Chapter 15

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Here’s how it all started.

In the morning, Xiao Jing went to the break room to get some water, just in time to bump into Liu Dahai and his cronies, including Lu Yu, coming out of the bathroom next door. They reeked of filth, carrying the stench of the bathroom with them, and their mouths were just as dirty.

Even though they saw an intern nearby, they didn’t bother to restrain themselves.

With a mocking tone, Liu Dahai sneered, “Some things are better left unsaid, or Little Qiao might just snap and bite you.”

Lu Yu took a drag of his cigarette, then extinguished the butt in the trash can with a look of disdain. “If I’m lying, I’ll write my name backward. It’s not the first or second time I’ve seen Qiao Ziman driving Boss Chi’s car, sometimes it’s a Maybach, sometimes a BMW. All that hard-working persona she’s putting on, what a joke. At the end of the day, she’s just a bootlicker, isn’t she?”

“Brother Hai, you’d better pay attention,” he continued. “With how she’s kissing up, forget being a supervisor—she might even become the vice president someday.”

Lu Yu’s eyes, hidden behind his glasses, gleamed with malice as he spoke even more recklessly. “Did you see how Boss Chi defended her during the meeting? And yesterday, they both took the day off together. Could it be that they’ve got something going on? Man, that’s disgusting.”

Liu Dahai patted him, gesturing with his eyes toward Xiao Jing, who stood there, head down and frozen in place. Lu Yu glanced at him with disdain and sneered, “Just a little intern. Who knows if you’ll even get hired full-time? Right, Brother Hai?”

The meaning was very clear: whether Xiao Jing could stay at the company or not was ultimately just a matter of a few words from employees with influence.

Seeing that Xiao Jing remained silent, Lu Yu lit a cigarette for each person in the group. He eagerly lit one for Liu Dahai, saying, “Brother Hai, what do you think Boss Chi’s background is?”

Liu Dahai shook his head, indicating that he didn’t know. One of the employees chimed in, “Our company is so hard to get into. Without an impressive resume or a few years at a big corporation, how could anyone make it? Isn’t Boss Chi only around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old?”

Lu Yu sneered, “Either she’s got connections or she slept her way up. Isn’t that how the industry works these days? To put it nicely, they call it making good use of one’s ‘assets.’”

Suddenly, Xiao Jing, who had been silent until now, threw her cup to the ground with a sharp crash. Her eyes were red, and her lips trembled as she scolded, “Watch your mouth.”

This was how the argument broke out. After hearing everything, Qiao Ziman said nothing and turned to leave without looking back. No one could stop her.

It didn’t bother her that people were spreading rumors about her and Boss Chi being involved. She had nothing to hide and carried herself with dignity. But bullying Xiao Jing and dragging Boss Chi into such filthy gossip—that was something she wasn’t going to let slide.

The more incompetent a person is, the more they enjoy slinging mud. With just one phrase—”slept her way up”—they can easily dismiss all of someone’s hard work, or even ruin their entire life.

“Qiao Qiao, wait for me,” Tang Xiaoxiao called out, trying to catch up. “There are more of them.”

Seeing that she couldn’t calm the furious Qiao Ziman, Tang Xiaoxiao became worried that someone like Lu Yu might lash out when pushed. After hesitating for a moment, she changed direction and headed to Chi Yin’s office.

Qiao Ziman found Liu Dahai and Lu Yu in the Modeling Department, where they were in a meeting with Cheng Peng and a few others.

Without hesitation, she pushed the door open and walked directly toward Lu Yu. Everyone inside was stunned. Liu Dahai was the first to recover and said, “Little Qiao, do you need something? We’re in the middle of a meeting. Can it wait?”

Qiao Ziman pointed her chin at Lu Yu and said, “I do.” But the strong nasal tone in her voice weakened her presence, frustrating her even more—this time, with herself. She pulled two tissues from the table, wiped her nose, crumpled them into a ball, and threw it straight at Lu Yu. “Were you badmouthing Xiao Jing while I wasn’t around?”

Hit right between the eyes by the tissue, Lu Yu froze. Feeling the eyes of everyone on him, he couldn’t hold back his embarrassment. His face flushed as he shot to his feet, pointing at Qiao Ziman and shouting, “Are you crazy? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Qiao Ziman crossed her arms, glaring at Lu Yu with disdain. “I’m asking you a question. If you’ve got the guts, speak the truth.”

Lu Yu’s neck veins bulged with anger as he gritted his teeth and replied, “Yeah, so what if I did?”

Liu Dahai patted him on the shoulder, signaling for him to calm down, and stepped forward to smooth things over. “Little Qiao, Lu Yu already apologized to Xiao Jing this morning. If you don’t believe me, you can go ask her.”

Qiao Ziman continued, “Oh, and what about the insults toward me?”

“Come on, Little Qiao, we’re all colleagues here, and you’ve been with the company for a while. How about letting this go? Don’t be so unforgiving,” Liu Dahai said, trying to ease the tension.

The other colleagues, including Cheng Peng, started chiming in as well. “Yeah, Qiao Qiao, we’re all coworkers.”

