Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 056

Chapter 56 ☆, Doubts Arise.

After hearing about the investigation of the case, Fu Meng and Xin Xin both said, “I don’t believe his claim.”

But Wang Yu insisted that this was the whole story. When asked about the fake documents, he said he just made them casually, just in case. When asked why he lied about the younger brother of the driver from Jinshi Seed Industry, he said he talked to a local who knew such a person. When asked why he called Zheng Zaochuan, he said he knew Xin Xin’s boyfriend was rich.

Wang Yu confessed to kidnapping Xin Xin and Fu Meng, but denied being instructed by anyone. He intended to take full responsibility for the incident himself.

The company’s legal team lawyers speculated that the case wouldn’t take long to be resolved. Firstly, the circumstances weren’t serious, and there was no intentional harm. Secondly, the consequences weren’t severe, since they all returned unharmed.

Their kidnapping caused a huge uproar within the company. To avoid similar risks, the head office revised its internal control system in detail, imposing extremely strict requirements on business trips to clients.

At the same time, Xin Xin received a call from Zhao Xi as soon as she returned.

“How are you?”

Xin Xin still remembered that the two of them had parted on bad terms before she left.

“I’m fine.”

Zhao Xi paused for a moment, then said cryptically, “Xin Xin, I regret it. I was just one step too slow, and now you’re in trouble.”

Even then, when Xin Xin thought about this incident, she still felt lingering fear, but perhaps it was an unconscious self-protection instinct, but she also felt a sense of unreality, as if it was a distant memory.

“I’m fine, and this really has nothing to do with you.”

Zhao Xi suddenly got angry. “Nothing to do with me? Xin Xin, have you no conscience? Do you know how many people I’ve looked for while you were missing? I even went to Su Chengjie to ensure your safety.”

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Xi’s breathing was very heavy. Xin Xin was startled by his sudden anger and remained silent.

Zhao Xi calmed himself down and suppressed his anger. “Xin Xin, we’ve worked together for many years. We’ve traveled across half of China together on business trips, worked overtime until dawn countless times, and supported each other when problems arose. I confessed my feelings to you, but I consider myself upright and never pushed you too hard. Even if it’s just a colleague relationship, to receive an ‘it has nothing to do with you’ in return is enough to break my heart.”

These words were spoken with heartfelt sincerity, and Xin Xin suddenly realized that Zheng Zaochuan had told her that it had nothing to do with her that day.

She felt incredibly angry at the time, but now she suddenly realized that she treated others the same way.

A wave of guilt washed over Xin Xin. She could guess that Zhao Xi was telling the truth and that he might even be deliberately downplaying his worries.

Xin Xin reflected for a second, then quickly apologized, “Master, thank you. I didn’t mean that. I just didn’t want to trouble you or involve you in irrelevant matters.”

Zhao Xi felt a pang of sadness; it was Xin Xin, whom he knew so well.

Xin Xin’s personality was both good and bad in this respect.

If she always kept people at arm’s length, she would inevitably lose her approachability. If she was always gentle and docile, she would lose her charm.

But that was just how she was; she used indifference and arrogance to provoke you. Then, seeing you were angry, she would become like a kitten and gently lick you.

Zhao Xi admitted that he despised himself, but he was damnably unable to stop himself from doing so.

The anxiety and fear of these past few days made Zhao Xi realize how significant Xin Xin was in his life. He was no longer young, and all his love and passion had been given to Fu Meng.

But even as they disappeared together, Zhao Xi still managed to discern…

The difference lay in these aspects.

He was worried about Fu Meng and was willing to do everything in his power to help her.

But with Xin Xin, he couldn’t even concentrate on work for a single day. From the moment he learned of Xin Xin’s accident, he began to replay everything that had happened with Su Chengjie over and over again. He asked someone to find Su Chengjie and, without hesitation, offered him a large sum of money, expressing his desire to befriend him.

After going through layers of requests and exhausting all available connections, I finally managed to get a chance to see Su Chengjie.

“Mr. Su, one of my subordinates went missing while on a business trip out of town. I wonder if you know anyone in Jin City? I’d really like to know how she is doing now.”

Su Chengjie smiled slightly and said calmly, “A subordinate who can be so cared for by Mr. Zhao must be blessed with good fortune. Don’t worry; in a society governed by law, most people only seek wealth and don’t harm others.”

Not long after, Zhao Xi heard that Zheng Zaochuan had submitted his resignation to the board of directors of Hanhai, stepping down as CEO.

Zhao Xi did not tell Xin Xin about this matter and also downplayed and omitted his negotiation process with Su Chengjie.

But from that moment on, he decided to protect Xin Xin.

Zhao Xi used to believe that love was respect, understanding, and letting the other person go when they had higher aspirations. But after this experience, he suddenly realized that love was possession, fighting, and an uncompromising struggle.

Xin Xin was completely unaware of this. After talking with Zhao Xi, she went around letting her relatives and friends know that she was safe.

Fortunately, her parents were unaware of what had happened. It had only been ten days, and they remained oblivious to her ordeal until she called home.

