rou so highly, the people in the adjacent office began to doubt their initial disbelief.
“We finished our project so quickly, are we lying to you?” Brother Wang shot them a look, unwilling to converse with such stubborn individuals.
The people in the adjacent office exchanged glances, a flicker of interest in their eyes.
The reason they were hanging around and chatting was that their project was stalled.
Only Luo Chen was stubbornly pushing forward. Without any new ideas, they, the lesser talents, could only step out for some air.
Now, hearing that Brother Wang’s team had solved their problems, they seemed to see a glimmer of hope.
“But, considering how we treated her, if we go to her now, will she ignore us?” someone hesitantly asked, clearly having spoken ill of Huo Rou behind her back many times.
“What kind of person is my goddess? She wouldn’t hold grudges against you. She’s very approachable.” Brother Wang, hearing their intention to seek out Huo Rou, quickly spoke up in her favor.
He subconsciously ignored Huo Rou’s earlier comment about them being "a bunch of trash."
The people in the adjacent office were clearly tempted. After much deliberation, they mustered their courage and returned to their office to persuade Luo Chen.
“Old Luo, they say Director Huo really has some skills. Why don't we go ask her?”
“Exactly, Old Luo. This endless delay isn’t a solution. Might as well try anything, even a long shot?”
“You're the dead horse!” Luo Chen slammed his mouse, glaring at them. “How capable can one woman be? Didn’t she go ask the deputy director yesterday? Did he fix it?”
Luo Chen thought they were all crazy for pinning their hopes on a woman!
“Old Luo, you’re the strongest among us. You’ve been thinking about this for days, and we’ve tried so many approaches. Why don’t we just ask… before this project gets scrapped.”
“If you want to go, go. I’m not going. Give me some more time, and I’m sure I can fix it.” Luo Chen absolutely refused to gamble on a woman.
When it came to coding, women weren’t the most capable.
Unable to sway Luo Chen, the others decided to invite Huo Rou themselves. But as they stepped out, they paused.
“Can we explain the problem clearly?”
“I can’t…”
“How about we bring Old Luo along? He understands this project the best.”
“He refuses, and you know how he dislikes bothersome female programmers.”
“Carry him over!” one person decisively declared. “If we keep experimenting with him like this, I’m going to go crazy.”
The others unanimously agreed. Carry him!
And so, Luo Chen, whose physique had been neglected from years of technical research, was easily lifted and dragged all the way to Huo Rou’s office door.
Huo Rou’s office door was not fully closed. They cautiously knocked from the doorway.
Huo Rou had heard the footsteps long ago. She opened her eyes, her gaze clear, and sat on the sofa with her usual composure.
She looked no different than usual, perhaps a little less vibrant. But upon closer inspection, one could see her pale cheeks and dry lips.
“Come in,” she cleared her throat. Aside from her voice sounding slightly rougher than usual, there was truly no other difference.
Surrounded by the others, Luo Chen muttered, “She was faking that sweet voice yesterday, wasn't she? Who talks so saccharine normally?”
Someone couldn’t stand it and subtly stepped on his foot.
Before Luo Chen could find out who had stepped on him, he was pulled into the office by the group.
“Director Huo, we’ve encountered a small problem and would like you to take a look.”
Huo Rou’s expression was cool, her unfathomable eyes fixed on them, revealing no emotion.
“What problem?”
Upon hearing that she hadn’t refused, the group felt a surge of hope and quickly pushed Luo Chen forward.
“Old Luo, hurry up and explain,” they urged.
Luo Chen stood before Huo Rou with obvious reluctance. Huo Rou was seated, and he was standing, yet he inexplicably felt shorter than her.
Forced to act, Luo Chen reluctantly uttered a few dismissive words.
His colleagues working on the same project listened, bewildered. What was Old Luo saying? It didn’t seem related to what they had been working on lately.
Huo Rou, however, nodded. “Understood.”
Luo Chen felt she was feigning professionalism, claiming to understand while remaining motionless. She hadn't understood at all, had she?
“Tch!” Luo Chen turned his head and scoffed softly.
Huo Rou paid no attention to his taunt, slowly rose, and leisurely walked to her computer and sat down.
Everyone exchanged glances. Was she going to help or not? She should at least come to their office!
“Director Huo, well, perhaps you could come to our office…” someone tentatively asked.
To their surprise, Huo Rou clicked her mouse a few times and said in a cool, slightly husky voice, “Come over and take a look, is it this one?”