Chapter 20: Quit?
On Saturday night, Yu Xin invited Liang Ruwei to dinner at a Japanese restaurant near Yu Sheng.
A delicate and glistening platter of fresh seafood was served, and the sukiyaki was bubbling away. Once all the dishes were served, the waiter closed the door to the private room for two.
Yu Xin had little appetite and only drank tea to fill his stomach, while Liang Ruwei ate heartily.
Unlike the leisurely young master in front of her, she had a lot of physical exertion from her daily work, so her appetite was never lacking.
While eating the hot pot, Liang Ruwei swallowed the food in her mouth and said, "What, you invited me here because you've already decided to take over your dad's company?"
Yu Xin put down his cup, the lush orange light reflecting in his eyes, only to be instantly obscured by his long eyelashes, concealing all his emotions.
He said calmly, "No, what's your opinion?"
Liang Ruwei dipped the cooked Wagyu beef into raw egg, then put it in her mouth. The sauce was rich and the beef was tender, and she looked completely satisfied.
Seeing that she was enjoying her meal, Yu Xin also picked up a piece of salmon with his chopsticks, chewed a few times, and drank a dry sip of tea before swallowing it. He still didn't have any desire to eat anything.
Liang Ruwei finally remembered to answer his question, and said sarcastically, "Of course I support it. From now on, the chairman will be my 'cousin,' so I can do whatever I want in the company."
Yu Xin knew she was referring to the time he called her "cousin" that day, and said helplessly, "There was a reason for that."
"I can tell." Liang Ruwei smiled. "You don't want her to know about your relationship with the company, so you can only connect it to me to explain why you're here, right?"
Yu Xin's silence indirectly confirmed her guess. Liang Ruwei rarely managed to catch him red-handed, so naturally she didn't want to let him go this time. She added, "Want to take over for her? I didn't realize you were into office romances. But you didn't even tell her your true identity. Don't blame your cousin for not reminding you; women hate being lied to the most."
"It's not because of her."
He and Shen Mengqing don't need this company to connect them. On the contrary, if he came to the company, he wasn't sure how Shen Mengqing's attitude towards him would change.
He seemed to lack confidence in this relationship.
A few days ago, someone he hadn't seen in a long time contacted him for a meeting.
This person's appearance completely disrupted all his plans, dragging his life, which had finally begun to bask in the sunlight, back into layers of smog.
Yu Xin's eyes flickered, and his entire aura became as cold and stern as an iceberg.
He listened as Liang Ruwei chatted idly about life, tapping his teacup with his hand and lowering his head in thought.
Towards the end of the conversation, Liang Ruwei seemed to remember something and said, "I don't really like talking about gossip at work, but something has reached my ears, so I thought I'd tell you anyway."
"Shen Mengqing wanted to transfer to my department, but the approval process has been stalled for several months by her department head, Liang Jun. You may not know Liang Jun well. I won't comment on his work ability, but he likes to cultivate relationships with shareholders in private. I heard that Zhang's son has only been with the company for a few years, but he is already making waves in his department. A few days ago, Liang Jun transferred most of Shen Mengqing's client resources to Zhang Tu. To put it bluntly, he is forcing her to resign voluntarily."
"However, if you don't want to take over the company, you don't have to worry about it."
Liang Ruwei was deliberately trying to provoke him; she was quite curious about what decision Yu Xin would make.
To her disappointment, Yu Xin didn't react much, only nodding listlessly.
After the dinner ended, the two picked up the bill and went out. They hadn't gone far when, as they passed a large private room, an unfamiliar colleague came out and met them.
The man was from the sales department. After recognizing Liang Ruwei, he quickly said politely, "Manager Liang, you're eating here too."
As for the young man with slightly stern eyes next to Liang Ruwei, he didn't recognize him.
Liang Ruwei smiled and glanced into the room unintentionally, her eyes meeting those of Liang Jun, who was sitting in the main seat.
Liang Jun immediately stood up and came out. He was about to greet Liang Ruwei, but when he saw who was next to her, his expression changed and he instantly became extremely respectful.
