Chapter 16

This is the difference between a smart person and a fool. If Dong Jiayun had received this call, she would have exploded and cursed fiercely.

Sure enough, as soon as Dong Jiayun heard him say that, she immediately reached out to pinch his waist. Qiu Renzhan suddenly glared at her, and Dong Jiayun was startled, immediately losing her temper and weakly letting go. She had been with him for so many years and knew that if she dared to act recklessly during serious matters, he would not hesitate to give her a few slaps.

"Ha ha!" Qiao Antian's laughter came from the other end of the phone: "Director Qiu, you're too polite. I just found out about this myself, and my daughter's handling of the situation was also inappropriate. I hope Director Qiu won't take it to heart!"

"Not at all! A tiger father doesn't have a dog daughter. General Manager Qiao is a well-known businesswoman in Donghai, and I have long heard of her style of handling matters. She is certainly not someone who makes unreasonable trouble." Qiu Renzhan chuckled, seemingly not at all angry about his sister-in-law's incident.

The two exchanged pleasantries over the phone, and then Qiao Antian got to the point: "Director Qiu, are you free this afternoon? It's been a long time since we last met, and I would like to visit the local official!"

Qiu Renzhan's eyebrows slightly raised, and a smile appeared in his eyes. Qiao Antian was being reasonable. Saying he was visiting the local official was actually a way to make up for the dismissal of his sister-in-law. Otherwise, a big boss like him wouldn't have the time to visit a deputy director like himself, and any issues could be resolved by the chief director.

"Chairman Qiao, you're too polite. It was my sister-in-law who caused trouble for your company, and I should be the one to apologize. How about this: if Chairman Qiao is free, I'll come over right now." Qiu Renzhan said sincerely.

It wasn't that he was lowering himself, but Qiao Antian, such a prominent figure, would attract a lot of attention if he came to the police station. More importantly, he knew that Qiao Antian had an incident yesterday, and there might still be assassins watching. It was indeed inconvenient to move around. If someone wanted to give him a favor, he couldn't be unreasonable, right?

Qiao Antian didn't dwell on the topic and responded, "Alright, I'll have Assistant Ning wait for you in the parking lot."

Dong Jiayun had been eavesdropping with her ears close to the phone. Seeing Qiu Renzhan hang up, she immediately stood up with a cold snort: "They're scared now! Let's go. I want Qiao Yun to apologize to me in front of everyone. Otherwise, I'll make things difficult for them." Her arrogant demeanor returned.

Qiu Renzhan's face immediately darkened, and he looked at her as if she were an idiot, coldly asking, "Where are you going?"

Dong Jiayun looked surprised, "Isn't Qiao Antian backing down? They slapped me, so I naturally need to hit back. Otherwise, how can I stand in Minghua Group?"

"Do you still want to work at Minghua Group?"

"Where else would I go? I can't just hand over my position as the head of the general affairs department to someone else!"

"Do you want Qiao Yun to apologize to you in public?"

"With you backing me up, how dare she not apologize?" Dong Jiayun said matter-of-factly.

"Do you know who Qiao Yun is?"

"Isn't she just the general manager of Minghua Group? She's just relying on her father. If I had a father like that, I could be a general manager too."

Qiu Renzhan stood up with a cold laugh and stared at her, slowly saying, "Qiao Yun is known as the top beauty in Donghai, managing a large group company worth over 100 billion. She is young and capable, commanding the business world with ease. She is a well-known businesswoman in Donghai and the only heir to Qiao Antian's vast fortune. Many high-ranking officials, military leaders, and business tycoons have their eyes on her. If she really wanted to, her influence would be even greater than Qiao Antian's. If she decided to target me, many people would be willing to step forward to please her. By then, we wouldn't even know how we died. Do you still want to compare yourself to her? Even her fart is more valuable than you. What do you have to compare with?"

Dong Jiayun was stunned by his harsh words and took a while to react. However, she was particularly affected by the last two sentences, pointing at Qiu Renzhan and trembling, "You said her fart is more valuable than me? Mr. Qiu, do you have any conscience? When you first seduced me, you said I was the most beautiful woman in the world. Now you think I'm old, don't you? Sob... I serve you in bed and give birth to your child, doing all sorts of shameful things. Now you think I'm not even as valuable as someone's fart. How miserable my life is..."

As she spoke, her words became increasingly harsh. Qiu Renzhan couldn't bear to listen anymore and turned to leave, ignoring her.

"Fine, Mr. Qiu, if you're not kind, don't blame me for being unrighteous." Dong Jiayun sobbed and took out her phone, dialing and crying, "Xiaoliang! Mom is being bullied, I don't want to live anymore..."

