บท 44: 44
The next day, Lu Cixue was invited to a private meeting with two people.
Compared to Li Lvtong, the elderly man with graying temples was much more cautious. Before she even entered the room, a female bodyguard searched her for recording devices.
"Xiao Lu, it's not that I don't trust you, but in matters like this, we must show our stance, don't you agree?"
"And what kind of stance does Director Li expect from me?" The room was filled with cigarette smoke, and Lu Cixue furrowed her brow. The smell was unbearable.
"It depends on how ruthless you can be," the man smiled, full of calculation and slyness.
What he didn't expect was how quickly Lu Cixue would act. Within a few days, the newly appointed Manager Luo was suspended after being reported by a subordinate for plagiarism in the promotional designs for the new quarter's product campaign.
"I had hoped she would be dismissed, but as you know, I don't have the power to go against the Luo family," Lu Cixue calmly sipped her tea.
It was bitter—terrible tea.
The man across from her rested his chin on his hand, expressionless as he studied her, before finally breaking into a smile. "Very good. I look forward to our cooperation."
"In that case, I have a question for you, Director Li."
"Go ahead."
"Business is all about profit, and risky investments need careful consideration. So can you tell me..." Lu Cixue set down the bitter black tea, "Why should I believe you will succeed?"
The man paused for a long moment, seemingly debating whether to answer.
Li Lvtong, however, didn't think much of it and blurted out, "You don't need to worry. Do you know the Jing family? On the surface, Jing Yao seems to be the favored one among the younger generation, but that's not the case."
"Oh?" Lu Cixue raised an eyebrow, as if she had stumbled upon an intriguing piece of gossip.
"Jing Yao's cousin, Jing Yuzhe, is the real heir of the Jing family," Li Lvtong explained enthusiastically, seeing Lu Cixue's interest. "We've teamed up with him—uh, I mean, we've partnered with him. It's a win-win situation."
The man watched Lu Cixue closely for any reaction, but her icy expression barely changed. She only showed mild curiosity when hearing about the Jing family, her usual calm demeanor unshaken.
This, however, indirectly proved that she was a reliable partner.
——
"Wow, you're amazing!" Luo Li popped her head into the frame from beside Luo Zhining's phone, squeezing her mother out of view as she shamelessly praised Lu Cixue. "Wife, you're incredible, figuring everything out so fast!"
She didn't even care that two elders were sitting right there.
Lu Cixue coughed awkwardly, trying to signal Luo Li to tone it down, but the mischievous girl was doing it on purpose.
"I didn't expect there to be so much going on with the Jing family," Luo Shuhe murmured thoughtfully. "Looks like we'll need to investigate further."
"That cousin of Jing Yao is just a spoiled playboy. I wonder if old man Jing has truly lost his mind," Luo Shuhe added, shaking his head.
"I don't think we need to worry too much," Luo Zhining said knowingly. "Jing Yao isn't the type to lack ambition. Do you really think she'd sit back and do nothing if she found out?"
Luo Li, only half-understanding their conversation, asked, "So, we're going to let Jing Yao handle it?"
"Hitting them where it hurts isn't enough. Just letting Jing Yao find out won't suffice," Luo Zhining said, running her fingers along the rim of her teacup, a plan forming in her mind.
"We need to sow discord, make them believe Jing Yuzhe is deceiving them," Luo Shuhe added.
"And once they're in disarray, the evidence will come to us. Those backing Li Lvtong will prioritize saving themselves, and someone will deliver the proof to us," Lu Cixue's voice came through the phone.
Luo Li scooted further into the corner of the couch, suddenly finding these three people a little intimidating.
A small sigh escaped Luo Li's lips, catching Lu Cixue's attention.
"Why didn't I think of that?" Luo Li frowned, wrinkling her nose as she pondered.
"I don't know. Maybe it's just the difference between people," her mother quipped, still holding her cup as she headed to the study. "Bring the phone upstairs when you're done."
