Tomorrow as Bright as Day – Chapter 17
Chapter 17
The way the other person addressed her suggested that they weren’t close.
Perhaps they’d only met once before.
Ming Xi stopped walking and slowly turned around, lifting her gaze toward the person who had called her name. A pleasant smile rose to her lips as she greeted the well-dressed, successful-looking man standing not far away.
It turned out to be the head of Haiou Foreign Trade.
“—Happy New Year, Mr. He!” Ming Xi took two steps forward, proactively greeting him.
Then she kept a meter between them—her chin slightly lifted, her demeanor respectful yet composed, showing both courtesy and the poised restraint of a professional woman. Mr. He had been the boss of the first company she’d ever interviewed with; by reason and sentiment alike, he deserved a measure of respect beyond that shown to strangers. But since she no longer sought a job there, there was no need to be overly deferential and lose her composure.
Ming Xi measured her distance with care. The man, however, did not. Taking three steps closer, he closed the space between them—close enough to be familiar, even intrusive.
“So you’re working at Longmao Parkway?” He Yuan accepted her greeting and asked.
Ming Xi looked up to see He Yuan’s gaze on her, a mixture of surprise and delight. In truth, she and this Mr. He, one of Haiou’s partners, had only met during the interview. They were hardly acquaintances; not even as familiar as she was with Mr. Huang, the other partner at Haiou, who had at least visited Yicheng once.
She hadn’t expected that Mr. He, after just one encounter, would not only remember her but even call her by name.
“Yes, I started two weeks ago,” Ming Xi replied respectfully, her smile fading awkwardly.
“Ah, I’d been waiting for your reply, you know. What a pity! Didn’t expect you’d already joined Longmao Parkway. Still, that’s good, very good. Get some training at a big company first—once you start in business again, you’ll find it much easier.” He Yuan spoke breezily, brimming with self-assurance, as if it were inevitable she’d one day come work for him after all.
Naturally, Ming Xi didn’t reject the hint of an offer. Whether people approached her out of goodwill, self-interest, or ulterior motives—it all stemmed from her own value. She wouldn’t say she’d welcome everyone, but she also wouldn’t shut the door on anyone.
He Yuan was indeed very interested in Ming Xi. He took out a business card from his suit pocket and handed it to her.
“This is my personal card. Keep it. You can talk to me whenever you have any ideas.” He Yuan said.
Ming Xi accepted it with a polite smile and replied, “I’m sorry, Mr. He, I don’t have a card yet. I’m currently working in the imported menswear section at Longmao Parkway. A successful and elegant person like you must be a regular customer of Longmao. When the season changes and you need to update your wardrobe, please think of me!”
Whatever she said, she never missed a chance to promote herself.
“That goes without saying! I’m just a little busy right now—” He Yuan raised his wrist, looking at her with amusement, and said, “Otherwise I’d go place a few orders with you this minute. It’s year’s end—everyone should make a fortune.”
Ming Xi’s face was filled with smiles, becoming more and more friendly and charming: “Mr. He is so magnanimous and kind, you’re sure to make a fortune and continue to make a fortune. I’ll just count on you for a tiny share of the luck.”
Her manner was charming, her words pleasant to the ear. Pleased, He Yuan gave her one more satisfied look before finally taking his leave. As he went, he left her a promise: “Alright, alright, I’ll look for you next time! If I don’t, give me a call—I’ll come no matter how busy I am.”
“Thank you, Mr. He. Goodbye, Mr. He. Take care, Mr. He,” Ming Xi said her farewells three times in a row, and only turned away when she saw He Yuan walking away.
The genial smile on her face vanished instantly, as if it had never been there.
Not far away stood two large potted sago palms, lush and tall enough to block the view. Behind them was the Zhongjin Towere’s lobby lounge, with two rows of sofas and coffee tables for receiving visiting guests.
Liang Jiancheng sat there, patiently waiting for a supplier from Ning City.
It was New Year’s Eve, and traffic was raging everywhere at Haigang. The supplier from Ning City had already been stuck in traffic for half an hour.
So Liang Jiancheng sat there waiting for half an hour as well.
He didn’t mind. For someone as busy as he was, waiting offered a rare moment to organize his thoughts—about both work and life. Work was his company, Xinghai, and how it should develop next year: whether to acquire another factory for reserves and production capacity. Life was the “matter of marriage,” which Old Liang never ceased to warn him to approach with caution.
