The pushover offended a top-tier boss

For the next few days, Ye Zhenzhen felt extremely uncomfortable.

Meng Chen comforted her over the phone:

"Don't worry, baby. Such a high-ranking leader wouldn't bother someone as insignificant as you."

"Anyway, you're not happy at this school. Just hang in there for another year. I'll come find you after I graduate next year. There are placement quotas for spouses of PhD students. We'll be working in the same unit then, and I'll protect you."

Hearing her boyfriend's comforting words, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Meng Chen was her senior in graduate school, and he was studying for his master's degree in Beijing.

After graduation, the two were in a long-distance relationship. Fortunately, Beijing and Binzhou were not far apart, and they were able to meet up several times a month.

Fortunately, Meng Chen will graduate in six months, and the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl will be able to reunite.

But Ye Zhenzhen was still worried.

The first thing I do every day when I get to work is check the work group for messages.

The last thing I do every day after get off work is to make sure I haven't been fired.

But a week has passed.

Calm and calm.

There was no disciplinary notice, no conversation, nothing at all.

Only Zhang Yujie, the secretary of the middle department, came to nitpick a few times. She complained that she submitted her materials late, that her class meeting minutes were not written in a standardized manner, and that her office was not clean enough. These were all trivial matters, just like usual.

It was as if that day had never happened.

Ye Zhenzhen's heart eased a little, then tightened a little more.

Maybe... they really don't remember her?

Or perhaps the hospital is discussing how to punish her?

She is absent-minded at work every day.

Before, after get off work, I loved going to the market to buy ingredients so I could go home and cook whatever I wanted.

Then, enjoy the food while watching TV.

These days, I don't even feel like cooking after work. I ride my electric scooter to the market, go around for a bit, and then ride home without buying anything.

Meng Chen advised her, "Try to think positively. If it were really something, they would have contacted you already. I guess they really don't care."

Ye Zhenzhen thought about it and realized it made sense.

Such a high-ranking leader, how could he have time to care about such a small fry?

Meng Chen has been busy with his graduation thesis lately and is extremely stressed.

Ye Zhenzhen didn't bother him much and transferred three thousand yuan to him.

"Buy yourself some clothes and eat something nice."

Those of them who studied humanities didn't receive any bonuses, relying only on the meager subsidies. Meng Chen also frequently did part-time jobs in his spare time.

These days, you must be quite busy with your graduation project every day.

Meng Chen quickly said, "No, baby. I have enough money."

Ye Zhenzhen ordered him, "Stop talking nonsense and put it away!"

He had just clicked "accept" when he sent a "I love you" emoji.

"Baby, winter break will be here soon after this busy period, and we can spend a lot of time together. I miss you so much."

"Yes, I miss you too."

After cuddling for a while, the two hung up the phone.

Ye Zhenzhen still had a smile on her face.

In six months, they will no longer have to live apart.

They were each other's first love, and after a five-year-long relationship, they were finally about to tie the knot.

Although Meng Chen comes from an ordinary family, he is of good character and has a refined and handsome appearance, making him quite outstanding among doctoral students.

Although some straight men occasionally say the wrong thing and make her angry, it's not a big problem.

Nobody's perfect, so she didn't have such high expectations. She just hoped that Meng Chen would come to find her after graduation.

He has a doctorate, so he has a higher starting point than her and his career development will be better.

He also said that he would give her his future salary to manage, and that he would work hard to earn money to give her anything that others had.

She was quite content. Although her salary wasn't high, it was stable, and with Meng Chen's help, their standard of living wouldn't be too bad.

-

Ye Zhenzhen went to work as usual.

One day, Zhang Yujie suddenly called her in for a talk.

Ye Zhenzhen's heart pounded like a drum; she had prepared herself mentally for anything.

"Xiao Ye," Zhang Yujie said with a smile, "there's a counselor training course at the Aerospace University tomorrow, and our department has decided to send you. It's a rare opportunity, so make the most of it and improve yourself."

Ye Zhenzhen was stunned.

That's it?

Not a disciplinary action? Not a dismissal? Is it training?

She nodded blankly, "Okay... okay, thank you, Secretary."

Training is a chore that requires getting up early, signing in on time, and writing a summary afterward.

There are four counselors in their office. One of them, an older woman, has been on maternity leave ever since she arrived. She had her first child and then her second.

The other two are local girls, Chen Xueying and Guo Jiawen. One is from a family that received compensation for land expropriation, and the other is the niece of the vice president of the hospital.

She usually ends up doing these thankless and arduous tasks herself; she's gotten used to it.

She was still dizzy when she left the office.

Chen Xueying and Guo Jiawen were happily drinking milk tea and scrolling through their phones when they saw her come out, without even lifting their eyelids.

Ye Zhenzhen returned to her workstation, sat down, and stared blankly out the window.

She suddenly remembered that day in the lounge, the man's cold eyes, and the words "Get out."

So fierce.

It's so cold.

She shuddered.

Forget it, I don't want to.

No news is good news.

She comforted herself with this thought.

