“Sister Wei, I’ve always said I want to work with you,” Shi Ran said, lifting her chin with a hint of pride, as if determined to follow Meng Jingwei to the end.
“Heh, work with me?”
Meng Jingwei let out a cold laugh. “I’m barely scraping by now. If you followed me, you probably wouldn’t even have air to breathe.”
“There’s always a way out.”
Shi Ran chuckled, then turned and pointed towards the door.
Meng Jingwei followed her gaze and saw Qing Muye standing at the company entrance.
His sudden appearance caused Meng Jingwei to withdraw her arm from Shi Ran’s shoulder. She asked, perplexed, “What are you doing here?”
“What, President Meng, have you forgotten the contract you signed with me?”
The man stood tall and straight, his cold eyes glancing at her as he walked in. “My multi-million dollar investment project went bankrupt before it even started operating. Aren’t you going to ask for my opinion?”
“I…”
Meng Jingwei was momentarily speechless, unsure how to answer Qing Muye.
As he had said.
He had indeed invested in Xi’e Wedding Company and rented ten floors in the adjacent building, intending to make a big splash.
However, for personal reasons, this man had directly halted the renovations in the neighboring building and hadn’t visited Xi’e Wedding Company since.
Meng Jingwei had assumed that Qing Muye would no longer be involved in the project cooperation.
Therefore, since the incident, she hadn’t once considered that Qing Muye would pick up the project and continue with it.
“According to the original contract, I am the major shareholder of Xi’e Wedding. I still call the shots here.”
The man walked in and surveyed the vandalized shop, which looked as if it had been bombed, a veritable Syrian battlefield.
He couldn’t even find a place to sit.
“Bring a chair over.”
The man pointed to a nearby chair and said indifferently.
Shi Ran immediately nodded. “President Qing, please wait a moment, I’ll get you…”
“You, stop right there!”
Qing Muye called out, his long, elegant fingers pointing at Meng Jingwei. “You, go and bring me a chair.”
“I…”
Being ordered around like a subordinate, Meng Jingwei felt a surge of defiance.
However, upon careful consideration, Qing Muye had helped her so much behind the scenes that this request wasn’t unreasonable.
“Alright, I’ll bring you a chair.”
She turned and walked to a corner, found an intact chair, wiped it clean with a rag, and then placed it in front of Qing Muye. “May I ask what guidance President Qing has for us today?”
The man sat down, crossed his legs, leaned back slightly, and interlaced his fingers over his abdomen, exuding a powerful aura of arrogance and dominance.
Although his posture was somewhat languid, it also carried the chilling pressure of a jungle king awakening.
“As the person in charge of Xi’e, have you analyzed the problem points after this incident?” he questioned.
Meng Jingwei nodded. “It was our negligence. We didn’t inspect the equipment properly, which led to this issue.”
“A person is not tripped by the same stone twice. But you are a unique exception, the kind of fool who can be tripped by the same stone twice.”
The man reprimanded her without reservation.
After being lectured, Meng Jingwei felt a little disgruntled. “How was I supposed to know? You can’t blame me entirely for this. After all, it’s easy to dodge an open spear but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. Who knew Li Dezhi was secretly doing so much behind my back?”
“A mistake is a mistake! Everyone only looks at the outcome, not the process.”
Qing Muye’s expression turned cold, carrying the authority of a superior. “Fortunately, this time it only injured Wang Kun. If the bomb’s power had been greater, everyone at the wedding venue would have died. At that time, do you think anyone would listen to your so-called explanations?”
Meng Jingwei’s hands, hanging by her sides, tightened slightly. Her gaze, fixed on Qing Muye, gradually lost its anger.
She blinked, and a trace of guilt and self-reproach appeared on her face.
Although Qing Muye’s words were harsh, they were all valid.
Indeed.
In this world, there were no excuses. People didn’t have time to listen to explanations; they only wanted results.
“Yes, I should take responsibility.”
Meng Jingwei slowly lowered her head, no longer arguing.
The man had expected Meng Jingwei to erupt in anger after such a harsh scolding, but to his surprise, she remained silent, accepting the reprimand.
This compliance, in turn, made Qing Muye feel unaccustomed, and even a little sympathetic.
“From today onwards, you will be responsible for the equipment at the wedding company and for inspecting safety issues. If any problems arise again, you will be solely responsible.”
Qing Muye stood up, his sharp, cold eyes looking down at her as he spoke.
Meng Jingwei never expected to be demoted within her own company.
“What, you don’t accept?”
Qing Muye noticed the woman’s ashen face and retorted.
“No. I am willing to accept the punishment for the mistakes I made.”
Meng Jingwei willingly accepted Qing Muye’s punishment. “Is there anything else?” she continued to ask.
However, this time, Qing Muye did not answer her question.
Instead, he took a phone call, got up, walked out of Xi’e Wedding, and drove away.
After he left, Shi Ran cautiously walked up to Meng Jingwei and asked softly, “Sister Wei, are you alright? President Qing was so fierce just now, he scared me to death.”
She sighed and sat down on the chair Qing Muye had just vacated, saying dejectedly, “His words were unpleasant, but they were the truth.”
Good medicine tastes bitter, but it cures disease; faithful advice is harsh to the ear, but it benefits conduct.
“Sister Wei, are you really going to start in the equipment department? This is like being demoted several levels.” Shi Ran felt a pang of sympathy for Meng Jingwei.
But she maintained an indifferent demeanor. “It’s good. By starting from scratch, I’ll know what I’m truly lacking.”
Meng Jingwei’s mindset was stable. Not only was she not angry, but thanks to Qing Muye’s appearance, the anxiety in her heart had subsided.
Her wedding company was saved.
Meng Jingwei busied herself at the wedding company until evening. Seeing that it was getting late, she left early, bought some nutritional supplements at the mall, and drove to the Qing family’s old residence.
After being away for several days, Meng Jingwei found her state of mind to be different as she arrived here once again.
“Little girl, you’re here?”
As Meng Jingwei got out of her car, Qing Sihai’s car pulled up beside hers. He stepped out, accompanied by Shu Yao.
“Seventh Uncle, Shu Yao, you… you’ve come too.”
She muttered to herself inwardly.
Qing Sihai returning to the old residence was like going home, but what was the meaning of him bringing Shu Yao this time?
Could it be that he intended to declare his intentions to Old Madam Qing and confess to Shu Yao?
Impossible.
The possibility of that was virtually zero.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you surprised to see me?”
Shu Yao walked up to Meng Jingwei, affectionately hooked her arm, and chuckled, “I begged Seventh Uncle to bring me. I just… I just wanted to see Grandma.”
Meng Jingwei’s mouth twitched, and she lowered her head, whispering to Shu Yao, “I think you’re eager to see your future mother-in-law.”