Chapter 18: Not Good for the Refrigerator

"I will definitely succeed." Li Qingying clenched her fist determinedly.

Inside, Wu Shaorong's female secretary hurried out as soon as she heard that the young lady from the Li family had arrived. "Please wait in the conference room. Mr. Wu will be with you shortly."

"Alright, tell Mr. Wu not to rush. I'll wait for him, even if it takes ten thousand years," Li Qingying replied sweetly.

Suddenly, the secretary glanced around, puzzled. "Where is President Li?"

At first, she had assumed Li Dasong and Li Qingying were attendants of Li Qingying, but now, noticing Li Qingying’s absence, she was surprised.

"I'm the president now. My name is Li Dasong," Li Dasong stepped forward, announcing cheerfully.

The secretary exclaimed in shock, "How can that be? Just two days ago, President Li Qingying met with me!"

"Li Qingying failed in her duties and was suspended by the board. Now, I'm in charge of Bairi Group's affairs. That’s my sister; she’s here to coordinate with you. Together, we'll get the project started," Li Dasong explained, growing more excited with each word.

Once the contract was signed, the old matriarch would surely think them capable. They could then malign Li Qingying, claiming that Quange Group had initially refused cooperation, but they had gone to great lengths to win Wu Shaorong's favor.

"What? President Li Qingying was suspended?" The secretary was startled and quickly ran inside.

"What’s happening?" Li Dasong sensed something was amiss.

"Brother, she’s probably overjoyed and wants to celebrate," Li Qingying said smugly. "That awful woman Li Qingying must have clashed with people countless times before."

Soon after, the secretary returned with a dark expression. "You should leave."

"Leave? You mean go to the conference room, right? Secretary, you misspoke," Li Qingying snapped at her.

Once she was close to Wu Shaorong, she’d surely have this secretary fired.

"I didn’t misspeak. Leave our company immediately, or I’ll call security," the secretary shouted, pointing to the door.

"You’re just a lowly secretary—what authority do you have to throw us out? I want to see Mr. Wu now, and I’ll report your misconduct," Li Qingying fumed, jumping in anger.

She had spent two hours on her hair and makeup; it would be a waste not to meet Wu Shaorong.

Moreover, the old matriarch was waiting for news of the contract. If they were simply chased out, how could they explain themselves?

"Hmph, Mr. Wu asked me to say this. He only recognizes Miss Li Qingying. If anyone else from Bairi Group comes, he’ll have them thrown out," the secretary declared.

Li Dasong tried to protest, but two security guards rushed in and escorted them out.

At the Li family estate, the old matriarch and others were waiting in the villa.

"What’s going on? Why hasn’t Dasong called yet?" she asked anxiously.

"Don’t worry, madam. Dasong is reliable. He’ll have the contract signed in no time. They’re probably chatting now; we’ll hear news soon," Li Liang said excitedly.

Second Uncle Li chimed in, "Sister-in-law, it’s fortunate you suspended Li Qingying. Word in the company is that her useless husband spent last night in a hotel with another woman. Outrageous."

"Hmph, they’ll get divorced," the old matriarch said sternly, intolerant of such moral failings.

Suddenly, Li Liang pointed at the door and laughed, "Haha, Dasong and Qingying are back. Looks like the contract is signed!"

The old matriarch looked up and saw Dasong and Qingying’s dejected faces. Her heart sank. "What happened?"

"Madam, things went terribly. We went to Quange Company, but Wu Shaorong refused to sign with us—he only recognizes Li Qingying," Li Qingying complained angrily.

"What? What’s going on?" the old matriarch asked, surprised, instructing her assistant to call Wu Shaorong for the truth.

"I already told those two: If Miss Li Qingying doesn’t come to sign by tomorrow, we’ll cancel our cooperation with Bairi Group," Wu Shaorong replied coldly before hanging up.

Second Uncle Li glared at Dasong and Qingying. "What did you do? Didn’t Quange call you this morning, urging you to sign?"

"Grandfather, Li Qingying must have something going on with Wu Shaorong. Otherwise, why would they protect her?" Li Qingying said venomously.

"Exactly, that must be it," Li Dasong chimed in.

The old matriarch’s expression changed dramatically. Her granddaughter had resorted to such disgraceful means just to secure a contract. "Then we won’t sign this project."

"Madam, that’s absolutely unwise," Second Uncle Li urged. "We’ve already offended Ruhu Group. If not for Quange’s influence, they would have retaliated long ago. We can’t afford to lose Quange’s support."

The old matriarch hesitated, then sighed in defeat. "Fine, let Li Qingying sign the contract for now. We’ll plan the next step later."

"I’ll call Li Qingying right now and order her to go to Quange Company at once," Li Qingying said arrogantly.

Earlier in the morning, He Haoxuan had noticed Li Qingying had no appetite, so he prepared a delicious breakfast that brought her joy.

At noon, he made several exotic dishes, and Li Qingying ate with delight.

"He Haoxuan, you’ll be the death of me. If you make me gain weight, I’ll have to fight you," Li Qingying teased, smiling sweetly.

He Haoxuan looked at her and said, "Honey, you look lovely when you smile. You don’t need to be so cold all the time—it’s bad for the fridge."

"Why is it bad for the fridge?" Li Qingying asked, puzzled.

"Because you’re stealing its job," He Haoxuan replied, clearing the dishes.

"He Haoxuan, did you just call me a fridge?" Li Qingying threatened, raising her delicate fist.

"Ring ring ring." Li Qingying’s phone rang.

She paused, seeing it was a call from Li Qingying, and quickly answered. "Hello, Qingying, is something wrong?"

"Li Qingying, this is all your fault. Quange Company refuses to sign with us. I order you to go there immediately and sign the contract. If you fail today, you’re finished," Li Qingying barked, her anger bubbling.

"Alright, I’ll go now," Li Qingying replied in a panic, ending the call and rushing out.

"You mustn’t go now," He Haoxuan said, grabbing her arm anxiously.

Li Qingying grew frantic. "He Haoxuan, let go. If Quange won’t sign with us, Bairi Group will be in trouble."