I Can Fix Her - Chapter 15: Entering the First Phase of Testing

Bai Weiran frequently took Qin Ning to participate in nighttime cleaning work.

Qin Ning still didn’t like the job itself, but staying cooped up reading all day made her restless. Each time she went out, she felt like a dog being let out for a walk, her face unconsciously smiling 24/7.

“Do you like cleaning so much? Don’t you prefer driving a Porsche instead?” Bai Weiran teased her as he pushed a cart, to which Qin Ning responded by pulling down her mask and making a funny face at him.

“As if! I’m sure I’ll never like this job.”

Bai Weiran nodded, “That’s great.”

“What’s great?”

“The most important thing in life is to be happy and true to yourself. You’ve experienced cleaning work and know you don’t like it. That’s good because you won’t force yourself to do it in the future.”

“…So, do you like it?”

“I quite enjoy it,” Bai Weiran replied candidly. “I like tidying things up and making the floor clean.”

Qin Ning rolled her big eyes and clicked her tongue. “I bet you also like math, don’t you?”

Her guess was spot on, and Bai Weiran couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Why do you say that?”

“Haven’t you taken any psychological or personality tests? Many traits are connected. People who like math or philosophy usually have more logical minds, appreciate order and simplicity, and enjoy tidying their surroundings because their brains can’t tolerate chaos.”

Bai Weiran thought it made a lot of sense, especially since his job also involved numbers, and he nodded in agreement. “You’re right. You guessed it perfectly.”

Feeling proud, the young girl lifted her chin. Today, her hard hat strap was loose, and it swayed with her movement. “Aren’t you some superhuman being? Can’t you handle even this?”

Bai Weiran noted her psychological resilience. Despite being kidnapped and unable to resist, Qin Ning’s inherent arrogance as a wealthy young lady showed through. She was unfazed after her initial fear, now daring to argue and criticize him.

If he were in her place, Bai Weiran would have been cautious and calculating, not daring to defy. His ingrained submissiveness as a worker showed his low self-esteem.

Yet, Qin Ning wasn’t like that.

Truly, the environment is the one that shapes people.

Bai Weiran never pointed this out, instead encouraging her naive arrogance, knowing that a certain level of arrogance could rebuild and boost her confidence.

The hallmark of manipulative behavior is to repeatedly undermine the target’s self-confidence.

A person’s self-confidence is their first line of defense. Once weakened, self-doubt and internal strife follow, leading to self-destructive thoughts. Simply put, it’s not the manipulative person who defeats them but their own mental attacks, self-sabotage, and eventually, falling for the manipulator.

He smiled and praised her. “You’re right. I still have a lot to learn.”

As he leaned in slightly, he bent down and adjusted her hard hat strap.

Qin Ning was used to being served, so Bai Weiran’s actions didn’t surprise her. However, she felt something subtle.

In the past, being served either at home or in VIP rooms of luxury brands was different. The air conditioning was always perfect, everyone spoke softly, smiling gently, with soothing music, faint scents, bright, spacious rooms, and soft lighting—she took it all for granted and felt indifferent.

Now, in a nighttime park, wearing an ugly old worker’s uniform and a hard hat, the masked man adjusted her strap with gloved hands that smelled faintly of camphor wood from earlier work. It was simple but reassuring.

She couldn’t quite understand the difference between the two, but for some reason, she felt the latter was better.

“Are you two siblings showing off your bond again? Can’t you take a break?” Someone teased, and Qin Ning blushed under her mask, feeling inexplicably guilty, and quickly stepped aside.

Was she crazy for thinking a kidnapper was good?

“But I understand. If I had such a good sister when I was young, I’d definitely cherish her too.”

A cleaning lady and Chen Zhengde approached, with the joke coming from the lady. Chen Zhengde remained silent.

Bai Weiran glanced at Qin Ning and responded with a smile, “As one should.”

Chen Zhengde approached to inform them that there would be no work for the next month. He explained that their current contract had been snatched by a local bureaucrat’s relative’s cleaning company despite the renewal procedures being completed.

Chen Zhengde was still striving for a resolution. Going through legal channels was an option, but dealing with people made things tricky. Even with no fault on his side, they could find something to criticize. It was risky, and he could end up in a worse position.

Even if he were successful, it would offend some high-ranking people. Official circles are tight-knit, and everyone has some side income. If he brought someone down, others would be wary of working with him in the future.

Collaborating with official bodies meant stability, but also complex relationships and bureaucratic hassles.

Chen Zhengde preferred finding an amicable solution rather than legal confrontation.

Bai Weiran remained silent, but Qin Ning was indignant. As the child of a large enterprise family, she valued fairness and contract integrity highly.

“—How can this be? What will you do?”

Chen Zhengde smiled warmly at her concern, treating it as a young girl’s sense of justice. “It’s not the worst yet. Don’t worry. I’m already looking for other opportunities. Just wait a bit, and I’ll let everyone know.”

Due to having weathered many storms, Chen Zhengde had both the skills and temperament that is able to let him survive in a company for years.

Although he reassured her, Qin Ning still couldn’t accept it, her expression showing her indignation.

Bai Weiran noticed and, much to Qin Ning surprise, asked Qin Ning to handle the payment with Chen Zhengde at the end of their shift.

Though puzzled, Qin Ning complied. When Chen Zhengde handed her the cash, her mask unexpectedly slipped, revealing her face.

Chen Zhengde stared, astonished. “…Miss Qin?”

As a veteran of Qin Group, he recognized her immediately.

Startled, she touched her face, realizing her mask couldn’t have slipped off by itself. She glanced back at where Bai Weiran should have been but saw no sign of him.

Three hours later, the Qin family released a statement announcing their missing daughter’s return, ending the reward and apologizing for the social unrest and discussions caused by their announcement.

Bai Weiran sat on a rooftop, watching the news on a large screen on a commercial building across the street.

When a game reaches a certain stage, testing begins.

How much impact had these recent corrections had on Qin Ning?