My Sister Is Acting Strange - Chapter 76 - Is There Something Wrong with Me?

The next morning, Tang Huaijin sent a message to Shen Yiqiu asking for a day off, and then accompanied his sister to her office.

The siblings settled down at Tang Yaoyao’s workstation. Han Yaoyao popped her head out from nearby, her face filled with surprise as she looked at Tang Yaoyao and asked, “Yaoyao, what brings you here?”

After speaking, she glanced stealthily into the office and, spotting a familiar corpulent figure, quickly turned back and said anxiously, “I’ve packed up everything for you and was planning to bring it over this afternoon. You should leave now; the fat woman is coming.”

Tang Huaijin just smiled and shook his head, whispering, “It’s okay.”

Zhu Meiyu had also noticed the siblings. Her eyes lit up as she walked straight towards them.

Tang Yaoyao looked slightly uneasy at Zhu Meiyu’s approach, but seeing Tang Huaijin calm and composed, she gradually relaxed.

Zhu Meiyu, still the same, glanced at Tang Huaijin and his sister, sneered, and asked, “Decided to show up for work now? Have you made up your mind?” Given they were in the office area and other employees turned to look due to her presence, she refrained from being too direct.

Seeing someone else’s figure in the distance, Tang Huaijin sighed in relief, gently tugged at his sister’s hand signaling her to stay quiet, and put on a smile, asking, “Decided about what?”

“About handing over the rights to your book to me, of course,” Zhu Meiyu responded, assuming his pleasant demeanor meant agreement, and grinned broadly. “If you agree, we can go sign the contract right now.” She reached out to touch Tang Huaijin’s shoulder.

Tang Huaijin dodged with a look of revulsion, asking in a tone filled with disdain, “What are you trying to do? You fat woman.”

His voice was loud enough for the entire office to hear, and everyone turned their heads towards them. Zhu Meiyu’s face turned the color of liver in rage and embarrassment, snapping, “Ungrateful? Fine, get out of my Editorial Department right now.”

“Who are you telling to get out?” A subdued but furious voice suddenly came from behind her.

Zhu Meiyu trembled, turned around to see who it was, and her expression immediately froze, stammering, “P-president?”

Li Changhe stood behind her, expressionless, and said coldly, “Zhu Meiyu, is this how you treat your subordinates?”

Zhu Meiyu’s eyes darted around, her face a mask of feigned injury as she said, “President, he just called me a fat woman, everyone heard it, right?” After speaking, she scanned the office crowd, who quickly lowered their heads.

“Enough!” Li Changhe roared, his gaze icy as he looked at Zhu Meiyu, his anger palpable as he declared, “I’ve been standing right behind you. I saw clearly what your hand was doing!”

He slammed a stack of papers on the desk, teeth clenched in fury, and demanded, “Explain this to me. What are these complaint letters about?”

“Bullying staff, engaging in improper relationships, accepting bribes, compromising the company’s interests for personal gain, forcing subordinates to hand over quality work to you, and colluding with the Human Resources Department to suppress these complaints.”

Li Changhe grew increasingly furious, pointing at Zhu Meiyu’s nose and scolding, “Zhu Meiyu, do you really think you can do whatever you want? Do you believe this Editorial Department belongs to you? Or perhaps the entire Changhe Publishing House is under your control?”

Zhu Meiyu’s face turned ghostly pale, looking at Li Changhe with terror, “President, I’m innocent!”

“Ha, Wang Li from the Human Resources Department is your man, isn’t he?” Li Changhe sneered, “The evidence is clear. There’s no point in denying it. I will be suing you for damaging the company’s interests and reputation.”

With that, he turned away, no longer sparing Zhu Meiyu a glance, and coldly said, “Leave my company immediately. Wait for the court summons at home.”

The threat of a lawsuit struck Zhu Meiyu like a bolt from the blue, leaving her dazed and collapsed on the floor.

Seeing the president was serious, the employees around began clapping, and soon the office was filled with thunderous applause and cheers. Many were even gritting their teeth and cursing Zhu Meiyu.

Observing the reaction, Li Changhe sighed, a mix of anger and disappointment in his eyes as he glanced at Zhu Meiyu. He waved for security to escort her out and clear her office.

This series of actions left Tang Yaoyao stunned, instinctively joining the applause.

Before she could fully process what happened, Han Yaoyao hugged her excitedly, “I knew someone would deal with her eventually. This is great! We can finally work together again!”

Tang Huaijin gently patted his sister’s shoulder in reassurance and looked at Li Changhe, expressing gratitude, “Thank you, Uncle Li.”

The Editorial Department was as lively as a New Year’s celebration, with Li Changhe’s expression tinged with melancholy. He waved his hand, his tone complex, “If anything, I should be thanking you. I was shocked by the outcome and couldn’t sleep all night. I never imagined that innocent chubby girl would turn out like this. It’s my fault for not managing the company well.”

He then smiled, looking at Tang Yaoyao warmly, “Let’s not dwell on this. Is this your sister?”

Tang Yaoyao felt a bit embarrassed, stepping closer to Tang Huaijin, and softly said, “Yes, sorry for the trouble, President.”

Li Changhe nodded with a smile, requested some documents from Tang Yaoyao, glanced through them briefly, and then looked at Tang Huaijin, smiling, “Come to my office. I’ll personally discuss the manuscript fee with you. Your sister should come too.”

“Alright.”

Following Li Changhe to his office, the secretary served them tea. Li Changhe carefully reviewed Tang Yaoyao’s book review and plan, sighing slightly, “This book review is excellent, and the plan is very sophisticated. You’ve clearly put a lot of effort into it.”

