Negotiate with him
Zuo Xiao swiped the screen of his mobile phone and his face turned pale with anger.
Looking at the photos one by one: most of them showed her and Luffy hugging and kissing on different occasions; in a few other photos, she was held in Zhuang Yu'an's arms, which were obviously taken secretly on the night she sprained her ankle.
On the last page of the PDF, the anonymous source reiterated:
"I'll give you three days to fire Zuo Xiao and the two adulterers. You must break up with her, otherwise the truth will be posted online by righteous people. Then everyone will know that your Pet Planet company is a den of prostitution. The two shameless bosses who led the threesome are perverts!!!"
Zuo Xiao gritted his teeth and asked, "Where did he send this?"
“HR email.”
"You're out of your mind!" She threw her phone away. "What are you going to do?"
"We're already having the legal department review it." Luffy grabbed her hand and said, "Don't worry, there's always a way. I'll go to the company later, wait for me when I come back."
Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang again. They both turned to look at the screen, which showed a WeChat group voice call request.
Luffy shrugged, picked up the phone, and pressed the answer button.
An impatient male voice with a southern accent came from the receiver: "Hey guys, what the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"
"It's a misunderstanding." Zhuang Yu'an said, "I'm on my way back to the company. Let's talk in person later."
"It's not a big deal." Luffy smiled and said, "See you at the company." Then he hung up.
Zuo Xiao realized later that he should explain, after all, he had just indirectly given Luffy the status of boyfriend.
"Well... last Wednesday, I sprained my ankle while playing basketball, and Zhuang Yu'an took me to the hospital."
Faced with the belated explanation, Luffy smiled generously: "I understand."
He added: "I won't think too much about it, don't worry."
After he left, Zuo Xiao became angrier and angrier. He picked up his phone and skillfully dialed a number.
"Xiaoxiao, you finally..."
The moment Zuo Xiao heard his voice, his mind buzzed, and he raged in elegant Jinling language, "Zhou Zhihui, you idiot, I'm going to kill you! What the hell is wrong with your brain? You have no IQ to learn from others to secretly take photos and spread rumors. Do you even know how many years you'll be sentenced to? Just wait until you get to work on a sewing machine in jail! You beast!"
After spewing out a long string of words in one breath, she gasped for breath and heard the other party say aggrievedly: "Isn't it because you blocked me...If I didn't do this, would you communicate with me now?"
"Am I communicating with you? I'm scolding you! Can't you hear me?!"
"Then scold me, if scolding me can make you calm down..."
“…”
Despicable bones!
The two of them fell silent. After a long moment, the other person said, "Xiaoxiao, can we talk face to face? I have a lot to say to you."
Zuo Xiao was about to slap him back, but then he realized that wouldn't solve the problem. He suppressed his anger and said, "Zhou Zhihui, what on earth do you want to do?"
The other party was silent for a moment, then said, "Is your foot better? Does it hurt?"
"It's none of your business! Just tell me what you want!"
The other party paused and said, "I just arrived in Beijing. Where are you? I came to find you."
Didn’t understand what he was saying? Zuo Xiao wanted to lose his temper, but he suppressed it and was so angry that his stomach hurt.
"Wait for my notification." Then he hung up the phone.
She calmed down and tried to decipher Zhou Zhihui's train of thought. After much reflection, she felt he was asking for another reconciliation. Was this going to last?!
Half an hour later, the doorbell rang. She looked at the access control panel and opened the door.
Chen Liqing stood outside the door, craning his neck to look inside: "Whose house is this?"
"Luffy's house." Zuo Xiao said, "Come in quickly, I'll tell you what's going on."
Chen Liqing walked in hesitantly and asked as he walked in, "What's wrong with your ankle? Did you sprain it again?"
"Yeah, I sprained it playing badminton. Change your shoes." As she said that, she sat down on the walker, pushed off the ground with her left foot, and slid swiftly to the sofa.
"You and Luffy are living together?"
"No. It's just a sprained ankle. He took me in and took care of me for two days."
She moved to the sofa and quickly explained the situation. The more Chen Liqing listened, the worse his expression became.
"Why did you drag me into your love triangle?" He looked unhappy.
"You're the most suitable person!" Zuo Xiao argued confidently, "If I let those two adulterers go with me, wouldn't they start a fight right there? I want to negotiate with Zhou Zhihui and resolve the issue, not start a fight!"
Zuo Xiao told him his plan, then contacted Zhou Zhihui and agreed to meet at the teahouse at five o'clock sharp.
