Marriage Can Wait - Chapter 40 - Meilan, You Can't Win Every Battle in Life!

The car continued its journey home as a light drizzle began to fall outside, casting a hazy glow under the streetlights in the dark night. Inside the car, it was warm and comforting.

He Songshi sat beside her, speaking in a low voice, “Soon, everyone in the circle will know that this mess was caused by you, Xiang Meilan. They might think you’re engaging in malicious competition or that you don’t play by the rules. Either way, you’ll end up on their risk list, and unless absolutely necessary, they’ll avoid working with you.”

These were the harsh truths that Xiang Meilan was aware of but afraid to confront.

He continued, “Xiao Chen’s issue can be resolved with money, but your problems will bring endless trouble.”

“I’m… sorry.” She regretted not heeding He Songshi’s advice to stay away from this project. Now, not only had she harmed herself, but she’d also dragged Xiao Chen, her sister, and him into the mess.

He Songshi didn’t need her apology. “Your path ahead will be difficult. In this industry, ‘credibility’ is the ladder you climb to success. Without that ladder, you can’t go anywhere.” To him, Shan Yu’s suspension was just a temporary measure. Shan Yu was still observing, gauging Jinshi’s reaction, and testing whether He Songshi would step in to support Xiang Meilan. The suspension and salary cut were definitely not Shan Yu’s final decision.

He Songshi continued, “Even if I help you, it won’t feel right because it wouldn’t be your own achievement. If you want to keep going, you have to walk the path yourself. You have your plans, but you must understand that success isn’t guaranteed. Failure is always there; you can’t win every time.”

Xiang Meilan felt a deep sense of distress, knowing her future might be ruined by this one misstep.

As He Songshi mentioned, she would end up on the risk list, with projects and funding avoiding her. At Beicheng Securities, she feared nothing because she knew that even if she offended everyone, the world outside Beicheng was vast and full of opportunities.

But the freedom of the outside world was a double-edged sword.

Unrestrained, without constraints, she had to “make” herself succeed and “bear” her own failures.

Her clenched fists trembled slightly, something she hadn’t noticed until his warm, firm hand grasped her wrist, gradually calming her down.

“Meilan, if you can bear failure, then you can truly move forward. Because situations like this will happen countless times in the future.”

“I’m not like you; I can’t afford to fail.” She gently pulled away from his grasp. She needed to turn this situation around herself; otherwise, everything would be over. She would become a discarded pawn of capital, and her career would end. Without her career, what would be left of her life?

Tears welled up in her eyes but never fell. He knew her stubbornness, and at this moment, words were futile. She had to come to terms with reality on her own.

The car stopped in the garage under Xiang Meilan’s building. She followed He Songshi and Xiao Chen into the elevator.

In the elevator, Xiao Chen stood beside He Songshi and said, “Xiang Yi will be here soon.”

“Has she finished her business in Hangzhou?” He Songshi had told Xiang Yi to focus on her own matters and not worry about Xiang Meilan.

With downstream clients and upstream suppliers, Xiao Chen knew it was impossible for Xiang Yi to finish everything in half a day.

“Xiang Yi insisted on coming back today to see Meilan,” Xiao Chen explained. “Besides, I need to revise the contract, and Xiang Yi is a key member of the Finance Department. We can’t do it without her.”

He Songshi said, “It’s good she’s coming back. We can have dinner together.”

Xiang Meilan, thinking about Xiao Chen having to renegotiate the contract and offer discounts, muttered, “When my sister gets home, she’ll probably scold me again.”

Xiao Chen turned to her and said, “Your sister is such a gentle person; she probably won’t even scold you.” To him, today was just a financial loss to avert disaster. Things hadn’t reached an irreparable state, which was a blessing in disguise.

He Songshi said to Xiao Chen, “Do you like Xiang Yi?”

Xiao Chen remained silent.

He Songshi added, “If she hasn’t scolded you, then you still have work to do.” He recalled how Xiang Yi scolded her sister, knowing that she only showed her true temperament to those she was closest to.

Thinking about Xiao Chen’s awkward expression, Xiang Meilan couldn’t help but smile.

Back home, everyone busied themselves, waiting for Xiang Yi to return for dinner.

Xiao Chen was in a video conference with accounting, calculating the costs and revenues of the revised contract. He Songshi received a call from Chen Ke about a female employee in the Marketing Department who was being reassigned during her pregnancy and was now accusing the Human Resources Department of covert dismissal. The situation had already made it to the top of Weibo’s trending topics, and He Songshi was directing Chen Ke on how to handle it.

Meanwhile, a dejected Xiang Meilan took a shower, leaving her hair unblown, and curled up on her bed, fiddling with her phone, intending to order takeout.

Just as she opened the takeout app, she received a text from Zhou Yanyin.

It read, “Well done.”

Xiang Meilan stared at Zhou Yanyin’s message, puzzled. She had made such a big mistake and was suspended at home, and this was “well done”?

Before she could figure out what Zhou Yanyin meant, she heard the sound of Xiang Yi arriving home.

