Chapter 65: The CEO

A crisp slap echoed down the hallway.

Zhao Bin's head jerked to the side, and he staggered back several steps before regaining his balance.

Several other security guards were dumbfounded.

The security team leader was also stunned.

"Xiao Li… this isn't right…" Su Yi whispered, tugging at Ning Jinli's sleeve.

She thought, although Xiao Li was now the big boss of this company, hitting a department manager like that in front of several employees would probably cause trouble.

Ning Jinli lowered her head, eyes smiling, and said softly, "He deserved it, it's fine—just watch the show."

Zhao Bin wobbled, shaking his head, and his consciousness gradually returned.

"You… dare hit me?!!" he shouted, one hand covering his face, the other pointing at Xiao Zhang.

The security team leader also recovered from his shock, steadied the swaying Manager Zhao, and yelled at Xiao Zhang, "You motherf***er, did shit get in your brain? Can't you tell right from wrong?!"

The security team leader was both shocked and angry, unable to fathom how this kid could lose his mind and actually strike his own superior on someone else's words.

I've seen stupid people, but never this stupid!

Could it be that he thought the woman was beautiful, lust addled his mind, and wanted to show off in front of her?

"Damn, idiot!" the security team leader cursed again, then hurried to check Zhao Bin's injuries.

Xiao Zhang grinned, his eyes showing lingering excitement.

He'd tolerated Zhao Bin for a long time; that slap felt relieving, but still not enough.

"Manager Zhao, are you all right?" the security team leader asked cautiously.

Half of Zhao Bin's face was red and swollen, the other half bluish-black, and he shouted, "You're blind, motherf***er! I've been beaten to this state and you ask if I'm okay? How do you manage people? You've all been riding on my head, shitting and pissing!"

The security team leader, drenched in abuse, shouted at the other guards nearby, "You're all blind, motherf***ers! Why aren't you moving?!"

Several guards, feeling uneasy, looked at the muscular Xiao Zhang.

Although Xiao Zhang was the newest and youngest member of the security team, he was quite skilled at fighting.

Otherwise, if Boss Wu Sanye had some business needing personnel to hold the fort, the security team leader wouldn't have sent him over.

"Hit them! Or I'll fire you all!" the security team leader roared.

The guards thought it over, exchanged a glance, and steeled themselves to charge.

But they didn't dare go all out.

They only make a few thousand a month—no point risking their lives.

Seeing them swinging their fists while frantically blinking, Xiao Zhang understood their meaning and knocked them down in a few moves, without using much force.

The guards fell and couldn't get up, clutching their arms, curling their legs, and yelling in pain.

Each one faked it better than the last.

"Rice buckets! Worthless! Useless trash!" the security team leader, nearly steaming with anger, rolled up his sleeves and charged at Xiao Zhang without calling for more guards.

Smack!

Another crisp sound.

The security team leader's cheek burned with pain, incredulous as he looked at Xiao Zhang, who had just slapped him, and said, "You motherf***er… you dare hit me too?"

Xiao Zhang grinned broadly, "I've already hit Zhao Bin—what's one more lackey like you?"

Saying that, he raised his arm again.

The security team leader, frightened, shrank back like a turtle, and, not watching his step, tripped over his own feet and fell face up.

Several guards lying on the ground, feigning misery with ghostly wails, almost burst out laughing.

Xiao Zhang adjusted his collar, lifted his head, puffed his chest, turned, walked to the elevator, and pressed the button.

The elevator doors opened, he made a courteous gesture, and said, "Miss Ning, please."

Ning Jinli supported Su Yi as they entered; Xiao Zhang followed closely behind and helped press the button for the eighth floor.

The security team leader scrambled over to Zhao Bin's side and asked, "Manager Zhao… should we call the police?"

Zhao Bin glowered at the closed elevator doors and muttered, "Screw calling the cops—if they come and check the surveillance, they'll just see me hitting the cleaner."

"Are we really going to let someone go tell the CEO?"

"You motherf***er, did getting hit make you stupid? Forget that the CEO is my girlfriend?"

"Ah, right, right, Manager Zhao, don't be angry… I… just didn't react in time…"

The security team leader's face was full of flattery, and he added, "That little miss running to Manager Zhao's girlfriend to complain—she's basically kicking an iron plate, or rather, it shows Manager Zhao's capability."

Zhao Bin spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, sneered, and said, "Come on, let's go to the CEO's office."

He was looking forward to seeing Ning Jinli's embarrassed expression later.

The security team leader nodded and bowed, then opened another elevator door for him.

Meanwhile, Ning Jinli, led by Xiao Zhang, arrived at the CEO's office, knocked, heard a "Come in" from inside, and pushed the door open.

Inside the spacious, bright office, a woman in professional attire was lowering her head to read documents.

Xiao Zhang quietly told Ning Jinli, "That's the company CEO, Manager An."

"Hello, Manager An." Ning Jinli greeted.

