99. Forgive because of experience

Ling Ling continued cautiously, "But Group B actually still has some talented people. We don't have to get rid of them all. That would be a loss for our company, right? Take for example that guy named Qu Xiaojiang. When I was in Group B, I thought he had good business skills. Now we also need to take on some of Group B's clients. Why not take him on as well? This will not only ensure the continued stability of the business, but also alleviate the pressure of our short-staffed Group A." Mei Xiao's thick eyelashes flickered as she curled up at her, a hint of disdainful smile on her lips as she said, "Silly girl, do you know why Group A is the strongest group in the company? It's because I only poach people and never accept junk. You can't trade your career fortune in return just because someone took care of you for a few days. In the business world, it's all about exchanging benefits, not buying and selling favors. If you break this rule, you'll have a lot of messes to clean up in the future. It's not worth it!" She finished her makeup and was about to leave. As she passed Ling Ling, she gently pinched her chin and said with a smile, "Alright, stop worrying about those who don't want to work. Just think about how you're going to handle Beiqing tonight!" *~*~*~*~*~*~ The dinner was scheduled to take place at the Chinese restaurant of the International Hotel, where Leonard was staying. Mei Xiao gracefully led Ling Ling into the room. Besides Leonard, there were two other international friends who were not young anymore. Mei Xiao slipped off her Maxmara trench coat, revealing a gorgeous V-neck dress. Ling Ling then realized that with her current skills and experience, she couldn't possibly dress in a way that would satisfy Mei Xiao. The neckline wasn't low enough, the hem wasn't high enough, and it certainly didn't convey an elegant and sexy vibe. The men present exclaimed in ecstasy at Mei Xiao, and she fluttered among them like a swallowtail butterfly in heaven. Fortunately, their conversation was a mix of Chinese and English, so Ling Ling had no language barrier for the time being. Leonard eventually took the main seat, with Ling Ling and Mei Xiao flanking him. As soon as they sat down, Leonard struck up a conversation with Ling Ling: "Team Ling, at that cocktail party in New York last Christmas, I was deeply impressed by you, this oriental beauty. It's a shame you brought a man with you. Don't bring men to events like this in the future. You'll have more opportunities—you can take men back home." Leonard laughed heartily at his own sense of humor, and the men accompanying him, smoking cigars, also laughed. Mei Xiao, of course, couldn't miss the chance to join in the laughter. Ling Ling hadn't expected the jokes to start so soon after they sat down. Even this prominent foreigner was so greasy...

Ling Ling then said cautiously, "But Group B actually still has some talented people. We shouldn't get rid of them all. That would be a loss for our company, wouldn't it? For example, there's Qu Xiaojiang. When I was in Group B, I thought he had good business skills. Now we need to take on some of Group B's clients, so why not take him on as well? This will ensure the continued stability of our business and alleviate the pressure of our short-staffed Group A."

Mei Xiao's thick eyelashes flickered as she curled up at her, a disdainful smile playing on her lips. "Silly girl, do you know why Team A is the strongest team in the company? It's because I only recruit people and never accept waste. You can't trade your career fortune just because someone took care of you for a few days. In the business world, it's all about exchanging benefits, not favors. If you break this rule, you'll have a lot of messes to clean up in the future. It's not worth it!"

She finished her makeup and prepared to leave. When she passed Ling Ling, she gently pinched her chin and said with a smile: "Okay, don't worry about people who don't want to work. Think about how to get Beiqing tonight!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~

The dinner was scheduled to be held at the Chinese restaurant of the International Hotel where Leonard was staying. Mei Xiao entered the venue with Ling Ling in a graceful manner. In addition to Leonard, there were two international friends who were also not young anymore.

Mei Xiao entered the room, removing her Maxmara trench coat to reveal a gorgeous V-neck dress. Ling Ling then realized that with her current abilities and experience, it was impossible for her to dress in a way that would satisfy Mei Xiao. The neckline wasn't low enough, the hem wasn't high enough, and there was no way Ling Ling could project an elegant sexiness.

The men present exclaimed passionately at Mei Xiao, who fluttered among them like a swallowtail butterfly in heaven. Fortunately, their conversation was a mix of Chinese and English, so Ling Ling had no language barrier for the time being. Leonard eventually took the main seat, with Ling Ling and Mei Xiao flanking him.

As soon as they sat down, Leonard took the initiative to talk to Ling Ling: "Team Ling, at the cocktail party in New York after Christmas last year, I was very impressed by you, an oriental beauty. It's a pity that you came with a male companion. Don't bring men to such occasions in the future. You will have more opportunities - you can take men back." After that, Leonard laughed proudly at his sense of humor. The men who accompanied him were also amused by laughing while smoking cigars. Of course, Mei Xiao could not miss this moment to join in the laughter.

Ling Ling hadn't expected the jokes to start coming out the moment she sat down. This prominent foreigner was just as sleazy, too. He wouldn't dare sexually harass her in his own country, so he came to a third world country to test the waters and engage in verbal abuse, right? Even with all the indignation in her heart, Ling Ling didn't dare act rashly.

She raised her glass to Leonard in a coquettish manner: "Mr. Leonard, thank you for remembering me. I'll toast to you with the first glass of wine."

"Hey, didn't I take your virginity? Although our country's culture doesn't care about first times like yours." Leonard teased and drank the wine.

