Chapter 37 Blacklist

The coffee shop was very warm, but Shen Mengqing felt colder and colder as she sat there. She wrapped her coat tighter and huddled up in a ball.

Staying indoors, the air seemed even drier. When she unconsciously swallowed, her throat felt like it was being cut by a knife. She picked up her cup to drink some water, only to find that she had already drunk every last drop of sparkling water, and the straw was making a dry, sizzling sound.

For some reason, she felt a little weak and couldn't stand up. She wished she could sit there numbly until dawn, waiting for the sun to cast its first rays of light and awaken her.

Shen Mengqing looked outside and was taken aback.

When did it start raining?

The rain in this weather is really annoying. It's already cold enough, but the rain seems to make it even colder, causing the temperature to drop even further.

Raindrops pattered against the shop window, blurring the flashing traffic lights and car taillights like drops of colored ink. The street scene outside was indistinct, with only large patches of blurry black light visible besides the colorful neon lights.

However, at least the sudden downpour gave her a reason to linger a little longer.

Shen Mengqing slowly picked up her phone and aimlessly switched between pages on the home screen to kill time.

Suddenly, she remembered something, opened the text message, and blocked Yu Xin's number.

If you're going to cut ties, then cut them cleanly and decisively, leaving no room for compromise.

After finishing that task, she opened the chat app and asked Jiang Yu if he had time to go drinking the next night.

A few minutes later, Jiang Yu replied, saying she had time, but couldn't drink too late because she had to go to work the day after tomorrow.

After chatting with Jiang Yu for a few minutes, her phone went silent again; she was now completely at a loss for what to do.

It was almost nine o'clock. The coffee shop wasn't close to her home, and the rain outside still hadn't let up. Shen Mengqing sighed silently and decided to go home first.

I just hope she won't catch a cold after getting soaked in the rain.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and stood up. Just as she took one step, she caught a glimpse of a black umbrella under the seat opposite her.

There were only two tables left in the coffee shop, including her. The staff were all busy at their workstations, so it was easy to guess who had left the place there.

Shen Mengqing bent down and lightly hooked the umbrella handle, warming the cold handle with her palm.

As soon as she pushed open the store door, a howling wind mixed with raindrops rushed towards her. Shen Mengqing quickly opened her umbrella, shivered, and hurriedly got into the ride-hailing car.

On the way back, she leaned against the car window, lost in thought. She had no sense of reality about leaving, even though she had severed most of her ties with the city.

The driver of this car was very quiet and didn't say a word the whole time; there wasn't even any music playing in the car.

As she approached her apartment complex, the driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror and suddenly said, "Miss, are you in a bad mood?"

Shen Mengqing looked at him, forced a smile, and said, "A little."

"Is it about work? Sigh, my daughter has been having some trouble at work lately, and she's in a really bad mood. In your young people's words, she's anxious." He softened his voice and continued, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Nothing is insurmountable, and no one is unforgettable. Sometimes you can't get results just by thinking about it. Just let time take its course."

The car came to a smooth stop at the entrance of the residential area. Shen Mengqing said thank you and got out of the car.

The driver's words did have a slight effect, and perhaps because she was no longer in the coffee shop environment, her steps became a little lighter.

When she got home, she opened the door and immediately saw the dark blue necklace box on the cabinet.

"..."

How could she forget to return that six-figure sum to Yu Xin?!

Shen Mengqing felt a splitting headache, wanted to cry but couldn't, and a myriad of emotions surged into her heart. Did she really have to meet Yu Xin again? She didn't even dare to think about that scene.

No, no, she knows Yu Xin's address and can arrange for a courier to deliver it to his house.

Shen Mengqing let out a long breath, his heart almost leaping out of his chest.

She thought to herself, "Why not take this opportunity to tidy up the rented room, throw away unwanted items in batches, and give away useful things?" Perfect, keeping her body busy would keep her mind from wandering off.

The first thing that flashed into Shen Mengqing's mind to throw away was the unused little boxes on the bedside table. She quickly went into the bedroom, opened the drawer next to the bed, and threw the contents into the trash can with a clatter.

