Chen Yinuo could no longer control her red-rimmed eyes as she raised her hand and slapped him across the face!
A crisp, resounding crack!
Everyone in the lobby dropped their jaws in utter shock.
What on earth was going on here?
"You bitch, y-you dare hit me?"
Clutching his burning, stinging right cheek in disbelief, Yang Di could not have imagined in a million years that Chen Yinuo would actually dare to strike him.
"I'll fucking kill you!"
Before Chen Yinuo, her eyes brimming with tears, could even speak, Yang Di—having been dealt such a resounding slap in full view of everyone—snapped completely.
He raised his hand, preparing to violently return the blow across Chen Yinuo's face.
Just as Chen Yinuo resigned herself to taking the hit, just as Yang Di's palm was about to come down, a figure suddenly darted forward and flew a kick straight at Yang Di.
Thud!
Yang Di let out a muffled grunt, stumbling backward several steps and nearly crashing to the floor.
"Manager Yang!"
"Manager Yang!"
Seeing this, the security guards pushed aside the unexpected intruder who had just rushed in and anxiously ran over to steady Yang Di.
Meanwhile, Chen Yinuo's brain completely short-circuited.
However, when she turned her head to look at the uninvited guest who had just bailed her out, her expression instantly froze.
The shock was no less than seeing the sun rise from the west.
Yet that frozen expression immediately morphed into a furious, icy glare.
"Why is it you? Are you stalking me?"
Yes, absolutely.
The uninvited guest was none other than Ye Chen—the very Ye Chen she couldn't even bear to look at for another second!
At that moment, Chen Yinuo did not consider Ye Chen's appearance to be a coincidence. Instead, she jumped to the conclusion that he was following her!
Over the past few years, driven by his paranoia and suspicions that she was seeing someone behind his back, Ye Chen had subjected her to regular bouts of domestic violence, beating and kicking her.
Yet for all his paranoid, beastly tendencies, this fellow was a complete and utter coward. He only ever threw tantrums and used physical force against her, and only dared to do so against her.
Yet now, he actually had the guts to hit someone here?
"If I said it was a coincidence, would you believe me?" Ye Chen asked bitterly.
"Do you expect me to believe that?" Chen Yinuo replied coldly.
"Who the hell are you?"
Regaining his composure, Yang Di shoved aside the guards' support and glared fiercely at Ye Chen.
Despite taking a flying kick to the chest, he still didn't dare act rashly until he figured out the other man's background.
"I'm her husband. Does that answer satisfy you?" Ye Chen said.
"You're that bitch's good-for-nothing, gambling-addict husband?"
Seeing that Chen Yinuo didn't deny it, Yang Di was dumbfounded.
No matter how he looked at it, he considered himself a person of some standing and respect. Yet here he was, beaten by Chen Yinuo's spineless, worthless, gambling-addict husband?
"Someone grab him! Call the police right now!" Yang Di roared angrily.
"Yes, Manager Yang!"
The security guards immediately swarmed in and surrounded Ye Chen.
Before they could move to restrain him, Ye Chen spoke up.
"Manager Yang, is it? You can call the police and you can have me arrested, but you'd better make sure I never get out once I'm in there. Otherwise, the moment I get out, I'll come after you with everything I've got and play dirty until you're destroyed—wanna bet on it? Anyway, my life is worthless, and the barefooted aren't afraid of the ones wearing shoes!"
This blatant threat instantly made the security guards hesitate. They couldn't quite make up their minds, turning their heads simultaneously to look at Yang Di.
Under Ye Chen's threat, Yang Di suddenly lost his nerve.
Leaving aside the fact that he was the one who had insulted and threatened Chen Yinuo first, even if Ye Chen were thrown in jail, it would be for fifteen days at most. After fifteen days, he'd still come back out!
What if this barefoot lunatic really did come after him—a man wearing a custom suit and leather shoes—with a do-or-die attitude? Could he really afford to tangle with a guy like that?
