Chapter 414: Chapter Four-Hundred and Fourteen: Lesson

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Chen Tao stared at him with a cold smile. “Do you think I’ll allow that?”

John gritted his teeth. “Then, I’ll resign. I’ll leave immediately, no company compensation required.”

Chen Tao replied with a frosty gaze, “Alright! Then call someone from HR over to handle the procedures, and you can do a proper handover as well!”

John took a deep breath and started to head out as he said, “No need for that. Just pretend I was never here today. You can fire me for skipping work or something!”

John got to the door when the burly bodyguard standing guard there stopped him. He retreated a couple of steps and turned to look at Chen Tao.

Chen Tao chuckled, “I heard that Assistant John is your CEO’s—Mr. Xi’s—trusted aide. What, your Mr. Xi didn’t tell you he transferred the company? Evidently, he doesn’t trust you as much as you think he does!”

“Tsk tsk! Pity, what a waste of your loyalty! However, even though he doesn’t need you, I do. This company can continue to operate as usual without Xi Cheng, but not without you!”

The bodyguard took another step forward after Chen Tao finished his little speech, and John subconsciously backed away. Dawn was so nervous and worried her face turned chalk white.

John straightened his back. “You flatter me, sir. No one is irreplaceable; the company doesn’t specifically rely on any one person to operate normally, and I’m merely an ordinary employee. I’m afraid there’s a personal matter I have to deal with right now, so I’ll appreciate it if you’ll accommodate me.”

“Accommodate you?” Chen Tao jeered. “Sorry, I’m not good at accommodating others. I only know how to teach people a lesson.”

Before John could react, the bodyguard before him punched him in the abdomen. Dawn screamed as John fell to the ground and curled up in pain.

Chen Tao glanced at John, who was being kicked around by his bodyguard, and impassively ordered Dawn, “Miss Dawn, please go out and tell the people outside to work hard and do what they’re supposed to do—don’t be like John here.”

Dawn’s legs went weak, and her voice trembled as she responded, “Yes, yes, ok. I-I got it. I got it.”

When Xi Cheng woke up again, it was already late in the morning. He immediately shot up and reached for his phone despite Gu Man’s clinging. “My phone’s turned off? Why is it turned off? When? Oh sh*t!” Xi Cheng panicked. He hurriedly put on his pants while searching for a socket to charge his phone.

Gu Man lazily sat up and yawned as she draped a blanket over herself. “Xi Cheng, what’s all the rush? It’s just a routine meeting. They’ll be able to work as usual whether you go or not, anyways.”

Xi Cheng washed up at top speed. He pulled Gu Man over to give her a kiss after he pulled on his clothes, murmuring, “I can’t be sloppy with work. Otherwise, how can I afford to support you?”

“Who says I need you to support me?” Gu Man harrumphed coquettishly. After some thought, she pursed her lips. “It’s your wife that needs your support, isn’t it? Hmph! Of course the Xi family’s young madam would have heavy expenses; after all, she has her entire Lin family waiting for her financial aid!”

Xi Cheng was doing up his tie when he heard that and said, “Hey, don’t talk about her like that. It’s not easy for her, either.”

Gu Man unhappily retorted, “Oh, I’m not even allowed to say things about her? As expected, she’s the one you care about the most, the apple of your eye! Unlike me, who doesn’t have a family to back me because I got kicked out! I can’t even compare to a woman from a declining family!”

Xi Cheng frowned. “You didn’t go back to the Gu family, did you?”

Gu Man sneered, “Why would I go back? Didn’t you hear about the Gu family’s scandal? Gu Fei is gay and has no lack of bed partners! The Gu family went to great lengths to suppress the public opinion. They managed it by using the news that Yun Liu and Yun Zhang are getting married. Hah!”

“Yun Liu may appear to be living a grand life in the limelight, but she’s actually not doing much better than me. She’s just the unlucky scapegoat the Gu family pushed out to take the heat. However, fortunately, she has an older brother who grew up with her to save her at critical moments.”

Gu Man went on, “If I’m with the Gu family now, I might be assigned some non-negotiable and unpleasant mission at this moment to help fend off Gu Fei’s disaster.”

Xi Cheng only smiled unconcernedly when he heard Gu Man’s complaints and said, “It’s no big deal. If you tell the Gu family you’re with me, they might not make things difficult for you.”

Gu Man looked at Xi Cheng. Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes, and she sniffed. “Xi Cheng, you’re really willing to stand up for me?”

Xi Cheng nodded. “If you need it, of course I will. But try and keep it a secret from Lin Yu.”

Gu Man lowered her eyes at that. But even so, she was still touched. After all, this verbal promise meant she truly had a place in Xi Cheng’s heart. He wasn’t treating her as just a bed partner—a tool to vent his desires with. “Xi Cheng…” Gu Man gritted her teeth, wanting to confide in Xi Cheng.

Xi Cheng had already gotten dressed and was about to head out. He unplugged his phone from the charger and turned it on. The moment the phone turned on, a series of messages flooded in.

Xi Cheng’s brows furrowed tight together. His phone kept ringing with notifications of missed calls, WeChat messages, SMS text messages. He raised his hand to stop Gu Man’s words and stared blankly at the hundreds of missed calls on his phone.