Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 066

Chapter 66 ☆, Should I Prepare A Complete Set Of Underwear?

Xin Xin felt as if fireworks were exploding in her heart, an inexplicable joy bursting forth.

She initially thought Zheng Zaochuan had a complicated romantic history and was promiscuous, and it took her a long period of psychological preparation before she could barely bear to be with him despite this constraint.

But unexpectedly, he turned out to have a subtle, innocent side.

Xin Xin did not have a thing for perfect relationships. She did not believe in anything pure and flawless in this world. Just like jade, as long as it was natural, it would have impurities. If it was flawless, it might have been soaked in acid.

The same applied to love. Flawed love was not terrible; what was terrible was a completely false sincerity.

The unknown fear she had previously felt about Zheng Zaochuan’s past had now vanished.

Beyond the dangerous rumors, Zheng Zaochuan was actually an ordinary man who had suffered a lot, worked hard to build his business from scratch, experienced ups and downs in the turbulent waves of life, and had little sense of security.

Strangely enough, his unspeakable flaw made her feel at ease.

She lowered her head and kissed Zheng Zaochuan, her hands restlessly sliding down his neck, quietly unbuttoning his pajamas. Her fingers, almost imperceptibly, traced a path from his Adam’s apple down to his chest.

Zheng Zaochuan’s breathing deepened. He held her waist with one hand and pressed her head down with the other.

Xin Xin thought groggily, “He really likes this position.”

However, just as things were about to escalate, Zheng Zaochuan suddenly grabbed her hand and said in a hoarse voice, “Do not touch me like that; it’s time to sleep.”

Xin Xin was forced to her senses and looked at him in bewilderment. She felt that a man who wanted to stop things at this point was not just a beast; he was worse than a beast.

“I can sleep with you.”

Zheng Zaochuan managed to calm his breathing and looked at her seriously, saying, “No, you did not buy a complete set of underwear. We have not had a candlelight dinner, watched a movie late at night, or been caught in the rain together. I have not shouted ‘I love you’ from downstairs. We have not spent New Year’s Eve together, and I have not even bought you any holiday gifts.”

Xin Xin was devastated. “We are over thirty, not fifteen. Should we not be enjoying life while we can? What if you cannot keep going?”

She maliciously provoked him.

But Zheng Zaochuan refused to fall for it and said righteously, “I cannot let you have me so easily. What if you only care about my appearance and then get tired of me and break up with me?”

Xin Xin found Zheng Zaochuan to be unreasonable.

Zheng Zaochuan gave a lengthy explanation of why Xin Xin might start a relationship but then abandon it.

“After we watched the stars together, during the time you pretended to be my girlfriend, you ate with me and chatted with me often, making it seem like you really liked me. Then, as soon as the project was finished, you became very businesslike and never chatted with me again. Later, after I opened an account with you, you were enthusiastic for a while. I felt that you cared about me, so I went to your house to see you, and you never refused me. Then you got busy and stopped replying to my messages.”

As he spoke, Zheng Zaochuan seemed to be caught up in some painful memories.

“You chat with me from time to time, sharing your daily life, and then you turn around and tell me that you and Zhao Xi have gone on a trip.”

Xin Xin interjected, “Zhao Xi and I have never traveled; it has all been work.”

Zheng Zaochuan continued his accusations: “Later, when you were hospitalized, you did not reply to my messages. When I asked, you said I was just a client. What was most infuriating is that on the cruise ship, you not only flirted with me but also tried to have sex with other men. If it were not for me, would you have slept with someone else?”

Xin Xin felt guilty, partly because she had drunk too much at the time and partly because Zheng Zaochuan was indeed quite handsome.

“No, I just want to sleep with you.”

A hint of joy flashed in Zheng Zaochuan’s eyes, but he pretended to be calm. “I do not believe it. You definitely did not recognize me back then.”

Xin Xin nodded honestly. “I did not recognize you, but I was really attracted to your looks. Let me tell you, I have very high standards. I might not even be interested in most handsome guys.”

Zheng Zaochuan was unhappy again and waved her away. “Okay, go to sleep; I am angry. I do not trust women anymore; they are all lying to me.”

Xin Xin smiled, then reluctantly kissed Zheng Zaochuan on the cheek. “Alright, I will let you play the innocent little boy for a couple of days to enjoy yourself. I am going to take a shower.”

Regarding the limited edition B-side of Zheng Zaochuan discovered by Xin Xin, Mary commented, “Unexpected, but in line with stereotypes.”

Xin Xin humbly asked, “What kind of stereotypes?”

Mary analyzed seriously, “Besides Zheng Zaochuan’s relatively high social function, he perfectly fits people’s stereotypes about men from single-parent families. Moreover, from this information, it can be seen that he is not just from a single-parent family; he can be described as being unloved by both parents.”

Xin Xin nodded. “And then?”

Mary said, “In this situation, if a man’s social function is poor and he cannot obtain high social value, women will look down on him, and he may hate women. Another situation is like Zheng Zaochuan, who, although he has suffered hardships, has good personal qualities and has won the hard battles in life, so he will have a strong sense of self-confidence. In this case, he often has unrealistic expectations for love.”

