stonecrandall Chapter 42 Don't come yet.
Chapter 42 Don't come yet.
A video call and a friend request pushed the future that was once tightly held onto to a crossroads.
-----------------
Zeng Jia had just stepped into her home, and had just taken off one of her high heels, when Zhang Zhishan's phone call came in like a death knell.
"Yu Li and I have no room for negotiation. Tomorrow you must double-check all attendees for the old lady's 80th birthday celebration. Not a single one can be missing!"
"Look at you, if this had been discussed and resolved earlier, would it have escalated to this point?"
"We've wasted our dating budget on you; you're completely incompetent. This money will be deducted from your salary!"
"You're so useless!"
……
Listening to the frantic roar on the other end of the phone, Zeng Jia didn't even feel like finding slippers to wear. She just walked barefoot on the cold ground, enduring it until Zhang Zhishan finished cursing and until he hung up the phone.
Zeng Jia took a long time to recover before letting out a sigh. Was this her fault? Could she change the old lady's birthday date, or get Yu Li to change the signing date? She was just a senior secretary, not a wishing well turtle!
She was seething with anger when her phone suddenly chimed, startling her. Her finger swiped across the screen, then immediately went limp. It was her mother, Zhang Yuhua.
My mom asked her if she was asleep and wanted to video chat with her.
Zeng Jia couldn't stay still any longer and jumped up from the floor. She turned on all the lights in the room, took off her wrinkled coat and threw it aside. She rushed to the small table, sat down, and even placed her phone on a stand. She skillfully opened a beauty app, turned the camera up to its maximum, and technically smoothed out and brightened the tired face on the screen.
As soon as the video call connected, Zeng Jia grinned brightly: "Mom, what time is it? Why aren't you asleep yet? I've told you so many times, you and Dad need to take care of yourselves!"
"We're going to Beijing to meet our in-laws for the New Year, so before we leave, we're staying open a little later and adding barbecue." Zhang Yuhua was still in the restaurant, looking at her daughter with obvious joy. She chatted on while peeling garlic, "Once you've finished decorating your new house, the renovations will cost money, and we'll definitely pay for the furniture and appliances. We can't let you feel inferior to the Wang family!"
Zeng Jia's throat tightened suddenly, as if it were stuffed with cotton. "I can earn the money myself. You two don't need to work yourselves out. I don't need you to give me money."
"That won't do. As your parents, we didn't contribute a single penny to your wedding. How can our daughter stand up for herself? If you ask me, it's your dad's fault for not working hard enough and not saving more money to get you a place in Beijing. You can only rent a small, run-down room, crammed into that tiny space."
"Your father and I are not capable in this life. We can only make ends meet by running our small restaurant. We can't help you in any way, but we can't let you have to put up with other people's attitudes outside. We don't ask you to be rich and powerful, we just ask that you don't suffer outside."
……
Zeng Jia gritted her teeth, deliberately tilting her head to pretend to reach for the water glass on the table to drink. No matter how resilient and tolerant she was in public, she couldn't stand her mother's words that went straight to the heart.
She quickly wiped her eyes with her hand, then forced a smile, "Buying a house doesn't happen that fast, you have to choose carefully. Don't rush things, and don't stay up late with Dad, the smoke from barbecues is bad for your lungs..."
"You haven't decided when to buy the tickets yet? Chinese New Year is just a few days away. Your dad and I were thinking of asking you when you want to book the train tickets. If all else fails, we'll come and help you look."
"I might have to go on a business trip again, and I don't even know if I'll be able to rest during the Spring Festival..." Zeng Jia said half-jokingly, "Why don't you and your dad not rush to come over yet? We can come after the Spring Festival, and you can stay for a few days when it gets warmer. Wouldn't that be great!"
"Could something have gone wrong at his place?" Zhang Yuhua suddenly became alert.
"It's nothing, really nothing, I'm just busy with work!" Zeng Jia quickly denied, but her heart was pounding.
Zhang Yuhua stopped what she was doing, her expression instantly changing. "I knew something bad would happen if they couldn't afford a house! What trouble has happened to them? Tell me everything!"
