Chapter 3 Capitalist: Have you eaten dynamite? ...
Chapter 3
"Xia Lv, this is the material that was just compiled. Zhao Lv said that you should supplement and improve DD."
Xia Zhiyu had just returned to her workstation when a new intern from her team brought over a stack of evidence and case files.
She flipped through a few pages of materials, all of which revolved around the key questions Jiang Zhiyan had just raised. Once she finished dealing with these, this phase of her work would be basically complete.
She's been following up on this international merger and acquisition case for almost a year and hasn't taken a long vacation.
After it's over, I can finally rest, Xia Zhiyu thought with a hint of anticipation.
The anticipation dispelled the gloom in her heart, and she smiled at the intern:
"Thank you for your hard work. You must be Xiao Wang, who just started his internship yesterday."
"right."
"You just happened to be here. Here, this is for you," Xia Zhiyu said, unpacking the takeout. "Which do you prefer, a cappuccino or a latte?"
"Me? I'm fine with anything, thank you, Xia Lu!"
The intern accepted the coffee with delight, a look of flattery appearing on his innocent and youthful face.
"I've been too busy lately. Once I'm done with these next few days, Lawyer Zhao should arrange to take you out to eat. Is Lawyer Zhao your mentor?"
"Yes, my teacher is very kind to me."
Perhaps because they had just graduated, the students' mindset hadn't changed yet. Most interns were used to calling their supervising lawyer "teacher." Xia Zhiyu had also called Jiang Zhiyan that a few times, just like the other interns.
After Jiang Zhiyan insisted that she call him that in bed, she never called him Teacher Jiang Zhiyan again.
Xia Zhiyu couldn't imagine what kind of lewd nonsense was going through Jiang Zhiyan's mind when she called him "Teacher" during the day.
Perhaps because she had seen Jiang Zhiyan twice that morning, Xia Zhiyu kept thinking about Jiang Zhiyan all day.
Her mentor was Jiang Zhiyan, who would sign every case file she completed independently, carefully annotating every point she was unsure about. Jiang Zhiyan's flamboyant handwriting accompanied her throughout her internship.
Until now.
Several sticky notes were pasted on a corner of Xia Zhiyu's desk. They were detailed case analysis outlines that Jiang Zhiyan had written for her when she first started working, with key steps highlighted in red.
Every time Jiang Zhiyan had dinner with his friends, his childhood friends would tease him for treating his wife like a student, as if they wanted to break down all their experience and knowledge and stuff it into Xia Zhiyu's brain.
She was probably young and had just graduated at the time, so she didn't know what tiredness was. Every day she was so energetic that after finishing all her work, she would pester Jiang Zhiyan to explain cases to her at night.
Xia Zhiyu knew very well that her achievements in the legal profession were largely due to Jiang Zhiyan's patient guidance.
Jiang Zhiyan provided her with case leads and taught her word by word how to communicate with clients, how to collect evidence, and how to organize documents. She was a student personally taught by Jiang Zhiyan.
She would always unconsciously try to rely on Jiang Zhiyan, like a dodder clinging to him.
Before, whenever she worked overtime until late at night and was physically and mentally exhausted, Xia Zhiyu would always lie to herself and say that Jiang Zhiyan was willing to teach her step by step because he loved her.
As she kept being deceived, she seemed to actually start to believe it.
But the cold treatment she received day after day for more than a year finally made Xia Zhiyu understand.
A pampered young master like Jiang Zhiyan probably doesn't even understand what love is.
Xia Zhiyu understands what true love is; her parents are the best example.
Love is about companionship and mutual dependence, not about skyrocketing bank balances and expensive jewelry.
Money is compensation, charity, but not love.
A slight sadness crept into her heart. Xia Zhiyu lowered her eyes and smiled, "Cherish your internship, you'll be very busy after it ends."
She was beautiful, with almond-shaped eyes and peach-blossom cheeks. Her smile was like a gentle breeze. The intern was stunned for a moment, finding it hard to connect the gentle beauty in front of him with the mistress who had used her looks to climb the social ladder, as others had described.
Before five o'clock, Xia Zhiyu had finished all her work for the day. As she stepped out of the elevator, she saw the bright, white sunlight outside the glass curtain wall.
Xia Zhiyu suddenly remembered how she used to be overwhelmed by the temporary tasks that others would push onto her when she first entered the workforce.
During that period, she not only had to complete her own job, but also help other practicing lawyers organize documents, keeping her extremely busy.
She did consider refusing, but every time the words were about to come out, she was interrupted.
Jiang Zhiyan never helps her in these kinds of situations.
It wasn't until she caused obvious problems in her own job while doing things for others that Jiang Zhiyan personally deducted her wages.
