39. Like a new life
As for Jia Lan, he hasn't been seen at the company since the incident broke. Presumably, he's following Zhang Ruolin's instructions and assisting with the transition. Previously, he was highly regarded, held significant management responsibilities, and was privy to numerous confidential matters. Naturally, the complexity and timeframe for his departure differed from those of a typical employee.
To be honest, Zhang Ruolin was decent in this matter and did a good job of keeping it confidential. Most people in the company only knew that President Jia suddenly had a good job, but they didn't know what had happened.
During this period, Zhang Ruolin was flying around, also to take over the companies that had been handed over to Jia Lan. At the very least, he couldn't let him distort the facts and speak ill of himself or the company.
Gossip can melt metal, and Zhang Ruolin deeply understands the importance of having the right to speak.
Jia Lan hadn't come to confront Weiwei about that incident. She felt somewhat relieved. Managing two bosses wasn't easy, and she only hoped Jia Lan would one day understand. After all, he'd been a cautious subordinate himself before, and how could a subordinate say no to a boss's request?
If she really didn't understand, there was nothing she could do.
It was impossible not to offend both of them. Weiwei could only comfort herself: it was Jia Lan's fault that he was not clean enough, so no one else was to blame.
But I didn't kill Boren, Boren died because of me. She always felt a little uncomfortable in her dreams at midnight.
I thought about sending a message to Jia Lan several times, but after thinking about it, I didn't know what to say, so I finally gave up.
In fact, Vivian was worrying for nothing.
Although Jia Lan suffered a setback at Zhang Ruolin's hands, he'd made a difference. Zhang Ruolin, after all, was the boss and knew how to resolve the conflict. He simply asked Jia Lan to leave and didn't pursue the matter further. With the title of partner and some luck, Jia Lan easily secured a good position at another firm. While he might no longer hold the position of second-in-command here, being a partner was still quite respectable.
After knowing this, Vivian's guilt disappeared.
She wasn't some scheming woman or some bad subordinate; she was just an insignificant NPC, a small tool in their story. Like a maid in a palace drama, no one cared who she was.
She was so insignificant, so insignificant that it was ridiculously arrogant for her to think she was evil.
Just as she was thinking of Jia Lan, he called. It was rare for someone to call unannounced these days, and the ring startled Vivian. Seeing the caller's name, she felt even more confused.
Jia Lan still spoke in a bossy tone: "Vivian, I'm downstairs now. If you have time, come over."
She was a little hesitant, not knowing what his intentions were, and she felt guilty, which must have been embarrassing.
But I have to go this time no matter what, otherwise it would be too unkind.
She rushed to the coffee shop and saw Jia Lan had just seen someone off. From a distance, she saw that it was a colleague Vivian knew.
His former company was just upstairs, and many colleagues often came down for coffee. Jia Lan invited people here one after another without any hesitation.
Facing her former boss, she felt a little bit of inner demons and didn't know where to start. However, Jia Lan didn't care at all. She was in high spirits and got straight to the point: "You should also know that I have moved to a bigger and better platform. Vivian, I hope you will consider coming with me."
This was unexpected and Vivian was surprised.
She guessed that perhaps Jia Lan's move had gone more smoothly than he had imagined, allowing him to stop caring about these trivial matters. Or perhaps, his career opportunity had come so suddenly that he had to immediately find subordinates who were obedient, capable, and cooperative.
In short, he was a little too proud of himself.
Seeing her hesitation, Jia Lan added, "Mr. Liu over there is very generous. If you go there, the treatment will definitely be better than now, and the scope of your career will naturally be larger. At my age, my next step must be carefully considered. This is a good opportunity for you."
Vivian was stunned. She knew bosses were prone to arrogance, but she hadn't expected someone to be so arrogant, thinking that just by opening their mouths, they could make others drop everything and take risks to follow them into an unknown environment.
Besides, Weiwei didn't believe that Jia Lan didn't mind at all. Now that he needed someone, he could ignore her for now. If there was any friction in the future, how could she have a good result?
Professional relationships are like romantic relationships: once friction arises, it's difficult to truly move on.
She answered cautiously, "Mr. Jia, you know me. I'm slow to adapt to the environment. It took me two or three years to fully integrate here."
This wasn't a lie. She had always believed that it was better to be familiar with someone than to be active, and that it was better to be quiet than to be active. Although recent events had made her think, Jia Lan was definitely not a good choice.
Jia Lan seemed incredulous, or perhaps thought she hadn't understood: "You were under my command over there too. Do you still have problems adapting to the environment?"
He is too confident, too sure, and too indifferent to other people's feelings.
Weiwei felt a pang of annoyance, but due to her personality, she could only express humility. "I'm having to switch to a completely new environment and track so soon. I'm afraid my abilities... really can't keep up. Mr. Jia, I might not be the ideal choice."
Her subconscious way of rejection was to belittle herself, putting herself in the dust so that he wouldn't be able to say anything.
Jia Lan seemed to have never thought of being rejected, and his expression instantly turned ugly.
Vivian thought: Could it be that the other people he was planning to poach would agree so easily?
Although Jia Lan held a high-ranking title, he was still a newcomer to the new company. The survival rate for parachuted-in executives at any company was low. It was uncertain whether he could even stay, so how could he be so confident, willing to change the trajectory of others' lives with just a word?
Although they were superiors and subordinates, they had worked together for many years, endured hardships together, been scolded by their bosses, and shared a smile. Even if the deal didn't work out, the friendship remained. Vivian naturally hoped to maintain a good relationship with him. But at this moment, that wish became impossible.
Being rejected is what these conceited men hate most. Jia Lan probably relied on his good manners to avoid showing any displeasure in person.
The two of them pretended to be affectionate, smiled and shook hands and said goodbye. At this moment, their acting skills reached their peak.
After returning to her seat, Vivian's first thing was to update her resume and send it to the headhunter, waiting for the other party's next arrangement.
At this time, the system popped up a notification, reminding her that she still had annual leave, which would be invalid if she did not use it as soon as possible.
Indeed, this year has been so long, yet so short, a fleeting moment, leaving behind only a few faint traces, like the pale golden tan marks on arms and chest as summer fades, a reminder of the summer flings you once had.
There were things she had longed for, things that had made her heart palpitate and her mind waver, good and bad, beautiful and ugly. But time never cared, it only rushed forward, not stopping for anyone.
She really needed a break. Not only her body, but also her nerves that were about to break.
She pulled out her phone and began searching for flight information, but she felt uneasy, unsure, and distracted, unable to make a decision.
She consoled herself: having choices is always a good thing. While past events didn't always have a happy ending, leaving behind regrets is a normal part of life. When she was younger, Vivian, like Qiu Ju in the film, always demanded an explanation for everything. But she gradually realized that 95% of things don't have a "why."
Why can Musk launch rockets? Why is Buffett eternally wise? Why is Shu Qi so beautiful? Life isn't like math; everything has a cause and an effect. The obsession with "why" is the source of pain.
Feeling empty inside, she stood up and went downstairs to sit for a while in the miniature park surrounded by several office buildings. The sky was cloudless, an adjective often used in elementary school essays, but it was so apt in this weather.
During this period, strange or bad things happened one after another, leaving her at a loss. She could only rely on her biological instinct to resist.
Fight or flight is an instinctive reaction inherited from a long evolutionary process, stored in our genes. When faced with danger, we either fight, flee, or freeze in fear.
Lately, she'd probably been frozen in place, trapped in a thick cocoon, as if her five senses were failing her, and even the pure enjoyment of the blue sky and gentle breeze had become a luxury. At this moment, she seemed to have just woken up from a dream.
It's time to end it.
///
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