Chapter 29: I Have Been Reborn, Yet You Still Try to Deceive Me Like a Child
Page 1 of 3
“Zhao Qiang, have you been drinking? How dare you speak to me like that?” Li Meina exploded with rage.
“Lin Meina, we both know what’s really going on. Don’t push me into turning the table over.”
Zhou Jie was a department manager just like him. He did less work than Zhao Qiang, yet earned more money.
Whenever there was a profitable project, Zhou Jie always got to handle it first. Only afterward would it be Zhao Qiang’s turn.
Zhao Qiang had lost count of how many times he had cleaned up Zhou Jie’s messes. In the end, Zhou Jie still took half the profits whenever a project succeeded.
Zhou Jie was also notoriously arrogant within the company, ordering Zhao Qiang around as though he were his servant.
The reason was that Zhou Jie was the kept man of Lin Meina, that old woman—a pretty boy who lived off his body and had no real ability whatsoever.
“I seem to remember that his salary is higher than mine,” Zhao Qiang said, his voice growing colder, as though it carried a trace of frost.
“When I wanted to take on this project, you gave it to him instead. Did I say a single word about it?”
Zhao Qiang’s eyes widened as he challenged her, his voice filled with indignation and resentment.
“Come back and revise the proposal. I’ll definitely give you half of my commission when it’s done.”
Lin Meina repeated the same old line, and Zhao Qiang burst out laughing.
“Ha, ha, ha...” He could not hold back his laughter. It was filled with mockery and contempt.
“What are you laughing at, Zhao Qiang?”
Hearing his laughter over the phone, Lin Meina felt her anger flare. Her expression darkened instantly.
“Me? I’m laughing at you. I did all the work on the project, and I’m still supposed to give half of the commission to him. Don’t you find that funny?”
The corners of Zhao Qiang’s mouth lifted as he spoke sarcastically.
“What’s gotten into you? Haven’t things always been done this way?”
Lin Meina frowned deeply, completely baffled. The Zhao Qiang of today seemed like an entirely different person. He was no longer the submissive subordinate who accepted everything without protest.
“Does that make it right just because it was done that way before?”
Zhao Qiang raised his voice, anger blazing in his eyes like a lion that had been provoked.
“Don’t think I don’t know about your filthy dealings!”
Zhao Qiang was furious, his fists clenched tightly.
“What the hell are you talking about, Zhao Qiang? If you’re dissatisfied, just say so. It’s not as though I won’t consider it.”
“How about this? You finish the proposal, and I’ll give you a larger share of the commission. Will that be enough?”
A trace of compromise entered Lin Meina’s voice. Manager Zhang had warned her not to push Zhao Qiang too far.
Otherwise, she would have fired him long ago.
Besides, what was wrong with Zhao Qiang today? Was he rebelling?
She remembered him as being quite obedient before.
But today, he was bristling with defiance, even in the way he spoke.
“Sorry, but I don’t need it. Thank you for your kindness, Manager Lin. You can let Zhou Jie earn that money himself.”
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
Zhao Qiang refused without hesitation, his attitude resolute.
Zhou Jie was nothing more than a kept man. He had pleased that old woman, Lin Meina, in bed, and that was why no one in the company dared provoke him.
“Zhao Qiang, this is the company’s decision. Come back immediately!”
Lin Meina was so furious that her voice turned sharp and shrill. Today, she was determined to make Zhao Qiang return.
“What if I say no?”
Zhao Qiang snorted. Lin Meina really thought she could continue riding roughshod over him. She had gone too far.
“Zhao Qiang, do you still want this month’s salary?”
Lin Meina threatened him. “If you don’t come back today, you won’t get paid. I’ll have the finance department deduct every penny.”
“Looks like you really are determined to provoke me today!”
Zhao Qiang had not intended to bother with the old woman, but she had bullied him beyond reason. She could not blame him for fighting back.
“Stop wasting my time and get back here. I’ll be waiting for you in my office.”
Lin Meina hung up angrily with a sharp click, slamming the receiver down on the desk.
Inside the office, the woman wore a long robe, her voluptuous figure faintly visible beneath the fabric.
She sat with one leg crossed over the other, her long legs wrapped in black stockings especially eye-catching.
