Chapter 23: I didn’t steal it, I deserve it!
In the corridor, Zhang Zhaochuan's eyes flashed with anger as he questioned Li Wenjing: "Wenjing, how have I treated you over the years?"
He seemed to be humiliating her, and she said calmly, "You've been very good to me. If you hadn't persuaded the director, I wouldn't have been able to apply for this job in Africa. You helped me a lot at work and took me on all the projects."
"Then why don't you discuss who should be in charge?"
"I didn't steal it. I deserve it," she said. "Brother Chuan, you saw it all. The dean and the director just wanted me to take responsibility."
"You've never been in charge of such a large project. If you force yourself to take it, you'll be held responsible if anything goes wrong! Also, calling all those people over is exhausting. You can't handle just the drinking party."
"What else? Besides drinking, washing feet, and singing, is there anything else I can't do?"
His eyes twisted, and he stopped talking. Li Wenjing said, "I'm capable. Brother Chuan, I've always been capable. You're a mid-level engineer, and so am I. But you always say this, saying you're worried I'll get tired and asking me to be your assistant. Why can't I be the one in charge and direct everyone?"
Li Wenjing spoke, her teeth and cheekbones protruding. She looked into his eyes and said, "We agreed to leave Africa early. Even if I'm doing this project, do you think I won't join you?"
"That's not what I meant. I'm just worried about you. You're not well yet, so take it slow. Doctor Gu isn't well yet, and he likes you so much." Zhang Zhaochuan's tone softened.
"What does it have to do with Doctor Gu?"
She gripped the railing with her fingers, scraping at the paint, as if desperately suppressing her inner rage. She could guess Zhang Zhaochuan's inner thoughts: she wanted money, and he wanted money too. This major oilfield project would not only earn her a large share of the proceeds, but would also likely allow her to be nominated for the senior engineer title next year. It was the kind of lucrative opportunity that everyone was eager to grab. Li Wenjing didn't want to be humble. From childhood to adulthood, from the moment she joined this company, she had given up too much. She was capable and could have applied for the position independently without Zhang Zhaochuan. She was qualified in every way, but because she was a woman, she wasn't qualified for anything. She never got any of the good things, and when she did, she had to take what her male colleagues left behind. Even when she did work on a project independently, Zhang Zhaochuan would "mentor" her, claiming he was her mentor, and then share her performance. He was indeed "good" to her. As a woman, he didn't see her as competing with him. He took care of her, and now if he treated her badly, it would affect his interests.
"Let's leave it at that. I'm well again now. There's nothing difficult about Doctor Gu's case. I'll wrap it up soon."
Li Wenjing loosened her grip, and pieces of debris stuck between her fingernails slowly fell to the ground. For Xiao Qiao's sake, she didn't argue with Zhang Zhaochuan; after all, he was her best friend's husband. Zhang Zhaochuan had taken the initiative to bring up Xiao Qiao to ease the tension between them. After all, they worked in the same company and saw each other frequently, so a falling out wasn't an option.
"Have you contacted Xiao Qiao recently? She was very worried about you when you were sick. She always came to ask me when you were out on a project and didn't have time to talk."
Speaking of Xiao Qiao, Li Wenjing's heart, which had just been as hard as steel, suddenly softened. "Snatching" her husband's project meant that it would take longer for Brother Chuan to return.
As expected, Li Wenjing was still half asleep on the weekend when Xiao Qiao's voice call woke her up. She was still asleep when her phone buzzed with a series of calls until she answered. Li Wenjing mumbled a dazed "Hello," and a scream rang out, jolting her awake instantly.
"What's going on? Why are you and Brother Chuan arguing?"
"We didn't argue, just a few words about the project," Li Wenjing turned over, rubbing her eyes and looking at the spider webs on the ceiling, which connected with the strands of silk in her eyes. "The Frenchman wants to be in charge of the project in Africa, and I want to be in charge too. This project is great, and I don't want to give it to anyone else. Once I make enough money and get the professional title, I can leave."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone from Xiao Qiao. Li Wenjing yawned, her chest sinking softly into the duvet, and her voice softened. "Brother Chuan also wanted to make more money. He didn't even take his annual leave. He wanted to go back early to reunite with you. I'm sorry."
"Telling me all this? He does his job, and I go to work. It doesn't matter if he's a man, but you're a girl. It's not easy for us girls, and I feel even more sorry for you. Do you have to be responsible for this project?"
