Chapter 27 - 1#
As May Day approached, the foreign trade orders at Chuangmi began to pick up along with the warming weather.
Yuan Jiali had been run off her feet with work lately, and she had barely managed to squeeze out half a day off. Just as she did, she got a notice from her supervisor demanding she return to the company immediately.
The moment Yuan Jiali stepped into the company elevator, her phone rang again—it was her father calling.
“Hello, Dad?”
“Ah Li.”
Her father called out, then asked with lingering worry, “That eldest son of Guanhai’s… he hasn’t come to bother you two again, has he? That money—you can’t give it back, you hear? Your brother’s finally found someone, and he’s counting on you to pay the down payment on a house.”
“…”
Yuan Jiali was the eldest daughter in the family, with a younger brother beneath her.
Her mother had passed away early, and her father had raised the two of them single-handedly.
But Yuan Jiaxiang had been lazy and gluttonous in his youth, never holding down a proper job. He’d wasted his years away until, just this year, he’d barely managed to find a girlfriend and was planning to get married.
Yuan Jiali ignored the second half of her father’s words, only saying, “Dad, don’t worry. Yangyang still needs tuition for the international class. No one’s getting that money back!”
Needless to say, Jing Guanhai was a textbook case of favoritism—
When Jing Shun needed that money for surgery, he thought it was useless, but when it came to paying for his youngest son’s international class, he was more than willing.
Thinking of this, Yuan Jiali wore a look of victory. “That eldest son of his is nothing but a bluffing dud.”
When Jing Shun had come over that day “acting crazy,” demanding they return that three hundred thousand, he’d put on quite the show!
But in reality? Half a month had passed, and he hadn’t come asking a second time.
Jing Yuan’s father was finally relieved, then sighed, “That’s good, but still—it’s a shame about that kid. If he’d kept on as an actor, he could’ve made a lot more money. A pity.”
Yuan Jiali didn’t care. “Everyone’s fate is set. What’s there to pity?”
She’d once thought that if Jing Shun could keep being an actor, she, as his stepmother, could keep up appearances and get Jing Guanhai to squeeze more money out of him.
But Jing Shun hadn’t made much progress in his career these past years, not like when he was a child. His relationship with Jing Guanhai was pretty much severed now, and now he’d even ended up disabled!
“With Jing Shun’s condition now, I’m all for Guanhai cutting ties with him completely. No point in inviting trouble later.”
Since there was no third person in the elevator, Yuan Jiali spoke without restraint in front of her father.
But her father wasn’t really listening; he just pressed on, “So when can you get the money for your brother’s down payment…”
“Dad.”
Yuan Jiali cut him off quickly, making an excuse. “I’m at the office. I’ll call you later.”
With that, she hung up decisively.
Over the years, Yuan Jiali had already poured a lot of money into that good-for-nothing brother of hers. Now, she couldn’t help with the down payment, and she’d keep putting it off day by day with excuses.
That money had to be spent on her own son!
She’d spent a fortune to pull strings and secure that spot at Sheng Luo International Middle School. She was just waiting to pay the huge tuition fee next Monday!
The elevator stopped on the fifteenth floor.
Yuan Jiali adjusted her expression in front of the elevator doors, then walked out with a smile.
Chuangyang Foreign Trade was a modestly sized company, divided into five departments with about seventy or eighty employees.
Yuan Jiali was good at playing nice in public. Though she worked in the independent finance department, she got along well with colleagues from other departments and was addressed as “Sister Li.”
Now, the lunch break had just ended, but the office hall was livelier than usual.
Quite a few employees were huddled together, whispering and gossiping, unable to hide their scandalized expressions. They must have gotten wind of some fresh drama.
“Good afternoon, everyone.”
Yuan Jiali walked into the office hall, greeting as usual.
Everyone’s eyes turned to her, but for the first time, no one responded.
“…”
Yuan Jiali met the complex gazes of the crowd, a little unsettled. “Why are you all staring at me like that?”
The door to the side office opened, and the finance supervisor called her over with a serious face.
“Jiali, come here. I need to ask you something.”
“…”
Yuan Jiali frowned slightly, a vague sense of foreboding creeping in. “Alright.”
Apart from the supervisor, two senior company executives were also in the office, looking at Yuan Jiali with expressions that varied subtly.
Yuan Jiali tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Bosses, Supervisor Tan, I haven’t made any mistakes at work lately, have I?”
The supervisor got straight to the point. “Jiali, a lot of people in the company received an anonymous email today with a video attached. It’s about you and your husband. Take a look first.”
Yuan Jiali took the tablet in surprise. “What?”
The moment she saw the screen , her eyes widened in disbelief.
How was this possible?
When Jing Shun had stormed into their home that day, he’d actually recorded it?
The video wasn’t long. Jing Shun’s name was bleeped out, and his voice was altered, but aside from that, every sentence hit hard.
There was Jing Shun accusing Jing Guanhai of having an affair during their marriage and Yuan Jiali of being a homewrecker! There was also them playing the victim, admitting they’d taken the three hundred thousand meant for his surgery!
And there was Yuan Jiali’s clever scheming—planning to swap houses to line her own pockets!
The frame captured both Yuan Jiali and Jing Guanhai, their faces bearing the same ugly expression, making them look almost repulsive!
The final shot froze on Jing Yang splashing water—a child at an age meant to be innocent and kind, yet already taking after his parents.
Yuan Jiali was horrified and quickly tried to explain, “No, this—this video is edited! Someone is deliberately trying to ruin my reputation!”
The supervisor spoke on behalf of the two executives. “Jiali, we have no authority over your personal misconduct or your dispute with the person who recorded this, but the video has indeed caused negative repercussions to a certain extent. The company has to take action.”