"Hello, Mr. Yu, I'm Liang Jun from the sales department of Yusheng." He extended his hand to Yu Xin. "What a coincidence, you and Manager Liang are also here for dinner."
Liang Jun sneered inwardly, mocking Liang Ruwei for her quick actions; Chairman Yu was still ill, yet she couldn't wait to cultivate a good relationship with Yu Xin.
Yu Xin hesitated for a moment before shaking hands and said in a low voice, "Mm."
"Have you guys eaten yet? Our department is having a team-building dinner, and we ordered a lot of dishes. Do you want to join us?" Liang Jun warmly invited.
Liang Ruwei hated people who flattered and were two-faced. Since Yu Xin was definitely not going to agree, she didn't bother to find an excuse to leave and waited for Yu Xin to reject her.
Unexpectedly, after a few seconds, Yu Xin glanced indifferently at the people in the room and replied, "Okay."
Liang Ruwei couldn't hide her surprise as she watched Yu Xin follow Liang Jun inside. Judging from his expression, she felt as if a storm was brewing.
She entered the private room, looked around, and found that Shen Mengqing was not there.
No wonder Yu Xin dared to come in. Liang Ruwei finally understood. He probably came to avenge Shen Mengqing. It was the first time she had ever seen her aloof distant cousin care about someone so much.
It's a pity the person involved wasn't there.
As the last person to enter the house, Liang Ruwei closed the door, isolating herself from the eye of the storm.
Liang Jun naturally gave the main seat to Yu Xin, personally provided him with a new set of chopsticks and bowls, and even brought him a menu to ask if he wanted to add any dishes.
Yu Xin didn't say anything, but put the menu on the table and said in an inscrutable tone, "Does your department often have group meals?"
“It doesn’t happen often,” Liang Jun said with a smile. “This week has been too busy, so we’ll just take up Saturday’s time. The time and place for the dinner were decided by everyone’s vote. It’s absolutely voluntary. I won’t force anyone to come to this kind of event.”
Yu Xin understood, then asked, "How many people are in the sales department in total?"
Liang Jun was taken aback and said, "There are twelve of us, including me."
"Then why are there only eleven?"
The questions Yu Xin posed caught Liang Jun off guard. He had thought that Yu Xin would be coming to Yusheng soon and wanted to learn about the situation beforehand. He was quite willing to answer questions and get closer to this mysterious young master. But the questions sounded stranger and stranger, as if Yu Xin was there to pick a fight with him.
Liang Jun's forehead gradually broke out in a light sweat. He said, "There's someone who isn't involved, so she didn't come."
"Voluntary non-participation?" Yu Xin pressed aggressively.
Liang Jun quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, she's a bit of a loner."
Yu Xin didn't reply, but tapped the table with his fingertips. He raised his sharp gaze and swept it over everyone before finally landing on Liang Jun's face. His voice turned colder: "Manager Liang, whether using employees' rest time for team building is voluntary or a disguised form of coercion, you and I both know."
Liang Jun's smile froze instantly.
"You said the employee who didn't come is not a team player. There are generally two situations: one is that this colleague is subjectively resistant to the team, and the other is that she is passively excluded by your team. In either case, as the department leader, you should eliminate the barriers, instead of labeling her as not a team player and organizing group activities on her rest day that exclude her. This will only make the department atmosphere worse."
He turned to Liang Ruwei and asked, "If this situation were to occur in the Media Department, how would you handle it?"
Liang Ruwei understood perfectly and said, "I will try my best to understand the situation and solve the core problem that caused this situation. In my department, I will never give up on any colleague, and they do not need to prove that they are sociable by participating in team building activities."
Yu Xin nodded, looked at Liang Jun, whose face was pale, and said, "Yu Sheng has never advocated building departmental cohesion through team building, and he does not want to see departmental bullying or isolation. As the core performance department, the sales department is a place where ability speaks, not where background and connections determine resource allocation."
"Do you understand what I mean, Manager Liang?"
Yu Xin's gaze was exceptionally oppressive; even Liang Ruwei had never seen him like this before.
Liang Jun was already flustered and hurriedly said, "I understand, I understand what General Manager Yu means."
