pertwk Chapter 32 If we're not family, we won't enter the same house.
Chapter 32 If we're not family, we won't enter the same house.
Two people who truly love each other are used as pawns in the schemes of two distrustful bosses, and even their private feelings are turned into a grand political machination.
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Zeng Jia stood in front of Zhang Zhishan, her palms sweating profusely.
She couldn't remember how she moved from Yu Li's office to Zhang Zhishan's office. She only remembered Yu Li's mockery and disdain as they passed each other, as if she were looking at a shameless bar girl, not even a proper escort, the cheap kind.
In just two minutes, Zeng Jia mentally prepared herself a hundred times, but she still didn't know what to do.
Will she be treated leniently for confessing? Will Old Zhang just tell her to pack her bags and get out of here? She's always been running around doing chores for him, can't she at least get a chance to redeem herself by pleading for leniency?
Are you going to stick to your guns and refuse to say anything? How do you explain being so intimate with Wang Haowen, especially enjoying red wine in Yu Li's room?
It would have been fine if either of them had come back at this time, but these two, who are like oil and water, put on a show of a married couple returning home together. Even a screenwriter wouldn't dare write something like this; it's just too damn unlucky!
"Zeng Jia, you've really gone to a lot of trouble." Zhang Zhishan suddenly spoke, a hint of smug satisfaction appearing on his face. "To buy them time, you even used your femininity? That's quite a expenditure. What's the situation over there? Have you found out anything?"
"ah???"
Zeng Jia froze on the spot, as if the blood in her body had frozen.
Was she hallucinating? Zhang Zhishan actually thought that she was with Wang Haowen because she was sacrificing herself for work and gathering intelligence? This reversal came too suddenly, and her mind went blank, with only a bunch of question marks spinning wildly in her head.
"Um...they...just kept two top operations talents poached from other sites, and it seems like the talks went pretty well. They've agreed to start tomorrow." She quickly blurted out all the details about operations.
Zhang Zhishan snorted coldly, "So that's why she rushed back to Beijing. Don't worry, those two have no chance with Tianyi!" He tapped his fingers firmly on the rosewood armrest. "What about the legal department?"
"The legal department hasn't done anything. I told them to leave early, and all the contract procedures have been postponed until tomorrow..." Zeng Jia paused, unable to contain her frustration and confusion any longer: "President Zhang, didn't you say you were going to stay in Hong Kong for another two days? Why did you suddenly rush back?" Otherwise, would she have made a mistake right under the tiger's nose? What exactly is going on here?
"Yu Li is using both fundraising and personnel manipulation; every move she makes is aimed at your Achilles' heel. I was afraid you couldn't handle her underhanded tactics alone, so I rushed back ahead of time." Zhang Zhishan leaned back in his boss's chair, exuding an air of complete control. "Now that I'm back, she won't be able to turn the company upside down!"
Zeng Jia almost burst into tears. Now you're showing consideration for your subordinates? Why didn't you do this earlier?!
She forced a pitiful, delicate air, her throat genuinely choked with emotion: "It's so good that you're back! Otherwise... I really wouldn't have been able to... I almost cried!" These words weren't entirely feigned; she simply had many reasons to want to cry.
"What are you crying about!" Zhang Zhishan snapped a WeChat red envelope, sending a crisp 10,000 yuan. "I think that pretty boy is really hooked on you. The way you look at him is suspicious. Keep stringing him along. I'll cover the expenses for the dates. Make sure you have him completely hooked, and while you're at it, find out exactly what's going on with him. Got it?"
What?
Reimbursement for a date?
Zeng Jia stared at the glaring red envelope on the screen, her finger hovering in mid-air, unsure whether to click or not. She had initially thought that confessing would lead to leniency, but Zhang Zhishan had misunderstood her as seducing him. Now the plot had taken an even more erratic turn, and she was expected to play along?
What image does she have in the boss's mind? Is she so devoted that she'd sacrifice her looks? This misunderstanding is utterly outrageous.
"What? You think it's not enough?" Zhang Zhishan frowned when he saw that she didn't move.
