Chapter 76: Coming to Apologize

After making up his mind, Meng Xingzhe felt a sense of resolve. He straightened his hair and walked out with his head held high. His brisk pace was like a whirlwind, causing people passing by to spin around, their documents flying into the air.

Meng Xingzhe drove hurriedly to Kunyu Building.

The sun hung in the sky at the cusp of autumn and winter, providing light but little warmth, making the weather chilly. Yet, Meng Xingzhe felt an inexplicable heat coursing through him. By the time he parked and climbed the steps of Kunyu Building, his palms were slightly sweaty.

He almost despised himself. For most of his life, he had been arrogant, always looking down on others. His motto was always “Do as you please, it’s none of my business,” and he never imagined that he would now have a bold, highlighted entry in his mental dictionary labeled “nervous and concerned.”

And the most unbelievable entry of all—”apologize.”

He had never felt such a strong urge to apologize, and he was almost impatient to do so.

But the building’s security guard blocked his path to apology.

The security guard was unfamiliar—Meng Xingzhe wasn’t sure if he was new, as he never paid attention to people he didn’t care about—but the guard resolutely stopped him from barging in.

“Stop! Why are you forcing your way in? Do you think I’m just for show?”

Meng Xingzhe raised an eyebrow, thinking that security guards were always just for show.

“Who are you, who are you looking for, and what’s your business?” the guard asked loudly.

Meng Xingzhe squinted and thought for a moment before saying, “Don’t you recognize me? I’m an employee here, used to come to work every day.”

The guard was impartial: “I don’t recognize you. There are so many people in this building, how could I remember everyone? You might be handsome, but I’m not interested in men, so why would I remember you?”

“…” Meng Xingzhe, who had been filled with a mix of emotions on his way here, found himself at a loss for words due to the guard’s unexpected response.

Eager to see Yao Bingkun, he quickly changed his approach.

“Actually, I’m the owner of another company, Xingbei Technology. I’m here to discuss business cooperation with Chairman Yao.” He said as he took out a business card holder and handed a card to the guard.

He never imagined that with his usual high-handed attitude, he would one day sincerely offer a business card to a security guard. He thought to himself that he was becoming more down-to-earth.

The guard looked at the card, then at him, with an expression that said, “I have a keen eye.”

“I think you should pay attention to your logic when lying. I may be a guard, but I’m not stupid. You just said you worked here, and now you’re claiming to be the boss of another company. There’s definitely something wrong with you. Don’t move, I’m calling our manager! No, I’ll just call the police!”

“…” Meng Xingzhe was almost convinced. He stopped the guard from calling the police, bewildered, and asked, “Wait, weren’t you guys just coasting before? Why are you suddenly so responsible?”

In the past, with the security guards’ lackadaisical attitude, Meng Xingzhe thought he could get in by claiming to be an employee. But today, this guard was unusually diligent and difficult to deal with.

The guard said righteously, “I’m not like those lazy ones before! As soon as Little General Manager Yao took office, she ordered that every position be filled by someone responsible. Anyone who can’t do their job is out. Those lazy ones you mentioned have already been dismissed!”

Meng Xingzhe was slightly taken aback. His heart felt a light, ticklish stir, as if brushed by a feather.

Of course, the girl he liked was so wise and proactive, already addressing the issues she noticed at the grassroots level.

She had started organizing the security department; how far behind could the other problematic departments be?

He was willing to be stopped by the guard because, in truth, he was blocked by Yao Jia’s decisive actions.

He walked out of the building, stood at the entrance, and faced the early winter breeze with a bitter smile.

He, Meng Xingzhe, couldn’t even enter Kunyu Building now.

He thought he might as well sit behind the old tree, calm down, and collect his thoughts before making further plans.

He moved to the back of the tree. The sun was mostly blocked by its dense branches and leaves, making the area cool and quiet.

Facing the tree trunk, Meng Xingzhe irritably loosened his tie and stared at the dry patterns on the bark, racking his brain for a solution. Waiting passively was not an option; he needed a way to break through. What if Yao Bingkun didn’t come down for days? Would he have to move his office here and wait like a hunter?

He fiddled with his tie in frustration.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.

“Young man, it’s only been a few days, and you’ve already stopped caring about your appearance?”

The voice was deep and authoritative, like a timely rain after a long drought, making Meng Xingzhe almost want to call out “Dad” in excitement.

Meng Xingzhe turned to see Yao Bingkun, feeling as if he’d found a divine savior. He was so surprised and delighted that he almost lost his composure.

After calling out “President Yao,” he quickly straightened his tie.

Yao Bingkun approached, and his assistant handed him two cushions, a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter, then stepped away to keep watch.

Yao Bingkun placed one cushion on the half-height flowerbed and sat down, handing the other to Meng Xingzhe.

“?” Meng Xingzhe took the cushion, somewhat bewildered, and followed suit, placing it on the flowerbed and sitting beside Yao Bingkun.

…Though he felt that as a sturdy young man, using a cushion seemed a bit effeminate.

Just as he was about to stand and remove the cushion, Yao Bingkun said, “It’s cold. If you sit without something underneath, you’ll hurt your kidneys.”

