Yuan Jiankai felt a hint of sympathy deep in his heart seeing William's dejected expression.
He sighed again and said, "You are the head of the Huaxia region. Whether this matter was an order from headquarters or your own decision, only you know. I can't help it."
Hearing this, William slumped into his chair like a deflated balloon.
His eyes stared blankly ahead as he muttered.
"Why? I've worked my heart out for the company, and now that something's happened, they want me to take the fall? I'm only two years away from retirement, and my family is waiting for me to return home..."
Although Yuan Jiankai usually couldn't stand William, he wasn't in the mood to gloat in front of him now.
He offered a tip: "You'd better prepare for the worst. You should know the consequences of the Conglomerate's environmental fraud in the Pretty Country a few years ago. The person who took the fall then still hasn't gotten out... And now, things in Huaxia are clearly much harder to handle. When we couldn't smooth things over in Magic City, we already reached out to the Capital, but as soon as the people there heard what it was about, they turned their backs on us. We're out of options."
William fell into a complete silence.
"Who exactly is it? But this decision wasn't made by me. Why should I take the blame? If the Conglomerate can't settle this, I will never admit I did it..."
Yuan Jiankai looked at William with sympathy again.
"In the environmental fraud case, who signed for the software installation?"
Hearing this, William's face turned even paler.
He muttered, "I signed it, that's true, but such a big decision obviously wasn't made by me alone. However, I really don't have evidence because the order was given to me in person. And at that time, it was explicitly stated that Huaxia isn't like other countries—money makes the world go round, and as long as you spend money, anything can be settled..."
Yuan Jiankai shook his head.
He looked at William with pity.
"The Conglomerate has already lost this round. The Huaxia government clearly won't budge unless we can get on a tougher boat than the opponent's, but no one in the Capital dares to take our bait..."
...Seeing Jiang Cheng chatting on wechat early in the morning, his mouth occasionally curling into a slight smile.
Zhou Ying rolled over with sleepy eyes and happened to catch a glimpse of Jiang Cheng's focused look, and a small wave of jealousy surged in her heart.
She gave a light snort, pouted her pink lips slightly, and said coquettishly, "Hmph, chatting so early, it wouldn't be a new colleague, would it?"
Her tone carried a hint of feigned anger and mock dissatisfaction, but her eyes were fixed on Jiang Cheng, trying to find an answer in his expression.
Seeing Zhou Ying's cute, jealous act, Jiang Cheng found it amusing.
His mouth curved up in a sly smile as he said, "Not a new colleague, but an old one I've been working with for a long time."
"It seems I, the new colleague who just arrived yesterday, can't compare to her." Her eyes were bright, sparkling with a hint of playful mischief; she actually knew Jiang Cheng was teasing her on purpose.
Hearing the deeper meaning in Jiang Cheng's words, a blush instantly spread across Zhou Ying's face, reaching all the way to her ears.
She shyly turned around and gently hugged Jiang Cheng, leaning her head against his warm and solid chest.
Feeling his heartbeat, she waited a moment before slowly asking, "Then what stage have you reached with this old colleague?"
At those words, the scene with Chen Xueer in the bathroom involuntarily surfaced in Jiang Cheng's mind, making his heart skip a beat.
But he quickly regained his composure, cleared his throat, and said calmly, "It's just a superior-subordinate relationship. We're still in a shallow breaking-in period."
Zhou Ying looked up, staring straight at Jiang Cheng, and said with mock seriousness, "So formal. Maybe as you two break in, sparks will fly."
"Impossible."
Seeing Jiang Cheng so firm, Zhou Ying blinked, a hint of confusion appearing on her face.
She retorted, "How is it impossible? As they say, opposites attract."
Jiang Cheng was amused by her words.
His eyes darted around, and he said solemnly, "Lu Xun once said that between a man and a woman, what's rubbed out certainly isn't sparks..."