“The plan is excellent, Manager Zhang. You will be in charge of the cooperation with Hua Qiang.”
Zhang Mian suppressed the joy on his face, “Yes, President.”
After everyone left, Meng Xiyue said to Secretary Gao, “I will be going abroad for a few days. I’ll leave the company matters to you.”
Secretary Gao nodded, “Understood, President.”
Meng Xiyue had prepared for a long time for the negotiations with the American side. Success or failure would depend on the upcoming meeting.
*
Xia Yuan didn’t know her brother was on a business trip, but that didn’t stop her from complaining.
Xia Ke, who always doted on Xia Yuan, immediately turned cold when he heard that Xia Yuan had been framed and hospitalized. However, his voice was still gentle over the phone, “I understand, Yuan’er. Leave it to me. I won’t let anyone bully you.”
“Mm, thank you, brother~” Hearing this, Xia Yuan was very happy. She always believed in revenge, and if she couldn’t handle it herself, she had her brother.
Hearing his sister’s soft and sweet voice, Xia Ke chuckled, but still said sternly, “Next time something like this happens, remember to bring a bodyguard.”
Xia Yuan, sipping the nourishing soup Meng Xiyue had ordered for her, said nonchalantly, “I know, I won’t be so foolish again.”
Xia Ke: “Miss Meng saved you, Yuan’er. Remember to treat Miss Meng to a meal.”
Upon hearing Meng Xiyue’s name, Xia Yuan subconsciously stirred her soup, inwardly complaining.
She couldn’t eat anything in front of Meng Xiyue’s face.
“Yuan’er?”
Xia Yuan quickly said, “I know.” Then awkwardly added, “Brother, send me Meng Xiyue’s phone number.”
Laughter came from the other end.
“Alright.”
Soon, Xia Yuan received a string of numbers.
She saved it immediately under the name: Apathetic Woman
*
All the staff at N.S have been very busy lately.
Including Meng Xiyue.
“Knock knock…”
The office door was knocked, and Secretary Gao pushed the door and came in.
“President, Kejie has had a change of heart at the last minute. They will only sign the contract if we increase the price by 12%.”
Kejie was a deal that Meng Xiyue had personally negotiated, and it was only a matter of signing the contract. Unexpectedly, they had a change of heart.
Meng Xiyue asked succinctly, “What’s the reason?”
Secretary Gao looked displeased, “Tianyu is interfering.”
Secretary Gao couldn’t understand why Tianyu was constantly suppressing N.S.
Hearing this reason, Meng Xiyue wasn’t surprised. With a tap of her slender fingertips on the desk, she said, “Agree to Kejie’s terms.”
After all, facing suppression from Tianyu, the fact that Kejie still wanted to continue cooperating showed they valued N.S highly.
The 12% increase was also within the bottom line, not taking advantage of the situation to demand an exorbitant price, showing sincerity.
Secretary Gao replied, “Understood.”
After hesitating for a moment, Secretary Gao looked at Meng Xiyue’s face, which showed little emotional fluctuation, and said, “President, if we continue to be suppressed by Tianyu, the company might not last much longer.”
Although the company was preparing to negotiate a partnership with the United States, it was still uncertain whether it would be successful.
If Tianyu continues to act on such a large scale, N.S, which has just started to rise, might never recover.
Meng Xiyue’s cold eyes looked at Secretary Gao, “Don’t worry, Tianyu will soon be too preoccupied to care about us.”
…
Assistant Li, who came to report the schedule, looked at Secretary Gao who had just come out of the CEO’s office, his face still flushed with excitement, and exclaimed, “Secretary Gao? Is there some good news? Did the CEO give you a raise?”
Seeing Assistant Li, Secretary Gao returned to his usual composed demeanor, pushed his glasses up, and with a flash of thought, recalling the determination and ambition in those cold eyes, he smiled and said, “Something even more delightful than a raise.”
Assistant Li wanted to ask more, but Secretary Gao had already left.
A puzzled Assistant Li pushed open the door, looked at Meng Xiyue sitting in front of the computer desk, and began to report, “CEO, you have a gala at seven.”
“I know.”
…
By the time Meng Xiyue arrived at the gala, many people were already there.
This was a business gala, attended by the elites of the marketplace.