He was driven and risk-averse when it came to work, so he had no worries. Xinghai had made substantial profits this year, all of which he could reinvest into expanding equipment.
As for marriage… he had no idea. He couldn’t understand why Old Liang, whose own marriage had failed, could speak so confidently on the subject. Was a failed marriage also a kind of experience?
Earlier, when Ming Xi had gone up the elevator carrying two shopping bags, Liang Jiancheng had noticed her—but hadn’t recognized her at first. Only when she came back down empty-handed, and Mr. He from Haiou called out to her, and she approached to exchange polite words—
Did Liang Jiancheng slowly realize who she was.
Throughout the exchange, Ming Xi’s smile remained warm and graceful. She met Mr. He’s gaze with polite attentiveness, responding to him with practiced ease as he chatted on and eventually handed her a business card. She tucked it neatly into her pocket; but the moment she turned away, her smile disappeared.
Liang Jiancheng watched the whole thing, feeling both amused and surprised.
He had last seen her in Yicheng, and they had only spoken on the phone twice since she came to Haigang, never in person. As a result, his impression and feelings about her remained stuck in Yicheng.
No matter how bold or clever she was, in his mind she was still the “female student” his father had once looked after. And once that label took root, it left no room for him to see her through any lens of gender or attraction.
But now, watching her talk with He Yuan, he could clearly sense it—Ming Xi had become a woman.
Even though, as a woman, she was still very young.
What’s the difference between a girl and a woman? In Henry’s words, a girl would cry and beg a man for candy, but a woman would use candy to swindle all the money out of a man’s pocket.
The way she smiled at He Yuan—so warm, so radiant—her smile had almost become her weapon. Everyone loves money, regardless of gender. You could even say money is a form of fluid power, and everyone wants more—to gain more power in society.
The poor chase survival; the rich chase influence.
He had a different perspective from Henry. Whether it was a girl or a woman, as long as they were courageous and resourceful, one should not view them with gender-based bias. Money was simply a resource of society; earning it didn’t discriminate between men and women; only about the means.
It was precisely because he understood himself to be a profit-driven man at the top that he had accepted his mother’s arrangement for blind dates.
His mother, after all, was a woman who excelled at weighing gains and losses.
After accepting his mother’s arrangement last year, he met six outstanding women. They had different figures and faces, but their manners, education, and family backgrounds were all alike—refined, proper, and unsurprising.
In the end, he chose Zhang Min.
The reason was simple. Of his six blind date candidates, she dressed the most conservatively yet stylishly, and her speech was gentle, logical, and well-organized.
The icing on the cake was that Zhang Min was… not unattractive.
He chose Zhang Min, knowing that Gu Shuangyang wasn’t entirely pleased and she clearly had another favorite among the candidates. After all, the Zhang family’s influence ended with Zhang Min’s father—it had been declining ever since. The family had poured everything into giving Zhang Min the chance to study abroad.
So his choice, rather than being the most advantageous, had in fact been guided by a trace of personal feeling.
Weigh the pros and cons first, then consider emotion. This was his way of doing things.
Gu Shuangyang was his mother, and no one knew a son better than his mother, so she understood him. This was why his mother, though she wasn’t fully satisfied, began encouraging Yang Minwen to actively interact with the Zhang family.
Yang Minwen, a native of Yicheng, had once been his father’s student and was now his mother’s husband.
Emotions were always the hardest to untangle. But speaking strictly of facts—his mother was indeed a woman of both charm and capability.
…
After Ming Xi left the Zhongjun Tower, Liang Jiancheng soon left the lobby as well.
When he returned to the office, Maggie handed him two clothing bags and said softly, “These were delivered by a saleswoman from Longmao Parkway.”
Maggie deliberately omitted Ming Xi’s name.
Liang Jiancheng didn’t ask either. He already knew who had sent them.
The office was especially lively that afternoon—he had arranged a company dinner that evening. Hosting a year-end banquet for staff on New Year’s Eve was practically a local tradition among Haigang’s business owners.
Though Xinghai was a young company, its performance in the past six months had been remarkable, and so the banquet would be a grand one—set in the best five-star hotel nearby.
Everyone in the company was in high spirits—except Maggie, who looked distracted, self-reproachful, and downcast.
She used to be a confident and outspoken person, why did she become like this? Liang Jiancheng was not a fool, he could more or less understand.
