Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 032

Chapter 32 ☆, One Wave Has Not Yet Subsided, Another Wave Has Arisen.

Xin Xin’s return brought a wave of pride to the entire department.

In Xin Xin’s absence, all the work fell to Zhang Qiao. Although Zhang Qiao’s work was tough, he exuded a sense of unbridled optimism, nurtured by love.

Mary’s ego and willfulness paled in comparison to her beauty, not to mention that she never boasted in love. When in love, she responded to her partner’s every request, was gentle and considerate, and displayed her emotional value to the fullest.

She treated love as a career, wholeheartedly playing the perfect girlfriend.

This was also the reason why almost all men were captivated by her; a beautiful woman’s amorous nature was hardly a flaw.

She had a famous painkiller theory.

If you’ve been hurt by a man, you inevitably need another man to accompany you through the dark years. This man is the painkiller. If the pain is gone and you still love him, then continue. If the pain persists or you no longer love him, then separate and wait for the next love.

Zhang Qiao was completely infatuated with Mary, and he was falling into despair at a visibly rapid pace.

Xin Xin couldn’t guess whether Zhang Qiao, in Mary’s world, was her next true love or just a temporary painkiller.

Mary flirted with Xin Xin, sticking out her tongue nonchalantly. “You’re so strict. Who knows? Maybe I’ll fall in love with him, or maybe not. Time will reveal all the answers, won’t it?”

“What if time reveals that Zhang Qiao isn’t your true love? What will he do?”

Mary glanced at Xin Xin in confusion. “That’s a strange idea. Relationships between men and women are all about hindsight. You meet someone and don’t dislike them, or even feel attracted to them, so you fall in love. But after a while, someone else might come along and make you realize the previous one was just a passing fancy. No one promises a lifetime of love right at the beginning of a relationship. Besides, if promises worked, why would there be so many infatuated men and women?”

Convinced, Xin Xin calmed down a bit.

Meanwhile, Xin Xin interviewed the new candidate Mary had picked for her. She was a college graduate who had just been assigned to the Jianghe Road business office. The girl, Su Qi, was very clever and always brought Mary snacks when she came to do business. The more Mary looked at the girl, the more familiar she seemed. One day, it dawned on her: she looked remarkably like Xin Xin, a recent graduate who had just joined the company.

This sparked a new fondness for Su Qi, and she took it upon herself to invite the young girl to the livestream as a guest.

She was a revelation. Su Qi’s business presentations were clear, lively, and engaging. Though a bit immature, they were more approachable. Compared to inviting industry experts as guests, the number of viewers in the livestream actually increased.

Xin Xin was very satisfied with the interview and immediately discussed the matter with the person in charge of the Jianghe Road business office. Although the livestreams were infrequent, they still required time and effort to prepare. Xin Xin pondered the matter and decided to transfer Su Qi to the position.

This involved personnel changes, which inevitably required reporting to Yang Rui.

Xin Xin was troubled, but fortunately, despite Yang Rui’s complaints about her regarding the recent rural revitalization project, he hadn’t openly challenged her. The two of them remained at peace and ignored each other.

Unexpectedly, at this juncture, something serious happened.

The incident started with Yang Rui’s exercise system during work breaks. Although Rose persisted in doing the exercises for a while, she repeatedly expressed feeling unwell.

Yang Rui didn’t take it seriously, and since he couldn’t get Xin Xin to do anything about it, he intensified his investigation of the people in her department.

On the third day after Xin Xin returned, during the work break, Yang Rui, with a stern expression, checked each employee’s jumps to see if they were high enough, then stopped in front of Rose.

“Who are you pretending to be? Do the exercises properly. You’re not old…”

Rose looked at Yang Rui with a pale face, then fainted before she could say anything.

Yang Rui’s unspoken words were cut short. Everyone rushed forward, pouring water and calling for help. Yang Rui initially remained indifferent, thinking this was just a small ploy by Rose to resist him.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, someone exclaimed, “Oh my god, so much blood!”

Yang Rui’s face suddenly turned pale, as if it had been painted with white paint.

When this happened, Xin Xin was still discussing a project at the township enterprise. After receiving Zhang Qiao’s call, she rushed to the hospital without stopping.

