Chapter 73: An Eerie Atmosphere!

“Hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph…” Bai Bing, seated on the sofa, looked at Wang Zheng with a mischievous smile, letting out a series of sinister chuckles. It was as if she’d caught him in a compromising situation and couldn’t help but mock him relentlessly.

Wang Zheng, with nothing to do, had propped up one leg on his desk and was leafing through a fashion magazine borrowed from one of his colleagues, admiring the beautiful women in its pages. He paid Bai Bing’s sly smile no mind, fully aware of the meaning she intended to convey.

Seeing Wang Zheng maintain his composure, Bai Bing grew restless. It was nearly noon; surely they couldn’t stay holed up in this office all day?

“You seem pretty relaxed!” Bai Bing walked up to Wang Zheng’s desk and said, “Outside, everyone is busy with work. I hear Lin Xiaolei has already started on her investment plan and aims to produce a detailed proposal within three days. Are you really going to just sit back and watch?”

“They don’t even regard us as anything now. Why should I get involved? Didn’t I say before that I’ve done all I need to do? The rest—well, I’d rather just be an observer.” Wang Zheng replied, flipping through the magazine. What good would it do to worry? From the moment he’d arrived this morning, he felt like an outsider in this company. The other employees were easy enough to deal with, but Lin Xiaolei hadn’t even glanced his way or invited him to her office. Was that normal?

Clearly, Lin Xiaolei was aware of the disagreement between herself and Wang Zheng at the company showcase. Having regained her confidence and funding, she would no longer allow herself to be guided by others. Her stubbornness and the long-repressed ambition in her heart compelled her to act on her own ideas, to pursue her dreams.

But in Wang Zheng’s eyes, all of this was merely the result of Lin Xiaolei’s joy at the company’s temporary turnaround clouding her judgment. Women like her always imagined the situation and the future as rosy, but in reality? It was just wishful thinking. An endless swamp may look like fertile land to the uninitiated, but it’s full of uncertainties, impossible to predict. Perhaps… But since she’s taken this path, there’s no “perhaps.”

Bai Bing frowned slightly, arms crossed over her chest, deep in thought. Suddenly, she leaned close to Wang Zheng and whispered, “Grinding the mill, then killing the donkey?”

“Get lost! You’ll never spit out pearls from a dog’s mouth!” Wang Zheng snapped. Why did everything out of Bai Bing’s mouth sound so twisted?

Bai Bing stuck out her tongue, wary of a sudden attack from Wang Zheng. She backed away a few steps, keeping her distance, and said, “Looks to me like she has no interest in you anymore. She treats you like toilet paper—pulls off a piece when she needs it, tosses it aside when she doesn’t. You don’t even need to test her anymore; she’s already written you off!”

Wang Zheng shifted his gaze from the magazine’s supermodels to Bai Bing. Seeing her so confident, he sensed she was quite certain of her assessment.

“Bai Bing, Bai Bing, after a few days apart, you’ve become crass!” Wang Zheng remarked. “And if I’m toilet paper, you’re sanitary pads. We’re two of a kind!”

Hearing Wang Zheng’s words, Bai Bing reflected on her own, realizing they were indeed somewhat vulgar. Why? She looked at Wang Zheng, suspecting he’d rubbed off on her.

“I wasn’t saying you’re toilet paper, just using a metaphor. You get what I mean.” Bai Bing explained. “She’s ditched you. What’s your plan now? Just sit here and occupy the restroom without doing anything?”

Wang Zheng bared his teeth at Bai Bing, his clenched fists revealing his mood. “Did you eat something foul? If I don’t scold you, you won’t stop, will you? Society’s harmonious—can’t you be a little more refined?”

Bai Bing was momentarily stunned. She was definitely contaminated by this man…

“What are you going to do then? Stay in the office forever?” Bai Bing asked, attempting a more ‘refined’ tone.

“At least for now, this office still belongs to me,” Wang Zheng replied calmly. He glanced at the clock—it was already noon. Time had flown. He lowered his leg, stood up, and stretched comfortably. “Come on, let’s go for lunch!”

“You actually have the appetite for lunch?” Bai Bing looked at Wang Zheng. “Your heart’s big, I’ll give you that. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to just sit here, ignoring everything like a vegetable. At the very least, I’d confront Lin Xiaolei and clear things up—can’t leave without even an explanation. Don’t forget, without you, she would’ve been bankrupt long ago. And I went out of my way to recover her lost money—had I known, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

Bai Bing spoke resentfully, clearly aggrieved on Wang Zheng’s behalf.

