Chapter 16: Objective Met

Chen Liyang’s footsteps paused for a moment. If he had acted according to the original host’s reckless temper, he probably would have thrown a punch already.

But he had to consider his family. If he beat someone up, not only would he fail to get a single cent of compensation, but he might also end up behind bars. What would happen to the little ones at home then?

The best way to slap her face was to make the higher-ups agree to pay out his compensation and work injury fees, and to have her handle it personally.

With that thought in mind, Chen Liyang made his way to the top floor based on the novel’s description.

To avoid being stopped, he kept his head down as much as possible to draw minimal attention.

At Shengxia Group, the pay was high, but the pressure was equally intense. Everyone was absorbed in their own work, so no one paid him any mind.

However, when he reached the top floor, someone stopped him after all.

Everyone working on this floor was part of the company’s elite, so security was naturally much stricter.

“Why did you come up here?” asked the girl, who happened to be Xia Wei’s secretary.

She had seen Chen Liyang before, not just because he used to be a company security guard, but mainly because every time the eldest young master of the Lin family came by, Chen Liyang would tail behind him like a lapdog.

Unfortunately, President Xia detested that wealthy heir, and their encounters always ended on a bitter note, making it hard for the secretary not to recognize him.

“I’m looking for Xia Wei!” Since he had already been fired, there was naturally no need to address her as “President.”

Seeing Chen Liyang call President Xia by her full name, the female secretary knitted her brows. “President Xia is very busy. Not just any random nobody can see her.”

With that, she prepared to call security.

“Such a big company, and employees aren’t even allowed to defend their rights? Is this your corporate culture?” His words were laced with blatant sarcasm.

Xia Wei had just stepped out of her office, preparing to head out, when she overheard his remarks. She clacked over in her high heels.

In her eyes, Chen Liyang was trash; looking at someone like him for even a second was an eyesore.

However, seeing him standing here spouting nonsense and slandering the company, she, as the company president, naturally couldn’t let him keep spewing filth.

“You claim you’re defending your rights, but I’ve already instructed the finance department to settle your wages. What else could you possibly be dissatisfied with?”

The woman’s voice was cold and detached, yet extraordinarily pleasant to the ear, echoing like notes played on a piano.

Looking at the gorgeous woman in a tailored suit that accented the perfect curves of her figure, Chen Liyang knew without asking that this was the novel’s female lead, Xia Wei.

After all, her figure and features were drawn straight out of a textbook definition of a female lead.

Big double-lidded eyes, an oval face, a delicate turned-up nose, a swan-like neck, an hourglass figure, coupled with an icy demeanor that held people at arm’s length; she was the kind of beauty one could only admire from afar without daring to defile.

Yet Chen Liyang was only stunned for a split second. He had come here solely to claim the compensation that was rightfully his.

As for female leads or male leads, he had no interest in interacting with either of them any more than necessary.

“You fired me without cause, and I was assaulted on the clock. Shouldn’t you give me proper compensation? Besides, my wages are what I earned in the first place, so please don’t talk like you’re handing out charity. It only makes you look cheap as a president,” he fired back without holding back.

So what if she was pretty? He hated arrogant, high-and-mighty people most of all.

Back when he worked at his old corporate job, his supervisor talked to him with that exact attitude every day, exploiting him and making him the scapegoat whenever something went wrong.

This was the first time anyone had ever dared to talk to her like this. Xia Wei was so furious her chest heaved.

“You…” She had never argued with anyone before, and for a moment, she was at a total loss for words to strike back.

“‘You’ what? Let me make one thing clear today: unless you kill me, if you don’t give me my compensation, I’ll livestream myself causing a scene at your company doors every single day. Let’s see if anyone still dares to partner with your company!”

“You hooligan! You’re completely unreasonable!” Xia Wei finally understood what it meant to deal with a shameless rogue^[1].

He was clearly the one who tried to get physical with Lin Fan in the first place. If Lin Fan hadn’t been a good fighter, Lin Fan would have taken a beating. Now, he was acting like the victim and using the incident to threaten her.

Chen Liyang scoffed coldly. “If I tried to be reasonable, I’d be bullied to death by people like you who don’t treat ordinary workers like human beings. Just give me a straight answer: are you paying up or not? If not, I’ll hang a banner^[2] outside your company tomorrow. I’m unemployed anyway, so I have all the time in the world to drag this out with you!”

Xia Wei clenched her fists, gritting her teeth as she looked at the secretary beside her. “Call the finance department. Give him every bit of compensation he’s owed!”

“Now that’s more like it. You’re the head of a listed company, after all. Being so stingy over a little compensation; no one’s going to work for you if you’re this petty!” Hearing Xia Wei give in, Chen Liyang immediately grinned.

Even though he knew Xia Wei was handing over the money reluctantly, it didn’t matter. He had no intention of cozying up to the female lead anyway.

Just as the secretary was about to place the call, he suddenly remembered something. “Have that finance director handle it for me personally!”

The secretary remained silent, looking toward President Xia instead.

“Do as he says!” Xia Wei instructed. She then turned her gaze to Chen Liyang. “This matter ends here. If you use this issue to make another scene at the company, the consequences will be more than you can bear.”

If not for the company’s upcoming new product launch, which would determine their overall performance for the second half of the year, she would never have compromised.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t part with the money, but rather that she couldn’t swallow this insult.

Lin Fan was not only her savior, but also her fiancé.

The very first time he came to her company, he had nearly been hurt by one of her own employees. This filled her with immense guilt, which naturally fueled her intense disgust for Chen Liyang.

Chen Liyang nodded. “Rest assured, even if you beg me in the future, I won’t set foot in your company again.”

Xia Wei sneered at his words. Beg him? Was he dreaming in broad daylight?

Leaving behind a cold, “Remember what you said,” she turned and left.

Soon after, Chen Liyang arrived at the finance department and worked out the compensation amount with them.

Throughout the entire process, the finance director’s face was as dark as coal.

To her, the smile on Chen Liyang’s face was pure irony, like a direct slap across her face.

Who would have thought he’d actually manage to get a compensation payout?

Thanks to Chen Liyang standing his ground, the head of the finance department ended up giving him thirty thousand Yuan in total.

Three months of severance pay for being fired, with the rest covering his workplace injury compensation.

The money was wired straight to his bank account, and carrying this small fortune, Chen Liyang finally left Shengxia Group completely satisfied.

With this cash in hand, he could finally ease the family’s financial strain for the time being.

But if he just sat around living off these savings, the money wouldn’t last long. Once his injuries healed, he would still need to find a way to make a living.

It was already half past three in the afternoon. Chen Liyang first headed to a supermarket, planning to give himself a well-deserved treat while making a nice meal for the kids.

On top of that, he picked up some fruit, snacks, and pure milk.

The kids were at an age where they were growing fast, so they needed to drink plenty of milk to grow tall.