Part 2
Si Yunli ground his teeth in hatred.
30 million was his bottom line expectation; he hadn’t expected Ning Qingqing to guess even that.
If it were the past, taking out ten million would be a matter of minutes. But now, he had to bow and scrape for such a small investment!
And to top it off, they would only get 10% of the net profit!
But he knew that if he didn’t agree to Ning Qingqing, big institutions wouldn’t bother with such small returns, while small institutions would just manipulate operations to eat up that remaining 10% too!
Taking a deep breath, Si Yunli said, “Miss Ning, we will go back and consider it. We’ll give you an answer tomorrow morning.”
Shortly after he left, Ning Qingqing received an email.
The subject line was ‘I have many more,’ and the attachment contained only one photo. It was of her and Shen Zhiqian sitting in the café, taken by someone else.
The photographer was skilled, capturing the exact moment the corners of her lips lifted.
Ning Qingqing recalled that she had only smiled once during the meeting—when she thought of Gu Youchen.
A few minutes later, the phone rang.
A strange voice came through: “Did Miss Ning receive the photo?”
Ning Qingqing replied indifferently, “Who is this?”
“You don’t need to know who I am,” the person said. “I have quite a few photos here. What do you think would happen if I posted them all online?”
Ning Qingqing vaguely guessed that this person was likely working for Si Yunli.
Kenny and Si Luoqing had a grudge against her and wanted revenge.
Si Yunli had a conflict of interest and probably wanted to use these photos to blackmail her into yielding profits.
Forced perspective photography is actually very easy. The moment two people walk in together, sit down, or leave—if the angle is right, photos can make it seem like the two are in an ambiguous relationship.
Si Yunli must have also heard that Shen Zhiqian still had feelings for her. If the photos were posted, Shen Zhiqian naturally wouldn’t want to clarify his relationship with Ning Qingqing in public. Wouldn’t that be pushing her into Gu Youchen’s arms?
From a man’s perspective, possessiveness can sometimes make one lose control.
Maybe Shen Zhiqian would even stage a scene to snatch her back! If that happened, the Gu family probably wouldn’t tolerate a woman who couldn’t handle her emotional entanglements properly!
Si Yunli really calculated this well.
Ning Qingqing pretended not to guess and asked, “What do you intend to do?”
The person replied, “Miss Ning is a smart person. Don’t be too greedy for some things. You are already Mrs. Gu; you don’t need to worry about money at all. Why be so serious?”
Hearing this, Ning Qingqing knew the other party deliberately avoided mentioning the Si Group project to avoid leaving evidence, using hints instead.
Very cautious indeed.
“In short, Miss Ning, you have one night to consider,” the person said, then hung up directly.
Putting away her phone, Ning Qingqing carried on as usual.
She didn’t need to consider it at all.
Some things were bottom lines. Once you yielded, and the opponent grasped your weakness, you would never have a chance to turn things around.
She planned to tell Gu Youchen about this when she got home tonight.
However, near the end of the workday, Gu Youchen called. “Qingqing, there’s a small issue with my project in Yun City. I need to go on a temporary business trip. I likely won’t be home until tomorrow.”
So Ning Qingqing said, “Okay, you focus on work. Careful not to stay up too late.”
“Okay,” Gu Youchen said. “Wife, see you tomorrow.”
He was certainly enjoying calling her ‘Wife’ now.
Hearing the urgency in Gu Youchen’s tone, Ning Qingqing didn’t distract him. Instead, she called Li Lan that evening and explained the whole situation.
After all, she was now the daughter-in-law of the Gu family. Although she had nothing to hide, rumors could easily turn falsehoods into ‘truth,’ and she didn’t want to damage the Gu family’s reputation.
Early the next morning, Ning Qingqing received a call from the stranger again.
The person reminded her, “Have you thought it over?”
Ning Qingqing said, “I haven’t thought about it, because I am never threatened by anyone.”
The person gnashed their teeth. “Very well. I hope you don’t regret this.”
Ning Qingqing suddenly asked, “Kenny is right next to you, isn’t he?”
The person froze, realizing what she meant, and was about to deny it.
Ning Qingqing understood his reaction perfectly. She said, “Then tell him: using such dirty tricks… wait until Gu Youchen comes back and see if he regrets what he did today.”
She hung up directly.
After checking with her mother about Si Yunli’s character last night, she was certain this idea came from Kenny.
However, Si Yunli obviously condoned it, proving that they were like cornered dogs jumping the wall—desperate.
Ning Qingqing had originally intended to leave some leeway, but since they were being so ruthless, she saw no need to leave them any room for survival!
She would ensure the Si family didn’t get even that ten percent!