Zhou Zhihui was already there when the two arrived at the teahouse. The moment he saw Zuo Xiao, he stood up, his face flushed, and called out to her excitedly, "Xiaoxiao!"
Chen Liqing's face darkened and he raised his foot to block Zuo Xiao.
Zhou Zhihui stopped and greeted him nervously: "Long time no see, Chen Liqing."
Chen Liqing didn't bother to respond to him and said coldly, "Let's go to the private room."
He asked Zhou Zhihui to follow the waiter in front, while he walked in the middle with his cane, and Zuo Xiao walked at the back on his walker. Zhou Zhihui kept looking back along the way, only to be intimidated by his glare: "Watch the road!"
After the three of them sat down, Zhou Zhihui went straight to the point: "Xiaoxiao, I've truly reflected on my actions. Give me another chance, and let's start over, okay?"
"Have you reflected on your actions? Why did you follow, secretly photograph, and threaten Yi Yi Long? And you want to make me lose my job?" Zuo Xiao asked mercilessly.
Zhou Zhihui moved his lips, his expression on the verge of tears. After a moment, he said, "If I don't do this, will you leave those two adulterers?"
"You're still right?" Zuo Xiao scolded, "Zhou Zhihui, your biggest problem is that you never truly reflect on yourself! You can only see other people's problems, not your own!"
"I didn't!" he argued. "I know what I did was wrong... but I really love you! Even if you cheated on me, I'm willing to forgive you... Xiaoxiao, let's just pretend none of this happened and start over, okay? As long as you promise, I'll do whatever you say from now on! If you tell me to go east, I'll never go west!"
Zuo Xiao felt that he was completely unreasonable, like he was possessed by a demon. The rage that had filled him was now extinguished, leaving only exhaustion.
"We broke up in March, and now it's almost September, half a year has passed, brother..." She said weakly, "I almost forgot about the existence of an idiot like you. Why are you still dreaming?"
Zhou Zhihui's lips trembled as he suddenly lowered his head and reached for the large bag he was carrying. Zuo Xiao and Chen Liqing both looked at each other with a swift glance. Chen Liqing clenched his crutches.
"Xiaoxiao, look at this."
Zhou Zhihui pulled a white booklet resembling a photo album from his bag and placed it on the table. On the hardcover was a photo of cherry blossoms in full bloom, with two lines of text below:
Zuo Xiao & Zhou Zhihui
Mark of Love
Zuo Xiao frowned and immediately guessed the contents of the booklet.
Zhou Zhihui looked at her with a sincere and earnest look: "Can you take a look?"
Zuo Xiao raised his hand, moved the photo album under his eyes and opened it.
What caught my eye was a bright smile. The 23-year-old was holding a cake in her hands, wearing a cone-shaped birthday hat on her head, and smiling at the camera with her eyebrows curved.
In the lower right corner of the photo, there is a line of crooked handwriting:
The first birthday I spent with you, your smile was as bright as an angel's.
Zuo Xiao's throat choked, he frowned, and then flipped through the photo album.
It's nothing more than a collection of various life records and travel photos, interspersed with his handwritten text. Zhou Zhihui loves photography. During the three years they've been together, whether out or at home, he always liked to take pictures of her, often taking candid and surreptitious photos. The album also includes photos she took of him, as well as photos of the two of them together, but the majority of photos are of her.
Zuo Xiao flipped through the pages faster and faster, and soon reached the last page.
There was only one photo on this page. In the photo, she jumped high and swung her racket to hit a badminton in the air.
There are a few lines of words written in the lower right corner:
The first time I saw you, I fell in love with you.
If possible, can we go back to the beginning?
I will reintroduce myself:
Hello, I’m Zhou Zhihui, the man who will love Zuo Xiao for the rest of my life.
The album was closed. Zuo Xiao pushed it open and said in a hoarse voice, "It's fun to be touched by yourself, isn't it?"
Zhou Zhihui's eyes welled with tears as he spoke earnestly, "Xiaoxiao, the three years we've been together have been real, and our love is real... Look at the photos of us, our eyes can't lie! I love you, and you love me too. We just encountered a misunderstanding... Let's not let it bring us down, okay?"
"You're wrong," Zuo Xiao said. "We did love each other, but that's in the past. Don't you understand? Life always moves forward. No one will wait for you. If you still care about me and want me to have a good impression of you, then please be more mature and cool, and stop pestering me."
Zhou Zhihui stared at her blankly, his mouth pursed, and tears suddenly burst out. He took the photo album away while crying and carefully put it in his bag.
After a while, he wiped his tears, sniffed, and said resolutely:
"I won't let go."