Xin Xin tensed up. “What kind of expectation?”

Mary said ominously, “It is terrifying. There is a very high chance they will keep testing your limits and demanding unconditional love from you. In short, a drama queen.”

Xin Xin’s heart skipped a beat, but then she thought about it again and decided it did not matter.

“Sigh, I can give him anything he wants. As long as a man does not cheat me out of money, I will give him anything he asks for.”

Mary could not help but chuckle. “Right? That is the right attitude towards love. If love is not bloody, what is the point of talking about love?”

Xin Xin was currently enjoying a blissful period, but the “bloody” side had yet to be revealed.

But Mary first revealed the bloody side of love.

The story began with Zhang Qiao being implicated in Yang Manman’s rape case.

No one expected that in just two days, the Yang Manman rape case would take a dramatic turn.

According to police investigation and witness testimonies, Yang Manman was clearly drunk when she went to the hotel with the Mr. Fang. The witnesses said that Yang Manman clearly resisted when entering the hotel room.

The witness also filmed a blurry video. He filmed it because he felt the situation was inappropriate and was afraid something might happen, so he deliberately left evidence.

However, the witness also said that after the man who helped Yang Manman took her back, he quickly came out of the room, and the passerby went back to his own room.

The problem lay in the monitoring process.

Police reviewed surveillance footage and found that Mr. Fang did indeed leave the hotel. However, after receiving a phone call and meeting someone, he returned.

The key lay in the people he met.

The street surveillance cameras clearly captured Su Qi, who claimed to have gone home long ago, and Zhang Qiao, who claimed not to have attended the dinner party.

This matter had become increasingly complicated.

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that after meeting with the two individuals, Mr. Fang took a taxi back to the hotel. This time, he used Yang Manman’s room key to open the door and did not emerge again.

With the investigation reaching this point, Su Qi and Zhang Qiao found themselves in a very passive position.

Both of them withheld crucial clues from the police and were questioned again.

Xin Xin and Mary were not particularly familiar with Su Qi, but they had deep relationships with Zhang Qiao in different ways, so they were very concerned about the developments.

The current situation was that the company was pressuring Yang Manman to settle the matter privately. Although this incident had not caused a large-scale public outcry, it had still generated some rumors and even affected the company’s reputation to some extent.

But Yang Manman was very insistent, no matter what conditions she was given, she was determined to seek justice.

Fu Meng was away on a business trip with Xin Xin, so she was not focused on the project and was completely unaware of how things were going. She was an innocent victim of this disaster.

Zhang Qiao’s and Su Qi’s identities were rather awkward; no one knew what role they played in all of this.

Xin Xin guessed that Zhang Qiao might have already heard that she was going to be transferred and that he would be promoted, and was afraid of making a bad impression, so he concealed this information.

Mary disagreed. She trusted Zhang Qiao’s character. Although Zhang Qiao was not someone she fell in love with at first sight, she felt that Zhang Qiao would not resort to dirty tricks for a promotion.

So on the day Zhang Qiao was questioned, Mary insisted that Xin Xin accompany her, and after Zhang Qiao finished being questioned, she would invite him to have a “peace of mind drink” so that they could clarify things.

At 10 p.m., Zhang Qiao came out of the police station, and Xin Xin and Mary took a taxi to pick him up.

The three of them discussed it and found a quiet bar.

Zhang Qiao was also destined to suffer this calamity. He looked particularly disheveled. His usually brand-new and neatly pressed white shirt was now wrinkled and stuck to his body.

“There was a reason why Su Qi and I did not talk about this.”

Mary glanced at Xin Xin, her eyes seeming to say, “I told you so.”

Mary felt a pang of sympathy for the man she had once been with, who was now in such a sorry state. She gently comforted him, saying, “We all believe in you. Do not put so much pressure on yourself. Just explain things to the police.”

Zhang Qiao gave a wry smile. “That night, Su Qi called me after she got home. I asked her about the dinner party, and she told me that Yang Manman had taken her there, clearly to do her a favor. Besides Boss Fang, there was also Boss Wei, who kept taking liberties with her under the influence of alcohol. She was quite angry and left after dinner.”

Xin Xin thought for a moment, “Was she worried that something might happen to Yang Manman if she went home?”

Zhang Qiao’s expression darkened. “But after I told her that I had not received Yang Manman’s message, she felt guilty and worried that something had happened to Yang Manman. Yang Manman was a little drunk and left her house key with Su Qi, so we planned to go and return the key to her together.”

That made sense. It was likely that Boss Fang answered Yang Manman’s call. They were worried and wanted to pick her up, but Boss Fang only said he’d taken her to the hotel, so Zhang Qiao and Su Qi went home separately.

Xin Xin was puzzled. “It is such a normal thing; why did you not tell the police?”

Zhang Qiao took a sip of wine, hesitated for a moment, and then dropped a bombshell.

“Because Yang Manman and Fang Keyan are dating.”