At 9:00 AM, a trending topic exploded—
[Shen Group President Shen Zhiqian’s Girlfriend Exposed: Sweet Embrace in Café!]
Below was a grid of nine photos.
After viewing them, Ning Qingqing couldn’t help but wonder which genius photographer took them. Was it Kenny, that master of hype, personally handling the camera?
In the photos, Ning Qingqing sat opposite Shen Zhiqian. Most of her face was captured, but it was slightly blurry due to the focus. Only a small part of the man’s face was in the frame, but anyone familiar with Shen Zhiqian could recognize him instantly.
The later photos were much clearer, but showed only a small portion of Ning Qingqing’s side profile; only those who knew her well would recognize her.
There was Ning Qingqing smiling at Shen Zhiqian, the two standing up as if to hug, walking shoulder-to-shoulder into the café, and Shen Zhiqian passing by her, appearing as if he were about to hug her from behind…
In short, the angles were perfect. Anyone unaware of the truth would fear these two really had something going on.
Ning Qingqing sneered internally after watching.
The other party clearly left a lifeline deliberately by not photographing her full face, all for the negotiation coming up shortly.
First, release some so-called ‘evidence’ to prove they really had material. If Ning Qingqing had scruples because of this, they wouldn’t need to release the subsequent ‘explosive material.’
Ning Qingqing took a screenshot of Weibo, then sent a message to Gu Youchen: “Youchen, I can handle this matter. You don’t need to worry about it while on your trip. The reason I met Shen Zhiqian yesterday was that he kept looking for me. I made things clear to him yesterday, so he shouldn’t come looking for me again.”
Gu Youchen was busy in Yun City, rushing to get home early, so he really wasn’t aware of this. The moment he received the message, his first reaction was to ask if Ning Qingqing was being bullied.
But seeing Ning Qingqing’s description, everything was under her control.
He replied: “Okay, Qingqing. Don’t worry about the family side; my parents are sensible people. I trust you too. If you need my cooperation, call me anytime.”
Ning Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief. Actually, she also felt that Shen Zhiqian seeking her out repeatedly made her feel somewhat guilty toward Gu Youchen.
This was a perfect opportunity to resolve everything properly.
The contract negotiation formally began in the morning.
Ning Qingqing walked into the conference room in formal wear. Just as she sat down, Si Yunli, Little Zhang, and Kenny arrived.
Kenny’s gaze fell on Ning Qingqing’s face, trying to find any emotion or compromise in her eyes, but he failed.
Ning Qingqing spoke in a business-like manner: “Everyone, please sit. Regarding the profit distribution discussed yesterday, Ning Chuang insists on the original 9-to-1 split. Has President Si considered it?”
There wasn’t much surprise on Si Yunli’s face. Instead, he furrowed his brows, glanced at Kenny, and then said, “No objections.”
Kenny grabbed Si Yunli. “President Si—”
He couldn’t help but look up at Ning Qingqing, emphasizing his tone: “Miss Ning, is there really no room for negotiation?”
Ning Qingqing smiled faintly. “Ning Chuang only makes valuable investments.”
The implication was: if it’s not this distribution ratio, then it’s worthless, and you gentlemen can leave.
Kenny nodded, a cold sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Hehe, he wanted to see if the Gu family would still want this daughter-in-law once the photos were fully exposed, showing Ning Qingqing’s complete face!
After a brief stalemate, Si Yunli smiled. “Miss Ning is very bold! Then let’s sign!”
Ning Qingqing nodded. “Alright, President Si, please wait a moment.”
She turned to Xiao Lan. “Print the contract. Distribution ratio 9 to 1. Let President Si review it after printing.”
Xiao Lan responded and hurriedly went to do it.
Soon, the contract was brought over. Since the clauses had been confirmed one by one previously, the Si side had no objections.
Si Yunli signed his name on the contract.
Ning Qingqing signed and stamped it simultaneously.
The contract was in quadruplicate, two copies for each party. Ning Qingqing put the contract away, stood up, and shook hands with Si Yunli. “President Si, looking forward to our cooperation!”
After Si Yunli shook hands with Ning Qingqing, Kenny came over and extended his hand toward her.
Seeing his demeanor, Ning Qingqing guessed what he was up to. This rotten person probably wanted to squeeze her hand hard during the handshake, right?
Ning Qingqing had absolutely no intention of lifting her hand.
So, Kenny’s hand remained extended there for several seconds, extremely awkward.
He chuckled low. “Miss Ning is indeed formidable!”
Since she wouldn’t yield, let’s see if she can keep sitting securely in the position of Mrs. Gu!
After saying this ambiguous sentence, he left with Si Yunli.
Walking downstairs, Kenny logged into Weibo, preparing to continue posting the photo revelations.
However, just then, a notification popped up—
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