「Meanwhile, in the office.」
Ye Yuning, upon hearing that the person from the Business Department accompanying Lai Shuo was surnamed Xiao, assumed it was Xiao Linye.
She paced her office several times but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to go.
Her scalp tingling, she looked at Chen Wei. "You go talk to them!"
"Me? Talk to them?" Chen Wei stared at Ye Yuning in shock.
She never imagined Ye Yuning would suggest such a thing—her, go talk?! The Xiao Group wouldn’t accept that, would they? No, why isn’t she meeting them? Why does it feel like the Boss is afraid of this Xiao person? Didn’t she always use to tear into Xiao Shuo? Is she worried about his parents showing up? But that wouldn’t happen right at this juncture, would it?
Ye Yuning said, "Yes. You go talk to them."
Chen Wei said, "I can’t do it. Besides, you know some of the Xiao Group’s terms are quite harsh."
If you didn’t agree with something, you’d argue back on the spot. But if it’s me, I’ll just hesitate and stall, which will undoubtedly make everyone unhappy. And why is this happening anyway? They’re already here, so why won’t she see them? She doesn’t even seem to be throwing a tantrum.
Before Chen Wei could figure out why, Ye Yuning waved her hand dismissively. "Then just tell them I had an emergency and rushed to the hospital. Ask them to leave the contract. If it looks good, I’ll sign it and send it to them."
"Huh?!" Chen Wei exclaimed.
Isn’t that a bit too careless?
Chen Wei found it absurdly careless, but Ye Yuning truly felt she had no other option.
In the end, Chen Wei, still unable to understand, could only do as Ye Yuning said and went to talk with Lai Shuo and the Xiao representative.
When Lai Shuo and Xiao Ge saw Chen Wei enter, their expressions darkened.
Feeling the oppressive atmosphere, Chen Wei said awkwardly, "Sorry, our Boss suddenly felt unwell and has already gone to the hospital!"
She conveyed Ye Yuning’s exact words, and the air in the reception room instantly fell silent.
Hearing this, the two men’s faces didn’t soften; instead, they grew even darker.
Chen Wei watched their expressions fall, and her breathing quickened.
I knew this would happen.
But there was nothing to be done right now. She had no idea what new stunt the Boss was pulling today. She was perfectly fine just moments ago. Then, for no apparent reason—perhaps something I said wrong—she suddenly declared she wouldn’t meet them. I don’t know why, so I feel a bit unconvincing trying to explain it to them.
Lai Shuo stood up, his breathing heavy. "Miss Chen, I recall you saying on the phone that Boss Ye was willing to talk with us."
"Yes, but she suddenly fell ill. It really couldn’t be helped," Chen Wei said with a dry laugh.
Lai Shuo asked, "Do you even believe that reason yourself?"
"Whether you believe it or not, our Boss really is sick," Chen Wei said, on the verge of tears.
What on earth is the Boss up to today? Great. Now we’re the ones in the wrong for offending them.
Lai Shuo and Xiao Ge were clearly furious. Chen Wei continued, "The Boss said you can leave the contract. She’ll sign it if it’s suitable when she gets back from the hospital."
"Hmph! So this is her attitude towards cooperating with the Xiao Group?" Lai Shuo scoffed.
"I’ve already told you, she’s unwell. Genuinely unwell!" Chen Wei felt like she was in an impossible situation.
What kind of mess is this!
Naturally, Lai Shuo and Xiao Ge didn’t believe Chen Wei’s explanation. But what could they do? Ye Yuning was refusing to meet them, and it wasn’t like they could force her.
Ultimately, Lai Shuo and Xiao Ge left in a huff. Fortunately, they still left the contract, though they didn’t actually expect Ye Yuning to sign it.
Chen Wei dejectedly brought the contract back.
On the verge of tears, she said, "Boss, I’m afraid in the Xiao Group’s eyes, we’re now lower than dirt."
It would have been better if we hadn’t agreed so readily on the phone. But we did. What a mess this has turned into!
Ye Yuning pressed her temples. "You’ve had a tough time."
Chen Wei: "..." Is *my* hard work the issue here? Our reputation grew after the Bugelang Exhibition. The Xiao Group probably thinks we’ve gotten too big for our britches.
Ye Yuning took the contract and looked it over.
I have to admit, the Xiao Group is showing genuine sincerity with this cooperation. The penalty for breach of contract has actually been lowered to one hundred thousand, and the design fee is a staggering five million! With terms like these, and considering my husband’s reputation, how could I not sign it?
Ye Yuning immediately picked up a pen, signed her name, and said to Chen Wei, "Send it to the Xiao Group right away."
"Okay," Chen Wei replied.
Hopefully, sending it over now won’t make their impression of us too much worse. Even if the Boss doesn’t care that much, she’s still running a business. How can she let relations with a partner get this strained?
Lai Shuo and Xiao Ge returned to their company together.
As they parted ways in the elevator, Xiao Ge remarked, "Don’t involve me in anything related to Manlang in the future. I don’t want to clean up Xiao Shuo’s messes."
Lai Shuo’s face was ashen with anger. When he returned to the CEO’s office, he was completely bewildered.
The agreement with Manlang today was supposed to be a done deal. How am I going to explain this now?