Emerging from Mr. Liu's office and returning to her own, Lan Lan downed an entire cup of iced Americano, yet her anger remained unquelled.
She was no longer an innocent, naive girl. Having navigated the corporate world for several years, she understood the terrifying nature of power. Even if she worked diligently, if Liang Yufeng intended to suppress her, she would be unable to continue in this industry.
Liang Yufeng… Lan Lan squeezed the name through gritted teeth.
She had underestimated Liang Yufeng. She had thought that once he was disgusted, things would naturally resolve themselves. She hadn't anticipated that he was now vengeful and had bypassed negotiation altogether, directly targeting the work she cared about most.
Perhaps it was because Liang Yufeng had treated her well during their two years as casual partners that she had forgotten he was no longer as easily appeased as before. Previously, she could coax him easily because it involved minor, inconsequential matters. Once something challenged his male pride, he would still "teach her a lesson" without hesitation.
He knew how to strike at her weakness; he also knew that work was what she cared about most.
Confronting Liang Yufeng head-on was impossible. He responded to gentleness, not hardness. Moreover, she wasn't foolish enough to believe that a direct confrontation would lead to anything but a worse outcome. But to yield and beg for mercy…
Lan Lan was plagued by a headache. How many times in her life had she swallowed her pride?
And of the few times she had, they were all with Liang Yufeng.
After calming herself for a long while, Lan Lan finally sent Liang Yufeng a WeChat message, her first proactive contact with him in a while.
She couldn't afford to lose her temper. Lan Lan's tone was extremely friendly, "Are you busy? I have something to discuss."
After waiting patiently for over ten minutes with no reply, Lan Lan, though anxious, knew he was busy with work. She then sent, "Reply when you see this."
However, even after sending this message, Lan Lan received no response from Liang Yufeng until the end of the workday.
In this day and age, who wouldn't check WeChat all day? Lan Lan deduced that Liang Yufeng had definitely seen the message but was unwilling to reply, choosing to keep her in suspense this way.
Half of her workload had been reassigned. Lan Lan no longer needed to work overtime. In fact, she had finished the remaining tasks before the end of the workday. Perhaps it was due to being busy for so long, but this sudden emptiness of having nothing to do made her feel incredibly flustered.
After work, Lan Lan went to the underground parking lot and called Liang Yufeng. The call connected, but no one answered. She tried five or six times with the same result, making it almost certain that Liang Yufeng was deliberately ignoring her calls.
Previously, when she had asked him for favors, he had used the same tactic. The frustrating part was that even though she knew he was playing games, she couldn't do anything about it. She could only play by his rules and let the game continue, because she couldn't possibly give up her job.
Lan Lan never considered herself a person with backbone. The job market was not good these days, and it had taken her great effort to join Xinhu. There were no better securities firms than Xinhu in China for now.
Finance was a close-knit circle. If Liang Yufeng intended to deal with her, he could make it impossible for her to work at any securities firm. The root of this matter lay with Liang Yufeng.
Her phone calls proving fruitless, Lan Lan had no choice but to send Liang Yufeng another WeChat message, "I'll come to see you on Friday. Can we talk?"
As before, she received no reply, but Lan Lan didn't expect one. As long as he saw the message, that was enough. Liang Yufeng had no habit of staying out overnight. On Friday, she would wait for him at his villa and see if she couldn't get hold of him.
In the following days, Lan Lan lived in a state of anxiety. Her workload had drastically decreased, and she was so flustered that she couldn't sleep soundly at night, needing to take melatonin almost every night just to fall asleep.
Finally, Friday arrived. As soon as work ended, Lan Lan drove to Liang Yufeng's villa.
Before leaving, she sent Liang Yufeng a WeChat message. Naturally, she received no reply, so Lan Lan added, "It doesn't matter what time you get back, I won't leave."
Before going to the villa, Lan Lan had dinner. She was certain that Liang Yufeng wouldn't miss this opportunity to "teach her a lesson" and might even make her wait until the early hours of the morning.
Indeed, after dinner, at eight o'clock, there was still no sign of anyone returning to the villa. Lan Lan parked her car, sat inside, and drank the coffee she had just bought, playing on her phone while patiently waiting.
She waited until half-past nine, and there was still no sign of Liang Yufeng's return. Lan Lan got out of the car to stretch her legs and sat down on a stone bench outside the villa. Just as she was about to continue playing on her phone, she suddenly saw the kitchen light in Liang Yufeng's villa turn on!
Lan Lan was startled. Was someone home? When had Liang Yufeng returned?
Lan Lan looked around but didn't see his car… She hesitated. Could it be his fiancée?
If that were the case, she shouldn't go in. Liang Yufeng was finding ways to humiliate her.
As she pondered, Lan Lan saw Liang Yufeng's figure by the window. He seemed to be alone in the kitchen, wearing a black loungewear. She frowned. When exactly had Liang Yufeng returned?
Seeing Liang Yufeng, Lan Lan went to knock on the door. She pressed the doorbell several times and knocked for a few minutes, but the person inside seemed not to hear, showing no intention of acknowledging her.
Lan Lan's patience was wearing thin. She decided to try entering the old password, hoping for the best. To her surprise, she actually managed to open the villa door!
Had Liang Yufeng forgotten to change the password?
If she had known this, she would have come inside to wait, instead of standing outside like a fool!
Fortunately, there were only Liang Yufeng's shoes at the entrance, and no women's clothing was visible. His fiancée must not be here, which made Lan Lan feel more at ease.
She changed into slippers and walked into the kitchen, where she smelled a rich aroma. Liang Yufeng was cooking noodles. He truly had the leisure for such things.
Fortunately, she had already eaten and was not tempted by his cooking. "When did you get back?"
Liang Yufeng did not reply. He carried his bowl and chopsticks to the table, sat down, and slowly began eating his noodles.
Lan Lan sat opposite him. "Regarding my work, what will it take for you to relent? Name your price." She went straight to the point, without any beating around the bush.
Liang Yufeng was probably surprised by her directness. He stopped eating and looked at her, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.
Lan Lan instinctively softened her tone and spoke in a conciliatory manner, "Mr. Liang, please be kind. I'm just an ordinary worker, unlike you who has an inheritance. This achievement means nothing to you, but if I lose it, I won't be able to make a living in the future. Considering our past acquaintance, can we let this matter go?"
Liang Yufeng continued eating his noodles, seemingly ignoring her. However, Lan Lan knew he had heard everything but was simply uninterested in her words, hence his behavior.
Since she was the one asking for a favor, Lan Lan didn't mind lowering her stance. "How about this, name your price. What will it take to let this matter go?"
"What do you think?" Liang Yufeng finally spoke, but he was still maintaining his aloofness.
Lan Lan was already satisfied. "Whatever Mr. Liang says, I'll listen to you."