He looked at Tang Yaoyao apologetically, “The company indeed overlooked things, causing you distress. If you’re willing, you can continue working here as the Editorial Department director. How does that sound?”

With Zhu Meiyu gone, the position of chief editor was now vacant. Li Changhe intended to promote the former Editorial Department director and simultaneously do a favor for the Bai Family by appointing Tang Yaoyao as the new director.

Tang Yaoyao was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected opportunity. It wasn’t until her brother discreetly nudged her that she snapped back to reality, quickly nodding in surprise and saying, “Thank you, president, for your trust. I’m willing.”

“Alright, now let’s discuss the matter of royalties,” Li Changhe said with a smile, turning his attention to Tang Huaijin. After a brief pause, he continued, “Since Tang is Mr. Bai’s junior, he can be considered my junior as well.”

“I’ve read your work, and it’s truly excellent. However, business is business. As a newcomer, I can only offer you an initial print run of 50,000 copies, with royalties calculated based on sales.”

“But I can personally guarantee a royalty rate of fifteen percent, along with top-tier promotional support.”

Tang Yaoyao’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Typically, new authors would only receive an initial print run of 10,000 copies, and a fifteen percent royalty rate was exceptionally high. It was a perfect offer, and she quickly signaled Tang Huaijin to accept.

Tang Huaijin, trusting his sister completely, responded to her cue with a smile and nodded, saying, “No problem, I agree.”

Li Changhe chuckled, adding, “Then it’s settled. Your sister will remain your supervising editor, and she’ll handle the contract signing.”

“Alright, president.”

With the royalty agreement finalized, the siblings left Li Changhe’s office. Since Tang Yaoyao didn’t have to work that day, they took a cab straight home.

Once they changed into their slippers, the siblings cozily settled on the sofa. Tang Huaijin, holding his sister close, asked softly, “Sis, how does the contract look? Is it good?”

Understanding he was inquiring about the royalties, Tang Yaoyao wriggled in his embrace, her face beaming with joy as she replied, “It’s perfect. The contract terms are incredibly favorable. Even I didn’t expect to secure such a deal for you. With sales-based royalties, given the thickness of your first volume, each book could sell for seventy or eighty yuan. At fifteen percent royalties for 50,000 copies, calculate how much that is.”

Tang Huaijin did some quick math, his face lighting up with delight as he said, “Over five hundred thousand?”

“About right.” Tang Yaoyao’s face was radiant with happiness, her eyes sparkling like mischievous foxes. She hugged Tang Huaijin’s neck and kissed his cheek, speaking with pride and satisfaction, “Jin has finally grown up and can earn money to support his sister.”

With five hundred thousand from this side and another five hundred thousand from Mrs. Xia, she had unknowingly become a millionaire.

Tang Huaijin looked at his sister’s joyful expression, knowing her happiness wasn’t just about the five hundred thousand but also her pride in his accomplishments.

Feeling a wave of tenderness, he took his sister’s hand and said softly, “Sis, once my royalties come in, I’ll buy you a car.”

“A car?” Tang Yaoyao quickly shook her head, looking at Tang Huaijin with a serious expression as she admonished, “Why spend recklessly just because you have money? No, we need to save it.”

Tang Huaijin looked at his sister, who had taken on the role of a housekeeper, and couldn’t resist teasing her, “What are we saving for, getting a wife?”

“Hmph…” Knowing he was joking, Tang Yaoyao pouted slightly, snuggling closer to him, and softly said, “Sis wants to buy a house.”

“A house?” Tang Huaijin was taken aback, puzzled, “Why buy a house? Isn’t our home nice enough?”

Tang Yaoyao buried her head deeply in his embrace, whispering, “Sis doesn’t want to live here…”

“Why…” Mid-sentence, Tang Huaijin realized the reason, and after a moment of silence, he said, “Buying a house is fine, I agree. But Sis, can you tell me why you’re so anxious? We’re not real siblings, is it really so shameful to be together?”

“…” Tang Huaijin’s gentle voice helped Tang Yaoyao relax, and she softly replied, “Jin, Sis also wants to be with you openly, but Sis can’t…”

“Even though Jin and Sis aren’t real siblings, these eyes look so much like Sis’s.”

“Anyone can see our relationship, and Sis can’t explain it to everyone, can she?”

“When our parents passed, Sis swore to take good care of you, but never expected…”

“Mom and Dad were both gentle but also upright people. With their personalities, if they knew we were together, they’d blame me for not being a good sister.”

“Thinking about it makes Sis feel guilty, afraid of being seen by others, always feeling like she’s nailed to a shameful post. Sis knows those looks might not be malicious, but Sis just overthinks.”

“But I can’t help feeling guilty, scared of people knowing our relationship.”

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, touching her face, looking at Tang Huaijin with a somewhat blurry gaze, she softly asked, “Jin, is Sis having problems?”

“…” Tang Huaijin’s breath caught, feeling a pang in his heart, his lips dry, he forced his expression to remain calm, soothingly saying, “How could Sis have problems? Sis is the most normal person.”

Afraid she’d dwell on it further, Tang Huaijin quickly changed the subject, smiling, “Alright, alright, Jin promises Sis, we’ll buy a house, okay? Let’s not talk about this anymore. Sis has been exhausted these past few days, go rest, I’ll call you when lunch is ready.”

With that, Tang Huaijin lowered his head and kissed her forehead, affectionately rubbing his nose against hers.

“Mm, Jin is the best…” Tang Yaoyao sniffed, her cheeks flushed as she reached out, gently wrapping her arms around Tang Huaijin’s neck, hanging onto him, softly saying, “Then Jin, carry Sis to…”