L&H - 11

Yu Qing had no intention of paying attention to the curious or gleeful gazes around her at the moment. Her analysis of the situation for Xiao Yilin was also meant to silence some of the others in the room.

“First, Boss Qian may be honest and upright, but that doesn’t mean he can be easily manipulated. Have you considered that even a cornered rabbit will bite back?”

“Second, what guarantees do you have that this unjustified breach of contract won’t be seized upon by competitors, blown out of proportion, and used against us?”

“Dixin may not be well-known, but what about Fu Corporation behind it?”

“We all know that sometimes a single negative rumor can destroy a company.”

“Third, as a regional manager, you must know that Dixin’s competitor, Le Meng, has been desperate to crush us. At a time like this, if you blatantly breach a contract, who will bear the consequences?”

A barrage of rhetorical questions left Xiao Yilin momentarily speechless, unable to find a counterargument.

The vice president flipped through the contracts, though he wasn’t actually reading them. He had heard every word Yu Qing said and was carefully weighing Xiao Yilin’s responses.

Yu Qing stood up and poured herself a cup of coffee.

Zhao Shuqun glanced at her from the corner of his eye. This woman, even now, remained calm and composed. Her ability to infuriate others was second to none.

On Xiao Yilin’s side, her anger flared. She downed half a bottle of cold drink, but it did nothing to quell her frustration.

No matter what, she had to get the contract signed today.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke slowly and deliberately. “Lawyer Yu, paranoia and nitpicking are the biggest taboos in marketing! By your logic, drinking water could choke someone to death—does that mean we should stop drinking water altogether?”

Yu Qing picked up on her words and intentionally countered, “If I knew beforehand that this bottle of water might choke me to death, why would I drink it?”

Xiao Yilin: “...”

What an insufferable contrarian!

Yu Qing returned to the main point. “Most importantly, Dixin’s boss, Fu Ji Chen, and Le Meng’s boss, Qin Moling, are practically trying to destroy each other. This is different from normal beverage industry competition. So, I’m kindly reminding you—don’t give the other side ammunition to smear us with.”

Qiao Yang suddenly looked up. It was rare for anyone to dare address the boss by name during a meeting.

The vice president quickly stepped in to ease the tension. “That’s enough for today. Let’s adjourn.”

Yu Qing closed her notebook and was the first to leave the conference room.

Once the door closed, Xiao Yilin turned to the vice president. “I worked so hard to secure Zhuo Hua, and then Lawyer Yu... If we always hesitate and overthink like she does, how am I supposed to do my job in marketing?”

Her tone dripped with self-pity.

“You’re from a marketing background too. If we handled every twist and turn in the process by the book, our company wouldn’t even be able to eat or drink, let alone talk about profits. Besides, isn’t choosing stronger distributors what every brand does?”

The vice president’s year-end performance review was tied to sales figures.

After a moment of thought, he said, “I’ll handle the communication.” But he didn’t forget to remind Xiao Yilin, “Make sure to resolve Boss Qian’s inventory and outstanding payments.”

Xiao Yilin: “Don’t worry.”

The meeting ended.

Xiao Yilin followed Zhao Shuqun to his office, still discussing the Zhuo Hua Trading contract.

Zhao Shuqun poured himself a glass of water, lightly tapping his fingers on the rim of the glass.

Xiao Yilin sat across from him, lightly stepping on his foot with hers. “I don’t care what happens—I’m definitely signing the Zhuo Hua contract. As for Boss Qian, I’ll just have to drag things out with him. It’ll take some time, but Zhuo Hua won’t wait.”

Zhao Shuqun was blunt. “What kind of kickback agreement did you reach with Zhuo Hua? Why are you so eager?”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Xiao Yilin walked over and leaned on Zhao Shuqun’s back. “Whatever kickback agreement it is, it’s just some extra cash.”

As she spoke, she sighed and complained. “You only ever think about your wife and kids. When have you ever cared about me? Can’t I make a living on my own without affecting the company’s normal sales?”

Zhao Shuqun rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. “This is the last time. Don’t create any more messes for me!”

A smile appeared on Xiao Yilin’s face. “Thank you. Don’t worry—I won’t be foolish enough to ruin my own career. I’ve got Boss Qian under control; it’ll just take a bit longer.”

She kissed him. “Coming over to my place after work?”

Zhao Shuqun turned his head and stared at her for a long moment. “That’s how it’ll be from now on. My wife has been suspicious of me lately. I’ll look out for you at work.”

Xiao Yilin’s smile stiffened slightly but quickly smoothed out.

She gently traced his cheek with her finger. “When did you start being afraid of your wife? Or have you found a new lover and grown tired of me, hmm?”

