Volume 1, Chapter 41: An Excessive Proposal

Chen Zheng cast a malicious sidelong glance at me, the anger on his face vanishing, replaced by an inscrutable expression.

"It's not that he can't stay fired! But he has to apologize to me right in front of Kuang Li, and admit that he was never good enough for her. Only then will I consider cooperating with you."

I froze, and an uncontrollable surge of fury immediately boiled up inside me. My fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and I could feel my entire body trembling slightly.

This bastard simply wanted to trample my dignity beneath his feet. It wasn't enough that he had stolen Kuang Li from me; he refused to let go of even the last shred of my self-respect.

I took a deep breath, suppressing the raging fire in my chest. If I hadn't been afraid of ruining President Mei's important business, I would have already beaten this fellow to a pulp.

I couldn't help glancing at Kuang Li. Her expression was unsightly, but she didn't dare say a word. Seeing me look her way, she quickly lowered her head and refused to meet my eyes.

Chen Zheng swept his gaze over me with extreme arrogance, a provocative glint in his eyes. "If you're not willing, then forget it. President Mei, it's not that I'm not giving you face! It's just a simple apology, just saying sorry. If he's not even willing to say those three simple words, then don't blame me for not cooperating!"

I had to admit, Chen Zheng was truly sinister. He wanted to use this opportunity to force me to beg him for mercy. If I did as he asked, my dignity would be thoroughly dragged through the mud; if I refused, I would likely lose my job.

Before I could open my mouth to retort, President Mei suddenly shook her head, a cold and scornful smile playing at the corners of her lips. "An apology? Out of the question. Clearly, the two of you are the ones who acted immorally, yet you expect someone else to apologize to you? Have you no shame?"

[...]

Chen Zheng hadn't expected her to say that. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at her, as if he couldn't trust his own ears.

I looked at her in a daze, a turbulent storm of mixed emotions churning in my chest.

Chen Zheng looked her over with astonishment, rubbed the back of his head, and then let out a laugh—the kind of smile that comes when all pretense is dropped. He nodded vigorously and said through clenched teeth, "Fine! Then when your inventory counts don't match up, don't blame me! After all, it was your own people who messed up the books!"

President Mei showed no intention of backing down either. "Our cooperation ends by the end of the year anyway. There are plenty of warehouses out there; if you don't care to have me as a client, just say so."

[...]

A look of fury washed over Chen Zheng's face. Even though President Mei had put it so bluntly, he didn't dare take her up on it. He had a personal grudge against me, but he had nothing against money. Losing a client like President Mei wouldn't be fatal to his business, but he wasn't foolish enough to push a paying customer out the door.

He paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled, putting on a flattering expression. "President Mei, let's talk this out reasonably! I have a score to settle with this kid, not with you. Why ruin our friendly relations over an ordinary employee?"

A trace of disdain and mockery appeared on President Mei's face. "For you to speak of my people in that way is no different from insulting me. My people—I am the only one who can scold them, not you."

I looked at her without moving a muscle, a warm feeling spreading through me as my nose began to sting.

A flash of bewilderment crossed Chen Zheng's face. He clenched his teeth and nodded. "Alright then! I'll have the person in charge coordinate with you on the inventory check. I have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

With that, he cast a sideways glance at Kuang Li, and the two of them turned and walked away.

Chen Zheng didn't dare offend President Mei, but he didn't want to lose face entirely either, so he simply found some random person to fob us off. Since the problem wouldn't be resolved, we couldn't leave, and he intended to drag us out indefinitely.

The person assigned to receive us was that same fellow from the morning. He introduced himself as Xiao Wu and told us to call him by that name, before leading us on a tour of the warehouse. As for the inventory check, he kept dodging the issue, claiming he needed President Chen's approval for everything.

After hitting a brick wall, the two of us were just getting ready to head back when President Mei caught sight of the delivery trucks rolling in. Suddenly remembering something, she couldn't help asking him, "By the way, if I'm not mistaken, our company also has a shipment scheduled for delivery to your warehouse today? But looking at these trucks, why isn't there any sign of ours?"

Xiao Wu first nodded, then assumed a troubled expression, offering a wry smile as he replied, "Well, it's like this. Your company's shipment has been scheduled for the night shift."

President Mei's expression shifted, her charming face instantly taking on a cold, piercing elegance that nobody dared to challenge.

"Why? The batch of goods arriving today was part of a pre-sale, and customers have been waiting for ages. We promised to ship the goods to them by tomorrow at the latest, and we had already agreed with you all that ours would be received the moment it arrived today. How did it get pushed back to the night shift? With so many companies' goods to process, when on earth will it ever be our turn?"

She fired off questions like a string of firecrackers, causing Xiao Wu to shrink his neck back. Wearing a helpless expression, he smiled awkwardly and said, "I wouldn't know about that! If you have any questions, you'll have to ask Director Chen."

[...]

Hotel restaurant.

President Mei and I had been running around all morning and didn't return to the hotel to eat until past three in the afternoon. Looking at the table full of delicacies, neither of us had any appetite.

Feeling bad, I hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "President Mei, today's trouble is all my fault. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't be giving you such a hard time."

President Mei waved a hand, cutting me off. "What does this have to do with you? Even without this personal grievance between you two, he still wouldn't have smoothly helped us resolve the inventory check and receiving process."

The more she said that, the more guilty I felt. The whole situation between Chen Zheng, Kuang Li, and me was a private matter, but now it was implicating the company. I felt like I was being roasted over an open flame.

After hesitating for a long time, as if making a momentous decision, I said, "President Mei, I will take responsibility for this. I..."

Before I could finish, she interrupted me again.

"How do you plan to take responsibility? By going to apologize to Chen Zheng? Or what?"

I forced a bitter laugh. "If I am no longer an employee of the company, then Chen Zheng will no longer have a way to cause trouble for the company. I don't want my personal affairs to hinder the company's growth."

"Yu Bin!"

She interrupted me once more, looking at me with a serious expression. "If your work performance makes me unsatisfied, you won't need to say a word—I'll let you go myself. But if it's not because of your work, I won't let you be forced out just because someone is putting on pressure. I'll say it again: my people are mine to scold, but nobody else's. Don't mention this matter again. I'll find a way."

Her voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable firmness. It felt as though something had gently scorched my heart. I wanted to say something, but no other words would come.

I never expected to cross paths with that despicable pair of adulterers under such circumstances. I spent the entire day in a state of numbness, my mind wandering and completely distracted. My mood was like the dense layers of dark clouds hanging over the horizon, pressing down on me so heavily I could hardly breathe.

After dinner, I decided to go out for a stroll. When I mentioned it to President Mei, she surprised me by saying she had the exact same idea, and asked me to wait a moment while she went down to change clothes.

I waited in the lobby for a short while, and when she finally appeared, I couldn't help my eyes lighting up.