Xiong Miao wasn't at all surprised by his words.
Yet, when she saw that disdainful look in his eyes, identical to how others perceived her, her heart sank: "If in your heart, President Zhan, you think so poorly of me, why bother promoting me to the position of design department manager?"
She forcefully pulled away his hand that was clenching her jaw, her cool eyes brimming with resilience borne of despair.
She earned her money through her own abilities, never stealing, never crossing her own moral lines, and never selling her soul.
She didn't need anyone to understand.
She just needed to take good care of herself and her six little treasures.
"So, because the money from the design department isn't easy to come by, you've resorted to selling your body at the night club. Do you have even a shred of decency?" He exclaimed, having earlier watched her lean over, her chest fully exposed and attracting the blatant gazes of those men.
He might have face blindness, but he certainly wasn't blind.
He saw the whole situation clearly!
She was like this, relying on catching men's eyes and taking wads of cash in return.
She was greedy and shameless.
She kept surprising him over and over.
Zhan Yeling casually put his hands in his pockets, his lethargic demeanor masking an air of authority, his voice was steady, deep, and carried a lot of weight.
"My working hours are during the day, and the evenings are my personal time. I'm sorry, President Zhan, I don't have much time to discuss my sense of decency with you; I still have to go to work." Xiong Miao didn't want to say much. She worked at night just to earn money.
She hadn't reached the end of her shift yet. If she was absent for too long, she would miss out on the thousand yuan part-time fee.
Just as she turned to leave, she was forcefully yanked back.
Zhan Yeling grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
"President Zhan, please let me go." Xiong Miao tried to pull back her arm, but her efforts were in vain.
An inexplicable irritation rose within Zhan Yeling's heart.
Didn't she realize that Duan Hongjie was watching her closely, and yet she wanted to go back to work!
Surely she was planning to go back and complete that sordid deal with Duan Hongjie!
Xiong Miao was thrown into a car by the man. He quickly got in too, his dominant presence filling the small space of the car.
Just as Xiong Miao was about to push open the door on the other side to escape, she heard a click; the car doors were locked.
The driver in front started the car.
"President Zhan, where are you taking me?" Xiong Miao asked, visibly uneasy. The man beside her emanated a dangerous aura; she didn't dare to be alone with him for a second.
The man stayed silent, his obsidian-like eyes frosty as they stared straight ahead, as if she was nothing but air.
Xiong Miao: "..."
He was the one who brought her into the car, and now he wasn't speaking. What on earth was he up to?
He didn't answer, and she didn't dare to speak either, fearing that annoying him might lead to unthinkable consequences.
The black Rolls-Royce slid through the darkness of the night, neon lights flashing and flickering across its body, casting an assortment of colors.
Outside the car, the world was vibrant yet quiet.
Inside, it was eerily silent, the air heavy and stagnant, making every breath feel like a burden.
Especially with the chilling aura emanating from the intimidating figure sitting beside her.
Xiong Miao carefully stole glances at the man's expression from time to time.
His handsome face was stern, his long phoenix eyes were so attractive that they outshone all male celebrities. His nose was high, his facial contours sharp, and his thin lips were alluring. His exquisite features, sculpted as if by an artist, were perfectly arranged on his face, leaving no room for criticism.
How could someone be born this good-looking?
Even though her eldest son, Qianqian, bore a strong resemblance to him, the child still didn't hold the same stunning and heart-stirring beauty.
Just a stolen glance at him was enough to captivate Xiong Miao's soul.
"Like what you see?" His magnetic voice suddenly resonated, low, pleasant, and overwhelmingly compelling.
Xiong Miao froze, then hastily shook her head like a rattled drum and quickly averted her gaze.
"How much money did he give you just now?" His question wasn't a query; it was a command.
Xiong Miao, being a little slow on the uptake, didn't understand what he meant: "What?"
"Duan Hongjie." Those words seemed to be squeezed out between his teeth.
Feeling that he was about to get angry again, Xiong Miao, being timid, quickly took out the banknotes from her pocket: "About two thousand and five hundred."
"Throw it away." The man spoke lightly, brooking no argument.
"Huh?" Xiong Miao was taken aback. This was money, real hard-earned money.
She had worked so hard to earn it. Was she supposed to just throw it away because he said so?
While she was still hesitating, the money was snatched from her hands and thrown out of the window that she hadn't noticed had been rolled down.
"My money!" Xiong Miao instinctively tried to grab it, but it was too late. She could only watch helplessly as the red banknotes fluttered in the wind.
The rush of air from the fast-moving car caused the red notes to spin like fallen leaves in mid-air before falling to the ground, where they were crushed by passing vehicles and sent spinning again.
Seeing this, Xiong Miao had a strong urge to open the car door and pick up the scattered money.
That was a lot of money of the baby milk powder, the sustenance for her precious little ones.
Two thousand five hundred yuan could buy six to seven cans of baby milk powder, enough to feed her children for half a month.
Moreover, winter was approaching, and it would be cold in their home country. Their little ones didn't have proper winter clothing yet. The money could have been used to buy them warm clothes.
But all of these possibilities evaporated because of a single sentence from President Zhan.
Seeing her face, displaying a pained expression as if she was cutting her own flesh, President Zhan looked at her with disdain.
"It's just two thousand five." He scoffed.
How greedy could she be? Was she so comfortable taking such filthy money? If he hadn't shown up on time, and if Duan Hongjie had forced himself on her, would she have happily accepted the twenty thousand he offered?
Four years ago, their night together, it was clearly her first time. He could feel it, and there was no faking it. And the evidence left on the bed, it was so real.
In just four short years, had she become so desperate?
Was she even ready to exchange her body for money?
The anger in President Zhan's heart was uncontrollable.
"What do you mean it's just two thousand five! Do you know how hard it is for us common people to earn two thousand five hundred!" Xiong Miao couldn't help but turn around, saying in a huff.
He was a wealthy young master, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, living a life of privilege from an early age. Now, even more so, with his billions of wealth, how could he understand the struggles of ordinary people to make a living?
While she was abroad, she had to wash twenty-five thousand dishes to earn two thousand five hundred.
Washing until her hands turned white, until they began to decay. Washing until her waist and back ached, until she could barely stand.
Yet, he easily threw away the two thousand five hundred as if it meant nothing.
"So, you want to earn that twenty thousand." President Zhan gritted his teeth, and a spark of anger flared in his eyes again.
If she valued the two thousand five she earned by exposing herself so much, then did she also want to earn that twenty thousand from Duan Hongjie?
Xiong Miao understood what he meant, hesitated slightly, steadied her breath, and said, "I never said I wanted to earn that twenty thousand. I won't take what I shouldn't."