CH 7.2

Everyone in the room is silent.

Chen Ying gets angry when he sees them like this. He slaps the table and shouts, “Don’t be afraid of losing, but you don’t even know how you lost! Do you have water in your brains?”

Liu Meifen, the account manager who is directly in charge of negotiating the cooperation, burst into tears.

“Why are you crying? Crying with your bed roll already packed up! I told you that I don’t insist on you doing what you can’t do, but if you fail to do what you should, you should at least give me an acceptable reason. If you can’t even give such a reason, what do you guys think should be done?”

No one speaks. Chen Ying looks around and finally his gaze falls on Liu Mei Fen. She has her head lowered and is biting her lip, trying to control her tears but failing. Chen Ying is very dissatisfied; she is the one who talked to the client, and she can’t explain what the fart went wrong in the end. Did she mess up from the beginning? 

Chen Ying narrows his eyes slightly and then looks at the others. Everyone looks pale, with their heads bowed, and they dare not speak.

“Get out,” Chen Ying commands. All the participants take their folders and shuffle out quietly. Chen Ying says to his assistant Kevin, “Replay the proposals from both sides and let me see.”

Kevin complies. Chen Ying reads it again carefully and can’t help scolding again. “Damn it, using this kind of garbage to refuse our services?” The other party’s plan is obviously done in a hurry, and not much time and energy were spent on the details. “You go to those who worked on this and ask again in private. If there is anything they dared not say in the meeting, it’s best to say it before I figure it out, or I won’t be polite.”

Kevin agrees, packs his things and leaves. Chen Ying sits for a while and thinks about it. Raising his wrist to look at his watch: it’s twelve o’clock, and he suddenly remembers that there is a dog waiting for him to go back to take care of her meal, so he can’t help but swear again.

Chen Ying goes back to his office, and the secretary, Lu Ya, has already placed the documents that needed to be signed on his desk.

“This isn’t needed today?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll look at it tomorrow.” Chen Ying picks up his computer bag again. He hadn’t even opened it, and now has to leave again. “Yesterday, you told them they must send the emails today—you urge them again. I won’t be in the company this afternoon.”

Lu Ya agrees. Chen Ying stands by her table and thinks about it. Originally, he wanted to ask Yongkai’s boss, Qin Wenyi, to have dinner with him directly, but Qin Wenyi hasn’t returned yet from abroad so he had planned to wait, but now he changes his mind. 

“Yongkai—let me first meet the vice president who is talking about cooperation with us. What’s his name? You can ask Kevin to contact him and make an appointment for dinner the day after tomorrow. Let’s see how he responds. If he is happy and willing to come, then you can call him again half an hour after Kevin hangs up, and tell him that Kevin got the time wrong and I’m not free, so I’ll make an appointment with him when I’m free.” 

“Okay.” Lu Ya writes it down in her notebook. She doesn’t ask Chen Ying why he is being so devious. She and Kevin are both veteran subordinates of Chen Ying. They have followed him for many years and are already familiar with his way of doing things. Although she is a little surprised why he doesn’t rush to get the contract signed, she doesn’t question the boss’s decision.

When Chen Ying gets home, he hears the sound of the TV as soon as he opens the door. It’s a character in the Goose Blood series who is reciting lines passionately. Chen Ying’s lips curl, full of pettiness. He won’t have to compete with a little girl for the TV in the future, right?

Chen Ying closes the door and walks in, only to find that Mi Xi is not watching TV after all: she has fallen asleep on the sofa. Chen Ying frowns. No wonder, the child didn’t sleep at all last night, and now she probably couldn’t stand it anymore. He thinks about it: the two baskets of steamed buns in the morning should last her a little longer, so let her sleep first.

Chen Ying puts the bag back in the study, goes to Mi Xi’s bedroom, takes out the quilt, and covers her with care. When covering her, he keeps a little distance away from her for fear that she would throw a fist at him. But she doesn’t wake up. Chen Ying thinks she must be very tired. After covering her with the quilt, he drinks juice from the refrigerator, walks back into the study, and turns the computer on to read the mail. After replying to two letters, he receives a call from his secretary, Lu Ya. Kevin and Lu Ya finished the play as he instructed. The vice president of Yongkai, Wang Bing, said that if Chen Ying is not free the day after tomorrow, would it be okay to meet tomorrow or even today?

