My Online Girlfriend Has a Twin Sister

"Are you saying the workload is too heavy? Or that my ambition outweighs my ability..." Chen Yuan asked sullenly after holding it in for a moment.

"Neither. Let me give you an example. This structure is a unique kind of honeycomb—it looks complex, but there’s order within the chaos. The most important concept in management is creating checks and balances. You let people within a department check each other, let the seventeen regional companies check each other, and let the entire hierarchical system check itself. That way, you’ll save yourself a tremendous amount of effort."

"Checks and balances?" After hearing Jiangg Ning say this, Chen Yuan suddenly felt like he had been introduced to a whole new level of thinking.

He had never thought about this before.

He thought supervision was about making sure no one had any crooked ideas. It was about ensuring a department maintained a high degree of unity from top to bottom, without being dominated by the leader’s personal views. It was about reining in corruption through oversight.

’So what are checks and balances?’

"In other words, isn’t your very existence a check on the leaders at all levels in the North? Even though you’ve received the highest appointment, you’re still in a semi-powerless state. It just means that whatever anyone wants to do has to pass by your eyes. They either have to take you down or assimilate you..." Jiangg Ning took a deep breath, put down her spoon, and said, "Your father arranging things for you like this might be his way of creating checks and balances. So why can’t you apply the same concept and create a system of checks and balances within the seventeen regional companies? Disperse the conflicts between the supervisors and the supervised, piece by piece. Let their own spears be used against their own shields, instead of you being the biggest target. Let your avatars stir things up down below and battle wits with those people, instead of you having to fight them all by yourself."

"I think I get it!" Chen Yuan thought for a moment, then looked at her as if she were a goddess. "Holy crap, Ningning, you’re a genius."

"Don’t be in such a hurry to praise me," Jiangg Ning said, waving her hand. "I’m your secretary. It’s my duty to provide you with viable solutions. Now, about that appointment list—the one you showed me needs to be scrapped. You have to redo it from scratch, based on this concept of checks and balances... Whether it’s your dad or the board of directors, if this is the test they’ve given you, then that list is your answer sheet."

"And whether it’s right or wrong depends on if they’re willing to make the appointments according to my list. If I get the answer wrong, the list will be rejected?"

"Smart. That’s exactly right."

"That’s amazing. How did I never think of it on that level?" Chen Yuan marveled. "How did I never realize you knew so much, Ningning? Making you my secretary was an absolutely brilliant decision."

Chen Yuan was overjoyed. Just a while ago, his mind had been in a complete fog.

But now, Jiangg Ning’s words had helped him understand his own position, why he had been appointed as the chief director, and what that appointment list landing in his hands really meant.

To put it bluntly, there were certain things that headquarters, and Jiang Zhengfeng personally, wanted someone to do.

But the entire internal structure, from top to bottom, was a tangled mess. No one had a truly clean background.

Only his appearance offered the possibility of change.

Reforms in the Northern Region were urgently needed. For so many years, they had never been effectively implemented because no one with his unique status had ever appeared.

The people sent from headquarters in the past couldn’t achieve a balance of power. The deeply entrenched regional leaders were too strong—even Jiang Zhengfeng had to be polite to them. Naturally, those envoys were either quickly taken down or assimilated.

The Northern Region’s positions were reshuffled once every four years. At this critical juncture, Chen Yuan appeared, his promotions skyrocketing as if specifically timed to have him take over before the list was made public.

’Looking back and reviewing all this, could it be intricately connected to the internal power struggles of the Jiang family?’

’This is what you call a pillar of support!’ Chen Yuan was even happier seeing Jiangg Ning’s capabilities than he would have been at his own growth. He felt an urgent need to tell Jiang Zhengfeng just what an amazing girlfriend he had found. ’How many people in this world could possibly compare to her?’

"What nonsense are you talking about..." Jiangg Ning’s cheeks turned slightly red. "I told you, it’s just part of my job."

"I need to think carefully about this list now. Submitting a perfect answer sheet will definitely make my dad and those old-timers on the board see me in a new light."

"Then you’ll have to re-evaluate everyone. It’s going to be a huge undertaking, either way."

The two of them talked for a while longer, and by the time they finished, the meal was over too.

