Chapter Forty-Eight: Zeng Zeng Behind the Incident

In an apartment in a second-tier city, three provinces away from C University, Zeng Zeng smashed everything she could lay her hands on. Her expression at this moment was anything but sweet; in fact, it bordered on ferocious.

“How could she not be dead, how could she not be dead?!” Panting heavily, Zeng Zeng slumped onto the messy sofa. “Useless thing, can’t even kill someone with a crash.”

It took quite a while for Zeng Zeng to calm her emotions. She casually found an excuse to summon the cleaning lady, changed into a mature and alluring outfit, and stepped out. She was an intern, but aside from her internship, her most important source of income was precisely the person she was about to meet.

She had arranged to meet him at a café outside the mall. When she arrived, the man was engrossed in some documents.

“Why did you call me out so urgently?” He glanced at Zeng Zeng, nonchalantly slipped the papers into his bag. “The mess you caused earlier isn’t settled yet. Don’t stir up trouble again, or I won’t be able to protect you.”

“Of course not!” Zeng Zeng lowered her voice, adding extra sweetness. “I really don’t know that person. I was so scared when I heard about it, I’ve been having nightmares drenched in blood these past nights.”

Whether the man believed her or not, he simply told her that if she truly didn’t know, then so be it, but she should avoid contact with old acquaintances from now on.

“I’ll clean up after you this time, but there won’t be a next. If you keep this up, I won’t bother with you again.” He said with a cheerful smile, but his gaze remained as cold as ever. “There are plenty of young and pretty girls in this world. Only obedient children get candy, don’t you agree?”

Zeng Zeng’s face stiffened for a moment, but she quickly pressed herself against him, speaking softly, “I really am obedient. You told me not to talk to outsiders, have I ever mentioned you to anyone? I know you’ll never leave your wife, I just want you to spend more time with me. I was genuinely frightened these days, that’s why I couldn’t help but call you.”

There was a hint of grievance in her voice, and the man finally looked at her, soothingly patting her back.

“I’ll sign you up for a tour group, go and relax at the seaside. When your internship ends, get a passport. I’ll find a way to send you abroad for further studies. When you return, you’ll be an overseas returnee.”

For obedient girls, the man had plenty of patience. Zeng Zeng’s appearance wasn’t particularly outstanding, but she was perceptive and knew how to let go, so for now he had no intention of replacing her.

Hearing his words, a trace of unwillingness flickered in Zeng Zeng’s eyes, soon replaced by delight. She knew that the relationship between the man and his wife was complicated, not something that could be severed with divorce alone. She was young and beautiful now, but as she aged, there was no way she could compete with younger, prettier girls. If she didn’t take this chance to secure some assets for herself, she’d be nothing but a fool.

Compared to tangible benefits, those who had humiliated her—Bai Mengqing and Mao Xiaohong—were nothing. Bai Mengqing might have survived, but word had it she was seriously injured, which was enough to satisfy Zeng Zeng’s resentment for the most part; the rest could wait for another opportunity.

As for the “culprit,” Zeng Zeng didn’t give him a second thought. In her eyes, he was just an overreaching dog, daring to covet her? He should take a good look at himself—a mere thug, with neither prospects nor influence. Being used by her was already a compliment.

She quickly put all this behind her, focusing solely on pleasing the man, unaware that the man she considered disposable was already tracking her scent.

Meanwhile, Chen Xin was overwhelmed with work.

This year, Mr. Huang was exceptionally lucky, his business encountering a rare opportunity for growth. The entire company was energized, and voluntary overtime became a daily occurrence. Although Chen Xin wasn’t an employee of Mr. Huang’s company, he and his wife had always treated her kindly, so when they needed her help, she accepted without hesitation.

“Thank you for your hard work.” Mrs. Huang, visibly relieved after receiving the translated manuals and the thick stack of documents, said, “This chance is rare, but the timeline is so tight. Thankfully you helped out. Once the contract is signed, I’ll send you a generous bonus.”

Chen Xin’s dark circles couldn’t be hidden; she covered her mouth, yawning as she saw Mrs. Huang out, planning to call Grandpa Liu to say she’d pick up Zhang Zhang from school the next afternoon, and to thank the elderly couple for taking care of her child this week.

Just as she picked up her phone, it rang first—a call from Grandpa Liu’s daughter. She was heading south for a month-long business trip and asked if Chen Xin wanted to come along.

Chen Xin’s vacation had begun, and Zhang Zhang’s kindergarten would break for summer at the end of the month—a month and a half during which Chen Xin would have to look after her child entirely on her own.

“I’m going over to negotiate a partnership. There’s a food factory up for sale, and since my regular job barely pays enough for a couple of outfits for the kid, I thought I’d check it out. If it works, I’ll take over the factory and keep it running. But I don’t know much about the industry, so I’d like you to come with me.”

Chen Xin had never worked in food processing and knew little about the field, but she was friendly with a magazine editor whose husband managed a food factory—likely someone knowledgeable. After asking which type of food processing was involved, Chen Xin immediately decided to go, but Zhang Zhang posed a problem. She’d be gone for quite a while and couldn’t expect Grandpa Liu and his wife to look after her child the whole time. After some thought, she decided the best solution was to send Zhang Zhang to his grandparents for a month, and pick him up when she returned.

She also had documents for Brother Zhang to deliver, so she’d take them along.

The trip to the Zhang family’s hometown took four days. When she arrived, Brother Zhang and Second Sister weren’t home, reportedly waiting at the livestock farm for equipment procurement. Chen Xin couldn’t wait for their return, so after explaining things to the grandparents, she hurriedly departed.

She left so quickly she didn’t even spend a night at the Zhangs’, prompting the villagers to assume Chen Xin didn’t want to care for her child and had deliberately sent Zhang Zhang back.

“What nonsense are you all talking about?” Granny Zhang, cradling her grandson, laughed heartily. “Xiao Xin has business down south for about a month, and it’s inconvenient to bring the child. Zhang Zhang’s kindergarten is on break, so she sent him back for us to look after him and enjoy some family time.”

Since last year’s New Year separation, Granny Zhang had missed her chubby grandson dearly. She had been considering whether to ask Chen Xin to let the child stay for a while, but before she could bring it up, Chen Xin suggested it herself. While Granny wasn’t sure if Chen Xin’s excuse was genuine, having the chance to spend time with her grandson was enough to make her feel at peace for life.

On Chen Xin’s fourth day away, Brother Zhang and Second Sister returned, travel-worn, accompanied by a young, beautiful woman.