Water and Fire~Chapter 55.2: Will You Switch Jobs with Me?

 

Chapter 55.2: Will You Switch Jobs with Me?

Chu Qianmiao felt pity for the hideous-looking woman being dragged away. It was said that she and Zhang Teng were college classmates, and she must have been a well-educated and elegant woman. How desperate must she have felt to abandon her knowledge and elegance and run here to cause such a scene?

She suddenly realized that sometimes marriage wasn't a guarantee of happiness; it turned out that people in marriages could be driven to such despair.

Zhang Teng left with the security guard and his wife. As he passed the door, he told Chu Qianmiao, "Please take Xiaodong to the hospital. She has a facial laceration and needs a tetanus shot."

Chu Qianmiao agreed and watched Zhang Teng follow his wife away.

Chu Qianmiao went inside and helped Cheng Xiaodong downstairs to catch a taxi to the hospital. Along the way, she kept saying to the onlookers, "Move aside," "Stop looking," and "Are you polite?" But the crowd continued to disperse slowly.

Finally, another partner, He Wei, came to her aid.

"Everyone, go away! Go away! Get back to work! Are my words ineffective?" He didn't observe the dispute, only shouting this as he left the office after it was over.

Everyone, out of respect for his partner, dispersed.

Chu Qianmiao thanked He Wei and quickly helped Cheng Xiaodong down the stairs.

She hailed a taxi and took Cheng Xiaodong to the hospital for an injection.

On the way there, she remained silent. She didn't know what to say.

In the end, it was Cheng Xiaodong who smiled at her first.

"Why don't you ask me if what Zhang Teng's wife said is true?"

Chu Qianmiao looked at her and bit her lip.

"Yes," Cheng Xiaodong said with a self-deprecating smile. "You're so smart. If you put everything together, you'll know it's true."

Chu Qianmiao sighed.

Yes, as she helped Cheng Xiaodong down the stairs, caught a taxi, and got on the road, her mind raced through the details of the past.

During that dinner, Qin Qianyu asked her if she had a boyfriend. She said no. Zhang Teng said that wasn't right. Xiaodong had asked her in truth or dare, so you do.

Then they reconstructed the truth or dare conversation that night. Chu Qianmiao only remembered what she had said, but Zhang Teng could remember and reconstruct everything Cheng Xiaodong said. He beamed as he did so. Zhang Teng remembered every word Cheng Xiaodong said. He beamed whenever he mentioned her. This meant he held her in a special place in his heart.

She later said she wanted to give Ren Yan some health supplements, and Zhang Teng immediately said, "Ask Xiaodong; she knows." She asked, and she recommended oysters. Now thinking about it, why did Zhang Teng know Cheng Xiaodong so well? Why did she recommend oysters? Perhaps it was because Cheng Xiaodong had bought them for Zhang Teng. Excluding the misunderstanding that she gave Ren Yan oysters, what kind of relationship would it take for a woman to buy oysters for a man?

And then there was that meeting when she took a call from Zhou Shuqi. It was that call that led to Ren Yan's harsh words and subsequent apology. Zhou Shuqi told her that when Cheng Xiaodong was criticized by the accountant on the project, Zhang Teng immediately jumped up to defend her. Zhou Shuqi also said that Zhang Teng and Cheng Xiaodong worked in perfect harmony. Zhou Shuqi concluded by saying that Zhang Teng was so domineering at the time that he would have wanted to marry him if he were a woman. So, what was Zhang Teng's defense like then? It was a man defending a woman, and even Zhou Shuqi, with his girlish heart, was moved.

Also, whether it was Hanhai Home Textiles or Jialeyuan, as soon as the projects were completed, Zhang Teng would leave immediately, claiming to help with Cheng Xiaodong's project. He even left halfway through every meal.

He was married, so he had to seize every moment outside of marriage to spend time with Cheng Xiaodong.

After sorting out all these things, Chu Qianmiao sighed again. She recalled the incident at Litong Securities that Qin Qianyu had told her about. A male supervisor and a female subordinate had engaged in an inappropriate relationship at work, and the supervisor's wife had caused a scene, embarrassing all three of them and putting Litong Securities at the center of public opinion. Because of this incident, Litong had since strictly prohibited office romances, especially between superiors and subordinates.

She had even laughed and told Qin Qianyu at the time, "You guys at the securities and investment banking industry are such a mess."

Looking back, Zhang Teng and Cheng Xiaodong's affair is a complete replay of the Litong incident. It turns out this kind of thing happens in every industry, where the pursuit of pleasure leads to disregard for ethical violations.

Chu Qianmiao turned to Cheng Xiaodong and asked her why.

Cheng Xiaodong smiled, a smile that stretched her wounds. She grinned, but she still smiled. "I don't know how it developed. Lawyer Zhang took me on projects and helped me solve problems. Whenever someone challenged me, he would fight back. He was incredibly protective of me. I don't know when it started, but I admired him, and then I liked him. One time, we were drinking, and neither of us could control ourselves, and we made a mistake. We had clearly decided to make that one mistake. But you know, mistakes like that are like drugs—they're addictive, and you can't quit."

