Qin Ou’s gaze was heavy and intense, pressing down on the man.
“Get lost. Don’t show up at her place again.”
The man cast a glance at Lin Xiangwan’s apartment and hurriedly left.
The night grew colder.
No one remained at the door. Only the light from the second-floor room shone, with occasional laughter and chatter drifting out.
Lin Xiangwan barely slept. She spent the night with Wen Qian, reminiscing about their high school days and talking about the latest news of their classmates. It wasn’t until dawn that they finally closed their eyes.
She thought she could sleep in, but as soon as she turned over, her phone rang.
It was Xiaoxue, urging her to hurry to the hospital.
Lin Xiangwan instantly became alert. Without waking Wen Qian, she quietly showered and left.
On the way, Xiaoxue explained the situation.
Fanxing’s new smart refrigerator was looking for a brand ambassador. They had appointed a female celebrity, and during a commercial shoot that morning, the top door of the fridge suddenly fell, injuring the ambassador.
The person was now in the hospital, and the staff didn’t know how to handle the situation. They could only have Xiaoxue contact Lin Xiangwan.
After hearing this, Lin Xiangwan’s expression darkened.
She had suspected last night that Jiang Shijing might act, but she hadn’t expected the company insiders to act first.
“Wasn’t Lin Xijun responsible for developing the smart fridge?”
Under her grandfather’s leadership, Fanxing Group had advanced new energy and AI technology, running many factories that manufactured smart and energy products for partner companies.
But Lin Xiangwan had only recently learned that Fanxing was also internally using these technologies to develop its own products.
Before she returned to China, Lin Xijun had been pushing forward with the smart fridge, claiming it would be the most advanced appliance on the market.
Now that an accident had occurred, Lin Xijun couldn’t avoid suspicion.
Xiaoxue explained, “Vice President Lin was responsible for development, but after you took office, he handed everything over to the team. The fridge passed inspection last night and was brought to the shoot for the ambassador. The accident isn’t his responsibility.”
Lin Xiangwan’s eyes went icy.
It seemed Lin Xijun had long planned to use this incident as leverage.
The fridge malfunctioned, Lin Xijun bore no responsibility, and naturally it fell to her, the company president, to resolve it.
“Seal all news immediately. Don’t let this leak. Instruct the product team to investigate the cause of the accident. The rest, I’ll handle when I get to the hospital.”
The top priority was to check on the ambassador and reassure her; everything else could wait.
But Xiaoxue hesitated cautiously: “The ambassador for the fridge is the national goddess Zhao Xing’er… she’s untouchable. She’s currently injured with a fracture, and news has already spread everywhere…”
Lin Xiangwan felt her vision go dark, nearly pressing the accelerator instead of the brake.
She hadn’t expected that Jiang Shijing’s most unforgettable ex would turn out to be her company’s ambassador.
If news spread now, not only would it reveal serious quality issues with Fanxing products, but Zhao Xing’er’s fans would tear Fanxing apart.
With Zhao Xing’er’s fame, Fanxing’s reputation could be ruined.
Lin Xiangwan steadied herself and said, “Keep an eye on Lin Xijun. Don’t let him give interviews or say anything reckless. I’ll go to the hospital to negotiate with Zhao Xing’er’s team.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than a call came through.
Seeing Qin Ou’s name, Lin Xiangwan frowned and answered.
“Wasn’t I supposed to pick you up at nine?”
Lin Xiangwan: “The company has an urgent matter. I took another car. You can go back.”
Qin Ou paused and asked, “Is it serious?”
“Not serious. I have to hang up.”
She had no mood to talk and hung up, rushing to the hospital.
At the hospital entrance, reporters had already gathered, blocked by Fanxing’s security and hospital guards, while a large crowd of fans cried and protested outside.
The scene was chaotic.
Lin Xiangwan had to enter through the underground garage and hurried to Zhao Xing’er’s ward.
Zhao Xing’er was resting in a chair with her eyes closed, accompanied by assistants, her agent, and bodyguards.
Her arm was in a bandage, brows furrowed in discomfort, yet even with her pained expression, there was a delicate beauty about her.
The bodyguards aggressively blocked the door when they saw someone approach.
Lin Xiangwan quickly explained, “I’m President Lin of Fanxing Group, here to visit Miss Zhao.”
Hearing this, Zhao Xing’er opened her eyes, her gaze calmly assessing before settling firmly on Lin Xiangwan.
The bodyguards stepped aside, and her agent let out a teasing tone:
“Visiting Miss Zhao and you didn’t bring any gifts? Not even a bouquet? Where’s your sincerity?”
Lin Xiangwan entered, apologizing, “I just woke up. I came as soon as I got the call and didn’t have time to bring anything. Please forgive me.”
Zhao Xing’er remained silent, staring intently.
It didn’t seem to Lin Xiangwan that her lack of response was due to her injury.
Rather… it carried a faint hostility.
The assistant snorted, handing over a medical report.
“Fractured wrist. She won’t be able to move her left arm for a month. How do you plan to handle this?”
Lin Xiangwan looked at the report and earnestly said, “Fanxing will cover all of Miss Zhao’s medical expenses, compensation for mental distress, and any other necessary costs.”
“Cover?”
Zhao Xing’er let out a soft scoff, finally reacting.
She stood and walked in front of Lin Xiangwan.
Lin Xiangwan met her gaze, nodding solemnly “I’m sorry you were injured. Fanxing will not evade responsibility and will cover all your losses.”
“Fine. Then let’s calculate my losses.” Zhao Xing’er lifted her chin, exuding her award-winning aura.
“Li?”
Her agent, Li Hai, spoke immediately: “Our Xing’er was scheduled to start filming tomorrow. One day’s delay costs the production over a million. This month, she has three ads, two runway shows, and five commercial promotions. Total damages: 200 million.”
He finished and extended his hand toward Lin Xiangwan: “Pay up.”
Lin Xiangwan frowned slightly.
She had just asked Xiaoxue yesterday. The company’s finances were tight, mostly tied up in projects with Huafeng and Dingsheng.
They couldn’t cover 200 million. At most, they could scrape together 50 million.
Li Hai’s face darkened: “What? Your company can’t come up with 200 million?”
“We can, but operations are tight. We don’t have that much cash on hand right now. Can we pay in installments?” Lin Xiangwan lowered her eyes, humbling herself further.
Zhao Xing’er looked down on her, a mocking smile on her lips: “We don’t do installment payments here.”
Lin Xiangwan’s brows tightened.
The woman’s eyes glinted with playful mischief.
In the brief silence, Lin Xiangwan ran through all possibilities.
To pay, she would have to halt Huafeng and Dingsheng projects, free up cash flow, cover the losses in full, and ensure liquidity wasn’t interrupted.
Lin Xiangwan suspected Lin Xijun hadn’t stopped her from negotiating, even watching her land two deals without interference, all to wait for this very moment.
Just as she was about to speak, Zhao Xing’er turned and leisurely sat at the desk.
“Here’s the deal. If you do me a favor, I won’t make you pay.”
Nothing in the world comes that easy.
Lin Xiangwan wasn’t pleased; she was wary.
“What do you want me to do?”
Zhao Xing’er stared straight at her, a mix of displeasure and jealousy: “Go find Jiang Shijing. Have him accompany me for three days.”
Lin Xiangwan froze, glancing at the people around.
No one reacted; no one seemed surprised.
She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“No, you understand better than anyone and only you can make it happen.”
Zhao Xing’er raised an eyebrow, leaving no room for discussion: “Go. I’ll be right here. I want to see him before dark.”