The woman looked up, saw they weren't company subordinates, eyed them, and asked, "Who are you?"

When Ning Jinli got a clear look at the woman's face, she couldn't help but be startled.

Wasn't this… the woman she'd seen in Zhao Bin's social‑media photos before?

His rich‑girlfriend!

Now Ning Jinli understood—no wonder Zhao Bin was a department manager here, no wonder he was so arrogant and overbearing; it all made sense.

Ning Jinli began her self‑introduction: "Manager An, I am—"

"She's here to cause trouble!" Zhao Bin, accompanied by the security team leader, entered the office, then swaggered up to the desk and said, "Honey, didn't I scare you?"

An Zong frowned, lowered his voice, "Didn't I tell you not to shout like that in the company?"

Zhao Bin said with a smile, "It's fine, there aren't many of our company people here, and besides, almost everyone in the company knows about our relationship."

An Zong's face showed helplessness, then noticing a slap mark on Zhao Bin's face, quickly rose and walked up to him, anxiously and sympathetically asking, "What happened to your face? Who hit you?!"

Zhao Bin raised his hand, pointing at Xiao Zhang, and sneered, "That kid moved his hand."

Then he shifted his finger toward Ning Jinli, adding, "On her orders."

Security Team Leader immediately echoed, "Exactly, exactly! An Zong, I can testify!"

An Zong was about to get angry when he suddenly realized that the young man being identified was wearing the company's security uniform.

Looking at another young woman, it was clear she wasn't an employee here, and they had never seen her before.

An outsider ordering his own company's security to beat the department general manager?

Moreover, the middle‑aged woman beside the girl not only had a slap mark on her face but also a scrape on her forehead, and her clothes were dirty.

No matter how you look at it, the situation reeks of something wrong…

"An Zong!" Xiao Zhang shouted, "It started when Zhao Bin hit that cleaning lady, and then—"

"Shut up! Do you even have the right to speak!" Security Team Leader scolded quickly, "You still dare to address Zhao Bin by his full name?"

Before Ning Jinli could explain, Zhao Bin swiftly pulled An Zong over to the floor‑to‑ceiling window.

"Darling, I'll explain in detail later."

"Anyway it's not a big deal, just help me handle it, I beg you."

Zhao Bin spoke softly, his fairly handsome face showing a pitiful expression.

An Zong, several years older than him and always susceptible to his tricks, couldn't help but soften, saying gently, "I'll help you handle it, but I still need to hear the other side's story, right?"

"Don't…" Zhao Bin grabbed An Zong's hand, gritted his teeth, leaned to her ear and said, "She and her relative are my ex‑girlfriend and her cousin; they came after me on purpose. Can we trust what they say?"

Upon hearing it was his ex‑girlfriend looking for trouble, An Zong's expression changed instantly, cold hostility flashing in her eyes.

She recalled Zhao Bin mentioning he had only one ex‑girlfriend, whom he dated for four years at university, but she dumped him because he was poor.

In her mind, Zhao Bin was a devoted lover who had been tragically abandoned, a pitiful little thing.

Seizing the chance, Zhao Bin embellished, "It's really nothing serious. Her cousin works here as a cleaner, slipped and claimed I caused it, so… it gave her a perfect excuse…"

"Hmm, I understand, don't worry, leave it to me." An Zong gently patted Zhao Bin's cheek, "I'll have your back."

She knew the matter was certainly not as simple as Zhao Bin claimed.

But of course, her boyfriend, she would protect him.

Especially since the one showing up was someone who had once seriously harmed him.

"Speak up, how much money do you want?" An Zong crossed her arms, a cold expression as she walked up to Ning Jinli.

Ning Jinli shook her head, "It's not a money issue."

An Zong snorted coldly, "Then what do you want?"

Facing the unfriendly tone, Ning Jinli calmly said three words, "Fire him."

An Zong curled a mocking smile at the corner of her mouth, scanning up and down as she said, "You can't stand seeing him do well? I've been through this too, I know what you're thinking. Fine, stop wasting time; while I still have patience, you can name a price, take the money and leave, otherwise don't blame me for being rude."

"He also fed you some mind‑clouding soup, sister," Ning Jinli said with a calm smile, "I can see you want to protect him, but do you really know who he is?"

An Zong's eyes flashed with anger, "What, you still want to sow discord between me and him?"

Ning Jinli glanced at Zhao Bin, lounging in the CEO's chair, idly twirling a fountain pen, and met her gaze with a smug look.

Ning Jinli withdrew her eyes, "An Zong, he was taken into the bureau a few days ago, and you bailed him out, right? Don't you know what he was charged with?"

An Zong said coldly, "He told me you deliberately flirted with him and then bit back, accusing him of indecency. If he hadn't blocked me, I would've settled scores with you."

Ning Jinli gave a helpless smile.

Indeed, just with Zhao Bin's smooth talk, even police testimony could be brushed aside in front of his girlfriend.

