153. You can’t even represent your village
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Ling Ling with curiosity, imagining this oriental beauty in a soft pink satin gown would perform a Chinese dance. "Next, I'll demonstrate some martial arts techniques for our distinguished guests, but I need an assistant. Could you please invite Mr. Lin Sheng to the stage?" Ling Ling's sweet voice echoed through the reception. Lin Sheng had no idea what she was up to and certainly didn't want to accept the challenge, but his foreign boss signaled him to go, so he reluctantly took the stage. He approached Ling Ling and whispered, "There are so many people here, don't do anything embarrassing. If they get angry, they could just poke your little company to death." Ling Ling resented him being so close to her. She simply gave him a dismissive smile, stepped back, and pulled her high-slit gown up at the thigh to avoid hindering her movements. Her long, fair legs, exposed to the crowd, attracted countless greedy glances. She ignored it, thankful she was only wearing five-inch heels today, which shouldn't hinder her performance. She looked Lin Sheng up and down. He had a slender figure, and looked even smaller than she did. She mentally calculated where to push. Seeing her motionless, leaving him utterly embarrassed on the stage, Lin Sheng approached, intending to throw a word and leave. He'd barely taken two steps when Ling Ling grabbed him by the waist, lifted him into the air, and slammed him to the ground. He hadn't understood how it all happened in those brief seconds before he was slammed to the ground, gnashing with pain. The audience erupted in gasps and cheers. Ling Ling straightened, looking down at Lin Sheng, who lay curled up on the floor, and said coldly, "Get up." Lin Sheng hesitated, wanting to cheat, but the beautiful arc Ling Ling had thrown him had triggered a surge of dopamine in the foreigners, who excitedly clamored for him to get up and fight. Lin Sheng had no choice but to stand up, trembling. With a kindly face, he said to Ling Ling, "Let's not act like monkeys here, letting these white people laugh at us. We're all Chinese, we need to respect each other." Ling Ling, facing Lin Sheng as he leaned towards her again, raised her hand and threw him with a leg kick, her fist connecting with his chest, causing him to spin on the ground and cry out in pain. Ling Ling slowly circled around him and said, "Stop talking about representing the Chinese people all the time. You can't even represent Xiaogang Village in Anhui, where you were born. You don't deserve to be designated as such a heroic place!" Lin Sheng knew Ling Ling was deliberately trying to make things difficult for him...
Everyone focused their curious eyes on Ling Ling, imagining that this oriental beauty in a tender pink satin dress would perform a Chinese dance for them.
"Next, I will perform some fighting techniques for all the distinguished guests, but I need an assistant. Could you please invite Mr. Lin Sheng to the stage?" Ling Ling's sweet voice echoed in the cocktail party. Lin Sheng didn't know what she was up to and certainly didn't want to accept the challenge, but his foreign boss winked at him to go up, so he had to reluctantly go on stage.
He approached Ling Ling and whispered, "There are so many people here, don't do anything that will embarrass them. If they get irritated, they could easily destroy your little company with just a pinch."
Ling Ling resented his proximity to her. She simply gave him a dismissive smile, stepped back, and pushed her high-slit dress up at the thigh to avoid hindering her movements. Her long, fair legs, exposed to the crowd, attracted countless envious glances. She ignored them, thankful she was only wearing five-inch heels today; it wouldn't hinder her performance.
She looked Lin Sheng up and down. He had a rat-like face and looked even smaller than she did. She mentally calculated where to push. Seeing that she hadn't moved, leaving him on the stage feeling extremely awkward, Lin Sheng approached her, intending to throw a few words and leave. Unexpectedly, he had barely taken two steps when Ling Ling grabbed him by the waist, lifted him up in the air, and slammed him to the ground. He had no idea how it all happened in those few brief seconds before he was slammed to the ground, gnashing with pain.
There were exclamations and cheers from the audience.
Ling Ling stood up straight, looked down at Lin Sheng who was curled up on the floor, and said coldly: "Get up."
Lin Sheng hesitated and wanted to cheat, but the beautiful arc that Ling Ling threw him in just now aroused the dopamine of these foreigners. They excitedly shouted at Lin Sheng to get up and fight.
Lin Sheng had no choice but to stand up tremblingly and said to Ling Ling with a kind face, "Let's not act like monkeys here and let these white people laugh at us. We are all Chinese, we have to respect each other."
Ling Ling faced Lin Sheng, who was leaning towards her again, and raised her hand to throw him with a leg kick. Her fist pierced his chest, causing him to spin on the ground and scream in pain. Ling Ling slowly circled around him and said, "Stop talking about representing the Chinese people all the time. You can't even represent Xiaogang Village in Anhui Province where you were born. You don't deserve to be labeled as such a heroic place!"
Lin Sheng knew Ling Ling was deliberately trying to embarrass him. He waited for Ling Ling's back to turn, then sprang up and grabbed her hair. But how could Ling Ling let her guard down against such a scumbag? Through the glass curtain wall opposite, she saw Lin Kun viciously lunging at her. She took the initiative to backpedal and land a beautiful back-slam! The bitterness of past bullying, the hatred for Lin Sheng and Wen Rui'er, who used sexual harassment as a political ploy, all poured out in that violent throw.
