Chapter 8
Regarding Shen Yiheng, Zhuang Yazhi felt that his biggest flaw was that if he couldn't have something, he would destroy it.
She didn't even need to think much; she could immediately guess that Shen Yiheng had orchestrated this trending topic, always trying to pressure her in this way.
"They called again just now to invite me to meet, but after thinking it over, I still feel that the Shen family is not a good match, so I declined."
Zhuang Yazhi praised her mother highly: "Mom is wise."
That's how it should be; we can't give him even the slightest chance.
Su Sinan couldn't stand the trending topic and planned to use her connections to suppress the news, but Zhuang Haiming was unwilling and refused no matter what she said, stammering that the truth would prevail and that there was no need to care.
Su Sinan disagreed: "They said the Zhuang family had already been pre-selected as the winner of the Shen family project, and that you only got involved with the Shen family because of your daughter; but you know the Zhuang family's strength better than anyone, it was only a matter of time before they won the bid, how could they say such things about you, it's clearly an insult to you!"
Zhuang Haiming was speechless when asked the question. If he could win the project by being insulted, he would be happy to do so.
But he always considered himself superior and cared a lot about his image in front of Su Sinan, so he was inevitably a little embarrassed by what she said.
Left with no other choice, he had to agree outright for now.
As soon as Su Sinan dialed the number, Zhuang Haiming immediately hid and made another call: "Make this a big deal." No matter what, he had to get his hands on the Shenhai project.
Zhuang Yazhi witnessed this scene from the second-floor balcony.
This time when she came back, she had a more comprehensive and renewed understanding of her father, which was gradually overturning all her previous perceptions.
Before the official winning bid documents were released, the rumors and gossip within the company, which was the primary gossip hub, were at their most intense.
As the leader of the gossip alliance, Zeiss Yue is actively spreading the news, her keyboard practically smoking from typing so fast.
She had just finished a departmental work meeting when she took the pretext of checking things out to walk around the office and politely asked if there were any other work arrangements that she could help with.
Zhuang Yazhi was busy. He looked up at her and gave a fake smile.
"You make your own arrangements first, I'll call you if anything comes up." Zhuang Yazhi didn't even bother to give her a perfunctory reply.
Cai Siyue didn't want to make a fool of herself, so she pretended to be obedient, said "oh," and left.
Li Si cautiously closed the door: "Manager, she just secretly took a picture of you."
“It’s alright,” Zhuang Yazhi gestured to Li Si not to be nervous.
"You can spread rumors about me, but if it involves company information, I'll fire you immediately."
Li Si's eyes lit up; she understood.
Top floor, Chairman's office
The shareholders' meeting had just ended when Zhuang Haiming called Zhuang Yazhi over, saying he had something to discuss. He was about to speak but then hesitated, appearing somewhat embarrassed.
"Dad, just say what's on your mind." He was clearly harboring a lot of bad intentions, but he pretended to be suffering in silence, which made people uncomfortable to watch.
Zhuang Haiming was very distressed. "Oh dear," he said, looking quite embarrassed.
"Look at the mess this has made, the internet is flooded with negative information," he said, while observing Zhuang Yazhi's reaction.
"Now everyone is saying that the Zhuang family has hooked up with the wealthy Shen family, saying all sorts of nasty things."
“They said it, I don’t care if they said it about me, but how can they slander you like that?”
Zhuang Yazhi just smiled and waited for him to finish spouting nonsense.
"At the board meeting just now, all the shareholders recommended temporarily removing you from your position, and I was the first to object. But..."
“The sinking project is extremely important to the Zhuang family, especially now at such a critical time.”
Zhuang Haiming, looking troubled, said in a roundabout and evasive manner, "I'm in a difficult position."
Zhuang Yazhi cleverly pretended to understand and nodded. So that's where she was waiting for him, which gave him a legitimate opportunity to fire her.
His eyes darted around, feigning sadness while simultaneously hoping Zhuang Yazhi would say something.
The office suddenly fell into an unusual silence as the two waited, quietly observing each other.
“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Just as Zhuang Haiming was about to try to persuade her again, Zhuang Yazhi was the first to agree.
Zhuang Haiming paused for a second, a fleeting look of barely suppressed joy in his eyes. Even now, he was still putting on a good show, feigning concern: "Dad knows that this time it has been difficult for you, but Dad has thought about it again. How can a mere public relations manager be worthy of Ya Ya? After all, the entire Zhuang family will belong to Ya Ya in the future."
The pancake was very dry, but seeing Zhuang Haiming talking so enthusiastically, Zhuang Yazhi joined in the boasting and chit-chat: "Of course, I am the eldest daughter of the Zhuang family."
But one thing is absolutely right: from now on, the entire Zhuang family will belong to Zhuang Yazhi, and it can only belong to her.
The news of her dismissal caused quite a stir. The happiest person to receive this news was Cai Siyue. She had just returned to the office when she received an email from HR offering her the position of acting public relations manager. She had been waiting for this day for a long time.
"Congratulations!" Cai Xincheng offered his congratulations first.
Cai Siyue was quite arrogant: "Hmph!"
"I'm so happy today, I'll cook you your favorite plum-flavored pork ribs tonight, no need to thank me~"
"You clever little devil," Cai Xincheng laughed heartily, all his emotions were dictated by his daughter, and his daughter's happiness made him happy.
