Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 045

Chapter 45 ☆, Just a “Confidant.”

This time, Xin Xin keenly noticed that Zheng Zaochuan seemed a little unhappy.

Therefore, face-to-face communication was always much more efficient than cold, impersonal online text.

“What do you take me for? Someone you can summon and dismiss at will?”

Zheng Zaochuan looked very serious, but his downturned lips and wet eyes gave people the illusion that he was very aggrieved.

Xin Xin was puzzled. “Don’t you never define your relationships with people?”

In other words, Zheng Zaochuan was most afraid of being restrained by others.

Zheng Zaochuan said through gritted teeth, “Yes, I don’t define it. But I won’t just get intimate with anyone casually.”

Xin Xin was truly wronged. Zheng Zaochuan’s words made it sound like he was an innocent young man and she was a lecherous woman.

Untimely, Xin Xin suddenly remembered a story she had once read.

There was a prostitute who, despite having countless clients, never kissed anyone. Selling her body was acceptable, but a kiss represented love and couldn’t be taken lightly.

She suspected that Zheng Zaochuan was in this situation.

Xin Xin was only half-joking, but Zheng Zaochuan got really angry, feeling insulted as well.

He almost gritted his teeth and said coldly, “Xin Xin, what kind of person am I in your heart?”

Xin Xin’s gaze fell on Zheng Zaochuan’s face. His nose was very pleasing to the eye, high and delicate, forming a gentle arc with his brow bone. His eyelashes were long and black, casting a shadow that made his eyes look innocent and childlike.

He was so beautiful.

A delicate beauty that evoked a protective instinct in people.

Xin Xin subconsciously swallowed, and Zheng Zaochuan laughed in exasperation, “What on earth are you thinking?”

Xin Xin said honestly, “I’m thinking, you’re really good-looking; no wonder you have so many romantic entanglements.”

This statement made Zheng Zaochuan both happy and angry.

He had felt Xin Xin’s heart flutter countless times and almost thought that Xin Xin really liked him.

But whether she was sober or drunk, she told him without hesitation that what attracted her to him was only his appearance.

Zheng Zaochuan felt that in Xin Xin’s eyes, he was like a beautiful girl with great looks but who would never be taken seriously.

“You scumbag. Okay, stop coveting my body. Let’s watch a movie and go back to our rooms to sleep.”

The ambiguous atmosphere from a moment ago vanished instantly, and Xin Xin complained, “We’re both over thirty; how many more years can we enjoy such beautiful bodies?”

Zheng Zaochuan suddenly said in a solemn, vow-like tone, “I will only sleep with someone who truly loves me and whom I truly love in return.”

Xin Xin paused for a moment, hesitating in the face of the overly heavy word “true love.”

In modern society, fleeting moments of attraction and momentary pleasure were so common that they’re practically inflationary.

But the word “true love” was priceless; no one dared to guarantee that their sincere heart was for sale, nor did anyone dare to accept such a sincere heart in exchange for something of equal value.

Xin Xin was very depressed and confided in Mary about her barren love life.

Mary said indifferently, “Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. You talk about it first, then we can talk about love. It’s not even close to happening yet; why think so much?”

Xin Xin sighed to the heavens, “The problem is, they won’t put it into practice with me. It’s so strange. Am I some kind of person who is not worthy of enjoying superficial pleasures? How come all those playboys seem like chaste and virtuous men in front of me?”

Mary couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “That’s right, even Zhang Shaoyang treated you very well.”

When Mary mentioned Zhang Shaoyang, Xin Xin finally remembered him. Zhang Shaoyang used to work in the investment banking department of the head office. He was a very dissolute person, and he always picked on women close to him, having countless illicit relationships with female colleagues.

He once came to Haining to work on a project. On his first day, he acted like a peacock, flirting with every female colleague he encountered. If a female colleague responded, the next step was verbal probing, and the next step after that was physical intimacy.

Objectively speaking, he was not ugly at all; among his many bald, beer-bellied male colleagues, he could even be considered somewhat good-looking.

But his looks couldn’t compete with his sleekness.

Mary got flirted with twice, and he became so slick that she had to avoid him whenever she ran into him at work.

Zhang Shaoyang stayed in Haining for two months, and he flirted with every female colleague in the company, regardless of marital status, age, or type.

Only Xin Xin escaped unharmed.

In response, Zhang Shaoyang made a widely circulated and classic statement: “Xin Xin is the kind of woman who would make a man want to have a serious relationship, but I don’t need a relationship.”

When Xin Xin found out about this, she was furious and wanted nothing more than to confront Zhang Shaoyang. She wanted to tell him to his face, “You think you’re good enough for me? I don’t even think you’re good enough for me.”

Now, time had passed, and Zhang Shaoyang had married and reformed. Surprisingly, since his marriage, it was as if he had been soaked in dish soap; all the grime of the past had been washed away.

He focused on being a good husband and a good father.

Speaking of this, Xin Xin no longer felt the resentment she used to have and even found it funny.

As the saying goes, “Speak of the devil and he appears,” and people can’t resist being talked about.

One second after Xin Xin finished arguing with Mary about Zhang Shaoyang, the next second she received a call from him.

“What have you been busy with lately?”

Xin Xin smiled and said, “It’s been a long time, Mr. Zhang. What could I be busy with? Just work, of course.”

Zhang Shaoyang laughed on the other end of the phone. “How are you doing? You’ve got a boyfriend after all this time?”

Xin Xin was the one who followed up on Zhang Shaoyang’s project in Haining, and the two were more familiar with each other than with other colleagues. But later, he was transferred to a fund company under Hengyang as a leader, and they hadn’t been in contact for a long time, not to the point where they could talk about personal matters.

