socalfunplaces Chapter 4: It's all about money.
Chapter 4: It's all about money.
In office romances, pretending not to see is the best protection for each other.
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When Zeng Jiachong returned to the company, it was already completely dark. It was nearing the end of the workday, and most of the people in the office area had left, except for Dong Miaomiao from the Human Resources department.
The moment she saw Zeng Jia, she tossed her a transfer contract at her, her tone dripping with sarcasm, as if she'd just drunk vinegar, "Wow, Jiajia, this windfall of yours came so suddenly! The transfer order's already been issued!"
"Just because of what you said, I'll treat you to lunch tomorrow."
Zeng Jia readily agreed, then lowered her voice and leaned closer to ask, "Has the paperwork for that new assistant that President Yu hired, the one named Wang Haowen, been completed?" She added him on WeChat using her alternate account, but received no response. She didn't know if he was still angry or if something had gone wrong again.
"Alright!" Dong Miaomiao pouted, her sourness growing stronger. "His salary is 2 more than yours. President Yu is quite generous, he directly rewarded him with a Burberry suit. Male assistants are indeed more valuable than female secretaries."
Zeng Jia outwardly remarked sarcastically, "Pretty boys are more popular, huh?" but a huge weight had been lifted from her heart. Both of them had stable jobs, and their salaries were skyrocketing. At this rate, was it possible they could save up a down payment for a house before the new year?
She quickly filled out the transfer form and walked briskly into the night.
Night had fallen, and the haze mixed with the cold air, making the streetlights seem as if they were covered with a dirty rag. The cold wind swirled at the intersection on the east side of You Tang, causing Zeng Jia's heels to wobble and tremble as she walked.
As soon as she turned the corner, someone suddenly darted out of the shadows and grabbed her arm. Zeng Jia cried out in fright and instinctively swung her fist. Only after her fist landed did she realize it was Wang Haowen.
She quickly pulled up the hood of her trench coat, rubbing his slightly flushed cheeks with her fingers: "You're asking for trouble, Wang Haowen! I thought you were already home. Why didn't you add me on your alternate account? You made me so worried!"
Ignoring the pain, Wang Haowen snatched her phone, unlocked it with his fingerprint, and pulled her out of the blacklist on WeChat. "I've added everyone in the company, from top to bottom! I didn't even miss the cleaning lady! Only Zhang Zhishan wasn't added. Now that I've added you, no one will complain, right?" The light from the phone screen reflected his tense jaw, clearly showing that he was holding back a lot of anger.
Zeng Jia quickly glanced around, then tiptoed and pecked him on the chin: "Don't put on that long face. I really have no other choice. Zhang Zhishan suddenly made me his secretary, and I just signed the contract! Now we're each on our own side of the mountain. If our relationship gets out of hand, either of us will lose our jobs!"
"Holy crap! The secretary?! You?!"
Wang Haowen's eyes widened like two light bulbs. She couldn't even tell the difference between washed cotton and acrylic, so what kind of small commodities was she dealing in? He quickly covered his face with his mask and dragged Zeng Jia into the noisy crowd at the mall entrance.
The two strolled side by side, and Zeng Jia poured out her day's events to Wang Haowen. "You saw their entourage too. At this critical moment, how could I dare say we know each other? I heard you even snagged a Burberry outfit? Did you buy it?" Zeng Jia glanced at his empty hands.
"I bought it and put it in the office. I'd be so embarrassed to wear it while riding a shared bike."
Wang Haowen sighed that their life together was a bit exciting and complicated. He was clearly working hard to get the position of Zhang Zhishan's secretary, but Yu Li snatched it away and recruited him. Zeng Jia kindly helped out, but Zhang Zhishan took a liking to her.
"Anyway, our jobs are secure. With the unemployment wave raging right now, we've managed to snag high-paying positions. We should really go to the Fire God Temple and kowtow a few times to pray for good fortune!" Zeng Jia was in a good mood, her tone light and cheerful.
"But I know absolutely nothing about luxury goods, and you're not good at small commodities either. I'm worried I won't be able to keep this job, so I'm feeling uneasy," Wang Haowen muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
Zeng Jia pouted, "If I don't know how, I'll just learn. I don't believe in this nonsense. Can a living person die from holding their pee? If I really can't figure it out, I'll ask Doubao. If Doubao can't explain it, I'll come to you. If you can't figure it out, I'll ask you."
Wang Haowen clicked his tongue. "Is that so?" He was going all in anyway. "Fine, I'll make sure you wear that 'smog blue' shirt this year. It's just a secret relationship, as long as you don't develop a split personality from it, I'm fine with anything." He was willing to accept the money as long as it was in his pocket.
Zeng Jia felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She hadn't expected him to still be thinking about that MaxMara coat. She snuggled up to him and put her cold little hands in his pockets. She was proud of Wang Haowen's ability to be a comforting presence even if the sky were to fall.
"By the way, Zhang Zhishan really hates you, so you'd better watch out."
