Afterward, Huang Zhen stormed in, cursing under his breath.
“Boss Huang, what are you doing here?” Jiang Xi made a move to stand up but didn’t ask Shen Xiyan and the others to give up their seats.
As if! She never wanted him to stay in the first place.
There were more people now, and they had just taken up the small bed. If she gave up her seat, wouldn’t it be the same as yesterday?
“Didn’t you see my message?”
“Oh… the doctor said I shouldn’t be using my phone so I don’t get insufficient rest.” Jiang Xi was always a sneaky woman who could lie without batting an eye.
“No wonder! Surgery is about to happen, and they’re worried you won’t get enough nutrition…” Huang Zhen placed the insulated container he was carrying on the bedside table.
Jiang Xi looked helpless and spoke in a reproachful tone: “Didn’t I already say I don’t need it?”
Don’t need it?
If I didn’t need it, how would I find an excuse to come see you?
“This is Cordyceps Soup. It’s good for your health.”
Huang Zhen’s previous warmth had completely vanished; his face was gloomy as he turned to Jiang Xi and asked, “What’s the deal with those people outside? Why won’t they let me in no matter what?”
Jiang Xi remained expressionless, weaving a story from Qin Sheng’s nonsense in her mind in an instant:
“They’re my college classmates. When they heard I was hospitalized, they were worried I’d be disturbed by irrelevant people and specially arranged someone to watch over me…”
Huang Zhen frowned. “Are they men?”
“Women.”
Huang Zhen sighed in relief.
But before he could fully relax, Jiang Xi laughed and said, “They’re my girlfriends from college.”
Qin Sheng had just taken a sip of water and suddenly spat it all over Shen Xiyan’s face with a “pfft.”
Shen Xiyan wiped his face and glared at her. “You just spat water on me!”
“Sorry, sorry, you just have to get used to it…” Qin Sheng lowered her voice, trying hard to hold back her laughter. When she realized she couldn’t, she pinched her own thigh hard.
Hard enough to leave a mark.
“Hey, doesn’t that hurt?”
Shen Xiyan ground his teeth, “You’re pinching the wrong person!”
“Oh… sorry, sorry…”
An old wound hadn’t healed, and a new one was added.
The small bite marks on his shoulder were still there, and now his thigh was bruised purple from her pinch.
Shen Xiyan had every reason to believe Qin Sheng did it on purpose. Who else could be that foolish?!
Meanwhile, Huang Zhen’s pupils contracted sharply. “Gir… girlfriend?”
“Yeah.”
“Why didn’t I know about this?!”
Who the hell are you?!
Of course, he only thought that in his head.
Women were born performers. Jiang Xi frowned helplessly, but a smile lingered at the corner of her lips, as if she was both indulgent and troubled by her ex-girlfriend:
“This is still rare in our country. Saying it out loud might make people look at me differently… but I haven’t had a boyfriend for years, so I guess a lot of people have figured it out.”
Huang Zhen: “…”
Damn it, boiling a frog slowly in warm water—the pot’s leaking.
What the hell is this homosexuality?!
He suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, like someone had just hammered him with a heavy object. Yet when he pulled off his clothes to check, there were no wounds or blood.
But that suffocating feeling wouldn’t go away anytime soon.
Words that pierce the heart work this way.
Jiang Xi smiled brightly and prettily: “Boss Huang, since you’re here today, might as well take the chance—I want to resign. Just giving you a heads-up.”
“Res… resign?”
Huang Zhen hadn’t fully recovered from the previous shock; now another thunderbolt struck his forehead, leaving him dumbfounded and dazed.
She was trying to take everything with her!
After a long pause, he asked, “Why?”
Huang Zhen got agitated. “The company has always kept a position for you. What do you mean by suddenly quitting?”
“I know, but I feel uncomfortable everywhere after getting sick. Even after surgery, it’ll be hard to return to work, so I don’t want to hold the company back… As for Boss Huang, I’ll personally thank him after my surgery.”
