Ling Wei knew that the manager was relatively innocent. If it weren’t for the influence of the plot, such an incident in a bar wouldn’t have happened. Therefore, he still smiled while handing over a business card. Although his original self had been largely idle aside from occasionally helping the male and female leads with their ailments, he still held a nominal position.
After introducing himself, he got straight to the point: “Tomorrow, the three of you will receive transfer notices from the company. Don’t think I’m making a big deal out of this; an attempted indecent act seriously affects the company’s image. I haven’t directly fired anyone, which is already lenient. If there’s another incident, things won’t be so easy.”
In fact, Ling Wei didn’t want to be so lenient, but to prevent Huo Qijun from causing trouble, he had to use job transfers to send them far away. At most, he would demote the main culprit and send him to a remote location, almost like a form of exile—better than nothing.
As for the reason for the demotion right after a promotion, he laid it out plainly; otherwise, the other employees wouldn’t understand the situation and feel disheartened.
“By the way, the employee who was just harassed is my friend…”
The manager quickly picked up on this and said, “She had a rough day today, so it’s only right for her to leave work early. Her salary will still be paid, no, we’ll double it as compensation for her distress.”
Ling Wei thought for a moment. Although it seemed slightly overbearing, this approach was still within a reasonable range, so he didn’t refuse.
When Ling Wei returned, Huo Qijun and Fu Xiaoqing were sitting in silence, both stuck in their stubborn personalities—one not good at softening his words and the other naturally obstinate. Together, they seemed to have forgotten how to speak. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had misunderstandings and conflicts as frequently as they did, as shown in the original plot.
Seeing him come back, Fu Xiaoqing felt a sense of relief, while Huo Qijun was also secretly relieved, though he would never admit it.
Once seated, Ling Wei tapped his fingers on the table and turned to Huo Qijun, saying, “Aren’t you having stomach pains? You should eat first.”
“Hmm.” Huo Qijun was surprised that he even cared about this, but he didn’t show it, merely responding with a stern face and taking a spoon to eat mechanically.
Fu Xiaoqing then recalled the text message he had sent her earlier about his stomach pain; she had thought it was just a diversion, but it turned out to be true.
“Is it serious?” she asked somewhat hesitantly.
Huo Qijun was about to say he was fine, but Ling Wei kicked him under the table to silence him and, taking on the role of his family doctor, spoke up first, dramatically sighing, “It’s actually quite serious—chronic gastritis from irregular eating habits. If he continues to be reckless, I’m worried he might develop cancer someday!”
His tone was both joking and genuinely concerned.
If it weren’t for the regular health checkups every year, which assured him that his stomach issue wasn’t severe, Huo Qijun might have been taken in by this. Even Fu Xiaoqing was at a loss for words upon hearing the word ‘cancer.’
If she felt heartbroken, it didn’t show; Huo Qijun had brought her many troubles. Even if she had felt some affection for him in the past, it had all but faded. Still, she couldn’t remain completely indifferent, especially given their acquaintance and the fact that he liked her; he just used methods she couldn’t afford. Hearing that he might actually be in trouble was hard to digest.
Ling Wei knew that while he was somewhat manipulative in comforting the girl, his intentions weren’t to matchmake the male and female leads. Rather, Fu Xiaoqing genuinely needed a decent job where he could keep an eye on her; her situation was dire, and Huo Qijun’s mother was far too domineering—she was the actual power behind the Huo family, and no one could challenge her.
In the original story, their on-and-off relationship lasted for many years, but they could only manage a marriage if this formidable matriarch was out of the picture.
Huo Qijun had also caught on to Ling Wei’s intentions, so he stayed quiet and continued eating.
However, Ling Wei felt it awkward for two grown men to chat around a girl. After hesitating, he motioned for Huo Qijun to keep eating, ignoring the discontent evident in his expression, and took Fu Xiaoqing to a corner table in the bar.
“Ling Wei, is there something you want to tell me?” Fu Xiaoqing asked curiously, wondering what was so significant that it needed to be conveyed in private.
That guy had a bad temper, and when they’d come over, she noticed that Huo Qijun had been fuming, so he was remarkably restrained not to explode right then. Fu Xiaoqing found it hard to believe.
As Ling Wei faced Fu Xiaoqing, he felt an unexpected sense of guilt on behalf of Huo Qijun. Rubbing his nose awkwardly, he steeled himself to explain that he wanted to help Huo Qijun improve his health, and he just needed someone to assist in customizing his daily meals.
Fu Xiaoqing’s first reaction was to refuse: “I know you want to help, Ling Wei, but I’m not a professional. Plus, I just want to let this trouble pass quickly. I really don’t want to be entangled with Huo Qijun anymore.”
If he didn’t know the subsequent plot, Ling Wei would have thought her choice was wise, but…
“You don’t understand Huo Laofuren; she’s not going to let this go easily. Unless Aqi marries immediately and she personally chooses the bride, this will never pass in her eyes,” Ling Wei said, looking at her with concern. “You might be able to endure and wait, but what about your brother?”
Patients certainly couldn’t be delayed.
Fu Xiaoqing’s eyes brimmed with tears of anger: “How can she be so unreasonable!”
After venting her anger, she felt utterly deflated. She understood all too well that reality wouldn’t bend to her emotions.
After a long silence, she sighed as if she had finally compromised, “Even if I agree to your plan, it’s not a lasting solution.”
Ling Wei found himself admiring her resilience; though traditional novels often enjoyed tormenting the female leads, it indeed required a tough personality to withstand such trials without breaking.
“Don’t worry, it’ll work out in the end. But you need to agree to one thing: I want to quietly transfer your brother to a rehabilitation center under my name, where I will arrange for a team of specialists to treat him. This is to protect him, and also a way for me to make amends for the trouble I’ve caused you through Aqi.”