Chapter 30: If you want to hit me, do you expect me to just stand there and let you?
Page (1/3)
“Zhao Qiang!”
When Zhou Jie saw that the other man did not react, the anger in his heart flared instantly. Fuming, he filled a cup with hot water and intended to splash it directly onto Zhao Qiang.
Who could have expected Zhao Qiang to suddenly stand up at that very moment? Caught completely off guard, Zhou Jie sent all the hot water in his hand straight into his own face.
“Ah!”
Zhou Jie let out a miserable scream. His cheeks were scalded bright red, and several blisters appeared in an instant.
Pointing furiously at Zhao Qiang, he roared, “Zhao Qiang, you did that on purpose!”
“Sorry about that. I was a little sleepy just now and didn’t realize you were here.”
Zhao Qiang narrowed his eyes, and a barely perceptible smile flickered through them.
This was hardly the first time Zhou Jie had played such tricks in the office. He had even planned to bully Zhao Qiang as he had in his previous life, thinking Zhao Qiang would not dare fight back.
That could only mean Zhou Jie had been overthinking things. The company’s true owner had already been exposed, yet he was still staying here. Wasn’t he simply courting death?
Zhao Qiang intended to leave the company and break free of Zhang Zihao’s control.
But he could not simply walk away. Why should he resign voluntarily? Naturally, he had to be fired. Otherwise, how would he get his severance pay?
All those years of hard work would otherwise have been for nothing.
The money was only a minor concern. What he really wanted was to save face—and, more importantly, to teach Zhou Jie and Lin Meina, that despicable pair, a proper lesson.
After being bullied by them for so many years, it was time to settle all the scores today.
“Zhou Jie, you weren’t planning to scald me with that hot water, were you?”
Zhao Qiang deliberately raised his voice as he pointed at the cup in Zhou Jie’s hand.
“You’re imagining things. I was just getting some water to drink.”
Gritting his teeth, Zhou Jie forced himself to endure the pain and argued stubbornly.
“Here’s the proposal that was rejected. Take it and redo it. Hand it to me tonight.”
Work was the priority at the moment, and Zhou Jie could not be bothered to argue with him any further.
“Sorry, I’m on leave right now. I’m not available for work.”
Zhou Jie had clearly grown accustomed to ordering him around, casually issuing commands whenever he pleased.
Zhao Qiang’s solution was simple: ignore him.
If Zhou Jie lost his temper and attacked him, then Zhou Jie could hardly blame him for fighting back. Besides, Zhao Qiang was certain Zhou Jie would not be able to restrain himself. He would definitely make a move against him.
“Hurry up. What kind of leave are you taking? Sister Lin already told me to have you come back and work overtime.”
Zhao Qiang continued playing with his phone in his seat, acting as though he had not heard a word.
“Zhao Qiang, what the hell do you mean?”
Zhou Jie clenched his fists, the veins on his forehead bulging.
“I’m talking to you, damn it! Are you treating me like background noise?”
Zhou Jie bellowed hysterically, his eyes wide with rage. Zhao Qiang was being far too dismissive of him.
At last, Zhao Qiang put down his phone and looked up at Zhou Jie. His eyes were filled with contempt.
“Zhou Jie, what are you shouting about?”
Page (1/3)
Page (2/3)
“I simply don’t want to do it. What are you going to do about it?”
“My wife finally gave birth to twins. What’s wrong with taking some leave?”
“What’s wrong? Am I selling myself to the company?”
“What does your wife having children have to do with anything? The Chu Group sent my proposal back, so you have to find a way to fix it!”
Zhou Jie looked like a street thug. The muscles in his face twisted with fury, and he glared fiercely at Zhao Qiang.
“Otherwise, don’t expect to have an easy time either!”
Zhou Jie continued roaring, spittle flying in every direction.
“If I remember correctly, you were the one who snatched this proposal from me in the first place, weren’t you?”
Zhao Qiang folded his arms across his chest, his eyes full of disdain as he stared coldly at Zhou Jie.
“What happened? You can’t handle it now? Can’t even clean up your own mess?”
Zhao Qiang’s mockery grew sharper.
“You took it from me, so take responsibility for it yourself. Every time you make a mess, you come running to me to clean it up. Don’t you have hands of your own?”
Zhao Qiang raised his voice, and it echoed throughout the office.
He did not spare Zhou Jie any dignity. With a loud clatter, he flung open the office door.
