Manager Li chuckled, "Actually, it's nothing, just a small misunderstanding. It's in the past, I didn't take it to heart."
"Since Miss Jian has said her pleasantries and we've had a drink, let's consider this matter settled. Miss Jian, do you agree?"
Emotionally, Jian Fei certainly did not agree.
Being bullied like this, she wished she could beat them to the ground to feel satisfied.
But her rationality told her that this outcome was already quite good.
As she was about to meekly agree, Ke Teng spoke first.
"No. I still don't know exactly what happened."
"Even though she's my ex-girlfriend, she was still my woman at one point. For her to apologize to another man so vaguely and drink with him, where would that leave me, Ke, in terms of face?"
"Jian Fei, tell me properly, what exactly happened?"
Jian Fei found herself to be quite strange.
Ke Teng was clearly much more powerful than them, no, he wasn't even on the same level, and his temper was quite volatile.
Yet, she wasn't afraid of him.
In front of Ke Teng, she said what she wanted and did what she wanted, never worrying about the consequences.
But when facing these two scums…
"Can we not talk about it? It's all in the past."
Ke Teng, looking at her pathetic state, was so angry he felt like he was going to bleed internally.
"Fine, if you won't say, I'll investigate myself. There's nothing that I, Ke Teng, want to know that I can't find out."
Seeing his stance, the director, fearing that something might escalate and jeopardize his project, quickly used his authority as a superior to pressure Jian Fei.
"What's going on? Everyone else says they don't care, only you are being secretive. If you have something to say, just say it! Don't act as if Mr. Zhang and Mr. Li bullied you and create a misunderstanding for everyone."
Under the director's stressful "comfort," and thinking about the injuries on her face and the embarrassment of being beaten that day, Jian Fei's temper flared up.
She sat down on the sofa and recounted the entire incident from beginning to end.
Ke Teng's expression shifted from playful and impatient to clearly gloomy.
So, the injuries on her face were inflicted by these two men!
After beating her to this state, they still expected her to apologize and drink with them? Utterly outrageous!
"I don't know what to say about you. If I had known you would become like this after leaving me, I should have locked you up in Shangcheng and forbidden you from returning."
Ke Teng admonished her ambiguously for a moment, then turned his gaze to the man whose face had turned pale.
"Did you hear that? My ex-girlfriend's father broke his bone and is still in the hospital. Settling it with 10,000 yuan doesn't sound like something a normal man would do. What do you think should be done?"
Although the two men were somewhat wary of Ke Teng's identity, they didn't truly understand him.
What if he was just a mere employee, acting arrogantly under the name of the Ke Corporation? If they conceded so easily, wouldn't it be embarrassing if word got out?
Soon, one of them regained his composure.
"I'd like to know what Mr. Ke does in Shangcheng to have such a big tone?"
"You've already broken up, why are you still interfering in your ex's affairs? Isn't that a bit too much?"
Ke Teng knew that these people who bullied the weak and feared the strong would ask about his identity.
He didn't want to say more to them, as it would lower his own status.
However, dealing with such scums, only overwhelming force was truly effective.
He pulled out three business cards and threw them to the three men.
"If your hospitality is good enough this time, I will invest projects in Tongcheng in the future, supporting your Tongcheng's economic development, and perhaps even cooperating with you all. Do you think I'm interfering too much?"
The three men picked up the cards and looked at them, and immediately gasped again.
He was actually the executive president of the renowned Ke Corporation in Shangcheng, Ke Teng, the son of Ke Jingyu!
The two insignificant individuals were now truly panicked and quickly put on smiles.
"It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding, Mr. Ke..."
Ke Teng raised his hand to interrupt.
"Don't tell me so much. You know what needs to be done. We're all men; actions speak louder than words."
With that, he stood up and extended his hand to Jian Fei.
Jian Fei was already feeling the effects of the alcohol, her head heavy and her steps unsteady. She instinctively offered her hand and linked her arm with his as they left the private room.
Ke Teng directly led her into the elevator. Seeing her flushed face and how she leaned against the elevator wall, unable to stand steady, he snorted coldly.
"Drinking to this extent, you're something else. Where do you live?"
Jian Fei, feeling dizzy, replied, "Not going home. I haven't clocked out yet. If I'm marked absent, today's hard work will be in vain."
Ha, still thinking about clocking out when she's in this state?
Ke Teng let out another cold laugh.
Jian Fei slowly raised her head, looking at him with a resentful gaze, "Are you mocking me?"
"...You're always so sharp-tongued in front of me, why are you so timid when it comes to others?"
Jian Fei was speechless for a couple of seconds, then sighed softly, her eyes looking up at the unknown sky.
"I am timid. Poor, timid, and useless. I've made things difficult for you. You must be laughed at behind your back for having me as an ex-girlfriend."
This was true, Ke Teng nodded in agreement.
"Don't go back to work. I doubt your boss would dare do anything to you. I'll take you back."
Jian Fei knew she didn't hold much weight with her boss. If she were marked absent, it was such a small matter that she couldn't possibly go to her boss about it, so she insisted on returning to the hospital.
"No need, you're busy. I can go back myself."
"Not only are you timid and poor, but you're also very stubborn."
While Ke Teng was exasperatedly mocking her, he glanced at her attire.
"I'll make a call to your boss for you. Where's your phone?"
"Left in the office, didn't bring it."
"Then go back directly. If they deduct your pay tomorrow, I'll reimburse you."
Jian Fei was indeed feeling very dizzy, and it was already past four o'clock when she left. After all this trouble, to go back just to clock out…
Forget it.
The assistant drove, taking both of them downstairs.
Ke Teng followed them down, "Let's go up to your place."
They had lived together before, so even though they were no longer a couple, such a statement didn't feel awkward.
Similar to the dilapidated rental house in Shangcheng, they went up the narrow stairs, and upon opening the door, they saw another small room of twenty to thirty square meters.
Ke Teng stood at the doorway, surveying the room, and said with a smile.
"Your aesthetic is quite consistent."
"Just laugh at me for being poor. I've always been consistently poor."
Jian Fei entered the room and kicked off her shoes.
"If I had endless money like you, I could show you my 108 different aesthetics."
This state was more like her.
Hearing her retort, Ke Teng felt much better.
One of the main reasons he had refused his father's offer to work in Shangcheng was that the people he interacted with were too boring.
They were all successful middle-aged men who looked respectable during work hours, discussing economics and company plans.
After work, some indulged in debauchery, others kept mistresses; each one more hypocritical than the last.
Let alone finding two people he could connect with, it was difficult to even find one who could see through the facade.