Trainee lawyers don't earn much to begin with, and the thought of working hard for a month only to end up with less than three thousand yuan is unbearable.
Xia Zhiyu was crying her eyes out.
Jiang Zhiyan pushed the pay slip in front of her, his dark eyes cold and ruthless.
Have you learned how to say no to others now?
The price of being a "nice guy" in the workplace is taking the most blame and getting the least pay.
That very night, Xia Zhiyu refused to let Jiang Zhiyan sleep with her.
In the years since Xia Zhiyu met Jiang Zhiyan, she has learned a lot about interpersonal skills, going from clumsy to adept, all thanks to Jiang Zhiyan.
Being loved by Jiang Zhiyan feels too exhausting.
A job that doesn't provide positive feedback, a relationship that can't be made public, and perpetually cold replies.
And her choices were not respected.
Jiang Zhiyan always forcefully arranges Xia Zhiyu's life.
She didn't even have the right to say no.
A scorching hot wind rushed towards me, and the sky was azure, with several large, fluffy clouds swirling around.
A familiar car pulled up on the road near the office building; it was Jiang Zhiyan's McLaren, which he used in Beicheng.
Xia Zhiyu suddenly remembered that, ironically, the first person in her life to make her realize that she was poor but beautiful through a sense of superiority was not Jiang Jing, nor Liu Miaoqi, or her colleagues, but Jiang Zhiyan.
About two years ago, one night before Jiang Zhiyan decided to go to the United States on a business trip, Xia Zhiyu asked Jiang Zhiyan why he liked her.
Jiang Zhiyan casually turned his head and looked at Xia Zhiyu. His amber eyes were filled with intoxicating tenderness and affection, and he was so focused that it seemed as if Xia Zhiyu was the only person in his world.
He said, "Because the fish are beautiful, and beautiful fish deserve the most luxurious fish tank."
His tone was amused, as if he were joking.
At the time, Xia Zhiyu only noticed Jiang Zhiyan praising her beauty, and even secretly rejoiced in her own good looks for a while.
But after Jiang Zhiyan chose to go on a long business trip, Xia Zhiyu would always think of this sentence on every night when Jiang Zhiyan was not around, and whenever her parents asked her when she would bring her boyfriend home.
Is she just pretty?
Was it just because she was pretty enough to decorate his fish tank?
Does she have no other merits?
Even just saying one thing about her good personality would be appreciated.
The questions that Xia Zhiyu could still ask during the honeymoon phase are now impossible for her to answer. Perhaps it's because she already knows the answers, or perhaps it's because the answers no longer matter.
The Cinderella fairy tale won't happen in reality; she and these rich people are inherently incompatible.
Even Xia Zhiyu herself couldn't understand why, on the one hand, she felt that she and Jiang Zhiyan, a top-tier rich man, had no future, and on the other hand, she still clung to a tiny fantasy and tried her best to stay by Jiang Zhiyan's side.
for what?
Are we just going to stand by and watch Liu Miaoqi get out of Jiang Zhiyan's car?
Jiang Zhiyan's fantasy as he parked his car on the side of the road was like an unexpected slap in the face, making Xia Zhiyu turn around hastily and head straight for the subway station.
Xia Zhiyu was proud and her self-esteem wouldn't allow her to continue thinking about what Jiang Zhiyan was saying to Liu Miaoqi.
She was already in a sorry state, and Xia Zhiyu didn't want to put herself in an even lower position in the already unequal relationship.
They can only retreat into their own shells like a turtle hiding its head.
I won't look, I won't think, I'll pretend I don't know, and I'll lie to myself that Jiang Zhiyan must have work-related matters to discuss with Liu Miaoqi.
But Liu Miaoqi's unconscious leaning towards the driver's window corroded Xia Zhiyu's heart like concentrated sulfuric acid.
In June, the streets of Beicheng were as sweltering as a steamer, with sticky heat enveloping the skin and the air thick with dampness.
The phone rang urgently; it was Jiang Zhiyan.
Her throat suddenly felt dry and sore, and the scene that Xia Zhiyu had forcibly forgotten resurfaced in her mind.
She unconsciously gripped the handrail, her fingertips turning white from the force.
The subway was noisy, and the signal was intermittent. Jiang Zhiyan's voice sounded even colder at this moment, with a hint of displeasure.
"Didn't I message you and tell you to wait for me? Why did you leave so early?"
Xia Zhiyu pulled out her WeChat and saw that Jiang Zhiyan had sent her a message at noon saying that he would wait for her to go home together that evening, and that he had booked a restaurant that was difficult to book.
She was busy with work at the time, and when she saw that it was a message from Jiang Zhiyan, she was too lazy to reply and didn't even read the content carefully before swiping it away.
