ALL NOVEL Chapter 21 - Inappropriate
“Mr. Andy, do you understand now?” Jiang Hui asked. “If the additional conditions can be met, I have no issues with the rest. Please help convey this to your group.”
“Uh, oh, yes, I understand now. I have no issues on my end either. I will report your requirements to the headquarters truthfully, and the special project team will prioritize handling your case.”
Jiang Hui nodded slightly, feeling a bit weary.
Andy wasn’t oblivious either. He noticed from the corner of the communication screen that they had been talking for quite a while. Realizing that she had just gotten out of the hospital and was now being disturbed by his call, he suddenly felt that his actions might have been somewhat inconsiderate.
The young man quickly apologized for the lengthy interruption, wished her a good rest, and said he would contact her again once there were any updates.
However, Jiang Hui interrupted him once more. She asked the young man, who was about to end the call, “Mr. Andy, could you tell me if your group initially prepared a minimum compensation plan?”
Andy froze for a moment, then couldn’t help but scream internally, ‘How on earth does she know this? Could she really possess some kind of ancient, mystical mind-reading ability?’
‘We’ve just finished the discussion, and everything seemed fine. Why is she suddenly exposing us? This is really awkward for me! And how am I supposed to admit it…’
Andy’s expression became slightly awkward, but he didn’t seem to avoid the topic.
“So, there really is a plan, huh?” Wait, she didn’t actually know for sure? She just guessed?!
“Would it be convenient for you to tell me?” The girl, who had seemed somewhat indifferent all along, now showed a hint of childlike curiosity.
‘Hey! So you do have this kind of innocent side! How come you seemed so experienced and mature before? This feels so contradictory!’
Andy initially wanted to deny it, even though he knew his earlier reactions had basically confirmed it. But the words he was about to say got stuck in his throat.
“There is one, but I didn’t mention it. It’s really too absurd…” Andy felt as though he were being controlled by a devil, or perhaps it was because the unease in his heart, which had lingered for so long, was finally surfacing, leading him to fall into this obvious trap.
His rational mind was screaming at him, ‘Are you really crazy? Can you even say these things? Is this girl really as simple as she seems based on her age? What if she’s recording this and plans to use what you say against you? What will happen if the group or the board hears about this—’
‘Who cares?! I don’t even want to think about it anymore.’
‘It’s just a job for a corrupt corporation. So what if I quit? I’ve been wanting to leave for a while now!’
At that moment, Andy suddenly felt a wave of boldness and pride in his carefree attitude, even feeling a bit heroic about his sudden bravery.
‘Haha, this shady corporation has been doing stupid things for so long—I’ve been itching to vent about it to someone.’
In reality, Jiang Hui was simply curious. Her guess wasn’t because she was particularly clever or had some profound insight—it was because she was familiar with the patterns. Wasn’t this the most common business tactic on Blue Star? It was so overused that it even showed up in countless novel plots. Naturally, her mind just drifted in that direction.
So after the discussion, she was genuinely curious and asked. She hadn’t expected Andy’s expression to immediately turn grim—he looked pale, as if his face was about to turn green.
Jiang Hui became worried that he might be too stressed to handle it and was about to tell him not to answer. “Forget it, I’m making things difficult for you, Mr. Andy. You don’t have to…”
“No, I was just about to tell you.” His expression suddenly became firm, and he quickly explained the so-called “ridiculous” plan to her.
There were no additional conditions, just a lump sum of money—and the amount was nearly ten times less than what they’d agreed upon. It truly sounded absurd; no reasonable person would accept such an offer.
‘Is this Hailusi Group just plain stupid, or are they simply being shameless?’ Even if they wanted to employ a tiered compensation strategy, they should at least come up with something reasonable and credible instead of making a mess of it.
Anyone hearing that initial compensation offer would refuse, and probably feel angry. Some people wouldn’t just get angry—they might even lash out physically. If things escalated and someone got hurt, there would be no easy way to resolve the situation. ‘Could it be that Hailusi Group had vaguely factored that into their calculations?’
She vaguely remembered that under interstellar law, intentional injury carried a severe punishment, with compensation so high that it could bankrupt someone.
At that point, a mutual harm situation could arise, where the clear-cut victim could suddenly lose their advantage, giving leverage to the other side. Hailusi Group could then step in as the peacemaker, showing goodwill to both parties while paying only a small amount to resolve the conflict. Wouldn’t that be the perfect outcome for them?
Jiang Hui felt like she was overthinking things, letting her mind run wild in this direction. But given the way Hailusi Group had acted, she couldn’t help but consider these possibilities. ‘Sigh, crooked business practices seem to exist no matter what world you’re in.’
Andy initially thought that even if Jiang Hui didn’t get very angry after hearing his explanation, she would at least give a cold, sarcastic smile and throw in a few cutting remarks. However, to his surprise, she remained calm throughout, as if she were merely listening to someone else’s story.
‘This girl is really composed,’ Andy thought, secretly muttering to himself, but his admiration for her grew even more.
“I’m really sorry, Miss Jiang. Although I’m not in a position to say this, I came to you knowing about this and with the intention to deceive. But I harbor no ill will toward you, so I hope you can forgive me.” Andy wrapped things up with this apology.
“That’s enough, I understand,” Jiang Hui nodded. “Thank you for letting me know, Mr. Andy.” ‘Thanks for letting me know how terrible and shameless Hailusi Group really is.’
“I understand, and I won’t disclose anything about our conversation today. Please continue handling the negotiations, and just make sure my points are conveyed. We’ll wait for their response before moving forward,” she assured him.
“Huh? Oh, yes, of course, I’ll make sure it’s conveyed properly. Sorry for bothering you today, and thank you for taking the time to help with this. I’ll stop bothering you now, then?” Andy was momentarily stunned, and a fleeting look of complex emotions crossed his face—perhaps a slight sense of being touched—but like a cloud of smoke, it quickly vanished without a trace.
He hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Is there anything else you need? Should I hang up now?”
“Actually, there is something else.”
“?!”
“Although it may seem quite rude to say this, I genuinely feel that a place like Hailusi Group may not be suitable for someone like you, Mr. Andy.” In fact, she should say that Mr. Andy is not at all suited for this line of work; he’s a bit too kind and naïve.
The young man was momentarily taken aback by her words. He didn’t immediately show any signs of anger, disappointment, or offense; he simply appeared somewhat dazed.
Jiang Hui calmly said her goodbyes and was about to hang up when she suddenly heard him say something. Unable to help herself, she smiled before ending the communication.
“I feel the same way.”