NABC Chapter 146 Zhang Yi Wants to Cry
Chapter 146 Zhang Yi Wants to Cry
Ning Xiuyang's gaze swept over a wedding photo hanging on the wall.
In the photo, the young Rong Qing'e smiles radiantly, nestled beside a young and spirited man.
At that time, her eyes shone brightly, as if they were filled with stars.
Looking at the woman in front of him, who was bowing her head and even breathing cautiously, Ning Xiuyang couldn't help but feel a little ironic.
Time is a truly merciless thing.
"Close the door! What are you standing there for?"
Ning Xiuyang sat down on the sofa as if it were his own home, looking as relaxed as if it were his own.
"Ah...yes."
Rong Qing'e seemed to wake from a dream, hurriedly closed the door, turned around and stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room, not knowing where to put her hands.
The air in the room seemed to freeze, and every second felt like it was being stretched out infinitely.
Ning Xiuyang just looked at her calmly and didn't say anything, but carefully examined her with his eyes.
His gaze, like the most precise scalpel, peeled away her feigned strength layer by layer, reaching straight to her fearful, shattered heart.
Finally, he broke the silence, pointed towards the kitchen, and said in a flat tone, as if ordering a servant, "Didn't you say you were inviting me to dinner? Aren't you going to make it?"
This reminder, like a needle, pierced the tense atmosphere, but also made Rong Qing'e feel even more humiliated.
She wasn't entertaining guests; she was fulfilling a transaction.
"I...I'll go right away." She bit her lip and fled into the kitchen as if escaping.
As I opened the refrigerator door, a blast of cold air, mixed with a sense of desolation, hit me.
The huge refrigerator was completely empty. There were only a few eggs, a handful of noodles, and two lonely tomatoes that looked like they had been sitting there for several days.
A strong sense of shame instantly gripped her heart.
This is her life, the most real and embarrassing situation beneath the "general manager" title she is so proud of.
What could she possibly offer to entertain this billionaire boss who could decide her fate with a wave of his hand?
Is this all you're going to do with this meager bowl of tomato and egg noodles?
Tears welled up uncontrollably in her eyes, and she bit her lip hard to keep them from falling.
I mustn't cry, at least not in front of him.
With her back to the living room, she took a deep breath and clumsily washed the vegetables, chopped the tomatoes, and cracked the eggs.
The sound of the water boiling in the pot sizzling and crackling made her feel as if she were in another world.
Countless nights I spent making this bowl of noodles for Ju Wenming flashed through my mind.
In college, they squeezed into a small rented room. He would hug her from behind and steal some of the tomatoes she had cut. In the early days of their business, when he came home from working overtime, she would serve him a bowl of hot noodles. He would always eat every last drop of soup, then hug her and say, "Wife, you are so good to me."
very nice……
When did this bowl of noodles, which was once a comforting late-night snack, become a tool for him to vent his anger after getting drunk or losing at gambling?
Memories make me want to cry!
Rong Qing'e's movements froze. A scalding tear finally fell onto the back of her hand, making her shiver from the heat.
For whom is she shedding tears?
Is it for the husband who has become unrecognizable, or for this marriage that has long been rotten, or perhaps, it is simply for the self that can never be returned to?
she does not know.
In the living room, Ning Xiuyang leaned back on the sofa, taking in her desolate and lonely figure through the glass door of the kitchen.
He neither urged him nor made a sound.
He enjoys watching his prey struggle in vain and desperate before being caught in the net.
Not long after, a steaming bowl of tomato and egg noodles was served and placed on the coffee table in front of Ning Xiuyang.
The noodles didn't look good either; the tomatoes were cut into uneven sizes, and the egg was a bit broken.
But that familiar, homey, sweet and sour aroma still lingered in the cool room.
"Chairman Ning, this is all we have at home... please... please make do with this." Rong Qing'e lowered her head, her voice barely audible.
Ning Xiuyang picked up his chopsticks, said nothing, took a mouthful of noodles, and started eating.
He ate slowly and quietly.
This silence was more agonizing to Rong Qing'e than any critical words.
When the bowl of noodles was almost empty, Ning Xiuyang finally put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"It tastes good."
He made a casual comment, then looked up at her, leaned back on the sofa, tapped his thigh casually with his fingers, and said with a half-smile, "Now, we can talk about the 150,000."
coming.
The moment of judgment has finally arrived.
Rong Qing'e's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
The string called "shame," after being stretched taut all day, finally snapped completely.
Fear, despair, grievance... all emotions burst forth at this moment.
As if she were pouring out all the suffering she had endured over the years, she began to recount her story in a hoarse voice.
From how Ju Wenming became addicted to gambling, to how she has paid off his debts time and time again over the years; from how the debt collector named Chang Chengbiao blocked her way, to the deadly threat of "I'll go to your company and have a chat with your boss"; from the strict order to pay off 150,000 yuan within three days, to the desperate phone call she made to him for help.
She made no attempt to hide anything, laying bare her battered and bruised life before this man.
By the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably, curled up in another corner of the sofa like a homeless cat drenched in a downpour.
Ning Xiuyang listened quietly, his face expressionless.
He had heard this kind of story many times.
He had witnessed firsthand the fragility and ugliness of human nature in the face of money and desire.
He showed no sympathy whatsoever, only a condescending, spectator-like indifference.
Only after her crying subsided did he slowly take his phone out of his pocket.
Money is not a problem.
He opened the mobile banking interface, looked at Rong Qing'e, and said, "I can transfer the money to you now."
Rong Qing'e suddenly raised her head, and a humble, incredulous hope flashed in her red and swollen eyes.
"but……"
Ning Xiuyang's finger stopped at the top of the screen, without pressing the transfer button.
He leaned forward, his handsome face magnified in Rong Qing'e's vision, exuding an undeniable sense of pressure, and said, "Manager Rong, we need to discuss the terms of this 'loan' first."
"I don't need you to pay me back."
Rong Qing'e was stunned.
"150,000 is nothing to me."
Ning Xiuyang's lips curled into a cold smile as he shrugged and said, "Of course, it's nothing to you. You're just being dragged down by scum."
"What I need is a general manager who can create value for me, not one who creates trouble. I need my subordinates who can focus all their energy on their work, instead of being distracted by their family problems."
He reached out and gently lifted her tear-streaked chin with his fingertips, forcing her to look him in the eye.
"Most importantly, I need to make sure... my secrets are always safe."
These words were, of course, meant to deceive Rong Qing'e.
What's a little secret?
Not worth mentioning.