Chapter 369: Face-slapping
It was only when Su Li saw Qu An that it hit her—or rather, that she remembered: Pinjun Clothing had once worked with his family’s factory.
Yin Cuihua was the one in charge of supplier partnerships. Su Li hadn’t paid much attention when she first heard about it, and later, when she’d seen the list of partners they were dropping, she hadn’t given it a second thought.
It seemed the Qu family was one of those partners they’d dropped.
Su Li hadn’t made the connection until now. Seeing Qu An’s incredulous expression and hearing his shout, a knowing smile played on her lips.
’Tsk, tsk... What a fateful encounter... No, more like an ill-fated one.’
Remembering the slanderous things she’d just heard Qu An say about her, Su Li spoke coolly.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Qu is right. I’m just a fraud."
Mr. Qu, standing beside them, was frantic. "You... You know my son? Your name is Su Li?"
He only learned her name when he heard Qu An shout it.
Su Li gave Qu An a cool glance and nodded.
"Yes, President Qu, I presume? So you’re Qu An’s father. Qu An and I are classmates. What a coincidence."
Mr. Qu shot Qu An a warning glance, a flicker of delighted surprise in his eyes. "It really is fate! President Su, seeing as you know my son, would you do me the honor of letting me treat you to a meal?"
Su Li considered for a moment, then shook her head. "I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t accept."
"It’s just a simple meal. I do hope you’ll agree, President Su." Mr. Qu was bowing and scraping, his face a mask of fawning humility.
Standing off to the side, Qu An watched Mr. Qu. His chest heaved violently, and his clenched fists trembled uncontrollably.
’Is this still his formidable father? The one who commanded such respect at the factory?’
’How could he bow and scrape before Su Li like that!’
The fire in Qu An’s eyes was practically bursting forth; Su Li couldn’t ignore it even if she tried.
She shook her head. "President Qu, it’s not that I don’t want to agree. It’s just that I’m truly not in charge of supplier partnerships, so talking to me is useless. Besides... your family’s Mr. Qu isn’t happy about it either."
Su Li had a temper too, especially after hearing what Qu An had said about her.
"I swindled Mr. Qu before, spending one hundred five yuan and sixty-five cents of his money. I still haven’t even paid him back. I really wouldn’t dare put him out any further."
Mr. Qu had sensed long ago that something was wrong, but he’d held out hope that it was just a small misunderstanding between his son and Su Li, that the conflict wasn’t too serious.
But after hearing that, he could no longer deceive himself.
’This conflict... it’s probably a big one.’
Mr. Qu shot a covert glare at Qu An and was just about to try and defuse the tension by asking what had happened.
Just then, he heard Qu An speak from the side, his words laced with fury.
"Dad, don’t let her fool you! She’s a fraud! She’s a total slut—"
A sharp SMACK cut off the rest of Qu An’s words.
Qu An had been doted on his whole life. His father couldn’t bear to strike him as a child, and even less so as an adult. He never imagined that Mr. Qu, who had never laid a hand on him before, would slap him so fiercely.
"Shut your mouth! What nonsense are you spouting? Are you trying to ruin this family?"
’This was our only chance!’
The sharp sound of the slap still echoed in his ears. Qu An turned his head in disbelief to look at Mr. Qu, his eyes instantly rimmed with red.
Mrs. Qu, who hadn’t been able to get a word in, rushed forward with a cry. "Qu An, oh, Qu An..."
"How could you hit our child?" A blow to her son was a blow to her own heart, and Mrs. Qu was deeply pained.
Mr. Qu stared at his own palm, his face a mixture of disbelief and despair.
He hadn’t meant to hit him; his son was just being too reckless.
"You..."
He had just opened his mouth to speak when Qu An shot a death glare at Mr. Qu, then another at Su Li, before turning on his heel and storming off.
The manic fury in his eyes threatened to erupt.
Qu An had thought that being thrown up on during his public confession was the most humiliating moment of his life. Only now did he realize that *this* was the most humiliating moment.
