Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 051

Chapter 51 ☆, Perilous No Man’s Land.

Xin Xin found it difficult to comment on Fu Meng’s life.

She once believed that it was extremely arrogant for someone to arbitrarily comment on another person’s actions without having experienced their suffering.

So after hearing this long and sad story, Xin Xin could only ask one question: “Why did you tell me this?”

Fu Meng said, “I don’t know either. Maybe it’s because I want to tell you that between Zhao Xi and me, he did nothing wrong; it was all my fault.”

Or perhaps, it was simply because she was too lonely. She had never had any close friends; she knew that life wasn’t a race, and there was neither the need nor the possibility of winning against everyone.

But she couldn’t control her jealousy of others.

But some stories needed a certain audience to truly resonate. And Xin Xin happened to be that kind of audience.

Fortunately, although they could not be friends, they were perfect work partners.

The project in Jinshi went very smoothly. To avoid wasting time, Fu Meng would skip lunch, grabbing a sandwich on the go before heading to the next location. Xin Xin’s daily workload wasn’t this heavy, but she never complained while working with Fu Meng.

A week’s work schedule left Fu Meng with only four days of work.

On the afternoon of the third day, on their way back to the city from the factory, the pickup truck they were riding in was involved in an accident.

The incident wasn’t serious. It happened at the entrance to the city center when a black pickup truck carrying a load of goods seemed to have turned the steering wheel too much and bumped into them at an angle.

They just happened to run into the car that Xin Xin and Fu Meng were in.

Having driven all day, Xin Xin fell asleep on the road. The car was violently struck, the airbags deployed, and Xin Xin was instantly awakened. But strangely, when faced with a real accident, she wasn’t particularly afraid.

Fu Meng hit her head on the glass, and a little blood seeped out. She looked unwell but seemed to be alright.

Fortunately, the driver of the black pickup truck immediately got out of the car, quickly called the police, and then apologized to them in a very polite manner.

No one expected this to happen, but fortunately, apart from some damage to the car, everyone was unharmed.

Xin Xin and her carload of people went to the hospital for a check-up. After a simple bandage treatment, it was almost midnight.

According to the original plan, their last day was to visit a very remote mining area, a six-hour drive away. The road to that mine was said to be quite difficult, but their vehicle would need repairs for at least a week. They were waiting for a replacement vehicle and also needed to assess the local production situation.

Fu Meng was very anxious. “Boss Zhang, is there any other way to get to Zong County?”

Xin Xin had a terrible headache, so she wasn’t in a hurry to go back, but seeing how anxious Fu Meng was, she didn’t say anything more.

Mr. Zhang said with difficulty, “Let me think of a way.”

Just then, the pickup truck driver, who hadn’t spoken until now, said, “I’m so sorry, but if you don’t mind, I can provide you with a car to take you there.”

Fu Meng immediately agreed, “What is your surname?”

Without hesitation, the driver replied, “Just call me Old Wang.”

Mr. Zhang seemed uneasy, sensing something was amiss. As if noticing his hesitation, the driver produced his driver’s license. Xin Xin glanced at it; the driver’s name was Wang Chengzhi.

The driver was tall, dark-skinned, spoke with a Shaanxi accent, and had a kind and honest face; he looked like a true Northwesterner.

“My younger brother lives in Jinshi. He’s a driver for Jinshi Seed Industry. I often deliver goods to the places you’re going to. Don’t worry, there won’t be any problems.”

Mr. Zhang hesitated; after all, these were his company’s securities firms, and he wasn’t too comfortable letting them find their own transportation. But since the accident had already happened, the other driver was willing to make amends, and Fu Meng was eager to go home, so he didn’t stop them anymore.

Just in case, Mr. Zhang kept photos of the other party’s ID card and driver’s license. The driver also proactively provided his brother’s company business card and phone number.

Jinshi Seed Industry is also a local seed production company, and the owner is an old acquaintance of Mr. Zhang. Coincidentally, they also have a mine in Zong County. Mr. Zhang immediately called the other company’s owner to confirm that the driver’s brother, Wang Zhihe, was indeed the company’s driver. Only then was he relieved, and they agreed to depart at eight o’clock the next day.

Although Fu Meng’s work methods were quite aggressive when she was in Haining, Xin Xin still felt that Fu Meng was more attentive to this project but also more anxious.

She wondered if it was because of the layoff plan; she might want to take advantage of it.

Use this project to turn her life around.

Xin Xin was actually exhausted, but she still tried her best to cooperate with Fu Meng’s pace and agreed to the plan for the next day. She was still holding on outside, but once she returned to her room, she relaxed completely and fell asleep without even washing her face.

In a daze, Xin Xin heard her phone ringing and answered it almost unconsciously.

“Hello?”

“Why didn’t you answer the phone?” It was Zheng Zaochuan. He seemed relieved to hear Xin Xin’s voice.

Xin Xin spoke with a nasal tone, “I’m asleep; we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

“Don’t hang up.” Zheng Zaochuan’s voice was unusually gentle. “Just say one sentence: Was today smooth? I’m inexplicably a little flustered.”

Since Xin Xin arrived in Jinshi, Zheng Zaochuan had called her every day. Because he had been running around to the factory these past two days, there was almost no signal on the road, and he could only contact her when he got back to his room.

