"Since there's no contract, why didn't you say so from the beginning?"
This was the part Zhang Liunian hated the most. If things were truly as the other man claimed, he should have explained everything clearly, not fabricated a contract and tricked him. He didn't like employees who acted on their own initiative.
"If I had said so, wouldn't you have suspected me? If the Tang family is unwilling to give me a contract, anyone would say it's my fault." Meng Jiechu's words held a possibility, as Zhang Liunian had indeed considered this.
"..."
"So, as the supervisor, you don't even know when these people actually signed the contracts," Zhang Liunian said, his expression cold and stern.
"The dates on here are when they signed. I was the one who notified them to go to the Tang residence, which was two months ago." Meng Jiechu hadn't falsified this date; he had only faked the contract.
"Go and notify forty merchants to come to the department store tomorrow to discuss cooperation matters, and whether to re-draft the contracts." Seeing that the man was clueless, Zhang Liunian decided it was best to let them discuss it in person.
"But they've already paid. They won't pay again tomorrow," Meng Jiechu reminded him, feigning concern, or perhaps testing the waters.
"Not pay? If they don't pay, they can get lost. I'm entrusting this to you. If you handle this well, you can continue working here. If you can't, you know your own capabilities.
So tomorrow at nine, in the fourth-floor conference room, I want to see their representatives. Do you understand?" Zhang Liunian stated his terms firmly, giving Meng Jiechu no room to probe.
"Boss Zhang, I will perform excellently," Meng Jiechu said, his face lighting up with joy at being given another chance.
But then he thought of the forty difficult business partners, and his heart sank again.
Zhang Liunian paid no mind to Meng Jiechu's mood. After understanding the current state of the department store, he went for a tour, ensuring everyone knew that the South City Department Store was now his territory. Only then did he return home.
He arrived home as dusk was settling. Zhang Liunian, weary from his day, entered the main courtyard and saw his adorable and well-behaved daughter playing with a little chubby boy.
And this chubby boy turned out to be the son of the paper-making boss from that morning, the one called Little Stone.
"Let's play hide-and-seek, I'll hide and you'll find me. My house is huge, you'll never find me!" Hua Bao, unaware of her father's return, was happily playing with Little Stone.
"Okay, okay!" Little Stone clapped his hands with a loud sound.
Zhang Liunian's expression was not good. After all, he had encountered the mother and son that morning and had a bad impression of them. Now, seeing them happily playing with his precious daughter, he naturally wasn't pleased.
"Hua Bao?" Zhang Liunian walked over to the two children.
"Daddy?" Hearing her father's voice, Hua Bao turned around with a surprised look, wanting a hug, instantly forgetting her playmate.
"Daddy, now that you're home, we can eat. That auntie made a lot of good dishes today, many of Hua Bao's favorites. Let's go eat quickly!" Hua Bao tightly hugged her father's neck. Recalling that her mother had said they could only eat after her father returned, her little mouth began to droop with anticipation.
"That auntie?" Just as Zhang Liunian was wondering if it was the shrew from that morning, he saw Jiang Qingqing emerge from the house with that very shrew.
The woman was now dressed in simple, neat clothes and had a smile on her face, nothing like the ostentatious attire she wore in the morning. Even her aura was different.
If it weren't for the unchanged face and the unmoved slap marks, Zhang Liunian would have thought she was her twin sister.
"Liunian, you're back. We can eat now." Jiang Qingqing seemed a little awkward, unsure how to explain to Zhang Liunian why, after their conflict that morning, she had invited the other party to dine in the afternoon.
She wasn't good at socializing, but this woman was incredibly thick-skinned. She had brought many gifts to apologize and had even had her son play with Hua Bao.
Within a few words, Hua Bao and her son had hit it off, and Jiang Qingqing couldn't refuse her then.
"Mhm, what's this?" Zhang Liunian ignored Mrs. Wang's fawning expression and went to Jiang Qingqing's side to ask.
Jiang Qingqing glanced at Mrs. Wang and her son, saying with some embarrassment, "They've come to apologize to me. Let's just consider this morning's events a misunderstanding, okay?
Don't we have an old saying, 'You never know a person until you fight with them'? Let's treat this as fate, and Hua Bao and Little Stone can become friends."
Zhang Liunian could see that his wife had forgiven the mother and son, and he wouldn't be tactless enough to say anything in front of them.
"Hua Bao is hungry. You two go prepare. When Uncle Zhao returns, we'll eat," Zhang Liunian replied, not engaging with Mrs. Wang, but looking at his daughter instead.
Hua Bao clutched her stomach and nodded, her chin bobbing. "Hua Bao is so hungry."
Seeing that her husband wasn't embarrassing anyone, Jiang Qingqing immediately went inside with Mrs. Wang to prepare.
After they left, Zhang Liunian, holding his daughter, found his aunt and asked her about the meal. Learning that his aunt had bought the ingredients and the other woman had only done the cooking, and that his aunt and wife had supervised the entire process, he felt slightly relieved.
It wasn't that Zhang Liunian was overly cautious, but human nature couldn't withstand the temptation of luck. He didn't want his wife to suffer any harm.
"Comrade Zhang Liunian, Comrade Jiang Qingqing, I toast you both. I apologize for my rudeness and disrespect this morning. Please forgive my improper behavior towards you earlier." Mrs. Wang, as if she had transformed into a different person, stood up and formally apologized to Zhang Liunian and his wife.
Zhang Liunian listened calmly, offering no comment.
Jiang Qingqing, however, stood up and smiled, "Ah, let bygones be bygones. Don't dwell on the past. Our families don't have any great enmity or grudges. You don't need to take it to heart."
Jiang Qingqing realized for the first time how much influence her husband had in the South City.
In the past, no one would have offered such a sincere apology.
But now, not only had they brought generous gifts, but they had also personally cooked. All of this was because her husband held significant weight in the South City.
Many people dared not offend him easily.
This made Jiang Qingqing very proud and excited, as if she were the one being respected.
Thinking this, Jiang Qingqing involuntarily looked at her husband. She saw him eating indifferently and knew he was still upset about Mrs. Wang rejecting her offer. Her heart filled with both gratitude and helplessness.
"Mrs. Zhang, you are generous and have forgiven me. I am deeply grateful. From now on, I am your friend, and I will do whatever you ask." Mrs. Wang also realized that Zhang Liunian was a man not to be trifled with, but this Jiang Qingqing was quite naive.
However, as long as she could build a good relationship with Jiang Qingqing, she wouldn't worry about facing difficulties at home.
Besides, she had a capable son who knew how to entertain young girls. She didn't believe she couldn't break into the Zhang family and become friends with them.
Once the two families were on good terms, her position as Mrs. Wang would be more secure.
However, she disliked the shabby clothes she was wearing, but she endured it for the sake of integrating into the Zhang family.
These thoughts flashed through Mrs. Wang's mind in an instant, but she dared not express them. She had finally gained some favor from Jiang Qingqing and couldn't afford to fail.