The quiet office area was suddenly broken by a sharp shout, followed by the clatter of high heels on the floor. The footsteps were hurried and growing closer.
Everyone in the office area looked curiously towards the corridor outside.
Guo Xiao, surprised that the two dared to barge in, quickly stepped forward to block them. "This is a private office. You are not allowed to enter without permission. If you continue, I will call the police."
Quan Zhiwei shoved Guo Xiao aside, raised his hand as if to strike, and threatened, "If you speak again, my fist won't have eyes."
Guo Xiao's face turned pale with fright. She quickly took two steps back and immediately took out her phone to call the police.
However, Quan Zhiwei was watching her actions. Seeing her about to make a call, he strode forward, snatched Guo Xiao's phone, and smashed it fiercely. The screen shattered on the floor.
Guo Xiao screamed in terror and shouted, "Help! Someone is barging in, hitting people, and causing trouble!"
The men in the office area heard this and quickly gathered to head outside.
The two parties met in the corridor.
Facing more people, Quan Zhiwei no longer dared to act aggressively. He changed his demeanor and said, "I'm looking for Quan Jiu. This has nothing to do with you. Move aside."
Quan Xiaotang added, "We are Quan Jiu's older cousins."
After speaking, she raised her voice and shouted, "Quan Jiu, come out! I'm Quan Xiaotang. Have you forgotten the kindness our family showed you? If my father hadn't taken you in back then, you would have starved to death. Now that you've become successful, you've forgotten our family's kindness. Have you been eaten by dogs, your conscience?"
Cui Jing stepped forward, glaring angrily. "I don't care who you are. Even if you truly have a relationship with our President Quan, you still need an appointment. Now that you've trespassed into our company, I have the right to pursue your civil liabilities on behalf of the company."
Quan Zhiwei laughed mockingly. "Can't you come up with something new? Are you going to issue another lawyer's letter? Or arrest me? I'd like to see what reason you have to arrest me."
Quan Xiaotang continued, "Your boss, Quan Jiu, is a heartless wretch. When she was homeless, my parents took her in, provided her with food and shelter, and paid for her education.
But now, she's had her man seize our family's company. When my parents went to reason with her, they were imprisoned because they had no power or influence. Now, she wants to imprison me and my brother. Isn't she ungrateful?"
"I'd also like to ask, how am I ungrateful?"
Suddenly, a light laugh came from behind. Everyone turned to see their boss.
Cui Jing stepped forward a few paces and apologized, "I'm sorry, President Quan. I'll handle this immediately."
"It's alright," Quan Jiu waved her hand and walked step by step through the crowd, like a noble queen, looking down with every stride as she approached Quan Zhiwei and Quan Xiaotang.
She was already beautiful, and now in her prime, her mature and powerful charm far surpassed the pureness of her twenty-year-old self. For a moment, Quan Zhiwei and Quan Xiaotang were speechless.
Quan Jiu smiled at the two. "When I was fifteen, I moved into your home. During the school year, I had to pay you five hundred yuan each month, and seven hundred yuan each month during summer and winter breaks. In addition, I covered my own daily expenses, including food, clothing, and tuition fees.
I admit, my two bags of luggage took up some space in your four-square-meter storage room, and it was reasonable for you to charge me some rent each month. However, from the age of fifteen until I turned eighteen and moved out, I never once defaulted on the rent. So, where does this ungratefulness come from?"
The employees in the office, who had initially felt awkward and wanted to retreat, were shocked after hearing Quan Jiu's words.
"How can they be so despicable? Charging a fifteen-year-old rent? Making her completely self-sufficient, living in a dormitory for high school, and only being home for a few months a year, yet still charging so much? They must be crazy for money."
"These bizarre relatives are truly something else. They still have the nerve to talk about kindness. If it were me, I'd cut off all contact forever."
The employees murmured amongst themselves, looking at Quan Zhiwei and Quan Xiaotang with disgust, as if they were thieves.
