Episode 57 Timely Rain
Jiang Yueling's arrival made Lin Ying realize that the deal she had made with her father might have fermented.
She also knew that once the truth came out, the company's shareholders, directors, and public opinion would not be friendly to anyone, so Jiang Yueling naturally lost her patience.
"You're gambling your reputation with your daughter's future. How insidious and foolish! Do you know that once this kind of thing gets going, no one can escape unscathed? Who do you think gave you everything you have now? You hate me and Lin Jidong, but without us, where would you have the capital and confidence to start over?!"
As early as when she made a deal with Lin Jidong, Lin Ying had anticipated this day, but if she hadn't done that, she would have had no better way to get out.
Her biggest bargaining chip and the person she wants to protect the most are the same person.
My daughter is like a star.
"My reputation was already rotten at the time. Holding on to that thing would only drive me to death. I've never managed a company, and I don't have your big picture perspective. But I know that the reason Lin Jidong agreed to my request back then wasn't because of anything I did, but because of you—it was your failed marriage over the years that made him want to do this to you!"
Clang——
Jiang Yueling dropped the cup in her hand, and the water splashed onto the photo. She saw Jiang Shu and Ruxing in the photo, smiling brightly and carefreely...
Lin Ying took two pieces of paper, calmly wiped the water stains, put the two photos away, and handed them back to her...
"Believe it or not, I've never contacted Jiang Shu in all these years. Even during the time he came back from Hong Kong, he and I didn't do anything out of the ordinary. He did say he liked me, but I didn't agree to reconcile with him. In fact... we were never 'good' together, and he didn't even know Ruxing was his child. But I don't care about that. I just need to know that Ruxing is my child, and that's enough.
Do you know why I had to leave home back then? Because only by leaving you could I see myself clearly, even though I was filthy and cowardly. I have made mistakes and been foolish, but who hasn't? The longer you live, the more mistakes you make. So whether it's you or Lin Jidong, your threats can't threaten me at all.
The reason she dared to put forward those two conditions to Lin Jidong was because she had come up with the method herself after repeatedly confirming the details with Jin Ze.
As a top lawyer in the industry, Jin Ze had long heard about professional ethics. Although he had a close relationship with Jiang Shu, Lin Ying was negotiating with him as a client after all. He knew the limits and naturally would not speak carelessly.
But after experiencing Yan Yiming's domestic violence and divorce case, Lin Ying has understood the importance of self-preservation. She wants to nip any chance of being exposed at the source as much as possible.
Therefore, when faced with the question of who the biological father of the child was, she did not mention any specific people or events, but only raised questions and requests, asking about the feasibility and limitations of specific operations. Jin Ze naturally answered everything he knew and did not ask any more questions...
With his intelligence, he might have guessed the truth long ago, but Lin Ying didn't care - if words were not reliable, how could the truth he guessed be reliable?
"I don't know how Lin Jidong has been operating this matter over the years, but after I left, apart from him regularly sending me Ruxing's child support, I have had no contact with him, and no one else has contacted me privately in his name.
From the beginning to the end, I only had one request to him: no matter what happened, it must not affect me and my daughter. At least so far, he has kept his promise."
But Jiang Yueling's face had already turned dark, and she sneered -
"That's because he hasn't found the right opportunity yet. Why do you think I forced Jiang Shu to get married? Isn't it because he has been merging shares and isolating assets over the years? Do you know that your commotion back then only made his plans even louder? Otherwise, why would he question you? You, the instigator, stayed out of it..."
"You came to question me today just to confirm this matter. If nothing else, you just wanted to persuade me to stay away from Jiang Shu, right?"
Jiang Yueling didn't answer, but from the look in her eyes, Lin Ying knew that this was her consent.
She was silent for a long time, deducing countless possibilities and images in her mind, and finally proposed -
"Now that you know everything, there's no need for me to refute you. Although I made a deal with Lin Jidong back then, it doesn't mean we're on the same page. Now...if Aunt Jiang is willing to trust me, I can negotiate terms with you."
"Do you still want to negotiate terms?"
