Gu Nian had never suffered such humiliation in her life. Her face turned cold instantly, but considering the man's status, she didn't dare curse him outright. She could only say angrily,
"President Huo, by age alone, I'm at least your elder. How can you toy with me like this? You were the one who said that as long as I drank the alcohol, you'd help me."
Huo Ze let out a scornful laugh.
"An elder? In front of me? You think you're worthy of that title? And are you deaf? I said I'd consider helping you if you drank. You did drink, yes—but I've considered it, and I don't want to help you. Of course," he added lazily, "if you're willing to throw away that old face of yours and go dance out there, I'll definitely help."
Whether it actually worked or not—well, that wasn't something he guaranteed.
"You… you're going too far!" Gu Nian snapped.
"Yes, I am bullying you. So what?" Huo Ze said casually. "You haven't bullied others enough yourself? And you still have the nerve to accuse me—pot calling the kettle black. Have some shame. Dance if you want, or get lost if you don't. And if you ruin my mood, I have plenty of ways to make your Mo Nian Software go straight to hell."
Gu Nian clenched her fists tightly. She couldn't understand how she had offended this man so deeply that he would humiliate her like this.
But a fierce dragon couldn't overpower the local snake. She endured it again and again—then, seething with anger, turned and left.
No sooner had she gone than Huo Ze walked out of the room and pushed open the door to the neighboring suite.
A smile curved his lips as he looked at Mo Tingyan, who was leisurely swirling a glass of red wine.
"Big brother, how did I do just now? Satisfying enough?"
Mo Tingyan replied indifferently, "Not bad. You can push a little harder next time."
Huo Ze sat down beside him, puzzled.
"But big brother, the Mo family people are so disgusting. Why don't we just crush Mo Nian Software in one go? Why toy with them like this?"
A cold, ruthless glint flashed through Mo Tingyan's eyes.
"If they lose everything too easily, what's the fun in that? The pain and despair others have suffered—they should experience it too. Trapped between life and death, begging but unable to escape—that's the best revenge."
Huo Ze's eyes gleamed with mischief.
"Got it. Don't worry, big brother. Toying with people is what I'm best at."
Mo Tingyan nodded, said nothing more, set down his glass, and stood up to leave.
Jiang Nanzhong sucked in a breath.
"You've barely had two drinks—why are you leaving already? You haven't been drinking much with us lately."
Mo Tingyan glanced back at them, raising an eyebrow with a mocking smile.
"Going home. To keep my wife company. My wife can work out with me—what use are you two?"
The two men on the sofa: "..."
After Mo Tingyan left, Huo Ze clicked his tongue and turned to Jiang Nanzhong.
"Don't you think big brother is way too attentive to Wen Zhi? Could it be… he's getting serious?"
Jiang Nanzhong raised an eyebrow toward the door, thinking to himself:
I'm more afraid that someone's already serious without realizing it—and has completely forgotten why he married her in the first place.
To ensure normal airline operations, Jiang Airlines' team-building activities were organized by groups.
Two cabin crews were paired together for a two-day, one-night camping trip. The destination wasn't far—Jingzhou Forest Park, just next to Jiang City.
By the time the bus arrived, it was already nine in the morning. Everyone bustled about, setting up tents in the open area at the foot of the mountain.
Wen Zhi was never particularly sociable, so she pitched her tent on the outer edge. Mo Tingyan, on the other hand, was surrounded in the center.
At ten-thirty, the team leader gathered everyone and explained the rules.
There would be three competitions over the two days and one night, each with prizes.
First place: 8,000 yuan.
Second place: a 10-gram gold bar.
Third place: a 5-gram gold bar.
The moment the prizes were announced, everyone exploded with excitement. Ever since the new boss took over, the benefits were amazing.
Wen Zhi was especially interested in the rewards—that was exactly why she had signed up for the team-building trip.
The morning event was a run around the forest park. The men started 500 meters later than the women. Wen Zhi gave it her all, but still only placed fifth.
What comforted her was that Mo Tingyan took first place.
At lunch, Mo Tingyan sent her a message, shamelessly fishing for praise.
Rarely good with compliments, Wen Zhi still replied,
"You did great today. Keep it up this afternoon—let's win more prize money to take home."
In the afternoon came the shooting competition. Teams of two; the partners of the top three teams would then compete against each other, and the winner would take all the prize money.
As soon as the rules were announced, the co-pilot tried to team up with Mo Tingyan, but Mo Tingyan refused without hesitation.
He was excellent at shooting and planned to team up with that little money-lover to help her win first place.
He spotted Wen Zhi standing at the outer edge of the crowd and walked toward her.
But to his surprise, Wen Zhi shook her head at him and turned away, deliberately avoiding his gaze.
He should understand what I mean, Wen Zhi thought.
There were prizes for the top three. She was decent at shooting too—worth a try. As long as one of them made it into the top three, they'd get money.
Just as she was about to find a partner, the co-pilot from the neighboring group walked over, smiling shyly.
"Wen Zhi, I see you're alone too. Want to team up with me?"
Mo Tingyan was only three or four meters behind her, and he heard clearly as Wen Zhi replied briskly,
"Sure. Happy to work together."
Mo Tingyan: "..."
This woman really had guts.
Acting so clean-cut with him in public—very good.
Fuming, Mo Tingyan turned around and quickly teamed up with a female flight attendant from the other crew.
Even after standing beside him, the flight attendant still felt unreal. She never imagined she'd have the honor of teaming up with Captain Mo.
Nervously, she said, "Captain Mo, I… I don't know how to shoot. Will I drag you down?"
Mo Tingyan replied cheerfully, "It's not that hard. Come, I'll teach you."
He handed her the shooting rifle. Standing behind her, his arm close against hers, he pointed toward the distant target.
"Clear your mind. Focus on the center. Look through this small sight—can you see the bullseye?"
The flight attendant nodded, blushing. "Yes."
Mo Tingyan steadied her arm and gave a firm command.
"Pull the trigger."
She did as told. The bullet pierced the target cleanly.
She grabbed Mo Tingyan's arm in excitement, jumping up and down.
"Captain! I hit it! Five rings! You're amazing!"
Mo Tingyan patted her shoulder.
"You're the smart one. You picked it up right away. Well done."
People around them cast curious, appraising glances, but the two continued interacting as if nothing were wrong.
Standing one shooting lane away, Wen Zhi glanced sideways at their "intimate" exchange, her brows knitting together.
A playboy really is a playboy—drawing attention wherever he goes.
But…
Why did it feel so irritating to watch?