She didn’t bring a male companion, only Secretary Gao.
Upon entering, Meng Xiyue immediately started looking for her target.
Lately, Tianyu’s suppression of N.S in the industry was no secret, but there were still many who were willing to make connections.
The old foxes saw Meng Xiyue as a promising stock; despite Tianyu’s suppression, she managed to secure several collaborations, showcasing her capabilities and methods.
Not to mention, the major collaboration between N.S and the Xia family.
While Meng Xiyue was all smiles, Xia Yuan was having a hard time.
Originally, she attended the gala to lighten her mood, and incidentally, to introduce Hua Yingying to some people and expand her social network, to avoid any more incidents of being exploited.
The chief director who bullied Xia Yuan was removed on the same day, replaced by a young director who, despite his age, was very strict with filming and acting. On his first day, he replaced an actress who was pushed in by an investor.
The production was already low-budget, and when the actress threw a tantrum, the investor withdrew his funding.
Hua Yingying had no choice but to call Xia Yuan for help.
Xia Yuan, who took a liking to Hua Yingying, immediately invested ten million from her own savings.
Since her brother was away on a business trip and couldn’t attend the gala, Xia Yuan brought Hua Yingying with her.
As a result, she encountered Ding Yaoyao, who was dressed to the nines. She was wearing a white evening gown, with makeup on, and the necklace around her neck looked to be worth at least eight figures. She seemed like a completely different person, beautiful and elegant.
Xia Yuan has always disliked Ding Yaoyao, this green tea bitch. This outfit was clearly given by Li Ting.
Spending Li Brother’s money, sleeping with Li Brother’s man, yet always pitifully claiming they had nothing to do with each other.
Xia Yuan had never seen someone so disgusting.
With old and new hatred bubbling up, Xia Yuan was ready to pick a fight.
But just as she approached Ding Yaoyao, who knew Ding Yaoyao, unaccustomed to such high heels, twisted her body, spilling red wine all over Xia Yuan, while Ding Yaoyao herself was tenderly supported by her beloved.
Already in a bad mood, Xia Yuan directly lashed out: “Ding Yaoyao, are you provoking me?”
Ding Yaoyao steadied herself, and seeing the wine stain on the other’s dress, hurriedly apologized: “Miss Xia, I didn’t do it on purpose, I just…”
Xia Yuan didn’t want to hear her explanation, slightly lifting her chin, her already flamboyant and bright face now even more domineering: “Not on purpose, huh? Do you know how much this outfit costs? Can you afford to compensate?”
Ding Yaoyao, knowing she didn’t fit in with this circle, felt a faint sense of truly stepping into this circle after being dressed up by Li Ting today. But being publicly humiliated by Xia Yuan like this, Ding Yaoyao felt as if she was stripped naked, humiliated just because the other was born into a better family, leaving her with nothing but embarrassment.
Wearing a white dress, with slightly reddened eyes, and a pitiful demeanor, Xia Yuan appeared even more aggressive.
Li Ting felt Xia Yuan was being unreasonable. He always knew Xia Yuan liked him, and seeing him getting close to Ding Yaoyao made her jealous, but throwing a tantrum like a spoiled young lady should depend on the situation. Ding Yaoyao was brought in by him, and if Ding Yaoyao was embarrassed, it was his face that was hurt.
“Enough, how much is this dress? I’ll compensate you.”
Upon hearing this, Ding Yaoyao quickly shook her head: “President Li, you don’t have to help me, I’ll compensate her.”
Xia Yuan sneered from the side, fully embodying the role of a malicious supporting character: “Three hundred thousand, can you afford it? What will you compensate with?”
Ding Yaoyao’s face turned red, indeed she couldn’t pull out that much money. She was just a girl from an ordinary family, her father favored her sister, and her stepmother stopped caring for her after she came of age, she really didn’t have that much money.
Subconsciously, Ding Yaoyao looked towards Li Ting.
Li Ting, seeing those tearful eyes, felt a pang in his heart, and comfortingly patted her, his eagle eyes warning Xia Yuan: “Yuan’er, enough is enough, I’ll give you the money when we get back.”