Without realizing it, Jiangg Ning had finished two small bowls of congee and was feeling quite full.

’It definitely wasn’t because the congee Chen Yuan made was actually pretty good...’

But just as she was about to stand up, put on her coat, apply some lipstick, and get ready to leave...

DING—

A sudden text message flashed on her phone screen.

Jiangg Ning had only intended to glance at it, but that one look made her freeze on the spot. She picked up her phone to read it carefully, her expression turning to one of confusion. Across from her, Chen Yuan suddenly had a bad feeling.

"What’s wrong?" he asked cautiously.

"The bank card my mom gave me... The bank just sent a message saying... it’s been frozen?"

...

Jiangg Ruxue had given Jiangg Ning many cards in the past. Some were company-related accounts that she held in her name for safekeeping, while others were simply for living expenses. When she was studying abroad, Jiangg Ruxue had opened an account specifically for converting foreign currency for her daily use.

If only one had been frozen, it wouldn’t have been a big deal.

But now, messages about frozen bank accounts were coming in one after another. After her initial shock, Jiangg Ning instantly felt that something had gone wrong back in Mingzhu City.

Hearing her say this, Chen Yuan’s heart sank.

’Even without me spelling it out, the truth is out.’

"What’s going on?" Chen Yuan asked, feigning ignorance after a moment.

"I don’t know... Let me make a call and ask."

"Okay."

Jiangg Ning lowered her head and started dialing. The long hair at her temples fell forward, hiding half of her face.

Even without looking, Chen Yuan knew her expression was grave.

He started clearing the table and walked into the kitchen, his ears still pricked for any sound from the living room. His movements were gentle, afraid of disturbing Jiangg Ning at a time like this.

The first call didn’t go through.

Jiangg Ning found it incredible. In the past, she only ever called Jiangg Ruxue on this private number when something was up. The cold, automated voice from the service provider announcing the phone was off was something she had never encountered before.

Next, for her second call, Jiangg Ning dialed Ms. Wang, the housekeeper who managed their household affairs.

"Hello, Ms. Wang? I wanted to ask if you’ve seen my mom. Is she home? I can’t reach her phone; it says it’s off. What... She hasn’t been home for three days? You’re asking if I know...? So only my uncle has been back, is that right?"

’How could Jiangg Ruxue possibly go home... She’s trapped in her office right now. It must be hard for her to even leave the company. There’s no way those employees will let her go.’

Chen Yuan thought to himself.

For her third call, Jiangg Ning dialed her uncle.

This call lasted much longer, a full ten minutes. The more Chen Yuan listened, the more his heart ached for her. He could tell from her reactions that her uncle was probably telling her everything.

When she hung up, Jiangg Ning’s face was pale.

When Chen Yuan came out, he saw her sitting on the sofa in a daze, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.

"What on earth happened?"

"I..."

"Just tell me."

"I might need to take a few days off and go back to Mingzhu City. Something’s happened with my mom," Jiangg Ning said, her voice filled with a rare panic. "It’s a dispute at her company. It’s pretty serious."

’Sure enough,’ he thought. ’People always choose not to tell their loved ones the whole truth, to keep them from worrying.’

Chen Yuan walked over, quickly took Jiangg Ning’s hand, and looked at her with sincerity.

"It’s okay. Tell me what really happened. I might not be able to help with other things, but when it comes to business matters, maybe I can. Ning, can you be more specific?"

"There’s a problem with the product. The investors filed a lawsuit, claiming the quarterly bills and financial reports were falsified, and they’re demanding compensation for breach of contract... And now, the whole company is in an uproar. The employees have surrounded the office and won’t let my mom leave..."

"It’s that serious?" Chen Yuan feigned shock.

"No, I have to go back right away," Jiangg Ning said, tightening her grip on Chen Yuan’s hand and frowning. "My uncle can’t help her. He’ll be lucky if he can take care of himself."

"Then I’ll go with you!"

If Chen Yuan didn’t step up now, he’d be a complete idiot. So he took her hand with great solemnity.

"If it really comes to a critical moment where you need me, with my status, I can at least make sure you don’t get dragged into it."

"Okay," Jiangg Ning wasn’t thinking as calmly anymore. She agreed after a moment’s thought and quickly stood up. "Let’s go now."