After returning from Guangzhou, he had reassigned Maggie to the logistics department, removing her from her post as his assistant. She hadn’t objected—but her work since then had been riddled with mistakes. At this point, it wasn’t a matter of the job being unsuitable; she simply no longer fit in at Xinghai.
He called Maggie into his office. Calmly, neatly, he unlocked the safe, took out a thick stack of bills, and placed them on the desk.
Old Liang used to say he’d already acquired the airs of a big boss. In fact, as a leader, he adhered to the attitude of impartiality, which was the best for him and his subordinates. When he first started his business, he was still too immature and treated his employees as comrades and friends.
“Miss Jiang, thank you for your hard work these past six months. This is your well-deserved year-end bonus. Normally, bonuses are processed after the holidays, but here’s ten thousand—no less than what you’re owed. I’m paying it to you in advance.” Liang Jiancheng began, already using the most tactful way to convey his intention to dismiss her.
Byron’s words already clear enough, Maggie, no fool, immediately understood what he meant. She stared at the man who had sat back down, in disbelief and embarrassment.
“Byron…”
“You should call me Mr. Liang.”
“Okay, Mr. Liang.” Maggie bit her lip, her voice caught slightly as her gaze lingered on his composed face—her heart breaking all over again.
Liang Jiancheng had always been gentle, the kind of boss who never lost his temper. But at his core, he was calm and detached, capable of handling personal matters with the same businesslike precision as a corporate deal. Once he made up his mind, he left no room for reversal.
That was why Maggie didn’t beg right away.
Because once a decision was made, Liang Jiancheng never changed it. No boss liked employing someone ruled by emotion—and worse, when that emotion was directed at him.
When Liang Jiancheng had called her “Miss Jiang” earlier, Maggie’s heart had already shattered into pieces, not to mention the fact that Liang Jiancheng had simply kicked her out. He was used to calling employees by their English names, and had always called her Maggie or Meiqian. She didn’t like her Chinese name, so she’d emphasized it once, and he’d just called her Maggie.
Maggie came from a good family and was bold by nature. From the start, she’d never called him “Mr. Liang,” but by his English name, “Byron.” He had corrected her twice, and when she didn’t change, he let it pass—assuming it was a language habit.
Now she couldn’t understand how this gentle, respectful Byron could be so utterly heartless toward her.
“…Can’t I at least transfer to another department?” she finally asked, her voice trembling—not so much pleading as negotiating.
Liang Jiancheng smiled with calm civility, his words measured and realistic: “I believe in your ability and your qualifications. If you stay focused, you’ll do well in any company.”
He spoke with perfect tact—yet left not a sliver of room for negotiation.
Stayed focused. Those words told her everything—he knew.
He knew not only her actions but also her feelings.
Maggie suddenly became agitated and blurted out, “Byron, since you can choose Zhang Min, why can’t it be me?”
Liang Jiancheng was stunned. His pupils contracted as he looked at Jiang Meiqian in disbelief. He couldn’t understand—why would she even think that way? Why would he choose her? Did she think there were only two women on this planet? Was he supposed to pick one of his subordinates as his future wife? Had he lost his mind completely?
Maggie, however, didn’t see it that way, and arrogantly stated her reasoning, “Is Zhang Min prettier me? Don’t you think she’s ugly?”
“…What?” he snapped.
Even though Liang Jiancheng and Zhang Min hadn’t developed deep feelings yet and weren’t formally engaged, he would never allow a soon-to-be ex-employee to speak that way about his fiancée.
“Do you think you’re beautiful?”
Maggie spoke confidently, but Liang Jiancheng replied with a cold, scrutinizing tone. Normally, Liang Jiancheng wouldn’t comment on a woman’s appearance, as it was considered extremely rude. But Jiang Meiqian’s harsh words were a deeply malicious attack on Zhang Min. He couldn’t pretend he didn’t hear them.
“What…?” Now it was Maggie’s turn to stare at him in disbelief, struck speechless.
What could have ended as a civil farewell between boss and employee had now completely soured. Liang Jiancheng’s composure cracked just slightly, his lips curling with disdain. Even if his words weren’t vulgar, they completely crushed the confidence of a beautiful woman.
“I chose Zhang Min because she’s my type—not someone like you,” he said, flatly, cutting off every last shred of fantasy she might have had.
Maggie finally shook her head in despair, unable to stop her eyes from reddening. She realized now—Liang Jiancheng truly had no personal feelings for her. But she was not just his assistant, she was Xinghai’s first employee.
