Chapter 18: Strength Proves Everything

Want to make more money? Grandson, not a chance! But you can’t expect me to sell myself, can you? Marrying you, I’d be happy to do, but selling my soul for your company? Forget it—no interest at all.

Yang Changfeng leaned back in his chair, eyeing her warily, and exclaimed, “What are you up to? Trying to keep me as a lover? Let me tell you, I’m not that kind of man, unless you... you really do want to keep me?”

Chen Aijia had finally managed to lift her spirits a little, only to have him ruin it all over again. There’s just no being nice to this man—a scoundrel, always ready to exploit the slightest opening!

“I can give you a promise. If you can find evidence of Wang Hu’s crimes, you’ll become the head of Security in the future.” As she spoke, Chen Aijia carefully watched Yang Changfeng’s expression, but saw no eagerness in his eyes. She felt curious, and more than a little disappointed. She added, “As a department head in upper management, Security’s director earns three hundred and twenty thousand a year.”

That much?

For a moment, Yang Changfeng felt a surge of indignation. Why? Why should he, after a year of hard work, only get a hundred and fifty thousand—and that was a special favor from the boss—while that guy got paid so much just by regulation?

Agitated, as if something inside him had snapped, Yang Changfeng burst out, “Why does that punk get so much? You profligate woman!” His righteous outrage thundered at Chen Aijia.

The rebuke left Chen Aijia dizzy. It took her a while to recover her wits—wasn’t this my company? Don’t I get to decide? If I want to pay my employees whatever salary I please, what’s it to you?

With the tone of a disappointed parent, Yang Changfeng scolded, “If you paid that much and got a loyal, devoted subordinate, I’d say nothing. But look at the people you hire! They get all that money, and not only do they neglect their duties, they’re not even loyal to the company! Aren’t you being foolish?”

To be honest, Wang Hu’s professional abilities were difficult to fault. In his official capacity—whether as upper management or as head of Security—he performed admirably, even excellently, at least in all the work visible to everyone.

This left Chen Aijia in a bind. She knew Wang Hu was problematic, yet she couldn’t find an excuse to fire him. The company was her domain, but for it to run smoothly, she had to abide by the rules. The bigger the company, the harder it was for the owner to dismiss someone in upper management. Often, the owner could only steer the company’s direction; in everything but finance, the managers’ opinions held more sway.

From this, Chen Aijia grasped a new truth: among the upper ranks, there were others who sided with Wang Hu. Those who supported Wang Hu weren’t necessarily complicit with him, but those who did collude with him would go to any lengths to keep him in power.

This was an even more pressing issue.

In that instant, Chen Aijia resolved that Wang Hu had to be dealt with, and soon.

She studied the man before her—nonchalant in manner, with eyes that never lied yet remained tranquil—and thought perhaps she really should entrust him with more.

“If you can find evidence of Wang Hu’s crimes, or at the very least, proof of his violations of company policy, then I can guarantee you—though with your lack of seniority, a management position isn’t possible yet—an annual salary of five hundred thousand. No problem at all.” Sitting straight, adopting a negotiating posture, Chen Aijia asked solemnly, “Well? Do you want this job?”

If I can win you over, why should I care about the job? But I’m not that kind of man—even if you climbed into my bed, I wouldn’t treat your money as my own!

Yang Changfeng curled his lip and spat out two words: “Not interested!”

Why not? Before Chen Aijia could ask in surprise, Yang Changfeng had already answered.

On paper, the offer was tempting, especially to someone like him who urgently needed money. But compensation should match effort. Was Wang Hu so easily dealt with?

It didn’t take much thought to realize that both inside the company and out in the wider world, Wang Hu had more allies—some overt, some hidden—than anyone could count. His network of connections might be vast to the point of being terrifying. Going up against him—what would that cost?

Yang Changfeng wasn’t afraid, nor did he believe Wang Hu had the power to destroy him. But to invest so much, just for some high-paying post—that wasn’t what he wanted from life.

No matter how badly he needed money, if it didn’t interest him, he’d never give it his all. That was his nature, and it couldn’t be changed.

Perhaps, if he grew to like Chen Aijia, he’d help her out of affection. But at this point, she was only a beautiful woman in his eyes. To truly fall for her—that would take time.

“Maybe I’d have to sacrifice far more. No matter how much money or how great the job, compared to what I’d put in, it’s not worth it,” Yang Changfeng admitted, unashamed of his own “calculating” nature.

Chen Aijia assumed he wanted a higher salary, and so she smiled.

Arms folded, leaning against the back of her chair, she said with a slight smile, “I don’t see a problem with that. You can tell me how much you want and what position you seek. As long as you’re up to the task, it’s yours by right. No need for all this back-and-forth.”

She thought he was merely playing hard to get.

But Yang Changfeng kept shaking his head. Calmly, he replied, “No need to guess at what I want. If I wanted something, I wouldn’t hide it. Truthfully, I’m not interested. Let’s leave it to fate. If I’m in the mood, your offer of one hundred and fifty thousand—I’ll earn it honestly. If I’m not, no amount of money or benefits will persuade me. But maybe you’ll be lucky. Since I’ve joined Security and already clashed with Wang Hu, he’s unlikely to show me any mercy. To protect myself, I won’t sit back and wait for disaster. So, without you having to pay so much, I’ll deal with Wang Hu for you.”

Chen Aijia listened in astonishment. She suddenly realized this man was not who she’d imagined. He spoke of “dealing with” someone—a phrase used either by braggarts or by those with genuine ability and confidence.

Which was Yang Changfeng? She couldn’t be sure, but leaned toward the latter.

People with a clear view of their adversaries and an understanding of the environment around them were seldom of the first kind—confidence is the mark of true strength.

But what gave him such confidence?