Chapter 38 Taking revenge for her

Chen Yue called Xia Zhiyu, mainly to ask if Xia Zhiyu knew where his sister Chen Ruoyu had gone, but Xia Zhiyu had not contacted Chen Ruoyu since leaving Wangcuo.

Secondly, Chen Yue also wanted to take this opportunity to say something good about Jiang Zhiyan.

However, Chen Yue was aware of Jiang Zhiyan's actions to some extent, so he seemed hesitant when pleading for leniency. He hesitated for a moment, then organized his thoughts and said:

“Zhiyan does sometimes express problems in an extreme way, but his heart is always good to you. If you try to see things from his perspective, how well-rounded can someone be if they were used as a weapon by their parents to attack each other since childhood? Don’t argue with a fool.”

Xia Zhiyu's expression turned slightly cold. She didn't deny that Jiang Zhiyan did have a rather tragic childhood, but was he the only one in the world with a tragic past? Didn't others have one too? The flaws in his family of origin were not a reason for him to attack others.

Just like before, despite all her explanations, Jiang Zhiyan still completely disregarded her thoughts. Xia Zhiyu sneered.

"Idiot? No one in the world is smarter than Jiang Zhiyan. He doesn't care about other people's thoughts and positions at all. He just acts like an emperor, condescendingly pointing fingers at the country. Please, this is the 21st century. The emperor persona isn't popular anymore."

Chen Yue immediately clarified, "You can't say that. Although Jiang Zhiyan has a bit of an awkward personality, he's not the kind of person who completely disregards other people's feelings. What about that time you were..."

As soon as he said it, Chen Yue realized something was wrong, immediately shut up, and hurriedly tried to slip away.

Xia Zhiyu's voice suddenly rose, and she raised her eyebrows, deliberately pressing the issue: "What did I do to you? If you want to defend him, just say it directly. Don't try to hide things here, it's pointless."

Sure enough, Chen Yue fell for this provocation; the tone on the other end of the phone immediately became anxious.

"What do you mean by sophistry? You're too caught up in the situation to see things clearly, but as an outsider, I see things much better than you two."

"Last time, when the wind was strong in Beicheng and you were stuck in the hotel, it was Zhiyan who called the car. He said he would teach you a lesson, but he was so anxious and worried in the US that he called me to arrange a driver for you. He even prepared a hotel room for you, just in case the wind was too strong and it was dangerous for you to ride in the car."

Xia Zhiyu then understood why, among so many people trapped in the hotel, the manager had contacted her alone, saying the hotel had a spare vehicle. She had assumed it was because the institute had a high turnover that day, hence the special treatment. It turned out Jiang Zhiyan had activated the "Friendship Power" mechanism.

"Why didn't he tell me then?"

"How would I know? I'm just a poor Steve. I finally finished a long business trip and was ready to get a good night's sleep to adjust to the time difference, but I had only closed my eyes for two hours when Jiang Zhiyan called me like it was my life depended on it."

As Chen Yue spoke, the resentment in his voice was almost palpable through the phone.

Xia Zhiyu then asked, "What else has he done behind my back?"

"I'm not a mind reader for Jiang Zhiyan. If you want to know, just ask him."

Xia Zhiyu immediately fell silent, seemingly preferring to remain ignorant rather than actively ask Jiang Zhiyan.

Helpless, Chen Yue had no choice but to say again:

"There are some things I really don't want to say, it's just that Jiang Zhiyan is a person who, in some ways, is indeed difficult to judge. Why don't you talk to him yourself?"

“We’ve already broken up, what’s there for us to talk about?” Xia Zhiyu said bluntly. “Besides, I’m starting to doubt your intentions. Are you here to find out about your sister, or to act as an intermediary for Jiang Zhiyan?”

Chen Yue seemed to break down and quickly said goodbye.

Before hanging up, he suddenly added, "Please don't be angry with Xiaoyu about what happened. When she took on Jiang Zhiyan's job, she only thought she was doing a good deed for lovers to finally get together. She knew Jiang Zhiyan before, so she naturally sided with him. Later, after spending more time with you, she realized that you had your own difficulties. As her older brother, I apologize to you on her behalf."

After he finished speaking, a faint, choked sob came from the other end of the phone and then quickly disappeared.

Xia Zhiyu's long, curled eyelashes drooped slightly, leaving a cold arc on the thin skin beneath her eyes; her voice was cold as well.

“Tell her it’s okay, I don’t care about it.”

Of course she didn't care. They were just friends she wasn't very familiar with, so Xia Zhiyu wouldn't care about being betrayed.

A familiar, intermittent sob came from the other end of the phone. Chen Yue quickly hung up; it was obvious who he was comforting.

Xia Zhiyu watched as her phone screen flickered twice before going dark.

Outside the window, the shadows of trees swayed gently, and a strong wind whipped up fine sand that tapped against the windowpane. Xia Zhiyu lay in the cool bed, lost in thought.

If Xia Zhiyu had been facing Chen Yue's plea for reconciliation five years ago, before she was with Jiang Zhiyan, she would have forgiven Chen Ruoyu the moment she heard her sobbing.

In the past, Xia Zhiyu would have thought, "This isn't some kind of heinous betrayal that's completely unacceptable, so what's unacceptable about it?"

But Xia Zhiyu is different now. She thinks that even if it's not something too outrageous, the harm it caused her is real. The sadness she felt when she realized that Chen Ruoyu was Jiang Zhiyan's spy was also real.

Why endure it? Why make yourself worry and suffer internally every day? Just like Jiang Zhiyan taught her before, some things can be endured and then pass, but once you give in, it means that your bottom line starts to recede.

