Chapter 104: Crawl Up From the Gutters
"What brings you here this morning?" she asked when he took a seat. When she looked at her father's face, she saw signs of aging. She had not paid much attention to him recently, but she hadn't expected him to look this… aged.
"You vandalized Bai Ye Qing's car?" he asked.
Qian Meng nodded. "Yes, I did. What about it?"
Yun Sui Bo huffed. "Why would you do that? What has he possibly done wrong for you to oppose me like this?"
Qian Meng lowered her hand and smiled. "This is the first time I am going against your wishes, am I not?" she asked. She didn't need an answer to that. She had always talked back but she had never completely disregarded his plans. "Did you do a background check on Bai Ye Qing before you thought of tying me and throwing me at him?"
This was an important question. The answer would determine what she would do about it in the future.
"What? What about his background?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"The gambling debts, the string of women, and the drug and alcohol problem." She watched his face closely and saw him stiffen before he composed himself.
He had known some of it at least.
"I don't see the problem. All men rake up such bad habits in this stage of their life. They grow out of it. And which rich kid doesn't gamble, or do drugs? And cheating? That is common," he stated.
Qian Meng nodded sagely. "Of course. Cheating is normal. You cheated on Mother, didn't you? It should be normal for you and not a concern." She burst out into laughter.
"Don't talk nonsense!" Yun Sui Bo hissed. "I never did such a thing."
Qian Meng grinned. "Nothing you say will change my mind on this matter. You doomed yourself the moment you admitted you knowingly sold me off to Bai Ye Qing and his family." She stood up. "And you've come to make me apologize to that disgusting family."
Yun Sui Bo kept silent.
"You'll be happy to know that Bai Ye Qing pressed charges against me. Attempt to murder and vandalism. Public disruption and a string of other things." Yun Sui Bo's eyes widened. "The people who you are trying to please don't care about you, Mr. Yun."
"I don't know what you are talking about," Yun Sui Bo responded with a streak of stubbornness. Qian Meng grunted.
"Of course you don't. And I don't need to know why you are so desperate. Maybe you want me off your back. Or you want my company for yourself and your second wife. Did she ask for it?"
Yun Sui Bo's brow arched.
"Chen Yue and Jiang Xin are very close, aren't they? I wonder why she pressed such charges against your daughter. If the press finds out, not only will my stock prices plummet, but Yun Corporation would take a hit, too." She paused and scrutinized his expression. "Did you know that?"
No answer.
"Good. Don't answer me. I don't need your help to figure anything out. I inherited your intelligence, remember?"
No answer.
"I won't hold back because you have something to do with this. This is how far I let you go. You have no power over me, therefore, you have no use being here."
"You'll regret this," he said in a low, threatening voice. "I'll ruin you," he promised.
"I'll watch you try. I never took a dime from you to build this company. I paid for my own college tuition and paid back more than you needed to raise me until I went to college. We owe each other nothing."
"I will see where your pride goes when you don't have a penny to your name," he sneered.
She laughed bitterly. "I'll crawl up from the gutters if I have to. I build an empire once, I can do it again." She towered over him. "Leave. You are not welcome in this building or anywhere near me from now on."
Yun Sui Bo looked up in surprise.
He shot up to his feet, his anger overwhelming. "You think you're all that because you earned some money. You'll regret this someday."
"Out," she commanded, leaving no way out.
He walked out with a disdain very like him.
She sank down on the couch, scrubbing her face when she heard the clicking of heels.
"Boss, there are articles everywhere." She looked up, a trace of exasperation in her eyes.
"Send me the links right now," she asked.
"Already done," Li Min answered. "Do you need the PR team to do a risk analysis yet?"
Qian Meng shook her head. "I'll do it myself. No need to involve the PR team until we see a crisis for Venus, okay?"
Li Min nodded. "It seems an FIR has been lodged already. The police should be here to question you as well."
Qian Meng waved it off. "They'll take a few days to get to it because no one was hurt and I am an important figure in Shanghai. Just inform Li Jun as well."
Li Min nodded. "At this point, you're throwing a lot of money at him. This is going to blow up, too…" Li Min groaned. More sleepless nights for her.
"Good thing. Li Jun will get a lot of exposure then." Qian Meng smiled a little, but it didn't reach her eyes.
'But it will be hell for you and the company,' Li Min thought. She didn't voice her opinion though.
"Okay, go out. I'll browse through the articles and get back to you."
"They're very cruel. They didn't hide your name and they have quotations from an anonymous acquaintance of yours," Li Min commented.
"Very few people would dare to comment against me. The list of suspects is small. I'll know when I read it," she assured. "Go out. I need some time alone."
Li Min nodded. She could see Yun Qian Meng was at her tipping point. She had been on the verge for a while now, and Li Min was waiting for the ball to drop.
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