Ji Lanxue stormed into the study without waiting for a knock to be acknowledged. The polished marble floors and cool lighting did nothing to soften her irritation.
Ji Yanluo looked up from his desk, expression unreadable as always. "You're here late."
"Clearly," she snapped, dropping onto the chair opposite him with a thump that rattled the armrest. She crossed her arms and glared, eyebrows drawn together. "Something *ridiculous* happened today."
He didn't flinch, didn't raise his voice, just tilted his head slightly, observing her with that unreadable poise. "Go on."
"It's about Lingfeng Media," she started, voice laced with exasperation. "And one of your employees — Bai Zhiqi."
Ji Yanluo's eyes flicked with the barest hint of interest.
"Zhao Min cornered me at a coffee shop near the office," Lanxue said, tapping her nails sharply on the arm of the chair. "She had the gall to *discuss workplace drama* in public. Not in private! In public! And she brought up *Bai Zhiqi* — insinuating all kinds of garbage."
He remained silent, indifferent.
"She literally said that people at the office are talking about how *we* are dragged into some kind of mess because of *that girl*," Lanxue continued, voice rising. "As if this whole situation — the car, the special attention she gets — is *your fault!*"
His expression didn't shift.
"Do you even hear what that sounds like?" Lanxue scoffed. "Your employee sat across from me, sipping a latte, and *practically called you irresponsible* for hiring someone with no track record! Again, publicly, at a mall café!"
"Did she name specifics?" he asked quietly.
Lanxue blinked. "Well… she didn't say *exact names*, but the attitude was *clearly hostile.*"
Ji Yanluo folded his fingers together and leaned back slightly, gaze cool and still. "So she's upset about rumors."
"Upset? *She* was the one spreading them!" Lanxue exclaimed. "She said people are whispering that Bai Zhi's rise is suspicious, that it reflects poorly on the company leadership — on YOU!"
There was a moment of silence — not heavy, just neutral, like sunlight through still air.
Lanxue clenched her jaw. "You know what irritates me the most? Not that someone would talk trash about an employee. Not even that the rumors *exist*. It's that *your name* got pulled into this garbage discussion because of it!"
He eyed her calmly. "What did you tell her?"
Lanxue flicked her hair back, trying to look dignified but clearly still worked up. "I told her she should focus on her own job and stop dragging others into her petty interpretation of office politics."
Ji Yanluo didn't react.
"So you see," she continued, a bit louder now, "this isn't some harmless coffee talk. It's public perception slowly bleeding into your professional sphere. People gossiping about internal staffing decisions as if they reflect your personal judgment."
He said nothing for a moment.
Lanxue huffed, looking decidedly unimpressed. "I just thought you should know. I didn't — quote — *report her to you*, but someone had to make it clear that this kind of nonsense reflects poorly on the whole company."
"Noted," he said in that dismissive, quiet voice that somehow meant everything and nothing all at once.
Lanxue narrowed her eyes. "You *are* going to do something about it, right?"
He didn't look up. "We address workplace rumors through appropriate channels. Individuals who spread them will be warned."
She blinked. "Excuse me? That's it? A warning? Zhao Min caused half the mall café to spill coffee all over my shoes with that nonsense!"
He glanced up with a slight raise of his eyebrows, not mocking, just… analytical.
"We don't discipline based on emotion," he said simply. "We use facts."
Lanxue exhaled sharply — a cross between frustration and disbelief. "Well maybe some of us *live in the real world* where people talk, rumors spread, and *careless words have consequences.*"
"Noted," he repeated, turning back to his documents.
She stood abruptly. "I hope you really understand what this could lead to. I'm not saying she's a threat. But allowing half-baked gossip to fester in the company makes it look like you don't care about reputation."
For the briefest moment, his eyes met hers — completely calm and solid.
"Thank you for your concern," he said, voice flat.
Lanxue huffed again and turned on her heel, walking straight out of the study without another word.
The door closed with a soft click behind her — and still, he didn't move from his seat.