Zhao Shuqun removed her hand from his face. “Sit properly. We’re at the company!”

Hmph.

________________________________________

Just before the end of the workday, Zhou Yunli received a call from Dixin’s vice president. No sooner had she hung up than the landline on her desk rang again.

It was Zhao Shuqun’s internal line.

Both calls were about the same thing—the Zhuo Hua Trading contract.

She hadn’t expected Yu Qing to openly confront Xiao Yilin during the meeting that afternoon.

And she had effectively slapped everyone in the room in the face.

Zhou Yunli didn’t fully understand Yu Qing’s stubbornness. To be precise, she no longer understood such obstinate behavior from Yu Qing. When she first entered the legal profession, she had been like Yu Qing too.

Now, she had long forgotten the naivety of her youth.

Between black and white, she preferred gray.

“Come to my office,” she called Yu Qing.

Yu Qing knew why her supervisor was calling her and had already mentally prepared herself.

They were all pushing her to approve the contract for their own interests, but who had considered her position?

The door closed.

“Yu Qing, how old are you this year?” Zhou Yunli’s gaze was indifferent, her tone even more so.

Yu Qing wasn’t foolish. She knew Zhou Yunli was subtly mocking her for being young and naive, for not knowing how to use her authority to bend the rules and gain the usual gray-area benefits.

Seeing her silence, Zhou Yunli continued, “Yu Qing, why are you making trouble for yourself? Why bother?”

Yu Qing found it amusing.

“I’m not looking for trouble. For anything non-principled, I can turn a blind eye.”

The corner of Zhou Yunli’s lips twitched. Yu Qing’s words carried an underlying jab at her.

However, Yu Qing wasn’t wrong.

Over the past few months, Zhou Yunli had assigned her plenty of tasks outside her job description. As for the girl who had replaced Yu Qing in her previous role… well, it was a long story.

But someone had to take on the work handed down by the group’s leadership.

“Yu Qing,” Zhou Yunli tried to persuade her again, urging her to approve Zhuo Hua Trading’s contract. “The workplace isn’t like home. We can’t act on impulse and expect others to accommodate us. Do you understand?”

Yu Qing forced a smile. “No one is being impulsive here. To put it bluntly, why should Xiao Yilin dump all the risks on me? What obligation do I have to clean up her mess? Just because I’m new and seem easy to bully?”

The fake smile on Zhou Yunli’s face vanished instantly. She stared at Yu Qing for a long while. “Are you trying to protest my dissatisfaction with your job assignment?”

The office fell into an eerie silence.

The air pressure seemed to drop sharply.

The only sound was the faint hum of the laptop’s cooling fan.

Inwardly, Yu Qing let out a resigned “heh.” This was truly an unwarranted accusation.

“If I were really opposing you, I’d stop caring about everything entirely. Then, when I quit, all the mess would fall back on you.”

Her tone remained calm. “But my professional integrity doesn’t allow me to act so recklessly.”

Zhou Yunli opened her mouth but found herself unable to argue further.

Having failed to intimidate, she resorted to persuasion.

Her voice softened. “Every position in the legal department is important. You’ve just passed your probation period—I know exactly which roles suit you best. Be patient, and I’ll arrange a transfer for you.”

Internally, Yu Qing rolled her eyes repeatedly. Did they really think she was naive enough to fall for such a childish excuse?

This kind of tactic wouldn’t work on her.

She still held firm to her principles: if relations with the sales department soured, it didn’t matter—they rarely interacted anyway.

But she didn’t want to ruin her relationship with Zhou Yunli.

If Zhou Yunli privately assigned her extra tasks out of spite, it would keep her busy for hours on end.

Not worth it.

Quickly, she came up with an idea.

She went to the tea cabinet and took out a glass cup. “Director, may I borrow this cup? I’ll return it to you later.”

Zhou Yunli momentarily didn’t understand what she intended to do.

The next second—bang!

The glass shattered against the wall, broken into pieces.

“I’ll buy you a new pair and bring them to you on Monday.”

Zhou Yunli still hadn’t recovered from the shock.

Yu Qing glanced at the shards of glass, then met Zhou Yunli’s incredulous gaze. “Just tell Director Zhao that I’m stubborn, haven’t been beaten down by society yet, and am completely naive, unable to be swayed. Even if you fight with me, I won’t give in.”

Before leaving, she added a reassuring note. “I won’t mention this incident to anyone. Pretend you broke the cup yourself, frustrated with me. That way, Director Zhao will not only appreciate you more but also feel indebted to you. And on my end, future work will be easier.”

She gave a slight bow and then slammed the door behind her as she left.

