Chapter Twelve: The Mediocre

Liang Wenru was inexplicably agitated. If only Pei Susu were here, the Qingyun project would never have gone awry. Now, a multimillion-dollar venture had just gone to waste, and he dreaded how the major shareholders would react.

“Crying, crying—it's all you ever do. If you keep this up, you'll drag Xingye's luck down with you.”

“I've spent a fortune keeping your so-called senior brothers and sisters on payroll, not so they could mess things up. Cut their salaries back to normal—if they can work, fine; if not, let them go.”

Chu Qingzhu stood frozen in disbelief. Liang Wenru had never spoken harshly to her, not once. Whenever she was hurt, he’d always been ready to give her his heart.

But since he divorced Pei Susu, everything had changed. Even in the hospital, though he held Chu Qingzhu in his arms, his gaze was fixed on Pei Susu.

Tears welled in Chu Qingzhu’s eyes. Her delicate hand stroked Liang Wenru’s chest. “Wenru, please give me another chance. I’m willing to do anything for you. This time, it’s my fault.”

“I have a good relationship with Mrs. Fang. She knows several major partners and can introduce them to us. I’ll go meet her tonight.”

Exhausted by the repercussions of this mess, Liang Wenru rubbed his brow, too weary to notice the allure before him. “Mm. I still have work to do. If there’s nothing else, go back to your office.”

“I’ll help Xingye win projects and ease your worries,” Chu Qingzhu promised, her smile freezing as she gently closed the door, her resolve firm.

She had to secure a lucrative project. Otherwise, if Liang Wenru cut salaries and her senior brothers and sisters left, she’d have no one to rely on at Xingye.

In his office, Liang Wenru leafed through Xingye’s annual projects, carefully crafting responses for the shareholders’ impending questions.

Fortunately, Xingye’s main profits this year weren’t only from the three hundred million yuan project; there were also a dozen projects worth tens of millions and over twenty small ones worth five million each.

“Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong.”

A cascade of notification chimes broke Liang Wenru’s concentration. Then a call came in.

Annoyed, he snapped, “Who is it? I don’t have time. Contact my secretary to make an appointment.”

“I’m calling to inform you, Mr. Liang, that Yunhe Group is terminating its partnership with Xingye.”

Yunhe and Xingye’s collaboration had originally been negotiated by Pei Susu. The two companies had worked amicably for five years, but now the partnership was suddenly ending.

Two out of three major partners gone—Liang Wenru nearly choked on his breath. “Did Pei Susu say something to you?”

The Yunhe representative chuckled at his logic. “After Miss Pei left, we decided to give Xingye a try, but at your dinner meeting with Qingyun, you couldn’t answer a single question about the project’s details.”

“Speak to President Lu. I’m willing to cut my margin by two percent. Please reconsider,” Liang Wenru pleaded.

“There’s no need.”

The call ended abruptly. Liang Wenru turned to his phone—the screen was full of project partners submitting termination requests.

The shareholders, sensing trouble, began calling one after another, demanding explanations. Liang Wenru was overwhelmed, and his secretary waited anxiously for instructions.

He switched his phone to silent and stuffed it in his pocket, blocking the onslaught of calls. “Are there any new partners approaching Xingye?”

The secretary hesitated, summarizing reports from various departments. “There are, but they’re all disreputable companies offering very low profits. We might even lose money.”

Fine, so they were trying to take advantage of Xingye’s crisis. He’d settle accounts with each of them once he was through this.

Gritting his teeth, Liang Wenru made up his mind. “Accept them all. Polish the profit figures and show the shareholders.”

The shareholders were calling an emergency meeting. With all his current projects threatening to terminate, if Liang Wenru couldn’t produce new ones, his position as general manager would be in jeopardy.

As lunchtime approached, Liang Wenru instructed his secretary, donned his coat, and went downstairs to clear his mind.

Less than a hundred meters from Xingye’s office, in a nearby café, Pei Susu greeted the owner with familiarity and pointed at the delectable pastries in the window. “One dessert to go, please.”

Liang Wenru thought of Pei Susu’s abilities. If she returned to Xingye and helped retain the major partners, at least half the lost projects could be recovered.

And her lingering around Xingye probably meant she’d been blacklisted and couldn’t find work, eager to return.

He feigned nonchalance as he entered the café and approached her. “Pei Susu, if you can’t find a job, Xingye happens to need a junior staff member. Beg me, and maybe I’ll let you join a project.”

Pei Susu couldn’t be bothered with his self-important attitude. She picked up her dessert and headed out. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve found a job.”

He’d warned all reputable companies in the city not to hire her—where could she possibly go? Liang Wenru felt smug.

“Off to some small company to toil away? You’ll be begging to return to Xingye in a few days.”

“That won’t be necessary. I quite like my job,” Pei Susu replied curtly, opening her car door and starting the engine.

Liang Wenru assumed she was bluffing, chased after her to the car, and boasted, “Under my leadership, Xingye is thriving. My hands are full signing new projects—money you’ll never earn in your lifetime.”

Pei Susu glanced at him.

Mediocre.

She sized up Liang Wenru—refined but hollow-eyed. Still, he looked as unreliable as ever.

Most of Xingye’s projects had been won by her and her team over the past five years, mainly with old partners. Did Chu Qingzhu really have the ability to turn Xingye into a hot commodity?

Seeing Pei Susu’s astonished look in the car, Liang Wenru straightened his tie with pride. “So? Ready to give up and return to Xingye?”

Pei Susu’s curiosity vanished. She floored the accelerator and sped off.

Caught off guard, Liang Wenru was left choking on exhaust fumes, shouting furiously after her taillights, “Pei Susu, you’d better not ever need my help!”

He wiped the dust from his face and headed back to the company.

Chu Qingzhu had finally persuaded Mrs. Fang to introduce her to a partner and was eager to share the good news with Liang Wenru, only to witness him entangled with Pei Susu.

If she could steal Liang Wenru from Pei Susu once, she could do it a second, a third time.

Chu Qingzhu greeted Liang Wenru with gentle care, wiping the remaining dust from his forehead with a handkerchief. “Wenru, I’ve arranged a dinner with the president of Letian Company. They have a fifty million yuan project, and I’ve already spoken to him. We’ll discuss details tonight.”

Meeting Chu Qingzhu’s loving gaze, Liang Wenru regained the self-esteem he’d lost with Pei Susu. His vanity was amply satisfied.

Ignoring the fact that they were in the office, he wrapped his arm around Chu Qingzhu’s waist and kissed her cheek. “Qingzhu, it’s so good to have you.”

Catching the astonished looks of their colleagues out of the corner of her eye, Chu Qingzhu grew even more delighted. “Wenru, I’ll win this big contract for you.”