Chapter 34 [VIP]
Chapter Summary: "The company's annual party is the day after tomorrow. How about I dance for you?"
"Looking for me?" Ni Zhenzhen was puzzled.
The large trees behind the branch blocked out all the sunlight, and the office lights were always on, casting a stark white light.
The scarred man was also there, with tea in front of him, but he hadn't touched it much.
Ni Zhenzhen couldn't guess what had happened. She carefully observed the director's expression but couldn't discern anything amiss.
Could they really be here to ask for money?
The scarred man saw someone approaching and immediately stood up, walking towards them step by step. He had bloodshot eyes from years of alcoholism, like some kind of wild beast lurking in wait, drawing ever closer.
The scene of being verbally abused by the scarred man that day reappeared in my mind. At least back then there was glass separating us; now there's only a layer of air that can be pulled away at any time.
Ni Zhenzhen was still shaken and subconsciously took a step back.
The scarred man stopped, looked Ni Zhenzhen up and down for a moment, and recognized her. "Yes, it's you, it's you."
Ni Zhenzhen was still standing at the door, with the scarred man blocking her way in front and a dark, abyss-like corridor behind her. She was trapped in the middle, unable to move.
"you……"
Before Ni Zhenzhen could ask anything, the scarred man spoke first, "I'm sorry!"
He scratched his head sheepishly, "I had been drinking that day and couldn't control my emotions. It was all my fault for being so mean and saying such nasty things. I deserved to be beaten up."
“…” Ni Zhenzhen was shocked. She looked at the director, who was smiling, as if he already knew this would be the result.
Ni Zhenzhen never dared to hope that the scarred man would apologize to her, yet it all actually happened right before her eyes.
She couldn't understand why the scarred man had changed his attitude. It took her a while to recover from her shock before she politely replied, "Don't say that. I also had my shortcomings."
"No, no, you've done a great job. Everyone living here knows that your bank has the best attitude. It's all my fault."
Ni Zhenzhen asked, "How is your injury?"
"It's nothing," the scarred man said nonchalantly. "Just a beating. I've been stabbed before. Do you want to see my scar?"
The scarred man was about to lift his shirt when Ni Zhenzhen quickly waved her hand, "No need."
The director walked over with a smile, "Mr. Liu is very generous. Considering that Xiao Song is a newcomer, we won't pursue the matter further. Just let him reimburse the medical expenses."
The director pointed at Ni Zhenzhen and said, "Quickly call Xiao Song over and have him apologize to the client."
Ni Zhenzhen agreed and went out of the office to call Song Likun.
Song Likun didn't believe it after hearing this, saying, "Don't lie to me."
“It’s true.” Although Ni Zhenzhen also found it somewhat unbelievable, “He actually said that making everyone wait for so long was not the fault of the tellers, but rather that the bank’s system was unreasonable. With so many customers, they still wanted to save costs, which resulted in both customers and tellers suffering.”
Song Likun seemed to understand something. "This doesn't sound like something he would say."
“I also think it’s like someone taught him.”
In fact, even Ni Zhenzhen hadn't thought of this. In the past, she always felt that she wasn't good enough. If she could be faster, even faster, the customers wouldn't have to wait so long. As a result, she never realized that the root of the problem was not with her.
"Perhaps the director said something to him." Ni Zhenzhen thought and thought, and it seemed that this was the only possibility.
Xu Tianzhou returned home a little late that evening.
He unlocked the door with his key and immediately saw Ni Zhenzhen standing not far from him.
She must have just run over, not even having had time to put on her shoes, and was looking at him helplessly.
Xu Tianzhou, unaware of what had happened, asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"
His voice was weary, and his face betrayed his exhaustion. Xu Tianzhou and Su Wenjin had a half-day meeting before he went to deal with matters at the store.
The staff at the rice noodle shop were very dissatisfied with the old lady's son, complaining that he was too slow, had a volatile temper, and that he always suspected them of talking badly about him. They added, "And his face is really scary. Can't we ask him to leave?"
That's certainly impossible.
After closing time, Xu Tianzhou comforted several shop assistants and then spoke with the old lady's son to find out what had happened, which is why he returned late.
Of course, he wouldn't tell Ni Zhenzhen about this.
Ni Zhenzhen wore a white nightgown, looking like a lily blooming alone after being washed by the rain. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her tone was aggrieved. "He said that 30,000 was too little and that Song Likun should compensate him 100,000, not a penny less."
"..."
Xu Tianzhou put down his car keys and walked over without making a sound.
How is that possible?
That day in the conference room, he did say "make him ask for 100,000," but just as he was about to leave, Su Wenjin stopped him again, "I received a surveillance video, do you want to take a look?"
That was a surveillance camera facing the customer, and it captured the entire incident. To facilitate verification of the transaction with the customer, the video from this location has sound.
As soon as Xu Tianzhou opened the app, the scarred man's drunken cursing came through.
These were words that would never be heard in this spacious and bright conference room. Xu Tianzhou was stunned, as if struck by a thunderbolt.
The thought that these words were directed at Ni Zhenzhen made his heart clench and ache sharply.
Xu Tianzhou couldn't take it anymore. He hurriedly pressed pause, paused for a while, and then continued. A few seconds later, he pressed pause again.
The video can be paused, but Ni Zhenzhen cannot.
