CH 21

Arc 2

Shen Yingying was waiting outside the ward. Zhou Hai was next to her. He looked at her silent and sad appearance and couldn’t help but say, “Ye-xiaojie[1] has been in poor health since she was a child. It can’t be helped that Zhong-zonghui[2] always worries about her a little more.”

Shen Yingying bit her lips. She was angry when she recalled Ye Wei’s haughty appearance. But, she was more sad Zhong Shen didn’t seem to believe her and thought she bullied Ye Wei. Obviously, Ye Wei was the one bullying her! What’s more, she only pretended to be sick!

Ye Wei was so good at scheming! She had been framed twice in a row by her!

She was a little nervous and uneasy, “Do you also think I’m bullying Ye Wei?”

Zhou Hai was Zhong Shen’s person. For him, Zhong Shen was his only boss. He only listened to him. For him, both Shen Yinying and Ye Wei were not within his scope of “listening to.”

But both were the few women around the boss. He needed to pay attention to them, Especially Shen Yingying. 

She became friends with Zhong Shen without knowing his identity. Probably, for Zhong Shen, Shen Yingying was also special.

He politely said, “The specific situation was unknown so I can’t make a judgment on it.”

Shen Yingying didn’t expect Zhou Hai’s answer to be like that. She became more frustrated, “Even if you said so, Zhong Shen would certainly think so, but I didn’t…”

Zhou Hai, “…” I didn’t say anything about it, though? 

However, he was accustomed to being silent and didn’t bother to refute it.

After waiting for a while, Zhong Shen finally came out of the ward. He was a little surprised when he saw Shen Yingying. She faced him silently, with expectations in her eyes that she herself didn’t notice.

Zhong Shen ordered, “Zhou Hai, send Shen Yingying back to the company.”

Zhou Hai accepted the order. Shen Yingying didn’t expect Zhong Shen would drive her away without saying a word. The hidden expectations in her heart turned into anger, “Wait a minute. There is something I have to say.”

The man gave her a cold look, “You still have something to say?”

Shen Yingying didn’t back down and raised her chin, “Zhong Shen, I didn’t hurt Ye Wei. She was fine when she talked to me, but she suddenly acted uncomfortable when she saw you coming… “

“Shen Yingying.” Zhong Shen said, “Ye Wei has a heart disease[3]. No one could predict when she will get an attack.”

Shen Yingying, “……”   

Her heart was pricked by a needle, “So, you don’t believe me?”

Zhong Shen, “Your words may be unintentionally triggering for her. It was an unintentional move on your part, so it’s not your fault.”

Shen Yingying was stubborn, “If I told you I didn’t say anything triggering for her, would you believe me?”

“That’s it,” Zhong Shen called out to Zhou Hai, “Send her back to the company.”

Shen Yingying laughed at herself. What did she expect? Ye Wei and he have known each other for so long. Compared to her, just how long had they known each other?

He must have believed what Ye Wei said, not her.

That’s right, Zhong Shen didn’t trust her.

It made her sad, but it’s true, Zhong Shen didn’t believe her.

She didn’t give up, “Whether you believe it or not, I don’t care. I, Shen Yingying, will not lower myself to do that kind of thing.”

Zhong Shen frowned. He wanted to say something, but he saw that the door of the ward was open. Ye Wei, who was pale and fragile, appeared at the door. She stepped forward and hugged Zhong Shen’s arm. Her smiling pale face was innocent, “Zhong Shen, I’m fine. Don’t blame her. Fierceness would only scare people. Look at Shen Yingying. Don’t you see she is scared? Zhong Shen, if you are like this, the outsiders that don’t know you will think you are a horrible person.”

Shen Yingying pursed her lips and kept silent.

Zhong Shen was very dissatisfied with Ye Wei’s action, “Why did you come out? Go back and rest.”

Ye Wei clung to Zhong Shen’s arm, “No. I forgive Shen Yingying. Don’t be fierce to her. Look, Shen Yingying is about to cry. “

Fierce? Him to Shen Yingying?

He spared a glance at Shen Yingying and saw that Shen Yingying’s face was indeed not very good, “Shen Yingying. Go back to the company first.”

