Lin Xi and Chen Liangyi did not get along; since both the parties involved and the relevant supervisors were present, she intended to excuse herself. She said to the elderly woman, "The two managers here can handle your matter; why don't you go with them to the conference room to talk?" "Wait, where are you going, Leader?"
The old woman grabbed Lin Xi again. "You can't leave!" Lin Xi shot a meaningful glance at the two security guards, then turned back to the old woman with a gentle, amiable expression: "The Security and HR managers are both here; they will resolve your grievances." "No! You absolutely cannot leave!"
The old woman clung desperately to Lin Xi's hand. Chen Liangyi knew her adoptive mother all too well: she might appear domineering on the surface, but in reality, she was completely lacking in independent judgment. Why was she clinging so tightly to Lin Xi right now? Did they know each other? Or—could it be that this wretched old woman was someone Lin Xi had brought in specifically to use against her?
Maintaining a poker face, Chen Liangyi asked the old woman coldly, "What are you doing here? Didn't I make it perfectly clear to you already? I have absolutely no ties left to your family." "You little slut! So you finally decided to show your face?" The old woman's tone was viciously spiteful.
Lin Xi frowned. Although she had no fondness for Chen Liangyi, she had never heard of a mother addressing her own daughter in such a manner. Chen Liangyi, however, remained completely unfazed—as if she were long accustomed to such insults. "Spit it out. How much do you want this time?" The old woman held up two fingers. "Two hundred thousand."
Chen Liangyi gave a short, mocking laugh. "Why don't you just go rob a bank? You just open your mouth and demand two hundred thousand—do you really think you're worth that much?" "Come on, listen to this!" The old woman's voice boomed like a loudspeaker. "If I hadn't taken her in and raised her all those years ago, would she be where she is today?
They say the kindness of an adoptive parent outweighs that of a birth parent—yet here she is, daring to treat me this way right in front of you company executives! Is *this* the kind of employee you people hire?" "Shut your mouth, you wretched old hag!"
Chen Liangyi glared at her with utter loathing. She had been up all night working—secretly poring over the *Likang* project files—only to be rudely awakened first thing in the morning; she felt as though her head were about to explode. As more and more employees arrived for work—cars streaming into the office park one after another—Chen Liangyi felt, in that instant, as though everyone had suddenly become privy to her shameful past. The old woman couldn't care less about anyone else's well-being; the moment she heard the sharp, harsh tone directed at her, she immediately threw herself onto the floor. With tears and snot streaming down her face, she began wailing about the immense hardships she had endured raising Chen Liangyi.
Those layers of feigned lamentations weighed heavily on Chen Liangyi's heart—especially when she saw Lin Xi stepping forward to help the old woman up. She completely snapped. Shoving Lin Xi violently aside, she lashed out with a kick at the old woman: "Are you going to get up or not?" The old woman let out a piteous howl:
"She's attacking me! She's attacking me!" "Have you lost your mind?" Lin Xi grabbed Chen Liangyi to restrain her. "You are a member of this company. If word of this gets out, do you really think the company's reputation won't suffer right alongside yours?"
The HR manager, too, was taken aback that Chen Liangyi would actually kick her own adoptive mother; her brows furrowed deeply in disapproval. A profound, stifling frustration was etched across Chen Liangyi's features. She was dressed in perfectly appropriate attire—just like any other sophisticated urban professional in this city.
Yet, in this moment—standing right there in front of Lin Xi—she resembled a lunatic running naked through the streets. She turned to Lin Xi, her voice carrying an almost absolute certainty: "Did *you* tell her to come here?" Lin Xi froze for a moment: "What are you implying?" "You're the only one here capable of pulling this off, aren't you?"
Chen Liangyi continued speaking, seemingly to herself. "In this entire company, you're the only one I'm on bad terms with, and you happen to know about my family situation. If it weren't for you, would she have the guts—or the ability—to come here and cause a scene like this?"
She knew this woman all too well; she possessed an innate, almost reverential fear of the city's elites—people who dressed the part of respectability, even if they were merely wolves in sheep's clothing. For her to dare to cause a scene so brazenly in a place like this, she must undoubtedly have been put up to it.
Just a few days ago, Chen Liangyi had used "Brother Shan" to scare the living daylights out of this old hag. She had assumed the woman had finally left for good, never imagining she would return to pull a stunt of this magnitude. "If you're sick, go to a hospital," Lin Xi said, her face turning cold. "Don't go around making baseless accusations here."