A worried voice immediately came from the phone, "Mom! What happened? Where are you?"

Qiu Renzhan, who had reached the door, trembled and was struck at his soft spot. He quickly ran back, snatched her phone, and hung up, too angry to speak. However, the phone immediately called back, and the ringtone wouldn't stop.

Looking at the name on the phone screen, Qiu Renzhan took a deep breath and gently persuaded her, "Jiayun, I was just angry at your lack of sense, so I said some harsh words. Don't you know how much I care for you and Xiaoliang? Don't worry! I'll give you an explanation. Listen to me!"

Dong Jiayun looked up with tearful eyes and choked, "Really?"

Qiu Renzhan nodded and handed her the ringing phone, his tone suddenly becoming stern, "You must discipline Xiaoliang. Don't let him hang around with all sorts of people. If I catch him again, don't blame me for being harsh!"

"Okay!" Dong Jiayun obediently responded. She was stubborn but only responded to this kind of treatment. She genuinely liked Qiu Renzhan taking charge of their family, and only then did she feel that he truly cared for her, not just as a mistress.

Qiu Renzhan coldly snorted and left. Dong Jiayun obediently followed him, watching him drive away at the door, with a contented and happy expression.

Ning Lan, who had been waiting in the parking lot, finally saw Qiu Renzhan and led him to the executive elevator, where there were no cameras.

"Director Qiu, please!" Ning Lan pushed open the door to the chairman's office.

Qiu Renzhan smiled and nodded, and as soon as he entered, he saw Qiao Antian extending his hand from behind the desk. Qiu Renzhan also extended his hand and quickly approached.

"Director Qiu, what a rare guest! Please sit down."

"Chairman Qiao, you're too polite. I came to apologize for my sister-in-law's misconduct... Ah! She caused trouble for Chairman Qiao."

The two sat on the sofa, their words and actions more hypocritical than ever, exchanging meaningless pleasantries but acting as if they were serious. Ning Lan quickly brewed tea for both of them, placed an ashtray, and left.

Qiao Antian, of course, didn't invite him for idle chat. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he offered a cigarette and got straight to the point, "Director Qiu, I have already investigated the incident and need to report it to you."

"I can't bear it, I can't bear it. I know what my sister-in-law is like, and General Manager Qiao wouldn't dismiss her without reason..." Qiu Renzhan waved his hands but leaned in to listen. He also wanted to know what happened and compare it with what Dong Jiayun had said.

Qiao Antian smiled, not taking his pleasantries seriously, and slowly said, "Director Qiu should know about the incident I encountered on the way to Minghua Villa yesterday."

Qiu Renzhan was suddenly startled, the cigarette he was about to put in his mouth paused, and he turned around, "Could my sister-in-law be involved in yesterday's incident?"

He couldn't help but feel a chill. If that foolish woman was indeed involved, the trouble would be significant, and Qiao Antian might have invited him not for compensation but for retribution.

"Not exactly." Qiao Antian shook his head and smiled, "Due to yesterday's incident, I gave stricter instructions to the security department. Coincidentally, the surveillance system in the lobby had a problem today, and the security department, not wanting to be negligent, conducted a strict security check. Unfortunately, when the security staff were persuading the customer service desk, Minister Dong happened to be on a patrol and saw the security department intervening in her area, which made her unhappy..."

Qiu Renzhan's face darkened slightly, imagining Dong Jiayun's overbearing reaction.

"Of course, the security staff might not have been tactful, which infuriated Minister Dong, and she even attacked the security staff. Unfortunately, that staff member was not an ordinary security guard but someone I specially invited to protect my family, holding a deputy position in the security department. He didn't know Minister Dong's background and actually used a stun gun to subdue and detain her. This immediately alarmed my daughter, who personally intervened. If Minister Dong had been honest, my daughter would have given her the benefit of the doubt, even if not for her sake, for Director Qiu's. However, she distorted the facts, causing a scene. When the surveillance footage was reviewed, it showed a different story, and my daughter, to save face in front of the employees, had to dismiss her... I'm truly sorry, Director Qiu!" Qiao Antian looked apologetic.

So that's what happened! Qiu Renzhan smoked in silence. Dong Jiayun had only told him that she was bullied by the security department and detained, and Qiao Yun had dismissed her without giving her any face.

Qiu Renzhan had initially doubted her story, and now, hearing Qiao Antian's account, he realized how arrogant that foolish woman had been. He felt that even if Qiao Antian's account was biased, it wouldn't be far from the truth.