Yet here in front of a crowd, he couldn't back down; he couldn't just let it go, or where would he put his face?
"Are you threatening me?"
Just as Ye Chen was about to open his mouth and say, "So what if I am?", his cell phone suddenly rang.
He pulled it out and answered.
"Hello?"
"Is this Mr. Ye? Have you arrived yet?" Zhang Jingshan asked politely from the other end.
"I'm here! Right in your company lobby, but your people want to call the police and have me arrested!" Ye Chen said.
"What the hell? Someone wants to call the police and arrest you? Hold on, I'm coming right down!"
Beep—
Hanging up the phone, Zhang Jingshan hurried out of his office in a rush.
Though his business relationship with Ye Chen was a casual one born of circumstance, he had explicitly promised to owe the man a favor because of the sandalwood prayer beads. Now that Ye Chen was in trouble at his company, reason and decency dictated that he could not simply look the other way.
"President Zhang!"
"President Zhang!"
"President Zhang!"
Seeing Zhang Jingshan rush out of the elevator, the employees in the lobby chorused in greeting.
Yang Di and the security guards saw their expressions undergo a drastic, violent change. Chen Yinuo, too, was stunned to the absolute limit.
Could it be that the person talking to this scumbag was President Zhang Jingshan himself?
How was that possible?!
How could a worthless piece of trash like him ever cross paths with someone like President Zhang?
"Mr. Ye, w-what is going on here? Who wants to call the police on you?"
Zhang Jingshan walked up to Ye Chen and asked briskly.
"President Zhang, the moment I walked in here, I saw your Manager Yang trying to hit my wife. So before he could lay a hand on her, I gave him a kick, and then he had these security guards grab me and threaten to call the police!" Ye Chen said.
"What?"
Zhang Jingshan frowned and turned his gaze to Yang Di. "Is that true?"
"President Zhang, President Zhang, don't listen to this gambler's nonsense, I—" Yang Di's mouth went dry; he had no idea how to string the words together.
"Just tell me yes or no!" Zhang Jingshan snapped.
"Yes!" Yang Di gritted his teeth until they ached.
Little did he know that the moment he gave that confirmation, Zhang Jingshan lashed out with a kick straight into his stomach, roaring with fury.
"You're actually putting your hands on a woman? Are you even a fucking man, huh? Do you have zero regard for Yunshan Network Company's reputation? You might not want any dignity, but don't you dare drag Yunshan Network's name through the mud with you!"
Having taken the kick, Yang Di didn't even dare offer an explanation. "President Zhang, I was wrong!"
"Just wait, we're not done here!" Zhang Jingshan pointed a finger at him from across the space.
Only then did he turn back to Ye Chen. "Mr. Ye, I apologize. This was a failure on my part in managing the staff. Please don't take it to heart!"
With that, he glanced at Chen Yinuo and said, "You must be Mr. Ye's wife. I'm so sorry, truly!"
He had subconsciously assumed that Ye Chen and Chen Yinuo were a young couple who had come together to collect the three hundred thousand.
"President Zhang, I am not his wife. We are getting divorced very soon!"
Normally, Chen Yinuo would never air her family dirty laundry in public. Putting aside the old saying that family shame shouldn't be exposed outside, what good would it do anyway? Aside from providing others with cheap entertainment, what could it possibly solve? No matter how sympathetic and comforting people appeared on the surface, there was no telling how many were secretly gloating behind your back.
Yet right now, hearing Zhang Jingshan refer to her as Ye Chen's wife, she simply couldn't accept it!
"This..."
Now it was Zhang Jingshan's turn to feel awkward. With each of them telling a different story, what kind of relationship were they actually in? Besides, wasn't this a young couple coming in together?