Xin Xin, trying to figure out his purpose, cautiously replied, “No, I’ve been busy with work.”

Zhang Shaoyang smiled and said, “Don’t be nervous; I’m fine. I just need your help with something.”

Xin Xin breathed a sigh of relief. “Please tell me; I will do everything I can to help.”

“You know Su Chengjie, right? He’s the CEO of Fengchun Group.”

Xin Xin couldn’t catch her breath; Su Chengjie’s shadow was always there, no matter where she looked.

“I don’t know him.”

Zhang Shaoyang was taken aback and asked in confusion, “That’s strange. During our meal earlier, he said he had a good relationship with you. He even asked me some questions about you. I thought you two were very close.”

Xin Xin suddenly remembered the secretary Zheng Zaochuan had told her about who had disappeared without a trace.

In broad daylight, under the clear sky, a chill ran down her spine, as if she were being stared at by a venomous snake.

“Oh, I’ve heard of Mr. Su. But we don’t have a personal relationship. What’s the matter with him asking about me?” Xin Xin tried to inquire casually.

Zhang Shaoyang seemed unaware that Xin Xin was investigating a stock manipulation case. “Actually, we didn’t talk about it intentionally. You know how it is at drinking parties; everyone just makes small talk and tries to build relationships. He mentioned Mr. Zheng of Hanhai, saying that you were his girlfriend of many years, and wondered why you weren’t married yet. I said I didn’t know; I hadn’t heard that you had a boyfriend.”

Xin Xin’s mind raced, unable to understand why Su Chengjie wanted to gather this information.

According to Zhang Shaoyang’s recollection, Su Chengjie didn’t ask any work-related questions. He only asked about how many years Xin Xin had worked, which departments she had been in, and what areas she was good at.

Xin Xin found it increasingly terrifying as she listened; Su Chengjie was probing her social connections.

Zhang Shaoyang didn’t take this information to heart and brought up the matter of asking Xin Xin again: “I need your help with something. It’s not a big deal, but I’ll have to make a trip. Mr. Su’s wife is sick, and I was planning to send her some supplements, but he refuses to accept them. I’ve sent the things to you, but I’ll also need to trouble you to visit her in the hospital and help me win over some clients.”

Xin Xin was unwilling, but then she thought, “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.”

Since Su Chengjie had already targeted her so much, it was better for her to confront him directly than for him to resort to underhanded tactics behind her back.

“Okay, no problem.”

After hanging up the phone, Xin Xin quickly sent Zheng Zaochuan a WeChat message.

“Are you coming to pick me up today?”

She didn’t get a reply for a while, and Zheng Zaochuan called just before she was about to leave work.

“Go downstairs.”

Zheng Zaochuan kept his promise and never missed a day of picking up and dropping off Xin Xin, no matter how busy he was.

“Guess what happened to me today?”

As soon as she got in the car, Xin Xin couldn’t wait to share today’s big news with Zheng Zaochuan.

Seeing Xin Xin’s expectant look that said, “You’ll never guess,” Zheng Zaochuan’s heart softened, and he suddenly didn’t want to go home anymore. He turned the car around and said, “Let’s go get some noodles. You can tell me all about it on the way.”

Ever since Xin Xin learned Zheng Zaochuan’s secret, she no longer found it strange that he insisted on traveling across cities to eat noodles.

“Okay, but you guess first. It’s a mysterious male guest who’s been frantically trying to extract information about me behind my back. Can you guess what’s going on?”

Zheng Zaochuan made up some random thoughts: “Your little fatty? He went back and thought about it for a while and realized that you were still his true love, so he cried and begged you to come back?”

Xin Xin was both amused and exasperated. “No, don’t call him ‘Little Fatty’; his name is Gao Ling. Besides, he officially announced on his WeChat Moments that he’s found a beautiful woman.”

Zheng Zaochuan felt relieved, but he didn’t mince words: “See? Men’s words are deceitful. A few days ago, he acted like he couldn’t live without you, but now he’s looking for someone else.”

“Yes, ever since my boyfriend of three years was stolen away after only three months, and I’ve lost all hope in love. The role of a girlfriend is just too unstable; it’s riskier than being a company accountant.”

Zheng Zaochuan remained silent for a while, then turned the music up a bit. “Did your first love take away your feelings for true love?”

The enthusiastic and energetic singing made this somewhat sad statement seem a bit casual.

Xin Xin, however, easily caught the hint of sadness in Zheng Zaochuan’s tone.

She smiled and replied earnestly, “No, it’s just that time has taken away my feelings for true love.”

The relationship between men and women was so strange.

Once you found yourself in an awkward situation, you’d find that no matter what you spoke about, the conversation would inevitably turn to feelings.

They could be neither completely honest friends nor clear-cut lovers.

Xin Xin forcefully steered the conversation back on track and revealed the answer: “A colleague I know from head office called me today and said that Su Chengjie is inquiring about me.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zaochuan quickly pulled the car over to the side. Then he turned his head, stared intently at Xin Xin, and said bitterly, “Xin Xin, do you understand? I really want to hide you away.”

Touched by the worry and fear in Zheng Zaochuan’s eyes, Xin Xin said softly, “I’m fine; you can trust me.”

Zheng Zaochuan gave a wry smile. “I know that if I insist on doing something and force you to withdraw from this, I will lose you from now on, and we may not even be able to be friends anymore. But if I do nothing, I’m afraid Su Chengjie will come after you.”

Xin Xin’s eyes welled up with tears. At this moment, she felt that the word “confidant” was a better way to describe her feelings for Zheng Zaochuan than an ambiguous male friend.