My Online Girlfriend Has a Twin Sister

After how exhausted he was yesterday, Chen Yuan had indeed fallen asleep the moment he got into bed. But he was up bright and early this morning, waking a little after six to go to the nearby market downstairs and buy some chopped vegetables and ground meat.

Back home, he headed straight for the kitchen and got busy.

Ordinarily, he didn’t have this much energy, nor was he so diligent. But the thought of Jiangg Ning waking up to see him in the kitchen filled Chen Yuan with boundless motivation.

Chen Yuan felt that the rift created by their many arguments could, perhaps, be mended bit by bit over time. He had no doubt about his own true feelings, and he hoped he could make Jiangg Ning see them, too.

In the kitchen, he blew on the steaming porridge, then scooped out a small spoonful to check its texture. Deciding it was just about right, he added the lean meat and chopped vegetables.

With a DING, the phone in Chen Yuan’s pocket vibrated.

He pulled out his phone. A text message from Zhou Cha jumped out at him.

"Early this morning, Qin Wanqing, a secretary at Meiruxue Company, posted a video on all major short-video platforms. She’s accusing her boss, Jiangg Ruxue, of sexually harassing her for two years. A lawsuit has been filed and the case has been accepted by the court..."

Reading the message, Chen Yuan’s expression froze. He stood stunned for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh.

’I can’t believe they moved so fast.’ In just one night, the attack on Jiangg Ruxue had come, swift and devastating.

Employees were already gathering at Meiruxue Company’s offices in Mingzhu City to demand their salaries. Many of them had likely heard this news by now, which undoubtedly made a terrible situation even worse.

’The worst part is, with the scandal this big, there’s no hiding it from the two sisters.’

CLICK—

The bedroom doorknob turned.

Jiangg Ning came out of the room, drying her face. As she walked down the hall, she caught the aroma wafting from the kitchen.

"You’re up so early?"

"Yeah!" Chen Yuan quickly hid his phone behind his back. "I slept well, so I figured I’d make breakfast for us."

"What did you make?"

"Vegetable and lean meat porridge. It’s almost ready."

"Mm," Jiangg Ning said, glancing at Chen Yuan. "You don’t have to try so hard. When it’s too forced, it just makes us both uncomfortable. I’m not demanding that you do anything."

"That’s not it. I get up and make breakfast for myself back home, too. It’s not just for you."

"You’d better be," Jiangg Ning said, running her fingers through her hair. "Go ahead and serve the porridge. I looked over that list you gave me last night."

"And?"

"Personally, I think there are a lot of problems with it. We’ll discuss it in detail over breakfast. I’m going to do my makeup now."

"Okay, right..." Chen Yuan managed a bright smile.

Only after Jiangg Ning shot him an odd look and left did Chen Yuan bring his phone out from behind his back.

He looked down and quickly typed out a reply.

"Got it. I’ll play it by ear. I won’t let my emotions get the best of me... Don’t worry, Chacha."

...

Half an hour later, the two of them were sitting across from each other at the dining table. Jiangg Ning had applied a touch of makeup, her long hair styled in subtle waves. Even without lipstick, her complexion was radiant. She was as lovely as a begonia blooming in the morning.

Just looking at her was enough to lift one’s spirits.

Chen Yuan couldn’t resist sneaking a few extra glances. ’Ningning,’ he thought, ’is really starting to have the unique allure of a mature woman.’

"The departmental structure in the northern region isn’t that complex," Jiangg Ning said as she ate, patiently explaining her thoughts to Chen Yuan. "It still follows the old system from thirty years ago. You have one tier for electricity, coal, and coal chemical industries. Another for finance, commercial and trade logistics, and emerging industries. Environmental protection and supervision are separate, reporting directly to the Disciplinary Inspection Team..."

"Mrs. Jiang’s headquarters has sixteen departments, three executive offices, and one board of directors. The northern region has seventeen regional companies, each with six departments and one office. The departments have a director and two deputy directors, and the offices have a disciplinary inspection chief and a deputy chief. That’s the entire ecosystem within a single tier, right?"

"Yes," Chen Yuan nodded. "I’m the General Director for the Northern Region, and I’m also the Chief of the Northern Disciplinary Inspection Department."

"So, for the departments under your purview, you’ve rejected over eighty percent of the proposed appointments. You want to fundamentally reform the disciplinary inspection department, personally dispatching your own people to oversee the region. You’ve also voiced dissenting opinions on the promotions and retirements of sixteen deputy directors... These are all good ideas, and I see you’ve done a thorough investigation into their personal backgrounds. Your goal is to dismantle a system where department heads wield absolute power within these smaller tiers."

"That’s my Ningning for you," Chen Yuan said, his eyes full of admiration. "That’s exactly what I was thinking. Anyone with a bit of understanding can see that in our system, the head of a company wields nearly absolute power, with almost no one to provide effective oversight. The leaders at every level in the northern region are all trying to turn their departments into personal fiefdoms. On one hand, this structure allows policies and directives to be implemented efficiently. But on the other, if these leaders decide to go their own way, they can easily break free from headquarters’ command and fool the disciplinary committee."

"But have you ever thought about the philosophy of management?"

"The philosophy of management?" Chen Yuan was thrown by her question.

"Management isn’t about doing everything yourself. It’s not about tying everyone’s hands and turning them into robots. You don’t have that kind of power—no one in the world does. Are you really going to personally oversee hundreds of departments across seventeen regional companies, one by one?"