But how many times has Jiang Zhiyan responded to her telepathically?
Xia Zhiyu mimicked Jiang Zhiyan's tone and replied casually, "I was busy with work at noon and forgot to reply when I saw it."
She was waiting for Jiang Zhiyan to angrily hang up the phone. She knew Jiang Zhiyan's bad temper all too well; he would hang up on her whenever he was unhappy, leaving her to coax him.
Xia Zhiyu did a lot of coaxing and pampering when she was pursuing Jiang Zhiyan.
But now she wasn't going to coax him anymore. It would be best if this bastard didn't even go home today and continued to stay at his hotel, leaving her to enjoy the 2.5-meter-wide bed all to herself.
"Where are you now? I'll drive over to pick you up."
Jiang Zhiyan lowered his voice, which was unusual for him.
In the sweltering heat, who would refuse a luxury car? Xia Zhiyu glanced at the subway sign and unhesitatingly announced the name of the next stop.
"It's too noisy over there, I can't hear you. Send me your location on WeChat. It's too hot, don't leave the station. I'll message you when I get there."
Jiang Zhiyan's tone clearly conveyed concern, and Xia Zhiyu hung up the phone somewhat dazed, her heart bubbling with emotions like sparkling water.
In the past year, she has only spoken to Jiang Zhiyan a handful of times, and they haven't even video chatted.
Jiang Zhiyan is always busy with work; his phone is either switched off or unreachable.
Even the deepest feelings can't overcome a twelve-hour time difference.
Xia Zhiyu had thrown a tantrum, written several thousand words in a short essay, missed seventeen or eighteen video calls... her countless breakdowns and tears were all drowned out by Jiang Zhiyan's long-delayed reply.
Later, when Xia Zhiyu stopped contacting Jiang Zhiyan, Jiang Zhiyan, who was far away in the United States, started to send her messages on his own initiative.
They still acted as if there was no rift between them.
When Xia Zhiyu received a rainstorm warning forwarded by Jiang Zhiyan after running home in the rain for the second time, she genuinely felt that Jiang Zhiyan had definitely lost his mind.
Why did she have to come back to life when she thought she was widowed?
He's practically a lunatic.
She herself was one of them.
Every day, she repeatedly recalls those expired candies from the past, racking her brains to prove that Jiang Zhiyan still loves her to some extent.
You're dangling a rotten carrot in front of yourself and deceiving yourself into thinking it's a deluxe feast, trying to find a little love in the smallest details to fool yourself.
He's just like a stupid donkey.
The McLaren was parked on the side of the road. Xia Zhiyu instinctively reached for the passenger door handle, but before she could touch it, she paused, turned around, and got into the back seat.
The car's air conditioning was set very low, and I felt a comfortable coolness the moment I opened the door.
Whether it was psychological or not, Xia Zhiyu always felt that there was a scent of Liu Miaoqi's perfume in the car, a cloyingly sweet floral fragrance that made her feel nauseous.
Too lazy to speak, she greeted Jiang Zhiyan and then leaned back in her seat to rest with her eyes closed. The car was unusually quiet, almost like a ride-hailing driver and passenger.
Unexpectedly, she fell asleep after closing her eyes for a while. When Xia Zhiyu opened her eyes in a daze, the car was parked in the underground garage. Jiang Zhiyan was sitting next to her, with one arm around her waist. His glasses reflected the elongated and distorted text on the iPad.
She was nestled on Jiang Zhiyan's shoulder, fast asleep, and even broke out in a light sweat.
The air conditioner was blowing cold air, and Xia Zhiyu felt cold almost the instant she opened her eyes, and also felt a little dizzy.
She sat up straight, rubbed her temples, and sounded tired.
"Where am I? How long have I been asleep?"
"Jincheng International, a little after six o'clock. I saw you were sleeping comfortably, so I didn't wake you."
Jiang Zhiyan closed the tablet, but didn't loosen his arm around Xia Zhiyu's waist. He took off his glasses and turned his head to look at Xia Zhiyu intently.
The dim light inside the car shone on Xia Zhiyu's face, revealing a hint of ambiguous distance. Jiang Zhiyan's eyes darkened slightly.
Why were you unhappy this morning?
"Which floor is the restaurant you booked on?"
The two voices rang out at the same time.
Xia Zhiyu was stunned for a moment. She had been too busy with work during the day and had forgotten that she had lost her temper with Jiang Zhiyan that morning.
As for the reason for her outburst, she had already made it clear at the time. What else does Jiang Zhiyan want to hear her explain now?
Xia Zhiyu frowned and tried to move back to increase the distance between them.