Cheng Xiaodong didn't care if the taxi driver would overhear her private affairs. She continued to talk, as if she, too, desperately needed an outlet.

"I never thought of asking him to divorce. I've always wanted to end this relationship, but I couldn't."

"We took every opportunity we could to be together, squandering every moment."

"Then one time, we accidentally didn't use a condom." Cheng Xiaodong paused, her eyes fixed on Chu Qianmiao. "Qianmiao, this is a lesson for you. Remember this: if you have s*x with a man again and you haven't planned a future together, always remember to use a condom."

"That one time, we didn't use a condom, and I got pregnant. At first, I wanted to have a child; I wanted to raise it myself. Even though I couldn't be with him, having a child with him would be nice. But he wouldn't let me. We were at odds for a while. Then the pregnancy stopped, and I had surgery. He took care of me meticulously. During that time, he even called you back to help me get the materials. Thank you, Qianmiao."

"With the child gone and the project finished, I'd actually made up my mind to break up with him. When you came into the office just now, I was telling him about it. I was crying. I wanted to return the brooch he gave me. I said I'd quit once I found another job."

"He was also very upset, but he knew this wasn't going to work out for us, so he agreed to respect my decision. But then, his wife rushed in."

"His wife hit me, and I didn't hide because I felt I deserved it."

Cheng Xiaodong said, turning to look out the window.

Chu Qianmiao looked at her profile, feeling a mixture of emotions.

This dashing woman, always so carefree, but once she was captivated by love, she threw all her morals aside. She knew destroying someone else's family was wrong, but she plunged headfirst into it. So love, this thing, is truly a terrifying thing. It's best to stay away from it.

Cheng Xiaodong suddenly turned around and asked her with a smile, "I've been talking for so long, why haven't you said a word?"

Chu Qianmiao bit her lip, pondered, then told her honestly, "I don't know what to say. At work, you take care of me, teach me, and protect me. I treat you like my closest family. But privately, I really don't agree with the way you handle your feelings."

No matter how much you love someone, if this relationship will inevitably hurt others, or even both of you, then you should restrain yourself. Restraint is true love. Knowing you should restrain yourself but still indulging yourself, ultimately hurting an innocent person, an innocent wife, and children, is so selfish and immoral. She simply couldn't accept such behavior.

Chu Qianmiao heard Cheng Xiaodong say to her solemnly, "I know I was wrong, and I won't argue. But Qianmiao, when you truly fall in love with someone, you'll understand. Some feelings can't be restrained."

Chu Qianmiao thought, No, that's not it. She restrained herself. It wasn't that she disliked Ren Yan. She liked him very much. But if liking him meant future hurt, then it was better to restrain herself. After treating Cheng Xiaodong's wound and giving her a tetanus shot, she took a taxi home. Chu Qianmiao rushed to Zhen Gongfu, near the law firm, to keep her appointment with Zhou Shuqi.

When she arrived, Zhou Shuqi had also arrived.

Zhou Shuqi sat across from her, hesitating and stammering.

Unable to bear it any longer, she bluntly asked, "If you want to confess, then don't bother. Just hold it in."

Zhou Shuqi replied, "No, I'm not confessing. You know I don't need to confess my feelings for you. I just want to say something. I'm afraid I'm overthinking it. I think Lawyer Zhang and Sister Xiaodong..."

"You think they're having an affair, don't you?" Chu Qianmiao interrupted bluntly.

"..."Zhou Shuqi was shocked. "Senior, how did you know?"

Chu Qianmiao sighed. This idiot couldn't even eat a mouthful of warm shit.

"Zhang Lu's wife came to the company this morning to announce this."

Zhou Shuqi stammered. "Oh my god, was that announced in a romance movie? Or a martial arts movie?"

Romance movies involve crying, martial arts movies involve physical violence.

"A martial arts movie," Chu Qianmiao said. "Zhang Lu's wife hit Xiaodong, and Xiaodong didn't fight back."

Zhou Shuqi boasted so much that he was at a loss for words for a moment.

Finally, he hesitantly asked, "Senior, what's going to happen next?"

Chu Qianmiao shook her head, telling him she didn't know.

But the next day, Zhang Teng summoned Chu Qianmiao to his office.

He looked calm, as if the incident from yesterday had never happened. No one could tell from his expression that two women had engaged in a hysterical fight over him. From his calm demeanor, it seemed as if he had already been forgiven by his family.

Chu Qianmiao wondered how this society could be so friendly to men, allowing them to grieve so quickly and receive forgiveness so easily.

Zhang Teng spoke directly to her. "Qian Miao, I called you here to tell you something. Regarding personal matters, I know you disagree with what I've done, but personal matters are my own, and I don't need to explain them to you. Regarding business matters, I want to tell you that I'm changing jobs to Linfeng Law Firm and becoming an equity partner." After a pause, he said, "I can take you with me. Do you want to follow me?"