Chapter 67 What if I never find a man I can entrust my life to?
Zhao Bin couldn't understand how Ning Jinli had suddenly become the big boss of Baoyuntang, but now was not the time to think about such things.
All he knew was that at this moment, President An could no longer keep his position.
Once fired, he will not only lose the opportunity to repair his relationship with President An, but will also leave a huge stain on his otherwise illustrious career.
Although Baoyuntang is not a nationally renowned company, it has a good reputation in the antique industry, and many big names in various industries in Xinghan City are long-time customers of Baoyuntang.
As a senior executive in his department, his dismissal from the company would inevitably reach the ears of those bigwigs, which would be tantamount to a death sentence for his future career prospects in Xinghan City!
"Boss Ning..." Zhao Bin pleaded, tears streaming down his face, "Please punish me... Deduct my salary, make me write a self-criticism, demote me, or even pay me compensation, please don't fire me! Otherwise, my future will be ruined, and I'll never be able to make a name for myself again!"
Ning Jinli just watched silently, a cold smile of disgust on her lips.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Zhao Bin moved his knees and apologized to Su Qinglan: "Aunt Su... I'm sorry! I... I was wrong! I shouldn't have hit you! I was being unreasonable! Please forgive me... I beg you to forgive me."
He had heard Ning Jinli tell him about Aunt Su's pitiful past before, and it was clear that she was a kind and soft-hearted person.
He thought that as long as he was nice enough, the other party would definitely not be able to bear it.
Once Ning Jinli persuades Aunt Su, she will let him off the hook out of respect for Aunt Su.
"Aunt Su...please..." Zhao Bin pleaded, looking up at her.
Snap!
Another slap rang out.
It was Aunt Su who made the call.
The slap not only surprised Zhao Bin, but also startled Ning Jinli.
You should know that Aunt Su is always gentle to people. Even if she is bullied, she will often bear everything herself to resolve the conflict. She even argues in a soft voice and would never fight with anyone.
But this time, she slapped Zhao Bin without saying a word.
"Aunt Su, you..." Zhao Bin covered his face in shock.
"Don't call me Aunt Su anymore!" Su Qinglan said angrily, "This slap was on behalf of Xiao Li! Xiao Li used to always praise you in front of me, and you actually betrayed her!"
Su Qinglan grew angrier as she spoke, and her breathing became rapid.
Ning Jinli quickly patted her chest to soothe her, "Aunt Su, don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health over someone like that."
Su Qinglan took a slow, deep breath and continued speaking to Zhao Bin, "I can forgive you for hitting me, but... but I will never forgive you for cheating on me while you were dating Xiao Li! I will never forgive you for hurting Xiao Li!"
Zhao Bin was speechless.
The attempt to persuade Aunt Su failed.
He could only cling to his last sliver of hope and turned to look at President An.
He figured Ning Jinli wouldn't fire President An as well. As long as President An did her best to protect him, he could accept being demoted to a regular employee.
In short... he can't be expelled!
Zhao Bin slowly opened his mouth, "An—"
Before he could even finish the word "General Manager," a look of disgust flashed across General Manager An's eyes, and he interrupted, "Don't call me that. I'll listen to the boss."
This was not her way of showing affection to Ning Jinli.
It was Zhao Bin who repeatedly refreshed her understanding in a short period of time.
Even after hearing Zhao Bin admit to his scumbag behavior, she still couldn't completely sever her feelings for him, so even after breaking up with him, she still wanted to keep him.
Deep down, she even harbored a slight hope that if he behaved well in the future, she could try giving him a chance to get back together with him.
But just now.
His kneeling and pleading shattered her hopes completely.
Because his kneeling, apology, and pleading were solely for his future, without any genuine remorse or reflection on his own mistakes.
Therefore, he did not realize his mistake.
He was just scared...
Such a person is incapable of reforming.
Zhao Bin finally realized that President An's eyes had turned icy cold, and he could no longer see any emotion in them.
He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.
After several seconds of silence, he slowly stood up, as if his soul had been ripped away, and left the office with unsteady, swaying steps.
As he walked out the door, he turned back to look at Ning Jinli's retreating figure.
“Ning—Jin—Li,” he thought, his eyes filled with resentment as he recalled his utterly humiliated state. He gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, “You’re really something…you’ve hurt me time and time again. You just wait…”
"I swear, I will make something of myself, and one day I will make you kneel before me like a dog. One day I will wash away the shame I have suffered today a thousandfold!"
