Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 30: Wanting to Quit

“Xiaowan, it’s already past midnight. Why are you just now coming back? I kept calling you, but your phone was turned off the whole time. I was so worried. Thank goodness you’re finally back.” Qi Xin'er’s heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled a little. But the moment Li Xiaowan looked up, Qi Xin'er’s relief vanished as her heart began to race again. “Xiaowan, what happened to you? Why do you look so pale? And what’s wrong with your lip? It’s still bleeding.” Qi Xin'er was so worried she was on the verge of tears, wondering if Xiaowan had been bullied. As soon as this thought crossed her mind, before Li Xiaowan could even speak, Qi Xin'er rushed into the kitchen without a word and grabbed a kitchen knife. Seeing this, Li Xiaowan hurried after her. “Xin'er, what are you doing?” “Xiaowan, tell me the truth—did Feng Lingzheng bully you?” Seeing Li Xiaowan’s dazed expression and the cut on her lip, Qi Xin'er knew exactly what had happened without Li Xiaowan having to say a word. But what she wanted to know most at that moment was who had bullied Li Xiaowan. Once she found out, she would stop at nothing to fight back. That’s just how people are. Before something happens, they see everything clearly and understand everything, but the moment something does happen, they start to lose their rationality. And tragedy often strikes in the blink of an eye. As the saying goes, “Impulse is the devil!” There’s certainly truth to that. “Xin'er, I beg you, don’t do this. It’s making me even more heartbroken,” Li Xiaowan said, breaking down into tears as she spoke. She needed to vent all the frustration, grievances, and humiliation she’d been holding inside during this time. Li Xiaowan’s complete about-face caught Qi Xin'er off guard for a moment. Fortunately, her rational mind told her she mustn’t act impulsively. She immediately set the knife aside, then hugged Li Xiaowan tightly and comforted her: “Xiaowan, it’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t worry—I won’t do anything rash. I’m not going anywhere right now; I’ll just stay here quietly with you. If anything’s upsetting you, just let it all out through your tears!” Li Xiaowan didn’t know how long she’d been crying on Qi Xin'er’s shoulder, nor how many tears she’d shed—she only knew that her tears were nearly soaking through Qi Xin'er’s entire shoulder. Her emotions had finally settled a little, and Li Xiaowan looked at Qi Xin'er with a touch of embarrassment and said, “Xin'er, I’m afraid you’re going to have to change into a different nightgown.” “Xiaowan, don’t worry about me. But can you tell me what exactly happened tonight?” Qi Xin'er asked calmly, suppressing the anger in her heart. Only after she’d calmed down did she realize that acting on impulse wouldn’t solve anything—on the contrary, it would only cause Li Xiaowan unnecessary trouble. “Qin Xin'er, the reason my lips are chapped is because Feng Lingzheng forced a kiss on me. As for the rest, nothing else happened.” Li Xiaowan knew what Qi Xin'er was worried about; she didn’t want Qi Xin'er to keep worrying, so she decided not to hide anything any longer. “What kind of chairman is he? He doesn’t deserve the title at all—he’s nothing but a scumbag and a piece of trash. Li Xiaowan, come on, let’s go to the police station and press charges against him. I refuse to believe he’s so brazen that he can act with total impunity.” Upon hearing Li Xiaowan say nothing else had happened, Qi Xin'er felt slightly relieved, but she couldn’t just let that scumbag off the hook—he had to face legal consequences. “Xin'er, it’s no use. The police station won’t even take a case like this. Given The Feng Family’s connections and prestige, at best we’ll be dismissed as crazy; at worst, we’ll be accused of disrupting public order and flouting the law. By then, even if we’re in the right, we won’t be able to make ourselves understood—not to mention…”It wasn’t that Li Xiaowan hadn’t considered resolving the matter through legal channels, but whenever she thought of The Feng Family’s vast influence and the safety of Qi Xin'er’s family, she had no choice but to swallow her anger and keep quiet. Among all these concerns, the safety of Qi Xin'er’s family was Li Xiaowan’s greatest vulnerability. “Xiaowan, you’ve sacrificed so much for me and my family. That bastard Feng Lingzheng—that scoundrel—even if we do owe him money, and even though we’re in the wrong, it’s only natural for us to put up with some abuse. But there has to be a limit, right? No one should be bullied like this.” Qi Xin'er simply couldn’t hold back any longer; she grabbed a cushion from the sofa and hurled it violently against the wall. “Xin'er, aren’t you supposed to be comforting me? Why am I the one who has to comfort you instead?” Li Xiaowan said, feigning sadness. “I’m sorry, Xiaowan. