Chapter 4

I stood in front of the director's office, took a deep breath, and adjusted my deep blue cleaning uniform.

Through the crack in the door, I could see Zach Zhou reviewing documents, his long fingers flipping through the pages, his brow slightly furrowed.

Knock knock.

I gently tapped on the door.

"Come in," his voice was deep and pleasant.

As I pushed the door open, the smell of disinfectant was replaced by a faint scent of cedar.

Zach looked up, his gaze sharp and profound behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

Today he wore a dark gray shirt, sleeves casually rolled up, revealing toned forearms.

"Dr. Zhou, I'd like to discuss the hospital's investment issues with you."

His fingers paused on the document, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes behind his glasses:

"You..."

"Aria Lin," I introduced myself, and Zach's expression instantly froze.

He slowly stood up, his gaze moving between my cleaning uniform and the badge on my chest: "Miss Lin?"

"That's right. For the past three days, I've been working as a cleaner in the hospital."

I walked to his desk, removed my badge, and placed it on the table, "I wanted to see firsthand what problems exist in the hospital I've invested in."

Zach's Adam's apple bobbed:

"So, what did you see?"

"Many issues. Low wages for cleaning staff leading to poor work ethic, chaotic medication management at nursing stations, inadequate order maintenance in waiting areas..."

I listed my observations from the past three days.

Zach's expression grew increasingly serious:

"These issues indeed need to be addressed."

"Not only that, I also discovered that the hospital has collaborative projects with the Cheng Group," I continued.

At the mention of the Cheng Group, Zach's expression visibly stiffened:

"Yes, they are our largest medical equipment supplier."

"In that case, I intend to terminate our cooperation with the Cheng Group."

I briefly described what had happened earlier.

Then I continued, "I've already contacted medical equipment suppliers from Germany. They're willing to provide higher quality products at lower prices."

A glimmer of surprise flashed in Zach's eyes:

"You had this planned all along?"

"Correct."

I straightened up, "I've been preparing even before taking over this hospital."

I walked to the window, looking at the bustling crowd below.

If Xavier thought I was still that naive woman he could manipulate at will, he was gravely mistaken.

Cheating on me with my best friend, I could have just written him off as a scumbag and kicked him to the curb.

But disrupting my mother's funeral and flaunting it in my face? He shouldn't blame me for being ruthless now!

"And actually, before entering your office, I had already set things in motion."

Behind me, I heard the sound of a chair moving.

Zach came to stand beside me:

"Miss Lin, I admire your resolve."

I turned to look at him and found no displeasure in his gaze, only a hint of admiration.

"Please, call me Aria."

"Alright, Aria."

His voice softened a bit, "So, what do you plan to do next?"

"We need to convene a board meeting to officially announce the termination of our cooperation with the Cheng Group. Secondly, I need a capable assistant."

"You mean...?"

I looked directly into his eyes: "Dr. Zhou, would you be willing to be my special assistant?"

"Please, call me Zach."

The tips of his ears turned slightly red, but his face bore a gentle smile.

"Oh," I was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

Just then, my phone vibrated.

It was a message from Xavier:

"Tonight at 8, Ritz-Carlton. Shall we talk?"

I smirked coldly and handed the phone to Zach to see:

"Looks like someone's getting antsy."