“Hmm.” Chen Ying curls his mouth— it seems that he guessed right. This Wang Bin has a problem. The contract ultimately needs to be signed by the boss, but he wants to replace their services with a pile of rubbish. Unless Yongkai’s boss, Qin Wenyi, also has water in his brain, how can this trash contract be signed? Chen Ying thinks he knows what the problem is.

“Okay, today then.” When it’s time to give face, you have to give it. “Call Wang Bing back.” Use airs when it’s time to use airs. “Let’s just say that I changed the time and caused him trouble. So I’m sorry. We’ll let him choose the time and place. I can do any time convenient for him. I’ll be the host.”

After explaining a few more words, he hangs up the phone and looks up. She’s standing by the door of the study, not daring to come in, obviously because she remembers Yuelao 2238’s words yesterday.

“Woke you up?”

Chen Ying turns the computer off and walks out.

“I’m sorry.” Mi Xi bows, “I didn’t fall asleep on purpose. It won’t be like this next time.”

“Sleep when you’re sleepy, it’s okay.” Chen Ying looks at her: her ponytail is untied, and her hair is straight and long, shiny black; she looked sleepy from her nap; and was still wearing the same clothes and slightly bigger shoes. 

Chen Ying frowns; it seems that he not only has to take her to dinner, but also buy her shoes and clothes, as well as her daily necessities. It is not enough to rely on Cheng Jiangyi and Su Xiaopei to provide what she needs, and it is very inconvenient for the little girl. He can’t seem to think of what to prepare for Mi Xi for a while, so he decides to talk about it when they get to the mall.

So the brand new ‘granny uncle’ leads the newly acquired ‘niece’ out.

Chen Ying pretends to be polite and asks Mi Xi what she wants to eat. Mi Xi thinks for a while. “If uncle doesn’t mind, let’s go to that delicious dim sum shop again.”

Dim sum shop? Chen Ying has black lines on his face. This girl won’t only recognize steamed buns in the future, will she? But she’s obviously looking forward to it and actually took the initiative to ask. He also sees that the hour is late, and so, bun shop it is.

While eating steamed buns in the dim sum restaurant, Chen Ying receives a call from the property management office, saying that they have already contacted the housekeeping service, and is checking to see when Chen Ying would be free to interview the housekeeper candidates. Chen Ying calculates the time and asks if it would be okay in half an hour. He happens to be eating nearby. The property manager is efficient and agrees.

After eating the second meal of buns today, Chen Ying leads Mi Xi to the property management office to see people. But first, he tells her that there won’t be a third meal of buns today, so she should give up thinking about it. Then he explains that they need to invite someone who will cook and accompany her during the day, so let her take a look at them later, and choose the one she likes that fits well.

“Buy a servant,” Mi Xi nods, expressing her understanding.

Chen Ying rubs his face, trying to control his expression.

“No, not a slave.” Democracy and freedom, human rights and equality. Do you understand, child? “You can’t treat her like an inferior human being. She is here to work. She is here to help us solve our difficulties. When we pay her, we are paying her for her work rendered. The two parties are equal. That’s the relationship.” 

Mi Xi thinks for a while, then nods. “Uncle, don’t worry. When I was in my hometown, I never treated my servants harshly. I didn’t beat or scold my servants. There are no such servants here. I know how to deal with things.” 

Don’t worry too much—she won’t beat or scold. 

Chen Ying wants to curl his lips, thinks for a while, and explains, “She is not a slave, but neither are you. You don’t bully her, and you can’t let her bully you. Tell me if she treats you badly, and I will replace her.” 

Mi Xi nods earnestly, “Thank you, uncle.”

Chen Ying thinks about it again and is really worried. But then, it’s his first time to raise a child, how can he not worry?