After clocking out of work, Bai Shijin left DEW.
He waved down a taxi and told the driver, “To the Duan Group headquarters.”
Half an hour later, Bai Shijin arrived at the Duan Group building. He stepped out of the car, strode through the revolving doors, and headed straight to the front desk.
“I am here to see Duan Jingyuan.”
The receptionist looked at Bai Shijin, noting he was just a student, and made things difficult for him. “Not just anyone can meet with President Duan. Please go through the proper procedures and make an appointment in advance.”
Bai Shijin’s expression remained indifferent as he raised his eyebrows slightly. “Call Duan Jingyuan and tell him that Bai Shijin is here to see him.”
The receptionist remained unmoved.
Bai Shijin’s patience was exhausted. He reached out, grabbed the telephone from the desk, and pressed the internal speed-dial key.
“Hey! Why are you doing this?” The receptionist reached out to grab it back, but Bai Shijin dodged her agilely.
Fortunately, Duan Jingyuan answered quickly. His tired voice came through the line, “Speak.”
“It is me. Tell the receptionist to let me up.”
Duan Jingyuan was silent for three seconds. “Give the phone to the receptionist.”
Bai Shijin complied and signaled for the receptionist to take the call.
After Duan Jingyuan gave his instructions, the receptionist’s expression toward Bai Shijin turned fearful.
Anyone who could get an audience with President Duan in a single sentence must be an extraordinary person. The two of them hurriedly opened the security gate and let Bai Shijin take the elevator up.
Bai Shijin found Duan Jingyuan’s office based on memory. Ignoring all protocol, he did not even knock and twisted the door handle directly.
Duan Jingyuan seemed accustomed to Bai Shijin’s arrogant manner and nodded at him slightly. “Sit down.”
Bai Shijin did not stand on ceremony and sat down as if he were in his own home.
Duan Jingyuan sighed, looked Bai Shijin over for a moment, and said, “Next time you come to see me, dress more formally.”
“Spare me the nonsense,” Bai Shijin looked up at him. “There is one thing I need to confirm with you. Does the group have a partnership with the DEW design firm recently?”
Duan Jingyuan’s brows twitched, and his eyes darted away. “It seems like there is such a thing. The group has so many partnerships that I cannot remember them all clearly.”
“Fine. As long as you remember it, cancel the partnership.”
Duan Jingyuan’s mouth twitched, and he sat down slowly in front of Bai Shijin. “Bai Shijin, what should I say about you?”
“Did you read so much that you lost your mind? Even if the Duan Group is incredibly powerful, a partnership is a process where both parties negotiate and reach an agreement. Can you just cancel it whenever you want? Canceling it is called a breach of contract! Do you know how much money we would have to pay in damages for a breach of contract?”
Bai Shijin interrupted him. “Can the Duan Group not even afford a penalty for breach of contract?”
Duan Jingyuan was so angry he felt dizzy. He rubbed his temples and said, “This is not about money. It is about the reputation of the Duan Group. Why has this company offended you? Why are you targeting them to the point that you came to find me in person?”
Bai Shijin replied, “That President Qin, Qin Quan, acts incredibly arrogant within the company because he relies on the partnership with the Duan Group. I cannot stand it.”
“You are attending classes at school, so how did you get involved with DEW?”
“I am working a part-time job at DEW. Qin Quan and that model, Jiang Qiong, are basically stepping all over me. Tell me directly, are you going to help me or not?”
Duan Jingyuan’s breath hitched. “Are you that strapped for cash? Why are you running off to do a part-time job?”
“I do not need to report to you about what I do. Do not change the subject.”
Duan Jingyuan probed, “What if I do not cancel it?”
Bai Shijin stood up. “Then I will go find Duan Hezhi. He should be at the group headquarters, right? My trip here should not be in vain.”
With that, Bai Shijin turned and walked away.
“Stop right there.”
Duan Jingyuan said quickly, “Canceling the partnership is impossible, but I can reduce the investment. I will have a word with Qin Quan and tell him to behave himself. Will that do?”
