Chapter 32 You spoke, how could I…
Chu Song's eyes were full of disgust as he coldly surveyed the resentful couple.
Xie Tang's gaze was drawn to Xuanxuan, a boy at the door who was pale with fright and clutching his fingers tightly, and a strong feeling of pity welled up in her heart.
"Dad, Mom, stop arguing..." Xuanxuan's voice was barely audible, trembling with sobs.
Han Shan then noticed his son and questioned Yu Liu in shock, "Who told you to bring him here?"
"I want him to see it with his own eyes!" Yu Liu glared venomously at Han Shan, "to see how his father treated his ex-wife and daughter with his whole heart! And how he ruthlessly tried to kill us, mother and son!"
"Get out of here! Stop making a fool of yourself!" Han Shan was furious.
"Fine! Han Shan! You'll regret this!" Yu Liu shouted sharply, grabbing Xuanxuan's hand. "Let's go!"
Xuanxuan staggered, but stubbornly turned back to look at Han Shan, her eyes filled with fear and pleading.
"Go away!" Yu Liu roughly pulled him, her voice sharp and shrill, "Your dad doesn't want you anymore! What are you still looking at!"
Xie Tang felt as if she had been pricked by a needle; she could not bear to see Yu Liu so brutally harming innocent children.
Han Shan was utterly shocked.
He had never seen Yu Liu so ferocious and inconsiderate of the child's feelings.
She was always gentle and tender in front of him, and always spoke softly to the children.
Was it anger that revealed her true colors?
Or... is this her true nature?
When he's not around, does she treat Xuanxuan the same way?
He suddenly remembered that when Mao Tongtong made a mistake, Mao Lan had a fiery temper, but she never yelled at the child like that.
Han Shan quickly walked to his son, squatted down, and tried to soften his voice: "Xuanxuan, be good, come back with Mommy first. Daddy will come find you as soon as he's done here, okay?"
With tears in her eyes, Xuanxuan nodded vigorously before being forcibly dragged away by Yu Liu, who kept turning back to look at her.
Seeing that the agreement had been signed, Mao Lan picked up her copy of the agreement, stood up, and left briskly.
Xie Tang and the others then left the conference room.
Chu Song looked at Han Shan, who was dejected and looked like a defeated rooster, and raised his chin in an annoyed tone: "Sit down."
Han Shan slumped down, his face full of shame: "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Mr. Chu."
Chu Song pushed the document in front of him, his voice devoid of warmth: "Given your failure to properly handle personal affairs, which has severely damaged the company's image, the board of directors has resolved to remove you from your position as CEO of Fenghua Group."
Han Shan suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with resentment: "President Chu! I joined Fenghua right after graduation, and for the company..."
“I know,” Chu Song interrupted him, his eyes slightly cold. “That’s why I protected you.”
Han Shan's tense nerves relaxed slightly: "What's the price?"
"One year is the limit. Fenghua Group's overall performance must double." Chu Song pointed to the document. "During this period, your original authority and benefits will remain unchanged, but all important decisions and work must be reported directly to me. If this is not achieved by the end of the year..."
He paused, then said, "Either accept the demotion and pay cut, or... leave Fenghua."
Han Shan stared intently at the betting agreement before him, his gaze sharp.
The immense humiliation and resentment transformed into a fierce determination.
Starting over? He can do it!
“Okay!” He picked up the pen and signed his name without hesitation.
After signing the document, he looked up at the young CEO, who was younger than him but had an imposing presence, and couldn't help but ask, "President Chu, aren't you afraid of public opinion if you protect me?"
Chu Song picked up the agreement and stood up, giving him a calm look: "I just hope I haven't misjudged you."
After saying that, he turned and left.
-----------------
On the first floor of the building, Mao Lan held Li Qing's hand tightly, praising Xie Tang's outstanding performance and saying that she would hold a grand banquet to entertain the legal team and present them with a banner.
Li Qing smiled and politely declined the banner, saying that doing his job was his duty, and then arranged to have dinner with her on the weekend.
Mao Lan then breathed a sigh of relief and left with light steps.
After seeing Li Qing and the others off, Xie Tang prepared to go home.
“Ah Tang…” a familiar voice sounded from behind.
Xie Tang turned around.
Gu Chang stood not far away, his well-tailored black suit accentuating his tall and straight figure. His meticulously styled hair had shed the naivety of their first meeting, and his well-defined face now showed a more composed and resolute demeanor.
He walked calmly to her.
Xie Tang was somewhat surprised and smiled, "What a coincidence, I didn't expect you to come today."
"What's wrong with your feet?" Gu Chang asked, his gaze falling on her feet. His tone was concerned. He had noticed earlier that she was walking a little strangely.
"I sprained my ankle the day before yesterday," Xie Tang replied casually. "It's much better now."
"You twisted your ankle and you're still wearing high heels?" Gu Chang frowned immediately, his expression clearly disapproving, and subconsciously bent down to check her ankle.
Startled by his sudden action, Xie Tang took a step back: "What are you doing?"
Gu Chang looked at Xie Tang's slightly swollen ankle, stood up and said, "It's still a little swollen, let me take you to the hospital."
Xie Tang declined, "No need, I've already applied the medicated wine."
"Then I'll take you back."
"No need..." she declined again.
