Chapter 59: Chapter 59: I’d sooner believe I’m Emperor Qin Shi Huang than believe you, Sun Dasheng, are the boss!
Hearing Xiang Yunsheng’s attempt at moral blackmail, Sun Dasheng laughed.
"Xiang Yunsheng, I have to admire your verbal gymnastics. So, according to you, if I don’t persuade her, I become some despicable villain who’s hindering her progress?
"Well, I’m not going to do what you want. Heh, I’m simply not going to persuade her. Do you really think that’s enough to drive a wedge between us?"
"I didn’t mean that, you’re overthinking it."
Xiang Yunsheng said this, but his eyes were fixed on Xiang Yiren’s expression. The result, however, disappointed him.
Not only did Xiang Yiren show no disappointment, but she also looked up at Sun Dasheng with an expression of ever-increasing admiration.
How could this be? My plan completely backfired! Something’s not right here!
"Who’s actually in charge here?" Xu Yongsheng interjected, seeing the situation turning against them. He fired a sharp barb at Sun Dasheng. "Miss Xiang, you don’t seem like the one in charge. Rather, it’s Mr. Sun beside you who seems to be calling the shots, isn’t it?"
However, the situation didn’t play out as he expected.
Xiang Yiren just hugged Sun Dasheng’s arm tighter, smiled, and asked, "How did you know? Brother Sun is the real boss behind the gym."
The room suddenly fell silent. A moment later, Xu Yongsheng burst out laughing, soon becoming breathless. Meanwhile, Xiang Yunsheng’s lips simply curled in slight disdain.
Still laughing, Xu Yongsheng straightened up and turned to the online influencers behind him. "Do you believe he’s the big boss, or do you believe I’m Emperor Qin Shi Huang?"
The question was laden with mockery.
[I told you the Qin Empire hasn’t perished yet!]
[Your Majesty, give me your bank info! Make me a Great General!]
[Brother Zheng, how much to become the Grand Marshal?]
The live-streaming influencers knew how to play along with the meme. Xu Yongsheng watched them with a playful smirk.
Little did he know that Sun Dasheng, with Xiang Yiren on his arm, was watching them as if they were a pack of fools. In his eyes, they were no different from a troupe of street performers with dancing monkeys. There was no sign of anger or rage in his gaze, only a hint of poorly suppressed amusement.
"Alright, the farce ends here," Sun Dasheng said coolly. "No matter how spectacular the performance, the curtain must fall. The exit is right beside you. Please, all of you, form a nice little ball and roll yourselves out smoothly."
...
[What does he mean by that?]
[Form a ball? Isn’t he just telling us to roll out of here?]
The influencers behind them muttered amongst themselves. The faces of Xiang Yunsheng and Xu Yongsheng turned livid. This was the first time they had ever felt such blatant humiliation.
"Why are so many people crowded at the entrance? Where’s the receptionist on duty?"
Footsteps echoed from the second floor as a large group of people descended. Leading them was the newly appointed manager, Li Qiang. He was flanked by several members of the previous management, Mr. Pi’s old team. Behind them were staff from a third-party asset auditing company.
Hearing her manager call, the receptionist, Xiao Yan, immediately hurried over. "Manager, these people are here to cause trouble. Manager Xiang is handling it."
"What are you talking about, young lady?" Xu Yongsheng cut in. "We’re not here to cause trouble; we’re here to seek a partnership with your company."
Hearing the receptionist’s title for the newcomer, Xu Yongsheng’s clever mind immediately deduced that this man was the real manager with decision-making power—far more useful than Deputy Manager Xiang Yiren. He immediately bypassed Xiang Yiren and Sun Dasheng to address Li Qiang directly.
"Manager Xiang had a bit of a misunderstanding about us," Xu Yongsheng explained smoothly.
"Oh? And what did Manager Xiang say?" Ignoring Xu Yongsheng in front of him, Li Qiang turned to the receptionist, Xiao Yan.
In truth, he had already spotted Xiang Yiren in the distance, and the man she was clinging to—his Big Boss. What a perfect opportunity to show his loyalty.
"Manager Xiang said they’re using cooperation as a pretense to leech off our resources," Xiao Yan stated plainly.
"It seems this partnership lacks sincerity," Li Qiang noted.
Knowing this was his last chance, Xu Yongsheng quickly launched into an explanation of how the cooperation would be a win-win for both parties. He spoke eloquently and at length, his words flowing like a river. After finishing his torrent of words, Xu Yongsheng was quite pleased with his performance. If this were ancient times, he could have been a renowned strategist like Su Qin or Zhang Yi.
Faced with this long-winded speech, the other party only asked one question.
"What did Manager Xiang say?"
Son of a bitch! Xu Yongsheng wanted to strangle the man before him. How can he be even more infuriating than that despicable couple, Sun Dasheng and Xiang Yiren? I just spent all that time talking myself hoarse to persuade you, and you just blow me off without a yes or no. All you can say is, ’What did Manager Xiang say?’ Is Manager Xiang your mother? Your ancestor? Why do you obey her so blindly?
Before he could respond, the ever-earnest receptionist, Xiao Yan, provided the answer. "Manager Xiang said she does not agree to this partnership."
"Oh. Well, if Manager Xiang said no, then this partnership is definitely off the table." Li Qiang raised his voice several notches as he spoke, stealing a quick glance at the Big Boss in the distance.
Then he turned to Xu Yongsheng and said, "I’m very sorry, but please leave immediately."
A surge of hot blood rushed to Xu Yongsheng’s head. He felt like a large firecracker, ready to explode at any second. Just then, his eyes fell upon the couple huddled together, laughing and talking. The source of all his humiliation today came from those two. If he was going to be miserable, he sure as hell wouldn’t let them be happy.
"Mr. Xu, shall I show you out?" Seeing him standing motionless and blocking Manager Li’s path, Xiao Yan stepped forward.
Xu Yongsheng shot her a cold glance and ignored her. He turned back to Li Qiang, a mocking, sinister smile on his face. "As the general manager of this company, if someone were here impersonating your big boss, would you do something about it or not?"
"Oh? Such a thing is happening?" Li Qiang’s expression instantly turned serious. He couldn’t help but glance toward Sun Dasheng. The real Big Boss was right here. For someone to dare impersonate him... weren’t they just courting death? He had to handle this perfectly. Otherwise, his standing with the Boss wouldn’t just fail to improve; it would plummet. That would be a disaster.
Li Qiang’s hurried glance sent a chill of vindictive pleasure through Xu Yongsheng, as refreshing as ice cream on a sweltering summer day. He savored the moment. I knew it. A clown’s act can only last so long.
"Manager Li, you guessed right! The one impersonating the Big Boss is Sun Dasheng, the man right next to Manager Xiang! Listen to me, that guy was originally just an employee our company fired..."
Li Qiang tuned out the rest of the man’s babbling, nearly breaking out in a cold sweat. If he listened to another second of this mad slander, he’d be the one packing his bags.
Shoving the rambling Xu Yongsheng aside, Li Qiang strode over to Sun Dasheng in a few quick steps. Bowing his body slightly, he said with the utmost respect, "Welcome to the company, Big Boss!"
Xu Yongsheng’s mocking grin froze on his face.
Oh, heavens! Great earth! I couldn’t have heard that right, could I? He called Sun Dasheng... Big Boss?
And just like that, Xiang Yunsheng, Xu Yongsheng, and their entourage scurried away with their tails between their legs, not daring to look back.