Chapter 381: Chapter 381

"Weiyi, can I treat you to lunch today?" Meng Qiao’s cheerful voice broke the silence.

Shen Weiyi lifted her head, glanced at Meng Qiao, and then at Chen Rong, easily guessing the purpose behind the invitation.

It had to be said that Meng Qiao’s psychological resilience was strong; the fact that she could still stand there smiling, unfazed, was enough to reveal that she bore no psychological burden, even though her false identity as a wealthy heiress had been exposed.

Such people were naturally suited for the workplace.

However, being overly scheming often proved to be a double-edged sword.

"I’m sorry, I know I should have clarified things from the start, and it was wrong of me. It was all due to my selfish motives. I knew everyone misunderstood, yet I did not clarify it immediately."

Everyone involved was intelligent; Meng Qiao did not intend to play dumb in front of her.

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?"

Shen Weiyi said, "I thought you would explain it as an accident, like you did with everyone else."

Meng Qiao smiled lightly. "Everyone here is smart, I think it’s unnecessary."

"So, you knew from the start that everyone had misunderstood your identity, but to unite everyone against me, you chose to deliberately stay silent?"

"It’s not exactly deliberate, but rather going with the flow. However, I didn’t expect you to be Mr. Shen’s daughter." Since Meng Qiao planned to be frank, she did not intend to beat around the bush.

"Yes, if it were someone else, they would’ve been pushed out long ago," Shen Weiyi spoke indifferently, not mocking but merely stating a fact.

Meng Qiao did not deny it. "I know you might think that I’m scheming, but that’s the workplace. The professional world is for adults, where everyone wears a mask, and everyone is an actor. Along with competing in business, one must also compete in acting. Naive sweetness is only despised in the workplace. The secretary’s office only needs one intern. When it’s between two choices, one of us has to leave. If only one can stay, why can’t it be me?"

"You could’ve chosen to compete fairly," Shen Weiyi countered.

Meng Qiao scoffed lightly. "Where in the world is there so much fair competition? Opportunities are fleeting, and you need to seize them yourself." If there was a way to make winning easier for her, why would she choose the harder path?

Moreover, if not for being Mr. Shen’s daughter, she might not have been able to enter the secretary’s office to compete.

Thus, fairness never existed from the very beginning.

It was undeniably the truth.

Yet Shen Weiyi still found it hard to agree with such a worldview.

Although she disagreed, she wouldn’t judge further; how others acted was their choice.

"Alright, I understand everything you wanted to say," she said. "Don’t worry, I won’t deliberately make things difficult for you. As long as you can perform well on your own merits, no one will force you out."

People are inherently selfish.

And with so many people in a company, she couldn’t expect everyone to have uniform thoughts or aligned interests. As long as it didn’t affect the company’s interests, she could afford to overlook it for now.

But when the company chooses people in the future, she wants to select employees whose values align with hers as much as possible.

After all, if a company is filled with employees with flawed moral values, it’s difficult to thrive in the long run.

"I will do my job well," Meng Qiao said.

Not just that, she had higher aspirations.

Staying at Shen Technology, what she wanted wasn’t just to be a minor secretarial assistant.

Her target was Secretary Jiang’s position, even something higher...