The repeated rejections stirred a strange anger within Gu Chang, but he still looked at her persistently, "Saturday night, can you come?"
Xie Tang looked away, avoiding the burning expectation. "I'm sorry, my mother's surgery is scheduled, and I have to go to the hospital to be with her these next few days."
"I see..." Gu Chang's eyes dimmed instantly. "Auntie's surgery is important. I'll visit her after this busy period is over."
"Hmm." Xie Tang didn't want the atmosphere to become too awkward, and even more so, she didn't want him to see through the distance she was deliberately maintaining, so she asked casually, "How are things going at Junmeng?"
"I'm incredibly busy," Gu Chang said, loosening his meticulously tied tie. "I'm working day and night, doing nothing but non-litigation work."
“That’s good. The one thing that’s never lacking in the Red Circle is cases.”
"Do you want to come over? I can..." Gu Chang asked tentatively.
Xie Tang's eyes lit up, "Is your team short-staffed?"
“Hmm,” Gu Chang smiled as well, “If it were you…”
"No, it wasn't me," Xie Tang quickly explained, his eyes earnest. "It's Yin Xi. She's planning to leave Yingzheng. Could you please help me get an introduction? You know her work ability."
After speaking, she nervously observed Gu Chang's reaction, wanting to give her friend a chance but also afraid of causing him trouble.
Gu Chang could hardly hide his disappointment. Suppressing his surging emotions, he said, "Since you asked, how could I not help?"
Xie Tang smiled with relief, gratitude and trust replacing her earlier unease: "Thank you! No matter the outcome, I will remember this kindness."
"We'll see," Gu Chang said with a hint of bitterness. "I thought you'd prefer to go to a top-tier firm. It would be a real waste for your talent to be stuck at Winning."
"Everyone has their own ambitions," Xie Tang said with a nonchalant smile.
At this moment, Chu Song and Gu Shun walked out of the elevator together, their eyes falling on Xie Tang and Gu Chang, who were chatting and laughing.
Chu Song recalled the undisguised lingering affection Gu Chang had shown Xie Tang in the conference room, and a strange sense of unease, as if her territory had been invaded, welled up inside her.
He called out, "A-Tang."
Upon hearing this, Xie Tang apologized to Gu Chang and quickly walked towards Chu Song.
As Gu Chang watched her turn and leave, the warmth on his face vanished instantly.
Chu Song introduced her to her uncle, Gu Shun.
Gu Shun shook her hand warmly, praising her without reservation, and extended an olive branch directly: "Attorney Xie is exceptionally talented; it's truly a waste of her abilities to work in a small firm. Would you be interested in developing your career at Junmeng?"
Xie Tang politely declined with a smile.
After Gu Shun left, Chu Song asked, "Are you done with your work?"
"Yes, I'm getting ready to go home."
Chu Song looked down at her ankle and said with concern, "Your foot isn't fully healed yet, so don't wear high heels."
"It doesn't hurt much anymore," Xie Tang replied, her gaze inadvertently drifting to the distance where she saw Gu Chang and Gu Shun leaving, while Han Shan's son, Han Xuan, stood alone, looking dejected, with no sign of Yu Liu.
This child left a deep impression on her. Despite being young and well-behaved, he always seemed preoccupied, like a frightened little animal.
She couldn't help but walk over.
"Are you waiting for your father?" Xie Tang asked softly.
Han Xuan nodded sullenly.
Where is your mother?
"She's gone." The boy's voice was heavy with sobs, but he tried to hold them back. "She said I'm a burden and she doesn't want me anymore."
Xie Tang felt a pang of sadness and squatted down: "She's your mother, how could she not want you? She was just saying that in anger."
"She just doesn't love me!" He rubbed his eyes hard. "She loves being pretty, loves having fun, loves her dad, loves money... she loves everything, but she doesn't love me. Don't underestimate me just because I'm young, I know everything."
Tears of grievance finally rolled down her cheeks.
Xie Tang gently stroked his head, remaining silent for a moment.
Chu Song gestured to Tong Lan, who was standing to the side.
Tong Lan quickly stepped forward to comfort him: "Your father will be downstairs soon."
Upon hearing this, Han Xuan hurriedly wiped away his tears.
Looking at the boy's profile as he tried to appear calm, Xie Tang felt a deep sense of sorrow and helplessness.
Is such a family a blessing or a curse for him?
Chu Song's deep voice pulled her back from her thoughts. He took her arm and said, "Let's go, I'll take you home."
"Don't you have to go to work?" Xie Tang looked up at him. "I can take a taxi home."
"Take a break." Chu Song's tone left no room for argument.
On the way home, the carriage was quiet.
Overwhelmed by drowsiness, Xie Tang's head gradually tilted towards the car window, and she soon fell into a deep sleep.
After arriving home, Chu Song called her several times, but she remained fast asleep.
Without further hesitation, he bent down, picked her up, and carried her back to her room.
When Xie Tang woke up, the streetlights were already on outside the window, past dinnertime.
Aunt Yu left her some food.
"Where's Song Ge?" she asked.
"After finishing his meal, he went to his study, saying he had work to do."
Xie Tang nodded knowingly and did not go up to disturb them.
After finishing her meal quietly and taking a comfortable hot bath, she strolled into the yard.
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