"Hate me? That's a matter for tomorrow. Let's talk about it tomorrow. Tonight, let's have something substantial."
Wang Haowen held her small hand tightly and they merged into the bustling crowd. The two went straight home and ordered four main dishes: sweet and sour pork, braised pork intestines, and so on. He even went out to the door to grill a large bunch of meat skewers and grabbed two bottles of Yanjing beer to drink.
After they had eaten and warmed themselves, the two snuggled together. Zeng Jia nestled in his arms, her fingers twirling around his shirt buttons: "You've got your new job settled, aren't we going to do something special?"
Wang Haowen's breath, hot and reeking of alcohol, blew into her ear. "I have to arrange it. What kind of service do you want? I'll take care of you tonight."
Before he finished speaking, he lowered his head and bit her lips, sucking them greedily, as if he wanted to release all the pent-up rage he had been suppressing for days.
Zeng Jia wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying his aggressive and exploitative advances, but she wasn't completely in love. Lost in her passion, she thought about their five-year relationship, during which they had never been apart for more than three days; she thought about their minor regrets—the fact that they couldn't go to and from get off work together and had to avoid each other; she also thought about how her parents would definitely ask them when they were getting married when they went back to Northeast China for Chinese New Year…
With a loud slap, Wang Haowen gave her a hard slap on the bottom. "Zeng Xiaojia, you're daydreaming right now? Are you asking for trouble?!"
Zeng Jia trembled as if electrocuted, whimpering as she bit his shoulder, her little tiger teeth digging into his flesh. The pain instantly ignited Wang Haowen's anger. "You heartless little thing..."
Wang Haowen was grinding his teeth against her collarbone, his fingertips rubbing the fresh teeth marks around her mouth, while her eyes happened to catch a glimpse of the down payment figure circled in red in the corner.
A tingling sensation spread from her spine throughout her body, blurring her vision. The down payment figure that had been weighing on her so heavily suddenly seemed to melt away like a thawing river.
The next morning, Zeng Jia was still crammed into a sardine can and took the subway during rush hour, while Wang Haowen chose to ride a shared bicycle, and the two went their separate ways.
But when they arrived at the new office area, their hearts sank.
Although Zhang Zhishan and Yu Li had different paths and were pursuing their own goals, their offices were surprisingly right next to each other. The crystal-clear floor-to-ceiling windows offered no obstruction, and the workstations for their secretaries and senior assistants faced directly towards the two bosses' doors, creating a "face-to-face" pincer movement.
Don't even mention that they can't pretend to be blind; even a mouse would have to go around them when trying to burrow into a hole.
Zeng Jia's mind was in turmoil, a chill ran down her spine, and she was instantly gripped by a sense of crisis. Pretending to be familiar with strangers is an essential skill for professionals, but pretending not to know the guy you've been sleeping with for five years is a recipe for disaster—three years of professional acting skills are going to be completely ruined!
Her mind raced, trying to figure out a reasonable excuse to change seats, so she wouldn't be facing Wang Haowen. Suddenly, her phone beeped—a high-level meeting was scheduled for ten minutes later.
She quickly dropped everything else and started preparing her voice recorder and meeting notebook, testing the real-time transcription function of Lark, and checking her network connection. Just as she finished getting ready, she looked up to see Yu Li striding arrogantly towards the main conference room, followed by a tense-faced Wang Haowen.
Zeng Jia quickly looked down at her shoes, then furtively glanced at him. He wore a white Burberry shirt with a checkered collar, the crystal buttons on the lapel sparkling dazzlingly. His trousers were impeccably tailored, the creases so straight they could be used to slice a radish. His London Oxford shoes gleamed, almost blindingly so when they landed. The old saying may be cliché, but it's true: clothes make the man. Who would guess this was a young Beijing man renting a tiny 30-square-meter apartment? He was the epitome of a wealthy, aristocratic playboy.
Her thoughts drifted back to her junior year of college.
It was snowing that day. Wang Haowen wore a snow-white shirt and a long black overcoat. He rode his bicycle for over a hundred miles to Xianghe to buy her meat pies, and muttered to himself, "I've never tasted the most authentic flavor."
The meat pie he brought back had long since frozen solid, but the little flame in her heart was instantly ignited by him, and the two officially became engaged from that moment on.
"That pretty boy is dressed like he's rushing to a fashion show. If you didn't know better, you'd think our company makes short dramas and he's playing a domineering CEO."
A sarcastic remark reached Zeng Jia's ears. Before she could pull herself out of her memories, her mouth moved faster than her brain: "The domineering CEO in short dramas doesn't wear Burberry, he always wears haute couture. Besides, he's quite capable in his work..."
As soon as she spoke, she realized something was wrong and turned around to meet Zhang Zhishan's suspicious, slanted eyes.
Zeng Jia felt a chill run down her spine and wanted to slap herself twice!
What to do? My mouth is faster than my brain?