Ye Wei was so happy. She gave Shen Yingying the “I’m a benefactor that saved your life” face. She smiled and didn’t let Shen Yingying speak, “It’s okay, rest assured. Zhong Shen won’t trouble you for this. Go back. Work hard and don’t repeat this kind of thing. I can’t just forgive you every time you do this kind of thing, no?”

Shen Yingying, “……”   

Zhong Shen was indifferent and Ye Wei was complacent. It was extremely humiliating and painful for Shen Yingying. Without saying a word, she turned and left.

Zhou Hai followed Zhong Shen’s orders and wanted to take her back. She glared, “No need to bother. I can go myself.”

Shen Yingying ran out angrily. Ye Wei was startled, “Shen Yingying, why did you run? What’s the matter with her, Zhong Shen? Did I say something wrong? Why does Shen Yingying look so angry? “

Zhong Shen, “I don’t know either.”

Shen Yingying, who hasn’t run far, was angered to death and almost spitted blood[4] because of Ye Wei. She didn’t look back. With a sneer, her footsteps became faster.

Zhong Shen stared at her back and muttered, “Why did Shen Yingying come to you? Did she say something to you?”

Why should Ye Chen tell him the truth? Like this, when the truth was revealed, it would be more shocking! The Male Lead undoubtedly would be distressed for the Female Lead’s grievances and injuries. Later, the Male Lead would deeply abhor the malice of the Supporting Female Lead.

She put on a puzzled face, “I also don’t know. She came to me and said some inexplicable words. Now, she ran away from me like that. I don’t know what she thinks.”

Zhong Shen frowned, “What did she say to you?”

Ye Wei pondered and shook her head unhappily, “I don’t remember it. I don’t want to talk about her.”

Zhong Shen noticed Ye Wei looked tired, so he stopped asking questions and led her back to her room.

Ye Wei tugged his arm, “Zhong Shen, stay with me until I fall asleep, okay?”

Zhong Shen refused, “I still have some work left. I’ll let Zhou Hai stay with you instead.”

Ye Wei glanced at Zhou Hai in the corner. Zhou Hai nodded at her, still poker-faced. Ye Wei turned back to Zhong Shen, “No, I don’t want Zhou Hai, I want you.”

Zhou Hai, “……”   

Zhong Shen was a man of his words. He was more persistent and obsessed with his work compared to ordinary people. In this case, his persistence stemmed from his dislike of spending time with Ye Wei. “Be good. I still have something to do. Don’t mess around.”

Ye Wei said, “I’m not messing around. I’m not feeling well! If you don’t accompany me, I’ll tell Ah-yi[5] that you bullied me.”

Zhong Shen, “……”   

Zhong Shen was not afraid of anything, but he really didn’t want to hear his mother nagging. She could nag at him for hours without rest.

He wisely chose to sit back. His tone was commanding, “Sleep.”

He thought Ye Wei wanted him to accompany her on purpose. She has been pestering him like this since she was a child. Asking him to tell her stories; Chatting and playing with him, and in the end, she didn’t sleep at all. The more she played, the more excited she became.

He didn’t like telling stories, nor did he like chatting and playing. He preferred solving questions and reading books. Because Ye Wei tried hard to chat with him every time, he was already experienced with her pestering. Every time she pestered him like this, he would bring a book and wait until Ye Chen was tired to coax her to sleep.

To his surprise, this time was different. She lay down for less than three minutes and was already in deep sleep.

Without pestering him to play and talk; Without even a single superfluous word. She covered herself with a quilt and immediately fell asleep.

Zhong Shen, “……”   

For a moment, he thought he was something that was thrown away after being used.

Zhong Shen rubbed his forehead. After confirming Ye Wei was asleep, he went out.

Zhong Shen returned to the company. He finished his work and went to the roof. Just quietly standing there. This was a small habit he has always had, but not many people know it. Shen Yingying was one of the few.

He habitually looked around and didn’t see Shen Yingying. He didn’t meet her again in the next two days. She was deliberately avoiding him.

Zhong Shen couldn’t figure out why. He took out his phone and wanted to call Shen Yingying, but decided not to.

He felt that when Shen Yingying was in a better mood, she would eventually come back.

It was on the third night, the sky was getting dark. Zhong Shen, who had just finished his business, took a cup of coffee to the roof. Sure enough, he saw Shen Yingying leaning on the railing, looking at the sky.

“What are you looking at?”

Shen Yingying seemed to have expected him to be here. She didn’t look back, “Nothing.”

