C11 Apologize

Upon returning to Ho's, Tang Xin noticed a significant improvement in how her colleagues treated her. They all knew she had saved the boss, and there was a general consensus that she and Ho Li would naturally grow closer because of it.

Tang Xin maintained her usual diligence at work until a call from the hospital about her deposit interrupted her routine. The amount she had put down for Ling Yue's treatment was insufficient, leaving barely enough to cover his wound care and fever-reducing injections. Without additional payment, they wouldn't even be able to administer today's fever medicine.

She assured the hospital staff that she would settle the bill by noon, thus preventing them from making the drastic decision to discharge Ling Yue. With the urgency of borrowing money bearing down on her, Tang Xin had no time for second thoughts.

"Sister Lin, I need to step out for a bit. Could you keep an eye on things for me?" she asked.

"Of course, go ahead," Sister Lin replied, always accommodating as usual.

Tang Xin headed straight for the 23rd floor via the elevator. Ho Li's secretary had already been informed of her arrival and directed her to his office.

Ho Li anticipated Tang Xin's visit that day and was ready to shame her as a harsh lesson.

After inquiring about the location of Ho Li's office from the secretary, Tang Xin made her way there, oblivious to the secretary's reluctance to speak.

Initially, Tang Xin knocked on the door, but there was no answer. The secretary had assured her that Ho Li was inside. Could he have not heard her?

She knocked again, still receiving no response.

With the hospital's billing department closing at eleven-thirty and the time already ten-thirty, Tang Xin knew she had to borrow the money and return to the hospital within half an hour. She couldn't afford to waste any more time.

Determined, she pushed open the door to the office.

However, she quickly realized her mistake. As the door swung open, she was greeted by the sound of a woman's flirtatious laughter, reminiscent of slowly melting sticky candy.

The woman was nestled close to Ho Li's leg, her neckline plunging so low it suggested the possibility of revealing even more. Her hands, soft and seemingly boneless, rested on the man's leg, her gaze filled with seductive charm.

Upon someone's sudden entrance, the woman's voice carried a mix of embarrassment and irritation. She appeared to frantically adjust her clothes, yet in doing so, she managed to reveal even more of her body. "Who are you? Why didn't you knock before entering?"

Ho Li took pleasure in watching Tang Xin get interrogated by someone who had no business doing so. He simply watched with a cold gaze, offering no assistance.

"I did knock, but you didn't hear me," Tang Xin said, averting her gaze slightly. She hadn't expected to walk in on such a spectacle. To engage in such behavior in the office – was Ho Li no better than an animal? Recalling the beastly things Ho Li had once done to her, she thought the label quite fitting.

"You entered without permission?" The woman, emboldened upon seeing Tang Xin's security uniform, grew more brazen. "Li, how can the company employ someone so lacking in manners?"

Without a second glance at Tang Xin, Ho Li pulled the woman into his arms. "Is that a problem?"

The woman, now in his embrace, complained with a pout, "I'm naturally skittish, and her sudden entrance startled me..."

Tang Xin couldn't help but think the woman missed her calling as an actress. Despite Tang Xin's loud knocking, the woman claimed not to have heard anything, yet she was quick to play the frightened victim, her eyes reddening rapidly.

"Apologize," Ho Li commanded, his words aimed at Tang Xin, though he didn't even look her way.

"Sorry," Tang Xin replied promptly, her head bowed. There was no time for debate. Unlike the woman with her powerful connections, Tang Xin had none. If she didn't secure the money by 11:30, Ling Yue would be facing eviction from the hospital, and she simply couldn't afford to delay.