When he left Shuangyang Electronics to start his own business, she, a top student from Haigang University of Finance and Trade, had abandoned a large state-owned enterprise like Shuangyang Electronics to join his company, a company with an uncertain future. Why had she done that? For money? For her career? No. She did it for him!
And, as luck would have it, things had gone well. After Xinghai Foreign Trade was founded, orders came pouring in under Liang Jiancheng’s leadership. Her earnings in six months far exceeded what she’d made at Shuangyang. Xinghai was thriving—and would only continue to grow.
Somewhere along the way, Maggie began to believe she’d “chosen the right man.” She thought she was on her way to achieve success in both love and career. Eventually, she thought, Liang Jiancheng would come to understand her feelings. She was beautiful, pursued by many, and came from a good family.
There was no reason for him not to choose her.
People truly prone to superstition. This year her zodiac sign was in conflict with the , and as soon as the millennium began, she encountered numerous setbacks.
First, she learned Liang Jiancheng planned to marry Zhang Min. Then, that girl Ming Xi appeared—someone she’d dismissed like a poor, unsophisticated relative from the countryside—only for things to backfire spectacularly.
“Byron, I honestly feel sorry for your taste. After choosing and picking, you picked such a plastic surgery product. You probably don’t even know—her double eyelids and nose are fake. She used to be so ugly. I should know—I was her classmate in middle school.” Maggie was desperate and blurted out a few more shocking words.
Liang Jiancheng was truly shocked, so stunned he stood up from his chair.
“The most beautiful thing about a woman isn’t her face—it’s her character,” he told Jiang Meiqian.
Maggie, however, refused to believe his nonsense and scoffed, “That’s what men expect of their wives, not their lovers.”
Liang Jiancheng was utterly disappointed and didn’t want to say more.
Maggie lifted her head high and actually smiled, looking at Liang Jiancheng while saying, “If you don’t want me as your wife, I can be your lover. You’re handsome—I wouldn’t be losing out.”
Liang Jiancheng closed his eyes, the muscles in his eyelids twitching.
Maggie had completely lost control, her words tumbling out unchecked.
“I’ll tell you the truth. I followed you because I wanted to sleep with you. You acted affectionately to seduce women, but when someone falls for you, you don’t even let them near! I thought maybe you had… issues. But now you’ve got a fiancée—and it’s Zhang Min! I honestly think there’s something wrong with your head!”
Liang Jiancheng’s face went pale, his hand pressed flat on the desk. He could only laugh—helplessly, furiously—at the absurdity of it all.
Originally, he could have tolerated an emotional outburst of a person who was just got fired. But the problem was not about work—this was personal matters.
Liang Jiancheng stood up straight. For once, he abandoned his gentlemanly restraint. Pointing at her, then lowering his hand, he said icily, “Miss Jiang, you may have graduated, but your mind is still stuck in kindergarten. I suggest you go back there for a few more years—to relearn basic morals.”
Maggie’s open and headstrong nature didn’t mean she had no pride. Being insulted like that broke what was left of her composure. Tears welled in her large, expressive eyes as she cried out, both hurt and indignant:
“Byron, I no longer expect you to like me. But as someone who did like you, I’ll give you a piece of advice—Zhang Min is a very boring woman. She’s not nearly as kind and virtuous as she pretends to be. You think you’ve chosen the safest, smartest woman, and you’re so smug about your ‘good judgment’. But maybe she’s just the best liar of them all.”
“…”
Liang Jiancheng was speechless, unwilling to have any more communication. He turned his back and gestured toward the door, signaling her to leave.
After things had gone that far, Maggie had no choice but to go.
“When you first hired me at Xinghai—what was the reason? Wasn’t it because I was beautiful and confident?” This was Maggie’s last question. Liang Jiancheng’s earlier words—‘Do you think you’re beautiful?’—was what Maggie could not accept the most, so she had to get her answer.
Liang Jiancheng looked at her, weary and cold, and replied, enunciating each word: “Your beauty could’ve been your weapon. But you chose to use it on someone who never admired it. Maggie, you’re the one who’s blind.”
Hah. Since they both felt that the other was blind, Maggie no longer lingered. She glanced at the ten thousand yuan on the table, left it untouched, and walked straight out of Liang Jiancheng’s office—head held high.
She didn’t even show up at the company’s year-end banquet that night.
Fine, she thought. Let’s see how good his taste in women really is.