Su Li—the girl he had slandered and belittled, crushing her into the dust until she was nothing—had suddenly transformed into the boss of Pinjun Clothing.
His father, the incredible man he had worshipped his entire life, was bowing and scraping before her.
And to top it all off, his own father had slapped him right in front of Su Li.
This was, without a doubt, the most insulting moment he had ever experienced.
Qu An didn’t even know how he got off campus. His mind was completely consumed by rage and shame.
"AHHH!"
Mrs. Qu followed anxiously behind him, her own heart twisting with worry and anger as she listened to his anguished roars.
Meanwhile, Su Li, who hadn’t expected Mr. Qu to actually strike Qu An, glanced at Mr. Qu’s miserable expression, gave a slight nod, and walked away.
Mr. Qu opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately said nothing.
He took a few steps before collapsing onto a nearby bench, burying his head in his hands, consumed by regret.
When it was all said and done, this was all his fault.
For days now, he had been drowning in regret.
He never imagined that his own ambition and unfaithfulness would lead to such consequences.
Mr. Qu’s family had been dirt-poor when he was a child. He had endured immense hardship and suffering to slowly build his factory from the ground up, expanding it bit by bit.
In the beginning, he was easily satisfied. Having enough food to eat, a warm place to live, and being able to provide a comfortable life for his wife and child was all the happiness he needed.
But as time went on and the money piled up, he gradually lost himself amidst the praise of those around him.
His ambition grew, and business truly did get better and better.
He hadn’t been the one to seek out Pinjun Clothing. Rather, Yin Cuihua had come to him to arrange the partnership, and at first, he hadn’t thought much of it.
Not until Pinjun’s orders became increasingly large, not until Pinjun had carved out a market and built its reputation.
Pinjun Clothing became their biggest client.
Only then did Mr. Qu begin to truly value his partnership with Pinjun. He thought how wonderful it would be to continue working together like that, but it wasn’t long before the Yang Family came knocking.
Compared to the fledgling Pinjun, the Yang Family was a connection Mr. Qu wouldn’t have even dared to dream of. If he could just get in with a powerful family like them, what did Pinjun Clothing matter?
Mr. Qu hesitated for a moment before betraying their agreement and unilaterally terminating his cooperation with Pinjun Clothing.
He gave no thought to the inconvenience and losses this would cause Pinjun Clothing; all he wanted was to secure his connection with the Yang Family.
But the result... was completely unexpected.
The deal with the Yang Family fell through, while Pinjun Clothing was completely unaffected.
The Yang Family, from whom he had received no actual benefits, didn’t even know who he was, let alone acknowledge any kind of arrangement.
In the end, Mr. Qu’s efforts came to nothing. He failed to connect with the Yang Family and lost his biggest client, Pinjun Clothing, in the process.
Word of his untrustworthiness spread through their business circle. One by one, clients stopped working with them, fearing he would treat them the same way he had treated Pinjun Clothing.
He was already at his wit’s end with the loss of clients.
Then, in the midst of the chaos, a moment of inattention led to problems with two shipments, and on top of that, he got taken by a con artist.
It was one disaster after another. Soon, the seemingly stable Qu family was pushed to the brink of collapse.
Their cash flow dried up, and countless people were waiting to be paid. Forging a partnership with Pinjun Clothing once more was their last resort.
He had finally seen a glimmer of hope... only for his son to cause another disaster.
Mr. Qu was angry at his son, but he was even angrier with himself.
His parents had always told him that integrity was the foundation of everything—in life, in work, and in business.
He hadn’t upheld that principle, and it had led him to this point.
Mr. Qu sat there alone for a long time before finally forcing himself up and leaving the school grounds.
He didn’t go home. Instead, he found a public phone and called one of Qu An’s classmates, a boy he often hung out with.
He needed to find out exactly what the story was between Qu An and Su Li, and why she had said what she did.