Outside the office, Zhuang Yazhi was about to come back to get a document when she happened to see this scene. She stood there stunned for a long, long time.
Some people would do anything to get their daughters the public relations manager position they want, but Zhuang Haiming wouldn't even give her that.
On the way back, Zhuang Yazhi remained silent in the car, and Li Si called out to him several times but did not hear him.
"Is something the matter?" She was a little tired and wanted to find a secluded place to rest for a while.
Li Si did indeed have something to do, and it was a big deal.
"President Shen would like to meet with you."
"I won't see you," Zhuang Ya instinctively refused.
Li Si thought the same thing when he received the invitation to meet, but this time, Zhuang Yazhi really had to go.
"It concerns the Shenhai project. Mr. Shen would like to discuss this with you before presenting the winning bid documents."
It was another underwater project, and Zhuang Yazhi felt a nameless irritation and anger rising in her heart.
The meeting place was the rooftop garden of the tallest building in Haicheng. From this position, you could see the whole city, especially after nightfall when the colorful lights were mesmerizing and dazzling.
The tallest building in Haicheng belongs to the Shen family. Besides Shen Yiheng, Zhuang Yazhi is the second person to set foot in this place.
Unlike usual, Shen Yiheng was wearing a white suit today, which contrasted beautifully with the red rose garden. He looked more radiant than the flowers, and his usually cold expression didn't seem so sour anymore.
A blue dress swayed in front of the glass door, her beauty and innocence reflected in the scene. Shen Yiheng strode forward to greet her, and with gentlemanly manners invited her to sit down: "We meet again."
Zhuang Yazhi met his gaze directly, her eyes icy cold.
Yes, we met again, it felt like seeing a ghost.
At the dinner table, Shen Yiheng served Zhuang Yazhi very attentively, piling food onto her plate as if afraid she wouldn't have enough to eat.
"You didn't call me here just for a meal, did you?"
Having eaten and drunk his fill, Zhuang Yazhi just wanted to finish discussing business and leave as soon as possible.
Shen Yiheng was actually quite willing to just have a meal, since he thought he had eaten a very satisfying and full meal before discussing serious matters.
He swirled the red wine in his glass, trying to decipher Zhuang Yazhi's thoughts through the hazy light and shadow. Her face was full of resistance, devoid of emotion, as if she didn't see him at all.
After a long stalemate, Shen Yiheng finally took the initiative and handed over two documents he had prepared to Zhuang Yazhi.
"Two winning bid documents, one from Zhuang's and one from Xingcheng."
His unspoken meaning was simple: choose one of the two options, and how to choose was up to Zhuang Yazhi.
Yellow paper with red characters, each word eye-catching.
That was the winning bid document that Zhuang Haiming had been dreaming of, and now it was placed in front of her.
What are the conditions?
Shen Yiheng's eyes were naked, and against the backdrop of the dim sky, they shone with tiny glimmers of light, comparable to the twinkling of stars in the sky.
Every decision he makes comes with countless conditions attached; this piece of meat is not easy to eat.
What Shen Yiheng wanted was actually very simple, not as complicated or terrifying as Zhuang Yazhi thought.
He looked at Zhuang Yazhi, his words firm: "I want to have more contact with you."
After examining the documents and considering them for a while, Zhuang Yazhi picked up the winning bid document bearing the name of the Zhuang family.
The next second, almost without hesitation, she threw the document into the brazier at her feet; she didn't want the Zhuang family to get their hands on the tender document.
"I was fired from the Zhuang family this afternoon. Now the Zhuang family has nothing to do with me, so Ya Zhi will naturally not make a choice in this matter."
The document fell into the fire pit and was burned to a great extent within seconds.
"Don't you want the Zhuang family?" Shen Yiheng couldn't understand; he could never fathom Zhuang Yazhi's thoughts.
Undoubtedly, Zhuang Yazhi wants the Zhuang family, but she will not choose to stand with Shen Yiheng because of the Zhuang family. She made this choice in her previous life, and the result was obviously wrong.
Zhuang Yazhi will no longer be restrained by Shen Yiheng because of the Zhuang family, and there is no possibility that she will have any further involvement with him because of this.
"The food tonight was delicious." It was all her favorite dishes.
But Zhuang Yazhi did not enjoy the meal; it felt like a lump in her throat, because every grain of rice and every piece of food tasted like coercion.
In just a few moments, the documents had all been burned to ashes. The flying ash was carried by the breeze and landed on Zhuang Yazhi's dress. Even though she had brushed it away, slight stains remained.
As for Shen Yiheng, Zhuang Ya raised her eyebrows and looked him over again, a complex emotion rising in her heart.
"Like the Shenhai project, let's stop here."
The cold rejection pierced his heart like a sharp awl. Shen Yiheng sat there, stunned, momentarily forgetting to react. The indifferent rejection made him afraid to respond.
He was momentarily lost in thought for a few seconds until that figure gradually disappeared into the distance, leaving him alone on the desolate rooftop, feeling the cold wind chilling him to the bone.
Looking down at the brazier, waves of heat assaulted his eyes, and the black soot stung them. Even with his eyes closed, he couldn't calm down for a long time. He bent over, head bowed, and felt a deep sadness.
Outside the glass door, Zhou Ying shook her head and sighed, "Sigh."
He had planned everything meticulously, but he hadn't anticipated her resolute determination.
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