“But with your condition, what will you do without a job?” Huang Zhen guessed, “Or did you find a new job?”
“I did find a new job.” Jiang Xi nodded. “My ex-girlfriend helped me find it. It’s easier, pays well… quite suitable for me to recover.”
“Xiao Xi! Calm down. Do you know how many people have jumped ship on impulse only to find the new job worse?”
“You’ve been here since graduation, you know your coworkers, and you’re about to get promoted… If the job’s too hard, you could have just said so.”
“Our company isn’t heartless, or else we wouldn’t have kept your position. If you move to another company, forget the long sick leave; even a woman’s period causes the manager to complain…”
In fact, Huang Zhen knew very well that after the last personnel reshuffle, Jiang Xi should have been promoted.
He had deliberately held her back because he didn’t want her to achieve “financial freedom” so soon.
Only by wearing down her patience could she consider that other secretarial job that was easy and paid well—then he’d show her the power of his iron fist.
But Jiang Xi was unexpectedly “fierce.” He hadn’t even drawn his sword, and she had already flipped the table.
This wouldn’t do.
He clearly had his strategy all figured out: be the “gentle warm man” who occasionally checked on her without overstepping boundaries, while on the other side, the “wealthy uncle-in-law” would drive a luxury car to pick the kids up from school and give expensive little gifts.
How could a high schooler resist such temptations?
The strongest fortresses are often breached from within.
“I don’t care anymore. I just want a change of pace… Boss Huang, no need to persuade me.” Jiang Xi smiled.
She used to endure it because she had to support two kids and money was tight.
But now that Qin Sheng had shown her goodwill, she understood it was time.
More importantly, Huang Zhen was genuinely disgusting, and Qin Sheng wasn’t the kind to turn her back on someone.
Otherwise, no matter how much Huang Zhen disgusted her, she would have to bear it. Otherwise, would Shen Xiyan be stuck with Qin Sheng?
A man’s dignity was important. He couldn’t let his job hold him hostage, right?
“According to company policy, you need to give a month’s notice. I can help report it for you, but please think it over carefully. Our company isn’t heartless; we always treat old employees well.”
Jiang Xi had been around long enough to read his mind when he changed his tone like that.
“Thank you for your concern, Boss Huang.”
Seeing Jiang Xi unyielding, Huang Zhen stared at her pretty face, hating her to death inside but showing no expression on his own: “Then rest well. If you need anything, call me… I won’t come again after this.”
“Got it, thank you, boss.”
After Huang Zhen left, Jiang Xi laughed out loud three times, “That bastard finally gave up… Awesome!”
Huang Zhen wanted to punch someone.
She then looked at Shen Xiyan with a smile full of pride. “Aunt needs you to worry about her, huh?”
“Before, it wasn’t that I couldn’t refuse, but that I didn’t want to. Why do you always put on that ‘worried I’ll be bullied’ look?”
“Impressive, impressive, but isn’t being a lesbian a bit over the top?”
“Do you think I got through all these years smoothly? I delayed whenever I could. When I couldn’t, I just said I’m a lesbian. No one would feel awkward…”
Qin Sheng frowned. “Isn’t it okay if he’s embarrassed?”
“He knows my phone and address. If he really holds a grudge, it’ll be troublesome later. You can disrespect him, but you can’t disrespect money. In the adult world, there’s no ‘vengeance with pleasure,’ only ‘don’t make trouble if you don’t have to.’”
Qin Sheng pursed her lips.
She wanted to stand up and help fight back, thinking the other party wouldn’t have the guts to retaliate.
But since Aunt said so… she had to consider Aunt’s feelings.
Shen Xiyan quickly flattered her, trying to appease: “Yes, yes, in this country it’s all about connections. Always leave some space… Aunt, as long as you’re happy.”
