The pushover offended a top-tier boss

The black flag flew away from her sight.

Ye Zhenzhen withdrew her gaze, shrank her neck, zipped her down jacket all the way up, and got on her electric scooter.

The road was bustling with traffic, and streetlights were turning on one after another. She wore thick gloves, gripped the handlebars tightly, and rode for more than 20 minutes before finally getting home.

I stopped abruptly while passing the market. I'm so tired today, I suddenly don't feel like cooking.

She bought a bowl of hand-pulled noodles, and also picked out two heads of bitter chrysanthemum, a handful of romaine lettuce, a bag of duck blood, and bean curd sheets.

There are still some leftover hot pot meatballs and half a box of lamb slices in the refrigerator.

Go home and have hot pot.

It was already past seven o'clock when I got home.

She rents an apartment in an old building, on the sixth floor, without an elevator. Every trip home is a mini-marathon.

The small rented room was quiet and peaceful.

Ye Zhenzhen placed the vegetables on the kitchen counter and began washing them. She cut the duck blood into thick slices and the bean curd sheets into wide strips, arranging them neatly on a plate.

I took the small electric cooker out of the cupboard, plugged it in, poured in half a pot of water, and turned it on.

I took out the bag of hot pot meatballs and half a box of mutton slices from the refrigerator, and made a dipping sauce.

I turned on the TV, randomly picked a show to watch while eating, and turned the volume up just enough to fill the quiet room.

The water has boiled.

White steam rose from the side of the pot, warm and cozy, and she picked up a slice of mutton with her chopsticks and threw it in.

Take it out after one minute.

The lamb slices are tender and fragrant, coated with the rich flavor of sesame sauce and the mild spiciness of chili oil.

The hot pot bubbled and simmered, people on TV chatted and laughed, and outside the window, the winter wind blew and the distant sounds of cars could be heard.

She sat alone at the small coffee table, cross-legged, eating bite by bite.

The day's fatigue gradually disappeared.

She had just finished eating and washed up.

Chen Zheng sent me a WeChat message: [Want to play together?]

It was followed by a game invitation link and a cheeky emoji.

Ye Zhenzhen wiped her hands and clicked "Join".

As soon as the team voice chat connected, I could hear a lot of noise inside.

"Hey, Zheng, call over a girl." A boy's voice, nonchalant and teasing.

"I was telling you, you're not coming back from Bin City, so you've got a girlfriend now."

"Don't talk nonsense, this is my colleague," Chen Zheng cursed.

Ye Zhenzhen hesitated to speak, "I'm Ye Zhenzhen, and I'm several years older than Chen Zheng."

There was another girl in the team.

They all sounded quite young, and their accents had a slight Beijing accent.

They all greeted her with, "Hello, sister."

Chen Zheng asked her, "Ye Zhenzhen, is anyone still playing with you? Let's find another one to make a five-player squad."

"Then I'll ask my boyfriend."

She sent Meng Chen a WeChat message, but no one replied.

"My boyfriend might still be busy, you guys should call someone else," she said to the people in her team.

"Alright, I'll call Li Er over then," the boy said.

Chen Zheng's voice suddenly drew closer, tinged with curiosity: "What does your boyfriend do? Why isn't he off work yet? It's already past eight o'clock."

Ye Zhenzhen explained, "He's pursuing his doctorate in Beijing and will graduate next year. He's probably still busy with his dissertation."

"A PhD?" Chen Zheng exclaimed, with genuine admiration. "Wow, that's impressive, sister. Your family is full of cultured people."

Ye Zhenzhen chuckled: "What kind of cultured person are we? We're all just animals."

I studied hard for years to get a master's degree, but now I'm stuck in a small rented room and get criticized by my boss every day at work.

In the future, Meng Chen might be able to improve further and become a university teacher, but that would only make him slightly better than the average person.

Even in Binzhou, it takes several years to save up for a down payment on a house, and that's only if it's in one of the five outer districts.

Another guy chimed in, "Zhengzi, when are you coming back? It's been ages since we've seen each other. Are you really planning to drive for the boss for the rest of your life?"

Chen Zheng clicked his tongue: "That depends on when my brother calms down."

Ye Zhenzhen was a little curious, but she didn't ask. After all, she wasn't very familiar with Chen Zheng, and it would be impolite to ask about his private matters.

