NABC Chapter 55 exposed
Chapter 55 exposed
Old feelings can't be hidden, true feelings are hard to calculate; the workplace and love are inherently a tangled mess.
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The movie was incredibly enjoyable to watch. The martial arts film was full of slashing and beatings. Zeng Jia and Wang Haowen automatically imagined the faces of the characters being beaten on screen as those of people they hated so much that they wanted to slap them and kick them to vent their anger.
As soon as the lights came on after the show, most of the gloom in Zeng Jia's heart dissipated. She immediately thought of Wang Haowen, who was huddled in the back row, and ran out as fast as she could, hoping not to run into him.
Today she wasn't wearing those tiring high heels, but rather slippers for easy walking. As she walked down the steps, her shoelace came undone with one step, and she almost tripped and fell flat on her face. She staggered to her feet and nearly pulled the person next to her down as well.
The people behind her were still waiting to leave, and she couldn't keep blocking the way, so she could only sheepishly shrink to the side and wait until everyone had left before cleaning up those two unruly shoelaces.
But the cinema only had one exit, and Wang Haowen dawdled as he moved out. Unless he was really blind, there was no way he couldn't see Zeng Jia, who was holding half a bucket of popcorn and standing there like she was being punished.
The two looked up and their eyes met; they could no longer pretend to be blind.
"Tsk, do me a favor." Zeng Jia shoved the popcorn and cola in her hand over. Since she couldn't avoid it anyway, she might as well use the favor. It was more sensible to tie her shoelaces and run away.
Wang Haowen glanced at her, his face full of impatience. "You can't even tie your shoelaces. Did you learn your self-care skills from Lightning?" He was referring to the cat from Zootopia.
Zeng Jia was about to roll her eyes when Wang Haowen squatted down quickly and tied her shoelaces securely in no time.
In the past, after she finished washing the shoes, he would basically take care of all the work of tying the shoelaces. She would just kick her foot in and that was it. She never did anything herself.
Wang Haowen was quite puzzled. He would be unwilling to serve others, but serving her had become a muscle memory. They had already parted ways, so why couldn't he change his shameless ways? He cursed under his breath for being spineless, but his hands didn't stop moving.
Zeng Jia stuck out her tongue, feeling a pang of jealousy. It was true that this man never really appreciated free favors. Before, when Wang Haowen cooked for her, tied her shoelaces, and peeled shrimp for her, she always took it for granted. But if it were Shi Jun, asking him to kneel down and tie her shoelaces? He wouldn't even offer her a bottle of water; he expected her to be his maid.
This feeling was like a fine needle, gently pricking her heart. Wang Haowen had also finished tying his clothes and stood up. Neither of them uttered a word, and they walked out one after the other in silence.
But neither of these two ancestors saw that a familiar face was lurking in the corner—Wang Chao, the HR director of Tianyi.
Wang Chao's little darling insisted on seeing a martial arts movie on the biggest screen, so she had no choice but to drag the whole family all the way here. Unexpectedly, after watching the movie, the tickets came with this surprise bonus? He couldn't even tie the child's shoelaces this quickly and efficiently! If you said these two weren't having an affair, even a dog would shake its head!
Wang Chao had just secretly recorded a short video, scrolled through his phone to watch it again, and then sent it to Tianyi's company group chat.
Surprises shouldn't be kept to oneself; they must be shared. Besides, he'd long disliked these two. Not to mention that Zeng Jia used to be his subordinate but has now risen to become Zhang Zhishan's right-hand woman, and after Wang Haowen was favored by Yu Li, he, the lackey, was relegated to the sidelines.
The moment the short video was opened, the entire company erupted in chaos.
Company romances aren't unusual, but who would have thought it would be Wang Haowen and Zeng Jia? Aren't these two sworn enemies always glaring at each other, practically cursing each other out? Turns out they have such a strong relationship in private?
Do the two bosses know?
Wouldn't that make him so angry he'd fly to heaven on the spot?