She worked tirelessly for over two hours, as if she were on stimulants, tidying up the house before finally running out of energy to wash up.

It was late at night, and the rain should have stopped outside. All was quiet, and even the cicadas that were noisy in summer had disappeared overnight. At this moment, she would rather hear some insect chirping and bird calls, at least to feel some vibrant life.

Shen Mengqing lay awake in the darkness with her large, round almond-shaped eyes wide open, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt Yu Xin's face from tonight appear clearly before her.

It felt like she was being slowly tortured every minute of every second.

He agreed quickly, and his retreating figure as he walked out of the coffee shop was resolute, consistent with his usual style. Indeed, since she was returning to Chu City, they would be strangers from now on, with no sentimentality to speak of. Wasn't she the same? He calmly uttered those words.

At times like these, they are both incredibly ruthless.

But the word "love" doesn't seem quite right for them; from the beginning, it was just a tacit, unspoken indulgence of desire. Who knows, in a few years, they might have long forgotten each other. No matter how many turbulent emotions they feel, time will heal them; she'll get used to it.

All those past interactions were nothing but self-deceptive sugar-coated bullets, seemingly sweet and affectionate on the surface, but actually thin and fragile, hollow inside, and easily destroyed.

After returning to Chu City, she no longer needed such a utopia.

...

The next day, Shen Mengqing arrived at the company right on time, sporting huge dark circles under her eyes, almost late.

As luck would have it, Wan Zhen and Lin Xiangyang were standing inside the elevator as soon as they entered.

It had been a long time since they last saw each other, but the two looked as inseparable as ever. Their clothes hadn't changed much either; Wan Zhen was wearing a wool Chanel-style suit, and Lin Xiangyang was wearing a suit.

Shen Mengqing was too lazy to greet them. She stomped her high heels a few times, stood at the doorway, and turned around to avoid seeing them.

Clearly, Wan Zhen was somewhat angry at her dismissive attitude. She sneered and said, "Manager Shen, it's been so long, and your work ethic has deteriorated. You don't even greet important clients."

Like Yu Sheng, Hongtu Capital only targets the large and lucrative gold mine of Beicheng. They look down on the scrap metal of Chucheng. Therefore, Shen Mengqing predicts that she will not see these two again. Even if she does see them, Yang Chuan will be there. She is not a salesperson and will not need to be on the front lines anymore.

She gave a perfectly timed smile and turned to say, "Mr. Wan, I really didn't know that my greeting was so important to you."

Wan Zhen narrowed her eyes and looked at her in disbelief. Even Lin Xiangyang suddenly raised his head and stared at her blankly.

"Shen Mengqing, are you out of your mind? How dare you talk to me like that?"

Perhaps because she was really angry, Wanzhen's voice became high-pitched and echoed in the small space of the elevator, indistinguishable from noise.

Shen Mengqing wasn't angry; instead, she chuckled very softly.

She said in a flat tone, "Wanzhen, you seem to have misunderstood something. Sometimes people are polite to you not because you deserve respect, but because they know what politeness is. Of course, it's mostly because your surname is Wan."

"You come from a much better background than ordinary people, and your family must have spent a lot of money to cultivate you. As the young lady of Hongtu Capital, do you need to seek a sense of existence by making things difficult for others for no reason? If so, then your thinking is quite backward and barren."

Shen Mengqing felt that he had already been very considerate of her, but to Wan Zhen, Shen Mengqing only felt that he was mocking her, and in the most contemptuous way, pretending to be morally superior.

"Backward and impoverished?" Wan Zhen choked out the words through gritted teeth in anger. "Then I'll show you how much influence I, as the young lady of Hongtu Capital, can have on you."

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Wan Zhen walked past Shen Mengqing and headed straight for Liang Jun's office with an arrogant air.

Shen Mengqing shook her head; this was the only trick she knew.

Lin Xiangyang was left behind. When he saw Wan Zhen slam the door and enter Liang Jun's office, he walked over and stood next to Shen Mengqing.

He glanced at Shen Mengqing; she seemed to have lost some weight recently, and her face looked somewhat haggard, but her eyes were still bright and sparkling.

He always felt that when those eyes were staring at him, the despicable things hidden within him had nowhere to hide and were laid bare.

