Chapter 72
He drove away the pickup truck and prepared food and drinks in the dormitory, leaving Guan Ying with nowhere to go.
She felt sore all over from falling asleep while reading in the living room last night, and tonight, she wanted to go to bed early. She walked into the bedroom, looking at his bed next to her, lost in thought. For some reason, she'd suddenly felt awkward sharing a room with him last night... Maybe it was because he'd changed so much, like a stranger... He must have been through something in Yunnan!
When she got the news about Cui Shanshan in Seattle, she tried to find him by calling Sister Ling. The caller turned out to be Qiao Qi's manager, but she seemed to have a strong grudge against Qiao Qi. She remembered Sister Ling's exact words: "This is my fault. I'm so sorry to Mr. Zheng. He's such a good man, but it's a shame Qiao Qi doesn't appreciate him. Sooner or later, she'll regret it... Miss Guan, I can't tell you much, but I know Mr. Zheng has been in Yunnan... I can't face seeing him again. When he leaves, Miss Guan, could you please ask him, for the sake of our past relationship, not to call the police?"
She was not familiar with Sister Ling, and it was abnormal for her to say these things to her because of her status. Moreover, the last sentence, "At least don't call the police," was clearly hinting to her that Zheng Juyong was in trouble.
Guan Ying hesitated, finally resisting the urge to call Sister Ling again to inquire. Old Zhao had kept it a secret for him, so Sister Ling would naturally keep it a secret for Qiao Qi. Knowing she couldn't get any information, why would she bother? Fortunately, Zheng Juyong had returned safely, though he looked a changed man.
After reading a few lines of the book, I felt drowsy.
The phone buzzed.
Cui Shanshan was panicking on the phone: "Sister Guanguan, can you come to the city? Mr. Zheng, he's been beaten! Zhiqiao and I wanted to take him to the hospital, but he refused to go. I just saw that his eyes are so swollen that he can't open them. What if his cornea is damaged or something?"
Guan Ying thought she was talking in her sleep. How could Zheng Juyong fight with others?
"Shanshan, what are you talking about? Aren't you in Eric's law firm? Who is fighting with whom? Wow, you are not fighting with Kassim, are you? It's so intense?" Guan Ying turned over and sat up, instantly perked up.
"No, it wasn't us! It was Mr. Zheng. When he met us, Zhiqiao and I had already left Eric's law firm. As soon as we met, he was like this. He couldn't even lift his eyelids. I don't know how he drove here... Zhiqiao and I couldn't persuade him, so we asked you, what should we do?"
Yes, judging from the time Zheng Juyong arrived, the negotiations should have ended long ago.
Guan Ying was confused and had to tell Cui Shanshan: "Give the phone to Zheng Juyong!"
There was a lot of chatter from the other side. Zheng Juyong probably didn't want to answer, but Cui Shanshan forced it into his mouth, so he said reluctantly: "It's not as exaggerated as she said. It's a big deal. Just get some sleep!"
Dong Zhiqiao's voice came from the phone: "I originally wanted to beat you up in Guangzhou, but I didn't intend to do it so cruelly! Brother Zheng, listen to us, you still have to go see a doctor..."
Dong Zhiqiao called him "Brother Zheng"! Indeed, in Daman Port, these two were brothers in need, so they could be considered friends.
Far water cannot quench immediate thirst, and she didn't have a car to use right now, so getting anxious was pointless. Guan Ying made light of the matter: "Is it Kassim? That's how you maintain a relationship... You're really good at that. I admire you!"
Zheng Juyong's voice was sometimes distant and sometimes near. He was probably pushing away the phone that was close to his mouth: "Hang up, hang up, it has nothing to do with her. It has nothing to do with her."
Cui Shanshan couldn't bear it: "You've been gone for so long. If it weren't for Sister Guanguan, we don't know when you would come back. Seeing you like this now, we can't bear to blame you, but how could you provoke Kassim at this time? His lawyer, it's like he took the wrong medicine today, and he has been speechless with Eric and us. We are still discussing how to carefully deal with Kassim, why didn't you discuss it with us? You are so impatient! Mr. Zheng, you were not such a reckless person before..."
Cui Shanshan mistakenly believed Guan Ying's words, thinking that Zheng Juyong had taken advantage of the time difference between her and Dong Zhiqiao. She went to find Kassim privately during the break in the negotiations, which not only caused a beating but also exacerbated the conflict between the two sides.
Guan Ying was a little confused: "Shanshan, did you have any problems with the negotiations?"
Cui Shanshan didn't want to ruin Guan Ying's mood. After being tricked by her uncle, Guan Ying was still able to put aside the past grudges and help Nangang hire a top lawyer like Eric. This was already a righteous act. Why should Guan Ying be implicated by the setbacks in the lawsuit?
"Sister Guanguan, I hadn't planned to tell you... Negotiations can't be concluded in one go. We are mentally prepared... Oh, don't blame Eric. He didn't expect the other lawyer to change his mind at the last minute. He was actively trying to help us... This lawsuit is not easy to win. It's normal. When my uncle comes back with all the evidence, we still have something to talk about. You don't have to worry..." Cui Shanshan spoke comprehensively. It was rare for her to be so sensible.