The private room was completely silent. Apart from the three people sitting at the top, everyone else had their heads bowed so low they were practically buried in their bowls, as if they wished they had never been there.
When this young Mr. Yu first entered the room, they were all amazed that Chairman Yu's son was so young and handsome, staring at him with shining eyes. But later, no one dared to look at him, for fear of getting caught in the crossfire.
"Okay, you can continue."
Yu Xin stood up, uttered those words, and walked out the door in an eerie atmosphere.
After he paid the bill at the front desk, Liang Ruwei appeared behind him and said, "Oh, you just scolded someone, and then you paid for their bill that was several digits high. You really know how to manage someone by giving them a slap and then a sweet treat."
She was indeed quite impressed with Yu Xin, praising him, "You did a great job tonight, no wonder you're the future Chairman Yu."
Yu Xin ignored her and went out, lifting the Japanese-style curtain.
Standing in front of the door, Liang Ruwei offered him a cigarette, but Yu Xin hesitated for a moment and still didn't take it.
"Give it up?"
Liang Ruwei lit one herself; the flame flickered and went out. She squinted and took a puff.
Yu Xin crossed his arms and said, "I guess so."
He said, "Don't go back smelling of smoke; your daughter is still young."
Liang Ruwei couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Why does it sound so strange coming from you?"
Yu Xin raised an eyebrow and glanced at her sideways: "There are always people who don't like the smell of smoke, let alone children."
"Yes, some people don't like it."
Liang Ruwei felt that Yu Xin was beyond saving.
...
On the same night, Shen Mengqing invited Jiang Yu to go shopping at the mall together.
After hearing what Liang Jun had done to her, Jiang Yu kept rambling on and on, launching personal attacks against Liang Jun on her behalf. Feeling unsatisfied, she also dragged Zhang Tu into the rant.
With this mouth double around, Shen Mengqing felt much better. She decided to go on a shopping spree tonight. Since the company didn't acknowledge her work, she would reward herself.
Upon arriving at the mall, the two headed straight for the luxury goods stores. Shen Mengqing had been eyeing a bag for a long time and was determined to get it tonight.
She tried it on briefly, and Jiang Yu and the sales assistant praised the bag, saying it perfectly matched her style and gave her a great emotional boost.
Just as Shen Mengqing was paying, a man and a woman entered the store.
Upon seeing the figure paying at the counter, the woman's dissatisfied and spoiled voice rang out:
"Why didn't you clear the area for me? You let other people into the store."
Shen Mengqing turned around upon hearing the sound, and her good mood was immediately dampened.
How did I end up running into Wan Zhen and Lin Xiangyang here? What a twist of fate!
She paid immediately, grabbed Jiang Yu's arm, and tried to leave. However, Wan Zhen didn't give her a chance to leave. She walked gracefully over in her high heels, and blocked Shen Mengqing's path with a few steps. Her exquisitely made-up face wore a false friendliness.
"Oh, Mr. Shen is shopping here too."
After speaking, Wan Zhen turned her gaze to Jiang Yu.
She had met Jiang Yu a few times, but their relationship was so-so; she just smiled as a greeting.
Shen Mengqing couldn't put on a pleasant expression. Anyway, she didn't have many clients left, and she didn't want to say any more useless pleasantries to Wan Zhen, so she just nodded.
Wanzhen glanced down at the bag in her hand and said to the saleswoman next to her, "I remember this bag is a model from a few years ago. At the time, I thought the design was very ordinary and not up to your brand's standards at all. I didn't expect that you still have such an outdated bag in your store. You probably only sell it once a year."
The saleswoman didn't dare to say anything and awkwardly maintained her smile.
Shen Mengqing took a deep breath; she should check the almanac before going out next time.
Wan Zhen seemed to have taken a liking to her and still didn't want to let her go. She affectionately linked arms with Lin Xiangyang and said, "Xiangyang, look, this bag is very selective. If you don't have a good enough temperament, it will look like a cheap knock-off. Sigh, some people always like to buy things that are beyond their means, thinking that if they carry a bag worth tens of thousands of yuan, others will look up to them."