“Whether you’re here or not, history’s wheel rolls forward, dust and all. Even if you hadn’t recovered that money, she would’ve chosen this path anyway. It’s not a matter of money, so don’t be so indignant. And don’t get too invested, or you’ll end up miserable while the protagonist remains unfazed. It’s not worth it.”

“I’m not as broad-minded as you!”

Wang Zheng glanced at Bai Bing. They say women are petty—looks like it’s true.

Still, Wang Zheng felt comforted; at least Bai Bing was on his side.

Leaving his office, he immediately sensed a change in the atmosphere of the workspace.

The female employees Wang Zheng had hired would normally be cheerful at work, but now their faces were sullen, their expressions cold—like victims of abuse. The sudden appearance of several strangers had them running around like beer girls in a bar, full of grievances they couldn’t voice.

Wang Zheng approached one of his ‘sisters’ nearby, patting her shoulder:

“Hey, it’s lunchtime. Aren’t you going to eat?”

She glanced at the newcomers, then said helplessly to Wang Zheng, “Brother Wang, did you see? Those people said if we don’t finish the tasks assigned, we can forget about lunch.”

“That’s outrageous! Isn’t that just bullying?” Wang Zheng frowned.

“Exactly!” the young woman nodded repeatedly. “Brother Wang, who are they? Each one is like a fierce shrew.”

Wang Zheng didn’t know how to answer. If he guessed right, these people were probably Lin Xiaolei’s old subordinates. Just then, a girl who had just emerged from Lin Xiaolei’s office approached Wang Zheng, glanced at Bai Bing, and quietly asked, “Brother Wang, what’s going on between you and Manager Lin? You haven’t gone to her office all morning.”

“Brother Wang, please talk to her for us. If this continues, we’ll go crazy in a few days!”

Looking at the hopeful faces of his female colleagues, Wang Zheng didn’t know how to explain. He sighed deeply, spread his hands in helplessness.

“The company belongs to Manager Lin—what am I? You’ve all seen it: she hasn’t consulted me all morning, nor assigned me any tasks. So… let’s just bear with it. Maybe things will improve in a few days.” Wang Zheng said, his tone full of resignation.

Hearing this, the female employees collectively displayed utter disappointment. Wang Zheng, the Assistant Manager, was the only one approachable and ‘friendly’ in the company. If even he was powerless, things must truly be beyond help.

“Everyone, work hard for the future. As for me, the idle one, I’m off to lunch!” Wang Zheng forced a smile, then beckoned to Bai Bing:

“Come on, secretary!”

“You’re the secretary, not me!” Bai Bing retorted, but still followed Wang Zheng.

Bai Bing’s absence coincided with the recruitment days, so the female employees were puzzled by her identity. She’d spent all morning in the office with Assistant Wang—who was she, really? Was she actually his secretary, as he claimed? But who had ever heard of an assistant manager with a secretary?

In the third-floor restaurant of Yong’an Tower, Bai Bing stirred her bowl of Scottish noodles with her chopsticks, lost in thought. Across from her, Wang Zheng ate his Korean ramen with little concern for appearances.

“Do you feel the atmosphere in Zhongtian Company is tense, even a bit strange?” Bai Bing suddenly asked Wang Zheng.

“Strange? Did you see a ghost?” Wang Zheng replied, puzzled.

“I’m being serious!” Bai Bing glared at him, then continued, “Zhongtian is clearly divided into three factions. One is the capitalist exploitation faction, led by Lin Xiaolei and those newcomers you mentioned. Another is the oppressed group—the dozen or so female interns, who want to work in Yong’an Tower but have to endure the pressure from above. They want to resist, but don’t want to lose the opportunity, so they complain like women going through menopause. As for the third faction… that’s you and me—the neutral, carefree group. We clock in and out on time, skip work when we feel like it, and no one cares. Free to come and go! Tell me, is my analysis correct?”

“I’ve never considered you part of my faction, so we’d better stick to our own sides!” Wang Zheng replied. Once bitten, twice shy—having been ‘betrayed’ by Bai Bing once, he didn’t want to stand with her again.

This woman was too fickle.

No, correction: women are too fickle.