Chapter 4 The Capitalists Are Disappointed
Chapter 4
At the dining table.
Xia Zhiyu glanced at Jiang Zhiyan, whose face was dark, and then looked back at the menu with little interest.
I can't watch anymore.
It's hard to digest seeing an angry face all the time. Today, this trendy restaurant is notoriously expensive, so why not take advantage of this rip-off?
"Sir? Sir?"
The waiter called twice before Jiang Zhiyan reacted. He frowned, his displeasure evident in his tone, "What's wrong?"
Xia Zhiyu finally raised her head. She looked at Jiang Zhiyan with surprise, as if she were looking at some rare species.
Jiang Zhiyan almost never gets angry with anyone, not even the neurotic client. He will only try to find a solution as soon as a problem arises.
For Jiang Zhiyan, losing his temper was pointless.
Besides the summer juvenile fish.
If Xia Zhiyu makes a mistake in a project she's involved in, without a doubt, she'll be the first person Jiang Zhiyan will hold accountable, even if the problem isn't actually her fault.
“They are just employees. If they make a mistake, their company or firm will cover for them. But you are different. You need to be more demanding of yourself and measure yourself by the standards of management.”
Hearing these words the first time is touching, the fifth time is indifferent, and by the tenth time, Xia Zhiyu begins to reflect on what behavior of hers led Jiang Zhiyan to the mistaken view that she was suited to be a boss.
After taking the blame for the team countless times, Xia Zhiyu suddenly realized that what she actually did was not important; what mattered was what the boss wanted her to do.
Jiang Zhiyan has mentored so many intern lawyers and met so many ordinary people in his work, yet he still insists that he thinks Xia Zhiyu is extraordinary. Why is that?
This is of course because he's manipulating her, his working slave!
There are so many examples of bosses using psychological manipulation (PUA) on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), and Jiang Zhiyan is a typical example. He probably says this to everyone so that most employees can develop a love for working.
After discovering this, Xia Zhiyu became even more determined to live a carefree life and never waste any of her life outside of work on unscrupulous capitalists.
For example, right now.
Jiang Zhiyan pushed the phone in front of her without saying a word, just looking at her calmly, as if waiting for her to explain something.
A multimedia message appeared on the screen, containing a screenshot from her vlog. A triangular still image was stuck on Xia Zhiyu's face, exactly the same as the screenshot on the tablet that morning.
Although she hadn't memorized Jiang Jing's phone number, she could guess who it was just by looking at the contact information.
After all, right now, Jiang Jing is probably the only one in the institute who doesn't have Jiang Zhiyan's WeChat.
Xia Zhiyu suddenly realized that Jiang Jing hadn't actually watched her video at all. She had just casually dragged the progress bar a few times, found the moment when her face appeared in the video, took a screenshot, and sent it to her beloved son.
The message was sent five minutes earlier, just as the two of them sat down at the restaurant.
I don't know where Jiang Jing got such good information. Could it be that she installed a tracking device on her son?
The restaurant served the food quickly, and the aroma of the food made Xia Zhiyu's mouth water. Her internal organs, which had been hungry all day, were rumbling, and acid reflux was churning in her stomach, making her crave food.
I was hungry but dared not touch my chopsticks.
Xia Zhiyu sat on the sofa, staring at her phone screen for a long time. Jiang Zhiyan's gaze was like a thorn in her back, making her feel inexplicably guilty.
She licked her lips, then stiffly raised her head to meet Jiang Zhiyan's deep brown eyes, which seemed even more profound in the room. He leaned back in his chair, chin raised, eyelashes lowered as he looked at her, a hint of mocking coldness in his smile.
Disdain, indifference, boredom, arrogance... The expression he showed in front of Xia Zhiyu now was almost identical to that of Jiang Jing this morning. It was obvious to anyone that Jiang Zhiyan's attitude towards her wouldn't be much better than Jiang Jing's.
They truly are a mother and son.
The air seemed to freeze, and Xia Zhiyu squeezed her eyes shut, making even breathing difficult.
Jiang Zhiyan's eyes grew colder and colder, and anger burned fiercely in his heart.
He now feels betrayed by Xia Zhiyu.
If Jiang Jing hadn't sent it to him, he wouldn't have known that his girlfriend actually ran a video account with 150,000 followers.
He had just skipped through a few videos, and he didn't see Jiang Zhiyan in any of the trips that Jiang Zhiyan himself had participated in.
The account's first video was of Xia Zhiyu visiting Jade Dragon Snow Mountain two years ago, but just six months ago, he and Xia Zhiyu were on a business trip together in Spain.
He was very busy those days, but he still managed to squeeze out time to spend two days in Venice with Xia Zhiyu. He saw a video of Venice, but the video title was "A solo trip during a business trip vlog".
When Jiang Zhiyan saw the video title, her heart felt like it had been frozen in a freezer for three days and three nights, and she felt so cold all over that she was in pain.
