The question did not sound complicated.
Yet it carried a weight Ye Shouyi had not anticipated.
He hesitated. "…Because I'm in charge of the planning team?"
"That's the surface answer," Feng Tian replied evenly. "I didn't ask for the obvious."
His fingers curled into his palms.
"I placed him under you," she continued, "because I knew you were capable enough to keep him in line—and help him learn."
"And because I needed to see whether you could hold your ground when tested."
Ye Shouyi's breath caught.
"I failed," he said quietly.
"No," Feng Tian corrected. "You didn't take charge."
The distinction landed harder than any reprimand.
She glanced briefly toward the car, then back at him.
"Gossip exists whether you feed it or starve it," she said calmly. "But the moment you fail to keep both him and the room in check, you lose authority."