Xin Xin hadn’t felt this way of being cared for in a long time, and she inexplicably cherished this feeling, even feeling reluctant to hang up the phone.

But she was too sleepy. She could only hear Zheng Zaochuan talking on the phone, but she was so engrossed in her dream that she couldn’t hear anything clearly anymore.

The next morning, Xin Xin was woken up by the same alarm clock that kept ringing from 6:30 to 7:30.

Before eight o’clock, Fu Meng called. “The driver said he left a little earlier, so we should leave early because it might get a bit hot when the sun comes out. I brought us sandwiches.”

Xin Xin got into the car, still half asleep, but because she was unfamiliar with the driver and was afraid of any danger, she didn’t dare to fall asleep right away.

“You all look so sleepy. There are bottled water bottles in the back of the car. Drink some water and you’ll wake up.” Driver Wang smiled kindly and gave each of them a bottle of water.

Fu Meng, sitting in the front row, glanced at Xin Xin in the rearview mirror and said, “Xin Xin, I’m sorry; my schedule is too full.”

Ever since they met, Fu Meng had always been decisive and efficient, and it was rare to see her show such a tender side.

Xin Xin knew that Fu Meng was mostly feeling guilty, thinking that Xin Xin had traveled a long way for her sake.

Xin Xin couldn’t stand this sentimental atmosphere, so she deliberately joked, “You underestimate me. When I was in the investment banking department, my schedule was even busier than yours.”

Fu Meng laughed too. “You’re so annoying; you always have to outdo me.”

The driver chimed in, “It’s not easy to make a living in any industry these days. What do you guys do?”

“We’re collaborating on a project with Boss Zhang and his team,” Fu Meng answered first, without mentioning that it was a securities firm.

Xin Xin was also reluctant to explain the nature of her work to others, but she wasn’t as wary as Fu Meng.

However, whether it was Xin Xin’s imagination or not, although the driver was talking to Fu Meng, his eyes were constantly observing her through the rearview mirror.

It was a very strange look in his eyes, as if he was trying hard to recognize someone he thought he knew.

A sense of dread and unease arose within Xin Xin, making her inexplicably afraid.

“Master Wang, do you recognize me?”

The driver paused for a moment, then gave a simple, honest smile. The chilly atmosphere from before seemed to be just Xin Xin’s imagination.

“I don’t think I know you, but you look familiar. Are you from Jinshi, young lady?”

Fu Meng seemed oblivious to the strange atmosphere. “Then you must have mistaken her for someone else. I’m from Jinshi, and we usually work in Haining.”

The driver chatted with them casually, “Oh…you’re all from Haining. When are you heading back?”

The car had left the city. Xin Xin checked the time; they had been traveling for two hours. Outside, it was all Gobi Desert, a vast expanse of sand and gravel, making it impossible to discern directions.

“We’re going to the mines in Zongxian County today, and we’ll leave tomorrow.”

As soon as Xin Xin finished speaking, Fu Meng said, “Master Wang, are you sure you’re on the right road? I think we’re going the wrong way.”

“Impossible, I’ve walked this road countless times.”

In fact, Xin Xin couldn’t recognize the roads at all from the moment she arrived in Jinshi. Every now and then it was just desert, a completely uninhabited area with no landmarks like restaurants and no cell phone signal. She relied entirely on the driver’s knowledge of the route.

But Fu Meng said with absolute certainty, “No, the road is wrong.”

This time, the driver was no longer gentle and kind; his tone was gloomy as he said, “If I say it’s right, then it’s right. If you think it’s wrong, then get out of the car.”

The atmosphere inside the car instantly plummeted to freezing point.

At that moment, both Xin Xin and Fu Meng sensed danger.

Perhaps it was because this was Fu Meng’s hometown, or perhaps it was because the driver had always appeared honest, kind, and cooperative since their car accident, and because Boss Zhang had personally verified the driver’s identity, that these multiple factors led them to overlook the potential danger.

This entire route was through uninhabited areas.

The howling wind and the gravel hitting the car made a metallic clanging sound.

The highway stretched as far as the eye could see, with only one or two large trucks occasionally appearing, silently passing by them.

Xin Xin tried to keep her breathing steady and softened her tone. “Master Wang, we know you know the way, but Fu Meng is a local, and she’s been to this factory several times. Why don’t we ask a passing car?”

This time the driver didn’t argue, but the next moment he smiled sinisterly, “Going to my destination is definitely the right thing to do. But whether we can get to your destination, I don’t know.”

These words gave Xin Xin goosebumps from her calves to her neck. She quickly glanced at Fu Meng, only to find that she had already fallen into a deep sleep.

There’s something wrong with the water!

“Don’t hurt us; I can give you money.”

After saying this, Xin Xin quietly put her hand into her bag and began to seriously consider what she could use for self-defense.

The driver glanced at Xin Xin in the rearview mirror and said contemptuously, “I advise you not to act rashly. We have no grudges or enemies, but you have done something wrong and offended someone. I’m sorry, Miss Xin.”

Upon hearing this, Xin Xin was filled with surprise and doubt but suddenly found that she seemed to have lost all her strength and her mind was becoming increasingly heavy.

The car was parked on the side of the road, and the driver got out and roughly tied Fu Meng and Xin Xin’s hands together with a rope.

Then he took out a photo from his pocket, compared it carefully, and made a phone call. “The person is already with me.”