The new boy we brought in arrived, and with all five of us together, the game began.

Knowing she wasn't very good at the game, Ye Zhenzhen proactively chose the support role. Chen Zheng chose the marksman role and said in voice chat, "Just stick with me the whole time and follow my instructions."

She chose Ming Shi Yin, and led Chen Zheng's young lady by the hand, following him all the way. Chen Zheng would heal her whenever he told her to, and use her ultimate whenever he told her to.

During team fights, Chen Zheng unleashed skill after skill, each one deadly. When five opponents surrounded him, he dodged their crowd control with a flash and then countered with his ultimate.

"Support, unleash your ultimate!"

Ye Zhenzhen quickly unleashed her ultimate move, healing him with a large dose.

Pentakill.

When the system announcement sounded, the team voice chat exploded.

"Holy crap, Zheng Ge!"

"That's awesome!"

Ye Zhenzhen couldn't help but exclaim, "Amazing! 666!"

Chen Zheng chuckled twice on the other end: "Basic stuff."

In the following games, they won consecutively. Chen Zheng was indeed playing well; his awareness and skills were on a completely different level from the others.

At the end of the fifth game, Meng Chen's video call request popped up at the top of the phone screen.

"I'm done playing now," Ye Zhenzhen said. "My boyfriend is calling me."

"Okay," Chen Zheng replied, "I'll pick you up first tomorrow, then pick up my older brother. How about we get there at 7:30?"

Ye Zhenzhen hesitated for a moment: "Never mind, I'll take the bus myself."

"Are you stupid?" Chen Zheng interrupted her. "Why would you take a free ride and squeeze onto a crowded bus in this freezing weather? Send me your home address."

Ye Zhenzhen wanted to say something, but then thought he made sense. It was too cold to ride a bike in the dead of winter, and taking the bus meant getting up half an hour earlier. Besides, with Chen Zheng around, it wouldn't be awkward to hitch a ride.

She sent the address and then answered Meng Chen's video call.

On the screen, Meng Chen sat at his desk, with a messy bookshelf and a desk lamp in the background. His hair was disheveled, and his glasses reflected the light, making him look like he had been up all day.

"Baby," he rubbed his temples, his voice a little hoarse, "I was too busy today and didn't have time to check my phone. How's your first day on temporary assignment?"

"It's alright, I got scolded by the boss again, but the report was finally approved."

Meng Chen's expression relaxed, and he smiled: "That's how all big leaders are, they have high standards. They're usually fawned over, so just bear with it."

Ye Zhenzhen gave a frustrated "hmm," then added after a moment's thought, "But their skill level is indeed high; a few sentences they casually uttered are a perfect template for the essay section."

"That's right," Meng Chen pushed up his glasses, "Can someone who can rise to the position of Party Secretary of the New District at such a young age be an ordinary person?"

As he spoke, his voice softened: "Baby, I've been quite busy these past few days. I'll make time to see you next week."

Ye Zhenzhen's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Really." Meng Chen smiled. "I'll finish my work as soon as possible and then come find you."

"Yaoyao, I miss you." Ye Zhenzhen made a heart shape with her hands towards the camera.

"I miss you too," Meng Chen replied, his movements a little clumsy.

After hanging up the video call, Ye Zhenzhen lay on the sofa and stared blankly at the ceiling for a while.

Suddenly I felt happy again.

I'll be able to see Meng Chen in a few days.

If the boss is difficult, so be it. At least I'll take it one day at a time.

She rolled over, picked up her phone, and, almost unconsciously, typed three words into the search bar: Zhou Huaijin.

An encyclopedia page popped up.

Male, 33 years old, currently serving as the Party Secretary of Binzhou New District.

The photo was a standard work photo: a dark suit and a white shirt. His expression was serious, his eyes cold and stern, exactly the same as when he had scolded her in the break room that day.

Scroll down to see his resume—a master's degree from Peking University, he worked his way up from the grassroots level in a small town, rising step by step through various ranks.

The following content consists of news reports, research reports, and excerpts from speeches related to people's livelihoods.

All the information about this man on the internet is about work, business, and his serious demeanor.

Ye Zhenzhen withdrew.

She rolled over and buried her face in the sofa cushions.

forget about it.

What does this have to do with her?