Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 090

Chapter 90 ☆, Unfamiliar with Romantic Relationships.

In Xin Xin’s past, when she encountered problems in her relationships, she never tried to solve them. She almost always approached them with a childlike indifference, trying to let the problems disappear naturally.

She practiced liberalism in matters of the heart.

When she broke up with Zhou Yiran, she was bewildered and inexplicably dumped. Despite her heartbreak, she did not feel a sense of reality.

It was as if all relationships were just a game of make-believe. They held hands because of a vague feeling of attraction, ate at cheap roadside stalls together, and worked together in a daze after graduation. In the end, Zhou Yiran found a suitable marriage partner and abruptly broke up with her.

From Xin Xin’s perspective, Zhou Yiran was entirely responsible for her breakup with him, and she had every right to condemn him as a scumbag.

From Zhou Yiran’s perspective, however, he broke up with her because of her immaturity, instability, and lack of planning.

When they parted, Xin Xin asked him, feeling wronged, “Why did you not dislike me before?”

Zhou Yiran said, “You’re like a child. You seem to be very serious about the relationship, but you never care about others. Have you ever cared about my family? Have you ever cared about my happiness and stress? You just foolishly say that everything will be alright.”

Back then, Xin Xin believed that Zhou Yiran, out of guilt, had no choice but to maliciously shift all the blame onto her. However, ten years later, she suddenly realized that perhaps this was true.

She had known Zheng Zaochuan for seven years, and their relationship had never been bad; in fact, there had been some very ambiguous moments. But she never tried to ask Zheng Zaochuan any questions, even after they got together.

His past, his friends, his social circle.

She lacked the ability to handle relationship problems; whenever the two of them encountered any difficulties, her first reaction was to want to run away.

Just like now, she couldn’t find Zheng Zaochuan and did not know who to contact.

“Never mind.” These two words were the first thing that came to her mind.

The house in Jiangcheng was cold and lifeless. Only the wall covered with photos and the untouched clothes in the closet showed their recent happiness.

However, all of that vanished in just one weekend.

Xin Xin suddenly realized that although they seemed to be very close, aside from the pleasure of physical intimacy and the moments of hormones running high, she had never truly understood him.

In the past, she called this a sense of boundaries. But now, she felt an indescribable fear.

Was this what love was like? She believed she was blindly in love with Zheng Zaochuan, but the reality was that she was loved and immersed, and she allowed him to permeate her life. Yet, he remained detached from her life.

With a heart full of fear, she typed “Jiangcheng, Xing family” into the internet search interface.

The ferocious expression on Han Canghai’s cousin’s face at the wedding made the dramatic conflict seem exceptionally terrifying.

Xin Xin could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She prepared herself, imagining that after pressing the Enter key, a deluge of shocking news would unfold before her in a suspenseful way.

But in reality, perhaps it was because too much time had passed, or perhaps that person’s childhood memories were inaccurate. In any case, no information could be found using this keyword.

Xin Xin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, a voice in her mind saying, “It’s not a big deal.”

However, even if it was not a major news story, perhaps for Zheng Zaochuan, it truly was a turbulent and unpredictable event. Or perhaps it was all a misunderstanding.

However, Xin Xin herself could not convince herself.

After all, if it were all a misunderstanding, Zheng Zaochuan would not have disappeared. She didn’t try to call Zheng Zaochuan again, but just sent him a message: “If you see this message, I will be waiting for you at home.”

Xin Xin pondered for a long time before using the warm word “home” in her short sentence, trying to give herself a sense of security.

Zheng Zaochuan didn’t reply, so Xin Xin decided to wait patiently.

On Monday, Xin Xin went to work as usual; the Xingyao project had reached its final stage. Although she had put on makeup to avoid looking too disheveled, Zhao Xi still noticed her low spirits as soon as they met.

However, instead of asking her directly what happened, he joked, “Did you two have a fight?”

Xin Xin forced a smile, which looked like a bitter one. “It would be nice if we could argue.”

Zhao Xi glanced at her again. “With your temper, you probably won’t be able to argue. Either everything will be fine, or you will cut ties completely.”

Xin Xin was taken aback. “So, am I good-tempered or bad-tempered?”

Zhao Xi smiled and said, “It’s good and bad. Some people may seem to have bad tempers, but no matter how much they argue, there’s always a chance they can make up in the end. You’re different. Others take ninety-nine steps toward you, but one wrong step and they are thrown into a dungeon, never to be released.”

That was a very novel way of describing it.

Xin Xin retorted, “I’m not that scary.”

Zhao Xi remained noncommittal and did not dwell on the topic.

The Xingyao project went smoothly, and they shouldn’t need to come again after today. Sullivan stayed with Zhao Xi and Xin Xin, saying reluctantly, “If you have a favorite celebrity, just tell me, and I will get you an autograph.”

Xin Xin was grateful for Sullivan’s affection for her and said with a smile, “Okay, then don’t find me annoying.”

Sullivan boasted, “Don’t worry, I do have some connections in the entertainment industry.”

Xin Xin was smiling when she saw someone enter amidst a group of people, making a racket as if they wanted to see Sullivan. Upon recognizing the person, Xin Xin’s smile froze, forming a half-hearted, half-closed expression.

