For Jing Rui, she could be ruthless towards an elderly man nearing the end of his days—

“I understand. I will arrange a time to sign the contract with Director Luo.” With that, she turned lightly to leave.

“Oh, by the way, could you ask Ben on your way out how the case with ‘Tongcheng Technology’ is going? Tell him I’m giving him two days to sort it out and not to drag it out any longer!” Only two days? Jiang Yuyan felt a sinking feeling in her heart. “Okay, I got it.” She left the general manager’s office and found Ben at his desk. He was busy on the phone, and upon catching her eye, he soothed the other person briefly before hanging up.

“What’s up, Secretary Jiang?”

“The boss wants me to ask you how things are with Tongcheng.”

“Tongcheng?” Just mentioning the case made Ben’s head ache. “It’s still the same? No matter how I advise him, that General Fang refuses to sign off on letting us liquidate the company’s assets. I went to see him the other day, and he even brought his wife and child, crying and putting on a sob story in front of me. I was almost driven mad!”

“I heard General Fang has failed in his third venture?” she inquired.

“Yeah!” Ben frowned. “It’s strange; his idea is actually quite good, and his tech team is strong. I don’t understand why he always messes up the company’s operations. Maybe he’s just born unlucky? It has cost our company millions in investment.”

“Doesn’t he have debts of tens of millions as well?”

“I don’t care how much debt he has! Anyway, for every investment project our company takes on, we need to have an exit mechanism. Don’t you remember what the boss said? It’s understandable to misjudge a case, but what’s worst is not admitting it even when it’s obvious! This case has no potential left; I can’t keep playing along with that guy, or the boss will definitely fire me!” It seemed hopeless. Jiang Yuyan thought, regardless of how General Fang and his family were desperate, “Tairui” must insist on liquidating his company; at least they could recover some investment.

“The boss is giving you two days to handle this matter.”

“Two days? No way! I can’t handle it!” Ben exclaimed, pulling at his hair in despair. Just as he was about to ask her to mediate, a commotion suddenly came from outside the door, followed by a few adults rushing in with a little girl.

Recognizing the unexpected visitors, Ben’s eyes widened in shock. “Please! General Fang, what are you doing at our company?”

“Ben, I need to see your general manager!” General Fang insisted hoarsely. Although he was dressed sharply in a suit, his face was unkempt, and dark shadows loomed under his eyes, clearly indicating he had been mired in despair lately.

“Why do you need to see him? I told you, our company won’t change its decision!”

“Let me see him; I want to speak to him personally. I think he will listen to me!”

“Yes, please let my husband meet General Jing!” General Fang’s wife joined the pleading, looking as if she had lost weight, her cheeks sunken like a mummy.

Next to her stood another elegant and refined woman, holding the hand of a frightened little girl.

Is that General Fang’s daughter? Jiang Yuyan felt her heart tighten, ignoring the ongoing argument among the adults, and walked straight toward the little girl, crouching down. “What’s your name?”

“Fang Xiaoli.” The girl’s voice was soft and sweet. “Xiaoli? What a cute name.” She smiled. “Are you thirsty? Would you like something to drink? We have juice here, would you like some?”

“I…” The little girl hesitated, looking up at the woman beside her. “Teacher, can I drink it?”

“Of course.” The woman smiled gently, looking at Jiang Yuyan. “Hello, I’m Hu Liying, Xiaoli’s art teacher. May I ask who you are?”

“Jiang Yuyan.” She replied politely. “What brings Teacher Hu here?”

“Xiaoli has art classes in my studio. Mrs. Fang called me and asked me to bring Xiaoli here.”

“I see…” This couple probably wanted to use their young daughter as a sympathy tool, but unfortunately for them, Jing Rui wasn’t swayed by that.

Jiang Yuyan shook her head bitterly, inviting Hu Liying and Fang Xiaoli into the tea room. She poured two cups of juice, and the little girl sipped on hers, her anxious emotions slightly calming down.

“Miss Jiang,” Hu Liying suddenly called her. “I’ve also heard about the situation with Mr. Fang’s company. Can’t your company give them a little more time? Mr. Fang is very capable; perhaps he can find a way to turn things around.”

“Maybe, but from our company’s perspective, if we don’t exit this losing investment, it would be unfair to our shareholders.”

“But you also saw Mr. Fang; he’s on the verge of breaking down, and his wife too. She hasn’t slept without sleeping pills for months, and even Xiaoli feels something’s wrong at home, scared all the time. If you really liquidate Mr. Fang’s company, I’m genuinely afraid he might do something irreversible.”

Jiang Yuyan was speechless. She could see that the Fang couple’s nerves were stretched to their limits, ready to snap at any moment.

“Just tens of millions; that’s not a significant amount for your company, right? Why must you force someone into bankruptcy and drive them to jump off a building?” Hu Liying questioned, her tone not sharp, yet it still made Jiang Yuyan’s eyelids twitch.

“Even if it’s just tens of millions, it’s a principle we uphold in business.”

“That principle is inhumane!”

It really is inhumane.