Traveling alone?
What about the travel guides he makes?
Is he a joke?
Scrolling through Xia Zhiyu's video homepage from beginning to end, there are quite a few videos of her traveling with others, including videos of her colleagues and high school classmates.
But he didn't even know this account existed.
It's not NTR, but it's better than NTR.
Xia Zhiyu's only response to his discovery of this was silence.
Endless silence.
Like a scumbag woman who tries to solve everything with passive-aggressive behavior after an argument.
His pride, cultivated since childhood, wouldn't allow him to bow his head or question anyone, not even Xia Zhiyu.
Jiang Zhiyan's surging anger, mixed with resentment, froze into sharp icicles the moment the words left his mouth, hanging above his head.
After an unknown period of stalemate, the poached chicken had stopped steaming. Xia Zhiyu then heard Jiang Zhiyan's deep voice questioning her.
Aren't you going to explain anything?
Xia Zhiyu thought her defenses were strong enough, and she thought she would never be saddened by Jiang Zhiyan again.
Jiang Zhiyan only said this one sentence, and Xia Zhiyu's heart and flesh seemed to be corroded, leaving a hole. Wherever the filthy blood went, it sizzled and emitted foul white smoke, making her eyes sting.
"What do you want me to explain? I thought I had nothing to explain, isn't it all right in front of you?"
Grateful for the skills she honed through years of being scolded, Xia Zhiyu can now hold back her tears and answer the client's questions in a calm tone, no matter how heartbroken she is.
Jiang Zhiyan smiled, but a chill hung in the corners of his eyes and brows, and his words were like shards of ice.
"I knew your performance was getting worse and worse, even worse than Liu Miaoqi who just joined. So you've been focusing all your attention on this kind of thing. What, you think you're so great just because you've gained a few followers and people are praising your videos? So great that you don't even take your job seriously."
"With your careless attitude, you'll never achieve anything great."
Arbitrary and domineering, the most powerful weapon to deny someone is to arrogantly accuse them of wasting countless hours and effort on a worthless lump of time.
Modern people spend the most time on work.
Bosses are always good at using this approach to manipulate their subordinates.
Xia Zhiyu slowly raised her head. Her stomach felt like it was being squeezed and kneaded by a large hand, twisted together, and the pain made her want to grimace and cry out loud.
Don't cry.
Xia Zhiyu clenched her back teeth, and the force was so great that a clear vein appeared on the side of her neck.
She can't show vulnerability now. Jiang Zhiyan is her boss now, and a boss doesn't need a vulnerable employee.
You can't have red eyes, you can't shed tears.
Xia Zhiyu told herself this again and again.
What bosses need are people who can solve problems, not people who can be easily solved by problems.
A profound sadness gradually welled up in my heart.
Xia Zhiyu stared at the white lace tablecloth, a bitter feeling rising in her throat.
However, Jiang Zhiyan was already her boyfriend before he became her boss.
Why is he still so harsh on her?
My heart felt like it was being torn in two.
Her left atrium was screaming that Jiang Zhiyan was Xia Zhiyu's boyfriend, and that it was after get off work hours, so she could cry and make a scene in front of him just like before.
She had to let Jiang Zhiyan know her dissatisfaction and pain, and why was Jiang always the one bullying her?
Do you still want your salary?
Do you really want your parents to worry about you on top of their work back home?
The next second,
"Don't you know why you were able to get into Huawan?"
The bloody reality was torn open, and rotting, maggot-infested flesh twitched and was exposed to their sight.
Xia Zhiyu blinked slowly, a sharp ringing in her ears. She almost thought she was hallucinating, otherwise how could she hear Jiang Jingcai say those words from Jiang Zhiyan's mouth?
The dishes on the table had gone completely cold, and the duck had a pungent, fishy smell. Xia Zhiyu felt a lump in her throat and her mouth watered. She looked at Jiang Zhiyan, but her eyes seemed to be empty, and her expression was blank.
Jiang Zhiyan looked down at her. On the return flight, he reviewed the work Xia Zhiyu had handled in the past six months. All the business she had done during this period was not even as much as the amount of work she had done in two months last year. She was even a level below an intern.
He couldn't understand why Xia Zhiyu couldn't even make the most basic effort.
Lacking ambition, leaving get off work early, not taking their job seriously, spending their free time editing videos and studying storyboards without learning how to create content that satisfies the client.
"To be honest, Fish, I'm very disappointed in you."
A layer of mist rose in Xia Zhiyu's eyes as she looked at Jiang Zhiyan. The man's features became increasingly blurry, as if viewed through a thick layer of frosted glass, leaving only a sigh of frustration at his lack of ambition.
A note from the author:
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Fish: kuakuakuakuakua, I'll give you a combo punch, kid (angry.jpg [angry])
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