Chapter 351: She Bares Her Claws (1)
Si Zhengting had seen Zhuang Nainai walk into the Corporation, so he was very sure she was here at work.
After entering the President’s VIP elevator with Ji Chen, his gaze rested on the button to the 18th floor.
He thought about how she must have slept in the small house for the whole day. As he imagined her sitting in the bus on the way to work, groggy and sleepy, he suddenly felt a wave of worry for her health.
The old traditional Chinese medicine practitioner had said that her body was weak, and she had to take care to nourish it.
He shouldn’t have let Ji Chen call her; he should have let her rest for a few days to get enough sleep.
At the thought of this, his gaze, which was on Ji Chen, darkened immediately.
The heaviness of the gaze was too much for Ji Chen to bear. With trepidation, he said, “Sir, when TZ left, she gave me her office. I just realized that I’ve got to go get something. Would you want to make a trip with me to the 18th floor?”
Si Zhengting listened, his gaze cold.
Just when Ji Chen was anxiously worrying that he had just guessed the intentions of his boss wrongly, Si Zhengting raised his hand and pressed the button to the 18th floor.
Ji Chen was speechless.
The lift having arrived on the 18th floor, Si Zhengting barely took a few steps out of the lift when he spotted a few female employees huddled together and speaking in hushed tones.
He was about to ignore them entirely, but they were getting increasingly worked up, and the volume of their conversation rose. Without them knowing, their voices had already reached his ears.
“Why did Zhuang Nainai steal the design drafts for the Gu Corporation? Was it because of money?”
“Look at the clothes she’s wearing today! How could it be that she had any financial gain?”
“Unless… someone’s got something on her?”
“I say, Zhuang Nainai might be having some hanky-panky going on with the president of the Gu Corporation!”
“Whoa! Isn’t that man already over 50 years old?”
“What’s wrong with being 50? Haven’t you heard of the idea of being a godfather?”
The comments were getting harsher. Si Zhengting halted his steps, his face dark.
Ji Chen thought, Do these women think they’re dying too slowly?
Feeling the rage of Mr. Si building, he stepped forward, intending to warn the few female employees. At that same moment, however, there was a creaking sound, and a small frame emerged from the stairwell behind the group of women.
She had her back facing all of them, but even so, Ji Chen was still able to recognize that it was Madam!
Good lord!
Ji Chen thought, Madam must be so upset hearing all those nasty comments about her!
Was Madam going to cry out of anger?
Ji Chen turned around to look at Si Zhengting. Mr. Si was going to have a heartache again!
A pity he didn’t manage to catch Si Zhengting’s expression of tenderness. Instead… why was Mr. Si’s facial expression so odd?
Having thought this, he finally decided to stand where he was and watch the spectacle together with Mr. Si.
As Ji Chen observed more, his facial expression began morphing strangely as well.
―
With the door between her and her naysayers, Zhuang Nainai clenched her fists tightly as she heard their accusations.
These people were so undiscerning, so thoughtless! And now they were talking about her behind her back!
Zhuang Nainai’s heart was smoldering with rage.
She was never one to swallow injustices and sell herself short. The last time she had refrained from opposing Leader Zhang was because she had been afraid to bring the matter to Si Zhengting. But now… she had already fallen out with Si Zhengting, so there were no reservations to be held any longer.
Curling her lips, Zhuang Nainai pushed open the staircase door.
Chapter 352: She Bares Her Claws (2)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The people who were standing around and chatting were colleagues from the venue design department.
In the past, when Team Leader Zhang had bullied her, they didn’t react so explosively with their sense of justice!
Some people were talking animatedly. However, when they suddenly heard the sound of the door creaking open behind them, they turned around and saw Zhuang Nainai. They immediately looked awkward and halted their conversation. Then, they stared at Zhuang Nainai without any sense of embarrassment. Instead, they even looked at her scornfully before turning and walking away.
Zhuang Nainai stood there insolently, her gaze sharp as she addressed them, “Why are you leaving? Aren’t you going to continue with your conversation?”
A few women halted their footsteps. One of them turned back and said, “Zhuang Nainai, why are you still being so insolent? That’s right, we were talking behind your back. So what? Did you think that you had the right to plagiarize?”
Zhuang Nainai sneered. “Me? Plagiarizing? Did you see me do so with your own eyes? Or do you have some kind of proof that I did? Accusing me of plagiarizing without any evidence is something I can sue you for on the grounds of defamation!”
After Zhuang Nainai brought up defamation, the group of people didn’t dare to speak carelessly any longer. One person in the group was unwilling to let her gain the upper hand in the situation. She said, “We didn’t single you out as the person who plagiarized, why are you getting so worked up?”
“Wow, you’re denying that you were gossiping behind my back!” Zhuang Nainai reached her hand into her pocket and whipped out her cell phone. “Luckily I had the presence of mind to record your conversation, or else I wouldn’t have any proof!”
That person grew anxious, “You… how could you do this! How rude of you to do so!”
“It’s rude for me to record your conversations so as to protect my own reputation? Then what about you people, gossiping behind one’s back and denying that you did so to their faces? Isn’t that utterly shameless?” Zhuang Nainai retorted.
That person’s body quaked with anger. “Zhuang Nainai, don’t think that you can get away with what you did because you’re eloquent. The truth regarding the design drafts will be uncovered by the company sooner or later! Let’s see if you’ll be just as arrogant as you are then!”
Another colleague chimed in, “Yes, the Supreme Being is watching your every action! Zhuang Nainai, we’ll wait for your reputation to reach rock bottom — no, your reputation is already at rock bottom. We’ll wait for the day where you pay the price, legally, for what you’ve done!”
Zhuang Nainai lifted her head. “My conscience is clear. Since you’re so sure that I will face punishment under the law, how about we bet on it?”
One person within the group was curious enough to ask, “What bet?”
“Let’s bet on whether I actually plagiarized the drafts! Are you willing to bet $1,000,000 on it?!”
Everyone’s expressions changed drastically after hearing what she had to say.
Zhuang Nainai immediately grinned toothily as she said, “I’m afraid you all don’t have $1,000,000 to spare. Let’s reduce the wager. How about $500,000 instead?”
One of the persons in the group spat, “You’re crazy!”
“What, didn’t you say that I plagiarized the design drafts? If you don’t have $500,000, how about $100,000?”
This group of colleagues could not bear to talk to her any longer. They turned and stomped off.
Zhuang Nainai stood behind them, shouting after them, “Hey, you don’t even have the confidence to believe in yourselves and place your bets against me! You bunch of weaklings! Also, if you want to gossip behind someone’s back, you should check if that person is behind you before you do so!”
The group of colleagues sped up, as though if they walked any slower, she would prevent them from leaving.
At the same time, the doors of the elevator burst open with a “Ding!”
Mi Nuo held her bag, her head lowered and her expression blank as she walked out of the elevator. She suddenly saw something and jerked her head up violently, and she saw… Mr. Si?
Mi Nuo’s eyes lit up. Her designation was the most senior on the 18th floor, so if Mr. Si was here, he was definitely here to look for her.
Mi Nuo hurriedly fixed her hair, then smiled as she walked toward Si Zhengting.
