Chapter 40: I’ll Protect Her

Yao Jia wasn’t sure if Meng Xingzhe was just making small talk, but the thought of him being so two-faced made her reluctant to engage with him.

She turned her head away, pretending not to hear him. It was as if Meng Xingzhe had become invisible, and she had seen nothing but air.

Meng Xingzhe sighed and asked, “What’s wrong with you today? You’ve been acting strange all day. Did I steal your money or something?”

Yao Jia continued to ignore him, treating his words as if they were just random noise in the air, unworthy of attention.

To avoid being dragged by Tian Huasheng to the break room with the others, she decided to leave on her own without waiting for him.

Just as she stepped out of her workspace and into the corridor, Lin Qian called her over.

Lin Qian first chatted with her about the issues with Heyi.com.

“Heyi.com has now added a notice about their paid installation services, stating that the fees are meant to support the workers who need help. Customers can choose whether to purchase this service voluntarily.”

“In the future, if anyone calls about this issue, you don’t need to forward them to me. Direct them to Heyi.com. They’ve issued an internal notice that anyone who doesn’t want to pay for installation will get a refund, and they won’t pass the problem back to us at Kunyu.”

Yao Jia was relieved to hear that Heyi.com had taken responsibility. She asked Lin Qian, “Team Leader, did you talk to Heyi.com’s customer service about this?”

Lin Qian smiled, “How could I? It would take someone at least at Manager Li’s level to handle that.” She paused and then told Yao Jia, “I have a friend who works at Heyi.com. She said it was Wen Zhihe who issued the directive after returning.”

Yao Jia was impressed.

Giving customers the choice was Lin Qian’s suggestion, and Wen Zhihe had adopted it after returning.

As she looked at Lin Qian’s attractive face, her thoughts began to wander to scenarios of a domineering CEO and a small employee.

Lin Qian’s voice snapped her back to reality.

“Yao Jia, let’s get down to business. The new duty roster is out, and you’re on the night shift tonight.”

Yao Jia was taken aback.

Normally, she didn’t mind which night she was on duty, whether it was the first half or the second half of the night. She wasn’t picky.

But tonight was different.

She needed to visit little Shanshan. There were things she wanted to discuss with the endearing child.

She tried to negotiate with Lin Qian, “Team Leader, I have something important tonight. Can I swap shifts? Any other day is fine, and I can even cover the whole night alone.”

Lin Qian didn’t ask what her plans were, simply smiled and said, “Judging by your expression, you must really have something important. How about you swap with Tong Yumo from your dorm? She can cover for you tonight.”

Yao Jia clasped her hands in gratitude, her playful demeanor making Lin Qian laugh. Lin Qian gently tapped her on the head, like an older sister doting on a mischievous little sister.

Feeling inexplicably happy from the tap, Yao Jia went to the break room and treated herself to a nice glass of juice.

When she returned to the call center, she saw Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen flanking Tong Yumo’s desk, seemingly comforting her.

Hao Lidan looked up and, seeing Yao Jia approaching, immediately called out, “Yao Jia, wait a minute!”

Her tone was aggressive, as if ready for a confrontation.

Yao Jia wasn’t afraid of confrontations. Whether she could win or not, she never backed down.

She stopped in the corridor, near Meng Xingzhe’s desk, and responded, “What’s up?”

Tian Huasheng was sitting in her chair, chatting with Meng Xingzhe. Hearing the exchange, both paused their conversation and watched.

On the other side, Tong Yumo looked up as well. Yao Jia noticed her eyes were red, as if she was on the verge of tears but was holding them back.

She looked so pitiful that anyone, man or woman, would feel compelled to stand up for her.

Just like Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen, who both stepped away from Tong Yumo’s desk and approached Yao Jia with a sense of righteous indignation.

Hao Lidan spoke first, smiling but with a sarcastic edge, “Yao Jia, you’re new here, and Sister Hao has been working for three years. Isn’t it fair for me to give you some advice?”

Yao Jia raised an eyebrow and smiled but didn’t respond.

Hou Wenwen, eager to play along, jumped in, “Of course, Lidan, you’ve been here six months longer than me. You should definitely teach the newcomers how to behave and work!”

Hao Lidan stepped down steadily, saying, “Alright, Yao Jia, Sister Hao has something to say to you today! Yes, you don’t like working night shifts, and that’s understandable. None of us like night shifts, they’re exhausting, right? But you can’t just push your shift onto someone else because you don’t like it. By doing that, you end up with one less shift each month, but the person forced to swap with you has to work an extra day!”

