82. Triple Fright (Part Three)

“...Ah! Light-Speed! Ah! Light-Speed! Lead us—ever forward~~!!!!”

Another piercing high note concluded the song. Chen Ruowen, her expression blank, rubbed her ears, nearly fainting from the cacophony. The broadcast’s ear-splitting melody was not the worst; it was the thirty or so people in the corridor, all brimming with energy, performing a duet at a volume rivaling the tenor on the radio.

Who could possibly endure this?

When the anthem finally ended, the announcer’s elegant voice floated through the speakers.

“The second item of the morning meeting: greetings. Good morning, Light-Speed team!”

The thirty people in the corridor erupted again with earth-shaking shouts.

“Good! Very good! Excellent!”

“Our slogan is—”

“Light-Speed, Light-Speed, outstanding and extraordinary. United as one, our strength cuts through gold!”

...

Chen Ruowen wished she could simply expire...

But it didn’t end there. Once the broadcast announced the conclusion of the group morning meeting, and just as Chen Ruowen thought the ordeal was over, the thirty-odd staff members on the sixteenth floor launched into their own department’s morning routine.

Without warning, another round of slogans was shouted. A few logistics staff managed to sound like a pyramid scheme’s rally, startling Chen Ruowen yet again.

Her second day at work was spent entirely in a state of shock.

Especially when it was ten minutes before the end of the afternoon shift: the entire building was suddenly filled with the “wake-up call” blaring from the speakers. First, a relatively gentle male voice read a three-minute motivational essay, then the same “Light-Speed Anthem” from the morning was played again. Chen Ruowen wanted nothing more than to smash the central loudspeaker above her head!

And halfway through the afternoon, all the employees on every floor were inexplicably summoned to the large conference room for group calisthenics...

Chen Ruowen was convinced that the only reason she hadn’t lost her temper and destroyed the broadcast system was because she’d been stunned into silence by the morning and midday barrages.

---

When the workday finally ended, and Chen Ruowen stepped out of Light-Speed Tower to breathe fresh air, clarity returned to her mind. She recalled the day’s shocks and, growing increasingly angry, marched straight into Chen Liwan’s study.

“I refuse to intern at this awful company!” Chen Ruowen declared, furious.

“What happened?” Chen Liwan set aside his files, looking at his daughter with concern. “Weren’t things fine just yesterday?”

“Not fine at all—not even a little!”

Chen Ruowen vented her entire day’s grievances in one breath, nearly smashing one of Chen Liwan’s antique teacups in her agitation.

“I won’t go back! What a garbage company; let whoever wants to work there do it! Find me another internship!”

Chen Liwan quietly stowed his treasured teacup in a drawer, then discreetly moved the jade ornament on his desk further back. Still uneasy, he bent down and placed the ornament at his feet.

“Ahem, most internet advertising companies are like that. Zhang Dong’s Yibo is even bigger, so these things happen more often. Li Yanbin’s Light-Speed... honestly, it’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad? I don’t care—I refuse to stand there shouting slogans like an idiot! And that loudspeaker! It’s so loud I want to smash it!” Chen Ruowen glanced at the two fragile items her father had just put away, frustrated. “If I can’t smash their speaker, I’ll come home and smash your antiques.”

Who threatens their own father like this...

But considering Chen Ruowen’s temperament... Chen Liwan nudged the jade ornament farther away. No matter which item got smashed, he’d have to pay for it...

“Ahem, I’ve already told Li Yanbin you can come in later in the morning and after lunch—that’s not a problem. As for the calisthenics...” Chen Liwan thought of his daughter awkwardly stretching and couldn’t help but smile. “You don’t have to participate. No one will force you.”

Chen Ruowen grew even angrier.

“No! My working hours are my own business. Why should I have to avoid their broadcast times? I won’t do it!”

This was simply unreasonable... Chen Liwan felt a headache coming on.

Traditional media companies never had such absurd rules, but now, in the age of information streams, most old media firms have gone under. The new media companies, for reasons unknown, all seem to embrace this “wolf culture,” glorifying the “996 blessing,” refusing to pay overtime, constantly hyping everyone up, and making “slogan chanting” the entirety of their corporate culture. Inside, it’s utter chaos.

When Chen Liwan persuaded Chen Ruowen to intern at Li Yanbin’s Light-Speed, it was partly because their businesses overlapped, and partly because Light-Speed was smaller and easier to manage. Placing his daughter there guaranteed she’d be protected from any mistreatment.

Meanwhile, Zhang Dong’s Yibo TwinStars, though a shareholder at 11%, had grown rapidly thanks to their social app’s recent popularity. Chen Liwan had influence there, but not absolute authority.

---

Yibo’s internal competition was fierce, with plenty of unsavory incidents.

Chen Liwan didn’t want his daughter corrupted, nor did he wish for her to grow up a naïve idealist. The reforms he made at TwinStars were primarily to shield her from sordid affairs when she eventually took over. For years, he’d carefully maintained this balance, and Light-Speed was the ideal step in her training.

In the end, Chen Liwan dialed Li Yanbin right in front of his daughter.

“Hello, Mr. Li? Yes, it’s me... My daughter just told me about her day at work... No, no, she’s not dissatisfied with you. I just wanted to ask: what brand of broadcast system do you use in your office? Ruowen says the sound quality is superb—you can hear it clearly from far away, perfectly complementing your singing sessions... Haha, you’re going to handle it right away? Oh, no need to rush; she’s just asking... Very well, I’ll wait for your update. Yes, let’s leave it at that.”

Chen Liwan hung up.

“Li Yanbin will sort out the broadcast today. Just give them another chance. Stay at Light-Speed a few more days; if you still don’t like it at the end of the week, we’ll end the internship. Is that alright?”

Chen Ruowen reluctantly nodded, accepting the compromise.

Meanwhile, back at the office, Li Yanbin, still working overtime, summoned Zhou Huan after receiving Chen Liwan’s call.

“Didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on Chen Ruowen’s mood? She doesn’t like our broadcasts—why didn’t you inform me?”

Zhou Huan was bewildered. “I didn’t get any feedback...”

“No feedback? Really?” Li Yanbin angrily waved his phone. “Chen Chairman called me directly—no feedback? If Ruowen wasn’t deeply dissatisfied, would he call me himself?”

“But... that’s our company culture...”

“If we upset her, there’ll be no company left! Company culture, my foot!” Despite his words, Li Yanbin was reluctant to part with his beloved wolf culture. “Go, dismantle the broadcast on the sixteenth floor, and halve the volume everywhere else. We’ll revisit this in two months.”

“Also, ask HR if Ruowen feels out of place anywhere else—change it all! If Chen Chairman calls me again, you and Yu Yan can both hand in your resignations!”

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