Both your salary and your salary will be as you wish.

Chapter 54 Don't be silly.

They may seem to be going their own way and being enemies, but in reality, they are all bound by desires. There are no pure victims in the workplace, nor are there any innocent bystanders.

-----------------

Wang Haowen returned to Beijing on a Friday, and Zeng Jia, having accepted Shi Jun's invitation, was indeed taken home to cook for his mother.

Shi Jun raved about Zeng Jia, saying her Northeastern cuisine was incredibly authentic. Zeng Jia cursed inwardly but forced a smile, bustling around in the kitchen for three hours, preparing six dishes and a soup.

The old lady sat upright in the main seat, picking at each dish with the tips of her chopsticks like an imperial envoy taking his turn.

"This sweet and sour pork is overcooked; it's tough and chewy!"

"These ribs, oh my, they're so sweet! Are you eating them like candied fruit?"

"The three delicacies of the earth are undercooked."

"The braised ribbonfish is way too salty! You've practically killed the salt seller!"

Shi Jun's mother gracefully put down her chopsticks and gave her concluding remarks, "You Northeasterners' cooking is just so oily and salty, it's so salty it hurts your throat!"

Zeng Jia's professional fake smile was almost frozen. No wonder Shi Jun had that "I'm the best in the world" attitude; it turns out it's in his genes.

"Mom, don't worry, Xiaojia will know next time, and she'll definitely make it to your liking." Shi Jun, acting like a dutiful son and grandson, quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.

Next time? Zeng Jia rolled her eyes so hard they almost disappeared. Did he really think she was some kind of paid cook?! She was going to take all the blame for this humiliation on Zhang Zhishan. If he didn't double her bonus, she wouldn't let this go!

Zeng Jia finally made it to the end of the mealtime, and the cleaning lady came in right on time. Zeng Jia silently prayed three times, thanking God, because she hated washing dishes the most.

To everyone's surprise, Shi Jun's mother raised an eyebrow and directed the cleaning lady to her bedroom: "Go inside and fold my cashmere sweaters." Then, gesturing towards the kitchen, she instructed Zeng Jia, "You cooked the meal, so you can tidy up the kitchen."

Zeng Jia was petrified on the spot.

So they really were testing her by treating her as free labor? This isn't about finding a daughter-in-law, it's about becoming Empress Dowager Cixi! But considering Shi Jun's abilities and her own job, she could only grit her teeth and swallow this humiliation.

She just wanted to finish serving this ancestor as soon as possible, and then never see her again. As for this old woman, if she really married into their family, she would rather find a dragon's beard and hang herself!

Zeng Jia was working in the kitchen. Their living room wasn't big, and the mother and daughter chatted idly. Shi Jun's mother didn't keep quiet either; her words seemed to have legs and reached Zeng Jia's ears.

"His height is alright, but his education is a bit lacking. He only has a bachelor's degree, and not even from Tsinghua or Peking University."

"Girls from Northeast China are all quick-witted. I don't want her to be some kind of phoenix girl who's after our family's household registration."

"Really nothing between her and her boss? The secretary's job... tsk, I don't believe it can be clean."

"If you really like her, fine. Let her quit her job, have a grandson for our family first, and then we'll get the marriage certificate."

A few crisp "crackling" sounds rang out.

The conversation between the mother and son in the living room came to an abrupt end.

Zeng Jia looked at the pile of cloisonné "corpses" on the ground and felt a surge of satisfaction.

Her hands were covered in dish soap suds, and she was carrying two innocent plates, but her face showed panic: "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I was afraid these plates weren't properly sterilized, and my hand slipped... Look at the mess I've made!" The provocation in her eyes clearly said, "I did this on purpose," and even a blind person could see that it was revenge.

Shi Jun's mother's face turned as green as a freshly pickled cucumber, and she was about to start cursing. Shi Jun quickly called the cleaning lady to clean up the mess, his face also as dark as the bottom of a pot. Zeng Jia's actions had completely taken him by surprise.

