Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 092

Chapter 92 ☆, You Don’t Have To Laugh If You Don’t Want To.

No. 78 Binhai Road was a well-known gathering place for local wealthy people in Jiangcheng, where land was extremely valuable and a villa area had been carved out.

Being able to live here revealed two things: first, that one was wealthy, and second, that one had been wealthy for a long time.

Xin Xin had never been here before, but many of the people on her list of major clients lived here. When she arrived at the park entrance, a serious problem occurred to her: no one was there to pick her up, so she couldn’t get in.

Just as she stood hesitating at the door, someone passed by, suddenly turned around, and exclaimed in surprise, “Xin Xin, what are you doing here?”

To her utter surprise, it was Sullivan.

Xin Xin cheered up, “I have a client staying here, and I wanted to visit him, but he didn’t answer my calls.”

Sullivan naturally opened the park gate and warmly invited, “Come sit at my house first; come on over.”

Xin Xin hesitated for a moment, unable to get past her conscience, and decided to tell the truth.

“Actually, I’m not here to find clients.”

Sullivan showed no surprise, only asking, “I guessed it. You’re looking for a man? Who’s it? Your boyfriend or your husband?”

Seeing Sullivan’s knowing expression, Xin Xin quickly explained, “No, no, no, it’s not what you think. He’s my real boyfriend; we aren’t married.”

Sullivan’s eyes immediately softened with sympathy. “I will take you to him. They all say they’re not married.”

Xin Xin was embarrassed but at the same time touched that Sullivan did not view her with prejudice. Even when he suspected she was the other woman, he did not show any disgust.

“Shasha, thank you so much.”

Sullivan smiled. “No need to thank me. My whole life has been about dealing with people. I can judge anyone by heart after just three meetings. You’re a good person; I know you wouldn’t do anything bad. Besides, you can’t even lie to me; how bad could you be? So, tell me, which one is it?”

Xin Xin took out the text message. Sullivan glanced at it and hesitated. “It’s Xibei’s family. What exactly is going on between you two?”

Xin Xin hesitated for a moment, then said, “I’m looking for Zheng Zaochuan.”

Sullivan glanced at Xin Xin and understood. He knew he shouldn’t speak so intimately with someone he did not know well, but he couldn’t help but speak up.

“Xin Xin, I know it’s not honorable to talk about someone behind their back, but many people know about their family situation. I don’t know what kind of person Zheng Zaochuan is, but I’ve heard some rumors about his family, and they are not good. Some people are rich, but marrying them doesn’t necessarily bring happiness.”

Xin Xin had never heard about Zheng Zaochuan’s family or past when she was in Haining. It was only after coming to Jiangcheng that she gradually glimpsed Zheng Zaochuan’s unknown past through the dimly lit restaurant and the confrontation between Xibei and him.

Not good, definitely very bad.

Xin Xin gave a wry smile. “Whether it’s good or bad, there should be some kind of outcome. I can’t just lose contact with him without knowing why.”

Sullivan didn’t say anything more and pointed to the place, “The house is over there.”

Xin Xin thanked him, but as soon as she turned around, Sullivan called her back.

“Xin Xin, don’t get into a conflict with that family. If things get bad, call the police.”

Xin Xin had not expected “not very good” to be this bad and could not help but ask, “Is the situation so bad that we need to call the police?”

“That might be Xibei’s mother. I heard she’s not entirely mentally sound; she’s caused trouble at our company before. I heard that she intentionally hurt someone before and later underwent a mental evaluation, which showed she had schizophrenia. She was in compulsory medical treatment for a period of time before returning home, and she didn’t go to jail. But you should still be careful not to provoke her.”

In a flash, Xin Xin suddenly understood the conversation between Zheng Zaochuan and Xibei and also suddenly understood Xibei’s disgust.

Perhaps the problem lay not in their relationship, but in the shared burden they carried.

A terrifying thought crept into Xin Xin’s mind: Could Zheng Zaochuan be facing some uncontrollable danger?

Xin Xin knocked gently on the door, her fingers trembling slightly. She could almost picture a hideous woman opening the door, wielding a knife, and suddenly hacking her to death.

The doorbell rang three times, and the door was quickly opened.

None of the things she had expected happened, but her heart sank into an abyss in an instant.

The person who opened the door was Zheng Zaochuan, dressed in white loungewear, with his usual nonchalant smile. “Aunt Zhang, you didn’t bring your keys again?”

When he saw Xin Xin, his ever-smiling lips froze, the half-curved arc creating a comical effect.

All the prepared remarks and all the courage Xin Xin had gathered vanished in an instant.

She considered many possibilities, such as him being in pain and despair when the past was brought up, and not being able to process his emotions. Or, she thought he might have a conflict with his mother, and he would have to take care of the family first.

She came up with countless reasons, but she never considered this possibility: that he was a good person, an independent adult, and that he didn’t show up because he didn’t want to.

Suddenly, Xin Xin recalled how she met Zheng Zaochuan; it was the same scene.

Women who were restless and tormented by him appeared at his doorstep, asking him who he truly loved.