Zhong Shen hummed.

Seeing it was already dark and the city lamps started to light up. Shen Yingying asked Zhong Shen, “If I told you I didn’t hurt Ye Wei, would you believe me?”

Zhong Shen frowned, “Shen Yingying, it’s already in the past.”

Shen Yingying stared at him and nodded, “So it’s like that, I see it now.”

“What do you see?”

“Nothing. I’ll leave first.”

Zhong Shen watched Shen Yingying leave quickly. He was confused. He never bothered to think about matters outside of work. Even with his high IQ, he still didn’t understand what was going on with Shen Yingying.

As a result, the next day, Zhong Shen received the news of Shen Yingying’s resignation.

“Resign?” Zhong Shen was even more confused, “Why would she resign?

Was Zhong-shi[6] not good enough for her?

“Where is Shen Yingying now?”

Zhou Hai couldn’t help but give his boss a strange look. He was really worthy of the title Working Machine. Zhou Hai shook his head, “Shen Yingying left the company after handing in her resignation.”

Zhong Shen,“?”

Ye Wei was in paradise, she ate delicious food and drank delicious drinks. Her face was emitting happiness. She didn’t even create trouble for Shen Yingying, let alone entangling Zhong Shen. She gave the Female Lead and the Male Lead time to develop their feelings.

Yet, within a few days, Ye Wei received a mysterious message saying, “Ye-xiaojie, have you heard? Shen Yingying resigned! I was passing by Zhong-zonghui’s office when I heard Zhou Hai’s report! I asked around and found out it was indeed true! She packed up her things and left immediately after handing in her resignation letter! She has realized her place! You don’t have to worry about her anymore, Ye-xiaojie!”

The message was sent by Yang Yiwen, Zhong Shen’s little secretary, and also her eyeliner. In order to buy Yang Yiwen, the original owner cozied her by sending her expensive bags and jewelry. Yang Yiwen was the reason she knew of the existence of Shen Yingying.

Ye Wei was very excited when she heard the news. Why wouldn’t she?  Her clock-out time was getting nearer!

Wei Fengqiong was quite satisfied with the result, “It’s time to teach Shen Yingying a lesson. Now let’s see if she still dares to show her face! Weiwei, don’t worry. She is just a clown, she won’t be able to make any waves.”

Ye Wei said, “Mama[7], Shen Yingying just resigned, not dead. We still have to deal with her seriously, don’t let our guard down.”

Wei Fengqiong, “……”

Even though Zhong Shen’s title was Working Machine, Shen Yingying’s sudden resignation made him realize he still could care about other things except for work. Shen Yingying’s departure and abandonment didn’t sit well with him.

He knew he didn’t want Shen Yingying to leave, but he didn’t realize the depth of his emotion yet.

When he went to the roof, he would think of Shen Yingying; When he was doing work, he would think of Shen Yingying; Once, he went to the roof and mistook a colleague as Shen Yingying, he was filled with momentary joy.

Therefore, the Female Lead’s resignation was by no means a farewell to the Male Lead, but the next step for their story to end in a happily ever after.

With the help of the Great God of Plot, the Male Lead would inadvertently see the Female Lead working in a coffee shop. After that, he would often pass by the coffee shop intentionally or unintentionally in order to meet the Female Lead.

Then they meet again, solve their misunderstanding and mend the old friendship.

The key point to solve their misunderstanding was, without doubt, Ye Wei.

After leaving Zhong-shi, Shen Yingying began to send resumes, looking for jobs everywhere. However, she kept it a secret from her family. To cover it up, she worked part-time as a waiter in a coffee shop near her home.

Her parents were always worried about her, especially after they had lost their jobs. Shen Yingying was the reason her parents lost their job, so she didn’t want them to get more worried because of this.

Her day was hectic, she didn’t have time to think so much. From time to time, she would think of Zhong Shen. Whenever she recalled him, she would be sad, but she knew her decision was the best for her.

She just wanted to live in peace.

However, within a few days of her quiet life, something happened. That day, as soon as she arrived at the coffee shop and had changed into her work clothes, she saw Ye Wei walking in surrounded by her little followers.

She hasn’t seen Ye Wei for a long time, but that girl was as glamorous as ever, wearing a high-end famous foreign brand. The bag in her hand must be worth the salary of ordinary people for a few years. Like always, she was the most dazzling existence.