Yang Rui berated Xin Xin the moment they met. “You’re truly ignorant, shameless, and vicious. As a woman, how could you do such a thing? You think you’re harming me, don’t you? You’re harming the company! If I’m not okay, you won’t be okay either.”

Xin Xin, bewildered by the scolding and seeing the doctors busily rushing in and out, was completely stunned. She asked desperately, “What’s wrong with her?”

The doctor just happened to come out. “Where’s Guo Xuan’s family?”

“I—we’re her colleagues. We’re contacting them. How is she?”

The doctor chided, “Her pregnancy was already unstable. She should have been kept in bed. The intense exercise may have caused the loss of the baby and the heavy bleeding. Contact the family. Emergency treatment has temporarily stopped the bleeding. She’s in the ICU for observation, but if her condition worsens, she’ll need a hysterectomy.”

After just a few words, Xin Xin nearly fainted.

Although Rose had repeatedly requested leave, she had no idea she was pregnant. She had no idea the situation was so dire. If she had known anything, she would have reported it to Chen Lisha, bypassing her supervisor, rather than let anything happen to Rose.

Yang Rui knew he was in the wrong, but at this moment, he insisted on putting the blame on Xin Xin.

“You don’t know the situation of the people in your department. I’ll report this to President Chen first. The company will try to negotiate compensation with her family first. If anything happens to her, you’ll be fired.”

Xin Xin wanted to say it was all her fault, but perhaps because she was too nervous, and also because she felt sorry for and worried about Rose, she didn’t have the time to argue.

Xin Xin numbly reported to the company and called Rose’s family. Rose’s husband was working on a project in a very remote area and had just returned. Both of her elderly parents were in poor health, so Xin Xin volunteered to stay by her bedside.

At night, the machines in the ICU beeped, and the occasional groaning of several patients could be heard, but Rose slept peacefully, her breathing as steady as a baby’s.

Xin Xin vaguely thought that if something really happened to Rose, she would be a murderer. At that moment, her phone suddenly rang, and Xin Xin unconsciously answered it.

“Why aren’t you home? Are you busy?”

Zheng Zaochuan’s voice came through the phone, unusually gentle in the cold night.

“Something happened at the company,” Xin Xin sobbed uncontrollably.

“Where are you?”

“In the ICU at University A’s Affiliated Hospital.”

Zheng Zaochuan hung up without asking anything. A moment later, he called Xin Xin, his voice very soft. “I’m downstairs. I can’t get into the ward. Can you come out?”

Xin Xin glanced at the peacefully sleeping Rose, said something to the nurse, and went downstairs.

Under the moonlight, Zheng Zaochuan asked nothing, only to open his arms with a faint smile, “Come, let me hold you.”

Xin Xin burst into tears and fell into Zheng Zaochuan’s arms, followed by a suppressed sob. Zheng Zaochuan gently patted her back, as if she were a child.

After a while, when Xin Xin had calmed down, Zheng Zaochuan asked her about her condition.

Xin Xin’s mind was in a tangle, and she told Zheng Zaochuan what had happened in a fragmented manner. She said anxiously, “I’m so scared! What if Rose can’t make it through this? What should I do?”

Zheng Zaochuan looked at Xin Xin calmly. “Xin Xin, calm down. This isn’t your fault.”

“I know, but I didn’t kill Bo Ren, and yet Bo Ren died because of me.”

Zheng Zaochuan handed her a bottle of ice water. “Calm down. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you. When her family arrives tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, contact the top leader to handle this matter. You’ve done everything you can to fight for her rights, and you even got implicated and demoted because of it. You need to explain these things to her family.”

Xin Xin scooped up the ice water, feeling the night breeze, and finally felt a little more sober.

“When did you talk about Rose? When did you and Yang Rui mention Rose’s situation? Don’t hide anything, and don’t take on responsibilities you shouldn’t take.”

Xin Xin looked at Zheng Zaochuan. “I’m scared.”

Zheng Zaochuan looked back at her. “I’m here; don’t be afraid.”