Yuan Jiali looked at the two executives, her breathing quickening. “What does the company plan to do?”
“Suspended for two weeks first. Further action pending.”
“…”
Yuan Jiali felt as if a hammer had struck her. All her blood rushed to her head in an instant.
Suspended pending action?
What difference was there between that and being fired two weeks later?
One of the executives dismissed her. “You can pack up your things and go home now.”
What he didn’t say outright was that once news of Yuan Jiali’s behavior spread, no company would ever want to hire her again.
Facing the executives’ cold, resolute gazes, Yuan Jiali had no room to argue. She could only leave the office in a rush, full of pent-up grievance and humiliation.
Back in the office hall, countless pairs of eyes watched her with barely concealed glee.
“Hey, look at Sister Li—she got suspended, didn’t she?”
“You never really know someone, do you? Who would’ve thought she was that kind of person behind the scenes?”
“Shameless, I tell you! Even her son’s turned out like that.”
“Exactly! Even if someone sent that anonymous email to ‘set her up,’ they couldn’t have forced her to say such calculating things. She brought it on herself.”
Every word cut like a knife.
Yuan Jiali’s face showed a shame she had never worn before. She practically fled the office.
Only when she was back in her car did she let out the breath she’d been holding.
She didn’t have to think twice—the culprit behind all this had to be Jing Shun!
Yuan Jiali was seething with hatred, but she didn’t have any way to contact him. Furious, she pulled out her phone to call Jing Guanhai and demand an explanation—
—Buzz!
Just then, a notification from an unknown number popped up on her screen.
“…”
Driven by some impulse, Yuan Jiali opened it.
In less than half a minute, the shame and anger she had just barely suppressed surged back, completely consuming the last shred of rational restraint she had left.
Fine!
Jing Guanhai, you heartless bastard!
Her face dark, Yuan Jiali started the car and floored the accelerator, speeding straight toward Jing Guanhai’s studio!
…
At the same time, Chen Yiming received a report from his men.
He immediately looked at Jing Shun beside him. “Master Jing, the people watching said that as soon as Yuan Jiali got the message, she got in the car and drove off. She’ll probably be here in about half an hour.”
Jing Shun responded faintly, but his gaze remained fixed outside the car window.
After about five more minutes, a new commotion emerged from the entrance of the building not far away—
Jing Guanhai was walking in, arm in arm with a long-haired woman with a curvaceous figure, chatting and laughing as if they were very close.
Jing Shun caught sight of this and let out a barely audible sneer.
He pulled his gaze back from the window and confirmed again, “Did you bring everything?”
“Of course.”
Chen Yiming pulled out the contracts and materials they had prepared earlier.
Jing Shun smiled slightly, already plotting the next move. “Assistant Chen, it’s almost time. Let’s head down too.”
“Alright.”
—Bang!
The door to the break room closed.
Jing Guanhai’s hand on the woman’s waist grew bolder.
The next second, the long-haired woman pulled away. “Oh, come on. Aren’t you afraid someone might walk in and see?”
“What’s there to be afraid of? No one’s here right now, is there?”
Jing Guanhai casually flicked the work badge on her chest. Logistics Reception, Xue Baoshuang.
Xue Baoshuang tugged her badge back and lowered her voice. “That deal you mentioned before—did it go through?”
“Don’t worry. It’s done.”
Thinking of the money he was about to pocket, Jing Guanhai was smug.
Half a month ago, their studio had received an order from a big client.
The client wanted them to set up twenty comprehensive commercial live-streaming rooms, saying the company’s budget was three million, with room for more if needed.
Jing Guanhai, who was responsible for equipment procurement and setup, immediately saw this as a fat piece of meat.
Using his position, he’d added a Mr. Chen from the client company’s procurement department on WeChat. The two had even privately agreed on a “partnership”—
One side would drive down costs, the other would inflate the budget.
With one such shady contract, they could easily pocket at least one or two hundred thousand.
Xue Baoshuang’s eyes lit up at the mention of the kickback. “That much? You’d better be careful. Don’t let Boss Zhao find out.”
“Boss Zhao” was Jing Guanhai’s business partner, Zhao Feng. They’d been camera operators together on film crews.
Zhao Feng had gone through a rough patch financially back then and had borrowed money from Jing Guanhai. Now that he was back on his feet, his trust in Jing Guanhai had only grown.
Jing Guanhai knew his friend’s nature well and wasn’t worried about exposure. “Relax. It’s not the first time I’ve done something like this. When has anything ever gone wrong?”
“I won’t tell, Mr. Chen won’t tell.” He pinched Xue Baoshuang’s red lips playfully. “And you won’t tell. No one else will know.”
Xue Baoshuang quickly cooed, “Of course I won’t. Once that money’s in hand, you’d better reward me, alright? Don’t give it all to that old witch at home.”
Thinking of the unpleasant woman at home, Jing Guanhai pulled the one in front of him closer by the waist, hinting, “That depends on how well you perform, hmm?”
“Sure.”
They whispered to each other, treating the break room like a private space for flirtation. Who knew how much time passed before the phone in his pocket buzzed with a message.
A text from his partner Zhao Feng came through:
“Where are you?”
“Mr. Chen and the others are already here, waiting for you to confirm the contract details!”
Jing Guanhai realized he’d almost missed the appointment because of his dalliance. He quickly typed back, “Coming right now!”
…
A minute later.
Jing Guanhai rushed to the door of the reception room.
He straightened his appearance and composure against the blurred glass panel, a flicker of excitement in his eyes, as if he could already see the money waving to him from behind that door.