Zhang Zhishan was drinking with a client, his mind still preoccupied with Shi Jun's affair. Zeng Jia was a good girl in every way, except she was too soft-hearted and headstrong. Sometimes, certain methods had to be used; forget about values and morals now, getting the job done was the priority. If all else failed, should he personally confront Shi Jun? But he also realized that Shi Jun was only after Zeng Jia. If Zeng Jia wasn't there, Shi Jun would probably demand an exorbitant price, and he'd have to pay a hefty sum…
As Zhang Zhishan drank and pondered, his phone buzzed with a text message. He casually opened it and saw what Wang Chao had sent. When the short video played, Zhang Zhishan was completely dumbfounded.
These two actually hooked up?! No wonder Zeng Jia was so insistent on stopping them from touching this brat, talking a mile a minute, it turns out she was just protecting him!
Unexpectedly, this eagle was pecked in the eye by a little sparrow? A surge of anger welled up from the bottom of his heart and rose to his head. Zhang Zhishan immediately threw the video at Zeng Jia, roaring like an old leopard, "You! Immediately! Get your ass to see me!"
While Zeng Jia was looking at her phone, her ear was still pressed against Wang Haowen's side, and Wang Haowen was on the phone with Yu Li at that moment.
Yu Li also saw the video posted by Wang Chao, and she was so angry she almost exploded.
The way they moved so skillfully and in sync in the video was so obvious that even if she were blind, she could tell it wasn't acting.
She suddenly remembered that she and Zhang Zhishan had once caught the two of them being intimate in the office, and that they had even drunk her red wine. At the time, she had thought Wang Haowen was using tricks to deliberately extract information from Zeng Jia, but now it seemed that she was the one who had been made a fool of!
"Damn it!" she cursed angrily, and without getting to the bottom of the matter, she dialed Wang Haowen's number, "Where are you? Who are you with? Is it a convenient time to talk?"
Just as Wang Haowen was about to laugh it off, Zeng Jia showed him Zhang Zhishan's voice-to-text recording, right in front of his eyes.
Wang Haowen was instantly speechless, and the thought "Holy crap, Barbie Q is here" popped into his mind. Clearly, Yu Li had also received the "evidence" and was waiting for him to confess.
"Watching a movie with Zeng Jia. Where are you, Mr. Yu? I'm coming right now." Wang Haowen was quite straightforward and simply laid out his hand.
There was a full ten seconds of silence on the other end of the phone before Yu Li uttered three cold words: "I'm at home."
Zeng Jia had already ascertained Zhang Zhishan's location and replied, "President Zhang, please wait a moment, I'll be there shortly."
After replying to the message, both of them stood rooted to the spot, neither moving an inch. They'd kept their relationship a secret for so long, only to have it exposed after they broke up and went their separate ways. What kind of mess is this?
Wang Haowen scrolled through the videos in the company's group chat, deliberately trying to lighten the mood. "I have to say, Wang Chao's videos are pretty good. I'll take them back to show my old man so he won't keep calling me a piece of trash."
Zeng Jiayi raised an eyebrow. "Did he insult you? Uncle Wang is quite perceptive."
Wang Haowen curled his lip. "Is it all my fault?!"
Zeng Jia was too lazy to argue or bring up old grievances. "Let's go. They're waiting for me to confess and get leniency over there."
Zeng Jia shoved the remaining popcorn and cola into the trash can and slipped away as fast as she could. Strangely enough, now that the matter was out in the open, she didn't feel the anxiety and panic she had expected, nor was she as worried about losing her job as before. The heavy weight on her chest seemed to have suddenly disappeared, and even her breathing became easier while running.
She experienced the exhilarating feeling of "the other shoe" dropping, and had only one thought in her mind: Screw it, whatever happens, happens!
Wang Haowen wanted to call out to her, but Zeng Jia had already dashed far away. He muttered to himself, "Running so fast, are you in such a hurry to be reborn? Why don't you hitch a ride and discuss your strategy..."
Zhang Zhishan was just finishing up a drinking session with a client, and he was quite drunk. When Zeng Jia arrived, she even took two glasses of baijiu (Chinese liquor) for him.
