Slapped Her

"What?"

Shen Mao suddenly stood up from his seat, his eyes wide with disbelief. "How could this happen? Why did Su Corporation suddenly terminate their cooperation with us?"

His hands were trembling.

The collaboration with Su Corporation was crucial for their company.

It was a partnership he had begged and pleaded for, and now it was gone just like that.

The secretary lowered her head. "President, this might have something to do with Miss Qianqian."

"Qianqian?" Shen Mao's furrowed brows looked as though they could crush a fly. "What does she have to do with this?"

"I don’t know the specifics, but the messenger from Su Corporation said that you should keep a better eye on your daughter."

Shen Mao's frown deepened.

It seemed this was Qianqian's doing. What on earth had she done?

Suddenly, Shen Mao remembered the question Qianqian had asked him yesterday—whether Shen Corporation and Su Corporation had any ongoing collaborations…

He grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the chair and rushed out.

"Where is Qianqian?" Shen Mao asked, frowning, as he returned to the Shen family villa and didn’t see her.

"Miss Qianqian left at nine in the morning and hasn’t returned yet," the butler replied.

He discreetly observed Shen Mao, whose expression seemed unusually grim today.

What had happened?

Shen Mao called Qianqian, his voice stern. "Come home immediately."

"Dad, I’m still at a gathering with friends. I’ll come back later," Qianqian replied, her voice slightly slurred, as if she had been drinking.

"Come back now!" Shen Mao repeated coldly.

"Alright, Dad," Qianqian said before hanging up.

"Qianqian, is your dad calling you back?" one of her friends, who had been studying in another province, asked.

"Don’t worry about him," Qianqian said, pouring herself another drink.

She smiled. "Today, everything’s on me. Eat and drink as much as you want."

"Wow, you’re really living up to the title of the Shen Corporation’s heiress! If I had a family background like yours, I’d be laughing in my dreams."

"Stop dreaming. Only Qianqian has such good fortune," another friend chimed in, their words oozing flattery.

Qianqian basked in their praise.

"Qianqian, when are you going to find a boyfriend?" one friend asked. "You’re so beautiful and have such a great figure. I’m sure there are plenty of people pursuing you."

"Not yet," Qianqian replied, her cheeks flushing as she thought of Lin Xuan.

Not now, but soon.

She silently made up her mind.

Half an hour later, Qianqian finally left the bar.

By then, Shen Mao was sitting on the living room sofa, his face dark and stormy, as if a tempest was about to break.

"Dad," Qianqian called out as she returned, oblivious to her father’s mood.

"Did you go to Su Corporation today?" Shen Mao asked sternly.

"Yes," Qianqian pouted. "I went there to ask them to do something for me, but they refused."

She clung to Shen Mao’s arm, acting coy. "Dad, why don’t you just terminate the partnership with Su Corporation?"

That secretary, Jiang Qing, had looked down on her. Qianqian thought that Jiang Qing must have assumed she had no influence in Shen Corporation and therefore didn’t need to take her seriously.

Well, she would show them just how much her father listened to her.

Once Su Corporation realized they had lost such a major client, they would surely regret it and fire that seductress to regain Shen Corporation’s cooperation.

"So, you threatened Su Corporation with this?" Shen Mao asked, his voice low.

"Yes," Qianqian bit her lip. "They were so arrogant. They didn’t take me seriously at all."

"I told them that if they didn’t do as I asked, I would convince you to end the partnership!"

Shen Mao felt his blood boil.

No wonder Su Corporation had sent someone to terminate their collaboration and told him to discipline his daughter.

It turned out Qianqian had gone to Su Corporation, using her status as the Shen Corporation heiress, to threaten them.

Shen Mao clenched his fists, barely containing his anger.

"Why did you go to Su Corporation in the first place?"

Qianqian replied, "Because a woman offended me. I went to Su Corporation to have her fired."

Shen Mao’s eyes turned bloodshot.

"Over such a trivial matter, you went to Su Corporation?"

Qianqian finally sensed her father’s rage. This was the first time he had spoken to her in such a tone.

Fear crept into her heart.

"Dad," she said tearfully, "didn’t you always say that if someone offends me, I should fight back?"

"Didn’t you consider who you were dealing with?" Shen Mao gritted his teeth, enunciating each word. "Su Corporation! How could you dare provoke them?"

He couldn’t believe he had raised such a foolish daughter.

"Dad," Qianqian protested, "Su Corporation is only slightly higher than us in Yundu City’s rankings. Besides, our company is one of their biggest clients. Why should we be so cautious?"

They were partners, after all. And wasn’t the customer always right? Shouldn’t Su Corporation be catering to them?

"Do you even know how hard I worked to secure that partnership?" Shen Mao’s veins bulged on his forehead. "I had to beg and plead with Su Corporation day after day!"

Qianqian was stunned.

He had begged?

Shouldn’t it have been Su Corporation coming to Shen Corporation, begging them to buy their products?

Since when did the buyer have to beg the seller?

"Now you’ve ruined everything!" Shen Mao roared. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused the company?"

If Su Corporation didn’t forgive them, they would have to seek partnerships with other companies.

But those companies were technologically far behind Su Corporation, and their products would lack competitiveness.

Shen Corporation’s position as the industry leader would be at risk.

"Moreover, if Su Corporation decides to retaliate, do you think we have the ability to withstand it?" Shen Mao couldn’t help but raise his voice.

"Dad, why are you yelling at me?" Qianqian’s eyes welled up with tears. "You’re the one who always said I could do whatever I wanted."

"How dare you talk back!"

Unable to control his anger, Shen Mao raised his hand and, with a loud "smack," slapped Qianqian across the face.

Qianqian’s eyes widened in shock.

"Dad, you hit me!"

This was the first time in her memory that her father had ever struck her.

Shen Mao, now slightly calmer, looked at Qianqian’s reddened cheek, a flicker of regret in his eyes.

He clenched his fists and said coldly, "From now on, you’re grounded. Stay home and reflect on your actions."

"And tomorrow, you’re coming with me to Su Corporation to apologize."

Qianqian sat on the sofa, tears streaming down her face.

She had never imagined that Su Corporation’s influence was so strong—so strong that Shen Corporation had to rely on them.

Now, her plan to use Su Corporation to force that vixen to break up with Lin Xuan was ruined.

But she couldn’t find any evidence of the fox spirit being unfaithful to Lin Xuan.

What else could she do to make Lin Xuan hers?