Chapter 80: Indispensable

After going downstairs, the blood from Wang Hu’s office had already reached the hallway. Yang Changfeng truly hadn’t held back just now. A security team leader had grabbed an iron rod sharpened to a deadly point from behind the door—had he not acted first, he’d be the one lying there now. Breaking two ribs was a small price to pay. He could have sent Wang Hu straight to the police and let them sort out the mess; he’d even thought out his countermeasures. But what Yang Changfeng hadn’t expected was that Chen Aijia would try to lay down the law for him.

Did she really think he’d serve her like an emperor? He had no intention of playing along.

When they got downstairs, Yang Changfeng finally asked Anya, “Why did you quit?”

Anya was filled with resentment. She recounted what had happened, and Yang Changfeng’s brow furrowed tightly.

Could Chen Aijia really be that unreasonable?

If that was the case, she didn’t deserve his help. He’d stepped in out of goodwill, but in her eyes, he was just a pawn to be discarded. Did she truly believe that without her, the world would have no place for people like him?

What a wretched world—he could only blame himself for being blind enough to cross paths with someone like that.

Deciding not to dwell on it, Yang Changfeng asked, “So, what are you going to do now?”

Anya shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ll rest for a couple of days and then look for another job. What about you? By the way, where are you staying?”

That stumped Yang Changfeng. Where would he stay?

He couldn’t possibly stay at a hotel—what a waste of money.

“My rented place hasn’t been turned over yet, maybe…” Anya said quietly.

Yang Changfeng thought it over—why not? He could make do for a couple of days. Tomorrow, he’d go see Xu Jie’er, hand her the money he’d earned these past few days, and after that, if nothing else, he could always find work at a construction crew. If he was really out of options, he could borrow some money from Sun Zhaoxing and figure out the rest later.

“Let’s go, you should upload your résumé somewhere first.” When it came to practical matters, Anya was more experienced. Seeing Yang Changfeng’s uncertainty, she simply took the lead.

Yang Changfeng agreed. He lit a cigarette, anger still simmering inside him.

Forget it—if his little cousin called again, he’d tell her exactly what kind of person Chen Aijia was. The Yangs might not be a big family, but they weren’t interested in women like her.

Up in the office, Chen Aijia watched from the window as Yang Changfeng and Anya flagged down a taxi and drove away. Her face flushed and then paled, a mix of anger and confusion.

What had she done to offend them?

Was Yang really so angry just because Vice President Su had ordered him to follow the rules? Was he upset she hadn’t taken his side?

But she had to show respect for Vice President Su or she’d never be able to function in the company again.

And Anya—why had she gotten involved? Even if VP Su had criticized her, was that enough to make her so furious?

VP Su seemed to realize, too, that with Yang Changfeng gone, the security department had once again fallen under Wang Hu’s control, and panic set in.

Sure enough, less than half an hour later, Wang Hu and his men stormed into VP Su’s office, and Chen Aijia was left powerless.

Call the police?

She ordered someone to do so, but the police replied that unless someone died, they wanted nothing more to do with the company’s affairs.

“President Chen, give us a way to survive, please, don’t push us to the edge,” a deputy director from the city bureau called her personally to plead.

VP Su was beaten, but more than that, she was scared out of her wits.

She suddenly understood: the company could survive without her, but not without Yang. He was just a junior security captain, but with him around, the company stayed in line, following Chen Aijia’s rules. Without someone to keep these people in check, chaos reigned.

Wang Hu and his men coerced the finance department into handing over three million in cash as their “medical compensation.”

Yang had actually been driven out by Chen and Su working together—how could anyone be so foolish? Wang Hu wanted to burst out laughing.

But he had no intention of staying any longer. Before he left, Wang Hu stood outside Chen Aijia’s office and loudly read out his resignation letter.

It was only a few dozen words:

“Boss, I quit. Take care of yourself. By the way, for all my years of service, I’m taking what’s mine—I withdrew three hundred million from finance, it’ll clear in three days. I hope you won’t stop me. The brothers still have to live. That’s all.”

This was Wang Hu’s most brazen act of defiance.

Call the police! She had to call the police!

Chen Aijia was so furious she nearly blacked out. Only now did she realize that Yang was someone she truly couldn’t do without.

She forgot her pride and immediately dialed Yang Changfeng’s number, but his phone was already switched off.

Wait, there was still Anya.

Anya’s office phone was ringing on the desk next to hers.

In that moment, everything became clear to Chen Aijia. Anya was leaving because she believed Chen intended to treat Yang as a disposable piece. She felt that they were no longer the close friends they once were. Coupled with VP Su’s instigations, Anya believed she’d seen through everything, so she chose to leave for a more stable, ordinary job elsewhere, even if it meant a lower salary.

Yang’s nature was just like that. VP Su tried to force rules on him, and Chen hadn’t supported him, so he quit. That petty bastard, before leaving, would probably warn Sun Zhaoxing that helping the company again would be making an enemy of him. How could someone be so ruthless?

Was he just going to let others walk all over the company?

Tears streamed down her face as Chen Aijia clutched Anya’s work phone, sobbing uncontrollably.

She realized she didn’t even know Anya’s personal number, had never bothered to ask.

No wonder Anya wanted to leave—the real problem lay with her as the boss. Deep down, Chen Aijia didn’t think she’d done anything wrong, but now she understood: her position had always made Anya feel awkward, especially after today’s events.

Pride comes before a fall—perhaps this was her retribution.

VP Su rushed in again. That three hundred million was the seed money for a new project—it couldn’t be allowed to leave with Wang Hu.

“Call Captain Yang back. Give him a raise, give him whatever he wants, as long as he can solve this mess,” VP Su said, her tone completely changed. No more talk of rules. In this giant conglomerate, her authority was meaningless, always had been.

Wang Hu was gone, but his men remained. Without Yang to keep them in check, they were like nuclear warheads—capable of destroying the company.

Chen Aijia felt a profound loneliness. Find him? Where? And if she did, what then?

She had wounded Anya’s heart—she would never return.

A bleak solitude descended on Chen Aijia. The thought that she would have no one left to confide in made her weep even harder.

VP Su gritted her teeth. “I’ll go look. If I find him, I’ll kneel and beg him to come back. As long as they’re willing to return, anything.”

Though Yang had been with the company less than a week, he had become indispensable—the one crucial piece.

At least, until the reorganization was complete, he was the one they couldn’t do without.

Some people are born to be guardians. Wherever they go, that’s what they become.