But the result shouldn't be like this.
Guan Ying scratched her head, then suddenly understood: "Zheng Juyong, give the car keys to Dong Zhiqiao, and both of you come back to the dormitory tonight!"
Zheng Juyong: "I'm not going back. I've already resolved the matter. Kassim will give in, but he needs to appease his lawyer. Kassim will contact Eric soon to renegotiate. You don't have to be so nervous."
Cui Shanshan and Dong Zhiqiao looked at each other blankly, not knowing who to listen to.
Guan Ying paused for two seconds and said in surprise, "So, it was Daniel who hit you? You deliberately provoked him to hit you!"
Zheng Juyong was unwilling to admit it: "I said it was fine, so I hung up."
Daniel didn't lose control despite that outrage by the window last night. It's reasonable for him to hold back until today and change his mind during the negotiations, but he certainly wouldn't resort to violence. Zheng Juyong must have done something even more outrageous in front of him to provoke someone like Daniel to take action. What on earth did Zheng Juyong do?
After hanging up the phone, Zheng Juyong, with a swollen eye and a bruised face, tossed the car keys to Dong Zhiqiao. "You drive tonight. We need to get back to Daman as soon as possible! We need to re-count the goods at the freight yard early tomorrow morning. If nothing goes wrong, we can hand over the goods to Kassim tomorrow afternoon."
Dong Zhiqiao looked at Cui Shanshan blankly.
With Mr. Zheng's sudden return, things have been twisting and turning so fast that Cui Shanshan can't see the truth. But since Mr. Zheng was the one who arranged the deal with Kassim, maybe he really has some tricks up his sleeve that even Guan Guanjie doesn't know about?
We might as well do as he says. In any case, we'll have a conclusion tomorrow afternoon. Cui Shanshan nodded to Dong Zhiqiao, and the three of them hurriedly set off, returning to Daman Port overnight.
They rushed back to the cargo yard at Daman Port early in the morning. Mr. Cui and his partner worked non-stop with the workers to do the final sorting and inventory, while Zheng Juyong drove alone and went off somewhere mysteriously.
Dong Zhiqiao became alert and asked Cui Shanshan: "Do you think I should follow Brother Zheng? What if he runs away again..."
"No, if he wants to avoid trouble, he can just not come back."
"Then why is he carrying us?"
Cui Shanshan could only speculate: "Maybe he has his own way. Since Sister Guanguan's legitimate way doesn't work, his unconventional way might work wonders. Do you think that Mr. Zheng is completely different this time around?"
Dong Zhiqiao frowned and said, "Yeah, a lot. He seems like a different person."
Near noon, Eric suddenly called. Cui Shanshan asked questions repeatedly to confirm with an expression of disbelief, and was still in a daze until she hung up the phone.
Dong Zhiqiao kept an eye on her and hurried over: "What happened?"
Cui Shanshan: "Eric called and said that Kassim's lawyer sent the settlement agreement this morning. He will fax it over later. We just need to sign it and send it back. The payment will be settled this afternoon."
Dong Zhiqiao blinked and said nervously, "Then... you won't be holding us accountable for our quality?"
Cui Shanshan: "The cargo damage rate is normal, so we only deducted a small amount of money. But the condition is that we also voluntarily give up pursuing their penalty for breach of contract."
Dong Zhiqiao's heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down. "As long as he doesn't cause any trouble, who cares about his liquidated damages? Let's go and notify my uncle!"
Cui Shanshan: "Dong Zhiqiao, pinch me."
Dong Zhiqiao couldn't bear to pinch her, so he pinched his own arm hard: "Wow, it hurts, it really hurts!"
On the same day, the settlement agreement was signed smoothly. Kassim removed the quality inspection checkpoint and sent the company's business representative to directly coordinate with Dong Zhiqiao at the cargo yard to complete the procedures. The company also took the initiative to undertake the transportation within Saudi Arabia. The cost saved by Nangang was just enough to offset the port space fees caused by the detention of goods during this period.
The two parties agreed that the goods would not be officially shipped until Manager Xu confirmed from China the next day that the bank had received the international remittance.
After completing all the procedures, it was already evening, but Zheng Juyong still hadn't returned.
That day, Manager Xu was deeply moved and took the initiative to call Guan Ying to apologize and thank her in person. Guan Ying naturally didn't care much about him, but when she heard that things were going so smoothly, she couldn't help but become more curious.
Manager Xu expressed his gratitude over the phone, saying that while he couldn't make it back to Saudi Arabia to thank her in person, he did ask her to stay for a day or two. He had already notified Dong Zhiqiao and Cui Shanshan to arrange for a driver to pick her up and return to Saudi Arabia, and asked them to make amends by treating Guan Ying well. Guan Ying repeatedly declined, but Manager Xu explained that the two younger generations, Dong and Cui, were also looking forward to relaxing after this matter was resolved. They were all young people and could always have fun together, so they should use this opportunity to bury the hatchet and mend their ways.
Guan Ying had no choice but to agree, and finally bought a ticket from Dammam Port back to the United States on the first day of school, waiting to have a celebratory dinner with them before leaving.
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