That's how Ni Zhenzhen got through that day, and such insults were likely not just a one-off occurrence, but rather as commonplace as eating a meal.
Xu Tianzhou then realized that he hadn't asked Ni Zhenzhen in detail what had happened that day.
Ni Zhenzhen simply explained Song Likun's reason for hitting her with a casual "swearing," which led Xu Tianzhou to naturally assume that there was nothing wrong with swearing and that he could just tolerate it.
Until he watched this video.
But what could she do? Because of that outfit, she was scolded, and she couldn't do anything about it; she had to do everything she could to greet them with a smile.
No wonder Song Likun couldn't help himself.
Xu Tianzhou didn't make it to the end of the video, and in his haste, he said, "You figure it out."
Su Wenjin is always reliable; he just told me the matter was settled and I shouldn't worry. Could it be that this person took Su Wenjin's money and then turned around and asked Ni Zhenzhen for another 100,000?
Xu Tianzhou asked, "Did you give it to me?"
"Of course not!" Ni Zhenzhen stood with her hands on her hips, striking a righteous pose as if the scarred man were right in front of her. "I told him, 'You're dreaming. Song Likun is already prepared to be detained. You won't get 30,000 yuan, let alone 100,000, and you won't get your medical expenses either.'"
Ni Zhenzhen played two roles, vividly describing the situation at the time: "He was not convinced and threatened us, saying that if we did that, Song Likun would lose his job. I said, 'If he loses his job, he loses it. He will have no worries then. Let's fight to the death. I will post the video of you cursing online and let everyone judge.' Wow, he was terrified when he heard that and kept begging me not to post it."
Ni Zhenzhen pretended to be terrified and deliberately changed her tone, as if she were imitating someone else's voice, "No, what if I get cyberbullied? What if someone sends me a funeral wreath? What if I can't go out? Please don't!" I said, "Now that you're scared, let's all compromise and let's just let this go." And he agreed.
"..."
After her flamboyant performance ended, Xu Tianzhou clapped lazily, "Wonderful."
Without saying anything more, he turned around to pour water.
Ni Zhenzhen jogged after him, "That's it? Aren't you going to praise me for being clever and resourceful?"
Xu Tianzhou said expressionlessly, "Clever and resourceful."
Ni Zhenzhen was somewhat discouraged. "That's such a perfunctory response."
Xu Tianzhou sat down on the sofa. "You lied to me in a very perfunctory way."
Ni Zhenzhen asked in surprise, "How did you figure that out?"
"It's simple, you'd give him 100,000 if he asked." That's why he didn't continue, because countless experiences have shown that doing so would only leave him battered and bruised.
Ni Zhenzhen gave a soft snort, her voice alluring and charming, "I'm not a sucker."
“Yes.” Xu Tianzhou pointed his index finger at her forehead. “Your head isn’t big; you’re a small, innocent head.”
“You’re the one who got the short end of the stick,” Ni Zhenzhen retorted. She had been kneeling on one knee on the sofa, but she tripped and fell right into Xu Tianzhou’s arms.
Holding a soft, warm body in his arms, time seemed to slow down at that moment.
Ni Zhenzhen had just taken a shower, and the fragrance of her shower gel wafted over him, stirring his heartstrings. Xu Tianzhou didn't hold back at all; he gathered those enchanting scents with his breath, carefully treasuring them in a corner of his heart that no one else could touch.
"I just don't want you to suffer a loss," Xu Tianzhou sighed softly.
Ni Zhenzhen nodded, her hair brushing against his chin, bringing a sweet, soft sensation.
“I know you’re doing this for my own good.” Ni Zhenzhen shifted her position in his arms, half-lying on him, and raised her hand to trace his profile. “I’m not lying to you, we really don’t have to pay compensation. Our director took care of it immediately.”
"Director?" Xu Tianzhou chuckled softly, something spilling out, but it quickly slipped through Ni Zhenzhen's fingers, unnoticed by her.
Xu Tianzhou said meaningfully, "Your director is such a good person."
A happy smile spread across Ni Zhenzhen's face. "Right? I think so too."
She always seemed to have such good luck, avoiding misfortune and turning bad luck into good. Of course, her greatest fortune was meeting Xu Tianzhou, who was always willing to accommodate and tolerate her.
"The company's annual party is the day after tomorrow. How about I dance for you?"
Ni Zhenzhen opened her phone and began to dance to the beautiful music.
Xu Tianzhou didn't let her finish dancing because of the restlessness in her body that he couldn't calm down, and also because the room was too small and he didn't want her to get hurt.
In the lyrics of "Hate and love are short-lived, always imprisoned in the sea of bitterness," he pulls Ni Zhenzhen into his arms, embraces her, kisses her, and whispers endless sweet nothings.
That night, after Ni Zhenzhen fell asleep, Xu Tianzhou found a square box, took out the contents, and put it on Ni Zhenzhen's wrist.
It was a gold bracelet with little stars on it. He had bought it a long time ago, but due to an unexpected incident, he couldn't give it to her in time.
But it's not too late now.
Xu Tianzhou looked at her for a while, as if tracing her features with his gaze, and then smiled slightly.
He looked forward to seeing Ni Zhenzhen's surprised and delighted expression when she woke up; it would surely be the most beautiful sight in the world.
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