"Hahahaha thank you for choosing Lei Exports. We will make sure not to disappoint you."
The call ended and Lei Deming had a bright grin on his lips. His wife, Lei Biya, just stepped in bringing tea for him.
"You look in a good mood," she smiled.
Lei Deming brightened. "Yes. You won't believe it, Biya. I just got a call from an established firm in New York, and they said they would like us to work with them. They offered a contract where Lei Exports would supply them with all the raw materials they need for their new fashion apparel launch."
She widened her eyes. "T-that's wonderful! How long has it been since we got such a big deal like this?"
He nodded. "Once this deal completes successfully, Lei Exports will be truly back in the market, and our business will flourish."
"Congratulations, Deming. God finally answered to all the hard work you and Shing have put in…" she felt emotional.
Lei Deming shook his head. "It's not just our hard work, but Zhu Xiaosi's help."
She stiffened.
"Our rival company doesn't dare to lift a finger against us because of his top-notch security. One misstep, and they are over. If he hadn't agreed back then, then we wouldn't have been able to get on our feet today. And do you know? Even this client that I just talked about offered to hear us because of Zhu Xiaosi."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, he is the S3 CEO. Naturally, he has contacts with other companies, and he asked this client to give us a chance."
Lei Biya softly gasped in surprise.
Lei Deming pursed his lips. "At first, I denied his help. I didn't want to use him for his connections. That was against my principle. But he assured me that he wasn't pulling any strings. The ultimate decision will be the client's only, and they are not the type to fall under bribery or backdoors. They will assess our company, and they will only agree if they are satisfied. Even Zhu Xiaosi cannot convince them otherwise if they aren't. It will solely depend on our performance. And they really liked it. Zhu Xiaosi said that he trusted our capabilities, and that's why he offered to talk to them."
His gaze softened. "He is a truly kind man. You don't see businessmen like him so often."
Lei Biya was quiet.
"Deming. I know this sounds absurd, but now that we are getting back on track, I think we can...end the deal with him."
He looked at her, stunned. "Why?"
"I mean, there are other security companies too-"
"But they aren't the best. And didn't we already discuss this? The problem was that the rival bribed all the companies to either reject working with us or somehow destroy us. They are influential. Of course, there are other companies, but I cannot trust them. Plus he is also helping us build a robust security system for our warehouses to prevent such mishaps. We need him."
She pursed her lips.
He stared at her. "Biya, is there any problem? Why do you seem so hostile towards him? We didn't even know him before this. In the Summit also you…"
"No, no, of course not," she quickly said, "I am just a little uncomfortable working with him who runs such a huge business. Compared to him, we aren't on a large scale."
"I know it can get intimidating, but like I said, Zhu Xiaosi is a kind man and a very capable businessman. What else do we need?"
Lei Biya stepped out of the room, biting her lip hard.
When will this end?
She wanted to convince him to end this deal, but Lei Deming seemed completely smitten.
"I just don't want anybody to know the truth…" she anxiously whispered to herself.
She pictured history repeating itself and tears formed in her eyes.
As she passed through the corridor, she heard noises from Lei Shu's room. She was about to knock on the door when she heard Lei Shing speak.
"How should we ask Mom about this?"
Lei Biya blinked her eyes.
Ask about what?
Then she heard Lei Shu say, "I don't know. I don't want her to flip out to know that we learned the truth about Bro Xiaosi."
Lei Biya froze on her spot. She felt as if every cell in her body had stopped functioning.
Lei Shing sighed. "Mom shouldn't have hidden the truth from us. I know it was difficult, but didn't she trust us?"
"How will she? Because she knows that we will be disappointed in her for abandoning bro in an orphanage. How could she? He was only four years old. It wasn't his fault in whatever had happened…"
She froze.
"And even after all these years, she is still so hostile towards him. I don't understand why she hates him so much. Even after her hatred, Bro has done nothing but help us."
Lei Biya stumbled backward. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she trembled hard.
They know everything...They know everything…
How…?
Impossible. I worked so hard in hiding my past. How can they suddenly learn the truth?
"Thank God that we found the old picture of Bro with Mom in his house. Otherwise, we would have always been kept in darkness."
She paled.
She remembered how they visited Xiaosi's house a few days ago.
She clenched her jaw, and her gaze was filled with hatred.
In the end, you showed your true colors, Xiaosi…
It was all a setup. You let them see the picture on purpose. You claimed that you won't interfere in my life, but it was all lies...You really want to turn my family against me.
Deming appreciates you, and now my children too speak for your side.
"I wasn't wrong...You wanted to see me destroyed! I won't forgive you for this, Xiaosi.. I will never forgive you for this. After all the happiness I got from here, you want to ruin it.. I won't let you."