bookbashuk Chapter 44: Have the two really broken up?
Chapter 44: Have the two really broken up?
She drank until late at night and went home alone. He was woken up by his father's slap. It turned out that breaking up was never one person's fault, but rather that both of them chose themselves first in the face of reality.
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Zeng Jia went to work as usual the next day. She deliberately got up half an hour early, put on a face mask, dried her hair, and applied a very delicate layer of makeup. The breakup was a new beginning, and she had to pull herself together. If she went to work looking dejected, wouldn't that bastard Wang Haowen make a fool of himself?
But wearing an expensive outfit to squeeze onto the subway would be too wasteful, so Zeng Jia simply hailed a taxi. Who would have thought that the traffic jam was like a parking lot so early in the morning? Seeing the amount of money jumping up and down, she really felt bad about the money, so she simply got out, put on her high heels, and walked to You Tang.
As soon as she entered the office area, Dong Miaomiao sneakily approached and handed her a meeting notice. "You look great today! From a distance, I thought it was General Manager Yu!"
Zeng Jia was stunned. Could her face compare to that big block of ice?
"Even if we lose, we can't lose face. They're riding high on their success, we can't just look like a coward, can we?"
This statement had a double meaning. Everyone knew that Yu Li had signed with a new brand, so Dong Miaomiao didn't think of anything else.
Just as Dong Miaomiao was about to ask a gossip question, Wang Haowen walked in from outside. Zeng Jia glanced at Wang Haowen, curled her lip, and turned to walk back to her workstation.
On her desk, breakfast was neatly arranged. Zeng Jia turned on her computer and started eating while flipping through the meeting minutes. The aroma of soy milk and roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) was truly tempting.
Wang Haowen stared at his bare desk, feeling utterly empty. Zeng Jia usually prepared breakfast for him, but today, distraction had completely erased his memory. He could only pull open a drawer and rummage through the cracks for a packet of instant coffee. What a joke—a living person wouldn't let themselves be held back by needing to pee!
He poured boiling water over himself and took a big gulp; it was pungent and bitter, like swallowing medicine. But he didn't have time to think about filling his stomach, because the company's monthly board meeting—a regular argument—was coming up later.
But Yu Li and Zhang Zhishan had long lost interest in hosting the event. One was preoccupied with the financing signing ceremony, her mind filled with nothing but money; the other was thinking about his mother's 80th birthday, hoping to use the opportunity of filial piety to move some assets out of the country and rake in more money from their hometown. Besides, the two had already fallen out to this point, and any further arguing would be pointless and unnecessary.
So the task of arguing was left to Zeng Jia and Wang Haowen, and the two bosses just waited for the board meeting to end before going their separate ways.
Zeng Jia and Wang Haowen reluctantly sat down at opposite ends of the conference table, face to face, staring at each other. They both knew they should suppress their anger and resentment and handle business professionally, but who would have thought that their conversation would turn sour?
"It's just 30 brands, why all the fanfare? Have you even considered the subsequent operating costs? With the economy downturn, luxury brands are collapsing one after another, nobody's buying them. Bringing them in now is just treating Tianyi like a sucker!" Zeng Jia deliberately lowered her tone to avoid exaggeration, but her words were full of sarcasm. "Besides, this is just a report of the results; you haven't mentioned a word about how the negotiations were completed!"
"As long as there's a result, that's enough. We're not even on the same page, so you wouldn't be able to learn it even if I explained it. As for how to manipulate the cash flow, figure it out yourself. Do I need to break it down and teach you?" Wang Haowen said lazily, his mouth twisting into a crooked grin.
"I really can't learn Assistant Wang's ways. I'm not good at serving rich young ladies, eating, drinking, and having fun."
"Can't compete on business, so you resort to underhanded tactics and gossip? Secretary Zeng, you've been hanging out with street vendors in the alleys for too long, your vision has shrunk to the point of being narrow-minded. If you ask me, you should stop fiddling with the abacus and start thinking about how to fill the hole in next month's betting. If all else fails, go beg your fellow Northeasterners for a few more drinks, okay?"