-

Her undergraduate classmate, Xu Nan, is a counselor at the Normal University and will also be attending this training.

Several days in advance, Xu Nan confirmed with her on WeChat:

[Zhenzhen, are you going to the training? I'm going too! Long time no see, let's have dinner together!]

Ye Zhenzhen looked at the message, her feelings complicated.

Xu Nan was her college classmate and roommate. But their relationship was like this: she was afraid you were having a hard time, but she was also afraid you were driving a Range Rover.

The relationship is neither close nor distant; it's neither particularly good nor bad.

The conference room was packed with people. Ye Zhenzhen was looking around when she heard someone in the front row call her name:

"Zhenzhen! Over here!"

Xu Nan, sitting in the first row, waved vigorously at her with a bright smile.

Ye Zhenzhen steeled herself and walked over.

She actually didn't like sitting in the front row. From childhood to adulthood, she was always the kind of student who was neither outstanding nor mediocre, with average grades, a non-competitive personality, and always sat in the corner during meetings, afraid of being called on.

But Xu Nan is different.

Xu Nan was always the one sitting in the first row, always the one raising her hand the most, and the teacher's favorite.

She was beautiful and was their class monitor back then. She loved to organize and show off, and she also loved to secretly compare herself to others.

Every time we meet, the topics are always the same: how is our school, how are our benefits, how is my boyfriend.

Ye Zhenzhen's school is a newly upgraded, bottom-tier undergraduate institution with little strength; it couldn't even win the Spiritual Civilization Award.

Xu Nan went abroad for her postgraduate studies and entered a key provincial university upon returning to China. Every time they met, Ye Zhenzhen felt like she was there to play a supporting role.

Sure enough, Xu Nan started as soon as she sat down during the break.

"Zhenzhen, I recently got promoted to intermediate level," she said in a low voice, but the smugness in her eyes was hard to hide. "I'm preparing to work my way up to associate professor. What about you?"

Ye Zhenzhen felt a lump in her throat.

She remembered that last year Xu Nan had asked her for help, requesting that she be added as a second author to her thesis. Xu Nan had been promoted to intermediate level based on that thesis.

"I'm still a teaching assistant..."

Xu Nan paused for a moment, then gave him a look that said, "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked, but I'm really curious."

"Good heavens, you haven't been promoted in three years?"

"I told you to cultivate a good relationship with the boss, now you regret it, don't you?"

"You were like this when you were in school, and you're still like this now that you're working. You're bound to suffer."

Ye Zhenzhen pursed her lips.

She was gentle, not good at socializing, and her grades were average. She used to be a nobody in the eyes of her teachers.

In the workplace, without connections, one is still considered an "honest person."

"Forget it, let's not talk about it." She smiled.

Xu Nan probably realized she had gone a bit too far, and immediately changed the subject:

"Okay, let's not talk about that. I brought you a gift."

She took two refrigerator magnets out of her bag and handed them to her.

It's one of those tourist souvenirs, a Leaning Tower of Pisa, a David statue.

"Thank you." Ye Zhenzhen took it and put it in her bag.

His gaze inadvertently fell on Xu Nan's bag.

She recognized the bag—LV's Boston monogram, a classic style, costing over 20,000 yuan at the boutique.

"I went to Italy during winter break, and this bag was a gift from my boyfriend."

"This is a new collection, do you like it?"

Xu Nan asked her.

Ye Zhenzhen nodded: "It looks good."

"The exchange rate is super favorable right now, it's three or four thousand cheaper than in China," Xu Nan winked. "Shall I bring one back for you next time?"

Ye Zhenzhen shook her head and smiled, "Never mind, it's too expensive."

She earns 7,000 yuan a month, 2,000 yuan for rent, and after deducting daily expenses, she doesn't have much left at the end of the month.

Meng Chen is pursuing his doctorate and lives on a meager monthly stipend. The cost of living in Beijing is high, and sometimes I even have to give him some extra money.

They plan to have Meng Chen teach at a university in Binzhou after he graduates, and then the two of them will save up for a down payment to buy a small house there.

She wouldn't even dare to dream of owning a bag that costs 20,000 yuan.

"Oh dear, you're just too frugal," Xu Nan said, putting away her bag, her tone carrying a hint of experienced wisdom. "Let me tell you, you need to know how to dress and present yourself so that your colleagues and superiors will respect you. Or, why don't you go and give a gift to your department secretary? When it comes to promotions, you need someone to speak up for you, right?"

Ye Zhenzhen didn't say anything.

She has given them before.

At the end of last year, she gritted her teeth and bought a shopping card worth 1,000 yuan. When no one was around, she secretly slipped it to Zhang Yujie, the department secretary.

The very next day, Zhang Yujie reported her to the hospital, saying that she "attempted to bribe leaders and had improper conduct," and even issued a public reprimand to the entire hospital.

She still doesn't understand what she did to offend Zhang Yujie. The other two people in the office are always late and leave early, leaving all the work to her, yet Zhang Yujie always greets them with a smile.

Everything she does is wrong.