Xiang Yi quickly scanned the room, seeing no one but Xiao Chen.

She tossed her keys into the glass dish by the door and immediately said to Xiao Chen, “Why didn’t you keep an eye on Xiang Meilan?”

Xiao Chen stammered, “I… she was discussing her company’s matters. How could I listen in?”

“Why couldn’t you?” Xiang Yi retorted. “If you stayed by her side, watching her, she wouldn’t dare act recklessly! At the very least, that person wouldn’t dare use her phone to send things around!”

Xiao Chen hadn’t expected Xiang Yi to be so unreasonable.

Xiang Yi felt upset, angry at her sister for causing trouble, feeling sorry for Xiao Chen, and regretting leaving. She lost control of her emotions and yelled at Xiao Chen.

But after a few words, she suppressed her dissatisfaction.

Xiang Meilan opened her bedroom door, holding her phone, and hesitantly peeked outside.

He Songshi, who had been on the balcony making a call, heard Xiang Yi’s voice and came out. Seeing Xiang Meilan’s sneaky and timid demeanor, he whispered as he passed her, “Xiao Chen is paying and taking the blame for you. Aren’t you going to save him?”

“You’re her boss’s boss. You go!” Xiang Meilan knew that if she went out now, she’d definitely get a scolding from Xiang Yi, so she wanted to push He Songshi to the forefront.

He Songshi ignored her, pushed open her bedroom door, and said, “I need to make a call. I’ll use your room.” He went in, locked the door, and gently nudged Xiang Meilan out.

With no other choice, Xiang Meilan stepped out.

Seeing her, Xiang Yi’s suppressed anger flared up again. “Xiang Meilan! Do you realize how much money Xiao Chen lost because of your reckless behavior? He just brought you into the venue, and you almost cost him seven years of hard work!”

Xiang Meilan had come to apologize, but Xiang Yi’s scolding triggered her defiance. “It’s not as serious as you say,” she retorted. “We resolved everything before you got back. The contract is settled, and they accepted my apology. Everything’s fine.”

Xiao Chen tried to mediate, “Yes, yes, everything’s resolved. We didn’t really lose.” No profit, but not a loss either.

“Everything’s fine?” Xiang Yi ignored Xiao Chen and said to Xiang Meilan, “We were forced to lower the price so much. How is that fine? You keep lowering your standards. If you don’t face a major consequence, you’ll never realize how bold you’ve become!”

Xiang Meilan’s face darkened. “Can you guarantee that without my involvement, Xiao Chen wouldn’t have been pressured to lower the price? As for me, as you wished, I’ve been suspended and lost all my bonus. It’s all my fault! You’ve been right about everything. What more do you want? What else are you dissatisfied with?” She was upset about being suspended and losing her salary. If no one mentioned it, she’d be fine, but talking about it felt like a stab to her heart.

Xiang Yi said, “Unrepentant.” Her words were sharp and piercing. “Xiang Meilan, you keep compromising for money. Last time, you traded Xiaobo’s custody with He Fan. Do you think I don’t know? You’re doing it again. Are you blinded by money? Are you just thinking about how to use us? Have some dignity!”

Xiang Yi’s words were the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

The pressure Xiang Meilan had managed to hide resurfaced, breaking her down.

“Sis, you’re right. I’m blinded by money. I just want to use you! But have you thought about what would happen to you and Xiaobo without money? Without money, without a house, without savings, what do you have?”

When Xiang Yi first came to live with Xiang Meilan, she had nothing-no job, no confidence, no ability to live independently.

Xiang Meilan took a step closer to Xiang Yi, disregarding her sister’s flushed, angry face, and said, “Do you know why Xiaobo wasn’t given to you? Do you have any idea?”

Xiang Yi breathed heavily, her own reckless words having hurt her sister, and now her sister was reopening her wounds. The despair she felt after her divorce, the suffocating feeling of having no way out, returned to her. If she had to start over, she wasn’t sure she’d have the courage to stand up again.

Xiang Yi took a step back. With He Fan, it had all started with a small retreat-for his career, for the family he envisioned, she had given up her own life, retreating until she became an insignificant person. Her inner defiance once again overcame her weakness.

Xiang Yi stepped forward, ready to argue with Xiang Meilan again, when Xiao Chen quickly stepped between the sisters.

“Both of you, stop talking!” Xiao Chen saw Xiang Yi’s face turn pale and felt a pang in his heart. He glanced at Xiang Meilan, then turned and took Xiang Yi’s hand, leading her away. “I’m taking your sister. Think about what you just said.” For someone as gentle as him, these words were already harsh.

Xiao Chen, holding Xiang Yi’s hand, quickly closed his laptop, stuffed it into his bag, and moved with swift efficiency.

He Songshi, having finished his call, came out to see the tense atmosphere between the sisters, even Xiao Chen, usually gentle, was like a hedgehog, ready to intervene in their conflict.

In just a minute or two, Xiao Chen had packed everything and said to He Songshi, “We’re going back to the company tonight to draft the contract.”

Without waiting for He Songshi’s approval, he led Xiang Yi out.