Chapter 685 Warmed The Cockles Of His Heart
“All right. Hurry up and eat, then you can go and take care of whatever you need to do. Feel free to spend the money however you like. There’s no need to tell me what you spent it on,” said Tang Jing.
Raising his hand as though taking an oath, Ouyang Qi replied, “Okay. I promise to work hard and won’t let you down.” He left after eating and went to Sunshine Corporation’s office building in Flower City, wanting to meet with Ouyang Li.
However, she was in a meeting and made him wait. In the end, he wound up waiting for two hours. After those two hours, Ouyang Li said she did not have time to talk to him. She was heading out to inspect the banks and had no time to spare.
Hence, Ouyang Qi followed her out of the building. However, she did not allow him to get into the car, telling him to wait until that night if he had something to say. Even so, he did not lose his temper. He merely hailed a taxi and followed her car.
Sunshine Corporation’s core business was banking, and Sunshine Bank was the largest private bank in the province. It boasted an extensive network of branches in many locations. In Flower City alone, the bank had more than a dozen offices.
Ouyang Li was busy from noon until the evening as she inspected each of the banks in the city in turn. At the end of the day, she made her way back to a standalone villa estate where she had just purchased a unit.
The security there was stringent, and they did not allow taxis to enter. Hence, Ouyang Qi had no choice but to call Ouyang Li from outside the estate. Alas, she told him she was busy and that they would talk the following morning.
After following her for most of the day with no success, he could only rush back as he had a dinner appointment with several of Sunshine Corporation’s upper management.
He stayed out socializing until midnight before returning to Tang Jing’s house, reeking of alcohol.
She was catching a flight to Livingsfill the next day to start filming, so she had been going through the script and had not gone to bed yet.
The production team had already been there for some time. However, Tang Jing did not head over earlier nor rush to meet up with them because they had not started filming her parts.
“Did you have a lot to drink?” she asked.
“Quite a lot, but still manageable. It wasn’t as much as yesterday,” he replied with a smile.
“Do you want some milk? It’ll make your stomach feel better.”
Her words warmed the cockles of his heart. He had had plenty of women try to gain his favor and get dead drunk with him. However, not a single woman had ever asked if he wanted a cup of warm milk.
Although he did not really feel like drinking it, he nodded.
I want to experience what it’s like to be cared for by someone.
Tang Jing brought Ouyang Qi the warm milk, and he felt a warmth suffuse his heart after taking a sip.
“You went for a meal with the company’s upper management?” she asked. That was what she was the most interested in.
“Yeah.”
“What did you all talk about?”
“Just as I expected, they have certain opinions about my sister,” he replied.
“What kind of opinions?”
“They said Li is preparing to compete with Nanshi Corporation for the renovation project of an old city. It involves the development of a plot of land that’s worth more than one billion. The project will place the company in direct competition against Nanshi Corporation, and they aren’t too confident about it,” Ouyang Qi explained.
“I don’t know much about such matters. So, are their concerns justified?” Tang Jing enquired.
He sighed. “Of course. It does make sense. After all, Sunshine Corporation’s strength lies in finance rather than real estate. As for Nanshi Corporation, the company has been operating in Flower City for years, and it’s clear it has the upper hand. Sunshine Corporation is in the midst of an uncertain situation. If it were to pit itself against Nanshi Corporation now, I also think it’s a losing battle.”
She gazed at him without saying a word for a long time.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Did I say something wrong?” he asked.
“What do I know about business? I’ve no idea whether what you just said was right or not. However, I think it is. What surprised me was that you’re actually rather knowledgeable and have your own opinions about things. You’re not an ignorant and incompetent playboy,” she responded, grinning.
He chuckled and answered, “I’m not that knowledgeable. More often than not, my opinions are at odds with my father’s. As time passed, we lost confidence in each other, and I gradually became an incompetent good-for-nothing who was only good at throwing money around. Do you know it’s usually much more enjoyable to be a good-for-nothing? It means you don’t have to do anything, and if you don’t do anything, you won’t have to take responsibility. That’s why I felt completely at ease with being a good-for-nothing.”
“What are you going to do next?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“I think you shouldn’t try to stop your sister. Let her fail. Let the board of directors and upper management lose confidence in her. That way, you’ll have a chance.”
Ouyang Qi stared at Tang Jing with a strange look, and the latter instantly realized she should not have said that.
I spoke too bluntly and nearly exposed my motives!
“Er, what I mean is—”
She tried to explain herself. However, Ouyang Qi cut her off abruptly. “I didn’t join the company to seize power from Li but to work with her in protecting our family’s interests.”
As she expected, he had discerned the meaning of her words and was cautious.
“I know that. I may have expressed myself poorly. What I mean is Ouyang Li has only just taken over and is still at a stage where she’s full of herself. Only by letting her run into a few obstacles will she get taken down a peg or two.”
Tang Jing managed to come up with a flawless explanation, and Ouyang Qi’s expression gradually relaxed.
“Regardless of how she treats me, that’s a family matter. When in public, I’ll always stand by Sunshine Corporation’s side. I won’t do anything that could affect the company’s interests in order to seize power. That sort of behavior isn’t in line with my original intentions,” he replied.
“Of course. I totally agree with you. Actually, that’s what I think too. In that case, will you offer your sister any suggestions after this?”
Needless to say, that was not what Tang Jing genuinely thought. She actually hoped Ouyang Li would mess up and make an irreversible mistake. Only then would Ouyang Qi have the opportunity to take over Ouyang Li’s position.
“I think I will, but she won’t necessarily listen to me. I wanted to talk to her today. However, she didn’t give me a chance to meet with her at all. That’s why I’m guessing she won’t listen to my suggestions. Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter. I should still do my part and will do everything I can to stop her from making the wrong decision.”
In truth, his response left Tang Jing somewhat disappointed. That was not the outcome she was hoping for.
Even so, she could not show her displeasure and had to continue hiding her true thoughts.
Hence, she smiled and said, “You have my support no matter what you decide to do. I believe in you.”
I also believe in my capabilities. As long as I maintain a close relationship with Ouyang Qi, I trust I can influence him. Some things can’t be done in haste and need to take time. Haste makes waste, after all.
When Tang Jing woke up the following morning, she discovered that Ouyang Qi had already left.
Meanwhile, Ouyang Li had also gotten up very early. As the new boss, she was determined to make more effort to show her passion and dedication to her subordinates so they would approve of her.
She had just exited the villa estate when she saw Ouyang Qi waiting at the entrance.
He dashed out in front of her car, forcing her to stop.
Sticking her head out the car window, she roared at him, “What the h*ll do you think you’re doing?”
“I’ve something to say to you. It won’t take too much of your time,” he said, swallowing his anger.
After that, he hurried forward, opened the car door, and got into the vehicle.
Ouyang Li shot him a look of disdain. “I’m busy, so stop coming to bother me every day. What do you want? With that world of your own you live in, what serious business could you possibly need to speak to me about?”
