thefictionvixens Chapter 3: Salaries Doubled, Each Serving Their Own Master
Chapter 3: Salaries Doubled, Each Serving Their Own Master
We can only be pawns crossing the river, hiding the king where the enemy can't see us.
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Zeng Jia was getting impatient at the fire-roasting shop. Lunch break was almost over, and Wang Haowen was nowhere to be seen. Relying on her glorious act of "righteousness," she managed to get the shopkeeper to let her pay on credit, left her address and phone number, and then dashed off to the company.
Entering the office area, Zeng Jia sensed something was wrong. The air was frozen, eerily quiet, even the printer seemed to be holding its breath. Then, she looked up and her heart nearly jumped out of her throat: Wang Haowen was standing like a guardian deity in Yu Li's office doorway!
Didn't he say "OK" this morning? What's he up to now?
Zeng Jia crouched down and slipped back to her workstation, nudged Dong Miaomiao next to her, and asked in a low voice, "Miao'er, what happened? Did things fall apart?"
Dong Miaomiao half-covered her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents, her gossip blazing. "What's all this 'yellow'? Didn't President Yu's assistant resign yesterday? She took this handsome new guy to a business dinner at noon. When she came back, she specifically asked him to fill the assistant's position, and even had our director personally handle the paperwork for him. President Zhang is furious, saying that President Yu is trying to steal him away, and the two of them are arguing inside."
Zeng Jia was so shocked her contact lenses almost popped out. What the hell? Wang Haowen was actually snatched away by Yu Li? How could a guy like him, who couldn't even tell the difference between Chanel and Gucci, possibly serve Yu Li, who was decked out in gold trim? And this job assignment was so casually changed? She hadn't even gone to the Yonghe Temple to burn incense!
As Zeng Jia was pondering this, a loud bang was heard as the door to Yu Li's office was kicked open.
Zhang Zhishan's face was as black as the bottom of a pot as he strode out. His eyes glared at Wang Haowen, who was standing in the doorway, like knives. With a forced smile, he raised his hand and slapped Wang Haowen hard on the shoulder. From the force and the look in his eyes, Zeng Jia knew without a doubt that Zhang Zhishan had unilaterally made an enemy of Wang Haowen.
Just as Zhang Zhishan seemed about to erupt, his cell phone in his pocket suddenly rang, seemingly oblivious to the situation. He answered it, and after listening to a few words, his gloomy expression strangely softened, and the fierce aura of class struggle slowly dissipated.
After hanging up the phone, his shrewd eyes scanned the cubicles twice before finally settling on Zeng Jia's face with a "snap." "Zeng Jia, you, come out with me."
Zeng Jia froze instantly, as if she had been struck by a martial arts master's acupoint technique. Dozens of eyes in the entire office area immediately focused on her, giving her a taste of what it meant to be the center of attention.
She quickly replied, "Okay, Mr. Zhang," and slunk off after him. She racked her brains but still couldn't figure it out: why did Zhang Zhishan want to go out with her? Could it be that her relationship with Wang Haowen had been exposed? Was Zhang Zhishan going to use the "referral of a relative" as a pretext for revenge? But they weren't even married yet! Was this revenge a bit too premature?
Following Zhang Zhishan into the underground parking garage, Zeng Jia cautiously climbed into the imposing Maybach. It was the first time in her twenty-five years that she had ridden in such a luxury car, yet she felt like she was sitting on a bed of nails, half her bottom touching the edge of the seat, her heart pounding like a rabbit's. In that short time, she had even calculated her N+1 severance pay.
But Zhang Zhishan didn't mention Wang Haowen or the internal referral. "Didn't you save an old lady at noon? The one who choked on her food?"
Zeng Jia looked up abruptly, her face full of astonishment. "Yes, I ran into this at the last minute..."
Zhang Zhishan suddenly burst into laughter, the wrinkles around his eyes smoothing out like an old chrysanthemum. "That old lady's eldest son was a business partner we'd been negotiating with for half a year, but we just couldn't get the price down. The old lady went to Beijing to visit her youngest son who's still in school, and she almost got into an accident while wandering around, and you just had to bump into her!"
Zhang Zhishan looked at Zeng Jia with admiration, patted the armrest of his chair, and said, "Zeng Jia, you've done a great service to our company!"
Zeng Jia's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into her stomach with a thud. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued the conversation, "President Zhang, please don't praise me. Who would just stand by and watch someone die? Our company even organized first aid training, didn't we? I used to think that this thing wasn't very useful, but today I realize that it was President Zhang who had foresight."
Zhang Zhishan was overjoyed by the flattery and felt completely relaxed. "When we get to the hospital later, go pick out two top-quality fruit baskets and come with me to see the old lady. The company will reimburse you."
Zeng Jia gave an awkward laugh, slowly pulled out her phone which was soaked in millet porridge, and the screen was still sticky with millet grains. "Mr. Zhang, I'm not being stingy, I just really can't pay..."
"You got this to save the old lady?" Zhang Zhishan raised his chin. "Take either the spare phone from the passenger side drawer; consider it a company reward."
Zeng Jia was instantly overjoyed. What a stroke of luck! But when she opened the drawer, she was shocked: Huawei, Apple, Samsung, OPPO… a whole line of brand-new high-end phones, released both domestically and internationally, lay inside. She didn't understand the purpose of this display, only thinking that she shouldn't get too cocky. In a gold mine, picking up the scraps was the only way to survive.
She chose the cheapest Huawei Mate 70 Pro+, which was still a luxury item for her.
The SIM card was switched, the phone was muted, and the actions were all done in one smooth motion. The phone screen was instantly flooded with Wang Haowen's name and missed call notifications saying "I was taken away by Yu Li"!