"President Zhang, I am Chen Yinuo, an employee of Huaxing Trading. I'm here today to discuss renewing our promotional cooperation agreement with Yuntian Network! President Zhang, in light of the good cooperative relationship our two companies have always maintained, could you please continue to promote Huaxing Trading's products?"
Hoping to spare Zhang Jingshan any further awkwardness, Chen Yinuo quickly steered away from that topic and stated the purpose of her visit.
Beside them, the color had already completely drained from Yang Di's face.
"Huh? Huaxing Trading? Hasn't Yuntian Network always been in partnership with Huaxing Trading? Haven't we consistently been promoting your products?" Zhang Jingshan asked in confusion.
Few people knew that the boss of Huaxing Trading was actually his high school classmate. Because of this connection, the two companies' cooperation had always been exceptionally close. Zhang Jingshan had even given explicit instructions that as long as the promotional fees offered by Huaxing Trading were no lower than ten percent below market rates, priority must always be given to them.
"President Zhang, ten days ago, when our contract with Yuntian Network expired, your company chose not to renew with us, and instead shifted the promotion to Huaxing Trading's direct competitor!" Chen Yinuo said.
"There's such a thing?" Zhang Jingshan's anger began to brew.
He had known nothing about this. His old classmate over at Huaxing Trading was a totally hands-off boss, so he probably hadn't been paying attention either—which was why they had never discussed it.
"President Zhang, I know our competitor offered a price ten percent higher than what Huaxing Trading proposed, but Huaxing Trading's products come with an absolute guarantee of quality. As you must know from our long partnership, we have never once caused Yuntian Network any trouble or collateral damage due to quality issues during promotions! Furthermore, the promotional fees we offered were right at the market benchmark; it's simply that our competitor maliciously drove the bidding up!" Chen Yinuo said.
Zhang Jingshan's expression grew even uglier.
His company had not only terminated its partnership with Huaxing Trading, but had also chosen Huaxing Trading's direct competitor? Simply because the rival offered a ten percent higher price?
What the hell! Did he, Zhang Jingshan, care about that ten percent?
Moreover, something stank about this whole situation!
The partnership between Huaxing Trading and Yuntian Network could be described as deeply intertwined. Yet after seeking out a new partner, why had Yang Di—the person in charge of commercial cooperation—never mentioned it to him?
"Yang Di, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
Zhang Jingshan cast a dark, gloomy look toward Yang Di, his overwhelming fury practically spilling over.
"President Zhang, I—I admit I was muddle-headed and only looked at the short-term profits. But the contract we signed with the other party is only a temporary agreement; Yuntian Network can unilaterally terminate it at any time!" Yang Di stammered.
However, the cold sweat beginning to ooze from his pores and his strained, distorted voice were more than enough to prove that things were nowhere near that simple.
"A temporary contract? Isn't that a blatant way of leaving himself an escape route? To have the foresight to leave an escape route—and you call that being muddle-headed?" Ye Chen remarked casually from the side.
Zhang Jingshan clearly realized the implications as well. He turned back to Chen Yinuo. "Ms. Chen, when you approached Yang Di to discuss renewing the contract, what did he say?"
At Zhang Jingshan's question, Yang Di's legs instantly turned to jelly. Had he not been propped up by the quick reflexes of the security guards, he would have collapsed onto the floor.
"Hoo!!!"
Chen Yinuo didn't speak immediately. She took a deep breath, as if summoning an immense well of courage.
"Manager Yang said that as long as I agreed to accompany him, he would renew the promotional contract with me. Otherwise, don't even talk about it!"
"Accompany him"—though phrased lightly, everyone understood the true meaning behind those words!
As soon as those words left her mouth, Yang Di's face turned as pale as a sheet of paper!
"Yang Di, I'll tear your head off!"
Like a furious beast, Zhang Jingshan—a man driven by passion and impulse—could no longer suppress the eruption of his rage. He lashed out with a vicious kick straight into Yang Di's abdomen!
