Returning - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Work Injury

Seeing Xue Zhan sit down in Xue Zi'ang's office chair, Zhao Yu placed the document in her hand in front of him.

"This is the one Secretary Ye just took up to you. Secretary Wang probably didn't get a clear look and made a mistake. The original data is in the system. Wait just a moment, I'll pull it up for you."

She kept her head down the whole time, not daring to look at Xue Zhan. She had a feeling he hadn't glanced her way once either.

After pulling up the data and handing it to him, she hesitated for a couple of seconds before asking, "Director Xue, would you like tea or coffee?"

"No need. Just make sure no one disturbs me."

Zhao Yu silently withdrew from the office. She spotted a young woman decked out in designer brands waiting outside, and suddenly understood why Xue Zhan had to personally come down to handle this.

Since arriving at headquarters, she'd heard plenty of gossip. Xue Zhan had never married, and over the years, he'd rarely even dated. The Chairman was anxious, often finding suitable socialite daughters to forcibly introduce to him.

It seemed today's matchmaking prospect had tracked him down. Unable to directly send her away, he'd used the issue with this report as an excuse to seek refuge in Xue Zi'ang's office.

The impeccably dressed woman looked to be about Zhao Yu's age, but her aura was exceptional, her posture elegant. One glance was enough to tell her status was extraordinary.

She smiled and asked Ye Zi, who was still in a fluster, "Is Vice Chairman Xue Zhan here?"

Ye Zi, also recognizing this was no ordinary person and not daring to offend, nodded and pointed toward the office.

Zhao Yu promptly stepped forward with a smile, greeting her, "Are you here for Director Xue? As it happens, a report had a problem earlier. He's in a foul mood, even smashed a cup just now. We don't dare try to persuade him. Since you're familiar with him, perhaps you could try calming him down? Anger damages the body; it's no good letting him seethe like this."

The woman glanced at the mess on the floor that hadn't been cleaned up yet. She hesitated, but ultimately didn't dare step forward.

With that lie, Zhao Yu could have kept her out without offending either side. But then that idiot Ye Zi, completely oblivious to the situation, thought Zhao Yu was just sucking up to this woman. She suddenly snorted derisively, her words dripping sarcasm: "Seems Assistant Zhao's eyesight is poor. I was the one who accidentally broke that cup. How dare you try to pin the blame on Director Xue?"

The woman, who had been polite and poised until now, heard this. Her smile vanished instantly as she shot Zhao Yu a venomous glare.

Zhao Yu shot Ye Zi a helpless look, silently cursing her with her eyes: Fucking team-killer.

Ye Zi, thinking she could successfully use this woman to cut Zhao Yu down, added fuel to the fire: "Assistant Zhao, you really should conduct yourself with more propriety. Isn't trying to seduce President Xue every day enough? Someone like Director Xue—he's not someone you can covet."

"So that's how it is." The woman scrutinized Zhao Yu from head to toe, let out a contemptuous snort, and raised the exact same question Ye Zi had earlier, "You think you're worthy?"

A team-killer meets an enemy team-killer. What else could she even say? Zhao Yu remained calm, still smiling, and stated evenly, "Director Xue has urgent matters to attend to and dislikes being disturbed."

"Is it him who dislikes it, or you? I was just in his office before. Why didn't I hear anything about him not liking it?" Anger had already flooded the woman's eyes. "A mere assistant dares to lie to me? Know your place. Save those petty schemes of yours!"

Her tone grew heavy on the last sentence. As the words left her mouth, her right hand thrust forward forcefully. Zhao Yu, unbalanced, stumbled back two steps. Her stiletto landed squarely on the shards of the coffee cup, making her whole body lurch violently.

Knowing there were ceramic fragments on the floor—if she went down, she'd likely get cut—Zhao Yu's instincts reached a hand out to the side, trying to grab the table to steady herself.

But in a split-second calculation, she simply stopped struggling. She let her staggered steps carry her down, and as she fell, she drove her right hand straight into the pile of shards on the floor. A sharp, piercing agony instantly radiated from her palm.

At the sound of Zhao Yu's muffled cry of pain, both the woman and Ye Zi froze, staring blankly. They watched as bright red blood began to stream from her palm.

The office door was pulled open. When Xue Zhan stepped out, this was the scene he walked into.

Zhao Yu hadn't locked the door when she exited earlier. The office door was left ajar. None of the commotion outside had managed to escape his ears.

"Director Xue…"

"Xue Zhan." Unlike Ye Zi's nervousness, the other woman was completely composed. "Sorry about that. Lost my temper and shoved one of your employees. I'll pay her compensation."

She said it with utter nonchalance, more casual than stating, "I broke your toy."

And of course. In the eyes of these wealthy people, ordinary folks' lives weren't even worth considering. What was a shove and a minor injury? Nothing at all.

Zhao Yu lifted her head, glanced at her, and forced a smile. She picked herself up from the floor, walked over to her own desk to grab some tissues to press against the wound, then, without a word, headed for the elevator, alone.

There was a pharmacy next to the office building. She went to disinfect it, and when she returned to the office after bandaging the wound, there was no one there anymore. The shards and bloodstains on the floor had already been cleaned up by the janitor.

Not long after, a young woman emerged from the elevator. It was Wang Qi, Xue Zhan's secretary.

Wang Qi looked at the gauze wrapped around Zhao Yu's palm and asked, "You okay?"

Zhao Yu also looked down. She wiggled her injured hand in front of her. "Just fine. Not crippled."

Wang Qi laughed humorlessly. "This world is so goddamn fucked up. A woman has a little success at work, she just gets slandered for it. And in the eyes of some rich people, our lives as the poor are just worthless shit."

Zhao Yu understood exactly what Wang Qi meant.

If all the rumors and gossip Zhao Yu experienced were something she'd helped stir up herself, then Wang Qi was someone ten times more wronged, a hundred times more unfairly maligned than her.

So, seeing what had happened to Zhao Yu now, it struck a chord, triggering Wang Qi's own feelings. That's why, within the company, Wang Qi had always treated her with a certain unspoken empathy, a mutual understanding between kindred spirits.

Unfortunately, Zhao Yu didn't have the right to be as forthright and honest as Wang Qi, nor could she truly accept this offered empathy.

Realizing she'd perhaps let her tongue slip a little too freely, Wang Qi gave a low chuckle. "Director Xue fired Ye Zi. Satisfying, isn't it?"

Zhao Yu smiled. She wasn't surprised. "It's fine. I knew all along someone like her wouldn't last long at any company."

"No kidding, right? Stupid and vicious." Wang Qi shrugged. "Director Xue told me to let you know—this counts as a work injury. Medical expenses are covered by the company. You can take a few days off to rest and heal properly."

Zhao Yu didn't stand on ceremony. She clasped her hands together in a mock salute toward Wang Qi. "Thanks, Sister Wang. I'll clock out right now, go home and laze around for a few days. Guess this is what they call a blessing in disguise."

"This you call a blessing? What if she'd shoved you straight into a table corner or a knife? No blessing would've saved you, even with all the time off in the world."

At this, Wang Qi leaned closer to Zhao Yu, raised an eyebrow, and lowered her voice. "That Miss Yu followed Director Xue upstairs. When she came out of the office, she was running and crying. I'm guessing Director Xue didn't even bother pretending anymore now, just straight-up gave her the cold shoulder. That, at least, should help you feel a little vindicated."

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