This was the wisdom he had gained from watching movies since childhood.
Japan was a culture of praise: girls said, “You’re amazing, you’re great, you’re awesome.”
Whether true or not, you had to say it.
Western cultures valued individual feelings, lacked cultural depth, and expressed things simply.
Girls just said: “fuck me.”
Subs said: “yes.”
Guys and doms just said: “fuck.”
Say what you want to do, no overthinking.
Only in China did people love to explore others’ social networks.
Guys always asked: “Where are you from? Is it like this there? Am I better than XX?” Like an investigator.
“A pity you don’t have facial hair and aren’t reliable; otherwise, you’d be perfect to play my boyfriend and gross him out.”
Aunt rubbed her temples, suddenly wise after the fact. “Forget it, forget it. Since you care about Aunt, I’ll reward you with a lollipop. Qin Sheng and Wenwen get one too…”
She pulled out three lollipops from the drawer and handed them over.
These past few days, they hadn’t dared to eat much and were relying on sweets to fool their brains.
Stomach: I’m hungry.
Brain: No, you’re not.
Shen Xiyan thought about it. He had always been pessimistic about Aunt—a beautiful woman without a background in the workplace.
Before, he didn’t understand, but now he saw Aunt wasn’t some naive fool. She had her own smooth way of handling things and naturally knew how to deal with situations.
“I’m not interested in this bowl of Cordyceps Soup. Do you want to try it?”
Shen Xiyan rolled his eyes. “That would make us look like we have no morals. We just got rid of her and now we’re taking advantage of her.”
“True… let’s leave it for Aunt Wang later.”
“By the way, why haven’t I seen Aunt Wang?” Qin Sheng asked.
“She went downstairs to eat. I asked her to eat with me, but she absolutely refused…”
Qin Sheng opened her mouth wide. “Oh~~ no wonder, I almost fired her.”
“Don’t joke like that in front of Aunt Wang. It’ll hurt her feelings.”
“Got it.”
Qin Sheng smiled and stood up. “You guys stay here for a bit. I’m going out to catch up with the doctor since he’s an elder. It’d be rude not to greet him.”
“Should we have Xiyan accompany you?”
“No need, no need. He’s my elder, and Xiyan doesn’t admit to being my boyfriend, so it’s awkward to introduce him…”
Qin Sheng said, then left, leaning on her crutches.
As the ward door closed, Qin Sheng leaned by the window, staring coldly at the car parked motionless outside the hospital entrance. Her expression was dark and fierce.
“Did he complain when he came out just now?”
“He was cursing the whole way.”
“And the others?”
“Nothing.”
“Did you get the stuff in?”
The big muscle bodyguard handed over an earphone. “Yeah, pretty smoothly. That idiot probably didn’t realize his door was unlocked until the end.”
Relying on car keys always risks interference. That’s why after locking, a final check is a must.
After getting into the car, Huang Zhen, in a foul mood, turned on the stereo. The sharp, screeching roar pierced the silence inside the car and stabbed at his eardrums. Furious, he dialed a number.
“What’s going on? Why didn’t anyone tell me Jiang Xi is a lesbian!”
“You didn’t know? What are you telling me about a beauty at the company? I’m struggling every day under that old man!”
“If she goes to the company to resign, get everyone to buy her a meal, get her drunk, and wait for me.”
“You’re so cowardly. After cleaning up, can you find anything? It’s not the first time we’ve done this. I’m not going to waste three months, and I’ve never seen such a pretty woman.”
Back at the hospital, Qin Sheng handed the earphone back to the muscle guard.
“Please go back and tell Uncle Zhao… say…”
Qin Sheng thought for a moment, a bright smile on her face, “Say this person likes white and yellow flowers… If he insists on a reason, say he was sneaking up on my butt in the elevator. I’m the witness, so everything is according to what I say.”
Big Muscle Guard: “???”
Looks like someone’s about to get G’ed?