The sympathy he felt for him instantly vanished, and Zuo Xiao's anger flared up again. He gritted his teeth and said, "So what do you want?"
"You must get back together with me. I am not afraid of paying any price for it!" Zhou Zhihui had a stubborn look on his face, with a hint of a desperate attitude.
Chen Liqing lost his temper and slammed the table: "Zhou Zhihui is sick! Don't you understand what I'm saying? Don't be so shameless!"
"You want some shame?" Zhou Zhihui spat. "Don't think I can't see through your little tricks! Don't worry, with your cowardice, you'll never get your turn in this lifetime!"
In a flash, Chen Liqing leaped up and threw a punch at his opponent. The opponent was no match for him, taking the blow head-on and counterattacking him with a punch to his solar plexus, which he luckily dodged.
With a clang of bangs and dings, teacups, vases, and other objects on the table fell over one after another. Zuo Xiao didn't bother to intervene. He took out his phone and dialed 110, shouting, "Help! There's a fight!"
When the police arrived, the room was a mess, with both men's faces covered in bruises. The owner and waiter who had intervened were also injured, their uniforms torn. Zuo Xiao, hiding in a corner, remained unharmed.
The three were taken to the police station.
Zuo Xiao explained the situation, emphasizing that her ex-boyfriend had been the one provoking the disturbance. She also mentioned Zhou Zhihui's stalking, secretly filming, and threats. However, Zhou Zhihui hadn't demanded money, and the PDF didn't contain any threats to anyone's safety. According to the police, this was simply a case of provoking a disturbance. If they chose not to reconcile, both men involved in the fight would be detained.
At this time, Luffy had heard the news and rushed over, but he could not help. Instead, he made Zhou Zhihui angry and cursed.
Zuo Xiaoxian persuaded Chen Liqing that he still had the company to manage, so he was naturally willing to reconcile.
He turned around and tried to persuade Zhou Zhihui, but the grandson was as stubborn as a bull, stiffening his neck and saying, "No reconciliation! Lock me up!"
Zuo Xiao looked at him hatefully and thought to herself: You bastard Zhou Zhihui, you really think I can’t do anything to you, right?
She took out her cell phone and said, "I'm calling your dad now and telling him you got into a fight in Beijing and will be put in a detention center soon. Ask him to come get you."
Zhou Zhihui suddenly panicked: "Don't, don't!"
Zuo Xiao sneered, took out his phone number and turned on the speakerphone.
"Hello?" A calm and majestic male voice.
"Uncle Zhou, right?" Zuo Xiao said coldly, "I'm Zuo Xiao, your son's ex-girlfriend."
The other party paused: "What is it?"
"This is what happened. After I broke up with your son, he kept pestering me. Now he's come all the way to Beijing. He said he'd keep pestering me even if he had to go to jail. I'm really at my wit's end. Please talk to him. He's right next to me."
"Zhou Zhihui!"
The threat from his father was like thunder from heaven. Zhou Zhihui shuddered, shrinking his neck and saying in a trembling voice, "Dad, I'm here..."
"You're just a little bastard! You're just a mess of three-fresh soup! &%#..." The other party spoke in Shanghainese, scolding Zhou Zhihui until his face turned pale and he was sweating profusely. Everyone present was trying to hold back their laughter.
"Okay, uncle." Zuo Xiao interrupted him. "I'm just reminding you to be careful and not let Zhou Zhihui go astray. If he bothers me again next time, I'll call you again." After saying that, he hung up.
She had long ago identified the weak spot of Zhou Zhihui, a parasite who only cares about his parents. She had saved Zhou Zhihui's father's phone number in case she couldn't control him one day and asked his father to take care of him.
"Reconciliation?" Zuo Xiao said coldly.
Zhou Zhihui's lips moved and he nodded resentfully.
"What about the PDF? Are you still sending it out?"
Shake your head.
"Okay, sign it."
The farce ended as abruptly as it began. Before leaving, Zuo Xiao said, "Zhou Zhihui, I'm warning you, don't mess with me. Don't forget, I still have something on you."
The other party looked alert: "What handle?"
"You replaced your father's antique vase with a fake one. Isn't that fake one still on display in your villa? Also, you feigned illness and found a fake guru to trick your mother into spending 300,000 yuan to buy you a life-saving Buddha amulet..."
"Stop talking!" Zhou Zhihui collapsed and screamed.
Zuo Xiao snorted lightly: "Then don't bother me, don't appear in front of me, and completely delete me from your mind! If you can do that, I will naturally not do anything to you, but if you dare to provoke me again, just wait!"
After saying that, he kicked off with his left foot and glided away.
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