"I'm going to check the flowers in the garden," Luo Shuhe said, rising to follow. In the blink of an eye, Luo Li was left alone in the large living room.
"You just don't have enough experience yet. It'll come to you soon," Lu Cixue said gently, the only one offering her some comfort.
Luo Li crawled up to the screen, teary-eyed. "Wife, you're the best to me. I really want to move back. There's no place for me here."
Everyone was constantly flaunting their love in front of her. It wasn't like she didn't have a partner too!
Her whining brought a soft laugh from the person on the other end of the line.
"Hmm, soon."
Lu Cixue wasn't eager to watch Luo Li continue pretending to flirt with others, sending slightly suggestive messages to fool their enemies.
——
Jing Yao listened to Luo Li's story without a hint of surprise.
"You knew about this already?"
"Yes, but I didn't expect him to be so bold," Jing Yao said calmly, even with a trace of amusement. "Do you think someone like him could really convince those old foxes in the company to support him?"
"Then why would Uncle Jing...?" Luo Li trailed off, sensing she might be onto something unexpected.
"Do you remember when I was sick and hospitalized as a child, and no one was allowed to visit me?"
Luo Li nodded. She remembered that after Jing Yao returned, she withdrew from socializing for a while, only to eventually reappear as if nothing had happened. When Luo Li asked what had happened, Jing Yao had just brushed it off with a smile, saying it was no big deal.
Jing Yao turned to look out the window, her gaze inscrutable. "During that time, I was recovering from an injury."
"Injury?"
"So, you see, retribution doesn't always come immediately," Jing Yao's lips curled into a faint smile, one that was laced with irony.
"He wants to take over? Let's see if he can handle it."
As for the injury, Jing Yao still didn't tell her the cause.
Luo Li didn't press further. It was clear Jing Yao didn't want to dwell on that part of her life.
"What about you and Assistant Ji? You two haven't been seen together lately."
"She said she's working things out with her parents. But who knows? Maybe she's already broken up with me without telling me."
Luo Li sensed something off about Jing Yao today. Despite the slight smile, there was no joy behind her expression.
"Don't joke about that. Assistant Ji isn't that kind of person."
"Indeed." Jing Yao smiled dismissively, clearly uninterested in the topic.
Luo Li sighed internally. She had known Jing Yao long enough to understand that while others might see her as frivolous and detached, Luo Li had always sensed there was something deeper—something no one else could reach. Even as her close friend, Luo Li couldn't fully grasp it.
"Well, no matter what, I'm on your side. If you're unhappy, I'll stir up trouble and get Lu Cixue to make things difficult for him." Luo Li joked, trying to lighten the mood, but her friend didn't seem amused.
After a long pause, Jing Yao finally smiled. "That would be abusing your power for personal gain. Someone might report you."
Luo Li was about to retort, but Jing Yao's next words caught her off guard.
"Forget it. She's already doing so much, just like you. I don't want to push her into making hard choices."
——
In just a few days, a storm erupted within the Jing family.
The usually indifferent vice president took decisive action, purging a large group of people and directly confronting her father at a board meeting. To everyone's surprise, she garnered majority support.
"If you want to hand the company to your son, shouldn't you ask the board's opinion first?" Jing Yao asked, smiling as she watched her father's face redden with fury.
The elder Jing, who had always believed in his firm grip over the board, found himself abandoned by those who had once been his loyal supporters.
"You want all the benefits but don't want to share. What kind of world do you think this is?" Jing Yao said mockingly. "You've always said this company was the Jing family's hard-earned legacy. In that case, you shouldn't have put an outsider like me in this position."
"Now that I'm here, distributing shares doesn't seem so unreasonable."
"You think you've won?" Her father scoffed, his expression filled with disdain. "You're nothing more than an empty shell now. Do you think you can hold on to your position?"
"I never cared about winning against you." Jing Yao's eyes, usually filled with mirth, turned cold, only to soften again with a serene calm. "I just hold grudges."