"You came here in a hurry today. Besides asking for your own interests, you probably wanted to protect Jiang Shu, right?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yueling's eyes softened...
"There's no mother in the world who doesn't care about her children; it's just the way they care that matters. I grew up by your side, and I know that you, like Jiang Shu, are not good at speaking and are reluctant to express your feelings.
Just like you said, if Lin Jidong is really plotting something, and the truth comes out, I hope... you can keep my daughter out of the spotlight. At least, don't let her come forward. I don't want her to have to face all this so soon."
Before Jiang Yueling could speak, Lin Ying immediately talked about—
"In exchange, I promise you that I will never have any contact with Jiang Shu again. I will take my daughter and live in another city."
"Do you think you're in an idol drama? What era is this? Given Jiang Shu's devotion to you, how could he remain indifferent if you suddenly disappeared with the child?"
"He will accept it," Lin Ying smiled bitterly. Thinking of what he said last time, she couldn't help but look at Jiang Yueling with certainty.
"Because... he can't give me what I want, but there are people who can."
After Wang Duo returned to Shanghai from Hong Kong, it took him two weeks to finally have some free time. He finally notified Lin Ying to arrange the gallery's mid-year performance review meeting.
The performance appraisal is related to the dividends in the second half of the year and the bonuses at the end of the year. Although it does not account for a large proportion, it is still a formality. It is criticized every year, but it still has to be carried out every year.
However, Sister Zhang, who has always performed steadily this year, made a fool of herself - the report was full of AI flavor, and the company names in the report were all wrong. I don’t know why the work content of a person in finance has anything to do with output performance evaluation.
In short, the stolen report was obvious at a glance, and there was no need to check for plagiarism.
Faced with this situation, Sister Zhang's face turned from red to green, but Lin Ying pretended to be surprised:
"Oh, Sister Zhang, you sent me the first draft by mistake? I'm too busy lately and didn't open it to take a closer look."
When Xu Yiwei gave it to her, she didn't check it carefully. She didn't know whether she trusted the AI too much or trusted Xu Yiwei, a newcomer, too much...
Fortunately, Wang Duo didn’t take this part too seriously. He smiled and nodded, and then it was over.
After everyone had finished their reports, Lin Ying gave the closing speech. Wang Duo offered to go back to her office where he would feel more comfortable.
She reported her work results and future plans for the past six months. The report was very clear and the plan for the second half of the year was also very practical. However, Wang Duo still felt that -
"You can actually be more daring. Although we didn't sign many artists in the first half of this year, the sales of their works have been impressive. Especially after signing Pierre and hosting the summer private exhibition, both brand awareness and purchase intentions have been on the rise. This has been a year of accumulated strength. In the second half of the year, we may be able to be more aggressive and use Pierre's endorsement to attract more overseas creators to sign with us."
Hearing this, Lin Ying made two notes in her notebook, "Then I'll do some research when I have time to see which overseas artists can be included in the pool..."
"You still like to do everything yourself."
"This is exactly what a director should be thinking about. If a director doesn't look at the big picture, how can he expect the agents to figure it out for themselves? Didn't you, Mr. Wang, teach me that the most important thing for a leader is to have a sense of ownership?"
Wang Duo smiled, adjusted his glasses, and jokingly asked, "Then was it me who taught you how to make mistakes in the financial report?"
Lin Ying couldn't help but smile.
"Of course. 'The best time to take revenge on someone is when they're vulnerable.' Isn't that what you taught me?"
It was Sister Zhang who started spreading rumors about Lin Ying, which led to her not stopping even after she became the director. She appeared to be attentive to the new employees but gossiped about them behind their backs. As a result, everyone in the gallery, except for some agents, started to complain about Lin Ying, even though she treated all employees equally.
"She's relying on her seniority to boss the younger employees around all the time, forcing them to shoulder her own chores. She almost thinks she's the boss. Thanks to Xiao Xu's foresight, I was able to back down this time. Regardless, ordering new employees to write her performance reports, using AI to write them without even revising them, is not a good idea. Deducting 5% of her bonus... is it a warning?"
