The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 280 - 279: Wang Hongcheng Seeks a Visit

Chapter 280: Chapter 279: Wang Hongcheng Seeks a Visit

"You still have the nerve to ask me for money when you screwed up such a simple task. To bail you out, I’ve spent a total of one hundred and fifty yuan!"

Hong Jinbao, who was naturally lazy and sly, barely flinched at Wang Hongcheng’s scolding.

"Brother-in-law, although the task wasn’t completed, I did work on it. I promised Yanyan and the others five yuan each for their troubles, so there wasn’t much left for me."

"If you don’t give it to me, then I’ll have to tell my sister and ask her for the money."

Wang Hongcheng was so angry that his whiskers quivered.

He wasn’t afraid that his wife would hold this over him, but gossip spreads among women, and if Shen Mingzhu, that vile woman, caught wind of it, he wouldn’t be able to hear the end of it.

Wang Hongcheng, with a grimace, handed over one hundred yuan to Hong Jinbao and repeatedly ordered him not to mention this to anyone else, before storming off in a rage.

To try and fail is one thing, to incur losses on top is another, squandering two hundred and fifty yuan in just one day infuriated him.

After this incident, Wang Hongcheng had to temporarily abandon his plans to trouble Shen Mingzhu.

With two months left until Mid-Autumn Festival, he needed to focus on securing the big client, Hengxing.

A gentleman’s revenge need not be swift—ten years is nothing. Once he got through this busy period, he would settle the score with that wretched woman.

...

After school in the afternoon, Shen Mingzhu was waiting for Pei Ziheng at the factory gate as usual, supporting her waist.

Seeing her relaxed eyebrows and the gentle smile on her face, Pei Ziheng breathed a sigh of relief.

The whole afternoon he had been preoccupied with the shop incident, worried that Shen Mingzhu would be unhappy, he couldn’t even concentrate in class.

"Mom, has the issue with the shop been resolved?"

"Yes, it’s resolved."

Zhao Yun, clueless, curiously pressed for details.

Shen Mingzhu, thinking it was a good opportunity for the children to learn about the cruelties of society, narrated the events to them as if telling a story.

"Wow, Uncle Pei is so awesome!"

Zhao Yun sweet-talked Pei Yang with flattery, but Pei Ziheng seemed thoughtful.

...

"Manager Meng, this is Fushun Cake Factory’s new packaging for this year’s mooncake gift boxes, with a total of three designs."

Seeing Meng Yan frowning at the mooncake gift boxes on the coffee table, Wang Hongcheng deftly produced a thick envelope from his briefcase.

"Manager Meng, this is our first time dealing with each other, and I’m not sure what you like, so this is just a small token of my appreciation."

Wang Hongcheng’s face was all smiles, but inside he was feeling blue.

He had already given Huang Yuan, the former purchasing manager, an expensive gift, and it frustrated him that with Huang Yuan gone and Meng Yan stepping in, he had to grease the wheels all over again.

"President Wang, I appreciate the gesture, but take your things back."

Meng Yan’s refusal made Wang Hongcheng instinctively assume that the other party wanted more money.

His face was all smiles, but inside he cursed. "Manager Meng, I came in a hurry today and didn’t prepare thoroughly. How about this—you keep this for now, and tonight, I will treat you at Jinxi Hotel. We can eat and talk, how does that sound?"

Meng Yan chuckled, "No wonder, President Wang, look, even the name is printed wrong on your gift boxes, indeed quite rushed."

Wang Hongcheng’s face stiffened briefly before he resorted to the excuse of the trademark name being registered by someone else. "... I had no choice but to change a character. But rest assured, Manager Meng, the taste of the mooncakes is guaranteed to be flawless. If you don’t believe me, try them for yourself. These are all freshly made this year, very delicious."

Meng Yan leaned back, with an amused expression, "President Wang, as you know, I’m new to the job. I didn’t sign the contract. Your mooncakes don’t match the contract details. How can I dare to accept them?"

Wang Hongfa quickly said, "That’s easy to solve, Manager Meng. Let’s sign a new contract with the new name. After all, the products are the same and the names are not so different."