Being too close weakens the effectiveness of verbal attacks, which is a major taboo for lawyers.
This was also taught to her by Jiang Zhiyan.
Jiang Zhiyan's hand was firmly gripping her lower back. Xia Zhiyu was a little unhappy. She brushed the long hair that was in the way of her face behind her ear and was about to push away Jiang Zhiyan's hand on her waist.
Turning around, Xia Zhiyu's eyes met Jiang Zhiyan's lips. The man's thin lips were pursed, and his gaze was fixed on her face, looking as cold as ice.
A conspicuous bloodstain on his cheekbone made him appear even more fierce and thuggish.
It was cut by the zipper on her bag.
Xia Zhiyu was momentarily stunned.
In the years they've been together, she's only seen Jiang Zhiyan injured on the face twice. This time counts as one, and the last time was back when she graduated from university.
The profile of the person in front of her overlapped with that of Jiang Zhiyan, who was 24 years old four years ago and fought with several thugs for her sake.
That was the first time Xia Zhiyu realized that her boyfriend's biceps were not just for show.
One against five is no problem, but the other side has the numbers and strength, so Jiang Zhiyan inevitably took a few hits.
Near the same spot as his eyes, Jiang Zhiyan was scratched by the sharp edge of the ring on the other person's hand, leaving a deep bloodstain. Blood filled his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, drops of blood were dripping down.
Xia Zhiyu carefully treated his wounds, tears streaming down her face as if they were free, her nose as red as a rabbit's.
Jiang Zhiyan pressed the tip of his tongue against his palate, his teeth itching, and a muffled laugh accompanied by a vibration in his chest.
"You're crying like a little cat, but you're not the one who got beaten up."
"Stupid, you don't even know to stay away."
Jiang Zhiyan must have loved her back then.
But what about now?
Jiang Zhiyan's shallow affection for her had probably long since dissipated into the air of free America, leaving only his deep-seated desire to control his possessions.
Xia Zhiyu stared blankly at the red marks on Jiang Zhiyan's face, a dull, bitter feeling rising in her heart.
Her fingertips were itching to touch the wound on Jiang Zhiyan's face.
A light-colored reading lamp suddenly turned on, illuminating Jiang Zhiyan's calm gaze as he looked at her.
In her memory, Jiang Zhiyan hadn't asked her why she was angry so calmly in a very long time. Now, as she recalled the past, all she could think about were the scenes of their argument.
No, it wasn't an argument; it was just her venting her emotions.
Jiang Zhiyan is the kind of person who would just look down at her with tears and snot streaming down her face, and then coldly say something like, "Can't you not be so emotional about things?"
The soft light made Xia Zhiyu's eyes sting and she even felt a little breathless.
She turned her head away awkwardly, making up an excuse on the spot.
"Your dad smell is so strong it makes me dizzy, and I wasn't feeling well this morning either, so it's not entirely your fault."
"Maybe my period is coming soon," Xia Zhiyu subconsciously came up with an excuse.
Jiang Zhiyan could tell at a glance that she was making excuses, and he scoffed lightly.
"Your period is still a long way off. Today is only the 15th, and according to usual, it's at least ten more days."
With his harsh tone and condescending questioning, Jiang Zhiyan always had the ability to easily ignite Xia Zhiyu's anger.
"Standard practice?"
She crossed her arms in front of her chest, adopting a defensive posture, and sneered:
"Are you referring to the routine from a year ago? I'm sorry, a woman's menstrual cycle can change. Right now, it's around the 15th of every month."
Like a curled-up hedgehog, it unceremoniously pointed all its sharp edges at Jiang Zhiyan.
The carriage fell silent, with only the sound of the air conditioner blowing.
Jiang Zhiyan frowned and said, puzzled:
"Why don't you just say it? What's the big deal? Did you eat a bomb today?"
They really did eat explosives.
The words "Liu Miaoqi" lingered on Xia Zhiyu's lips.
But this question, like a fishing float, bobbed up and down on the water, difficult to utter.
Xia Zhiyu asked herself, what's the point of asking? Does she really want Jiang Zhiyan's explanation?
Even if it was just a misunderstanding, could the humiliation and sadness she felt at that moment be soothed?
Is she concerned about Liu Miaoqi as a person?
A year ago, when her relationship was stable, even if she saw Liu Miaoqi sitting in Jiang Zhiyan's car, she wouldn't have suspected Jiang Zhiyan of cheating.
She's currently in a subservient position in both her work and love life, which has led to a lack of security and paranoia; she's become someone she doesn't recognize anymore.
Does it even matter whether Jiang Zhiyan explains or not?
In this game of love, the only one who lost her way was Xia Zhiyu.
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