She was shocked. Why was Ye Wei here?

She had hid so far, yet she still met Ye Wei!

Ye Wei noticed her. She pretended to gasp and covered her mouth in surprise, “Shen Yingying, why are you here? Such a coincidence. Perhaps it’s indeed our fate to meet here. Come come, let me introduce you. This is Shen Yingying, the one I mentioned to you before. The Shen Yingying who told me that she and Zhong Shen were friends. “

Shen Yingying’s face flushed in anger.

Her two little followers gasped, “Oh! So it’s her!”

“Hello, we are Weiwei’s good friends. Pleased to meet you.”

They didn’t insult her, but their gaze was enough to make her uncomfortable.

Shen Yingying forced out a smile, “What would you like to drink?”

Ye Wei said, “It’s our first time here. Is there any recommendation you can give to us? I believe you. After all, that is why I’ve forgiven you many times. You shouldn’t try to fool me, alright?”

Shen Yingying, “……”   

She couldn’t resist rebuking her, “Do you think I need your forgiveness?”

Ye Wei only smiled, “What? You don’t want it?”

Shen Yingying gritted her teeth and ignored Ye Chen, “Then I’ll order three lattes and three mousse cakes for you. There are matcha, blueberry, and chocolate flavors. Which one would you like?”

Ye Wei smiled and said, “Matcha, I like green[8] things. Thank you. Oh, right. The latte, could it also be a matcha latte?”

The two little followers opened their mouths, Ye Wei cut them before they could speak, “Both of you also want matcha, right? It’s better to be green together, no?”

The little followers, “……” No, we don’t think and don’t want to be green together.

Shen Yingying,“……”   

Shen Yingying knew Ye Wei’s implication. She insinuated Shen Yingying seduced Zhong Shen and gave her a green hat. But, although she liked Zhong Shen, both of them were only friends. They never went beyond the rules. Why would Ye Wei do this to her?

She suppressed her anger. She turned back and left with the menu.

Ye Wei looked at Shen Yingying’s back. She admired Shen Yingying, she was really worthy of the Female Lead title. Her ability to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens was unparalleled.

Or maybe it’s Ye Wei that was lacking in her jobs as the Supporting Female Lead. The last world has taught her a very profound lesson. She was too proud, too conceited, and too complacent. She learned her lesson and now knows what modesty and caution are. She wouldn’t relax until the last minute!

After a while, Shen Yingying came out with the lattes. She put down the lattes and was ready to go, “Please take your time”

“Wait.”

Ye Wei stopped her. “It’s rare for us to meet. Will you spare some time to chat with us?”

Ye Wei’s two little followers also smiled, “Shen-xiaojie, what does your family do? Are you working here to search for life experience? “

Shen Yingying stood up straight, “I’m from the Shen-jia[9]“

“Shen-jia?”

The Shen-jia from the North of the city? But as far as they remembered, there was only one xiaojie from Shen-jia and she was currently in kindergarten.

“Which Shen family?”

“I’m sorry but can you tell us clearly? We really can’t guess.”

“By the way, I heard you are friends with Zhong-shao[10]. How did you meet each other?”

“For as long as we have known Zhong-shao, let alone befriended him, we can count what he has said to us with our fingers!”

“That’s right, that’s right! Shen-xiaojie, how did you do it?”

“We also want to befriend Zhong-shao.”

“Weiwei often complained to us about Zhong Shao, saying he doesn’t know how to treat a woman. He is often busy with work and doesn’t have time to accompany her.”

The more they talked, the more excited Ye Wei’s little followers became. They turned the topic from her family to her tricks on befriending Zhong Shen.

Shen Yingying was stupified.

She and Zhong Shen

“What does my business have to do with you?” Shen Yingying said stiffly. She didn’t want to say anything more and turned to go.

Ye Wei stood up abruptly, “Did I say you can go?”

Ye Chen didn’t bother to lower her voice, so many people in the store turned to look at them. Shen Yingying felt ashamed. She snapped angrily, “What do you want from me? You made my parents lose their jobs. I had resigned. Even hiding so far away from you. Can’t you just let me go and let me live a good life?”

The onlookers were whispering to each other.

“Woah. This woman is an outstanding beauty, but too vicious! How could she go this far just to bully someone!”

