Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 003

Chapter 3 ☆, Only the person who drinks the water knows whether it’s hot or cold.

Xin Xin hadn’t expected Zhao Xi, her former boss with such a promising future, to dare call her.

“Xin Xin, I heard you were ill. How are you? I’ll come visit you when I have time, once I’ve settled in.” Zhao Xi’s voice was pleasant, and even on the phone, it was tinged with a gentle smile.

Xin Xin blushed. “Haha, I’m fine. I get along really well with your ex-girlfriend. Everything’s going smoothly.”

Everybody should be an experienced veteran after years of working together, so even the most terrible competition should be manageable if they maintain a reasonably high degree of respect for one another.

But perhaps because she had too high expectations of Zhao Xi’s character, Xin Xin couldn’t help but let out a hint of sarcasm when things came to this.

As soon as she said this, Zhao Xi sighed. “Xin Xin, I’ve missed you a lot lately.”

After years of working together, Zhao Xi had a strong sense of boundaries and had never said anything so ambiguous.

Xin Xin sneered, blurting out, “What? You’ve done such terrible things, and yet you expect me to just let it go and continue to be friendly superiors and subordinates? That’s impossible, Zhao Xi. Don’t try to gain my forgiveness and find peace of mind. We’ll never be friends again.”

Zhao Xi was a mature man, adept at getting along with everyone, but he also had his weaknesses. After years of being together, Xin Xin had seen through them all. He simply couldn’t stand being torn apart. He would rather smile than lose face.

Xin Xin had worked so hard for so many years, but in the end, everything was wasted, and she became a victim of Zhao Xi’s failed relationship.

She expected Zhao Xi to get angry after hearing these words, but he actually laughed instead. “You never called me by my name before.”

“Yes, I used to respect you and thought you were a good boss.”

“Now that I’m no longer your boss, can we have another relationship?”

Xin Xin was furious. “Sure, we’ll just be enemies from now on.”

Zhao Xi was stunned for a moment, then laughed again. “Xin Xin, Fu Meng is targeting you because she thinks I like you. She thinks our relationship wouldn’t be problematic if it weren’t for you. And it wasn’t me who recommended her transfer. I wouldn’t recommend her. It was you who I recommended. Her transfer was the company’s decision.”

Xin Xin didn’t quite believe him. Office romances were taboo within the same organization. If he was transferring back, he’d naturally have to find a way to get his ex-girlfriend out. “Do you think I’m stupid? Do I deserve this? This can be explained away.”

This time, Zhao Xi was silent for a long time before he said, “Xin Xin, I can’t explain it. She guessed right.”

Xin Xin’s mind exploded. She vaguely felt that Zhao Xi was confessing his feelings for her, but the whole thing was too absurd for her to react properly. Xin Xin swore on her life and property that her relationship with Zhao Xi was pure and innocent, and there was no ambiguity.

Besides, she wouldn’t stoop so low as to interfere in someone else’s relationship.

Zhao Xi clearly didn’t think this was a straightforward matter and hurriedly changed the subject. “Anyway, believe me, this isn’t my intention. Just hold on. I won’t break my promise.”

With that, he preemptively hung up the phone, leaving Xin Xin with no outlet for her pent-up anger.

After hanging up, Xin Xin immediately called Mary, who was preoccupied with wedding preparations.

Mary, who had originally determined to marry a distinguished and wealthy man, ultimately chose a plain-looking, tepid university professor.

Xin Xin stumbled over the content of Zhao Xi’s call, but Mary wasn’t surprised at all. “Yes, he really likes you. Everyone in the company knows it.”

Xin Xin was utterly shocked. “Huh? We only talked about work, nothing more.”

Mary was stunned. “I thought you didn’t like him, so you were deliberately maintaining boundaries.”

Xin Xin was confused. “I didn’t think about it.”

Office romances were a major scandal in the workplace. Xin Xin knew her IQ and EQ weren’t up to par with someone like Zhao Xi, so she never harbored any undue ambitions.

Mary and Xin Xin had a good relationship, having shared hardships and never competing in the same field. So, while many people were gossiping about her, accusing her of playing dumb and exploiting her attractiveness to pursue an ambiguous relationship with her male boss, Mary remained nonchalant.

However, hearing Xin Xin’s words today, she almost suspected she was being completely deceitful, feigning ignorance. But then she realized that Xin Xin had indeed been forthcoming with her about relationships, but her understanding of them remained largely unchanged from her college days.

Mary ultimately chose to believe her. “Don’t let Zhao Xi’s words confuse you. He can confess his feelings to you, but you have the right to choose. What you need to consider isn’t whether he likes you, but whether you like him.”

Consider whether you like him.

Xin Xin didn’t realize that, since childhood, she hadn’t seemed very proactive. If someone said they liked her, she couldn’t help but look for clues that they liked her, and then she would fall in love with them.

Just like when she was with Zhou Yiran, and Zhou Yiran asked her, “Do you like me?” She naively replied, “Yes, I do. You’re so good to me.”