Lin Xiangyang remained silent, especially after seeing the disappointment in Shen Mengqing's eyes. He subconsciously looked away, not daring to look at her again.
Jiang Yu couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help but say, "Wan Zhen, if you're here to shop, shop on your own. What are you doing, acting all high and mighty and telling others what to do?"
Shen Mengqing didn't want Jiang Yu to offend others because of him, so he forcefully dragged Jiang Yu and led her forward.
She straightened her back, holding her head high even as she passed Wanzhen, not looking to the side, leaving the couple far behind.
Unable to vent his frustration, Jiang Yu casually pointed to a coffee shop across the street that was still open and said, "Let's go sit there for a while."
After ordering two non-coffee drinks, Jiang Yu put down her phone and said, "When you told me about it before, I didn't realize how disgusting it was, but now that I've experienced it firsthand, those two are truly in cahoots! Lin Xiangyang is a real scoundrel. You were so good to him when you were dating, and he didn't even help you order anything, letting Wan Zhen keep making sarcastic remarks about you."
"How could he dare offend Wan Zhen? He would certainly obey her every whim."
Shen Mengqing lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously tapping the curled edge of the sticker on the table. After thinking for a moment, she murmured, "Do you think Lin Xiangyang is more suited to stay in Beicheng, while I should go back to my hometown?"
"That's not true at all." Jiang Yu looked at the absent-minded Shen Mengqing and pulled her wandering thoughts back, saying, "You must not be affected by their words. You did nothing wrong. They just can't stand that you are doing well, so they want to make you unhappy."
"Of course, I know you've been having a tough time at Yusheng lately. If you find a better place back home, I'll wholeheartedly support you going back." As Jiang Yu spoke, she gripped Shen Mengqing's hand tightly.
Just then, Shen Mengqing's phone rang; it was a call from a high school classmate.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the old classmate got straight to the point, inviting Shen Mengqing to a class reunion next Wednesday in Beicheng. He said that it had been many years since they had last met, and classmates in the Beicheng area could keep in touch so they could look out for each other in the future.
Jiang Yu sat across from her, took a sip of her drink, and deduced the information from Shen Mengqing's words. She urged her softly, "Go on, go on."
Perhaps influenced by Jiang Yu, Shen Mengqing, who originally wanted to refuse, agreed.
As soon as she hung up the phone, she regretted it, saying, "Lin Xiangyang will definitely be at this gathering again, and Wan Zhen might come too. I shouldn't have agreed."
“I forgot about that. I was thinking that if you go, you could ask your classmates if there are any good job opportunities in their hometowns.” Jiang Yu frowned, rested her chin on her hand, and said, “Think about it. It’s not good to avoid them. It will only make them happy. If it were me, if someone found me disgusting, I would hang around in front of that person every day and make them feel disgusted.”
"You have a good attitude."
Shen Mengqing was somewhat enlightened by Jiang Yu.
She wasn't actually a timid person, but the recent series of setbacks had dampened her enthusiasm, and she was afraid that if she made a wrong move, another bad outcome would await her.
...
On Monday, Shen Mengqing had just sat down at her workstation when she received a message from Liang Jun on the work software.
He said he had rearranged the work: clients involving Hongtu would be managed jointly by her and Zhang Tu, with Zhang Tu handling the liaison work, while she would still take the lead on other matters.
Upon seeing this message, Shen Mengqing wasn't particularly happy. Over this period of time, she had trusted Liang Jun far too many times, only to gain nothing but disappointment.
Judging from Wan Zhen's attitude towards her over the weekend, it couldn't be that pampered young lady like her who made concessions; it could only be Liang Jun. Shen Mengqing couldn't think of anyone else in the company besides Jiang Yu who could stand up for her and make Liang Jun change his mind.
As she was thinking, a shadow suddenly fell from her peripheral vision. When she looked up, she saw Qi Shuying standing beside her.
Shen Mengqing sighed and said, "Come with me."
She led Qi Shuying to an empty meeting room. As soon as the door closed, Qi Shuying's tears fell like a broken string. She sobbed incessantly, her words broken and incoherent. Shen Mengqing had no choice but to hand her a piece of paper and say, "Take a break first, don't rush to speak."