They always assumed that she was working in a place without internet access and that the phone calls she couldn’t answer were due to a bad signal.

She called her parents as soon as she got back, and they were both in a good mood and relaxed.

“Your friend called us and said you went to the factory owned by the business owner. Is that factory so remote? There’s absolutely no internet. Xin Xin, that young man was very polite and seemed concerned about you. Are you just friends?”

Xin Xin forced a smile. Her parents’ expectant yet inquisitive attitude made it difficult for her to explain that she and Zheng Zaochuan had broken up.

Xin Xin couldn’t help but feel wronged. Zheng Zaochuan was able to pick her up immediately, call her parents to let them know she was safe, and stay with her in the hospital to take care of her.

He was unwilling to let her participate in his life, and Zheng Zaochuan treated her well within his own boundaries.

Zheng Zaochuan had been busy these past few days. Xin Xin lived in the same space as him, but they hadn’t met. He avoided her, or perhaps he was deliberately giving her the silent treatment, or maybe he was just trying to remind her of the boundaries that should exist between them.

How cruel. Xin Xin thought about how she treated Zhao Xi and how Zheng Zaochuan treated her; they were basically the same. They just misinterpreted each other’s feelings and intentions.

After comforting her parents, Xin Xin also had to comfort Mary, who was visibly distressed.

Mary, not fully aware of the details of the Su Chengjie incident, rudely pinned the blame on Fu Meng.

“Fu Meng is a real jinx. People really shouldn’t do anything wrong. Maybe she’s getting this kind of retribution because she broke up someone else’s family. Don’t help her anymore. What’s the point of helping someone like her?”

As she spoke, Mary, still worried, circled around Xin Xin several times, as if to make sure she wasn’t missing any limbs.

Xin Xin felt guilty for dragging Fu Meng down and causing her to be misunderstood.

“Don’t say that about Fu Meng; it was an accident.”

Mary stared with her beautiful big eyes. “What’s wrong? After going through thick and thin together, you and she became good friends? Don’t blame me for not visiting you; it was Zheng Zaochuan who wouldn’t let me. I booked a flight to go as soon as I heard about your accident. It was Zheng Zaochuan who asked me to stay here, saying that if anything happens here, I should keep an eye on things for him.”

Xin Xin’s mood became complicated again, and she changed the subject. “I’m not blaming you; it’s just that Fu Meng has had a tough time too, so let’s not talk about her behind her back.”

It must be said that after going through this ordeal together, Xin Xin’s feelings for Fu Meng had indeed changed.

On one hand, she felt that Fu Meng’s actions were hateful, but on the other hand, she felt a mixture of sympathy and admiration for her. Moreover, no matter how wrong she was, she had paid a heavy price.

Mary pursed her lips but quickly put the matter out of her mind and pressed on. “So, are you with Zheng Zaochuan? Did he confess to you? You don’t know that when he came to the company to see me, his eyes were bloodshot. After you had your accident, I saw with my own eyes what it means to be completely pale.”

The topic circled back to what Xin Xin least wanted to talk about, and she could only give a bitter smile. “We weren’t together. His feelings for me might be friendship or something else, but definitely not love.”

Mary stared in disbelief. “Huh?”

Xin Xin recounted the whole story, including how Zheng Zaochuan took care of her, how he coldly refused her when she asked about what happened, and how the two of them hadn’t even met since they came back.

Mary was also confused. She had imagined many possibilities before. For example, Zheng Zaochuan might be infatuated with Xin Xin’s beauty and had no intention of taking responsibility. Or perhaps he genuinely liked Xin Xin, but the playboy didn’t want to settle down.

But after years of observation, neither of these two scenarios were particularly similar to theirs.

Zheng Zaochuan gave Mary a new type of question. Not only could Xin Xin not understand it, but Mary could only write down a solution and then leave a blank.

Fortunately, Xin Xin had been busy receiving well wishes from various people lately, so she hadn’t had time to think about her love life.

Besides relatives and friends, Chen Lisha and Yang Rui both asked Xin Xin about the situation. Strangely, Yang Rui’s attitude towards Xin Xin improved significantly.

“It’s good that you’re alright; it’s good that you’re alright.” After hearing Xin Xin’s explanation, Yang Rui couldn’t help but scold her a few times, but she could tell there was no malice in his voice. “Xin Xin, I’m a few years older than you, and I know that you young people don’t listen to the advice of your elders these days. But I still have to tell you, you really need to work on your temper. Everyone says that what happened to you was an accident, but who knows if you offended someone? Otherwise, how could he know your itinerary so clearly? How could he have calculated it so precisely?”

Yes, it’s about the itinerary. Even if many people knew her and Fu Meng’s flights, very few people knew the progress of her and Fu Meng’s work at the company. Because of Fu Meng’s terrifying work efficiency, their schedule was compressed.

Knowing the progress and being able to bump into their car at just the right place.

This was no coincidence.

The color drained from Xin Xin’s face in an instant, and a jumble of complex information flashed through her mind. Amidst these doubts, she might have found a clue.