Chapter 164: The Urge to Leave

I helplessly stepped away from the sofa, walked up to my bedroom door, and asked Fan Yunting inside, "What is it with you now?" Then, I suddenly heard a familiar, heart-stirring moan emanate from within. My face instantly grew hot, and I immediately understood why Fan Yunting had called me in.

Inside, Fan Yunting called out again, "Tang Qian... come in quickly, I... I beg you!"

I didn't dare to answer. This Fan Yunting was truly audacious, actually daring to do such a thing right inside my bedroom... Flushing red, I hurried back to the sofa, pulling the quilt up and over my head to shield myself. What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over; what the ear doesn't hear, the mind remains clear!

Hiding under the quilt, I couldn't hear a thing, and I tried my best not to think about what was happening inside the bedroom. I kept telling myself: I must remain calm, I cannot make a mistake...

I know not how much time passed, but in a hazy daze, I finally fell asleep.

Early the next morning, I snapped awake from my dream. Opening my eyes, I found my bedroom door wide open. I got off the sofa and went over to check, but Fan Yunting was already gone.

From then on, whenever I saw General Manager Fan at the company, her attitude toward me changed from previous affection to polite distance. Apart from matters strictly related to work, she no longer had any excessive contact with me. I knew she was still angry with me, but there was nothing I could do.

Qian Xiaolei's attitude toward me also became extremely aloof. Unless strictly necessary, she never spoke an extra word to me. Company employees are exceptionally sensitive. Sensing that both the general manager and the chief financial officer no longer seemed to pay attention to me, they assumed I had fallen out of favor and lost my authority within the company. Consequently, rumors and gossip began to spread, more or less, and no one respected me as they once did.

At first, I endured it, because rumors are, after all, just rumors. I was still the company's deputy general manager, and Director Fan and Qian Xiaolei had their own reasons for ignoring me. I didn't think this would affect my standing in the company.

However, as days turned into weeks, this kind of cold indifference was simply unbearable. Eventually, it escalated to the point where employees from departments outside my jurisdiction refused to follow my instructions. I couldn't even get them to help me move some items anymore.

These people were truly mercenary! I was no gossipmonger, nor was I some naive greenhorn. I wouldn't stoop to their level, nor would I go running to Director Fan to complain. But my heart had grown cold, and the urge to leave had already taken root.

Shortly after the Spring Festival, I arranged to meet with Zhao Yanjin to discuss the possibility of us both striking out on our own. Having learned from past mistakes, I swore never to collaborate with women in business again. Zhao Yanjin shared the exact same sentiment, and we hit it off immediately. Our only limitation was our restricted capital; we couldn't afford to start a large-scale manufacturing enterprise like Leafy Fragrance. Yet, aside from researching beverages, I knew nothing else. What specifically we should do next gave me a real headache.

Of course, had I been willing, I could have borrowed money from my father-in-law, or even stepped directly into the senior management tier of the Huasheng Group. But I possessed that stubborn pride of mine. I was completely unwilling to bask in Old Man Hua's reflected glory.

After consulting with Zhao Yanjin, I found he had around two hundred thousand in savings (given that we were both sales representatives, I truly had no idea where he managed to amass that kind of money). Combined with my four hundred thousand in savings, plus the proceeds from selling my old house and car, the two of us could pool together a little over one million. It wasn't a massive sum, but it was more than enough to set up a small company.

The only remaining question was: once our company was established, what business should we operate? Zhao Yanjin was much quicker-witted and resourceful than I was in this regard. I left the planning entirely up to him, while my role was strictly to provide the capital.

In the first half of 2003, a sudden and unexpected plague swept across all of Asia. China became one of the hardest-hit high-incidence areas for this disease known as atypical pneumonia, and the city where I lived was not spared either. According to incomplete statistics, the city had a total of seventeen suspected cases, five confirmed cases, and a fatality had occurred not long ago. Overnight, every citizen in the city felt a sense of impending crisis. Streets and alleys were deserted, and people dared not venture outside casually. When going out was absolutely unavoidable, they wore thick face masks, terrified of inadvertently inhaling the virus. Many enterprises and institutions suspended operations and production; after all, human life remained paramount. The entire city was placed in a semi-enclosed state, with vehicles and personnel entering and leaving subjected to strict inspections, leading to immediate quarantine at the slightest sign of trouble.

The plans I had discussed with Zhao Yanjin were delayed because of this plague, though I wasn't in any particular rush. Things at the company hadn't reached a point where I truly couldn't stay.

However, not long after, right at the height of the epidemic, Director Fan called an emergency meeting to announce that the entire company would be on leave starting that very day, with all workshops halting production until the disaster passed and normal operations could resume. That day, because my father was feeling unwell, I hadn't gone to work in order to take care of the old man, and thus missed the resolution. The strangest thing was that absolutely no one had bothered to notify me, so when I went to work the next morning, I discovered to my shock that the vast, sprawling company was completely empty.

Alarmed, I called my secretary, Zhang Lanlan, and asked her what was going on. Zhang Lanlan replied with equal puzzlement, "Wasn't the office notice sent to you? I thought you had already been informed, so I didn't call you myself."