Yao Jia was a bit confused about what this meant.

“So you’re saying that with our night shift rotation, whoever is scheduled for the first day ends up working an extra day each month?”

Hao Lidan nodded. “Exactly. Don’t act like you just found out. You made it seem like you weren’t intentionally making Tong Yumo work an extra day by swapping shifts with her.”

Yao Jia couldn’t help but laugh. “But if you think Tong Yumo working an extra day each month is unfair, then before the swap, I was the one working extra. Why didn’t you think I was being treated unfairly?”

Hao Lidan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Hou Wenwen chimed in confidently, “That’s different. If you work an extra day, it’s because the leadership scheduled it that way. Everyone has to accept it when it’s assigned. But Yumo working an extra day is because you deliberately swapped shifts. You’re taking advantage of her honesty!”

Yao Jia originally wanted to say she would cover the extra day. But now, having been accused of bullying, suggesting she take the extra day would seem like she was guilty.

So she said, “Let her work the extra day this month, and I’ll do it next month.”

But this wasn’t the result Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen were looking for.

Especially since Yao Jia’s indifferent attitude directly infuriated Hao Lidan.

She was still smiling, but it was a cold, mocking smile, already tinged with aggression. “Yao Jia, you really are something. Acting like you can decide who works when, as if you have someone backing you up.”

Her tone was sarcastic and mocking, and she laughed coldly. Her words and laughter began to draw the attention of other Customer Service Representatives.

Hou Wenwen joined in, “I bet she does have someone backing her. Lidan, we should be polite to Yao Jia. Look at her, clearly she has connections. We can’t afford to offend her, or we’ll end up like Yumo, always being pushed around!”

Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen were like a well-rehearsed duo, performing as if they had professional drama training. “Yes, she has people backing her. We can’t mess with her!”

Watching their performance, Yao Jia laughed in an infuriating way, saying, “Yes, I have connections. The boss is my dad.” She dared to speak the truth, not knowing if they would believe it.

“Hah!” Hou Wenwen scoffed, unable to contain herself, “Even if he’s your dad, he’s probably just a sugar daddy!”

Yao Jia’s face turned cold, her gaze sharp.

“You’d better watch your mouth. If I really take this up with you, you won’t be able to handle it.”

Her sudden fierceness startled Hou Wenwen. But she quickly realized she shouldn’t show fear, shouldn’t be intimidated by Yao Jia’s sudden change in demeanor.

She immediately retorted, though a bit weakly, “What, you can say the boss is your dad, but others can’t?”

Yao Jia almost wanted to slap her.

But suddenly, a shadow appeared in front of her.

Meng Xingzhe stood up from his workstation, stepping in front of her, blocking her from retaliating and also shielding her from Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen’s malice.

“What’s all this noise?” Meng Xingzhe stood between them, his tone impatient. “Aren’t you embarrassed, making a scene in front of everyone?”

Tian Huasheng also came over, trying to mediate, “Exactly, with all this noise, not only are people in our department watching, soon people from other departments will come to see the spectacle! How about this, whoever doesn’t want to work the night shift, give it to me. But remember, the pay for the shift is mine!”

Meng Xingzhe stood in the aisle, full of impatience. If this were Xingbei Technology, if there were employees who were so gossipy, talking on the phone all day without getting tired and still stirring up trouble, as the boss, he would have fired them unceremoniously.

But this wasn’t Xingbei Technology, and he wasn’t the boss here. To Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen, he was just the insignificant Xiao Meng.

So no one paid attention to this Xiao Meng.

Hao Lidan continued with her sarcastic laughter, “See, Wenwen, look at how capable Yao Jia is. Not only does she have people above her, but she also has people below her. Look, she’s got people protecting her everywhere!”

Her tone was strange, with a hint of something unsavory when she mentioned people above and below.

Yao Jia was about to step past Meng Xingzhe to confront them.

But Meng Xingzhe beat her to it, his voice ringing clear, each word like a stone dropping with weight, “I’m protecting her, so what? If you want to see how far I’ll go to protect her, whether I’ll just talk or also take action, feel free to keep going.”

Last night, he had been up half the night looking for a child and calming down the technical staff. He hadn’t slept well. Today, dealing with Yao Jia’s sarcastic remarks had already put him in a bad mood.

So when Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen heard these words from Meng Xingzhe, he was venting all the frustration that had built up from yesterday until now, unleashing a cold, fierce anger.