She didn't want to be haunted by nightmares anymore, nor did she want to numb herself with an empty, decadent lifestyle.
The long, pink scar on her body had been left by her so-called cousin, Jing Yuzhe—her father's biological son—when he abused her as a child.
That was when she learned the bitter truth: she had been abandoned by her parents.
After she was taken to the hospital, the Jing family covered it up, claiming she had fallen ill. When she was released, the world saw her as a pampered princess, favored by her family to the point of being made vice president of the Jing Corporation.
The truth about her "orphaned" cousin and "deceased" mother? All lies. Her parents had never loved each other, yet they had her, only to both cheat on each other and discard their hollow marriage.
As a child, she had been powerless to fight back, but the scar remained—forced to stay, though she didn't even know why.
Maybe it was out of loyalty to friends, maybe it was sheer madness. But now, it was over. Outside of work, she rarely considered the consequences of her actions, much like how she dealt with Ji Qiubai.
Perhaps it was time to start anew somewhere else. After all, she wasn't like Jing Yuzhe, the spoiled brat who couldn't survive on his own.
The Jing family's drama quickly hit the headlines.
Luo Li, worried after not being able to reach Jing Yao, wanted to go check on her, but Lu Cixue stopped her.
"Let them handle it on their own."
Luo Li nodded, feeling a bit guilty for leaking the information to Jing Yao, though she doubted her friend would hold it against her.
She had even reached out to Ji Qiubai, hoping to understand what was going on between the two of them. Ji Qiubai had listened quietly as Luo Li relayed everything Jing Yao had said.
It was clear Ji Qiubai had always been the one to sacrifice more. Luo Li had never seen Jing Yao voluntarily give up anything.
That day had been the first time Luo Li had heard her friend say such things.
"Your parents don't approve of you two being together?"
Ji Qiubai had been deep in thought as she listened to Luo Li's retelling.
Her parents were traditionalists, their deeply ingrained conservative values unchanged despite the legalization of same-sex relationships.
Ji Qiubai had always been strictly controlled by her family, rarely rebelling.
Her parents, though strict, had always doted on her. Both of them were in poor health, and any agitation could lead to dire consequences.
When they found out she was dating Jing Yao, they had caused a huge fuss, demanding they break up.
After searching online and finding endless rumors about Jing Yao, they were even more adamant in their opposition.
"Let's not even talk about the huge gap between our families. Can you honestly tell me someone like her is pure? Can you guarantee she'll be faithful to you?"
Worse still, when Jing Yao had opened up to Ji Qiubai about the scar on her abdomen, her parents had seen their messages.
"See? A family like that passes on bad genes."
That had been the first time Ji Qiubai had argued with her parents. "Tell me, what's considered pure? You want me to listen to you, get married, have kids, and live a miserable life just to make you happy?"
Her mother had been so upset she ended up in the hospital. When Jing Yao had visited, Ji Qiubai's parents had refused to let her in and berated Ji Qiubai again.
That period had left Ji Qiubai exhausted, so she had decided to accompany Lu Cixue on her business trip.
She had been running away, unable to face either her parents or her lover.
But now she realized that avoiding the problem had only disappointed everyone.
At first, Ji Qiubai had thought Jing Yao had everything. But in the end, she saw that the woman had nothing. Yet she hadn't been there for her, hadn't held her when she needed it most.
It had begun to drizzle as Ji Qiubai set out to find Jing Yao, the light rain quickly becoming a steady downpour. People hurried by, caught off guard by the sudden change in weather.
Amidst the rain, a slim figure moved slowly, seemingly indifferent to being soaked.
Ji Qiubai rushed up and hugged her from behind, a black umbrella shielding them from the rain.
Without a care for those around them, they kissed in the downpour, Ji Qiubai's gentle kisses wiping away Jing Yao's falling tears.
"I'm sorry I'm late. I should've come to take you home sooner."
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