“Sha Sha, I heard your new project raised a lot of money. I will have to trouble you to take care of Xibei.” The speaker was a very capable woman with short hair. She had a friendly smile but hid an imperceptible arrogance. She seemed not to see Zhao Xi and Xin Xin and only looked at Sullivan.

In Xin Xin’s view, Sullivan was a very enthusiastic person, but at this moment he also showed a polite indifference.

“If there’s a suitable position, and we are all in the same company, I will definitely consider it.”

The short-haired woman laughed and pushed Xibei forward. “The deal has already been reached with CEO Yang. Xibei herself has sponsorship.”

In fact, Xin Xin had already made eye contact with Xibei when she came in.

However, Xibei seemed to only notice Xin Xin at this moment and feigned surprise, asking, “Who are these two?”

Zhao Xi noticed something amiss, stepped in front of Xin Xin, and politely took his leave, saying, “We’ve taken on your company’s financing business. You’re busy, so we will not bother you any longer.”

Xin Xin followed Zhao Xi out. As they passed Xibei, she heard Zhao Xi say in a contemptuous tone, “These days, all salespeople want to do is try to climb the social ladder. They don’t even know what they’re made of.”

An indescribable anger filled Xin Xin’s chest. She almost wanted to abandon her rational and calm attitude and turn around to fight with Xibei. She even thought maliciously, “I’m not a female celebrity. If I really get disfigured, it might not be that I’m the one who suffers.”

However, Zhao Xi seemed to sense her inner struggle, gently put his arm around her shoulder, and led her out of the room.

With a slight pull from Zhao Xi’s arm, Xin Xin snapped out of her daze and quickly walked out of Sullivan’s office.

Sullivan chased after them and escorted Zhao Xi and Xin Xin out of the company.

“You have a grudge against Xibei?”

As expected of someone who thrives in the world of fame and fortune, he assessed the situation in the blink of an eye.

Xin Xin sneered, “No, we’ve never met face-to-face, yet we dislike each other.”

Sullivan instantly considered Xin Xin a kindred spirit. “Coincidentally, I also dislike her. Her acting’s terrible, she has no respect for her career, and she’s so arrogant because of the capital behind her.”

Xin Xin felt a nameless pain and distress mixed in her heart, but on the surface, she asked casually, “Who’s her backer?”

Sullivan rolled his eyes. “The former CEO of Hanhai was named Zheng Zaochuan. Do you know him?”

Zhao Xi glanced at Xin Xin without showing any emotion. This answer was exactly what he expected. Xin Xin brushed it off vaguely, but she couldn’t control her desire to investigate.

“Is this the reason she signed with your company?”

Sullivan thought for a moment and said, “No, she’s quite pretty. She came out of a proper talent show back then, and she was quite cute when she was young. Later, Hanhai’s business grew and gave her a boost, and she suddenly became arrogant and vulgar and mercenary.”

Xin Xin didn’t understand Zheng Zaochuan’s feelings for his stepsister, and she couldn’t understand why Xibei had been able to stubbornly remain in Zheng Zaochuan’s life for seven years, holding a firm and unshakeable position.

Xibei’s chilling hatred for her made it hard for Xin Xin to believe that they were just ordinary stepbrother and stepsisters. However, recalling how she had spoken ill of Zheng Zaochuan at his house, Xin Xin also found it difficult to believe that Xibei had any unknown feelings for Zheng Zaochuan.

In short, it was a complicated situation, and Xin Xin felt heavy-hearted.

As they left Xingyao, Zhao Xi, without waiting for Xin Xin’s reply, demanded in an unquestionable tone, “Have dinner with me. It’s on me today. Your boss is treating you, so consider it a courtesy, but you cannot refuse.”

Xin Xin smiled. In this situation, she would not have refused anyway. Rather than going home alone to an empty house and unanswered phone calls, she’d rather have someone with her, whoever it was.

Zhao Xi looked at her very seriously and said, “Perhaps you don’t know, but when a person doesn’t want to laugh, they don’t have to.”

Xin Xin readily agreed, her smile fading as she revealed her true melancholy.

Zhao Xi drove Xin Xin to a tea restaurant. The food was not as spicy as Xin Xin liked, but it was very pleasant to eat.

“You know, the stomach’s an emotional organ. A person may be able to suppress their emotions, but their stomach will protest first. So when you’re in a bad mood, you should take good care of your stomach first.”

Whether it was Zhao Xi’s words of comfort that worked or a bowl of hot soup that soothed Xin Xin’s pain, she felt that her gloomy mood seemed to had improved a lot.

Zhao Xi was skilled at comforting people and adept at getting them to confide in others.

Xin Xin could not help but become the kind of person she disliked the most, confiding her relationship troubles to another man, “I don’t know if I’m bad at dating, or if dating has always been this difficult.”

Zhao Xi did not answer but instead asked a completely different question: “Do you remember when I asked you to go to Zheng Zaochuan’s house to sign a contract? Later, when I called to ask where you were going, you said you were going to see the stars?”

Xin Xin smiled, “Unforgettable.”

“At that time, I felt that you would definitely like him one day, because the stars are so beautiful and perfect for falling in love with someone.”