His anger was chilling and intense, creating a powerful aura. The usually handsome and carefree face now brimmed with a dangerous edge, ready to explode at any moment.

Seeing him like this, Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen were momentarily speechless.

They were genuinely afraid that Meng Xingzhe might reprimand them. At that moment, he exuded an overwhelming sense of arrogance and recklessness, as if he was capable of anything.

The two awkwardly returned to their workstations.

Meng Xingzhe scanned the room with a frown, his voice so cold it sent shivers down spines. “Why are you still here? Do I need to call the manager over to watch the show with you?”

The onlookers shrank back and dispersed awkwardly.

Standing behind Meng Xingzhe, Yao Jia couldn’t explain why her heart had been pounding ever since he spoke up. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts—why did he have to stand up for her? How was she supposed to continue disliking and ignoring him now?

She looked up just as Meng Xingzhe turned around.

Their eyes met again, catching her off guard, leaving her no time to compose her emotions.

She saw him frown and look down at her, then heard him say disdainfully, “I’ve never seen anyone as foolish as you, actively putting yourself in the line of fire.”

Yao Jia: “…” She did say her boss was her father, and that was the truth.

As work hours began, Yao Jia returned to her desk. Beside her, Meng Xingzhe acted as if nothing had happened, as if no one had targeted her, and he hadn’t stepped in to protect her from those who did.

Yet beneath Yao Jia’s calm exterior, her emotions were turbulent. Like a sea after a tornado, the storm had passed, but the waves continued to ripple for some time.

She felt that the more people interacted, the more they should understand each other. But this natural rule didn’t seem to apply to Meng Xingzhe. The more she interacted with him, the less she understood him.

At twenty-six, he often behaved childishly, bickering and arguing with her over everything. Sometimes she forgot that there was actually a significant age gap between them.

But at other times, especially in critical moments, he seemed to transform, exuding a calm and composed demeanor. How to describe him at those times? Saying he was strategic and had the bearing of a general wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Then there was his issue with relationships. All signs indicated he had a girlfriend, yet he still cast his net wide, pursuing wealthy and beautiful women. Yao Jia deeply despised this about him, and whenever she thought about his unfaithful nature, she didn’t even want to acknowledge him.

But when she was under attack, he would step forward to shield her from criticism and confront the oddballs. For someone like him who generally didn’t care to help others, this was a significant improvement and change.

In this regard, Yao Jia knew she should thank Meng Xingzhe.

But then, thinking back to his relationship issues…

Yao Jia felt torn between her dislike for Meng Xingzhe and her gratitude towards him. She was extremely troubled, unsure of how to face him.

After work, Yao Jia’s patience reached its limit. She felt she couldn’t hold it in any longer and needed to have a frank conversation.

She asked Tian Huasheng to head back first to prepare dinner in the dormitory.

She arranged to meet Meng Xingzhe and asked him to accompany her to the supermarket.

Meng Xingzhe flatly refused her invitation. “The supermarket? I’m not going.”

His reason was, “I don’t need anything. It’s crowded and noisy, not my thing.”

But his refusal and reasoning were meaningless to Yao Jia.

“Not going? You still owe me money, right? Either you come with me to the supermarket, or you switch the master bedroom with a private bathroom with me, or you pay me back the rest of the money.”

She laid out three options. She felt offering more than two choices was exceedingly generous.

Meng Xingzhe weighed the pros and cons and reluctantly chose option A.

On the way to the supermarket, Yao Jia got to the heart of the matter with Meng Xingzhe. She wanted to have an honest discussion about the moral boundaries in relationships.

Yao Jia said, “Meng Xingzhe, here’s the thing. I’m a straightforward person and can’t keep things bottled up. What I’m about to say might not be what you want to hear, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t like it. I’m saying it for my sake, not yours.”

Meng Xingzhe: “…”

Yao Jia continued, “After we found the child yesterday and returned to the dorm, I overheard you in your room—I emphasize, I wasn’t eavesdropping, you just didn’t close the door properly—”

Yao Jia paused, then mimicked Meng Xingzhe’s tone from the previous night, perfectly recreating the scene—

“Can we not break up so easily? Can you give me one more day? It’s not easy for us to be together, and we shouldn’t break up over a small issue, right?”

“If we get through this, our future will be bright and beautiful, won’t it?”

Yao Jia said, “Clearly, you have a girlfriend.”