He didn’t just not love them; he simply didn’t care. He could easily dump them and go stargazing with Xin Xin.

Now, he could hide at home and live his own happy life while Xin Xin was in agony and worried about him. Xin Xin understood that if she didn’t look for him, he would never appear again.

Perhaps many years would pass, and she’d see someone who looked like him when she passed by a street corner. She would try her best to catch up with him and ask him why.

He would greet her with a natural smile and a slightly bewildered expression, saying, “Hello.”

Xin Xin decided not to descend into such a humble state.

“Zheng Zaochuan, if I don’t come, are you just going to wait and drag this out until I move out?”

Zheng Zaochuan forced a stiff smile. “Are you unhappy?”

Xin Xin laughed in exasperation, “Should I be happy?”

Zheng Zaochuan gritted his teeth and said, “I’m sorry.”

“What have you done to wrong me?” Xin Xin’s pent-up grievances from the past few days erupted at this moment. She wanted to be a person with a backbone, so she immediately turned around and left.

However, Zheng Zaochuan suddenly hugged her and said, “Don’t cry, okay? I’ll give you whatever you want.”

The warmth of the embrace was real, but the scene was more absurd than any drama.

Xin Xin pushed him away. “No need; let’s break up. I’ll leave on my own initiative, and you don’t need to come up with any more excuses. You’re free now. You don’t need to find a fake girlfriend to deceive me, and you don’t need to think of any reasons to explain. I’m setting us both free.”

This was karma. She was Zheng Zaochuan’s fake girlfriend, helping him resolve problems with other people. Now, if she didn’t leave, she would become the same troublesome person he found annoying.

Zheng Zaochuan stared blankly at Xin Xin, his eyes slowly reddening. “You don’t want to be with me anymore.”

Xin Xin was initially heartbroken, but seeing Zheng Zaochuan’s expression, the words “excellent acting skills” came to mind.

Before she came, he was living a happy life at home. But as soon as she arrived, he started acting like a victim.

Xin Xin couldn’t believe that there were people in this world who would even shift the blame to others when breaking up.

“You’re the one who left me at the wedding, you’re the one who disappeared for a week, and you’re the one who hasn’t contacted me at all. From the past until now, you’ve always been like this. When you’re happy, you play house with me for a couple of days, and when you’re unhappy, you disappear. And now, you’re acting like I’ve abandoned you. Zheng Zaochuan, think about it yourself. Is this reasonable?”

Zheng Zaochuan’s lips trembled slightly, and just as he was about to say something, the sound of something breaking came from the room.

“Let’s talk about it later, okay? I’ll give you whatever you want. Don’t break up with me; I won’t break up.”

Xin Xin did not understand his behavior and was about to retaliate when she heard footsteps behind her.

“Mr. Zheng, I’m sorry I was a little delayed on the way.”

The real “Aunt Zhang” arrived late.

Zheng Zaochuan frowned and said, “It’s nothing, Aunt Zhang. Why don’t you go in and take a look? She’s smashing things again. Let her smash things, and she can clean up when she’s done. Just don’t get cut.”

He seemed to instantly regain his relaxed and cheerful state. After the person called Aunt Zhang went inside, Zheng Zaochuan smiled and said, “Xin Xin, no matter what you say, I’m not breaking up. Five days at most. Whatever you want, I can give you. Give me some time, is it okay?”

“Is it okay?” These three words were so gentle.

Xin Xin was almost persuaded. Five days, she told herself; it was only five days.

Zheng Zaochuan gave her a deep look. Besides the sounds of things being smashed, the room was also filled with various sharp insults.

Zheng Zaochuan turned half his body to the side, revealing the magnificent living room. “Listen, this is my home. It used to be even worse. This is my environment. Believe it or not, after visiting your home this year, I knew that you would eventually get tired of me and break up with me. But I always felt that maybe after a while, everything would be alright.”

Xin Xin was shocked by the shouting and cursing inside; the woman’s voice clearly reached her ears through the long corridor.

Not everyone in this world deserved to be a parent. Xin Xin knew that Zheng Zaochuan and her mother did not get along, but she was still shocked. Her cursing was almost the most vicious curse one could hear in a lifetime.

Who would have thought that someone would scold their own son like that?

Xin Xin felt a bitter taste of bile welling up in her throat, and the anger and sadness she had just felt subsided once again.

Zheng Zaochuan’s smile was so natural, as if he were chatting and laughing in the business world, rather than being verbally abused by his angry mother in front of someone else at his own doorstep.

For no apparent reason, Xin Xin remembered what Zhao Xi had said to her.

“You don’t have to laugh when you don’t want to.” She gave this advice to Zheng Zaochuan.

Zheng Zaochuan’s smile remained unchanged. “If I get angry or sad, she will feel like she’s won. Only if I smile will she eventually find it boring.”

Zheng Zaochuan shrugged, leaned down, and planted a kiss on Xin Xin’s forehead, almost pleading, “Wait for me, just for a few days, okay?”

Xin Xin didn’t agree, but Zheng Zaochuan had already closed the door and gone inside to face his messy family.

Five days later, Xin Xin met with Zheng Zaochuan’s lawyer.