In a flash, the two guards supporting Yang Di instinctively let go. Accompanied by a miserable shriek, his slightly chubby body slammed directly into the front desk, collapsing into a heap on the floor.
"Go! Call the finance department right now and settle Yang Di's final paycheck immediately!" Zhang Jingshan pointed his finger at the two front desk receptionists, who were frozen in absolute terror.
Seemingly unsatisfied, Zhang Jingshan glared at the dumbfounded security guards. "What are you all staring at for? Throw him out of here this instant! From this moment on, there is no such person as Yang Di in Yunshan Network!"
"Y-Yes, President Zhang!"
Trembling all over, the guards scrambled forward to grab Yang Di. Leaving aside the fact that stabbing a drowning man brought zero psychological pressure, they had harbored a deep, burning resentment toward Yang Di for his tyrannical, overbearing treatment of the company's junior staff. They had only ever sucked up to him and played along because of his position in the company.
"President Zhang, I was wrong! President Zhang, I was wrong!"
"Please give me one more chance, I promise I'll never do it again!"
"President Zhang! President Zhang!"
Yang Di's howling cries echoed through the lobby.
Yet Zhang Jingshan didn't harbor a shred of mercy. Instead, he bellowed fiercely at the guards, "Get him out of my sight right now!"
Once Yang Di had been tossed out of the building, Zhang Jingshan's emotions gradually settled. He turned to Chen Yinuo with an expression of profound sincerity.
"Ms. Chen, I'm truly sorry! This was my failure in supervision. I will personally give the head of Huaxing Trading a proper explanation for this!"
"It's fine, President Zhang. So... can we restart the renewal of the promotional contract now?"
Having been battered and bruised by life a thousand times over, Chen Yinuo had no mental capacity left to care about anything else. She only wanted to save her current livelihood. And to save her livelihood, she had to secure that contract renewal.
"Of course! We can sign it right now—I'll sign it myself! Did you bring a draft of the contract with you?" Zhang Jingshan asked.
"That's wonderful! Yes, yes, I brought it!" Chen Yinuo pulled the document out with trembling, eager hands.
Without even glancing at it, Zhang Jingshan took the contract, walked straight over to the front desk, picked up a pen, and scrawled his signature across the page.
He then handed the contract back to Chen Yinuo. "Ms. Chen, take this up to the business department on the fourth floor and have them stamp the official seal!"
"Thank you!"
With tears welling in her eyes, Chen Yinuo bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
From beginning to end, she didn't spare Ye Chen so much as another glance.
She had completely forgotten that if not for Ye Chen's sudden intervention, she would never have had the chance to see President Zhang, let alone secure the promotional contract so effortlessly. She would have been slapped by Yang Di and thrown out of Yunshan Network Company in disgrace!
Then again, that was only to be expected. Her hatred for Ye Chen had taken root deep in her bones over the past few years. How could she possibly spare a thought for anything else?
Just as she brushed past Zhang Jingshan, she suddenly halted her steps.
"President Zhang, he is not a good person. Please don't let him trick you!"
With that warning, Chen Yinuo hurried away toward the elevator.
Ye Chen wore a bitter smile, while Zhang Jingshan stood there in a daze.
That "he" she had mentioned—was she talking about Ye Chen?
What was there for him, Zhang Jingshan, to be tricked about?
His only intersection with Ye Chen was that string of sandalwood prayer beads! If the prayer beads were fake, it wasn't Ye Chen who had conned him; it was Lu Cheng!
"Mr. Ye, are you... are you really a married couple?" Zhang Jingshan asked, his expression strange and complicated.
Ye Chen didn't offer any explanation, sidestepping the question. "Forgive me for making a spectacle of myself in front of President Zhang!"
"It's fine. Come, I was in such a hurry when I came downstairs earlier that I forgot to bring the money down. Come back up to the office with me!" Zhang Jingshan said.
"Alright!"