The sound of Lin Sheng falling to the ground was dull, but it sounded crisp and pleasant to her.
She stood up, breathing heavily, beads of sweat on her forehead, and a tear appeared on the back of her skirt.
There was a long-lasting cheer and applause from the audience. Lawrence of Auje took off his suit jacket and put it on Ling Ling. He took her hand and walked her off the stage. He placed a respectful kiss on the back of her hand and said to her sincerely in English: "Ling, you are the queen tonight."
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yu Chuanbei sat at a round table in the company's compliance department, undergoing countless repeated interrogations: He had indeed dated Ling Ling, Tuo Wu's Vice President of Creative, but during their relationship, he had never shared any confidential work information with her. He worked in the data analysis department, while she worked in the advertising planning department, so there was no non-compete restriction on their relationship. Last year, Aojie competed with Efer and Tuo Wu for a contract, with many other companies also applying. He had not disclosed any business information to Ling Ling, and Tuo Wu ultimately did not win the bid. As for why Tuo Wu was able to partner with Aojie this year, he had no idea, and they had long since broken up.
Whenever Yu Chuanbei talked about this, he always felt a special irony. Back then, he and Ling Ling had such a fierce argument over this matter that it almost caused them to break up. Unexpectedly, it would now become a handle for criticizing him.
Ever since Deng Dalun, who had been leading Yu Chuanbei, was transferred back to the US headquarters and his new boss promoted Zheng Hong to a position equal to his, he has been under various investigations by the compliance and audit departments.
Of the team he used to lead, Zheng Hong was indeed the type he disliked the most, and he had given him constant advice and supervision. Now that Zheng Hong had gained power, he immediately wanted to exclude him, which was rather unpleasant.
Seeing that there was really nothing to ask, the head of the compliance department prepared to pack up the materials and take them back to report.
Yu Chuanbei finally said to him, "Please issue a conclusion to your investigation into me as soon as possible, because I have already submitted my resignation and I hope to leave with a clean record."
When the other party heard this, he immediately felt relieved, but he didn't dare to say it directly: As soon as you resign, the conclusion will be immediately available, and we can discuss the details.
Yu Chuanbei's resignation was completed swiftly and cleanly. As he exited the Ever Building, he felt no lingering feelings, no pause. Over a decade had passed, time had grown on him. Only those who lingered in his memory were those he wished to hold on to. The rest, shedding them was all the more refreshing. He took nothing with him, and he never once glanced back at the building.
He drove his car and wandered aimlessly on the road. He now had plenty of time. He could do nothing all day, just watching the sunrise and sunset, the clouds rolling and unfolding, or walk in the empty alley, squatting down to look at a wild flower or a cat in the corner.
He passed by a restaurant he had taken Ling Ling to before, the Flower House Restaurant called Qiyu. He couldn't help but want to go in and take a look, so he parked the car and walked in.
Arriving at the rooftop on the third floor of the restaurant, Yu Chuanbei walked inside, trying to find a secluded and quiet place. His steps paused and he suddenly stopped in place because he actually saw Ling Ling.
She was lazily wrapped in a sea-blue cape, leaning on a white armchair, looking at the setting sun between the distant buildings, which reminded him of Matisse's famous painting "Open Window".
He stood there quietly admiring her and the beautiful scenery she created, until Ling Ling saw him behind her through the reflection of the glass railing in front of her.
She suddenly turned around, and their eyes met, speechless for a moment.
"Why are you here?" Yu Chuanbei slowly approached her and sat down in front of her.
Ling Ling sat up straight and said awkwardly, "I've been coming here a lot recently because I feel... there are a lot of plants here, plenty of oxygen, and it's easy to inspire inspiration."
Yu Chuanbei nodded, taking what she said as true.
"What about you? How come you are here by chance?" Ling Ling asked him back.
"I came out to relax and happened to pass by here because I thought... there's plenty of oxygen here."
Ling Ling was amused by him and burst out laughing. She didn't know what was wrong today, but they felt a long-lost sense of intimacy.
Yu Chuanbei saw that there was only half a cup of cold tea on the table, so he asked her, "You haven't eaten yet? Then let's eat together."
Ling Ling hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then let's split the bill." She took out her phone to scan the code, but Yu Chuanbei held her back, "Don't do that." Ling Ling saw pleading in his eyes and had to give up.
"Thank you. Today, let's just do as Shengnan said and get along like good friends who haven't seen each other for a long time, even if it's just for this one meal," said Yu Chuanbei.
Ling Ling lowered her eyes and nodded, accepting his proposal.
They began to eat and chat slowly. Of course, he didn't tell her that he had quit his job, and she wouldn't tell him that they had broken up.
Yu Chuanbei pushed her favorite dish toward her and said happily, "By the way, you were really cool when you dealt with the medical disturbance last year. I've always wanted to express my admiration for you, but I never had the chance. I wish I had been there. Luckily, I was able to see it live at the Jinxi Awards Ceremony."
Ling Ling was taken aback by his sudden words. After a few seconds, she remembered the time a man had thrown a tantrum at Zhong Mingtong's hospital and slapped her. "How did you know?" she asked.
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