Zeng Jia quickly took off her apron, washed her hands, grabbed her bag, and walked out: "President Shi, you've always been a golden phoenix, and I, a little sparrow from Northeast China, have never thought of climbing up to you. I rarely get a day off, so I'll head out now. You two can continue your conversation."

……

"Zeng Jia, I thought you were a sensible person. I only brought you home because I genuinely wanted to marry you. My mother has a sharp tongue but a soft heart; she speaks her mind. Why are you being so coy?" Shi Jun followed her to the entrance of the residential area, getting straight to the point, with a hint of offended anger.

"Mr. Shi, you flatter me." Zeng Jia cut to the chase. "I really didn't mean it that way. The situation at Tianyi is a complete mess right now. I don't have time to think about anything else. I don't want to get married. Besides, we have no relationship whatsoever. Bringing up the word 'marriage' is absurd."

Shi Jun seemed unconcerned, his words carrying a hook: "I didn't ask you to resign immediately. Besides, haven't I been good enough to you? You took care of Zhang Zhishan's mess with just one phone call, and I didn't have to say anything?"

"Didn't Mr. Zhang use the lawyer you recommended?" Zeng Jia smiled faintly. The lawyer's fee was three times the market price. Who wouldn't know the difference? He wants the money and he wants the man. What a pipe dream.

Shi Jun wanted to argue a bit more, but his mother started calling him nonstop, urging him to go home quickly and not stay out too long, fearing that his precious son would be lured away by this "scheming Northeastern girl".

Zeng Jia's ride-hailing car arrived just in time. She opened the car door and got in, feeling comfortable from head to toe. If people don't get along, even the air in the same room will smell bad.

She had just slumped into her sofa to catch her breath when Zhang Zhishan's relentless phone call rang again, "Are you with Shi Jun? What do you think about having him add fuel to the fire regarding Yu Li's situation?"

Zeng Jia sprang up from the sofa with a somersault, "Mr. Zhang, stop!"

Her patience was wearing thin, and her tone hardened. "What level is President Yu at? She knows you too well. What if she's holding a trump card? Aren't you just walking into the line of fire? Our business line is already incredibly strong, can't you just shut up for a bit? Do you have to make things so out of control before you're satisfied?!"

Zhang Zhishan, still stubborn, retorted, "Did she even have time to react?"

"Your little secrets are enough to skin you alive!" Zeng Jia went straight to the heart of the matter, "Transferring assets, having mistresses, illegitimate children... Don't you have any idea what that means?!"

Zhang Zhishan was speechless, his relentless momentum fading. "Fine, let's wait until things stabilize in Hong Kong." The phone clicked shut.

Zeng Jia felt like she'd been chewed up by a dog. No wonder the news was full of stories about middle-aged people dying suddenly or jumping off buildings. She was constantly scheming and filled with negativity. Even if she got a little more money, she couldn't stand it.

To say that she had never had any feelings for Shi Jun would be a lie. But today's "day trip to a high-class family" completely extinguished that spark.

Putting aside Shi Jun's cloying "everything for your own good" attitude, she didn't have the ability to compromise like that. Looking at her sarcastic mother, she even wanted to poison her. So, earning money herself was more reassuring.

Zeng Jia's face burned. If Wang Haowen found out about this, he would definitely give her a good dressing down.

Thinking of Wang Haowen, she suddenly spaced out. She'd been so busy before that she hadn't even noticed, but now that she had some free time, it felt like Wang Haowen's spirit was lingering everywhere, inside and outside the house!

She sat up abruptly. She couldn't just stay listless like this. She had finally caught her breath and needed to go out and have some fun!

Wang Haowen wasn't doing much better; he was in a complete mess. The first thing he did upon returning to Beijing was to go and apologize to the media company boss, carrying bags and boxes. Anyone would be furious if someone's big blogger account, which they'd invested so much money in, was shut down so easily.

The other party berated him relentlessly for almost half an hour, nearly drowning him in their spittle. Wang Haowen's back was aching so badly that he had to lean against the wall and massage it for a long time before he could finally straighten his spine.