I immediately called the head of the general office and demanded to know why such a major matter hadn't been communicated to me. The office head claimed he didn't know the specifics, explaining that the notice had been issued by his subordinate employees and suggesting I might have been accidentally overlooked!

I put down the phone, a chill freezing my heart. Forgotten by accident—me, a dignified deputy general manager of the company? This was utterly preposterous! I finally understood: my standing within the company had plummeted to such a negligible, dismissive degree!

Trembling with rage, the urge to leave that had been simmering within me solidified completely at that moment. I picked up the phone once more and dialed Fan Yunting's mobile number. "Hello?" Fan Yunting's voice came through, sounding as though she had just woken up.

I took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing my anger, and spoke in as calm a tone as possible: "Director Fan, I'm sorry to disturb you. There's something I need to inform you about—I've decided to resign. Once the company resumes work, I will formally submit my resignation letter to you."

On the other end of the line, Fan Yunting snapped wide awake instantly. "What? You're resigning? Tang Qian, what kind of joke are you playing?"

I said gravely, "I am not joking! I am dead serious. The company is now on the right track, and the R&D department is brimming with talent; they no longer need me to worry about things. I've decided to leave the company and go out on my own. Director Fan, over the past year and more, we've started this venture together and weathered many storms. I've found it both joyful and fulfilling. But no feast lasts forever, and everyone has their own aspirations; sooner or later, we were bound to part ways. Now I feel the time has come to say goodbye, so I'm calling to ask for your support!"

"I do not agree! I do not support this! Tang Qian, cut the crap. Do your wings feel stiff now, so you think you can fly away? You want to abandon us and wash your hands of this? Let me tell you, not a chance in hell!"

I was taken aback, not expecting this kind of attitude from Fan Yunting, and replied, "I was merely informing you out of courtesy; actually, you don't have the right to veto it. Well, I won't disturb you any longer. Let's discuss the details in full when work resumes!"

"Tang Qian, wait a second..." Without waiting to hear more, I hung up the receiver.

A few seconds later, the office phone began to ring. Too weary to answer it, I turned around and walked out of the company. Just as I got downstairs and stepped into my car, my cell phone started ringing. Pulling it out, I saw it was Fan Yunting calling again. Fearing that if I answered I wouldn't be able to stop myself from getting into a screaming match with her, I ignored it, started the car, and drove away.

However, the ringing refused to stop. Growing irritated, I pressed the power button and simply turned the phone off.

Back home, there was nothing much to do, so I watched TV for a while. All the major stations were broadcasting reports about SARS. Before long, finding it uninteresting, I turned off the television and prepared to get some rest.

Right at that moment, my doorbell rang. I walked over and swung the door open to find Fan Yunting standing there, seething with anger. The moment she saw me open the door, she demanded, "Tang Qian, what is the meaning of this? Why didn't you answer my calls?"

A bit startled, I could only say, "It's so dangerous outside right now, what on earth made you run over here?"

Fan Yunting raged, "How could I not run over here? You deliberately turned off your phone and wouldn't answer my calls—did you want to scare me to death?"

I sighed and said, "Come inside. Let's talk things over properly, don't get so worked up!"

Fan Yunting strode inside, tossed her handbag onto the sofa, and glared at me with her hands on her hips. "I can calm down on one condition: you give me a clear explanation right now. Why on earth are you suddenly resigning?"

I closed the door and went to pour her a glass of water. Handing it to her, I said, "Let's sit down and talk." Fan Yunting snatched the cup, sat down angrily on the sofa, and declared, "If you don't give me a satisfactory explanation today, don't expect me to let you off the hook. Go ahead, speak!"

I sat down opposite her, paused to collect my thoughts, and then said, "Director Fan, I've already explained the general situation over the phone. A friend and I plan to establish a new company, so I cannot stay here any longer. I want to try striking out on my own."

Fan Yunting slammed her cup down heavily onto the coffee table and shouted, "What a ridiculous joke! Is Leafy Fragrance not your own company? Weren't you working at Leafy Fragrance for your own benefit?"

I replied, "Even though I have always treated Leafy Fragrance as my own company and worked for it with all my heart and soul, the reality is that I was still working for you. When the company was founded, I didn't invest a single penny; I have no qualification to be the owner of this company!"

"But you have the technology! Didn't I tell you that you could take a thirty percent stake based on your technical contribution?" Fan Yunting said anxiously.

I looked at her and slowly continued, "The company no longer relies on my technology now. Haven't you noticed that I basically stopped heading the R&D work long ago? The experts in the R&D department are all more skilled than I am; the company seems to run just fine without me. Furthermore, even though my technology previously earned money for the company, the rewards the company gave me were extremely generous—providing me with a house, a car, and savings. I am already very satisfied and don't covet that thirty percent equity. Therefore, the company owes me nothing, and I am certainly not its master. When all is said and done, this company remains yours; it is the fruit of your blood and sweat."

Losing her temper, Fan Yunting threw all pretense of gentility to the wind. "Crap! What satisfied? If you were satisfied, would you still want to leave? Do you feel like the company has mistreated you? If there's anything you're unsatisfied with, you can just bring it up! How about this: I'll give you a fifty-one percent stake and make you the general manager. Would that finally satisfy you? Would you still want to leave then?"