Xia Yuan’s face turned pale, her momentum deflating, her delicate and bright eyes revealing a hint of fragility: “Brother Li, it’s clearly her fault, why are you treating me like this? I don’t want to see her, kick her out.”
Li Ting remained unmoved, familiar with her usual tricks of playing the victim.
“Ding Yaoyao has already apologized, Yuan’er, don’t be too harsh.”
As soon as Li Ting said this, the rich girls watching the drama immediately chimed in: “Exactly, Miss Xia, Miss Ding didn’t do it on purpose. Aren’t you being too demanding?”
“Oh, I forgot, Miss Xia has been chasing after President Li since she was young. Could this be jealousy?”
“Indeed, Miss Xia really, I don’t know how many jokes she’s made. In my opinion, girls should be more reserved…”
“…”
Xia Yuan has always had the temperament of a young lady. Her family background is good, and she dares to make sarcastic remarks behind others in her circle.
Today, Xia Ke was not present, and the first to speak was the Li family’s daughter, who has always been at odds with Xia Yuan. Once she spoke, everyone added their comments, making the remarks increasingly unpleasant.
Xia Yuan was so angry that she trembled, and Hua Yingying quickly defended Xia Yuan: “You’ve misunderstood, Miss Xia is a very nice person, she…”
Hua Yingying was outnumbered.
The commotion grew louder, naturally attracting the attention of others.
Meng Xiyue looked up and saw Xia Yuan being besieged by everyone. She stood there, alone, but held herself upright, occasionally retorting, holding her own for the time being.
Until…
Li Ting said, “Xia Yuan, apologize.”
Xia Yuan almost thought she had heard wrong, she looked at Li Ting in disbelief: “Brother Li, what did you say?”
Li Ting looked at Ding Yaoyao beside him, who could hardly stand. Her usually stubborn eyes were now dim and lifeless, and his heart inexplicably ached.
“Apologize for what you just said about Yaoyao.”
“I didn’t say anything wrong.” Xia Yuan glared fiercely at Ding Yaoyao: “Dare you say you haven’t climbed into Brother Li’s bed?”
Ding Yaoyao stepped back, feeling the burning gazes of the people around her, wanting nothing more than to escape from here.
Li Ting stepped forward, raising his hand to strike.
A hand as white as snow stopped his, and a cold voice sounded.
“Mr. Li, hitting a woman is not the behavior of a gentleman.”
The moment Li Ting extended his hand, he regretted it. He was just furious. It was one thing for him to stop himself, but being publicly criticized made Li Ting, who was always adored by others, feel as if his dignity was being trampled on the ground.
Especially since that person was Meng Xiyue.
When Xia Yuan saw Meng Xiyue arrive, she exploded with anger. Yet, she still held her head high with arrogance.
Meng Xiyue originally had no interest in this drama and was about to leave early. However, when her gaze fell on Xia Yuan’s injured and sorrowful eyes, she pursed her lips. Her cold eyes dimmed slightly until she saw Li Ting take a step forward.
Meng Xiyue still came over.
Indeed, as the villainess in the book, even just out of the hospital, Xia Yuan could still stir up trouble.
Li Ting shook off Meng Xiyue’s restraining hand and snorted, “I didn’t expect Miss Meng to be so close to Xia Yuan.”
Meng Xiyue’s expression remained cold, ignoring his sarcastic remark.
Li Ting wanted to say more but was stopped by Ding Yaoyao pulling at his sleeve, swallowing any further words he had.
After everyone had left, Meng Xiyue turned to look at Xia Yuan.
Xia Yuan didn’t know why, but she felt the other’s gaze was very serious. She shifted her eyes, then raised her head to stare at Meng Xiyue, “What, you think I’m wrong too?”
Meng Xiyue thought that if she dared to nod, the other would definitely come at her, claws ready.
However…
“Miss Xia, publicly attacking a lady is not the behavior a lady should have.”
Hearing the other defend Ding Yaoyao and lecture her, all the grievances she felt exploded, “What’s it to you? Who do you think you are? Don’t think you can lecture me just because you helped me.”
After saying that, she stormed off in her high heels.
Hua Yingying looked apologetically at Meng Xiyue, then hurried after Xia Yuan.
Meng Xiyue watched the other’s retreating figure, suddenly pursing her lips.