In front of outsiders, the two chatted and laughed, their cooperation seamless. After seeing off those troublemakers, Zhang Zhishan led Zeng Jia to a teahouse to sit down.
After three infusions of tea, the air was so still you could hear a pin drop. Zeng Jia didn't dare to speak at all; her mouth seemed sewn shut, and she just waited for Zhang Zhishan to make the first move.
Zhang Zhishan, who never had much patience, finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Well done, Zeng Jia, you've really made something of yourself. You managed to put on such a flawless act in front of me, fooling me for so long. If you ask me, the Oscars owe you an award. Shouldn't I give you one?"
"Mr. Zhang, I did have a relationship with him, but we've broken up. Public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters. I've never let him interfere with your work here." Zeng Jia had rehearsed countless versions of her story on the way here, going through all the roundabout, vague, and deliberate attempts to distance herself in her mind. But now that she was actually sitting in front of Zhang Zhishan, under the heavy weight of his scrutinizing and weighing gaze, all the polite words suddenly lost their meaning. She decided to tell the truth.
Since the breakup, she seems to be doing very well, being promoted and given important positions by Zhang Zhishan, with her salary increasing and her social circle moving up a level. But she can't fool herself; she's genuinely unhappy.
At worst, I'll get fired, but that's still much better than holding my breath all day.
Zhang Zhishan's eyes widened in disbelief: "He'd tie your shoelaces after you broke up? His after-sales service is pretty good, offering a lifetime warranty after a breakup?"
Zeng Jia was speechless for a moment. How could she explain this? She couldn't exactly say that Wang Haowen was inherently a jerk, could she?
"Actually, we've been together since college and dated for five years. We've been together all the time, so we've definitely developed some tacit understanding and habits. It's not something you can just change... When he got into Tianyi, it was actually because I recommended him, but at that time it was for your secretary position..." Zeng Jia revealed the whole messy story of how the two of them ended up together in just a few words.
Zhang Zhishan impatiently waved his hand to interrupt, having no patience to listen to her dredging up old grievances: "Don't give me that old stuff. Let me tell you, this guy is no good! A complete gigolo, all he does is grin and fawn over women all day. What kind of future can he have? Always flaunting those cheap designer clothes, all shiny and slick, just like Yu Li. Not reliable at all, he'll never amount to anything!"
Zeng Jia was taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. He was cursing Wang Haowen and felt sorry for her, it didn't seem like he was going to fire her? She thought Zhang Zhishan would slam his fist on the table and roar, then wave her away and tell her to get lost.
"Mr. Zhang, we've really broken up now, and what he does with his appearance is none of my business."
Zhang Zhishan stared at her for a few seconds, looking at her with exasperation. "I originally thought you were an exception, unlike those young girls who just love pretty boys all the time. I never expected you to be so incredibly stupid, actually going with that kind of jerk." He paused, then continued, "Just look at Shi Jun's family background and wealth. Any one of those things is a hundred times better than that poor pretty boy Wang Haowen! If you were willing to settle down and be with Shi Jun, it would be like stepping into another social class. You'd have a house, a car, live a life of luxury, and never have to worry about anything. You'd be set for life. Isn't that better than messing around with Wang Haowen?"
Zeng Jia knew he would bring this up: "Forget it, Mr. Zhang. It's not like I haven't tried before, but he wanted to find a live-in 24-hour nanny. I met his mother today, and she even told me to quit my job and have a baby right away. I ran away as soon as I heard that. I came to work to make something of myself, not to find a family to be my free nanny."
Zhang Zhishan rolled his eyes dramatically: "Fine, if Shi Jun doesn't suit your taste, then I'll find you someone else. We have so many big clients, and plenty of sons from well-off families. Just pick one; their family background, character, and abilities are far superior to any pretty boy."
He leaned forward, his tone turning serious and earnest, "Zeng Jia, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. I really believe in you and sincerely want to mentor you. Don't you want to make something of yourself? Then cut ties with Wang Haowen completely, leave no trace of him, and work diligently with me. Don't make any more mistakes."
He added in a slightly harsher tone at the end, "I genuinely want to mentor you, but don't ruin your future for this pointless romance."