Li Wenjing was still touched, until Xiao Qiao mentioned the project. She suddenly sat up in bed and said, "Are you trying to persuade me to give it to him? It's our joint property. If he makes money, it's yours too."
Li Wenjing regretted her words the moment they left her mouth. She rubbed her sleepy head as Xiao Qiao started yelling, "Li Wenjing! Are you obsessed with money? When you were in school, you took a part-time job and got tricked into selling eggs. Who would care about you if it weren't me?"
After Xiao Qiao finished yelling, there was a moment of silence. Li Wenjing said, "My roommate called me. I'll hang up first."
She put her phone down and walked out of the bedroom to make breakfast, toast sizzling in the oven. Her phone sat beside her, playing a local video. The aroma of bread brought a video of hyenas foraging, their tawny fur gleaming coppery in the setting sun. Their ears pricked up, their noses twitching slightly, their gaze fixed on the antelope a lion had just killed. The moment the lion wasn't paying attention, the hyenas swarmed over.
Li Wenjing felt that he, Brother Chuan, and the people in the unit were like hyenas. A large group of people were competing for limited resources. One more bite or one less bite could cause people to turn against each other.
"You're getting up so early on the weekend, you're so self-disciplined!"
Yu Di came out of the room in her pajamas and slippers, and then she poked her head out of the kitchen door, sniffed, and squeezed in. "Toast? Hello, I'll have a bite."
"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"
"You were arguing quite loudly just now. I heard Chuan Ge and Xiao Qiao talking. His wife called to bother you, no wonder you were upset." Xiao Qiao took a bag of oatmeal and poured a bowl of it, then took the bread out of the oven. "If it doesn't wake me up, I'll just come and eat the melon."
"It's just that, nothing more."
After bringing oatmeal porridge and toast to the table and Yu Di pouring yogurt for the two of them, Li Wenjing asked, "Was what I did yesterday really unkind?"
"What do you think?"
"I have the ability to do it, and I need the money, but they all blame me," Li Wenjing said, taking a sip of porridge. "Forget it, I've already done it. Why think so much?"
"Of course! I thought you were so cool yesterday! In front of such a large group of leaders, you directly said you wanted to be the person in charge, and I support you. Everyone knows that you asked Gustav and Dr. Gu to get this project. How dare the leaders not give you face? Brother Chuan has more experience than you, but he is not as capable as you. Why don't he go talk to Gustav? Who would listen to him? If you say so, whoever is capable should take the lead. If you give in, you will suffer the consequences and your anger will cause breast hyperplasia!"
She smiled and handed the yogurt to Li Wenjing, "Let me make it clear first, if you become rich, don't forget me."
"I can't do such a big project alone, so of course I have to work with you. Brother Chuan has been mad at me for a long time because of this. The project might be doomed. He's also been very cold to me, and I'm upset too. Because of the interests involved, our personal relationship has deteriorated. No wonder they say not to borrow money from close friends. So this is what's going on."
"You guys work on projects, you get lots of work and lots of money, unlike me, who only makes a few bucks," Yu Di said. "Those of us who study minor languages have a hard life. We thought speaking French was romantic, but if we really learn it, we'll just end up in Africa. If there aren't any French programs here, I'll have to go somewhere else. I'll never be able to settle down, so when will I even be able to go to Paris?"
Yu Di leaned back on the chair, lying flat on her back.
Li Wenjing was amused by her. Yu Di, this girl, never seemed to be consumed by inner struggle. Even the most difficult things could be turned into jokes. In this distant foreign land, they wouldn't stay. They would return home, to a better place. For them, Africa was a place to make money.
"We've secured such a big project, so we have to celebrate today. Let's have hot pot!"
"Okay, more shrimp balls, beef rolls, lamb, and freshly cut beef."
The hot pot Yu Di was talking about was something they made themselves. To save money, they often ate at the cafeteria and cooked at home, which was much cheaper than hot pot in Chinese restaurants. The two girls went shopping at a Chinese supermarket. Li Wenjing had just added three boxes of beef rolls to the cart when the phone rang. It was Gu Weiyi.
"Wenjing, how are you? Are you at home today..."
Hearing his voice in both ears at the same time, Li Wenjing turned around and met Gu Weiyi's eyes. They were both stunned for a moment.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