“We see each other every day—no need to harm the peace.”

Qiao Ziman glanced in Cheng Peng’s direction, her eyes flickering with a hint of disappointment. She turned back, her voice growing colder. “Being reasonable, huh? That applies to people—Liu Dahai, you were gossiping this morning too, weren’t you? Now you’re acting all innocent like you didn’t just crawl out of the gutter?”

She slapped the table behind her, her tone sharp and unforgiving. “You want me to back down? But there’s nowhere left to step. Or would you rather have me back down so far that you walk all over me?”

Liu Dahai, having been scolded countless times before, remained relatively unfazed. But Lu Yu, being younger and more thin-skinned, turned red with anger, his face shifting between shades of blue and white.

Clenching his fists, Lu Yu growled, “Qiao, you better watch your mouth. Don’t think I’m afraid to hit you.”

Qiao Ziman’s expression darkened instantly. She marched straight up to him, speaking slowly and deliberately, “That’s all you’re capable of, isn’t it? And did you insult Boss Chi, too?”

At that question, Lu Yu didn’t even have the courage to respond, not even if you gave him twice the nerve. He stammered, “N-no, I didn’t… don’t make things up.”

Qiao Ziman sneered and stepped closer, her presence towering over Lu Yu, despite his height of 1.8 meters. “What exactly did you say?” she demanded. “Everything needs evidence.”

Suddenly, Qiao Ziman exploded with fury. She grabbed Lu Yu by the collar with surprising strength and began dragging him toward the door, ignoring his desperate struggles. “Come on, then! Boss Chi is in her office right now. If you’ve got the guts, why don’t you repeat everything you said this morning in front of her?”

As the two tussled, the others rushed to intervene, and the room descended into chaos.

Just then, the door swung open from the outside. It was Chi Yin and Tang Xiaoxiao. The former’s face remained expressionless, but as her gaze swept the room, a powerful sense of pressure filled the space.

“Have you all had enough?” she asked coldly.

Instantly, the entire room fell silent, with everyone frozen in place. The only exception was Qiao Ziman, who still stubbornly held onto Lu Yu’s collar. For some reason, she had a gut feeling that Boss Chi would be on her side.

Chi Yin’s eyes lingered on Qiao Ziman for a brief moment before shifting to Lu Yu. Her cold and piercing stare made Lu Yu, already feeling guilty, even more uneasy.

“Pack your things and go to HR to resign,” Chi Yin said, her tone sharp and unyielding.

Everyone in the room was stunned. Liu Dahai quickly stepped forward to try and mediate. “Boss Chi, this is all just a misunderstanding. Xiao Lu has always performed well at the company. You can’t just fire him like that.”

“And besides, he’s already signed a contract,” Liu Dahai added. “Doing this could hurt the company’s reputation.”

“I’ve already heard everything I need to,” Chi Yin replied, her cold gaze sweeping over everyone in the room. “The real damage to the company’s environment is letting someone like him stay. You’re fired. This is my decision as the person responsible for this company.”

She didn’t stop there. “As for the rumors Lu Yu has been spreading, I want to make it clear that I will be pursuing legal action to hold him accountable. And regarding Qiao Ziman,” she continued, not even bothering to ask Qiao for her opinion, “I’m sure she’ll be seeking justice to the very end as well.”

Lu Yu ripped off his glasses, revealing his bloodshot eyes. With a venomous glare directed at Chi Yin’s back, he shouted, “What about Qiao Ziman? She hit me first!”

Chi Yin acted as if she hadn’t heard a word, striding out without a glance back.

When the end of the workday came, Chi Yin showed some rare leniency, allowing Qiao Ziman, who was still fighting a cold, to leave on time. Since the BMW was in the shop for maintenance and the Maybach was too difficult to drive, Qiao Ziman had temporarily lost her role as Chi Yin’s driver.

After saying goodbye to Chi Yin, Qiao Ziman walked straight over to Cheng Peng’s car.

“Finally, I’ve been waiting for you, Qiao,” Cheng Peng said, his joy barely contained. “What do you want to eat? It’s my treat.”

Without hesitation, Qiao Ziman cut straight to the point. “Cheng Peng, don’t waste your time on me. We’re not a good match.”

Cheng Peng’s smile froze, and for a moment, his eyes showed a flicker of confusion. His mind flashed back to the moment before leaving work when Boss Chi had called him over for a chat. That strange feeling he had then now grew even clearer.

Chi Yin had said, “Give it up. You and Qiao Ziman aren’t compatible. Do you think someone with Qiao Ziman’s temperament is the kind of person who tolerates losses? What she needs is someone who will support her unconditionally, not a mediator who’s always trying to keep the peace. You’ve completely lost your chance with her.”

Cheng Peng carefully recalled her tone and expression when she said that. It seemed more like she was declaring some sort of victory. After a moment of silence, Cheng Peng suddenly spoke up and asked Qiao Ziman, “Can I ask you something?”

He hesitated and then tactfully asked, “Qiao, are you and Boss Chi… you know, together?”

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