However, when Zhou Yiran betrayed her, she didn’t feel heartbroken. Recalling it now, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

Xin Xin was completely confused about everything, yet was forced to face the trap Zhao Xi had set for her.

When she was about to be discharged from the hospital, Fu Meng brought a group of people from her department to visit her, a large bouquet of flowers covering Fu Meng’s head tightly.

It was unclear whether Fu Meng’s purpose was a routine visit or a deliberate demonstration.

Fu Meng was a northern girl, but she wasn’t the heroic type. She seemed more like a petite and lovely Jiangnan woman. Xin Xin had never interacted with her before; the last time she heard from her was when Zhao Xi had just been transferred here.

At the time, she was still naive and still had some admiration for Zhao Xi.

Her boss, Ethan, who had always despised her for her dullness, warned her with a malicious look of sarcasm, “Don’t think you can hook up with the new boss just because I’m gone. Zhao Xi’s girlfriend also works at our company. I heard she was his college classmate. They’re a perfect match, talented and beautiful, and no one can get in the way.”

At the time, Xin Xin didn’t understand the insinuation and had no interest in her boss’s private life.

Mary, however, asked a few more questions with considerable interest. “Which department? What does she do?”

Ethan’s eyes shot up, and he looked very proud. “She’s a secretary for the boss. I heard she has a very powerful background, not someone you or I can afford to offend.”

Whatever the truth, judging from the situation back then, when they joined the company together, Fu Meng had a promising future, while Zhao Xi was clearly climbing the ladder. However, in recent years, Zhao Xi’s momentum has been very strong, while Fu Meng has remained stagnant, becoming a nobody.

Xin Xin had no desire to get involved in the love-hate dynamics of these “bigwigs.” When Fu Meng arrived, she sat upright to greet her new boss, and the two of them shared a series of friendly conversations with smiles.

Fu Meng was about the same age as Zhao Xi, two years her senior. Yet, she spoke with the air of a girl.

“I’m new here, and I’m not entirely familiar with our department’s operations. I’ve been at headquarters for a long time, and I’m constantly busy, working day and night. Everyone works at the same intensity. I’m new to our branch, so I don’t understand everyone’s work schedule, and I’ve put a lot of pressure on you. I’m truly sorry that you’re sick.”

At first glance, these words were filled with apology, but they were actually veiled insinuations.

Xin Xin realized this was a deliberate attempt to intimidate her. Fu Meng’s smile was innocent. Of course, she could retort, but she hadn’t found a way to do so yet, and there was nowhere else to turn.

When you’re under someone’s roof, you have to bow your head.

Xin Xin coughed twice, avoiding the challenge. “I don’t blame the boss; it’s my poor adaptability.”

Fu Meng had been so confident and determined to dampen Xin Xin’s spirit, but this blow was like a fist punching cotton. She looked up at Xin Xin; her haggard, sickly complexion didn’t diminish her beauty; it only made her look more pathetic.

Regardless of whether their relationship was more than just colleagues, Fu Meng had already concluded that Zhao Xi would like her. To be more precise, Xin Xin was the kind of woman most men would be attracted to.

In another industry, she would be considered beautiful. But in a financial enterprise, where beauties abound, her personality and temperament didn’t stand out. Yet, it was precisely this unremarkable quality that gave her a kind of naive, innocuous beauty.

Fu Meng used to disregard Xin Xin, but now her affair with Zhao Xi had become a hot topic. Although they never met, they were likely compared numerous times, both openly and covertly.

No matter how capable and shrewd a woman was, faced with such a situation, she was bound to be irrationally competitive.

Fu Meng didn’t actually think breaking up with Zhao Xi was a big deal. Over the years, the pure feelings she’d felt during her college years were few and far between. Financial companies initially deal in million-dollar businesses, and there are plenty of wealthy people in this city.

Zhao Xi wasn’t the best choice, but he wasn’t a bad one either.

Haining City is very close to headquarters, and nearly all department heads at headquarters have worked at the Haining branch to gain grassroots experience before promotions. Shortly after Zhao Xi arrived, gossipers told her about a newcomer named Mary Zhao, who was incredibly beautiful and quite capable. She didn’t think to be defensive and even harbored a hint of disdain.

Everyone was busy, too busy to dwell on the struggles of love. Yet, watching Zhao Xi drift further and further away from her, watching the man whose eyes once clung to her begin to be swayed, intentionally or unintentionally, by others, her sensitive pride was stung.

“Zhao Xi, since you’ve fallen for someone else, there’s no need for us to continue being entangled.”

Zhao Xi looked at her gently and sighed, “Ah’Meng, don’t make things difficult for her. I won’t pursue whether your relationship with CEO Lin crossed the line, but don’t dwell on my mistakes.”

Fu Meng admitted that, in that moment, she felt a surge of guilt and unnamed pain. For a moment, she even doubted whether her shady efforts were worth it. But when the transfer order came, the joy she felt overshadowed the end of a relationship.