After Zhao Bin left.
President An solemnly apologized to Ning Jinli, admitting that he had some personal motives in his initial handling of Zhao Bin, and that he was willing to accept any punishment from Ning Jinli, even resigning voluntarily.
Ning Jinli laughed and said, "Then I'll punish you by making you work overtime a few more times."
Mr. An was taken aback. "Miss Ning, you..."
Ning Jinli walked in and gently took her hand. "I know what it feels like to be deceived and hurt by that scumbag, so I can understand you. Luckily, you came to your senses quickly, proving that you're not love-struck, so I can trust you too."
Mr. An's nose involuntarily felt sore.
She never expected that she would be so deeply moved by the words of a young woman who was almost ten years younger than her.
The feeling of being understood by others... made her want to cry.
"Thank you, Ms. Ning," President An said, his eyes reddening, but he tried to remain calm and gave a sincere smile. "I will continue to work hard to run the company well."
"By the way, the position of security captain will be given to him from now on." Ning Jinli pointed to Xiao Zhang.
Mr. An nodded, "Yes, Miss Ning."
Xiao Zhang was overjoyed. "Thank you, Miss Ning!"
"You're welcome," Ning Jinli said with a smile. "I promised you. I still need to take Aunt Su to the hospital. You guys go ahead and do your work, bye-bye."
President An offered to deliver it, but Ning Jinli declined.
After Ning Jinli left with Aunt Su, President An immediately called the human resources department and asked Xiao Zhang to adjust his position.
Then, Uncle Wu called.
"Wow, that was tough! Finally, we have a signal!" Wu San exclaimed, then hurriedly asked, "Has Miss Ning arrived at the company yet?"
Mr. An replied, "She just left."
Master Wu asked again, "How is it?"
"What do you mean, 'how about'?" President An retorted. "Are you worried that I won't get along with people?"
"Ahem... I was just a little worried that you might think Miss Ning is too young and not take her seriously." Master Wu's tone was somewhat cautious.
Despite being the founder of Baoyuntang, he dared not offend this female CEO.
Firstly, he has extremely strong work ability, and secondly, he is arrogant and has a bad temper.
Even Wu Sanye, the boss, sometimes gets roasted by President An.
“Although Miss Ning is young, she is…” President An said earnestly, “she is a really good person.”
Wu Sanye exclaimed in surprise, "Wow? This is the first time I've heard our CEO An praise someone! Miss Ning has only met you once, and she's already won over this strong woman? I suddenly feel like such a failure..."
Mr. An chuckled, "Alright, Third Master, you go ahead with your work and don't bother me."
"Well, with Miss Ning as the big boss, I'm afraid I'll have even less status with you after becoming the second boss. Sigh, I'm really miserable..." Third Master Wu said jokingly, feigning sadness.
"Stop being silly, bye-bye." Mr. An hung up the phone with a smile.
——
After Ning Jinli and Su Qinglan left the company, even though Su Qinglan kept saying that she was fine and didn't need to go to the hospital, Ning Jinli still took her for a thorough check-up.
Fortunately, it was only a minor external injury.
Ning Jinli was finally relieved. After the doctor treated her, he drove her away.
"Huh? Xiao Li, this road doesn't lead to our house, nor to your factory. Where are we going?" Su Qinglan asked, looking out the passenger window.
Ning Jinli said mysteriously, "I have a surprise for you. That's why I called you today. If you hadn't run into some trouble while working at Baoyuntang Company, you would have already seen the surprise."
"You silly child..." Su Qinglan said helplessly, "You didn't spend money on me again, did you?"
Ning Jinli smiled brightly, "It's only right that I spend money on you!"
The car sped along, and as they approached their destination, Ning Jinli told her to close her eyes.
Then, the car gradually slowed down and drove into Lanyue Villa.
When they arrived at the villa, Ning Jinli helped Su Qinglan, who had her eyes closed, out of the car. "Okay, open your eyes! Ta-da!"
Su Qinglan slowly opened her eyes, and the scene of the luxurious villa came into view, leaving her stunned.
She had only ever seen places like this in TV dramas and movies before.
"Do you like it here?" Ning Jinli asked with a grin, linking her arm with hers. "This is our new home!"
Su Qinglan's lips trembled as she asked incredulously, "This...this is the house you bought?"
