The older woman had originally wanted to persuade Chen Man to make up.
But Chen Man said, “Tell Mom to come back—she doesn’t need to hide. I’m going to my maternal grandmother’s.”
At those words, the older woman swallowed her words, didn’t dare persuade any further, and looked at Zhong Kaihui with a hint of helplessness.
She had seen Chen Man take her grandmother out saying they were going to the park, and right after that, Liu Hongjuan had picked up her bag and left. That old woman had only this one relative—denying her a place to stay was one thing, but hiding from her too? Sigh!
The older woman left.
Zhong Kaihui completely lost his patience, his usual gentleness gone, his voice several degrees heavier. “Chen Man, I have to work tomorrow. It’s fine if you won’t come visit relatives with me—I even brought you food, and you show no appreciation at all, and you argue with me on top of it. I’m exhausted.”
He shook his head and went to sit on the sofa, full of misery.
After waiting a while with no movement in the room, Zhong Kaihui looked up—Chen Man was nowhere to be seen, only the half-open, empty door.
The Chen Man who would have compromised at a time like this to smooth things over had left.
He finally realized that Chen Man wasn’t so easy to fool anymore.
The next day.
Chen Man first went to the hospital to pick up her electric scooter, then hurried to the company.
On the way, she instinctively detoured to the market. Looking at the lively place full of elderly men and women, she suddenly shivered.
But since she was there anyway, she still bought some pork ribs to make steamed rice-flour ribs for her grandmother after work.
When she arrived at work, she parked the scooter and put the ribs in the storage compartment under the seat. The weather wasn’t hot, and the basement was cool and damp, so the ribs wouldn’t spoil.
She was busy looking down and didn’t notice that in a luxury car nearby, Liang Jinfeng was on the phone. His gaze drifted out through the black window, and he saw Chen Man carefully arranging and storing each item of food one by one.
Liang Jinfeng couldn’t help savoring the memory of that homey, delicious fish soup noodle dish—simple, yet endlessly satisfying.
Just one glance.
Liang Jinfeng quickly withdrew his gaze and listened to the report on the phone.
Chen Man put her things away, pulled out the key, and was carrying her canvas bag, about to go take the elevator. Just as she turned, the electric scooter leaning against the ground suddenly tipped over to one side.
Beep beep beep—
A shrill, urgent alarm rang out, echoing in circles through the empty basement.
Chen Man was startled. She turned to see that the scooter had already smashed a dent into the rear door of the black sedan beside it.
Instinctively, she moved to pick it up, then caught herself, took out her phone, and took several photos, zooming in and out, to document the damage.
Inside the car, Liang Jinfeng withdrew the hand that had been reaching for the door handle.
He studied Chen Man, who had quickly regained her composure, a hint of surprise in his eyes. A housewife—his impression of her gained another layer beyond patience: calm.
Chen Man righted the electric scooter and circled the car but found no contact number left on it.
So she photographed the license plate and posted it to her coworkers’ group chat.
Chen Man: Whose car is this? My electric scooter accidentally hit it. Please contact me to sort it out.
[What a smash. That car’s expensive—can you even afford to pay for it?]
[A car worth several million. Don’t tell me you’re hoping for some domineering CEO falls for you with your kid? Hahaha]
[What are you talking about? Chen Man’s a young married woman—she’s been married for years, no kids though]
Boring and vulgar.
Chen Man frowned.
She had always known her coworkers harbored a subtle hostility toward her—probably because she didn’t like chatting and chiming in, and even less liked slacking off and coasting.
Chen Man glanced at the time. She always got up early, and there was still half an hour before work started.
While waiting for someone in the group chat to claim the car, she took out paper and pen and wrote down her apology and contact information.
Just then, her phone rang.
Yang Jun messaged her privately: It’s President Liang’s car. I’m coming down right away.
After sending the message, Yang Jun stepped into the elevator and was about to put his phone away when he received a message from Liang Jinfeng.
Liang Jinfeng: Prepare the conference room, and all the profit-and-loss data for the past three years.
Yang Jun hurriedly pressed the open-door button and called Liang Jinfeng back.
The dark car sat there, steady as a beast of prey, when suddenly a beam of light like eyes lit up.
Chen Man froze, slowly turning to look at the back seat of the car.
Liang Jinfeng answered the call and opened the car door, his eyes on Chen Man as he replied into the phone: I know.
He then hung up and walked toward the elevator.
Chen Man hurried after him to apologize. “I’m sorry, President Liang. I smashed your car. How much will the compensation be?”
The two of them entered the elevator one after the other. Liang Jinfeng stood in the middle, one hand in his pocket, making no move.
Chen Man quickly pressed the button for his floor and pulled out the photos of the accident she had taken earlier.
“The insurance company will contact you.” After a pause, Liang Jinfeng asked, “You still haven’t answered my question.”
Chen Man pressed her lips together. She remembered.
That data was company confidential, especially at such a critical time. She also keenly realized that the person on the phone that night hadn’t misspoken—he had deliberately kept Liang Jinfeng in the dark.
She answered, “I saw it by accident in the Director’s office.”
“Anything else?”
So Chen Man recited, one by one, the report she had seen, complete with all the figures.
Consider it a pledge of loyalty.
Her maternal grandmother’s illness and the medication she needed, plus the rent—all were major expenses, and her current salary wasn’t enough to cover them.
Unexpectedly, Chen Man saw no surprise on Liang Jinfeng’s face, which made her a little nervous.
Just then, the elevator doors opened. Yang Jun was waiting outside, and seeing the two of them together, he looked somewhat surprised.
Liang Jinfeng walked out first and took the several documents Yang Jun respectfully handed over. “Let her attend the meeting too.”
Chen Man’s pupils froze for a moment, and Yang Jun was even more astonished.
He came over to Chen Man and asked in a low voice, “Why would President Liang want you at the meeting?”
“I don’t know.”
Chen Man lowered her eyes, thinking that she shouldn’t have schemed like this—Liang Jinfeng had seen through her tricks. A man like him had seen and experienced things beyond her imagination.
Chen Man didn’t dwell on the matter for long. She had Yang Jun s her the insurance contact and settled the matter of compensation.
Afterward, she returned to the Business Development Department.
Early in the morning, the atmosphere in the company was already off. The Director’s face was livid as he hurried along.
Chen Man stood to the side, making way for him.
The Director passed her, then suddenly turned back. “Get in here.”
Chen Man, under the watching, entertained gazes of her colleagues, went into the office. Director Gao Xiangyan flung the documents at her.
“Who gave you permission to change the numbers on these documents?”
Chen Man’s brow twitched. She didn’t answer right away, only picked up the documents and flipped through them.
The documents had been compiled according to what Gao Xiangyan had given her—the numbers couldn’t be wrong, and it was indeed the set she had put together.
Chen Man said, “I compiled them based on the materials you gave me.”
Gao Xiangyan sneered, “So it’s only our Business Development Department’s data that’s wrong! With all that material, you organized it that fast—turns out this is how you fudged it?”
Just then, the intercom rang; the secretary notified Gao Xiangyan to go upstairs for a meeting.
She glanced at Chen Man as she headed for the door. “You can pack up your things and leave.”