Ling Ling felt that these utterly vulgar jokes were unbecoming of Leonard's stature. In her mind, they were only the fantasies of greasy, sweaty old men on the street who, having achieved success, dressed up like a gentleman and then harassed waiters at a dinner party. It could only be said that sluts knew no nationality, race, or age. In civilized places, they were subject to stricter constraints and had to behave themselves; otherwise, their true colors would be exposed.

Ling Ling suppressed her disgust and drank the glass of wine with a smile. She felt that the alcohol was not sliding down her throat, but flowing down the cracks in her spine.

The meal continued with this kind of shameless interactions and inane conversation. Mei Xiao repeatedly remarked on Ling Ling's luck in having met Leonard in New York. Ling Ling sensed the underlying meaning: how could a small-time employee like her get ahead of her boss when it came to such a valuable client? Furthermore, she didn't want to get too close to someone like Leonard; it would be best if she had nothing to do with him. She constantly expressed her loyalty to Mei Xiao, showing it by desperately trying to block the alcohol for her.

After the meal, Ling Ling relied on her strong willpower to see Leonard and his group off when the party ended. Mei Xiao was also quite righteous, forcing Ling Ling's hand out of Leonard's grasp and sending her home in a taxi.

Ling Ling stumbled out of the elevator and reached her door. She pulled out her key, only to discover the lock wasn't working. She realized she'd made a mistake and could just look up the door number. She began banging on the door frantically. She'd never drunk so much before, and while she was trying to stay awake, her limbs were clearly uncontrollable.

Yu Chuanbei trotted to open the door, and a drunken Ling Ling suddenly leaned over and threw herself into his arms. He had no time to react, and the two of them fell to the ground in the hallway. Before Ling Ling could say anything, she suddenly climbed off him and rushed to the bathroom, vomiting violently.

"Are you having a drinking party tonight? Why did you drink so much?" Yu Chuanbei hurried over and patted her back.

They had been in a cold war for many days, and Ling Ling deliberately didn't tell him about today's itinerary.

Seeing that Ling Ling had nothing to vomit, Yu Chuanbei took a glass of water and asked her to rinse her mouth.

After rinsing her mouth, Ling Ling sat on the floor beside the toilet, panting with her face up. She said plaintively, "I don't know how alcohol can help me drown my sorrows. Drinking too much makes me feel as sick as if I were seriously ill. Are alcoholics crazy?"

Seeing Ling Ling's pale face after vomiting, Yu Chuanbei couldn't help but say distressedly, "Look at you wearing formal clothes, is it for work? You don't have to work so hard. If you don't want to go, you don't have to go. If you want to leave midway, just ask me to pick you up."

Although these words warmed Ling Ling's heart, she was still unable to switch from her angry state with him. She pushed him away and went to the bathroom to take a shower. She felt that she smelled terrible at the moment.

After coming out of the shower, Ling Ling was still staggering. She casually put on Yu Chuanbei's linen pajamas, buttoned a few buttons at random, and climbed onto the bed with the help of the wall.

After cleaning up the messy bathroom, Yu Chuanbei saw her lying on the bed, but she had forgotten to remove her makeup. So he took her usual makeup remover oil and cotton pads from the bathroom, sat on the floor at the head of her bed, and slowly helped her remove her makeup.

Ling Ling was not asleep, she just closed her eyes because she would feel dizzy if she opened them.

"I thought you would blame me." Ling Ling said quietly.

Yu Chuanbei was diligently helping her remove her makeup. He chuckled and asked, "Why do I blame you?"

"A lot of things." Ling Ling felt very aggrieved. She had felt aggrieved all night, and she felt even more aggrieved when he treated her so gently.

"I don't think you've done anything wrong." Yu Chuanbei's tone was still relaxed and gentle.

After he helped her remove her makeup, he wiped her clean with a warm towel. She held his hand, and he lay down on the bed, slid under the covers behind her, and hugged her from behind.

Ling Ling spoke again, her voice choked with sobs and a heavy nasal tone: "You are quite skilled at removing makeup."

"Don't forget I have three sisters. Now let me help you draw them again. I can do it all."

"If I lie on my back and let you put on makeup for me, won't it look like I'm putting on death makeup?" Ling Ling's voice also became a little more relaxed.

"Haha, that's true. From now on, just sit here and I'll help you put it on. Just don't get angry with me again. It's really tormenting." He held her body tight.

Ling Ling sighed softly and said, "While I was drinking with you tonight, I kept thinking about the time you did. Drinking, exchanging benefits, flirting, and physical contact are probably essential at work. I've experienced it myself this time, so I don't blame you so much."

Yu Chuanbei said, "I did those things against my will in the hope of earning enough capital so that the people I love wouldn't have to do those things anymore. In the past, it was my parents and my sisters, and now it's you."

Ling Ling nodded and kissed his arms, which were folded around her chest. She was touched by his words, but at the same time, she had no intention of just sitting back and enjoying his success. So, in the future, she would not follow her own heart at such dinners. She still had to find her own independent living space.

Seeing Ling Ling was quiet, Yu Chuanbei suddenly said, "Did you notice that I changed the lock on our door? It's a fingerprint lock, and you can also use a password. The password is your birthday. This way, I won't lock you out again."