“…” Meng Xingzhe remained firmly seated on the cushion.

After some thought, Meng Xingzhe turned and asked, “President Yao, did you know I was here and brought a cushion for me on purpose?”

Yao Bingkun opened the cigarette pack, handed Meng Xingzhe a Zhonghua cigarette, took one himself, and lit both with the lighter.

“I said before, next time you come, I’ll treat you to a smoke,” Yao Bingkun said.

The two of them began the leisurely activity of smoking.

Yao Bingkun inhaled the smoke that rose like a delicate silk thread and answered Meng Xingzhe’s earlier question: “When my youngest daughter returned to the company with a gloomy face, I figured you’d be coming to see me soon. So, I had my assistant call the building’s security to tell them that if someone claimed to have worked here or was the boss of another company wanting to see me, they should let him up.”

He turned to Meng Xingzhe and said, “But then the guard told my assistant that he had just turned away such a person. I realized it would be difficult for you to get up, especially since Yao Jia had replaced the security team with such responsible people. I figured you’d be here, so I came down myself.”

Meng Xingzhe looked at Yao Bingkun, thinking to himself that he truly was an old fox.

His every move had been precisely calculated by Yao Bingkun.

In front of someone so wise and perceptive, not a single lie could be hidden.

Meng Xingzhe set the cigarette aside and solemnly said to Yao Bingkun, “Chairman, you must already know who I am and my true identity. I deceived you and Yao Jia before. Besides working in customer service, I have another identity—I am the founder of another company. I’ve come today to apologize sincerely!”

Yao Bingkun’s expression was inscrutable, revealing nothing.

“First, tell me why you hid your identity to infiltrate my company.”

Meng Xingzhe began to explain from the beginning, “My partner and I founded a company called Xingbei Technology, but our products haven’t been selling well. My partner, Bei Luonan, said there must be something wrong. Otherwise, there’s no reason why our sales would lag so far behind Kunyu Electric’s, given the similar functionality of our products. He suggested that we should find an opportunity to investigate Kunyu Electric and see where we at Xingbei are falling short.”

Meng Xingzhe paused for a moment and continued, “As for who would go, we decided by a bet. My partner won, so I ended up coming to Kunyu as an undercover learner. But I can swear, during these three months, I haven’t used any illegal means or stolen any proprietary information!”

Yao Bingkun remained silent for a while before saying, “But my Vice President doesn’t see it that way. Your company’s newly launched pre-sale high-tech home appliance is similar to a product our project team at Kunyu is developing.”

Meng Xingzhe was taken aback by this, “Are you suggesting that the product Xingbei Technology is currently pre-selling was stolen from Kunyu in terms of concept or technology?”

His voice grew calmer and more rational than before. “That’s impossible. President Yao, our team was already working on this product before I came to Kunyu Electric. I can provide you with the entire project development records, relevant email exchanges, and even some meeting recordings, all unconditionally.”

His composed and straightforward demeanor made Yao Bingkun nod slightly.

“President Yao, with all due respect,” Meng Xingzhe spoke again, his tone shifting to one of unyielding defense of his territory, “if our products are indeed similar, there are only two possibilities: either someone from your project team learned of our concept through some means, or neither party copied the other, and it’s purely coincidental. But it is absolutely impossible that we stole from you.”

Meng Xingzhe lifted his chin slightly, exuding pride and confidence, “Because the concept and technology of this product were primarily my responsibility! My pride would never allow me to plagiarize someone else’s ideas!”

Yao Bingkun, holding a cigarette, nodded after a moment.

“Alright, you are someone I have faith in. I trust my judgment of character, and I believe you didn’t steal Kunyu’s technology.”

Meng Xingzhe breathed a sigh of relief.

“But regardless, even if no key information was stolen, I did go undercover.” Meng Xingzhe suddenly furrowed his brow, as if he himself was starting to question his actions, “Looking back, how did I agree to such an absurd proposal? I now feel that my decision to go incognito in the Kunyu Customer Service Department was entirely due to being manipulated by my partner, Bei Luonan. He tricked me into betting and used reverse psychology to make me accept the loss. I can withstand almost anything, even torture for a few minutes, but I can’t resist bets and reverse psychology. Once those two are used against me, I surrender immediately. He used both on me, and in a moment of impulse, I agreed.”

The more Meng Xingzhe thought about it, the more his brow furrowed. He looked at Yao Bingkun and said, “To be honest, looking back on the whole situation now, I find it incredibly absurd. I feel like I’ve been manipulated by my partner!”

Yao Bingkun looked at him and asked, “What is manipulation?”

Meng Xingzhe replied, “Simply put, it’s when someone understands my weaknesses and then uses them to brainwash, control, or even harm me.”

Yao Bingkun nodded.

Suddenly, his gaze became piercing as he scrutinized Meng Xingzhe, asking in a deep voice, “Then did you manipulate my daughter? Did you use her affection for you to hurt her?”

— Translator’s Notes —

• Zhonghua cigarette: Zhonghua (中华) is a prestigious and widely recognized Chinese cigarette brand, often associated with high quality and status.