Zeng Jia's eyes flashed coldly. "Yes, our small-town test-takers can't compare to you, Young Master Beijing. You can get into the same university as me even with a hundred points less, and you're still fit to be an assistant. When I go out for drinks, don't you accompany me shopping and carry my bags? The entire business line relies on the Song family for funding, and you think that's something to brag about?"
"As long as it gets done, regardless of the methods, it's still more respectable than being called out by bloggers for selling counterfeit goods in lower-tier markets, right?"
"Are you a dog? You're so stubborn about the smallest things. We've already negotiated deals in all four major regions: Northeast China, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai, and the Greater Bay Area. Strength speaks louder than words. Why don't you use this time to find a few more potential partners? I heard being a live-in son-in-law in Xiaoshan is pretty comfortable—all-inclusive entertainment, no need to worry about that concrete jungle. It's so worry-free; just take good care of one person and you're all set!"
……
The board members chuckled to themselves, surprised that the two younger ones could be so effective at arguing, and their words were even more venomous. Zhang Zhishan and Yu Li, who had initially been watching the spectacle, now realized something was amiss.
They haven't even started fighting yet, so why have Zeng Jia and Wang Haowen already fallen out? Could it be that after being given important responsibilities, they want to show off?
Wang Haowen was so angry his eyes turned green. He never expected Zeng Jia to be so venomous. He was in contact with Song Yaxuan, but he hadn't agreed to be in a relationship with her. How could he be a kept man?
He was about to retort when Zeng Jia suddenly stood up, giving him no chance to argue further. "Oh dear, that Miss Song hasn't shown up yet. Is she still in bed? Tianyi, such a large listed company, is now employing slaves? Well, that's how luxury goods operate, isn't it? It makes sense. We in the small commodities line are busy, so we won't keep you company!"
After Zeng Jia finished speaking, she turned and left. Zhang Zhishan chuckled, quite pleased with himself.
I didn't expect this little brat to be so ruthless. She's one of his people. As soon as he stood up, everyone on the small goods line got up and left, leaving Wang Haowen with a face that was a horribly disfigured mess.
Yu Li slowly stood up and patted him twice indifferently. "What's there to be angry about? He knows our results are top-notch, so he's just upset. It's embarrassing to argue with someone like this."
Wang Haowen gritted his teeth. "President Yu, I'll go arrange the signing ceremony for next Tuesday first." There are still less than two months left in the betting period; it's still uncertain who will win and who will lose!
Yu Li nodded, letting Wang Haowen leave first. She then pulled several directors aside to discuss how to deal with Zhang Zhishan. Zeng Jia had just finished her report, and she was also quite surprised. She hadn't expected Zhang Zhishan to have even secured the Greater Bay Area deal; she had truly underestimated him!
That evening, Zeng Jia accompanied Zhang Zhishan to another drinking party. Zhang Zhishan only made a brief appearance, exchanging a few pleasantries before rushing off to the next event. He left Zeng Jia alone, forcing her to deal with the table full of social obligations, drinking one glass after another until she was dizzy and unsteady on her feet, barely managing to hold on until the party ended.
The night wind chilled her to the bone. Standing at the entrance of the familiar alley, she leaned weakly against the cold wall, swaying for a long time before finally finding her way home with a sliver of clarity. She checked several times to make sure she hadn't gone the wrong way before shakily pulling her keys from her pocket. The keys slipped between her fingers several times before she finally managed to place them on the keyhole.
With a "click," the door opened, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to crash headfirst into the wall. She glanced at the corner of the wall, where there used to be an egg basket, which she had deliberately moved empty, afraid that one day she would drink too much and knock it over, losing her clothes and shoes again.
In fact, ever since that time she got drunk and was sent to the police station, she had harbored resentment towards Wang Haowen.
She never expected that the small crack would gradually grow larger and larger until it could no longer be repaired, like a wall that had been quietly hollowed out by ants. It seemed intact, but in reality, it was already vulnerable and could collapse at any moment.