Inside the office, Zhang Jingshan smiled as he handed a fairly substantial brown paper bag to Ye Chen.
"Here, this is the three hundred thousand. Go ahead and count it!"
"No need to count, I trust President Zhang!"
Tucking the brown paper bag under his arm, Ye Chen paused just as he was about to leave and turned back. "President Zhang, thanks!"
"Huh? What am I being thanked for? Shouldn't I be the one thanking you?" Zhang Jingshan laughed.
"Thank you for bailing Yinuo out of that mess and signing that contract with her. At least now she can go back and report to work smoothly," Ye Chen said.
Zhang Jingshan smiled noncommittally. "If anyone's thanking anyone, it should be me thanking you guys. If not for you two, I would never have known that such a tumor was lurking inside my company! Besides, Mr. Ye, I know that string of prayer beads is worth well over three hundred thousand—and I'm sure you know it too. But given how straightforward and upright you've been about this, I'm not going to beat around the bush with extra compensation. Like I said before, I owe you a favor. Whenever you need help in the future, just use the favor attached to the sandalwood prayer beads to find me. My word is good!"
Hearing this, Ye Chen—who had already been planning to leave—halted in his tracks once more.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he spoke.
"President Zhang, your company has quite a few pretty live-streamers under its banner, doesn't it?"
Swish—
Hearing that, Zhang Jingshan's expression shifted slightly. "Yes, why do you ask?"
"No special reason, just wanted to give President Zhang a word of warning. The most alluring facades are often traps. As our ancestors used to say, beneath every desire lies a sharp blade. Of course, when it comes to men, very few can resist the temptation of beauty. So when President Zhang walks toward temptation, it's best to keep your guard up, watch out for traps, and make sure you don't take a heavy fall."
Though he hadn't originally intended to interfere with Zhang Jingshan's fate, Ye Chen ultimately decided to offer the hint.
It was simply because Zhang Jingshan's words and actions down in the lobby earlier had genuinely made Ye Chen want to express a bit of gratitude.
And his way of thanking him was to drop a hint that could alter his fate!
However, he would only drop the hint and leave it at that. Whether Zhang Jingshan could comprehend it or choose to believe it would depend entirely on his own fortune!
"Mr. Ye, what are you getting at?" Zhang Jingshan frowned.
Yunshan Network Company had plenty of female streamers. And those wanting to sleep with him were even more numerous. But the only one with whom he had an illicit relationship was the company's top female streamer, Yiyi.
Could it be that top streamer Yiyi was going to set a trap for him?
How was that possible!
"Nothing much. I just noticed that President Zhang's aura between your eyebrows didn't look quite right. My intuition tells me that President Zhang might find yourself deeply entangled in a calamity involving women. Still, whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you," Ye Chen said with a faint smile.
"Are you telling me you know how to read fortunes?" Zhang Jingshan remained unconvinced.
"I'll say it again: whether you believe it or not is up to you. I'll take my leave now!"
Clutching the brown paper bag bulging with three hundred thousand cash, Ye Chen strode out of the office.
Behind him, Zhang Jingshan did not call him back.
Yet the skeptical look on his face gradually grew heavy with contemplation.
Could the man's words be trusted?
Zhang Jingshan didn't know.
However, Ye Chen's uncanny aura, combined with Chen Yinuo's well-intentioned warning earlier, left this young master tangled in a web of silent contradiction.
When Ye Chen stepped out of the elevator on the first floor lobby, Chen Yinuo happened to be walking out from the elevator on the opposite side.
"Yi—"
Ye Chen subconsciously started to speak.
Yet Chen Yinuo accelerated her pace as if passing a complete stranger, not sparing him even a single glance.
At that, Ye Chen could only give a bitter, helpless smile.
However, after stepping outside the doors of Yunshan Network Company, Chen Yinuo suddenly slowed her pace.
As Ye Chen drew close behind her, she turned and spoke in a cold, indifferent tone.