Their exchange had long since exploded through the office like a bomb, creating a tremendous commotion.
In an instant, everyone gathered around curiously.
“Zhao Qiang, watch your mouth!”
Humiliated and enraged, Zhou Jie’s face flushed crimson, the veins in his neck standing out.
“This was decided by General Manager Lin. Are you saying you won’t even listen to her now?”
Knowing he was in the wrong, Zhou Jie broke out in a fine sweat and hurriedly changed the subject.
With so many people watching, Zhao Qiang had already seriously damaged his standing and reputation in the company.
Zhou Jie was both anxious and furious. He had never expected Zhao Qiang to act so recklessly today.
“What Lin Meina said wasn’t quite that simple, was it?”
The corners of Zhao Qiang’s lips curled into a meaningful smile.
“Every time you can’t handle something, you send me in to deal with it. Don’t tell me you’ve been keeping Lin Meina satisfied?”
Those words struck the entire office like a bolt of thunder.
Although everyone had long understood the nature of the relationship between the two of them, they had all pretended not to know.
After all, no one wanted to get into trouble over it. Anyone who did would certainly suffer the consequences.
But now Zhao Qiang had placed their relationship squarely in the open.
The employees exchanged glances. Some stared in shock with their mouths agape, some whispered among themselves, and others wore gleeful expressions.
Hearing Zhao Qiang’s words, Zhou Jie sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He waved his arms and charged toward Zhao Qiang, roaring, “Zhao Qiang, you’re talking complete nonsense! Lin and I are perfectly innocent. You’re slandering us!”
Page (2/3)
Page (3/3)
Zhao Qiang slipped to the side and dodged Zhou Jie’s attack. With a cold laugh, he said, “Slander? Who in the company doesn’t know that you only got where you are by currying favor with Lin Meina?
“You can’t complete a proposal, so you come to me to clean up your mess. And now you want to get physical?”
Zhou Jie missed and nearly fell. After regaining his balance, he glared viciously at Zhao Qiang.
“Zhao Qiang, this isn’t over! I’ll make sure you can’t survive in this company!”
“Oh, how frightening!”
Zhao Qiang straightened his back and fixed Zhou Jie with a blazing stare.
“Without me cleaning up your mess every time, the company would have breached its contracts dozens of times over. And you still have the nerve to boast here?”
“Judging by the way you look, you just came out of Lin Meina’s office, didn’t you?”
Zhao Qiang’s tone was dripping with mockery. He kept repeating Lin Meina’s name, showing that he no longer held the woman in the slightest regard.
“If I’m not mistaken, you went to keep her company again just now, didn’t you?”
His words grew sharper, leaving no room for mercy.
“You…”
Zhou Jie was thoroughly enraged by Zhao Qiang’s attitude. His face flushed instantly, and his eyes seemed ready to spit fire.
He raised his hand, intending to slap Zhao Qiang.
But Zhao Qiang reacted swiftly, seizing Zhou Jie by the wrist and flinging his arm aside.
Zhou Jie staggered, lost his balance, and nearly fell flat on the floor in disgrace.
The onlookers cried out in alarm and instinctively backed away, afraid of being caught up in the fight.
Then, admiration appeared in many of their eyes as they looked at Zhao Qiang. What he had done was something many of them had long wanted to do themselves.
Zhou Jie had always thrown his weight around at the company and had offended plenty of people. He had also taken away many of their bonuses.
With Lin Meina backing him at the company, he had never shown the slightest regard for anyone else.
“Zhao Qiang, have you lost your mind?”
Humiliated and furious, Zhou Jie’s voice trembled. For the first time, he felt a trace of fear.
He could not help wondering inwardly why Zhao Qiang was so aggressive today. Had the man suddenly grown fearless?
“You attacked me. Was I supposed to just stand there and let you hit me? Am I an idiot?”
Zhao Qiang did not retreat an inch. He raised his voice and shouted back.
“You…”
For a moment, Zhou Jie was speechless, unable to think of a rebuttal.
“You and I are equals in rank. What gives you the right to hit me?”
Zhao Qiang let out a contemptuous laugh, his face full of disdain.
“I barely pushed you, and you nearly fell over. Why are you so weak?”
Zhao Qiang looked down at Zhou Jie from above, the corner of his mouth lifting scornfully. His eyes were filled with contempt.
“Could that old woman have drained you dry already?”
Page (3/3)