Quan Zhiwei and Quan Xiaotang were also momentarily speechless.
However, upon hearing the surrounding discussions, Quan Xiaotang couldn't help but blurt out in anger, "She's not part of our family, so why should we raise her for free? Letting her pay a few hundred yuan in rent was already being generous to her. If we had rented out that place properly, it would have cost over a thousand."
A male employee couldn't help but retort, "Was your four-square-meter storage room lined with gold to rent for over a thousand? Even a decent single room now is only seven or eight hundred. More than ten years ago, it was only two or three hundred. You charged six or seven hundred for a storage room? Even the devil isn't as black-hearted as you."
Quan Zhiwei retorted furiously, "If we hadn't taken her in, she would have been homeless long ago. This is a debt of rebirth!"
Quan Jiu let out a cold laugh. "Yes, if your parents hadn't taken all of Grandma's belongings and inexplicably applied to become my guardians, I wouldn't have been forced to go to your home.
Speaking of which, I always wondered why a family that Grandma wished to disown would kindly take me in. But later, I realized that there's no profit without a morning, what were you trying to get from me?"
Quan Zhiwei choked, and after a moment, he defended, "My parents were kind-hearted. You were an underage fifteen-year-old, of course, they had to take you in."
"Is that so? But not only did I have to earn my own tuition and living expenses, but I also had to earn your rent. Honestly, at fifteen, I was really tired. I would have preferred to stay at Grandma's house all along." Quan Jiu smiled faintly.
Quan Xiaotang looked at Quan Jiu's face, her intense jealousy uncontrollable. "To put it bluntly, you're an ungrateful wretch. Everything you're saying now is just to deny our family's kindness to you. If my parents hadn't taken you in back then, could you even start a company? You probably would have died alone in some corner, unknown to anyone."
"Hahaha~" Quan Jiu couldn't help but burst into laughter.
By then, many employees had gathered in the corridor. Someone started it, pointing at Quan Xiaotang and Quan Zhiwei and threatening, "If you don't leave, we'll make you crawl out."
"Yes, get out! Is this a place you can just come to casually?" another person chimed in.
Gradually, more and more people shouted "Get out" in unison, their momentum intimidating.
Quan Zhiwei and Quan Xiaotang finally began to feel a bit uneasy. The other side had superior numbers, and they couldn't win by force.
In the end, Quan Xiaotang could only resort to verbal threats. "My parents are your guardians, so your company is also our family's company. This is an entertainment company, and it should be easy to trend. Just you wait, I'll contact reporters immediately and expose your ugly face. Then, let's see how you can face anyone."
Quan Jiu nodded slightly. "That's right, I do owe your family something. I originally planned to repay you after some time, but since you two have come to my door, today... let's have you collect some interest first."
She looked up at the corridor and asked, "Aren't there any surveillance cameras here?"
Cui Jing shook her head. "This is a blind spot for surveillance. I'll report it to the property management and ask them to install more cameras."
"That's good," Quan Jiu smiled and said to her employees, "Everyone, step aside a bit."
The employees didn't understand but all took a few steps back, leaving a clear space in the middle.
Quan Xiaotang and Quan Zhiwei stood on either side, both glaring at Quan Jiu.
Quan Xiaotang put her hands on her hips. "Interest? Fine. I raised you for three years, so let's calculate the interest at a family price: one million yuan, hand it over."
Quan Jiu walked forward step by step, as elegant as a swan.
She approached Quan Xiaotang. "Alright, you count."
"Slap~" A fierce slap landed on Quan Xiaotang's face.
Everyone was astonished, looking at their boss.
Quan Xiaotang, shocked, covered her face. "You hit..."
"Slap~" Another slap, Quan Jiu smiled. "One million is indeed a bit much. Count carefully yourself, don't get hit too many times."
With that, another slap echoed in the office area.