Work Prophet
Chapter 429 - 47 You’re Lying

Chapter 429: Chapter 47 You’re Lying

After hanging up the phone, Li Yu told Zhang Yanlin that they could clock out, and then he left the office building.

He walked to the parking lot and located the new 3 Series he had just picked up.

Li Yu got his driving license in his junior year of university, but he hadn’t driven much since then.

Moreover, this being a new car, he fumbled around for a while and still didn’t feel as accustomed to it as he did to riding a horse.

He carefully backed the car out of the parking space and took a while to adjust the mirrors, after which he regretted deciding to drive.

The road was fine; the main issue was finding a parking space near the office building, which tended to be narrower and not very newbie-friendly.

Li Yu was considering whether to bite the bullet and go ahead, or to reverse the car into its spot and take a taxi instead.

Just then someone knocked on his car window.

Li Yu turned his head and saw Zhang Yanlin standing by the car door, so he wound down the window.

"Can you give me a ride?"

"Where are you headed?" Li Yu asked.

"Sanlitun. I have plans to meet a friend there."

"But the place I need to go isn’t in the same direction as yours."

"How about I drive you there first, and then I can go meet my friend afterward? It’ll also give me a chance to show off the company-provided transportation to her, make her a bit jealous."

"Do you have enough time for that?"

"Of course, we knocked off early today. I’d have to wait if I go now anyway, so I might as well practice my driving skills."

"All right then." Li Yu put the gear in park and took off his seatbelt, then switched to the passenger seat.

Zhang Yanlin then took the driver’s seat, "I just got my license not too long ago, so don’t blame me if my driving isn’t up to par."

"I won’t," Li Yu paused, then added, "next time you can just tell me straight up if you want to help, no need to make excuses."

"Still gotta save some face for the boss," Zhang Yanlin said with a grin, shifted into drive, and lightly pressed the gas pedal.

The BMW 3 Series exited the parking lot and merged onto the main road, with Zhang Yanlin holding the steering wheel, focused on driving.

After a while, Li Yu spoke again, "Do you know Hao Xiaoxiao?"

"Not really. You remember Zhou Xi, right? We went to the mountains together before."

"Yeah, I recall her."

"Hao Xiaoxiao was recommended by her. Apparently, she’s the daughter of an aunt who lives beneath her. I didn’t mention it before because I was afraid it might influence your final decision."

"By the way, have you read Hao Xiaoxiao’s background report? How is it written?"

"She didn’t hand it in," Li Yu said.

"Did she give up?" Zhang Yanlin was taken aback.

"If that’s the case, it would actually make things easier."

"Did she get herself into some trouble?" Zhang Yanlin thought for a moment before asking.

"Was it serious? When Zhou Xi recommended her, she mentioned that Hao Xiaoxiao had some unpleasantness with the previous two companies, but Zhou Xi also said she has realized her mistakes and won’t be as willful as before."

"The specifics aren’t clear just yet," Li Yu said. "I need to find out more, but it shouldn’t be a big issue."

"I shouldn’t have let her pass the preliminary screening."

"That’s not your fault. I’ve seen Hao Xiaoxiao’s file too, and I thought she deserved an interview chance since she fits the type of technical talent we’re looking for."

Zhang Yanlin nodded. At the next intersection, while waiting for the traffic light, she spoke again.

"If it’s not too much trouble, could you give Hao Xiaoxiao a hand? After all, she was recommended by Zhou Xi, and she seems to be a decent person."

"I got it," Li Yu said.

Zhang Yanlin dropped Li Yu off at the small square in front of the Third Era office building. After thanking him, Li Yu didn’t head straight up but went to the convenience store next door to buy a bottle of yogurt and two bags of Dorayaki.

Upon arriving at headquarters, Li Yu greeted the receptionist at the front desk before he saw Hephaestus, holding a cup of coffee and sneaking around the corridor.

"What are you doing?" Li Yu asked.

"Delivering the ’lethe’ water Xu Mengyuan asked for," said the handsome half-blood.

"Lethe water?"

"Oh, Lethe is a river from Greek mythology, also known as the River of Oblivion. It’s located in the underworld and is one of its five rivers.

"Legend has it that everyone who enters the underworld must drink from this river."

"So, the purpose of ’lethe’ water is to make people forget their past?"

"Something like that."

"What do you mean by something like that?"

"The Equipment Department’s goal in replicating ’lethe’ water was to mimic the memory erasure capabilities seen in ’Men in Black’, where it could precisely delete memories.

"And we did manage that. For instance, if you drink this cup of coffee, you’d lose about a week’s worth of memories. The downside, however, is that it also has a slight side effect."

"What side effect?"

"The consumer has a very small chance of additionally forgetting a skill, usually related to what they have been working on most recently. I call it an indirect blocking effect."

"Give me the coffee," Li Yu said. "I’ll take it inside for you."

"That would be perfect." Hephaestus handed the coffee to Li Yu, who then went back to work.

Li Yu pushed open the conference room door and heard Hao Xiaoxiao’s voice from inside, "Do you know it’s illegal to detain me like this without letting me leave?"

"I didn’t say you couldn’t leave. You’re free to go at any time; it’s your choice to stay here, wanting to know more about our company."

Hao Xiaoxiao opened her mouth to say something else but saw Li Yu coming in.

A flicker of panic crossed Hao Xiaoxiao’s face.

"Ah, you’re here," Xu Mengyuan nodded to Li Yu. "That was quick."

"I want to talk to her first," Li Yu said, indicating Hao Xiaoxiao.

Xu Mengyuan glanced at her wristwatch, "There are forty minutes left before the end of the workday. Can I give you twenty minutes?"

"That’s enough, thank you."

"You’re welcome. If you need anything, just come find me. You know where my office is." Xu Mengyuan closed her notebook, stood up, and briskly left the conference room.

Once she closed the door, Li Yu laid the yogurt, the Dorayaki, and the cup of coffee given to him by Hephaestus out on the table.

"How did you find this place?"

"I found out," Hao Xiaoxiao said, looking down.

"How did you find out?" Li Yu continued, "I don’t recall ever mentioning the location of our headquarters to you."

"I hacked into your phone."

"You’re lying. I’ve seen your files, and I’ve also asked some professionals; your hacking skills are just average.

"You were successful the previous two times not because you’re strong, but because your opponents were too weak, and each time you prepared for a long time. We’ve only met three days ago and talked for twenty minutes."

Hao Xiaoxiao tried to argue, but Li Yu shook his head, "You’ve been here half a day and can’t even log into the OA. How are you going to convince me that you hacked my phone?"