Volume 1, Chapter 50: A Graceful Matron

Before coming to the hospital, I had already inquired about her from Mei Xueyan. Her name was Zhang Yin, and she owned numerous businesses, ranging from restaurants and food to KTVs. In short, whatever was trendy, she did. She was quite famous in the business world, and many people respectfully called her Sister Yin.

Perhaps because I had saved her life, she held no airs in front of me. Seeing me enter, she immediately got down from the hospital bed, took my hand, and spoke with great emotion, "Thank you, thank you for saving me. If it weren't for you, I probably would have perished in that fire."

I smiled and said, "It's nothing. Anyone else in my place would have done the same."

Hearing this, Zhang Yin's expression suddenly darkened. She cast a cold glance at Kuang Li and said mockingly, "That's hardly certain. Not everyone is like you. I was abandoned by that jerk Chen Zheng after getting drunk, and he just ran away and left me to my fate."

Kuang Li's face turned pale, and she lowered her head with a desolate look.

Zhang Yin shifted her gaze back to me and smiled gently, "Wait here for a moment, I have something for you."

With that, she turned around, pulled open a drawer, took out an envelope, and handed it to me.

I looked at her hesitatingly, "This is..."

Zhang Yin smiled and pushed it directly into my hands, "Just open it and see."

I opened the envelope, pulled out a bank card, and stood there in a daze, "This..."

"There is two hundred thousand in here. I don't mean anything by it; it's just a small token of my appreciation."

To be honest, two hundred thousand was a huge sum of money to me. To say I didn't want it would be a lie, but I still returned it to her.

I put the bank card back into the envelope and handed it to her, "I can't accept this."

Zhang Yin was taken aback. Fearing I might misunderstand, she hurriedly explained, "Don't get me wrong. I just want to show my gratitude, nothing more."

Although I was reluctant, the money wasn't mine. Taking it would make me feel uneasy. After a moment of hesitation, with tears in my eyes, I pushed the bank card back toward her.

"If you truly consider me a friend, take this money back. Friends don't talk about things like this."

Zhang Yin burst into laughter, "Alright, then I've made up my mind to be your friend. From now on, you are my brother, my own younger brother."

She glanced lightly at Kuang Li, paused, and said to me, "I heard there is some conflict between you and Chen Zheng?"

I looked at Kuang Li as well. She was standing beside Zhang Yin, blinking frantically at me from a blind spot, begging me to show some mercy.

Heh.

I sneered inwardly. Looking at Zhang Yin's impeccably maintained face, I smiled and said, "There is no conflict between Chen Zheng and me."

Kuang Li let out a sigh of relief when she heard that, but my next sentence instantly changed her expression.

"That bastard Chen Zheng cuckolded me. Do you call that just a conflict?"

"..."

Kuang Li's face changed drastically, panic flashing in her eyes as she froze on the spot.

Zhang Yin glanced at her and instantly understood. Sneering, she said, "Call Chen Zheng over right now. Don't blame me for not sparing his feelings if you're late."

Kuang Li nodded frantically like a pecking chick, "Okay, okay, okay. I'll call him right now."

With that, she clicked away in her high heels, clack, clack, clack, out of the room.

Only Zhang Yin and I were left in the ward. She smiled and said, "I said in the fire that I wouldn't forget you. Since you refuse my money, I must do something else for you. That Kuang Li... your relationship with her isn't simple, is it?"

I nodded and said with a bitter smile, "To be honest, she is my ex-girlfriend."

Zhang Yin's eyebrows twitched, and a sudden look of realization dawned on her.

"No wonder! Chen Zheng has been wanting her to contact you, but she was quite hesitant. In the end, Chen Zheng forced her to do it."

A myriad of complicated emotions welled up inside me. If Kuang Li hadn't cheated on me back then, how could all these things have happened?

Although I didn't mention the past, Zhang Yin was an experienced woman; she naturally guessed the relationship between the three of us.

Zhang Yin gave me a hearty pat on the shoulder, "Brother, don't you worry. When Chen Zheng arrives, just watch how I vent your anger. From now on, your matters are my matters."

I grinned and said, "There's no need for that, Sister. I can handle things between him and me myself."

Zhang Yin shook her head, "That won't do. That shameless fellow got me drunk, ran away first when the fire started, and even stole your girlfriend. How could I let him off the hook? If there's anything you want me to do, just tell me."

I remembered the purpose of my trip and chuckled, "Since you've offered, I really will speak my mind."

Just as I finished briefing Zhang Yin, a hurried sound of footsteps echoed from outside the door.

The door opened, and Chen Zheng walked in, all smiles. He glanced at me, his attitude taking a complete one-eighty-degree turn.

"Oh, Yu Bin is here too! President Zhang has been talking about you all day. You've finally come."

He paused, turned to look at Zhang Yin, and began to suck up, "President Zhang, my efficiency is top-notch, right? You wanted to see Yu Bin, and I rushed to find him for you. He and I are buddies, no different from each other."

Chen Zheng spoke with great enthusiasm, completely oblivious to the fact that Zhang Yin's regal face was growing colder by the minute.

Hearing him finish, I frowned. It was no wonder he was wealthier than I was—it made sense. Good people care about their dignity, while bad people care about nothing. I had always stubbornly clung to my bottom line, but his bottom line was having no bottom line at all.

Chen Zheng spoke and eagerly reached out to put his arm around my shoulder, but I pushed him away.

I sneered, "President Chen, we only have one face, we ought to save a bit of it."

Chen Zheng's smile froze, but he quickly recovered, rubbing his hands together with a dry laugh.

"Look at you, we can consider this as becoming friends through fighting!"

Zhang Yin swept a glance at him, her gaze as cold as frost, "Is that so? Good enough to steal your buddy's woman?"

"..."

Chen Zheng fell silent for a few seconds, forcing a smile at me that looked worse than crying.

"It was my fault before. I hope Brother Yu Bin will be the bigger man, not hold a grudge against me, and just treat me like a fart letting go."

I gave an awkward laugh and said, "President Chen is joking. Didn't President Chen say before that if our company didn't fire me, you wouldn't cooperate with our work?"

As soon as those words fell, Chen Zheng eagerly chimed in, "I've already instructed Xiao Wu to be proactive and actively cooperate with your work. Whatever requests you make, we will cooperate at the very first moment. The only comfort I had when the warehouse caught fire this time was that it didn't reach your storage room..."

Hearing this, I almost threw up. Indeed, having no shame makes one invincible. I quickly waved my hand, "Please don't say things like that. I am no Zhuge Liang taking arrows with straw boats."

Chen Zheng was startled, "What do you mean?"

"Stop projecting your cheapness onto me."

"..."

Chen Zheng fell silent for a few seconds, his expression shifting between pale and ashen. Yet, because he was currently begging for my favor, no matter how furious he was inside, he had to put on a show on the surface. Although what I said was a severe slap to his face, it felt truly exhilarating.

A hint of a smile crept into Zhang Yin's cold eyebrows and eyes, a trace of disdain curling at the corner of her lips.

"Chen Zheng, if you want me to reduce the compensation, it's fine. But you must make Yu Bin forgive you. He is my younger brother; if he doesn't agree, you can just wait to pay the full compensation. At the same time, none of my friends will continue to do business with you. Decide for yourself."