Meng Xingzhe: “…”

Yao Jia: “It seems you’re having a breakup over some conflict. But that’s not the point. The point is, despite having a girlfriend, you’ve been asking the wealthy and beautiful women from various departments out for meals! And you borrowed money to do it! Do you know what that’s called? That’s called ‘riding a donkey while looking for a horse!’ Ugh, why should those women be the donkey and the horse? Clearly, you are! That’s called having one foot in each camp, being a player!”

Meng Xingzhe: “…………”

Meng Xingzhe was utterly bewildered, so much so that he didn’t know how to react.

Yao Jia said, “Honestly, with how awful you’ve been, I was determined to ignore you. But then you went and helped me this afternoon! Sigh, I’m someone who might not always seek revenge, but I must repay kindness. Since you helped me, I can’t just ignore you. However, if I do acknowledge you, I can’t accept your awfulness. So, I must lay everything out in the open.”

Yao Jia paused in her steps.

Meng Xingzhe stopped as well.

They stood on a tree-lined path leading to the supermarket. The sun was setting in the west, casting a golden glow that painted the evening city like a vibrant watercolor painting.

Yao Jia stood in the shade of the trees, raising her head to glare at Meng Xingzhe, who was also part of this painted scene. Her face was lit with the brilliance of the sunset, and her expression was more serious and earnest than ever before.

Meng Xingzhe looked at her upturned face and, for some reason, felt a sense of calm. It was as if she had quieted the bustling city around them. The cars passing by seemed to be muted, leaving only fleeting shadows.

He listened intently to what she had to say.

“Meng Xingzhe,” Yao Jia said solemnly, “I want to advise you—though you might not listen—but I sincerely urge you not to pursue other girls before you have ended things with the previous one. It’s harmful to everyone involved! And if you’re that kind of person, Xiao Tiantian and I can’t continue being your dinner companions. You might as well go beg for food tonight!”

Meng Xingzhe was speechless.

With the suggestion of begging for food, the beautiful watercolor evening vanished. The heavens withdrew their special effects, and the world was filled with noise again. Cars roared past, exhaust fumes assaulted the nostrils, and every inch of air was crowded with the sounds and smells of life.

Meng Xingzhe was now certain that Yao Jia had misunderstood him.

After returning to the dorm yesterday, he had been in a meeting with the technicians. Someone was unhappy that he left the meeting halfway through, leaving issues unresolved, and disappeared after saying he had an emergency. When he returned, that person expressed a desire to leave the project. What Yao Jia overheard was actually him trying to persuade that technician to stay. After much persuasion, the person finally agreed not to leave. They then spent most of the night brainstorming together and finally found a breakthrough to solve the bottleneck issue.

There was no girlfriend, no breakup—just a mess of misunderstandings!

But he couldn’t tell Yao Jia the truth, or he’d be exposed in an instant.

So he had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept the misunderstanding.

“Fine,” Meng Xingzhe nodded at Yao Jia, speaking through clenched teeth, “I’ll be a moral person. I’ll go back and properly break up with her, and once that’s settled, I’ll have dinner with other girls. Is that good enough?”

Meng Xingzhe found life incredibly amusing. He had to officially break up with an imaginary girlfriend.

Yao Jia looked at him, shook her head, and sighed.

That’s all she could do.

She looked at Meng Xingzhe in the fading light.

What a handsome man, with well-defined features, a high nose, thin lips, and a rebellious look in his eyes. His lips curled slightly, exuding a certain charm. His broad shoulders, narrow waist, tall stature, and long legs made him every bit the epitome of a fine young man.

It’s just a pity his restless heart was too unsettled.

She was glad that her initial relationship with him was just as colleagues. Even if they took a step further, it was only as dinner companions. At most, they could barely be considered friends. In the future, the best they could be was like siblings of the opposite sex, nothing more.

Fortunately, he didn’t meet any of her criteria for a partner. Even if there were moments when he shone so brightly that her heart skipped a beat, she never considered him as a potential boyfriend. She felt she had dodged a bullet.

Someone like him was fine as a friend but absolutely unsuitable as a boyfriend.

Yao Jia shook her head, sighed, and thought, “Forget it.” He said he wouldn’t two-time, and that’s all she could do to help the women involved with him.

She turned and resumed walking, saying to Meng Xingzhe as she went, “Alright, I asked you to come to the supermarket with me just to say these things.” She paused, then, like a machine devoid of emotion, added, “Now that I’ve said my piece, you can go back to your dorm.”

Meng Xingzhe was bewildered.

Had he really fallen to this point? Misunderstood, unable to explain, and now being summoned and dismissed at will?

He decided he wouldn’t go back. He insisted on going to the supermarket with her!