"No, no! I don't think it's too little!" Zeng Jia quickly accepted the message, her voice trembling with tears. "I just feel that you trust me too much, Mr. Zhang. You didn't suspect that I had any improper dealings with them, and you didn't even ask me a few questions." She was half acting and half genuinely found it utterly absurd.
"What do I suspect?" Zhang Zhishan's disdain was genuine. "You really think Wang Haowen, that all-knowing but empty-headed guy, is worth anything?"
"He has no money, and I heard his family isn't well-off either. Besides his glib tongue and flattery, what else does he have? If you have any brains, you wouldn't be interested in such a thing, unless you're really blind!" In his eyes, Wang Haowen was utterly worthless.
Zeng Jia felt a pang of bitterness; how could they be so incompetent? Aside from being poor, they did have some skills.
But she couldn't talk back at this moment, so she just said sourly, "You may look down on her, but she's very popular with President Yu. Lots of young girls in the company like her."
"What else can her people do besides putting on a show of insincerity? Zeng Jia, let me tell you the truth: never date a gigolo, and it has to be money. Don't take anyone without money. In this world, money is a woman's only security. Just remember that." Zhang Zhishan said firmly, rarely speaking from the heart.
Yu Li's attitude was strikingly similar to Zhang Zhishan's, only her perspective was more cunning: "Zhang Zhishan is really desperate! Knowing that my financing is about to be finalized, he resorts to this low-down honey trap to seduce you? Ha, what a disgusting thing to do." She elegantly sipped her hot tea, her tone light and airy.
"However, it's good that you're playing along, and you can also find out what's going on there. Here, pick a few gifts. When you're pursuing a young girl, you need to be decisive and have a manly demeanor. I don't need to teach you that, do I?" Yu Li pointed to the pile of luxury gift boxes next to her and told Wang Haowen to take whatever he wanted.
Wang Haowen was completely stunned by this bizarre train of thought. He and Zeng Jia were hugging like that, and Yu Li still couldn't tell they were a couple? She even thought it was a trap set by his good looks?
"Thank you so much, Mr. Yu," Wang Haowen forced a grateful smile, but the smile was so stiff it almost twitched. "You really trust me, you didn't blame me for putting on this ridiculous show... I was afraid I wouldn't explain clearly and that you would misunderstand..."
"What are you talking about?" Yu Li gave him a reproachful look, radiating superiority. "You're my senior assistant, you're smart, good-looking, and a big shot in Beijing. Why would you be interested in some poor girl from some backwater?"
"Men, money alone can't make you respectable. You need to have vision and a broad perspective. When choosing a woman, you should choose one from a good family background, not a cheapskate who's always demanding a house, a car, and a dowry."
"Men who fall for this kind of trick are only interested in making ends meet, and to put it bluntly, they'll soon be disliked by women. A man like that is doomed for life, you know? You absolutely must not be one of them."
……
Yu Li kept nagging and criticizing, each word like a poisonous thorn, gently but firmly pricking Wang Haowen's heart.
For a fleeting moment, he really wanted to just blurt out the whole truth, even if Yu Li fired him on the spot. Anyway, his dad needed to sell the house for a down payment, so he could slowly work to make up the difference, right? But as soon as that thought popped into his head, Yu Li's words, "You worthless good-for-nothing," spurred him back down.
Although he didn't agree with Yu Li's words, for some reason, he felt conflicted and forced himself to play along, praising her with tears of gratitude, thus confirming that he had seduced his female secretary with his male charm.
He also picked out a few expensive-looking luxury gifts and took them away. Anyway, since the boss had already said to go along with the plan, he and Zeng Jia wouldn't have to sneak around like thieves anymore; they could be open and aboveboard.
But Wang Haowen was unsure whether Zeng Jia had told Lao Zhang the truth.
Yu Li quickly changed the subject, talking about the two operations experts who would be joining the company tomorrow. Wang Haowen, not neglecting his work, immediately analyzed their mindset, "She's been keeping an eye on the legal department all day, and even let them leave work early. I guess Zhang's fundraising progress will be slower than ours..."