"Mom! It's really not! Why are you making wild guesses..."
Zeng Jia was truly exhausted and couldn't bring herself to tell her mother about her conflict with Wang Haowen. She could only force herself to be as strong as possible and coax and lie, "Aren't we working as secretaries and assistants for our bosses? We have to follow them around from morning till night every day. We really don't have any time to discuss housing. Besides, the boss's mother is going to celebrate her 80th birthday, and I have to go back to my hometown with her. It's really not going to be in Beijing..."
"I won't force you if you don't want to talk about it. If it doesn't work out, then break up. It'll be too late if you change your mind after marriage. You should also tell him that our family won't pay for the house, but the renovation will be top-notch. Don't think that having a house makes you something special. My daughter won't be mistreated!" Even though it was through a screen, she was still his own flesh and blood, and Zhang Yuhua clearly didn't believe her.
"Yes, yes, you're right. Your daughter is so outstanding, so many men are eager to marry her. At worst, I'll just not marry her. Maybe I can find someone even richer."
"I'll tell you a secret, a lot of people have confessed their feelings to me privately, but I've never dared to say anything..."
……
After coaxing and cajoling for more than ten minutes, Zeng Jia finally managed to calm her mother down. Otherwise, her mother would have rushed to Beijing tomorrow to argue with Wang Haowen's family, which would have caused a real mess.
Already exhausted, Zeng Jia felt completely drained after Zhang Yuhua's outburst. She didn't care whether Wang Haowen was coming back or not, and collapsed onto the bed, "fainting".
Wang Haowen had actually been standing outside the door for quite some time.
The door panels in the alley were thin, and he heard every single word of Zeng Jia's video conversation with her mother.
So she's thinking of dumping him and finding someone richer? Exhausted, feeling like he was made of lead, Wang Haowen slumped against the cold, bone-chilling brick wall. He looked down at the braised pork intestines and baked buns he had specially gone out to buy, still slightly steaming.
I can't bear to throw it away;
If I don't throw it away, it'll upset me.
Is he just like this late-night snack to Zeng Jia, dispensable? Is he just a backup plan, someone she'll dump in a heartbeat if she finds someone better?
He gave a self-deprecating laugh, a laugh that sounded pathetic, and was wondering whether he should go inside when his phone buzzed in his pocket.
He took it out and saw that the screen was lit up with the WeChat contact card that Yu Li had just pushed over. It was Song Yaxuan, the niece of Chairman Wang, whom he had met once before in Shanghai.
Yu Li had just called him, asking him to start mentoring this rich young lady tomorrow and familiarizing her with the e-commerce business. But Wang Haowen knew perfectly well that Yu Li was being domineering and trying to play matchmaker. She needed Song Yaxuan's parents' money and power, and he wouldn't dare utter a single word of refusal.
Zeng Jia doesn't want him anymore, so why is he still clinging to this high branch? Wang Haowen twitched the corner of his mouth, tapped "Add Friend" on the cold screen, and Song Yaxuan immediately sent him a restaurant address. He abandoned his braised pork and rushed over.
When Zeng Jia woke up the next morning, she reached out and touched the cold sheet beside her. She opened her eyes and saw that the sheet was perfectly flat. Wang Haowen hadn't come back at all last night.
She didn't have time to think much about it and hurriedly got up and rushed to the company. As soon as she entered the company's office area, she saw Wang Haowen with a young girl, wandering around and pointing and introducing things.
The girl wasn't exactly ugly, but she wasn't pretty either. Her features were somewhat similar to Yoko Rame's. Her clothes were adorned with luxury brands, and she walked with an air of "money is no object." At first glance, she looked like a pampered young lady, just like Yu Li.
Wang Haowen was very enthusiastic, his face full of smiles. The two brushed past Zeng Jia, but Wang Haowen acted as if he didn't even see her and just walked right past her.
Zeng Jia's lips curled into a deep sneer as she glared at him, "What are you pretending to be so important about? Who are you trying to fool with your attitude!"
She grumbled, plopped back down at her workstation, and buried herself in her work, but was rather distracted. At lunchtime, Dong Miaomiao came over to invite her downstairs for lunch. Just as the two were walking towards the elevator, Wang Haowen and Song Yaxuan came skipping along.
