My Online Girlfriend Has a Twin Sister

Mingzhu City, Hanhai Restaurant.

On the third-floor hallway.

Jiangg Ning stood by the window, phone in hand, talking to a friend.

"Don’t worry, Ning. I’ve already spoken to my dad, and he promised he’d instruct the people at the detention center to look after your mother. She won’t be mistreated."

A clear, pleasant female voice came through the phone.

"Thank you so much, Cui. I’ll get in touch with you some other time to come by and properly thank you and your parents for your help." A rare smile touched Jiangg Ning’s lips, relieved by the news.

"Don’t mention it. We’ve been good friends for years."

"Okay, let’s leave it at that for now, Cui. Let me know when you’re free, and I’ll arrange a time."

"Don’t worry about coming over. Just focus on your mother’s situation first... Bye."

The call ended.

Jiangg Ning let out a long sigh of relief.

Cui had been her classmate for years through junior high and high school. She was a year older, and while they hadn’t kept in close touch, they were still on good terms.

After the Jiangg Family’s troubles began, she had been pulling every string she could. She’d only just heard that Cui’s father had been promoted to a fairly high-ranking position in Mingzhu City. She immediately tracked down Cui’s number, hoping to ask for help in looking after Jiangg Ruxue.

The official was known for his integrity and refused all gifts.

So, Jiangg Ning, understanding the situation, gave the gift to her friend instead.

’Since they’d agreed to help, her mother would surely suffer less.’ The thought brought her some comfort.

This was one of the few pieces of good news she’d had in the days since returning to Mingzhu City.

Jiangg Ning then returned from the hallway to the Cengyunting private room on the third floor and sat down.

Tonight was the time she had scheduled for negotiations with President Qi.

To avoid being at a disadvantage, she had specifically brought along the silver-tongued Mo Nana, as well as a manager from her company and a lawyer she’d hired. There were four of them in total.

They had been waiting since six o’clock in the evening.

Yet there was no sign of President Qi.

About thirty seconds after Jiangg Ning returned to her seat, a waiter knocked on the door and entered.

"Guests, would you like us to serve the food now, or should we wait a while longer?"

"Let’s wait a little longer. I’ll let you know when we’re ready."

"Very well."

The waiter withdrew. Mo Nana, who had been sitting primly the whole time, pursed her lips in annoyance.

"This President Qi is putting on some serious airs. We’ve been waiting for an hour and a half, and there’s been no sign of him at all. Not a peep. Secretary Jiangg, why don’t you give him a call and rush him along?"

"Let’s just wait. Ten more minutes. If he’s still not here by then, I’ll call."

Sensing her friend’s agitation, Jiangg Ning could only try to placate her.

As things stood, they were already in the weaker position coming into this negotiation, like a lump of dough ready to be shaped by another’s hand.

’Even if we act tough, we don’t have the leverage to back it up. How far can we really take this act?’

’For all she knew, the scheming President Qi understood the Jiangg Family’s situation even better than they did. He knew Jiangg Ruxue was cornered, with no choice but to bite the bullet and give up the building.’

And it was an incredibly urgent matter.

Every day the funds didn’t come through and the lawsuit remained unsettled was another day Jiangg Ruxue would have to suffer.

This was precisely the mindset that made it impossible to withstand the pressure of negotiation.

Deliberately making them wait was likely just another one of his pressure tactics.

’In reality, that President Qi was probably champing at the bit to swallow Meiruxue Company whole, without a moment’s hesitation.’

...

「8:03 PM.」

Everyone in the private room had grown weary, exhausted in mind and body from the long wait, when a set of rapid footsteps echoed from the hallway.

Then, the door was pushed open with a CLICK.

A burly man with slicked-back hair, standing well over six feet tall, strode into the room.

He was followed by two other men, both impeccably dressed in suits.

At the sight of him, everyone in the room rose to their feet. Jiangg Ning forced a smile and nodded in greeting.

"President Qi, you’ve arrived. Please, have a seat."

"Hmph," President Qi responded coldly, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "Traffic was bad. I’m late."

Hearing his words, Mo Nana immediately rolled her eyes.

If it weren’t for Chen Yuan’s sake and her promise to do her utmost to help Jiangg Ning, Mo Nana wouldn’t have tolerated this jerk Qi for a second.

She would have probably started cursing him out for his arrogance.

"It’s no problem, we haven’t been waiting long. I’ll have the waiter bring the food."

"Whatever." President Qi looked down and crossed his legs.

"President Qi, regarding your acquisition of Meiruxue Mansion, we discussed it on the phone. We had agreed on a price of 220 million for the building. That price—"

The lawyer was about to get straight to the point and open the discussion.

But Qi Yingchen waved a hand, interrupting her.

"Hold on. That number is off the table now. That was the price I discussed with Jiangg Ruzheng. Market prices change. Real estate is like the stock market—it goes up, it goes down. I have to adjust according to current market conditions."

"What?" The lawyer froze.

"The new price is 213 million, and I’ve already drawn up the contract." Qi Yingchen had his lawyer hand him the contract, which he then SLAPPED onto the table. "If Miss Jiangg agrees, all you have to do is sign."

"How can you do that? You can’t just knock down the price on a whim! You just say a few words and seven million vanishes? Are you kidding me?" Mo Nana couldn’t hold back any longer, her eyes wide with anger.

"I’m not kidding. If you agree, sign. If you don’t, there’ll be a new price tomorrow." A mocking smile played on Qi Yingchen’s lips.

He adjusted his cuffs, completely unconcerned by the darkening expressions of the others in the room.