Now she's at peace, the breakup is over. When she's drunk, she's drunk. Even if she's sitting on the ground, weak and motionless, even if she's sore all over from the fall, she won't expect anyone to come back to take care of her, and she won't blame anyone for being absent from her miserable state.
Men are generally only willing to step forward as your savior when you're down on your luck and have nowhere else to turn, hoping to gain a reputation for being affectionate. They're not willing to stand up for you in times of danger, because the cost of such an act is simply too high.
Then why bother with a man? Can't I just rely on myself? This thought had barely surfaced when it was overwhelmed by the sorrow in her heart. Zeng Jia couldn't hold on any longer, collapsed onto the bed, and fell into a deep sleep without even covering herself with a blanket.
Wang Haowen was woken up early in the morning by a crisp slap from Wang Yue! The force was so strong that it almost slapped his cheek so high that half of his face instantly burned, and his ears were ringing. He was stunned for a while before he came to his senses.
Ever since he moved out of Xinsi Hutong, he was too ashamed to rent a place on his own, nor did he have the confidence to do so. So he slunk back to Wang Yuelai's place, and the two of them squeezed into a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Xicheng, barely managing to sleep on a creaky bed.
Wang Haowen hadn't recovered from the shock of heartbreak. In his sleep, he instinctively pulled her close, his mind still filled with Zeng Jia's soft body, but his fingertips touched Wang Yuelai's stiff waist.
"You little brat! Can't you even sleep peacefully? What are you doing, kicking your arms and legs like that?" Wang Yuelai was so angry that he was blowing his beard and glaring at him, his eyes looking like he wanted to rip two ounces of flesh out of him. "I usually sleep until the sun is high in the sky, not even a thunderbolt can wake me up, but you come back and make me wake up three or four times a night. Get the hell out of here!"
Wang Haowen, clutching his burning cheek, hung his head dejectedly, lacking even the confidence to refute. Wang Yuelai lived in the western part of the city, and he had to get up forty minutes earlier than usual to squeeze onto the sardine-can-like buses, people pressed together, face to face—just thinking about it made his scalp tingle; it was torture!
After washing up, his stomach was growling with hunger. He flung open the refrigerator door and was instantly dumbfounded. "Did you eat nothing but the northwest wind this morning? There's not a single decent meal in the house!" The refrigerator was empty except for a few jars of crumpled pickled vegetables and half a bottle of Erguotou liquor. There wasn't even a single egg.
Wang Yuelai snorted irritably, took out a cigarette, lit it, and crossed his legs high. "I hang out at the billiards hall every day, eating out every meal. Who cooks at home? If you want to eat, go buy it yourself! You good-for-nothing! You couldn't even have a proper relationship, and you drove away such a good girl like Zeng Jia. Your relationship ended just like that. Aren't you ashamed?"
Wang Haowen was already full of grievances, and after being scolded like that, his temper flared up instantly. "It's because they don't like me, they look down on me, a powerless and insignificant alleyway nobody. What does that have to do with me? Do you expect me to go out of my way to fawn over someone who doesn't care?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Wang Yuelai glared at him, not believing his lies at all. "Have you been out there fooling around, cheating on me? Let me tell you, Wang Haowen, Zeng Jia saved my life, she's a benefactor to our family. You'd better find her right now, apologize properly, and stop embarrassing me here! Who are you trying to embarrass?"
Wang Haowen, feeling a surge of anger rising within him from the insults, decided to throw caution to the wind and say, "Yes, I've been targeted by a rich heiress. She's powerful and wealthy, and she's already planning to take me in as her live-in son-in-law! Don't worry, once I'm officially married into the family, I'll buy you all the billiard halls in Beijing, and I'll even let you eat my fill..."
Enraged, Wang Yue immediately took off his shoe and threw it at him, cursing, "Bullshit! You're full of crooked ideas! Get the hell away from me and stop making me angry!"