Dong Miaomiao greeted him politely, "Assistant Wang, are you going to eat?" After greeting him, she looked at Song Yaxuan.
Wang Haowen nodded, wondering if he should introduce them, but Song Yaxuan acted as if she hadn't seen Zeng Jia and Dong Miaomiao, and was busy chattering to Wang Haowen: "Hey, what are we eating in Shanghai tonight? I know a few private kitchens that are really meticulous, with ingredients flown in from abroad every day. Unlike the one last night, it was so greasy I almost threw up. Northern restaurants, they really lack refinement, they're just too oily."
"The Michelin-starred restaurants here are nowhere near as good as those in Shanghai. The taste is far inferior, not to mention the service is extremely perfunctory. I had to wait forever for the warm water I asked for. They have no sense of courtesy at all."
"By the way, have you booked the car to pick me up from the airport tonight? Make sure the driver turns on the air purifier beforehand, my nose is extremely sensitive, I can't stand even the slightest odor, I can't sit in the car if it smells..."
Zeng Jia kept a straight face and no expression, but those words seemed to have legs and kept drilling into her ears.
No wonder he didn't go home last night. So he's got plenty of people around him now. And it sounds like he's going to Shanghai? He didn't even say a word? That's pretty impressive.
Wang Haowen casually dealt with Song Yaxuan, while his eyes darted furtively towards Zeng Jia out of the corner of his eye. Zeng Jia was cursing under her breath, but she simply turned her head away and ignored him completely.
Wang Haowen felt a little awkward, wondering if he should say something, but the elevator dinged and arrived just then. Song Yaxuan grabbed Wang Haowen's arm and slipped inside, pressing the close button behind her and coldly saying, "You two wait for the next one."
The elevator doors closed and it went down with a "whoosh." Zeng Jia and Dong Miaomiao stared at each other, standing there like two sticks.
"Who is this? So arrogant? Did your HR department invite back an ancestor to worship?" Zeng Jia's anger flared up instantly!
Dong Miaomiao glanced around furtively, then quickly pulled Zeng Jia into another elevator. The two left the office building and walked quite a distance, but Zeng Jia's inexplicable anger had not subsided.
She shook off Dong Miaomiao's hand, saying, "Is it really necessary? We've already walked two miles, are you still worried she'll hear us?"
Dong Miaomiao sighed, "This is Chairman Wang's niece, she's practically a living ancestor! Hey, what's gotten into you today? You're like a powder keg! Something's wrong with you!"
Zeng Jiaga was speechless for a moment. She also felt that she had gone a bit too far. "Did they smuggle people into Tianyi in order to attract investment?" she asked tentatively.
"You think you're so smart!" Dong Miaomiao lowered her voice. "President Yu wants to leverage resources in Shanghai to bring their daughter in early, which would make things easier. Besides, Chairman Wang has taken a liking to Wang Haowen and wants him to be his nephew-in-law, so sending him to Shanghai would make things easier."
Dong Miaomiao clicked her tongue twice. "I really didn't realize Wang Haowen was such a talent. You know, men with good looks have an advantage over women; they have so many more paths to climb!"
Zeng Jia was speechless. So this is how she climbed the social ladder? What is she then? An expired old calendar, quietly taken off the shelves?
What about living a simple and ordinary life? What about going all the way to buy Xianghe meat pies? What about only recognizing her for the rest of your life? And if all else fails, you can just deliver food... All those heartfelt words and warm memories were just beautiful dreams from back then. In the face of money and profit, they all shattered like soap bubbles with a "pop."
Zeng Jia couldn't help but take out her phone, wanting to call and ask Wang Haowen what he really meant. But her finger hovered there for a long time, unable to press the button.
If I were to make that call, wouldn't I look like a silly roe deer, eagerly inviting ridicule?
She tapped her finger across the screen, and finally, Zeng Jia opened Wang Haowen's WeChat contact and blocked him.
A backup plan? Let whoever wants to be one have it!
I'm not going to serve you anymore!