"He wasn’t willing to accept the price I agreed on with Jiangg Ruzheng before. Too bad. Getting that price now is impossible. The market, after all, is volatile."

From the look of him, he was acting without any restraint, utterly convinced that the Jiangg Family had no other option but to sell the building.

It was like cutting off a limb to survive.

Jiangg Ning had originally planned to negotiate a higher price. She had expected President Qi to take advantage of their predicament, but she never imagined he would treat the most basic rules of business like a joke. He was acting like a common thug.

It left her speechless, unable to react for a moment.

"President Qi, you’re a veteran in the business world, and I’m just a junior. I wouldn’t dare claim to know more than you, but simply signing a contract that’s just been handed over seems a bit improper. Shouldn’t we discuss this and try to reach a price that’s satisfactory to both parties...?" Jiangg Ning said tactfully, having collected herself.

"Hmph. There’s nothing to discuss," Qi Yingchen snorted. "If you’re willing, read the contract and sign. If not, don’t waste my time. I have another meeting tonight."

Just then, the phone of the assistant he’d brought with him started ringing.

The RING RING RING was jarring in the tense atmosphere of the private room.

The assistant took the phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen.

"President Qi, the CEO is calling. They’re getting impatient."

"I’m a busy man, I really don’t have time for this. You have five minutes." Qi Yingchen glanced at his watch. "If you don’t agree, we can schedule another time."

"If this is President Qi’s attitude, then there’s really nothing to discuss," the lawyer said grimly.

"Then we won’t discuss it! Business is business. No one’s begging you to sell."

"You—"

Just as an argument was about to erupt at the table, Jiangg Ning quickly intervened.

She suppressed her anger, stood up, and picked up the contract. Every eye at the table was on her.

With everyone watching, the paper rustled as she flipped it open.

But as Jiangg Ning actually read the contract’s contents, her brow furrowed deeply.

"It says here that the acquisition price... includes the equipment in our factory and the facilities in the building???"

"That’s right, Miss Jiangg. Your uncle previously explained that after Meiruxue Company goes bankrupt, you have no intention of re-entering the business world. He asked me to acquire the factory equipment and facilities as well. I offered a suitable price for them, which has been included in the contract."

"But that factory equipment is incredibly expensive! Forget the building, this price you’re offering isn’t even close to enough for the equipment alone! Even if we sold it all off piece by piece, it’s worth tens of millions. The market value is perfectly clear." Jiangg Ning’s eyes filled with disbelief.

"Since President Jiangg is already in dire straits with no intention of making a comeback, that equipment is nothing more than scrap metal. I’m doing you a favor by taking it off your hands. How can you say the price isn’t enough?"

"You’ve gone too far!" Jiangg Ning finally snapped, her face darkening as she glared at Qi Yingchen.

’This isn’t just taking advantage of a crisis anymore. He’s kicking us while we’re down.’

"Miss Jiangg, let me remind you, your five minutes are almost up."

"Then I won’t keep you, President Qi."

"Fine." Qi Yingchen stood up, sneering. "The next time you come to me, it won’t be for this price. Let’s see who else is willing to take this junk off your hands."

Thirty seconds later.

With a SLAM of the door, he and his entourage were gone.

A waiter, who had just arrived with their food, stood awkwardly at the door, having witnessed the whole tense and embarrassing scene.

’This couldn’t even be called a negotiation. It was a one-sided ultimatum.’

’The saying goes that a tiger stranded on the plains can be bullied by dogs. But Jiangg Ruxue was no tiger, and right now, she and the Meiruxue Company were more like a sick cat—completely defenseless.’

Qi Yingchen had played his hand beautifully. He not only planned to acquire the building for a pittance but also intended to gift the tens of millions worth of equipment to his partner brands. Of course they’d be delighted to take it for their own factories—a free windfall of tens of millions.

Jiangg Ning had talked tough, but after they left, she was still seething with indignation.

But once she calmed down, a wave of despair washed over her.

’Things had come to this. Just as Qi Yingchen said, who else could she sell to?’

There were only a few properly qualified buyers in all of Mingzhu City. She had tried contacting them before. They’d all seemed extremely interested at first, but as soon as they heard the specific location, they avoided her like the plague and hastily hung up.

You didn’t need to be a genius to figure it out: someone had clearly conspired against them ahead of time.

Leaving the Jiangg Family with no other options.

’Her original plan for the afternoon had been to negotiate a reasonable price, sell the building, and then borrow some more money.’

’All told, it would have been enough to clear their debts.’

But now, both of those plans had been utterly shattered.

Suddenly, Jiangg Ning was overcome with a profound sense of helplessness. Sadness and despair filled her heart, but she didn’t even have the luxury of crying. After a brief moment to catch her breath, she would have to pull herself together and deal with this mess.

’If she ran away too, Jiangg Ruxue would be left to die in prison.’

...

In the private room.

Jiangg Ning sat with her head lowered, lost in despair.

The others exchanged glances, unsure of how to console her.

A full spread of dishes covered the table, yet no one had touched their chopsticks. After serving the food, the waiter had left in a hurry, not daring to utter a single word.

"Um... let’s eat first, everyone. We’ve been waiting for so long," Jiangg Ning said, forcing a stiff smile as she looked up. "We can figure things out when we get back. There has to be a way."

"Right. There has to be a way."

Mo Nana echoed.

Just then, however, a phone began to RING RING RING again. An unfamiliar number appeared on Jiangg Ning’s screen.

Her gaze fell upon the phone on the table.

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