"Mr. Wang, a single word can lead to a world of difference. We asked for Ronghua, and that’s what we signed for on the contract, and the deposit has been paid. If you’re not able to deliver on time, then we at Hengxing will have no choice but to take legal action,"

Wang Hongcheng was stunned and panicked, "No, Manager Meng, doesn’t Ronghua and Ronghua sound the same? In the whole of Fengcheng, you won’t find mooncakes that taste better than those from Fushun!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Wang Hongcheng’s heart skipped a beat when he met Meng Yan’s seemingly amusing yet not amusing gaze.

No, it definitely cannot be what he was thinking.

Asking him to bow down to that stinking Shen Mingzhu, he’d rather eat shit.

"Manager Meng, look, we’ve already signed the contract. For the sake of our cooperation with Hengxing, I’ve put my entire fortune on the line. If this deal falls through, I’ll be ruined. To save a life is more meritorious than building a seven-level pagoda; please, do me a kindness and show me a way out,"

Wang Hongcheng’s stance was very humble, he was nearly on the verge of kneeling down to Meng Yan.

However, it was all to no avail; Meng Yan left after dropping the sentence "We’ll handle everything according to the contract," effectively giving him the boot.

He came in high spirits, but left as though mourning the dead.

When Wang Hongcheng returned to the factory and saw over a hundred thousand worth of materials in the warehouse, he nearly tore his hair out in desperation, yet he was completely at a loss.

...

"Factory Manager Shen, your factory is really running quite impressively. Give it another two or three years, and it’ll surely be on par with our Fushun Cake Factory..."

Seeing Wang Hongcheng who had come on his own initiative, Shen Mingzhu thought to herself: like a weasel offering a New Year’s greeting to a chicken...

Ah shoot, she’s no chicken.

Impatiently, Shen Mingzhu interrupted Wang Hongcheng’s rambling, "Mr. Wang, get to the point if you have something to say. If not, please leave; I’m busy."

"Factory Manager Shen, a few days ago my wife went to have my fortune told for me. The fortune-teller mentioned that the character for ’prosperity’ is lucky for me. I don’t believe in that stuff, but my wife does, and she insisted that I buy back the Ronghua trademark."

"How about this? You’re holding onto the Ronghua trademark but it’s of no use to you, so why not sell it to me for a thousand bucks?"

Shen Mingzhu pretended to be astonished, "A thousand bucks? That’s far too much, I couldn’t possibly spend it all. Mr. Wang, you’d better keep that money and spend it slowly yourself."

Wang Hongcheng could hear the sarcasm and was not pleased.

"Factory Manager Shen, let’s not beat around the bush. Name your price," he said.

"One hundred thousand."

Wang Hongcheng’s face darkened instantly, but he held back his anger without losing his temper, which quite surprised Shen Mingzhu.

"If you’re sincere about selling, quote a sincere price. There won’t be another chance after this one," he suggested.

"Alright, Mr. Wang, I’ll give it to you straight: I’m not selling the Ronghua trademark. Please leave," Shen Mingzhu responded.

Wang Hongcheng gritted his teeth, "Two thousand."

Shen Mingzhu kept her head down and continued working.

"Two thousand five hundred! I can’t add any more. If you don’t sell, I’m leaving," he said.

Without even lifting her gaze, Shen Mingzhu replied, "Don’t let the door hit you on the way out."

Wang Hongcheng really wanted to leave, but he couldn’t. Without retrieving the Ronghua trademark, he could be sued by Hengxing to the point of bankruptcy.

Seeing that being soft wasn’t working, he decided to get tough, "Let me be frank with you, Factory Manager Shen. If I don’t get back the Ronghua trademark, I’ll be in big trouble. But let me lay it out for you—if I can’t have peace, neither will she."

"Let me guess, it’s because of Hengxing’s order, isn’t it?" Shen Mingzhu asked.

Judging from Wang Hongcheng’s expression, Shen Mingzhu knew she had guessed correctly.

The dried tofu and spicy strips for the engagement banquet, the apple gummies for the Spring Festival, and now Ronghua’s mooncakes... A man’s repeated, selfless assistance to a woman made her wary to contemplate the reasons behind it all.