Chapter 679: Unexpected

Chapter 679: Chapter 679: Unexpected

(Chapter Fifteen)

Ling Haining’s performance had satisfied Luo Ziling.

Ling Haining admitted that the incident was orchestrated by him and Lin Jiaming, aiming to tarnish Ling Ruonan’s reputation, so eventually the staff at the Northern Group’s headquarters would harbor doubts about her.

This was just their first step; they had many more tactics to come. Of course, Ling Haining didn’t give away that detail — he just confessed that they were behind the scheme, with Lin Jiaming as the mastermind and himself merely cooperating with Lin Jiaming’s plans. Knowing when to bow to the inevitable, the current Ling Haining was quick to push the primary responsibility onto Lin Jiaming, especially while Lin Jiaming was knocked senseless by Luo Ziling.

Appreciative of Ling Haining’s acknowledgement of the situation and his prompt confession, Luo Ziling recorded his words. Then he asked Ling Haining what he planned to do for redemption, and Ling Haining immediately said he would come forward to explain the reasons publicly.

“Alright then, now send an apology email to all the employees at the company headquarters from your personal account, clarifying the situation, and then explain the situation on your own Weibo,” Luo Ziling instructed Ling Haining, before turning his smile to Ling Ruonan and asking, “Mom, is it okay to let my cousin use your laptop?”

...

“Of course it’s okay,” Ling Ruonan pushed over an open laptop for Ling Haining to use.

So, while Lin Jiaming played dead on the ground, Luo Ziling stood behind Ling Haining and watched as his cousin, with trembling hands, wrote an email and then explained the situation on his own Weibo.

Even after watching Ling Haining complete these actions, Luo Ziling still didn’t feel it was enough. He thought for a moment and then made a suggestion to Ling Ruonan.

“Mom, how about we have security escort them to the lobby on the first floor and let them explain what happened in front of many people?”

“That’s not necessary,” Ling Ruonan refused Luo Ziling’s impulsive idea. Doing so would be tantamount to declaring war with the Ling family outright.

Luo Ziling was surprised by Ling Ruonan’s rejection, but he didn’t give up and made another suggestion, “How about you call a temporary meeting with some of the company’s senior executives and let my cousin explain the situation publicly?”

“Forget it, there’s no need,” Ling Ruonan still refused. She walked over to Ling Haining, looked at her nephew indifferently, and said, “Alright, Haining, get back to your work.”

“What?!” Ling Haining was surprised. Ling Ruonan was actually telling him to continue working.

After such an incident, could he still stay in the company?

Of course not, leaving Northern Group was the only choice.

He had no way of fulfilling the tasks given to him by the elder Lings, nor did he have the opportunity, let alone the face, to stay on at Northern Group.

He had imagined the following scenario: that Ling Ruonan, in a fit of rage, would immediately demand his resignation and send him packing. But unexpectedly, Ling Ruonan had told him to go back to work, leaving Ling Haining feeling like he had misunderstood.

“Make sure you handle your responsibilities properly, and write a detailed report about the whole situation for me, to be handed to me before three o’clock this afternoon,” Ling Ruonan commanded in a tone that brooked no argument, then instructed Wuyue, who was waiting outside, to take Ling Haining out.

Wuyue entered the room with a stern face and motioned for Ling Haining to follow her out.

Ling Haining hesitated a bit, wanting to say something or put up some resistance.

But at that moment, a “crack” sound was heard, and the mug in Luo Ziling’s hand was crushed to pieces. Without seeing Luo Ziling exert any force, the thick mug shattered into fragments, scaring Ling Haining so much that he hurried out with Wuyue.

“Ling’er, did you get hurt?” Ling Ruonan was also startled by Luo Ziling’s action and quickly came over, grabbed Luo Ziling’s hand, and asked with concern, “Let Mom see your hand.”

“Mom, it’s nothing.” Although he said so, Luo Ziling still handed over the hand that had just crushed the mug to Ling Ruonan.

Ling Ruonan took a tissue and carefully wiped off the tea leaves and water from Luo Ziling’s hand, then examined closely to make sure there was no injury before she felt relieved.

Luo Ziling smiled at Ling Ruonan and then turned to Lin Jiaming, who was lying on the ground feigning death, and called out, “Uncle, get up. It’s time for us to see your performance.”

As he spoke, Luo Ziling walked over to Lin Jiaming, who was on the ground, and even kicked him a little, “I think you’re someone who knows the situation. If you explain the events to us, we won’t make things difficult for you. You know that after such an incident, we would surely suspect it was your doing, thinking that we couldn’t find evidence and thus couldn’t touch you, right? Now that I’ve found conclusive evidence, and Ling Haining has confessed everything, and there will be a written statement soon, it’s pointless for you not to talk. I’m sure you don’t want to undergo physical agony again, do you?”

Saying this, Luo Ziling lifted Lin Jiaming.

He picked him up by one leg.

Dangling upside down, with one foot held by Luo Ziling, Lin Jiaming could no longer pretend to be dead. After instinctively letting out a cry of shock, he flailed helplessly, but how could he free himself?

Luo Ziling, mischievously as if toying with him, moved Lin Jiaming up and down and spun him around. Upon seeing that Lin Jiaming was still unwilling to speak, he walked straight to the window and opened it.

Ling Ruonan and Lin Jiaming both couldn’t help but scream when Luo Ziling opened the window.

Luo Ziling smiled at the terrified Ling Ruonan, shook his head gently, and Ling Ruonan understood his meaning without saying anything further.

Amidst Lin Jiaming’s screams, Luo Ziling held his leg and dangled him entirely outside the window.

Ling Ruonan’s office was located on the seventieth-some floor of the Northern Group headquarters building, about two hundred meters above the ground. Looking out the window, the cars on the ground seemed like moving little boxes, and the pedestrians could not be distinguished at all. With his head hanging downward at such a height, Lin Jiaming was naturally terrified out of his wits, and his mental defenses completely collapsed in an instant.

If Luo Ziling were to let go, Lin Jiaming would plummet straight down, smashing into the ground some two hundred meters below, turning into a pile of flesh— At this point, Lin Jiaming was not considering whether Luo Ziling dared to do it; his desire to survive completely took over his mind, and he started flailing with his hands, pleading with Luo Ziling, “Hurry… pull me back, I… I… I’ll confess everything… pull me back, I beg you, I’ll tell you everything… Save me, please… Forgive me, let me go… Help, I beg you all…”

Seeing Lin Jiaming in this state, Luo Ziling smiled contentedly and then pulled Lin Jiaming back in from outside the window.