When the door closed, it felt as if the entire world had frozen.

The legal department, usually bustling, was now filled with an unprecedented tension, so quiet that even the drop of a needle could be heard.

Silently, they watched Yu Qing return to her seat, unsure of what had happened. All they knew was that Yu Qing had clashed with their supervisor, who was likely furious enough to smash a cup.

And Yu Qing? She had slammed the supervisor’s door.

They speculated that perhaps Yu Qing had made a mistake in her work, failing to handle a contract in time and delaying the sales department. The supervisor might have scolded her, and Yu Qing, unwilling to back down, fought back.

Or maybe Yu Qing had been wronged, though she couldn’t quite explain it.

Whatever the reason, they admired Yu Qing’s courage to directly challenge her superior.

As soon as the clock struck quitting time, Yu Qing shut down her computer and began tidying her desk.

Zhang Xiaochi didn’t ask how she had ended up arguing with the director, but she knew Yu Qing had been wronged today. “Want me to go shopping with you tonight?”

Yu Qing smiled. “Don’t worry, such trivial matters don’t affect me.”

Xiaochi gave her a thumbs-up. “That sound of the cup smashing earlier—it was so satisfying!” She still had some overtime work to do, so she waved goodbye to Yu Qing. “Cheer up, have a great weekend.”

Yu Qing: “You too.”

She hadn’t had time to check the stock market in the afternoon. Logging in briefly, she saw that her investments had suffered another loss.

A frustrating day—humiliated during the meeting and then reprimanded by her own boss upon returning to the office.

What a terrible day.

Grabbing her bag, she walked out while sending a message to Fu Ji Chen: [Do you have any engagements tonight?]

Fu Ji Chen looked at the message. She never cared about his schedule before; today was unusual.

He asked: [What’s wrong?]

Yu Qing: [Nothing, just want to seduce you.] And vent her frustrations on him.

Fu Ji Chen: “...”

Another message from Yu Qing popped up: [Will you play tennis with me on Saturday?]

Fu Ji Chen: [No time. Let’s plan for next week. I’m traveling to Hainan tomorrow and will be there for a few days.] He was increasingly convinced something was off with her mood. [Who upset you?]

Yu Qing: [You did. You said my bag wasn’t good-looking. I want to beat you senseless on the court to get revenge. Busy now, I’m heading home after work.]

Fu Ji Chen glanced at the message, then at the men’s handbag sitting on the corner of his desk. He opened a webpage.

Deep in thought, his phone rang—it was Qiao Yang, discussing details of the financing plan over the phone. After yesterday’s meeting with President Zou, some adjustments were needed.

Fu Ji Chen answered, focusing intently as he listened to her report. He picked up his cup and headed to refill it.

The call lasted over twenty minutes without ending. Qiao Yang sat in front of her computer, making real-time edits to the electronic document as they discussed necessary changes.

Fu Ji Chen leaned against the sofa by the window, gazing into the distance.

“Regarding the interest rate, I believe we can negotiate another 0.5% reduction with the bank. Or should I make the adjustment first? If it doesn’t go through, we can always add it back later.” Qiao Yang sought his opinion.

Silence lingered on the line.

Fu Ji Chen sipped his tea, contemplating.

Qiao Yang didn’t rush him, patiently waiting.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the office door. “President Fu, it’s me.”

Fu Ji Chen turned his head. “Come in.”

Qiao Yang was startled. “Ah?”

Fu Ji Chen spoke into the phone, “I’m talking to Secretary Pan.”

“Oh.”

Pan Zheng entered with documents in hand. Fu Ji Chen gestured toward his phone, and Pan Zheng understood.

After careful consideration, Fu Ji Chen told Qiao Yang: “Reduce it by one percentage point.”

Qiao Yang: “...”

A 0.5% reduction in the loan interest rate was already significant. She hadn’t expected Fu Ji Chen to push even harder than she had.

“Alright, I’ll make the adjustment now.”

After the call ended, Fu Ji Chen stood up from the sofa and walked toward his desk. Suddenly, he remembered—the screen of his computer displayed a page for women’s handbags.

Pan Zheng had already noticed the webpage. He pretended to be engrossed in reading a document.

Having worked alongside Fu Ji Chen for years, this was the first time he had seen his boss slack off during work hours.

An awkward few seconds passed.

But Fu Ji Chen always had a knack for turning things around and skillfully shifting blame. Casually, he said, “Yu Qing kept pestering me to get matching couple bags. Ignoring her didn’t work—she kept bombarding me with texts. I was just about to pick out a bag for her.”

Pan Zheng: “...”

There was no need for such detailed reports about his personal life to his subordinate.