Seeing Fan Ning’er still in a daze, Zhang Xiaoya couldn’t help but pat her on the back to offer a reminder.
“Ah? Oh, Jinghong, I just came to see you and, uh, brought you a little something…”
Fan Ning’er knew she had to appease Bai Jinghong now. She hurriedly opened her gift and offered it up.
Originally, Fan Ning’er wanted Bai Jinghong to open it himself for a bigger surprise, but she was afraid that someone as unimaginably wealthy as Bai Jinghong might scorn her gift, so she decided to open it for him.
Bai Jinghong’s expression didn’t change. He just swept a glance over it.
Inside were two items.
A bottle of high-end men’s cologne, housed in a customized bottle with a floral print. It looked to be a “Peony” pattern.
The other item was a bracelet, which also appeared quite pricey.
Zhang Xiaoya had helped her pick both gifts, and there was a deep meaning behind them.
Right on cue, Zhang Xiaoya chimed in, “Wow, isn’t that flower on the cologne bottle a peony?”
“Young Master Bai, Ning’er is so thoughtful. Do you know what the peony symbolizes?”
Bai Jinghong knew exactly what they were trying to do. He murmured, “Are you trying to allude to that line: ‘The loving peony holds spring’s tears, the weak rose reclines on the dawn branch’?”
“Young Master Bai is truly learned!” Zhang Xiaoya gave a thumbs-up, full of praise.
“Oh, that’s about the only line I know,” Bai Jinghong said, seemingly disinterested. He then waved his hand dismissively. “But you can keep the gifts. I’m not used to using these things.”
“If you can return them, go do that. Save the money for food!”
Fan Ning’er’s expression changed drastically.
Bai Jinghong’s words were decisive and seemed to mock her, implying she’d soon be unable to afford a meal.
But truthfully, the way things were going, his words weren’t exactly wrong.
“Jing… Jinghong, I just felt that after knowing each other so long, I’ve never given you a gift,” she said.
“I think that’s really inappropriate. This is my token of appreciation. Please, take it.”
Fan Ning’er was getting desperate. She pushed the gift closer, trying to force him to accept it.
Bai Jinghong simply sidestepped her and sat down in the main seat. “It wouldn’t be right of me not to offer some hospitality since you’ve both come all this way.”
“Sit. Have some tea.”
Zhang Xiaoya was truly stunned.
This was completely different from what they had expected.
Even if Bai Jinghong was angry with Fan Ning’er, such an emotionally charged gift should have been enough to patch things up!
“This tea is the classic Golden Melon Tribute Tea. You can’t even buy this with money. You’re in for a treat today.”
As Bai Jinghong prepared the tea, his words were aloof and distant.
Fan Ning’er was still holding out the gifts, frozen in place.
Her nose stung, and she felt like crying.
Once, Bai Jinghong had treated her like a treasure in his palm, afraid to shatter her, wanting nothing more than to cherish her in his embrace. But now… he was treating her like a worn-out shoe.
“Come on, try it…” Bai Jinghong poured the tea.
But neither woman moved. They were both awkward, standing there dumbly.
Bai Jinghong let out a cold snort, his eyes sweeping over them. He took a sip of tea and said flatly, “Am I not good enough for you to drink my tea?”
At these words, both women trembled and hurriedly reached for their teacups.
Fan Ning’er felt utterly wronged, her eyes rimmed red.
Only after they’d drunk the tea did Bai Jinghong smile and say, “Alright. If you have something to say, now’s the time. Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”
Fan Ning’er paused. So Bai Jinghong had been testing her.
Thus, she quickly said, “Jinghong… the Fan Corporation’s situation is very… very bad.”
“Could you possibly show some mercy… and back off a little?”
“Hey, don’t make false accusations,” Bai Jinghong warned.
Fan Ning’er was baffled.
“The Foundation attacking your stock price is my sister’s doing. What does that have to do with me? I’ll have you know that’s slander!”
Fan Ning’er was left speechless, but what could she do? She didn’t dare to argue.
So, she changed tack. “The Fan Corporation is still… 1.1 billion short. Could you… could you maybe help us out a little?”
She forced herself to ask. She truly couldn’t believe Bai Jinghong would still refuse to help at this point.
“President Fan, does my head look big to you?” Bai Jinghong asked.
Fan Ning’er shook her head.
“Then why are you treating me like a sucker?”
“Uh…”
Bai Jinghong laughed. “You think 1.1 billion is just cabbages on a market stall?”
“Oh, by the way, where’s your lover Chen Lin? He should be able to handle this for you. A billion or so is just pocket change to him, right?”
With that, Bai Jinghong smiled, flipped his teacup upside down on the coffee table, stood up, and walked away.
Zhang Xiaoya couldn’t help but look at Fan Ning’er with a sigh, shaking her head.
They’d really screwed this one up.
It wasn’t something Fan Ning’er could fix just by offering herself up again.
They had both seriously underestimated Bai Jinghong.
At that moment, Fan Ning’er finally broke. Every memory from the past flashed before her eyes. This fall from grace was something she couldn’t comprehend. Bai Jinghong had flipped his teacup over—the signal was unmistakable. They had to leave before he got angry.
Just as the two reached the office door, Bai Jinghong suddenly spoke from his office chair. “There are two more paths. Do you want to hear them?”
Hearing his voice, Fan Ning’er spun around, her face full of hope.
Bai Jinghong smiled faintly. “First, I acquire the Fan Corporation outright.”
“Second, I inject new capital, but I want 70% of the shares—absolute controlling interest.”
The hopeful look in Fan Ning’er’s eyes shattered. His two conditions were nothing short of handing the Fan Corporation over on a silver platter. Bai Jinghong had circled around and, without any effort, was proposing something even more vicious than outright robbery.
Bai Jinghong did have his eye on the Fan Corporation. A chance to make quick money was a chance worth taking. The Fan Corporation was a mess, largely due to Bai Jinghong stirring up trouble behind the scenes. The company itself didn’t have major problems; its past losses were mostly due to some channel issues. After a simple reshuffle where Bai Corporation personnel took over operations, it would be like getting a corporation for free.
“Jinghong…” Fan Ning’er’s voice trembled. “Do… do you have to be like this? You could just do what you did before, inject capital, and take a profit share!”
“The corporation is my family’s lifeblood. How… how can I let you acquire it?”
Fan Ning’er felt Bai Jinghong was still punishing her.
“I’ve already cut off all contact with Chen Lin. I apologize for what happened at the wedding. Can’t you stop treating me this way?”
“I know you still love me. A love pursued for so many years can’t just disappear overnight. Let’s give each other a chance, okay?”
Two streams of clear tears slid down Fan Ning’er’s cheeks. She reached out and grabbed Bai Jinghong’s hand. Her pitiable appearance was truly touching.
Bai Jinghong didn’t immediately shake her off. Instead, he looked toward the office door and said in surprise, “Chen Lin? What are you doing here? Who let you in?”
Upon hearing this, Fan Ning’er instinctively recoiled, pulling her hand back and whipping her head toward the door. When she saw the office door was tightly shut, despair filled her heart. Bai Jinghong had tricked her again, just like last time. But she was wronged—it wasn’t what Bai Jinghong thought. She really had cut ties with Chen Lin.
Bai Jinghong burst into laughter. “You woman, not a single word out of your mouth is true. Get out!”
“Go back and think carefully about the acquisition proposal. There are only those two paths. No third one.”
“Jinghong, listen to me—”
“Don’t make me call security to throw you out,” Bai Jinghong said coldly.
Fan Ning’er’s heart clenched. Tears streamed down her face again, but she didn’t move an inch.