After a few minutes, Qi Shuying's sobs gradually subsided. She sniffed and said, "I'm so sorry, Sister Meng Qing. It was Manager Liang... He said that I would only get a permanent position if I worked for Brother Zhang Tu. He's the boss, and I couldn't refuse..."
“I understand. If you want to stay in this department in the future, following Zhang Tu is not a bad thing.”
Shen Mengqing spoke very objectively, but Qi Shuying felt even more upset listening to her. She said, "I want to follow you. I told Manager Liang my thoughts, but he disagreed, so he threatened me."
"I'm so sorry." As she spoke, she seemed about to cry again.
Shen Mengqing quickly said, "Ultimately, the fault doesn't lie with you, I don't blame you."
After the conversation flowed smoothly, Qi Shuying felt much more at ease. She suddenly remembered something and said to Shen Mengqing, "By the way, Manager Liang agreed to your cooperation with Brother Zhang Tu, probably because the chairman's son gave him a heads-up during the team building last week."
Qi Shuying told Shen Mengqing everything that happened during the team building activity, describing the "Little President Yu" in glowing terms, like a storyteller, and portraying him as incredibly handsome.
Upon hearing this, Shen Mengqing was surprised. She had never met this young CEO Yu before, and there was only one person she knew who could be connected with him.
Could it be Jiang Yu?
Without any clue, she told Qi Shuying to go back to work first, and then she called Jiang Yu.
When Jiang Yu answered the phone, Shen Mengqing got straight to the point: "You didn't tell that chairman's son about how Liang Jun treated me differently, did you?"
Jiang Yu almost spat out his water and said, "Of course not."
It had been so long since Shen Mengqing had mentioned Yu Xin that she had almost forgotten they had a falling out.
"I just heard Qi Shuying say that it was that young General Manager Yu who taught Liang Jun a lesson. I thought you told him that."
Jiang Yu was taken aback by the sheer volume of information. Did Yu Xin's involvement in this matter mean he was going to take over Yu Mocheng's position?
She was a little afraid that Shen Mengqing might accidentally leave a bad impression on the future chairman, and an impulse surged in her mind to tell her Yu Xin's identity.
But the next second, she backed down. Maybe Shen Mengqing and Yu Xin had already lost contact. If she told them, things would only get more complicated.
"Don't overthink it. Maybe some rumors have reached his ears. Everyone in our department knows about this. There are no secrets in a company. He probably just doesn't like his subordinates and wants to control them."
Shen Mengqing thought for a moment and said, "You're right."
Without dwelling on the matter any longer, Shen Mengqing went back to work.
Zhang Tu is a rather stubborn person. Although cooperating with him seems to have reduced the burden, it actually increases the cost of communicating with people, and Shen Mengqing feels much more tired.
Busy until Wednesday, she took a taxi to the location of her classmate reunion after get off work.
There were more than a dozen people at this gathering. It was the first time they had all gathered since graduating from high school. When Shen Mengqing entered the private room, almost everyone had arrived. Lin Xiangyang was dressed smartly and pretended to refuse, but was coaxed by the others to sit down at the head of the table.
There were only three women present. Shen Mengqing found a seat next to them and sat down, with quite a few people between her and Lin Xiangyang.
Before the food was served, Lin Xiangyang asked the waiter to bring him the wine he had brought, inadvertently revealing the keys to his Porsche.
Just then, the talkative couple she had met in Chu City walked in. The man looked even more overweight. He glanced at the keys in Lin Xiangyang's hand and said loudly, "President Lin, you've achieved great success in your career! You've picked up a new car."
A man next to him laughed and said, "Tiger, you haven't been to Beicheng in too long. Our CEO Lin's girlfriend is the heiress of Hongtu Capital. She can have any car she wants. You've got a low standard."
Qian Hu sat down in a few steps: "Hongtu Capital? That's really impressive. I even bought their stock last year. Xiang Yang recommended it to me. It's all thanks to our Xiang Yang. He did something big without making a sound."
