Chapter 12: Is Director Zhou Making Things Difficult for You?

He stepped out of the Maybach, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, looking refreshingly luxurious.

"Director Zhou, good morning!"

Qiao En greeted him proactively.

Zhou Jin'an did not look sideways, as if he hadn't heard.

His sharply contoured cheeks, enveloped in ancient frost, radiated a chill that was palpable even from a distance.

She wisely stepped back, making way for Zhou Jin'an.

He walked leisurely forward and entered the Nanchen Building, taking the exclusive elevator for the president.

Before entering the elevator, he seemed to say something to the security guard.

The guard glanced at Qiao En and then jogged toward her.

"I'm sorry, but Director Zhou has ordered that no one improperly dressed may enter."

Qiao En was lining up, ready to go through the staff entrance. The guard's voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard him.

Everyone turned to look at Qiao En.

Back when she was Zhou Jin'an's secretary, people looked up to her, envied her, ingratiated themselves with her, tried to please her. But she did not know what was good for her and insisted on leaving Nanchen, resulting in everyone being able to trample on her now.

"Oh, isn't that Secretary Qiao? Did you go to 'network' last night? Tsk, tsk, truly dedicated!"

The speaker was the deputy manager of the Merchandising Department, who sneered a couple of times and even gave Qiao En a thumbs up.

"What Secretary Qiao? Now, Director Zhou's secretary is surnamed Chen—"

Another person dragged out their words as if kindly "reminding" her.

Qiao En, sandwiched in the crowd, stood straight, her face calm and her eyes steady.

She merely smiled faintly and stepped out of the line.

Calm, composed, poised in the face of danger.

Those grating voices seemed to be blocked outside the gateway to her heart.

She went home, changed her clothes, and then went to Nanchen.

On the reception room table, there was a high stack of files.

Chen Yin had received orders from Zhou Jin'an and came to convey them.

"Director Zhou wants you to review all the projects you've handled, to be completed within three days."

In three years, Qiao En had handled hundreds of projects involving hundreds of billions in funds.

Zhou Jin'an wanted her to conduct a review, and no matter his motive, Qiao En had no reason to refuse.

"Okay."

She responded.

Sitting down, she started working.

Busy with this task, she forgot about her plan to visit Song Lian after work.

Unable to contact Qiao En, he contacted An Kexin.

As Qiao En was immersed in her work, An Kexin's video call came through.

"Secretary Qiao, what's going on with you and Song Lian? He said he wants to see you because you were hospitalized... Maybe you should go visit him at the hospital."

An Kexin spoke politely.

Qiao En adjusted the camera to show the stack of files on the desk and said with a bitter smile, "Miss An, I really can't make time right now, please help me explain to Young Master Song. Director Zhou has assigned me urgent work, but I will definitely visit him once I'm done."

"Oh, is that so!"

This matter involved Zhou Jin'an, and An Kexin wouldn't dare touch his sore spot.

She spoke tenderly, "How could Brother An give you so much work? Secretary Qiao, focus on your work; Brother An's matters are pressing. As for Song Lian, I'll explain for you. He's just being childish and wants you to coax him."

"Thank you for the trouble, Miss An. I'll definitely go and coax him after I'm done."

Qiao En followed up on An Kexin's words.

"Then you go ahead and busy yourself."

An Kexin ended the video call.

By ten o'clock in the evening, the staff at Nanchen had gradually left for the day.

Qiao En decided to work the night shift, as she hadn't eaten all day and was starving.

After buying some bread and instant noodles from the convenience store downstairs, she quickly came back up.

While steeping the noodles in the pantry, she was about to leave when she heard sobbing from the restroom.

The surrounding was very quiet; although the crying was soft, it was exceedingly clear.

"Director He, you can't treat me this way. You promised me that once I had the abortion, you would divorce her and marry me."

It was Little Xu's voice.

It was unclear what the person on the other end of the call said, but it made Little Xu break down in tears.

"Didn't you say that you were in a marriage of convenience with her and it was love at first sight with me? How can you say such things now? Director He, please, do not be like this. I don't want money, I just want you..."

Qiao En couldn't bear to listen any longer, and she quickly left with her bowl of noodles.