Zeng Jia's eyelids twitched. She secretly glanced at Zhang Zhishan in the rearview mirror; he was resting with his eyes closed. But what if he saw the name "Wang Haowen"? She didn't believe Zhang Zhishan could be so magnanimous as to not care that she and Wang Haowen were in a relationship. She could only steel herself and block Wang Haowen for now, deciding to deal with it when she got home!
In Yu Li's office, Wang Haowen had been standing under the warm, golden overhead light for a full two hours. The large walnut table was covered with a crocodile-skin tablecloth, cool and hard to the touch. A small pen holder, adorned with LV popcorn, contained several pens, one of which was a Montblanc x VCA collaboration fountain pen, its brilliance dazzling. The only thing he recognized among these items was the iMac; even without understanding luxury goods, he knew they were all high-quality pieces.
Yu Li traced his work experience with her fingertips, asking pointed questions. But Wang Haowen answered fluently and flawlessly. Yu Li's gaze swept critically over his wrinkled suit cuffs, finding his attire unfashionable. "If you're going to work for me, your taste can't be too bad. Take my business card, go to Burberry and pick out an outfit, and put it on the company tab." Her disdain was undisguised and blatant.
Wang Haowen didn't know anything about Barbary breeds; he only knew there was a breed of dog called a Schnauzer. For the past twenty-five years, he'd always worn shorts and a T-shirt, with an extra down jacket in winter. But since the boss was willing to pay, he smiled sincerely, "Thank you, Mr. Yu, I'll definitely choose the more presentable one."
"You have a girlfriend, right?" Yu Li's tone was icy. "Handle it well. I need you on call 24/7. Be prepared to have no days off."
Yu Li's choice of Wang Haowen wasn't simply a matter of competing with Zhang Zhishan for someone; she had always wanted a handsome young man as her assistant. Besides being pleasing to the eye and improving her mood, he could also be a valuable asset in her social circle of wealthy wives. Wang Haowen was quite handsome, no less so than a young, charming actor, and besides, he was intelligent and quick-witted, which suited her perfectly.
Wang Haowen's heart tightened, but his expression remained unchanged. "Don't worry, Mr. Yu, I will definitely prioritize the company and will not let personal matters interfere with my work." He couldn't expose Zeng Jia, after all, he had just been hated by Zhang Zhishan, and besides, Zeng Jia had disappeared without a trace. Where exactly did Zhang Zhishan take her?
Yu Li didn't say anything more, telling him to handle a few trivial matters and get acquainted with the various departments. As soon as Wang Haowen left Yu Li's office, he eagerly texted Zeng Jia, asking where she was. But after sending the message, a cold red dot popped up on the screen—the message had been sent but rejected.
Blocked?! Wang Haowen froze on the spot. Zeng Jia actually blocked him? Just to hide their relationship?
"Zeng Xiaojia, you're something else!" He was amused and annoyed!
Wang Haowen quickly opened WeChat and added all the colleagues from various departments that Yu Li had asked him to meet. He was handsome and energetic, and his smile resembled that of a larger version of Jackson Wang. Regardless of whether his colleagues were genuinely sincere or not, he quickly became friends with them.
Zeng Jia had arrived at the hospital and had barely stood still when the old woman's withered hands gripped her like iron clamps, refusing to let go. The old woman was partly grateful for Zeng Jia's life-saving act, and partly because while Zeng Jia wasn't a stunning beauty, she was quite pretty and possessed a charming intelligence. The more the old woman looked at her, the more pleasing she became, and a torrent of praise poured from her lips.
But Zeng Jia could only half understand her Mandarin, which was mixed with a Gaoyou accent. She could only guess and chatter as if deciphering a code. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zhang Zhishan quietly take out his phone and put it on speakerphone. Zeng Jia immediately understood that the visit was just a pretense; the real purpose was to bargain.
She deliberately stretched out her "deciphering" of the situation, praising the old lady's robust health and playing the emotional card to the fullest. Then, she added at the perfect moment, "Your son is so filial; he thinks about you all the time!" Her words were perfectly timed.
Sure enough, after a phone call, the partner surnamed Chen agreed to offer the best price for the goods. Zhang Zhishan's eyes flashed with a gleam, and he sighed that this trip to the hospital hadn't been in vain. He was even more surprised that Zeng Jia, a junior employee in the HR department, could work so well with him. This young lady is really something!
On the way back, the Maybach glided smoothly when Zhang Zhishan suddenly brought up the matter of a secretary. "I happen to be short of someone to run errands. Why don't you transfer over to fill the secretary position? Don't stick to the HR department; there's no future there." He was still holding a grudge against Yu Li for taking Zeng Jia away. Zeng Jia was clever and sensible, much more reliable than that pretty boy. Losing a sesame seed but gaining a watermelon was a good deal.
Zeng Jia's eyes widened in shock, as if she'd been struck by lightning. She was Zhang Zhishan's personal secretary? What did she know?!
Aside from snatching up socks for 9.9 yuan with free shipping on Pinduoduo and waiting for flash sales on Taobao livestreams, she knows absolutely nothing about small commodities. Not to mention, Zhang Zhishan had just started to hate Wang Haowen, and Wang Haowen had just become Yu Li's senior assistant. If this relationship got out, wouldn't the two bosses tear them apart?
Zeng Jia's brain froze for three seconds before she finally grasped the most crucial piece of information from her jumbled thoughts: Zhang Zhishan's secretary earned 13 yuan, twice her HR salary. Down payment, Beijing, settling down... these weighty keywords instantly overwhelmed all her fears.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Zhang, for the promotion!"
Zeng Jia immediately beamed, her eyes practically disappearing into her teeth, so grateful she felt like she could tear her heart out. "I don't quite understand the small commodities business right now, but I learn quickly! Don't worry, I'll definitely work hard and won't let you down!"