“You look at her bag on the desk. It’s Prada! Also, look at her watch! It’s Patek Philippe! Both cost millions of dollars!”

“Women from rich families are born different! However, to do as she wants and suppress people like this… It’s too much! This is a society ruled by law!”

“That girl looks pitiful.”

Of course, Ye Wei could hear the whispering nearby. She just didn’t care. She pretended to be hurt, “My friends just asked you for advice to become good friends with my fiancé. After all, they can’t say more than a word with my fiancé. They just wanted to learn from you. Why are you exaggerating it like this?”

There was an uproar!

They thought the rich woman was bullying the pitiful woman. Unexpectedly, there was a plot twist.

“That pretty rich lady’s fiancé must be a tall, rich and handsome man. That woman dares to make friends with other people’s fiancé. Her mind must not be simple.”

“She must have wanted to hook up with someone else’s fiancé, but accidentally got discovered by the pretty rich lady, so she drove her away!”

“But the pretty rich lady is too much. If she can’t even deal with a Mistress like this, how would she handle his fiancé’s parents?”

There was a lot of discussions around, which made Shen Yingying’s complexion not good.

She didn’t know how to refute. Ye Wei didn’t say anything about her being a Mistress, she just asked her about befriending Zhong Shen.

If she defended herself, it would be the same as her affirming their accusation!

She raised her chin, “I have nothing to say to you. Whether you believe it or not, Zhong Shen and I are just friends.”

Ye Wei blinked, “I know. I didn’t accuse you of having another relationship with Zhong Shen, or there is another relationship you have with him that I am not aware of?”

Zhong Shen has long known that Shen Yingying worked in a coffee shop. He passed by several times before to see her.

In fact, he still didn’t understand why Shen Yingying resigned from Zhong-shi and chose to work as a waiter.

As a waiter, could she even have a good prospect?

Could she get a chance to show her talent?

Zhong Shen was dissatisfied. No matter the reason, she should not waste her time and talent like this.

In the end, he decided to go to Shen Yingying’s place.

As a friend, he had the right to persuade her to go back to Zhong-shi.

He didn’t expect to meet Ye Wei, a domineering Ye Wei, in the coffee shop.

At that moment, Ye Wei crossed her hands on her chest. Looking haughty, “I remember I had punished you once for seducing my fiance by dismissing your parents from my company. You seduced my fiance. Why should Ye-jia, my own family, support the parents of a person who seduced my fiance? I’m clear with my grievances, I won’t return good for evil. You are the one who forced me to do so. You still have the face to tell me you and Zhong Shen are friends? You are pretty good, you know. Friend is now a title for Mistress? In your eyes, am I so stupid that you think I will believe it? Ah, that’s right. I also remember you have private meetings with my fiance on the roof every day. Behind my back, even. And now you won’t allow me to seek justice for myself? How cruel of you. I did slander you by faking my sickness twice, but so what? You hurt me more than twice!”

Zhong Shen, “……”

Footnotes

小姐 – xiǎojiě. A title/suffix for Miss. Can also mean a Young Miss from a (noble/rich) family. Later in this chapter, Ye Wei’s follower will ask SYY-xiaojie about her family. They are mocking her, SYY is a xiaojie(Miss), but not a xiaojie(Miss from a family).↵

总会 – zǒnghuì. GM. General Manager. GM Zhong. ↵

心脏病 – Cardiovascular/Heart Diseases. Could be coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, heart valve disease or heart failure. I don’t remember if the exact disease was mentioned in this Arc? CMIIW tho. ↵

一佛出窍二佛升天; One Buddha emerge from the Earth, Two Buddha ascend to Heaven. An idiom for very angry, pissed off, etc. ↵

阿姨 – āyí. Auntie. ↵

钟氏 – zhōng shì. The same 钟 in ML’s name. Zhong Group. Zhong Company. etcetec. ↵

妈妈 – māmā. Mother. Mom. Mommy. ↵

绿 – lǜ; the color Green. Associated with Green Hat that could mean jealousy, cheated on, cuckolding, etc. ↵

家 – jiā. Family/House. Shen-jia = The House of Shen, Shen Family. Commonly a suffix used for a big/rich/noble household. ↵

少. Short for 少爷 – shǎoyé. A form of address for a young man in an important position/the son of an important person (such as an official, a noble, or a boss).↵