Meddling in others' affairs wasn't her style.

Nanchen explicitly stated that internal company romances were forbidden, and if discovered, one party must resign.

If the affair between He Peng and Little Xu got out, both would have to leave.

As she ate the noodles, she felt sorry for Little Xu.

Having graduated from a prestigious university, why did she have to entangle herself with an old man like He Peng, who was already married?

After finishing the noodles, Qiao En continued to work overtime.

Suddenly, security came upstairs followed by the police, all rushing toward the women's restroom.

Then, someone pushed open the reception room door, saw Qiao En inside, and asked, "Someone just jumped from the women's restroom, did you know?"

Qiao En numbly shook her head, but her hand clutching the pen couldn't stop trembling.

Could it be Little Xu?!

She forced herself to stay calm as she stood up and walked toward the restroom, her steps light as if she were walking on cotton.

She wanted to go in and see, but someone stopped her.

"How is she?" Qiao En's voice also trembled.

Falling from the nineteenth floor, what else could happen?

No one paid attention to Qiao En; everyone was busy with their responsibilities.

The police finished gathering evidence, took away the surveillance footage, and quickly left.

Security cleaned up the scene, and everything returned to normal.

In the early hours, Nanchen Building became quiet once again.

But Qiao En had lost the mood to continue working.

She just took her cellphone and went home.

She took a bath, went to bed, curled up under the covers like a hedgehog.

She couldn't fall asleep, dazzled, the sound of Little Xu's sobbing echoed in her ears.

"Please, don't treat me like this, I don't want money, I just want you..."

During the night, Qiao En developed a fever, her body burning hot.

The next day, weak and sick, she went to Nanchen.

The order in the staff entrance of the lobby was impeccable.

Little Xu's workstation had a new person, and all her belongings had been cleared away.

Little Xu was gone, as if she had never been there.

Qiao En paused for a moment, then entered the reception room and continued to work.

At lunch, Qiao En encountered Chen Yin in the cafeteria.

"I heard you were here last night too?" Chen Yin whispered.

Head spinning, Qiao En nodded slightly.

"Do you know why she jumped?" Chen Yin asked again.

Once more, Qiao En gently shook her head.

Chen Yin didn't ask further, only sighed heavily.

"Such a pity, she had just turned twenty-two."

She was about the same age as Qiao En when she first came to Nanchen.

"What did Director Zhou say?" Qiao En inadvertently asked.

Chen Yin's voice dropped even lower, "These kind of things, Director Zhou doesn't handle, it's dealt with by the legal department. I heard they settled for 1.2 million, the family has already signed."

Qiao En sighed, Little Xu's life was only worth so much money.

"Director He's annual salary is about 1.5 million, right?"

In the distance, He Peng was surrounded by a group of people, all smiles and laughter.

Little Xu was gone, his problem solved.

The person was gone, yet he showed no sign of sorrow.

Following Qiao En's gaze, Chen Yin responded, "More than that, he was already at that amount five years ago, now it's at least two million."

Earning an annual salary of two million, yet he wrecked a life worth only 1.2 million.

Heaven knows, earth knows, yet he pretends not to know.

During the lunch break, Qiao En cornered He Peng in the pantry.

"Qiao En, it's been two days already, if you can't prove your innocence by tomorrow, do you know what the consequence will be?"

He Peng brewed a fresh cup of tea, leisurely blowing on the tea leaves floating along the rim.

Qiao En had a headache, she reached up to rub her temples, "Director He, please don't scare me."

He Peng snorted coldly and turned to leave, "You're on your own!"

Qiao En switched on her cellphone, and suddenly Little Xu's sobbing voice burst from it.

"Director He, please, don't be like this. I don't want money, I only want you..."

In an instant, He Peng's face turned as pale as snow.

His hand clutching the teacup trembled uncontrollably, spilling the scalding water without him seeming to notice.

He looked at Qiao En in panic, "You—"

Qiao En's eyes were cold and determined, she didn't say another word, and walked straight out of the pantry.

No sooner had she returned to the conference room than He Peng followed her in.

He was utterly discomposed, his pupils dilated and unseeing.

"It was Director Zhou! He made me do it!"