Chapter 5

No one dared to speak for Li Bin anymore. I had a peaceful day, and when the day Bai Tao and I had agreed upon arrived, I went straight to the Joy Grand Hotel after work.

I have a habit of arriving early for appointments. In the designated private room, I chose the drinks and dishes, and Bai Tao arrived right on time.

He brought two people with him, both of whom I had met before. One was his trusted subordinate, Dong Tu, and the other was his teacher’s grandson, Tong Ning.

Seeing him bring these two to my meeting, I could tell Bai Tao was being thoughtful. We had a cordial and friendly conversation.

We talked about daily life, international affairs, and bits and pieces from our industry. By the time we were full and the meal was about to end, Bai Tao looked at me and suddenly changed the topic: “Xiao Li was really ruthless.”

I sighed in grievance, “I didn’t expect him to treat me like this either.”

Bai Tao nodded, his voice low, “But you didn’t agree to the injury assessment. Are you still unable to let go?”

“How could that be?” I gave a self-deprecating smile. “As for the injury assessment, I just think it’s unnecessary.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. The piece is ruined, fire him, and in a few years this matter will be forgotten. If you have to owe someone a favor for me, it’s really not worth it.”

“So what do you think is the best way?” Bai Tao mused.

“Let the ruined piece stay in its place. He’ll be the eternal pillar of shame in the team.” In companies like theirs, messy private lives don’t matter, but it mustn’t be exposed and become leverage for others.

Bai Tao and Sun Pan had been locked in a fierce struggle for promotion for years. Now that Li Bin had made a mistake, if he were fired, Sun Pan could just get a new assistant and move on; it wouldn’t affect him much.

So it’s better not to fire Li Bin, but to keep him crushed in Sun Pan’s team. Bai Tao could then leverage this for a long time.

There’s really no need to fake an injury assessment and get Li Bin criminally detained. Bai Tao has people, and so does Sun Pan. If Sun Pan gets desperate and investigates, Bai Tao would be the one in real trouble.

A mutual fight is just that-a mutual fight. In a law-abiding society, we must not fabricate evidence.

Seeing my self-sacrificing stance, Bai Tao recognized my resolve.

He clapped his hands and laughed, “Xiao Chen, it has to be you.” His eyes shone as he raised his glass, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on things at the company. Li Bin won’t be able to bully you so easily.”

I stood up, “Thank you, Bai Zong. Let me toast you with tea instead of wine.”

Our glasses clinked, and we drank to our calculations.

Then Bai Tao left first, and I went to the front desk to settle the bill. Before leaving, I detoured to the room next door to eavesdrop at the wall.

Just as I entered, through the door, I heard Tong Ning’s voice.

“I think she shouldn’t have fought back after being hit. There’s a big difference in strength between men and women; she should have called the police directly.”

Dong Tu laughed, “If she didn’t fight back, Li Bin would have just slapped her a few times to put her in her place, and that would be it. Even if she called the police, it wouldn’t even count as minor injury. The company would weigh the pros and cons and definitely protect Li Bin. They’d gloss over it and the matter would pass.”

“Ah, is that so?” Tong Ning, new to society, sounded like reality had just hit him.

“Yeah.” Dong Tu continued mercilessly, “But by making Li Bin lose his temper and getting into a fight, the matter escalated. Chen Nuo posted photos from the Police Station, and she sent them to selected people. You think she was just expressing her feelings? No, she was sending them to those who would take sides. Now the matter is big, and it was Li Bin who called the police. In the end, it’s just Li Bin’s personal behavior and has nothing to do with the company.”

“Then why didn’t she accept Uncle Bai’s help? And why does she want to keep Li Bin’s job?” Tong Ning pressed.

“Chen Nuo, she’s a seasoned player. It’s risky for the boss to get involved, so it’s better for her to drag Li Bin down herself and then repay the boss with a favor. If the boss gets promoted this time, she’ll definitely have future cooperation with his company.”

“As for Li Bin, with such a good job, if he gets fired, do you think he’ll go crazy?”

“You always have to leave a way out for people. If you leave it well, it’s like an iron chain to leash a dog that wants to bite.”

“Sun Pan is still diligently fighting his internal battles, while Li Bin is already having conduct issues, playing so wild at a young age. Sun Pan always valued him, but now he’s been blindsided. He wants to fire him but can’t, so he’ll definitely try to ruin him every day.”

“Using the small to win the big, killing with a borrowed knife-when you deal with Chen Nuo in the future, learn from her.”

Tong Ning was deeply moved, “This sister is ruthless. Dong Ge, does everyone in the industry have to be this ruthless?”

Dong Tu replied sincerely, “You don’t have to. You have your dad.”

…

“So what will the company do next?”

“What else can they do? They’ll handle it strictly according to the rules.”

Hearing this, I left. Things were developing just as I had expected. Li Bin and I were completely finished.

Li Bin is an ambitious person. He’ll do anything to climb up, but to make someone like him suffer isn’t about making him fall all at once.

Leaving him a bit of hope, letting him suffer repeated setbacks, wearing down his will, wasting his years, watching his peers leave him far behind while he’s powerless and has nowhere to escape-that’s his true pain.