When the bottom line is compromised and this becomes a habit, endless internal friction will follow. Life is already hard enough, so why should she take on the consequences of other people's mistakes, and even force herself to smile and say it's okay while suppressing the pain in her heart?

Please, she's a human being, not a god, and certainly not someone to be taken advantage of emotionally or professionally.

...

"Mr. Jiang, my boss asked me to ask you if the lady who handled the case before is no longer in charge of it. He feels that the current contact person is somewhat lacking in work ability."

The French are known for their discerning tastes, so to hear such praise for Xia Zhiyu from them speaks volumes about her excellent communication skills with clients and her ability to effectively hand over tasks.

Jiang Zhiyan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor. His tall and muscular body was wrapped in a black suit, and his short hair was swept back to reveal his smooth forehead.

He had just finished an international conference and was in private conversations with several major clients.

Outside the window, countless lights twinkled, and in the direction of Xia Zhiyu's house, there were several clusters of exceptionally bright orange-red lights.

Jiang Zhiyan's deep, elegant French flowed out like the sound of a cello. He smiled slightly and said, "Miss Xia is currently on vacation. I will convey your views to her. Whether she returns or not depends on whether she plans to go to the African savanna to see the animal migration."

"You know, she's always been a positive and bold girl."

The customer across from him couldn't help but chuckle, and Jiang Zhiyan suddenly understood what Xia Zhiyu meant when she told him that this French customer had a very old-money look when he smiled.

After hanging up the phone, he looked at the message that had just been sent on the screen and his expression suddenly turned cold. A few minutes later, the door clicked open and the bodyguard led the haggard-looking supermarket owner in.

The supermarket owner's real name is Liu Han. When he was young, he spent a few years in the underworld and thought he had made a name for himself. His brother-in-law was also quite famous in Sichuan. Even though he had been in jail for a few years, Liu Han only thought that he was unlucky and had been targeted by the authorities. He never reflected on his own problems.

In recent years, his mentally challenged son has grown older, and Liu Han and his wife have found it increasingly difficult to control him. Although the son is not very bright, he is very muscular and can be quite fierce when he fights.

Therefore, Liu Han had the crooked idea of ​​finding him a wife, but he knew in his heart that no one would want to be the wife of a fool, so Liu Han began to look for some crooked ways.

When Xia Zhiyu came to his door that day, in his eyes, it was as if God was sending a wife to his son.

Xia Zhiyu is smart, beautiful, highly educated, and has a good job. Based on Liu Han's experience, such a woman is easy to manipulate.

Being intelligent indicates good genes; people tend to think a lot and act cautiously. However, this can also lead to overestimating oneself and letting one lower one's guard against others.

A high level of education and a good job indicate that her family is not too bad off. Having a respectable job also makes her vulnerable; a few photos or videos can easily give her leverage.

Unfortunately, he overlooked one crucial point: Xia Zhiyu would actually carry a stun gun with her, and he never expected that Xia Zhiyu would have such a strong backing from Jiang Zhiyan. Liu Han was filled with regret.

As soon as he entered the room, he immediately put on a fawning smile, stood obsequiously in front of Jiang Zhiyan, and kept replying, saying that he had prepared the evidence that Miss Xia needed, and that he could present it to her with both hands as soon as Xia Zhiyu gave the order.

Jiang Zhiyan leaned back on the leather sofa, his elbows resting loosely on the armrests. His profile was not in shadow, so his expression was not visible, only a faint crimson tinge flickering in the distance.

People like Liu Han, who rely on their connections and power to act arrogantly and domineeringly, are like rats in the gutter, cunning and disgusting.

Dealing with this kind of person is like getting your hands dirty. Jiang Zhiyan didn't want Xia Zhiyu to get involved in these things. Anyway, with him around, he would protect Xia Zhiyu's career.

But man proposes, God disposes. Jiang Zhiyan never expected that in the blink of an eye, some ignorant thing would start baring its teeth and claws in front of Xia Zhiyu.

Do you think he's dead?

The floor-to-ceiling windows, bathed in the twilight, reflected Jiang Zhiyan's sharp profile. Light-colored smoke drifted silently as he coldly raised his eyes, extinguishing most of his cigarette in the crystal ashtray.

Oh, I forgot, Yu Yu doesn't like him smoking.

Liu Han trembled like a leaf and replied repeatedly, "I really didn't do anything back then. I don't have that kind of guts. I was just trying to scare her."

As he spoke, he was about to kowtow to Jiang Zhiyan with a series of thuds, the 1.89-meter-tall fat man looking like a lump of dead flesh.

Jiang Zhiyan loosely pressed his fingertips together, making a soft, intermittent tapping sound on the wooden handle, and a silent sense of oppression spread through the air.

The blows, one after another, sent chills down Liu Han's spine, making the hairs on the back of his head stand on end.

His voice trembled more and more as he replied, his vision focused solely on the neat, snake-scale-like patterns on Jiang Zhiyan's thin-soled leather shoes.

Large beads of sweat slid from his forehead to his eye sockets, stinging his eyes so much he couldn't open them.

Suddenly, a tremendous force came from above, slamming his head to the ground with a thud. His scalp tingled with pain, and Liu Han didn't even dare to argue. He almost fainted on the spot.

Jiang Zhiyan's tone was chillingly cold.

"Successfully? If you really succeeded, do you think you'd still be kneeling here?"

Liu Han's neck was pinned down, and he couldn't say a word. He could only shake his head and whimper, his face covered in cold sweat from fright.

He had just learned the identity of the man in front of him from his somewhat influential brother-in-law last night, which made his fear at this moment all the more real.