Chapter 10 — Called Off Right on the Spot

She gripped the box tighter, her knuckles turning white. "Miss Hua, do you really have to push people to such extremes?"

"You call this pushing?" I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. "Yesterday, when you demanded exorbitant compensation, snatched my phone, and falsely accused me of shoving you—when you were cornering me—why didn't you care about how ugly it looked?"

Lam Man's tears threatened to spill over once more. I looked her dead in the eye and said, "Save the waterworks. There are no members of the Shen family here to stand up and applaud your performance." Shen Zhihang frowned deeply. "Hua Qinghe." I met his gaze without flinching. "If you pity her so much, take her and get lost." He extended a folder toward me. "This is the settlement agreement. Fill in whatever amount you want." I refused to take it. "Has Director Shen grown so accustomed to using money to seal people's lips?"

"I simply want to resolve the issue."

"The first step in resolving the issue is ensuring she faces the punishment she rightfully deserves."

Lam Man jerked her head up in shock. "Do you really insist on giving me a criminal record?" I let out a low laugh. "Oh, so you do know what the consequences are."

"I only had a tiny sip yesterday."

"Yet you still crashed your car."

"Nobody was hurt!"

"So you feel deeply wronged?"

Lam Man turned to Shen Zhihang, her voice trembling. "Zhihang, I truly cannot afford to have a record like this on my file. How am I supposed to work in the company after this?" Shen Zhihang furrowed his brow. "Hua Qinghe, can't we handle this another way?" I mirrored his tone, throwing his words right back at him. "If I had been the one driving yesterday, would you have given me the chance to 'handle it another way'?" He fell completely silent.

At that moment, the glass door of the guesthouse swung open, and a young woman in sportswear emerged, carrying a bag of breakfast. The moment she spotted me, she let out a sharp curse.

"Is this the green tea scheming assistant who acts like a victim after committing a crime?"

Lam Man's face contorted. "Who do you think you are?" The young woman shoved the breakfast bag straight into my hands. "I'm her friend, Tang Tang." Tang Tang swept her gaze over Lam Man from head to toe. "You look like you're heading to a funeral, and the moment you open your mouth, it sounds like you're begging for a beating. Your boss has truly appalling taste in people, spending all his time breeding disasters that only know how to bring him down."

Shen Zhihang's expression turned thunderous. "Miss Tang, watch your language." Tang Tang whipped her head around to glare at him. "Are you the blind fiance she managed to hook?" I cleared my throat. "We've already broken it off." Tang Tang instantly corrected herself, "The blind ex-fiance."

Shen Zhihang's face grew even darker. Lam Man bit her lip, trembling with humiliation. "Miss Hua, do you find it amusing to let your friend humiliate Director Shen like this?" Tang Tang cut her off sharply, "When you were screaming abuse at Qinghe in front of a whole crowd yesterday, why didn't you ask yourself if you were having fun?"

"You—"

"You what? Driving under the influence and you still have the nerve to cry? Do you think your tears can be boiled down into a hangover cure?"

Passersby began to slow down, casting curious glances their way. Unable to maintain her dignity any longer, Lam Man spun around, intending to flee. Right at that second, an official vehicle pulled up sharply to the curb. The uniformed police officer from the day before stepped out.

"Miss Lam Man, please come with us. There are still a few details regarding yesterday's accident that need to be verified."

Lam Man's knees buckled. She lunged forward to grab Shen Zhihang's sleeve. "Zhihang, save me!" Shen Zhihang looked at me. "Hua Qinghe." I calmly bit into a steamed bun that Tang Tang had bought. "Don't look at me. Just follow the proper procedures."

The officer stepped directly in front of Lam Man. "Please cooperate." Before being ushered into the car, Lam Man whipped her head around, shooting me a venomous glare. "Hua Qinghe, you will regret this."

Tang Tang gave a dismissive wave. "Save your energy to regret your own life first."

The car door slammed shut. Shen Zhihang stood rooted to the spot, remaining silent for a long moment before finally speaking, "Are you satisfied now?"

I handed the breakfast bag back to Tang Tang. "More or less." He stared at me with a complicated expression. "You are far more ruthless than I imagined."

I burst into genuine laughter. "Shen Zhihang, even now, you still believe the fault lies in me being too ruthless."

Tang Tang rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful. "Stop wasting your breath on him. That waterlogged brain of his wouldn't smell any better even if you hung it out to dry."