Yu Li was very satisfied and quickly contacted the other shareholders to arrange a meeting at the club to discuss the financing details. Wang Haowen dropped her off at the club before returning home.
Carrying several paper bags with huge logos, he returned to his small 30-square-meter apartment. Before he even opened the door, he could smell the rich, domineering aroma of meat.
Zeng Jia had already set up a steaming hot pot of lamb spine and was eating with gusto, her mouth dripping with oil. "I left half for you, I'm starving, I'm going to eat now," she said vaguely without looking up.
Seeing her carefree eating habits, Wang Haowen felt a little uneasy. "Zhang Zhishan...didn't fire you, did he?" He really couldn't figure out what she was up to now.
Zeng Jia then looked up and glanced at the boxes in his hand: Prada, CHANEL, D&G. "Wow! Yu Li just used these things to get rid of you?"
"You'd never guess what she's thinking." Wang Haowen threw down the bag and sat down at the table, both amused and exasperated.
Zeng Jia's eyes darted around, and she put down her chopsticks. "She won't think I'm seducing you, will she? That I'm making you play along and keep up this act?"
Wang Haowen was taken aback. "Could it be that Zhang Zhishan is using the same excuse?!"
Zeng Jia slammed her hand on the table and exclaimed, "Incredible! No wonder they're like that, two different kinds of people can't sleep in the same bed. This kind of imagination, even screenwriters wouldn't dare to come up with something like this, I'm fucking impressed!" Zhang Zhishan's brain circuits are peculiar enough, but both of them are? They really are a couple.
Wang Haowen's anxiety subsided, and he picked up his chopsticks to scoop up some meat. "Let me guess," he said, "Old Zhang will definitely say that I'm just a gigolo who lives off women, not even a decent person from a demolition compensation settlement, and not good enough for you at all. He'll tell you to open your eyes and find someone with a silver spoon in your mouth, right?"
Zeng Jia also chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Yu Li will definitely say that I, a poor girl from out of town, am not good enough for you, a young master from the Beijing circle. We are not a good match, and you should be more suited to a rich heiress."
The two exchanged a silent glance, then burst out laughing. But their laughter wasn't entirely genuine; it was tinged with bitterness and resentment, clearly proclaiming: Why?!
Wang Haowen cleared his throat, trying to revive the atmosphere: "We were supposed to celebrate our sixth anniversary, but this whole thing just turned out like this... How about I go out and get some more barbecue and beer? Is there anything else you'd like to eat?"
Zeng Jia patted her round belly, letting out a loud burp, both satisfied and exhausted: "Come on, I'm stuffed, I can't eat anything more. I just want to get a good night's sleep!"
She hadn't been sleeping well in that luxurious cage for the past few days, but now, lying in this dark doghouse, listening to her neighbor's farts, she actually started to feel sleepy.
The two remained silent, cleaned the house, washed up, and went to bed. No one knows who reached out first, but they naturally rolled together and hugged tightly.
They hugged quietly for an unknown amount of time before Zeng Jia's muffled voice suddenly rang out, "Wenzi, you didn't tell Yu Li about our relationship... are you afraid of losing your job, or are you afraid of losing me?" This thought lingered in her mind, and she couldn't help but ask.
Wang Haowen's body stiffened, and Yu Li's words, "a little swindler who wants a house, a car, and a dowry," suddenly popped into his mind. He lowered his peach blossom eyes and met Zeng Jia's bright, clear eyes, which were filled with his image.
"And you?" he asked instead of answering.
Zeng Jia bit her lip tightly, afraid of losing her job.
It was at that moment that she realized how selfish she had been.
Her boyfriend of six years, whom she even planned to spend her life with, was so despised and disliked by her boss, and she didn't dare to stand up and say a word for him. Actually, for a moment, she felt that she deserved someone better. Was Wang Haowen the same as her?
The two looked at each other silently, the air thick with unspoken tension. There were no accusations, no explanations, only their own heavy hearts.
After a long while, Wang Haowen made the first move. He lowered his head slightly and gently kissed her lips, using this clumsy kiss to temporarily end this inappropriate conversation.