He went to report to Yu Li, dejected, while Yu Li was still seething with anger and resentment. "Zhang Zhishan got away with this so easily? What kind of luck did he have? This absolutely cannot be left like this. Please tell them to go ahead and sue, and we'll cover all their legal fees. They don't need to worry about a penny!"

Wang Haowen's face instantly darkened, and he lost his patience. Had this woman's brain been squeezed by a door? He was surprised that such a shrewd woman as Yu Li could act so foolishly. It seemed that once emotions were involved, no matter how shrewd a person was, their brain would be filled with two pounds of water.

"Mr. Yu, if things really escalate to the point of mutual destruction, we'll suffer a huge loss. He doesn't yet know we've contacted an international investment bank as our trump card. If we push him too far and he acts recklessly, our trump card will be useless. Besides, wouldn't it be beneath you to get angry with him? With your status, is it worth lowering yourself to his level?!"

"I've been running around in Shanghai, working myself to the bone to attract investment. I wish I had three heads and six arms! And you, on a whim, have ruined everything and made us start all over again? That's incredibly irresponsible of you!"

Yu Li understood that Wang Haowen was right, but she couldn't swallow her anger: "Alright, alright, you go ahead and do your work, I'll think about it some more..." Her tone was full of resentment, and she glared at Wang Haowen several times.

Wang Haowen felt like he'd been granted a pardon and quickly fled Yu Li's glittering villa. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he might lose control and blurt out the truth that was on his mind.

The March wind in Beijing was no longer biting, but he felt suffocated, his chest was practically calloused from pounding, and the feeling of stuffiness wouldn't go away.

He wandered aimlessly for a long time before looking up and realizing it was the movie theater where he used to hang out with Zeng Jia back in school.

How long has it been since he last watched a movie? He himself couldn't remember.

He just wanted to clear his mind and get rid of all this pent-up frustration. Without thinking, he rushed in and bought a ticket for the earliest available show. He didn't care what was playing; he just wanted to be comfortable and watch it first.

Zeng Jia clutched a crumpled movie ticket for "The Swordsman," a large bucket of popcorn in her arms, and a bottle of iced cola tucked between her elbows, the water droplets from the bottle making her sleeves damp. She hunched over, like a cat sneaking for food, tiptoeing towards the middle seat in the sixth row.

Just as Zeng Jia placed the popcorn on the armrest, her heart skipped a beat, and she froze instantly. The figure huddled in the corner of the back row, head almost buried in his chest, looked so much like Wang Haowen! She subconsciously shrank her head further into the seat back, but her eyes couldn't help but dart back.

That familiar coat, those taut shoulder lines when he looked down—even without seeing his face, you could tell it was him.

Wang Haowen, sitting in the back row, recognized Zeng Jia the moment she entered the theater. After all, they had slept together for five years; even if she were wrapped up like a dumpling, he could recognize her with his eyes closed. But he stubbornly kept his head down, staring at the tips of his shoes, not daring to breathe, his legs feeling like lead, nailed to his seat, not daring to move an inch. He didn't even have the courage to look up at her, let alone greet her.

Did I chicken out? I think so. Did I feel guilty? Probably a little.

He couldn't explain where this awkwardness came from, and he was even a little afraid of her.

Zeng Jia quickly shrank further into her seat, silently chanting Amitabha Buddha eight hundred times, hoping that Wang Haowen wouldn't see her.

She ran away from home to escape its shadow, but here she is, in real life! What the hell is going on? A relaxing movie suddenly turned into a nerve-wracking experience, and even the popcorn in her arms lost its aroma.

The awkwardness eased slightly when the lights in the theater suddenly went out and a beam of light came on from the screen. Then, when Sha's outrageously handsome face appeared on the screen, Zeng Jia stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

Fine, I'm just a sucker for good looks. I don't care if they're good guys or bad guys, or who's sitting behind them; a handsome face can always cure all my troubles.