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have lost my temper. Let’s not sleep tonight. Let’s write our resignation letters first, and go to the Company first thing tomorrow morning to quit. I won’t stay at a Company run by scum like that, even if they offered me a million-yuan annual salary.” Qi Xin'er meant what she said; she immediately went into the bedroom and brought out two sheets of A4 paper and two pens. This time, Li Xiaowan didn’t hesitate. She reached out and took the paper and pens Qi Xin'er handed her, and then the two of them began writing their resignation letters, each absorbed in their own work. But just as Li Xiaowan was about to put pen to paper, she found herself at a loss for what reason to give in her resignation letter. In the end, with no other option, she wrote only the following line: “I’ve recently noticed that everything in the Company—including the desks, office chairs, and so on—feels ice-cold to the touch. Having grown up under the warm sunshine, I simply can’t adjust to this. In contrast, I prefer the vast skies and open seas, where I can soar freely. So, after much consideration, I’ve decided to resign and leave. I hope this will be approved! “Xiaowan, do you think this will work?” Qi Xin'er couldn’t help but feel skeptical after reading Li Xiaowan’s resignation letter. “It doesn’t matter. Even if it’s not approved, I’ll still leave.” Li Xiaowan suddenly felt even more determined. “Xiaowan, well said. It reminds me of a classic old song I happened to hear once: ‘The sun always shines after the storm; clear skies lie beyond the dark clouds...’ I believe tomorrow will definitely be better.” Qi Xin'er’s heart was now filled with passion. She had long since grown tired of a life where people constantly pointed fingers at her, but then a thought suddenly crossed her mind... “Xiaowan, President Yu trusts you so much—not only did he clear your name, but he also personally promoted you to Assistant General Manager. How could you bear to leave now and let President Yu’s goodwill go to waste?” “Xin'er, at this point, I can’t worry about that anymore. Just consider it a debt I owe President Yu!” Li Xiaowan said without a moment’s hesitation. “All right, then. When you go to hand in your resignation letter tomorrow, you must make everything clear to President Yu. If necessary, you can also tell him what happened tonight, so he knows exactly what kind of scoundrel his own good friend really is,” Qi Xin'er said through gritted teeth. “There’s no need to tell him. Besides, with his keen insight, he’ll figure it out even without an explanation.” Li Xiaowan’s face was filled with admiration and reverence as she spoke of Yu Feilan. Qi Xin'er took full note of that expression, and she couldn’t help but recall something her father often said: “Fate is predetermined by heaven; not a single bit is within one’s control.” Perhaps the bond between people exists only in the fleeting moment they pass each other by. Perhaps Xiaowan and President Yu were destined only to be passing acquaintances. Moreover, knowing Xiaowan as she did, she knew her friend wouldn’t harbor any inappropriate thoughts—she simply admired him as a person. “All right, there are still two or three hours until dawn. Let’s get some sleep first. Li Xiaowan, don’t go for your early morning run today—you’re too tired and need to rest more,” Qi Xin'er said, looking at Li Xiaowan’s haggard face and offering a timely reminder. “Xin'er, it’s fine. You go ahead and get some sleep!” Li Xiaowan said as she walked toward her room. Qi Xin'er watched her frail figure and felt an indescribable sense of sadness. She had endured so much suffering in her life; life had truly been unfair to her. Xin'er hoped that from now on, she could live a more carefree life. That night, neither of them slept a wink. “Li Xiaowan, good morning!” As soon as Li Lingling saw Li Xiaowan appear in the secretarial office, she greeted her warmly. Both she and Fu Xiyue privately felt that Li Xiaowan was easy to get along with—not only was she genuine and kind-hearted, but she was also highly capable at her job. As a result, they both liked her very much. “Good morning, Lingling,” Li Xiaowan said somewhat listlessly, though she still managed to flash a big smile. But just as she smiled, the corners of her mouth turned upward, and the wound—which had nearly scabbed over after she’d applied medication—began to ooze blood again. It kept flowing out, quickly forming a large drop. If Li Lingling hadn’t handed her a tissue in time, it would likely have dripped down her chin onto the smooth floor. “Xiaowan, how did you hurt your lip? It looks pretty bad. Should you take a day off to see a doctor?” Li Lingling asked with concern. “It’s nothing. I accidentally bit the corner of my mouth while eating last night. Just a little ointment will fix it,” Li Xiaowan could only cover up the truth with a lie. She didn’t want to reveal her disheveled appearance to those who cared about her and cause them unnecessary worry. “Be more careful in the future, okay? I’ve had a similar experience before—it really hurts. Did you bring any medicine? If not, I happen to have a tube in my drawer that works great for this kind of wound.” Li Lingling enthusiastically pulled a tube of ointment from her drawer and handed it to Li Xiaowan, clearly not suspecting that Li Xiaowan’s story was a lie. “I’m sorry, Lingling. I didn’t mean to deceive you—I just didn’t want to cause you any unnecessary worry. In your eyes, everything here is flawless, so let me take all that darkness and filth with me when I leave! Besides, from start to finish, it’s only ever been about me, and Xin'er was just caught up in it because of me,” Li Xiaowan said to herself silently. “Lingling, thank you. If I ever leave, I’ll definitely miss you and Yueyue,” Li Xiaowan said. Without waiting for Li Lingling’s reply, she turned and walked into the assistant’s office; she was afraid that if she stayed even a moment longer, her tears would start flowing uncontrollably. Li Lingling, as if sensing something, silently sat back down at her desk. “Li Xiaowan, come in for a moment.” Before Li Xiaowan had even had a chance to put down the ointment, Yu Feilan’s voice drifted out from the inner office—as gentle as a spring breeze, soothing to the soul. Perhaps she would never have the chance to hear President Yu’s voice again. Well then, she thought, she might as well say a proper goodbye before leaving!