Bai Shijin weighed the pros and cons. Canceling the partnership would require paying a penalty for breach of contract, which might seem to embarrass Qin Quan, but in reality, it would make him money.
Thinking about it, reducing the investment would be more unpleasant for the other party than canceling the partnership.
“Fine,” Bai Shijin compromised. “Three days.”
Duan Jingyuan let out a long sigh. “Understood. I will handle it. Do not let your mother know about your part-time job. Otherwise, with her temper, she will definitely get into a fight with you. If you are short on money, just tell me.”
“Mind your own business.”
Having achieved his goal, Bai Shijin opened the door and left.
Duan Jingyuan remained silent.
When Bai Shijin returned to the dorm, Ye Qinfan was there, looking high-spirited and trying on shoes in front of the mirror. Hearing the door open, he intentionally raised his voice. “So comfortable. Nian Nian still understands me best, even remembering my shoe size so clearly.”
Bai Shijin wanted to slap him when he saw Ye Qinfan acting so smug. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Why did you not come back last night?”
Ye Qinfan glanced at him and replied nonchalantly, “I slept at Nian Nian’s place.”
Bai Shijin asked, “Did you sleep while holding each other?”
Ye Qinfan thought for a moment. It was true that he had slept while holding someone, although it was not Mu Nian.
“Yeah, how did you know?”
Bai Shijin’s eyes were full of mockery as he let out a cold laugh. “You really have the nerve to say that.”
“What do you mean, Bai Shijin?” Ye Qinfan was already incredibly annoyed. Bai Shijin being able to be alone with Mu Nian was already enough to make him furious, and being mocked by him back in the dorm only made it worse. He said angrily, “So many people at school like you. If you want to fall in love, just find someone you find attractive. Why are you so idle that you have to care about my private life? Anyone else would have forgotten about this in two days, but you keep clinging to it like a lunatic. You cannot forget it, can you?”
Bai Shijin ignored his entire rant and said calmly, “Mu Nian let me call you today. Guess who picked up?”
Ye Qinfan paused. As something occurred to him, his pupils dilated instantly. He hurriedly took out his phone to check the call history. Seeing a one-minute answered call, he grew nervous.
Bai Shijin continued, “Mu Nian was right next to me when your bed partner answered the call.”
“Damn slut, daring to take my calls without permission,” Ye Qinfan muttered through gritted teeth before asking, “Nian Nian did not hear it, right?”
“Whether he heard it or not,” Bai Shijin sneered, “why do you not ask him yourself and find out?”
He walked past Ye Qinfan and sat back down at his desk, flipping open a book.
The person behind him was quiet for a while before tremblingly calling Mu Nian.
After Mu Nian answered, his voice sounded weak, softer than usual. “Qinfan, what is it?”
Ye Qinfan did not notice at all that Mu Nian was feeling unwell and probed, “Nian Nian, this morning, I…”
“You went to the internet cafe to play games all night again, right?”
Ye Qinfan’s words got stuck in his throat.
“Qinfan, you are twenty years old. You are not a child anymore. You worked so hard to get into that school. Are you planning to waste it like this?”
It was only then that Ye Qinfan realized that Bai Shijin had done it on purpose to make him nervous and afraid. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, “It will not happen again. I just did not want to come back to the dorm and had nowhere else to go.”
Mu Nian sighed on the other end of the line. “Did you and Shijin have another disagreement? Shijin is a good kid. I have been spending time with him for a few days and know that he is not a troublemaker. Sometimes you should reflect on yourself too and stop thinking everything is someone else’s fault.”
Ye Qinfan brushed off the conversation with a few perfunctory words. After the call ended, he glared at Bai Shijin. “Is it fun, Bai Shijin? You are truly quite boring.”
“Are you blaming me?” Bai Shijin replied. “If I had not helped you lie, Mu Nian would have known that you were staying in a hotel room with someone else last night.”