"What, are you afraid I've fallen for Guo Xiaoyan and won't want you anymore?"
Chu Lingtian vaguely sensed a hint of jealousy in Liu Bingxue's question and retorted playfully.
Liu Bingxue shot him a disdainful glance and said, "Afraid? Heh, Chu Lingtian, don't think that just because you saved me, or because we've slept together, and I even gave you my first time as a woman, I'll have any lingering feelings for you. I told you long ago, we are two people from different worlds, and we can never be together. You should give up on this idea as soon as possible."
Chu Lingtian smiled calmly. He knew that in Liu Bingxue's eyes, he was just a skilled brute. Their personalities, values, and outlooks were incompatible, making it impossible for them to be together.
Of course, Chu Lingtian didn't force things. He believed that matters of the heart should happen naturally.
However, hearing Liu Bingxue say that she didn't know Guo Xiaoyan had been sent to collect debts from Sanhe Company, and that she had severely punished Peng Xia afterwards, Chu Lingtian felt that this cold, domineering female CEO wasn't so bad. At least she wasn't a wicked woman.
"Right, since you say that, should I get a raise or something? After all, I saved your life. Otherwise, you might have been kidnapped by now and subjected to all sorts of abuses."
Chu Lingtian grinned.
"A raise? You have the nerve to ask for a raise? Before you started working for the company, you promised me that you would abide by the company's rules and regulations and follow the company's arrangements. But what have you done? You've only been here for a few days, and you've caused trouble almost every day. The fact that I haven't fired you is already the greatest tolerance I can show."
Liu Bingxue was angered by Chu Lingtian's request for a raise, her ample chest heaving, and she spoke in an enraged tone.
Chu Lingtian chuckled and said, "Do you need to get so worked up? It feels like giving me a raise would cost you your life. Or are all you bosses so stingy and miserly? Besides, I promised you that I would only follow reasonable rules and arrangements. Those that are unreasonable, I won't. For example, if scumbag Zhang Tao dares to harass Guo Xiaoyan again, I will continue to deal with him."
"You... you did save me from the kidnappers this time, but I can't give you a raise. I can give you some personal compensation. Also, the matter of me being kidnapped must be kept a secret. My parents, my sister, and no one else in the company must know!"
Liu Bingxue thought for a moment and instructed Chu Lingtian.
"Alright, then how much compensation are you prepared to give me?"
Chu Lingtian understood Liu Bingxue's intentions. She didn't want her parents and sister Liu Huohuo to know about her kidnapping to prevent them from worrying unnecessarily. She didn't want the company's employees to know to avoid causing panic within the company.
"Five thousand yuan."
Liu Bingxue replied.
"Only five thousand yuan? I saved your life, and you're thanking me with five thousand yuan? Is your life only worth five thousand yuan?"
Chu Lingtian asked, dejected.
Liu Bingxue frowned and said angrily, "Do you think I have a lot of money? I don't. The money belongs to the company. I have to pay employee salaries every month, and I need funds for developing new projects. If I were truly that wealthy, I wouldn't be living with my parents."
"So you're as poor as I am. It seems that what those big bosses say is true. Everyone thinks you company bosses are rich, but in reality, you're all broke and in debt."
Chu Lingtian shook his head.
"It's good that you know. It's easy to talk when you're not in my shoes. Do you know how difficult and tiring it is to be a company president? Every morning when I wake up, there are so many people I need to support. Don't look at many bosses living in villas and driving luxury cars; most of them are deeply in debt to banks and have headaches every day. Being able to privately give you five thousand yuan is already quite generous."
Liu Bingxue stared fiercely at Chu Lingtian with her beautiful eyes, thinking that her values were truly incompatible with this man's.
"Fine, five thousand it is. Send it to me on WeChat."
Although Chu Lingtian wasn't interested in money, it was indeed inconvenient to be without some cash in the modern urban life.
Suddenly, Liu Bingxue's expression changed, and she stared intently at Chu Lingtian, asking, "The mysterious man in the underground parking lot stairway who tried to attack me with a needle filled with knockout drugs last time, you knocked him out, didn't you?"
"Yes."
Chu Lingtian thought about it. The situation had reached this point; no matter how he tried to conceal it, it was futile.
Liu Bingxue pressed on, "Then why didn't you admit it before?"
"I didn't want to cause trouble. And as you said yourself, if I were really that capable, I wouldn't need to apply to be a security guard."
Chu Lingtian shrugged, replying calmly.
"I truly didn't expect your skills to be so formidable. It's completely unlike the strength an ordinary former soldier would possess."
Liu Bingxue's eyes were fixed on Chu Lingtian. She suddenly felt that this seemingly carefree, not-so-capable ordinary man was not as simple as he appeared.
"Actually, former soldiers are generally quite skilled. This is because they undergo rigorous training in the military every day, making it difficult not to be stronger than ordinary people. However, to achieve a higher rank or position is very difficult. It not only requires strong personal ability but also a powerful family background or help from benefactors in the military. Otherwise, most people just serve a few years and retire. I am just one of those who retired."
Chu Lingtian said this deliberately to prevent Liu Bingxue from suspecting his true identity due to his formidable combat prowess.
Liu Bingxue nodded. She believed Chu Lingtian's words, thinking that this man had indeed honed his skills through his military service. If he had other extraordinary abilities, he certainly wouldn't be applying to be a mere security guard.
"You said you didn't want to admit to saving me in the underground parking lot stairway because you were afraid of trouble. What kind of trouble could that be?"
Liu Bingxue thought for a moment and then asked again.
Chu Lingtian chuckled, "Think about it. If I admitted that I knocked out the mysterious man who saved you, the police would constantly summon me for questioning. They might even make me confront the kidnapper face-to-face. If that guy held a grudge against me, wouldn't my life be in danger?
Besides, if you were to be moved and offer yourself to me again, should I accept or not? And you should know my personality to some extent. I'm a very lazy person. I clock in and out right on time, and during work hours, I sit in the security booth playing mobile games. I have no great ambitions..."
Before he could finish his nonsensical rambling, Chu Lingtian felt the aura around Liu Bingxue change. The ice-cold beauty clenched her fists, and her eyes were filled with rage as she looked at him.
"Hey, what's with that look? What are you trying to do?"
Chu Lingtian was startled and asked Liu Bingxue, who was suddenly on the verge of exploding with anger.