Seeing An Zong so clueless, Ning Jinli felt sympathy; after all, they're both women, and she herself had once been a victim.

And Zhao Bin at this moment was as smug as could be.

Especially seeing Ning Jinli's helpless, deflated expression, he enjoyed it.

Having a high‑ranking CEO's girlfriend mask him in front of his ex‑girlfriend, that feeling was just wonderful.

"Listen, that's enough," Zhao Bin stretched lazily, curling his lip at Ning Jinli, "My dear has already given you enough face; don't be ungrateful. If this keeps up, do you think we'll sue you in the company's name?"

Ning Jinli smiled, "Sue me for what?"

Zhao Bin declared boldly, "We'll sue you for inciting trouble! Deliberately disrupting our company's operations!"

"He's right, I can sue you like that, and I guarantee you'll end up in prison," An Zong warned, "But, considering you're still young, I don't want to ruin your future. You have five minutes to decide whether to take a sum of money and leave, or go serve time."

An Zong's eyes swirled with anger, clearly at the limit of her patience.

Ning Jinli thought for a moment, looking into her eyes, "Just from that sentence, I think you're actually decent enough; let me show you something."

Saying so, Ning Jinli pulled out her phone, quickly retrieved a video from the gallery, and played it in front of An Zong.

Zhao Bin frowned, braced his hands on the desk, and craned his neck to look.

"This is…" An Zong was stunned, instantly recognizing that the video showed the entrance of the villa Zhao Bin rented.

At the doorway, two people were hugging intimately; the woman's face was pixelated, the man's was not.

That man… if not Zhao Bin, who else could it be?!

An Zong's complexion grew increasingly sour, her hands clenching into fists.

"Darling, what's wrong?" Zhao Bin sensed something off, stood up and approached, "What did she show you?"

"Look at the mess you made!" An Zong turned, delivering a slap with the back of her hand.

Bang!

The other half of Zhao Bin's face instantly bore a red mark.

"What… what did I do?" Zhao Bin's eyes were full of shock.

Ning Jinli openly turned the phone screen toward him, "Zhao, do you still remember?"

Zhao Bin's eyes widened rapidly, and he reached out to snatch the phone.

Ning Jinli pulled her hand back, stepped back two steps, and said with a smiling grin, "Don't get worked up, I have a backup. Even if you snatch my phone, it won't help."

"This…" Zhao Bin's face flushed red, "This is… a fake video made by AI!"

"Dear, she's using this fabricated fake video to slander me!" He grabbed An Zong's arm, trying to shift the blame, "These days AI tech is advanced enough to fool anyone! Don't believe her! She's deliberately ruining our relationship!"

An Zong's face turned pale, their whole body trembling.

Ning Jinli said slowly, "Then shall we go to a professional agency together for authentication?"

Zhao Bin's cheek twitched.

Seeing that the matter could no longer be hidden and his girlfriend was about to explode, he made up his mind, knelt on both knees, "Darling… baby, I… I can explain…"

An Zong forced a few words through clenched teeth, "How do you intend to argue?!"

Zhao Bin sweated profusely, "It was that woman who seduced me! I… I was only pretending to go along on the surface to find out what her purpose was in seducing me."

"I… I… I swear to heaven, I absolutely had no relations with her!"

The previous lie slipped out as soon as his mouth opened; he said it with a hint of guilt.

But once the latter sentence was spoken, he became unusually resolute, his gaze unprecedentedly firm, without a hint of doubt.

An Zong looked into his eyes, with a trace of hope, and asked, "You, really aren't lying to me?"

"Of course not!" Zhao Bin raised three fingers, "If I had been with her, I'd meet a terrible death, the heavens would strike me with five thunderbolts!"

At that moment, Zhao Bin felt immensely relieved that the girl hadn't slept with him under his soft‑press hard‑press tactics.

Otherwise now he would have no confidence or courage to swear such a poison oath.

"Babe… you still don't believe me? Do you actually believe my ex?" Zhao Bin showed a hurt expression, eyes watery, looking up at her, both hands cupping her palms, "I'm your boyfriend, the one who loves you most…"

Zhao Bin's performance surged like flowing clouds and water.

Not only did An Zong, who already loved him, have his heart broken, even the Security Team Leader beside him was already moved.

Xiao Zhang and Su Yi were both dumbfounded.

Even Ning Jinli, who fully knew the truth, sincerely sighed in her heart, "This acting ability—no wonder the scumbag who once fooled me round and round is a perfect fit for an actor; it's a shame he didn't become one."

"Darling, I…" An Zong's newly built psychological defense was being gradually breached.

Zhao Bin seized the chance, added fuel to the fire, turned his head and glared at Ning Jinli, shouting with voice and tears,

"Whether you have grievances against me or bear a grudge, just target me alone! Why must you hurt my girlfriend! Are you that ruthless and poisonous?!"