“You shouldn’t have talked to her like that.” Lin Xiangyang frowned, his face full of worry. “It’s not easy for you to have this job in Beicheng. You argued with her for a moment of pleasure, and if she tells your boss a few words, it will make things difficult for you.”

Shen Mengqing didn't want to listen to his high-sounding words, so she looked directly at him and said, "Lin Xiangyang, you don't need to pretend to be a good person here."

"Liang Jun took back my clients and transferred them to Zhang Tu. Do you dare say you didn't do anything behind the scenes? Besides, instead of pretending to worry about me, you should think more about how to make your rich girlfriend happy. In my opinion, your situation in Beicheng is much more difficult than mine."

Seeing that she couldn't distinguish right from wrong, Lin Xiangyang was also aroused and said with slight anger, "Shen Mengqing, aren't you afraid that Wan Zhen will just have Liang Jun fire you?"

Shen Mengqing laughed: "I've resigned, so what? I've almost finished the resignation process, why would I be afraid of her complaining?"

Upon hearing her words, Lin Xiangyang was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

"You're resigning?!" he asked.

Shen Mengqing looked at him coldly. Lin Xiangyang still couldn't believe it and said, "Why...it's not because of me, is it?"

Shen Mengqing rolled her eyes at him, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust. She crossed her arms and said, "Lin Xiangyang, you really dare to flatter yourself."

Why is that?

Lin Xiangyang reached out to grab her arm, but Shen Mengqing dodged him by taking a step back.

"Don't touch me with your dirty hands." Shen Mengqing's expression had completely changed; she didn't want to waste any more time with him in this public place. "I don't need to tell you, and don't bother me anymore."

Shen Mengqing strode into the office and walked briskly to her workstation to sit down.

Lin Xiangyang continued to stare at him until the door to Liang Jun's office was opened, at which point he looked away.

Shen Mengqing also heard Wan Zhen open the door. Looking into the distance, he saw Wan Zhen walk out with a livid face. Judging from her appearance, she had clearly failed to achieve her goal.

Shen Mengqing had anticipated this outcome. Liang Jun had quickly confirmed his resignation yesterday, and even if Wan Zhen made a fuss about it, he couldn't do anything about it.

She smiled slightly and, in a good mood, opened the company's website to check how far her resignation process had progressed.

The process was faster than she expected; it had already been transferred to the HR manager. All she needed to do was click confirm and then transfer it back to the HR in charge of departures, and the process would be completely finished.

Shen Mengqing stretched contentedly.

Just then, the soft, fragmented sounds of her colleagues chatting next to her workstation drifted over.

"Have you heard? The new chairman is arriving today."

"I know, the head of human resources went to report to him early this morning. I heard that the new chairman specifically mentioned that he wanted to hear about the recent talent loss and departmental structure."

"Tsk tsk tsk, looks like they'll settle scores later."

...

After listening to a few words, Shen Mengqing felt a little uneasy for no reason.

If the issue of talent loss were to be addressed, wouldn't she, who is currently going through the process, become an easy target?

A friend of hers experienced something similar when she resigned. Before she even left, her new boss called her in for a talk. The talk was very stressful; first, the boss tried hard to persuade her to stay, and then asked a bunch of very pointed questions, such as pointing out the shortcomings of the leadership and the department.

Shen Mengqing was a little flustered, her fingers tapping incessantly on the keyboard.

Suddenly, a new message popped up on her work software, startling her.

This message came from Li Fan, the Human Resources General Manager.

Li Fan: "Hello Meng Qing, I received your resignation online assessment, but Chairman Yu asked me to reject it temporarily. He wants to have a brief exit interview with you. Are you available now?"

Shen Mengqing's eyelids twitched.

It's like my wish came true.

Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. She's leaving anyway, so let's have a face-to-face meeting.

Besides, why did this new chairman reject her resignation process? Doesn't he understand labor law?!

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

Author's note: I'm posting this a little early today~

This Ah Qing has gone berserk, attacking anyone who dares to cross her path. [Sunglasses]

Yes, that's right, the big one is coming next! [Newbie] Xinzi's here to get in the way, haha.