“Yes,” Ning Jinli bent down and gently rested her head on her slender shoulder, “I told you before, when I grow up I’ll give you a big and beautiful house to live in…”
Su Qinglan was both touched and worried. "Xiao Li, you... this is too expensive."
Ning Jinli said, "It didn't cost any money; they gave me a discount."
Aunt Su was even more helpless. "Even with the discount, it's still a villa. Tell me, how much did it cost? Millions or tens of millions?"
She could tell it was a very nice villa, but she had no idea about its approximate price.
Ning Jinli deliberately changed the subject, asking, "You don't like this house?"
Su Qinglan thought to herself, "Xiao Li is running both a factory and a company now. It must be hard for her. And who knows when she might run into some trouble and need a lot of money. I can live anywhere, but I need to think more about Xiao Li and help her save money."
"I don't like it, it's too big," Su Qinglan replied after thinking for a moment.
Ning Jinli knew what she was thinking, so she deliberately said, "Then leave it here, and I'll buy you another one you like."
Su Qinglan's eyes widened. "Huh? No, you child..."
Ning Jinli said with a grin, "Anyway, I've made up my mind to give you a good house. If you don't like this one, I'll buy you another one. If you don't like the next one, I'll buy the next one, until you're satisfied."
Su Qinglan was both amused and exasperated. She sighed, her eyes welling up with tears. "Alright, this is the one... I really like it."
"Isn't that good enough? Come on, let me show you around the new house." Ning Jinli happily pulled her into the big villa.
The interior has been decorated in Su Qinglan's preferred style, and there are even nannies, drivers, and bodyguards to welcome her.
Su Qinglan felt like she was dreaming. She walked around and looked at things, and even asked Ning Jinli to pinch her.
Ning Jinli smiled and said, "From now on, you can just stay here and enjoy yourself. You don't have to do anything, okay?"
Su Qinglan shook her head. "No, no, I'm not the kind of person who's destined to just enjoy life. If I'm idle, I'm sure I'll get sick, and I won't feel at ease either. As long as I can still move, I have to do some work, otherwise what's the difference between me and a cripple?"
“I knew you were like that,” Ning Jinli pouted. “I’ve made up my mind. You can do some cleaning at Baoyun Hall occasionally.”
Su Qinglan's eyes lit up, "You're the one who understands me best."
Ning Jinli immediately added, "I have conditions: you are only allowed to work at my company, and you are not allowed to go anywhere else."
"Okay, okay," Su Qinglan assured with a smile, "Of course I'll stay at my little Li'er's company, don't worry."
"Also, you absolutely, absolutely cannot get tired," Ning Jinli said seriously, emphasizing deliberately, "I will tell the people over there that if you get tired, I will blame them."
Ning Jinli certainly wouldn't really pin the blame on others; she knew Su Qinglan's personality all too well.
Sure enough, Su Qinglan became anxious. "This won't do. It's my job to clean. How can you blame them?"
Ning Jinli pouted, "So you figure it out..."
Su Qinglan said, "Okay, okay, I promise I'll only do the easiest tasks. I can't let the people in the company get involved; I can't cause them any trouble..."
Ning Jinli chuckled inwardly, "Hehehe, all done."
“Sigh…” Su Qinglan suddenly let out a long sigh.
Ning Jinli immediately tensed up, "Aunt Su, what's wrong?"
Tears welled up in Su Qinglan's eyes. "I was thinking about Zhao Bin. I was thinking about how you dated such a two-faced person for four years. How much suffering did you endure?"
"I'm fine, I'm perfectly alright," Ning Jinli comforted her. "I didn't give him a chance to do anything to me! Although I was a little hurt emotionally... it's all in the past now."
Su Qinglan wiped away her tears and said:
"Back then, I suffered for most of my life because I didn't marry a good man. And now, discovering that your ex-boyfriend Zhao Bin was such a terrible person... I'm terrified for you!"
"Sigh... I've been thinking about this the whole way here, and now I understand. I can't rush you into marriage, absolutely not. You have to make sure you know the other person's character well and that they're someone you can entrust your life to before you marry them."
"More than hoping you get married and have a partner, or hoping to see you have children, I hope you can be happy... If I push you to get married and cause you to marry the wrong person, then I will have ruined your life."
After hearing these words, Ning Jinli was utterly shocked.
Good heavens! Aunt Su's very traditional views, which she had maintained for most of her life, have actually changed?
Am I dreaming?!
"Aunt Su..." Ning Jinli thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "What if I can never find a good man to entrust my life to? What then?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
