Power and Wealth

Chapter 1719

Afternoon.

It was well past lunchtime.

However, Dong Xuebing was still sitting in the company's monitoring room on the first floor with Yu Meixia. They smoked cigarettes while chatting casually. At this point, he had already taught the lesson he intended, and Yu Meixia's anger had subsided. Dong Xuebing could have left long ago, but he chose to stay to see the faces of these arrogant fellows. He wasn't in a hurry to leave.

"Are you hungry, Sister Yu?" Dong asked.

"I'm okay, not hungry," she replied.

"Me neither. Let's sit a bit longer then."

"Mr. Dong, would you like a cigarette? Try one of mine," Yu Meixia offered.

"Just finished one, not smoking anymore. Officer, why don't you have mine?" Dong Xuebing declined politely.

"Wow, this is good tobacco. Thanks," the officer said, taking one.

As Dong Xuebing chatted with Yu Meixia, he also got along well with the police officers in the room. This left a particularly good impression on the officers. A person of such significant influence treating them with such courtesy overturned their previous impression of Dong Xuebing as arrogant. They now realized he was only assertive when provoked. In contrast, those people from the company were truly arrogant.

Suddenly, the door opened.

The officers looked over. "Deputy Chang."

Deputy Director Chang nodded and found a place to sit.

Soon after, the company's senior management, led by Mr. Zhou, began to trickle into the room. Each person had a different expression: some were angry, some felt stifled, some were irritated, and others seemed resigned.

One person... Three people... Five people...

Counting, there were a total of seven or eight people.

Dong Xuebing, however, didn't even glance at them and continued chatting with Yu Meixia.

As the company's boss, Mr. Zhou naturally came forward first. He glanced at Dong Xuebing and changed his address, "Mr. Dong, Sister Yu."

Dong Xuebing still ignored him.

Only Yu Meixia glanced weakly at them.

Although Mr. Zhou felt very uncomfortable, bowing his head in front of such a young man was a blow to his pride. However, his attitude remained sincere because he understood the situation. In this current situation, he couldn't afford not to apologize. "I arrived later. I wasn't fully aware of the situation before. Based on subjective speculation, misunderstandings were caused. I'm truly sorry. I've just clarified the matter. Indeed, our general manager made inappropriate remarks and demands towards Sister Yu Meixia during the interview, causing you trouble and harm. On behalf of the company, I apologize to you. I'm sorry."

After speaking, Mr. Zhou bowed deeply to Yu Meixia.

The other executives followed suit, bowing to Yu Meixia.

"I'm sorry."

"My apologies."

"We're truly sorry."

Clearly, Mr. Zhou had already instructed them outside. Dong Xuebing had demanded an apology from their senior management earlier, and they had no choice but to comply.

General Manager Wu was no exception. He was the most reluctant among them because he had been the one assaulted. Emotionally, he was more complex, but seeing Mr. Zhou bow first, he had no choice but to follow suit. Bending down, he met Dong Xuebing's gaze, and suddenly, General Manager Wu felt a burning sensation on his face. Clenching his fists, he felt highly stifled.

Mr. Zhou glanced at him.

With a serious expression, Mr. Wu took a deep breath and said to Yu Meixia, "Ms. Yu, I was wrong before and caused you distress. I apologize."

By saying this, they essentially admitted to the attempted harassment of Yu Meixia during the interview. In their view, this issue had become minor and irrelevant. Holding Mr. Wu accountable or worrying about the company's reputation no longer mattered. The young man would not let them off if they didn't acknowledge this. Reputation? What reputation is there to speak of when the company is on the verge of bankruptcy? You need a company before you can have a reputation. So, the way to handle this matter was clear.

This took the pressure off the police station. If they had previously insisted on prosecuting Dong Xuebing for assault, it would have been difficult for the police to handle. Arrest him? Secretary Shen had already given instructions, so they dared not arrest him. But if they didn't arrest him, it would also be problematic since the situation had escalated, and someone was indeed injured. Mr. Zhou knew many influential people, making him a formidable opponent. The police station would have been in a tough spot. But now that the company admitted their general manager's attempted harassment of Yu Meixia, her friend's intervention was justified. It wouldn't be too much if he had beaten them up twice. Although assault is wrong, the reasons behind it were compelling enough for the police to turn a blind eye unless it resulted in severe injury or death. After all, who would blame someone for defending their friend from harassment?

Mr. Zhou noticed that Dong Xuebing remained unmoved and said, "We have considered this matter carefully. Given the harm done to Ms. Yu Meixia, our company can offer her the second lead role in our next film. She won't need to audition; she can have the part immediately. I will inform the director."

He had a good plan. Bringing Yu Meixia into the project was a form of compensation and apology. Moreover, if Yu Meixia joined the film, they would need to solve the funding issue. The only way to do that was to release the halted TV series and movies, ensuring they had the money for the next project.

However, Yu Meixia waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "I don't want to act."

Mr. Zhou quickly asked, "Why? This is a rare opportunity. Even as the second lead, you will be acting alongside a famous second-tier actress, which could be a great boost..."

Dong Xuebing interrupted coldly, "Even if my friend wanted to act, it's none of your concern."

The company's people fell silent. Indeed, with Dong Xuebing’s connections in the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, they hardly needed their help to get roles.

Mr. Zhou asked, "How do you want to resolve this?"

Dong Xuebing shrugged, "I already mentioned how to resolve this before, but you pushed me to this point. You all were so arrogant and talked back to me. What do you think you were boasting about? Now, do you remember to apologize? Too late. Let me tell you, I don't need your compensation or apology. How to resolve it? There's nothing left to resolve. I've already taken care of what needed to be done. This matter ends here."

"But our film and TV projects..." one executive started.

Dong Xuebing replied coldly, "I don't care about your projects. What do they have to do with me? Let's go, Sister Yu. Let's have lunch."