No matter who the troublemaker was, Lin Xi couldn't simply have them forcibly thrown out. People this shameless were incredibly difficult to deal with; you never knew what kind of malicious rumors they might go around spreading about you the moment they walked out the door. Silver Sail Technology was on the verge of finalizing a major partnership with Likang Corporation; they absolutely could not afford to let any negative publicity surface at such a critical juncture.
Otherwise, the very first major project Duan Yihang had undertaken since taking over the group would end in utter failure. The HR Manager knitted her brows tightly and said to Chen Liangyi:
"Manager Chen, what you just said was rather harsh. Even if there is bad blood between you, there is no need for malicious speculation. Before I arrived, it was Secretary Lin who was trying to calm your mother down—" "Whose mother is she?" Chen Liangyi gritted her teeth. "Is she even worthy of that title?"
"From childhood to adulthood, I've endured countless beatings—something she has likely long since forgotten." The HR Manager replied:
"I deeply sympathize with what you've been through. However, now that things have reached this point, lashing out blindly here won't solve anything. There is no need for you to be so abrasive; let's just sit down and talk." "Whoever wants to talk to her can go right ahead!"
Chen Liangyi suddenly shouted, losing control. Perhaps suffering from low blood sugar, she swayed unsteadily and pressed a hand against her forehead. "In any case, I'm not going." "You are a member of the Silver Sail Tech team."
Xu Yu's voice drifted in from outside the door. "Right now, it is *your* mother who is causing a scene, and everyone else is standing by to help *you* resolve the issue. So what exactly are *you* doing?" "I told you—she is not my mother!" Chen Liangyi gritted her teeth tightly, fighting to suppress her increasingly turbulent emotions.
The HR Manager stated: "Every new hire undergoes a background check; the company has records regarding your situation. While she may not be your biological mother, she is your adoptive mother—meaning you cannot claim to have no connection to her.
Since she has come here to cause a disturbance, you have an obligation to cooperate with the company in handling the matter. Otherwise, should any negative publicity arise from this, you will no longer have a place in this company." Chen Liangyi felt as though two heavy stones were pressing down on her chest, leaving her gasping for breath.
Her gaze swept across the room, lingering on each person in turn: Lin Xi, the HR Manager, Xu Yu, the security guards... They were all mocking her. "Isn't this just an excuse to get me to leave the company?" Unable to contain the fury raging within her, Chen Liangyi attempted to shield herself behind a mask of ferocity and hysteria. A surge of anger flared within Xu Yu's heart as well: "You need to take responsibility for your words—who said they wanted you to leave?" "You!"
Chen Jingyi pointed a finger at her, then turned toward Lin Xi. "And you, too! You both want me out of the company. Shutting me out of the Likang project—wasn't that exactly the goal?"
Lin Xi's gaze darkened slightly. Chen Jingyi wasn't wrong about that part; however, exploiting her family's tragedy to inflict pain upon her—that was something Lin Xi hadn't done, and she was certain Xu Yu hadn't done it either. "Shut your mouth."
Xu Yu glared at her, her patience completely exhausted. "If you refuse to cooperate, don't blame me for enforcing company policy." "Go ahead—do it right now!" Chen Jingyi retorted, abruptly yanking off her employee ID badge. Lin Xi stepped forward and addressed Chen Jingyi:
"I'm giving you one last chance. As a member of Silver Sail, you have an obligation and a duty to uphold the company's image and order. If you refuse to cooperate with the company in resolving your personal disputes, you are the one violating company regulations first. Consequently, the company has every right to terminate your employment contract. You'd best think carefully about your next move."
Having delivered her final words, Lin Xi turned and walked out of the security booth. "Wait right there!" Chen Jingyi chased after her. Lin Xi turned back around. "What else do you have to say?" "What right do you have to fire me?" A vein throbbed visibly at Chen Jingyi's temple. "I'm going straight to the Labor Bureau to report you!"
Lin Xi replied coldly, "Go right ahead. Silver Sail Technology's Legal Department will be there to accompany you every step of the way—should you choose to pursue a dispute." Chen Jingyi's eyes burned with a fiery rage. Since she couldn't stay at the company any longer anyway, she smiled—a smile that hinted at a willingness to tear everything down in her wake:
"Lin Xi, you're nothing but an adopted daughter who climbed into her own 'big brother's' bed. Do you actually think Silver Sail belongs to you now?" Lin Xi froze in shock; never in her entire life had she heard such vicious, venomous words.