“Will you take my earlier suggestion?” I looked at my cousin.
The most urgent matter now was to stop Fangfang’s father from gambling; only then could the situation be truly settled in the long run.
“Xiao Nan, what do you think about me sending two men to keep an eye on my father-in-law? The moment he tries to gamble, they smash the place. Would that work?” My cousin pondered for a moment before continuing.
“It would, but don’t go too far,” I replied quickly after thinking it over.
“Then it’s settled. Xiao Nan, you’ve really helped me out today.” My cousin grinned broadly, his mood visibly lightened.
“By the way, Cousin, there’s something else I wanted to ask.” I took a sip of coffee and continued.
“Go ahead,” he said, looking at me with interest.
“Do you truly love Sister-in-law?” I asked directly.
Caught off guard, my cousin hurriedly answered, “Of course I do. Your sister-in-law is not only young but beautiful too. I love her from the bottom of my heart. Why else would I marry her or pay off her family’s gambling debts?”
“Good, good. Then don’t lose your temper with her again. Uncle very much hopes you’ll settle down—he’s even looking forward to grandchildren.” I nodded slightly and brought Uncle into the conversation as well.
“Haha, I understand the big principles. You’d better hurry up too—once Yanzi comes back, keep her busy in bed until she’s pregnant.” My cousin laughed.
The moment he mentioned my wife, a knot formed in my heart. Though I knew she had returned to the country behind my back, I still needed to investigate thoroughly before jumping to conclusions.
We chatted about other things for a while longer before parting ways.
In the days following National Day, my cousin indeed behaved himself. Fangfang told me he was treating her well. Whenever her father tried to gamble, someone would trash the venue, leaving him rejected by all his gambling friends. My cousin had even threatened that anyone who played cards with her father would be beaten to death.
The tactic worked wonders. With no one willing to gamble with him, Fangfang’s father finally calmed down.
The National Day holiday soon ended. After learning that Fangfang and my cousin were going to the Maldives for their honeymoon, I offered my blessings and returned to Shanghai.
Just as I was debating whether to call Sun Dan about the holiday or fly abroad to see how my wife was doing, Sun Dan called me first.
“Hello, Xiao Lin? How was your National Day?” Her voice came through the phone.
“Pretty good. What’s up, Manager Sun?” I asked quickly.
“Well… I had intended to give you a proper long break, but right after the holiday we need you to go to Hainan for a business deal,” she said hurriedly.
“What? I was planning to go abroad. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” My expression darkened.
“I’m really sorry. President Qu did secure a major order through you, but the company brand is in a growth phase. Besides maintaining client relationships, we’ll soon be inviting celebrities for endorsements. Please understand.” Sun Dan continued.
“Fine. I’ll come to the office tomorrow and we’ll talk then,” I said after a pause, finally agreeing.
After hanging up, I rested properly for the day. Early the next morning, I drove to the company and immediately ran into Xiao Zhang and Xiao Liu.
Xiao Zhang and Xiao Liu were my deputies. They had followed me for two or three years, both top graduates from Fudan University—beautiful and curvaceous. I had promoted them from among many salespeople.
“Brother Nan, did you see that tigress’s email? The moment the holiday ends she sends you to Hainan and orders us to assist,” Xiao Zhang said quickly.
Her full name was Zhang Tingmei—sharp-tongued with an impressive alcohol tolerance. She could always persuade clients. Xiao Liu, whose name was Liu Xue, was sweet and meticulous.
“That tigress already called me,” I said, spreading my hands.
“Brother Nan, you closed a huge deal in Hangzhou last time, but when President Wang came, he praised only her. I bet she stole your credit again,” Liu Xue pouted, clearly feeling it was unfair.
“What? When did President Wang come?” I frowned.
“The day before National Day. But you were already on leave, Brother Nan,” Liu Xue said, blinking her big eyes at me.
Fury surged inside me. If the credit went to Sun Dan, did that mean I’d get no bonus? Didn’t this sale count toward my performance?
“Damn it, is she serious?” I was livid and stormed toward Sun Dan’s office.
“Brother—Brother Nan!”
“Xiao Xue, why did you have to say that?”
Everyone in the sales department looked up as I strode furiously to Sun Dan’s door and pushed it open.
“Lin—Lin Nan, what are you doing? Don’t you knock?” Sun Dan was at her desk and frowned the moment she saw me.
“Manager Sun, do you remember what was said in Hangzhou?” I demanded.
Seeing my aggressive stance, Sun Dan narrowed her eyes, stepped out from behind her desk, folded her arms, and looked me up and down. “You mean the sales performance?”
“Of course. I closed that deal. I deserve to know whether I’ll receive the full bonus for it,” I said coldly.
Today, unusually, Sun Dan wore a long black lace dress and bold red lipstick—she clearly had a gala to attend tonight, dressed more daringly than usual.
“Lin Nan, let’s be clear: I’m the sales department manager, you’re just a supervisor. Without me taking you to Hangzhou, could you have closed that deal?” she said icily.
“What did you say?” Rage boiled inside me.
“Don’t worry—a million-yuan order means a considerable commission. As your superior, taking seventy percent isn’t excessive, is it?” She picked up her teacup and sipped calmly.
“You—you mean I only get thirty percent of the total commission?” I nearly exploded.
“What, planning a rebellion? Remember you’re my subordinate. If I tell you to pack up and leave, you leave!” Sun Dan sneered.
“You’re despicable!” I clenched my fists, barely resisting the urge to strike her.
“Don’t think closing one big order in Hangzhou makes you untouchable. Tonight I’m attending a gala with President Wang. If you ruin my mood, I’ll have you fired on the spot!”
She grabbed a document from her desk and tossed it at me.
“This is the Hainan client’s order. Take some sample cl0thes. If you don’t close this deal, don’t bother coming back!”
I caught the file, grinding my teeth, unable to retaliate.
As the saying goes, those under the eaves must bow their heads. This time, I had lost.
“Brother Nan, how did it go?”
“Yeah, Brother Nan, don’t scare us!”
Zhang Tingmei and Liu Xue rushed over the moment I emerged, looking at me anxiously.
“You’re both coming with me to Hainan tomorrow!” I said through gritted teeth.
“Okay.”
“Yes, Brother Nan.”
As they agreed, I slammed the desk. “Damn it, that tigress is accompanying President Wang to a gala tonight. Once I have something on her, she’ll regret it!”
“Brother Nan, the gala is at the Palm Tree Grand Hotel,” Liu Xue whispered.
“Hm? How do you know?” I raised an eyebrow.
Just you wait, Sun Dan. Since you’ve schemed against me, I won’t let you off easily either.
Tonight—we’ll see.