Xin Xin’s eyes welled up again, and she couldn’t help but lean her head against Zheng Zaochuan. Her usual principle of avoiding unnecessary involvement with the opposite sex was long forgotten. She poured out her fear, tears falling on Zheng Zaochuan’s shoulder.

From this morning until now, she had been solely concerned about Rose’s situation, completely unaware of her own predicament.

If something truly happened to Rose, Yang Rui would have immediately pushed her out, refusing to take any responsibility.

Even if Rose was fine, for the sake of maximizing their own interests, Rose and her family wouldn’t deny having told Xin Xin about her pregnancy. They would insist the company was to blame.

As for Chen Lisha, whether to protect her or Yang Rui remained uncertain.

No matter who took responsibility for this, Xin Xin would be blamed.

Zheng Zaochuan had already anticipated everything she could think of. Her direct supervisor was inextricably implicated in this incident, and given the current circumstances, if the company wasn’t willing to pay more compensation, they’d likely shift all the blame onto Xin Xin.

“Call Zhao Xi.”

“Huh?”

Zheng Zaochuan analyzed, “This can’t be hidden. We’ll definitely have to report it to headquarters. Zhao Xi is your old boss. If Chen Lisha really wants to shift the blame onto you, Zhao Xi at least knows the situation and might be able to help you if there’s a chance.”

Ever since Zhao Xi confessed his feelings and Xin Xin rejected him, the two hadn’t been in touch.

Although Xin Xin didn’t feel any guilt, calling someone she’d once rejected and asking for help did take some courage.

Zheng Zaochuan noticed her hesitation. “Did something happen between you two?”

Xin Xin felt a little uncomfortable and hesitated, “It’s nothing serious.”

Zheng Zaochuan got straight to the point: “Your romantic debt?”

Xin Xin cried out in injustice, her words quicker than her brains. “No, nothing’s wrong with him. He confessed his feelings to me before, and I rejected him.”

Zheng Zaochuan smiled, a subtle smile. “That’s even better. Call him. He’ll do his best to help you.”

Xin Xin was shocked by Zheng Zaochuan’s audacity. “Isn’t this taking advantage of him?”

Zheng Zaochuan smiled, “It’s a man’s honor to be used by the woman he loves. Besides, you’re in such a predicament now, and you’re still bothering me.”

Xin Xin couldn’t bring herself to lose face.

Zheng Zaochuan urged her, “Hurry up and call! Trust me, he won’t despise you; he’ll be grateful for the opportunity you gave him.”

Xin Xin hesitated and pulled out her phone. Yang Rui was still scolding her on WeChat.

Zheng Zaochuan saw this and took her phone. He recounted how Xin Xin had requested leave for Rose and fought for her rights. Then, he said sarcastically, “Boss Yang, you were the one who had to find fault with me. You abused your power for personal gain, deducted Rose’s performance bonus, and forced her to participate in the exercise breaks. You were the one who supervised her exercise today, and now she’s lying in the ICU, her life in danger. I tried my best to request leave for her. You’re so forgetful; you wouldn’t forget why I was stationed in the village, would you?”

Xin Xin was stunned by Zheng Zaochuan’s words. “Amazing! I haven’t even been so angry with him. We had a fight.”

Zheng Zaochuan glanced at her. “Sending the text will be evidence. It will prove that you and Yang Rui have a bad relationship. It will also prove that he deliberately made things difficult for you, which led to Rose’s accident.”

Xin Xin felt downcast again, smiling bitterly. “She’s still in there, and yet we’re harboring ulterior motives, each one focused on our own interests. Rose is foolish. She didn’t tell me she was pregnant. It must be because she heard rumors of layoffs at the company.”

Zheng Zaochuan looked at Xin Xin. Her delicate makeup had faded, and her face was as dusty and disheveled as a stray cat, looking utterly miserable. But this very appearance made Zheng Zaochuan’s heart melt like a collapsed soufflé.

“You don’t have your own agenda; others do. You’re truly worried about her. Xin Xin, never doubt yourself.”

Xin Xin was stunned for a moment, then said blankly, “Zheng Zaochuan, thank you. I’m lucky to have you, and thank you for coming.”

Zheng Zaochuan smiled. “You never need to say thank you to me. I’ve told you, it’s a man’s honor to be used by the woman he loves.”