Shen Mengqing ignored what these people were saying and chatted quietly with the female classmate next to her about the recent developments in Chucheng. However, Qian Hu's wife, Xu Lu, seemed to still remember the grudge of Yu Xin splashing tea last time. She wiggled her butt and sat down next to her, deliberately exclaiming, "Mengqing, long time no see! How are you and your little boyfriend doing?"
Her voice wasn't quiet, and as soon as she finished speaking, the scene immediately fell silent.
Qian Hu immediately chimed in, "Yeah, Shen Mengqing, how's your pretty boy boyfriend doing in Beicheng? You're not supporting him by working, are you?"
"Your little boyfriend?" someone at the table asked.
Xu Lu said, "Yes, last time Shen Mengqing came back to Beicheng, Hu Zi and I ran into her at a restaurant. She was sitting next to a handsome young man. He was really good-looking, but he looked very young. I guess he was just graduating and about to start working."
Lin Xiangyang listened to the two men's words in silence, and felt a little more at ease.
The person they're describing can't possibly be Yu Xin. He still remembers the Yu Xin he saw at the racetrack last time. He had a cold and aloof demeanor, and even a stranger meeting him for the first time would find it hard to believe that he was a gigolo who lived off women. Besides, Yu Xin was a rich second-generation young master, and even if he liked Shen Mengqing, he wouldn't chase her all the way to Chucheng.
These wealthy people are all very aloof and arrogant.
He looked at Shen Mengqing. He had felt somewhat guilty towards Shen Mengqing because of his relationship with Wan Zhen, but now almost all of that guilt had vanished. Shen Mengqing had fallen in love so quickly too.
The people at the table remained silent, all watching Lin Xiangyang's expression. Lin Xiangyang smiled, raised his glass to Shen Mengqing, and said, "That's good. Best wishes to you."
Before he said that, Shen Mengqing was about to clarify her relationship with Yu Xin, but Lin Xiangyang's sanctimonious appearance made her inexplicably want to argue with him and not want to suffer in silence.
"Thank you, but my boyfriend doesn't rely on me to support him; he's richer than me." She took a sip of red wine, savoring the sweet aftertaste, and then smiled, saying, "With your blessing, we will definitely be happy."
Qian Hu chuckled: "Alright, Shen Mengqing, don't lie to save face. Lulu and I have met him before, do you think we can't tell if he's rich or not? So what if Lin Xiangyang found that rich young lady? You don't have to compare yourself to others. It's good enough to have a handsome young boyfriend to live with."
Shen Mengqing swirled the red wine in her glass, not even bothering to lift her eyelids, and said lazily, her smile fading, "Qian Hu, you're still as gossipy and boring as ever. If you could make money off this loose tongue of yours, by your standards, you'd be the most successful person at this table by now."
"What are you saying!" Qian Hu's face turned red and then pale, and the people next to him advised him to let it go.
Shen Mengqing was too lazy to pay attention to these people anymore. Sometimes she felt that arguing with them was a waste of time and very boring.
Fortunately, several of her female classmates knew a lot about the situation in her hometown of Chucheng and told her about some decent companies. Shen Mengqing planned to look into them herself later.
As the meal entered its second half, Shen Mengqing's phone rang with a text message.
Yu Xin: "Where?"
Shen Mengqing paused, thinking that she really shouldn't talk about people behind their backs. She relaxed and put down her chopsticks, then picked up her phone to type.
She replied, "I was at the Heweifang Restaurant for a classmate reunion, which ended in about half an hour."
Yu Xin: "Okay, I'll come pick you up."
Yu Xin: "I have something to tell you."
Is something the matter?
After putting down her phone, Shen Mengqing gradually began to drift off into thought.
They haven't maintained that kind of relationship for a while.
If we disregard their relationship, what could Yu Xin possibly want to talk to her about?
-----------------------
Author's Note: This chapter has a lot of plot, so please read it to the end! [kiss]
Spicy Peppers vs. Beneficial Fungi
Aqing battles her ex-boyfriend
ko
Xinzi: ? When did I become your boyfriend? What a great thing! [doge emoji]
Starting tomorrow, I'll resume daily updates at 3 PM [kissing emoji]
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