Unfortunately, her face was unmistakably aged. After undergoing numerous cosmetic surgeries, her features had become almost impossible to look at. Without the thick layer of white powder covering them, she would have been unbearable to behold.
At that moment, a handsome young man hurriedly brought her a cup of coffee and said obsequiously, “Sister Lin, don’t let someone like Zhao Qiang upset you. He isn’t worth it.”
The speaker was Zhou Jie, the flatterer who never did any real work.
He and Zhao Qiang both worked under Lin Meina, but Zhou Jie himself did nothing. He frequently snatched projects away from Zhao Qiang.
Whenever those projects were sent back in failure, Zhao Qiang was the one who had to take over. In the end, Zhou Jie still received half the credit.
The only things Zhou Jie had going for him were his youth and handsome appearance, which had made him deeply favored by Lin Meina.
“What’s wrong with Zhao Qiang?” Lin Meina asked, her brow tightly furrowed and irritation written all over her face.
“He was acting as if he’d swallowed gunpowder today!”
Lin Meina suddenly slapped the desk, making all the documents jump.
“Sister Lin, please don’t be angry.”
Zhou Jie hurried over to soothe her, gently massaging her back with both hands as he continued fawning over the older woman.
“Zhao Qiang has gone too far. He actually dared to talk back to you face-to-face. Does he even want to keep working here?”
Zhou Jie deliberately fanned the flames.
“You’re much more obedient. That’s why I like you better.”
Lin Meina giggled, pulled Zhou Jie toward her, and kissed him on the cheek.
After the two of them flirted for a while, Zhou Jie’s eyes shifted as he began plotting.
“Sister Lin, why don’t you fire Zhao Qiang?”
“He doesn’t even listen to you anymore. Why keep him around?”
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
Lin Meina froze for a moment, then released Zhou Jie from her arms.
“No. Zhao Qiang can’t be fired. He was specifically ordered by upper management to remain with the company.”
“Besides, if he leaves, who will take the blame for you?”
Lin Meina knew perfectly well that Zhao Qiang was capable. He could always be relied upon when it mattered.
“Sister Lin, you’re so wicked. I love it.”
Zhou Jie felt sick inside. To please the old woman, he had to endure more than anyone could imagine, suppressing his disgust with all his strength.
Just then, someone knocked on the office door.
“What is it?”
Lin Meina hurriedly straightened her clothes and adjusted her hair, restoring her usual air of authority.
“Manager Lin, Manager Zhao has arrived at the office,” the secretary outside said cautiously.
Zhou Jie was the first to laugh. He quickly flattered her, saying, “Sister Lin, you really are something. No matter how bad-tempered Zhao Qiang is, he still wouldn’t dare defy you.”
“Of course not. I thought he had some backbone, but he still came crawling back to work.”
Lin Meina’s lips curved upward, her face filled with smug satisfaction.
“Go and give him your proposal. Tell him to turn it in by the end of today. I’ll count the achievement as partly yours.”
Lin Meina spoke triumphantly, as though everything were under her control.
She had known it. Zhao Qiang was only tough with his mouth. In the end, his actions were far more honest.
His wife had just given birth, and he needed money. How could he possibly be foolish enough to oppose her?
Did he no longer want his job? Did he no longer want his salary?
“Sister Lin, what if Zhao Qiang refuses?”
Zhou Jie wore a smug expression, though a faint trace of worry stirred in his heart.
“He wouldn’t dare. I’m the one giving him a way to make a living, and he still thinks he can refuse?”
Lin Meina lifted her chin, her face full of arrogance and confidence.
“Thank you, Sister Lin. I’ll go right now.”
Zhou Jie bowed and scraped, the smile on his face becoming even more obsequious. Then he left the office in high spirits and headed straight for Zhao Qiang’s office.
“Zhao Qiang, did you hear everything Sister Lin said?”
The moment Zhou Jie entered Zhao Qiang’s office, he froze.
Zhao Qiang was sitting directly in the chair with both feet propped high on the desk, his eyes closed as he slept. He did not react to Zhou Jie’s words at all.
“Zhao Qiang, I’m talking to you. Did you hear me?”
Zhou Jie frowned deeply and threw the proposal heavily onto the desk. Raising his voice, he said, “I’ve brought the proposal. Hand it over to me by the end of today!”
Page 3 of 3