The rumors about Lin Ying back then were partly caused by Wang Duo, so he was fully aware of the resentment and anger in Lin Ying's heart. For the situation today, everyone has reason to blame Lin Ying, but Wang Duo is the only one who doesn't - even though he is the only one who can be blamed.
The rumor back then was that Sister Zhang slandered Lin Ying as the third party in Wang Duo's marriage and Ruxing as Wang Duo's illegitimate daughter.
It all started after Ruxing was nearly abducted by human traffickers. Lin Ying's work efficiency dropped significantly. Not only did he actively avoid overtime, he even frequently left early and was absent-minded even in the middle of negotiations and contract signings...
Wang Duo noticed this and deliberately called her to his office after get off work to inquire about the situation.
Lin Ying told him the truth about her daughter, hoping that she could reduce her working hours as appropriate in the future.
But after Wang Duo heard this, his expression was solemn, but his tone was frighteningly blunt.
"Lin Ying, to be honest, Poly Nightclub is adding a special session in Shanghai next week. I've secured a bid and originally wanted to bring you along to broaden your horizons, but your current state... has forced me to reconsider my selection."
Poly Night Auction is the top auction event in China. The auction location and entry threshold have always been not to be underestimated. With her current status and qualifications, it is simply a fantasy to want to obtain the qualifications to actually participate in the auction.
By saying this, he was deliberately putting her in a dilemma. It was truly like adding insult to injury.
Seeing Lin Ying's hesitation, Wang Duo asked calmly:
"How old is your daughter? Is she shy?"
"He's almost three years old, so he's not shy anymore."
"I've hired a private preschool tutor for my son. If you don't mind, you can send your daughter there for a couple of days. Then, when the child can start kindergarten in the fall, you'll have some free time."
That day, she learned that Wang Duo had already separated from his wife and was preparing for a divorce. He was raising their son in Shanghai, returning to Hong Kong only during the semester. However, a divorce by agreement wasn't a real divorce. Lin Ying understood the principle of "being in a good place"—not just her boss and mentor, but also a family man.
"But won't your wife misunderstand?"
Seeing her hesitation, Wang Duo said:
"Remember how you promised me during the interview?"
“…adapted to the industry rules within three months, and signed an artist and established an in-depth collaboration with them within a year.”
"Then do you think that a person who is always hesitant and cautious can achieve the goals you promised?"
At that moment, Lin Ying felt like an ostrich. She had such a tall and strong figure when she first started working, but now she buried her head in the soil, which looked like a joke. She couldn't help laughing at herself.
She didn't want Wang Duo to feel that he had made a mistake in choosing her. A single mother couldn't have both, and it was in vain that he was willing to cultivate her and provide her with resources...
She doesn't want to lose, and she can't lose.
She had no reason to give up on her daughter and career, so in order to become an independent woman of the new era, she chose to seize Wang Duo's timely help even though she was still unable to stand on her own.
Twenty-seven-year-old Lin Ying is more mature, but only slightly.
On the night she accompanied Wang Duo to the auction, she received a call from the hospital, telling her that her child had an allergic reaction, diarrhea, and a high fever after accidentally eating a mango...
When he rushed to the hospital, Lin Ying blamed himself—
"I didn't know she was allergic to mangoes..."
"This physique is most likely hereditary. Now that you know this, be careful in the future."
Although the nanny took the initiative to take responsibility, Lin Ying still couldn't help crying that day... There were a lot of tears, but she didn't dare to cry out loud, as if any sound at this moment would be a mockery of her dereliction of duty as a mother.
She doesn't need comfort, she just needs a moment to relieve her emotions. During this time, it would be best if no one disturbed her.
But at this moment when she was releasing her emotions alone, she felt the moisture in front of her eyes suddenly replaced by something soft - it was the tissue handed to her by Wang Duo.
She just mechanically stretched out her hand, but before she could touch the other person's fingertips, she was slapped by the woman who suddenly broke in.
"So it's this vixen! She seduces my husband every day?!"
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