Zhou Zhuofei wasn’t particularly interested in the work or client-related topics the others were discussing.
The work environment in entertainment venues was quite different from Huanyu, and some things were hard for her to understand. Rather than sparking a debate with her opinions, she figured it was better to stay quiet and focus on eating.
Still, listening was quite fascinating—it was a world she’d never stepped into before.
“I’m full, you guys go ahead.”
After finishing her meal, Zhou Zhuofei instinctively picked up her dishes to clean up, but Cen Huan quickly waved her off, telling her to leave them.
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony?”
Cen Huan chuckled. “No need for formalities here. Go back and keep Director company.” Then, as if remembering something, she added, “I’ve changed jobs now, so I can’t bring fish for Director anymore.”
“No worries. After all the fish you’ve fed it, it’s time for Director to repay the favor. Tomorrow, I’ll send it out to busk on the streets and earn its own keep.”
“Pfft—” Cen Huan burst out laughing. “Who knows? It might even out-earn me.”
Xie Ya, curious, asked, “What’s this about a fish?”
Cen Huan explained how she used to bring leftover deep-sea fish scraps for Director. Upon hearing this, Xie Ya immediately offered, “I know someone in the seafood wholesale business. I could ask for help.”
“Really?”
Zhou Zhuofei, worried about inconveniencing him, quickly declined. “It’s fine, I can just buy it myself. A cat doesn’t eat that much in a month anyway.”
Cen Huan, however, seemed intrigued and pulled Xie Ya aside to ask for more details.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhou Zhuofei said her goodbyes and headed home—she was still waiting for Du Yu to call her back. To make sure her phone wouldn’t die mid-conversation, she even dug out a power bank to charge it fully.
As a seasoned homebody, keeping multiple fully charged power banks on hand was an absolute necessity!
Bored from waiting, Zhou Zhuofei even started doing chores. But just as she was halfway through sweeping, her phone suddenly rang. She immediately dropped the broom and lunged for the couch.
Sure enough, it was Du Yu calling.
“Hey hey hey! What’s the verdict?”
“Confirmed—he’s a repeat offender.” From the noise in the background, Du Yu was still by the roadside, but not even the blaring horns could drown out her fury.
Even after venting to Jiang Shen earlier, she couldn’t help cursing again. “I must’ve been blind to get involved with trash like this.”
“Everyone misjudges people sometimes. So, what’s the full story?”
“Jiang Shen dug up four ex-girlfriends. When we lined up the timelines, turns out he was basically jumping from one to the next without a break—sometimes even overlapping. He’d already be plotting the next one while still in a relationship.”
Hearing this, Zhou Zhuofei wasn’t the least bit surprised. What kind of decent person would hit on their girlfriend’s friend?
“I have a feeling there’s more…”
“You’re right, there is. Jiang Shen also found out that when he travels for conventions, he uses aliases to post about looking for ‘CPs’ online. He’s already tracked down the burner accounts, but the details are still being compiled.”
Now Zhou Zhuofei was fuming too. “Ugh, I hate people like this—ruining the reputation of the whole scene. If you’ve got the guts, be open about it! Date ten people at once for all I care, but doing it behind everyone’s back? Disgusting! Coward!”
After her outburst, she cut to the chase. “So, what’s your plan now?”
“Breaking up would be letting him off too easy. I didn’t spend all that money for nothing. Jiang Shen suggested something, and I think it’s pretty good.”
“What’d he say?” The mention of Jiang Shen piqued Zhou Zhuofei’s interest—she had a feeling his idea would be something wild.
“He suggested I throw a birthday party, invite people from the scene, and then turn it into an exposé.”
“That’s… bold.”
Zhou Zhuofei had also considered escalating things further.
But a big spectacle meant big investments—more costs, bigger risks. Plus, Han Chubin had some influence, and she worried Du Yu might end up in a mutually destructive fight.
So much for wish-fulfillment revenge plots—real life wasn’t that simple. She didn’t dare encourage Du Yu recklessly.
Back in the day, when they had nothing to lose, they’d have just gone for it without a second thought. But now? There were too many factors to consider.
“Jiang Shen said he could handle the arrangements. What do you think?”
“What kind of arrangements?”
“He’d take care of the venue, setup, and the whole exposure process.”
“That’s… insanely professional.” Zhou Zhuofei had lost count of how many times she’d been impressed by Jiang Shen’s competence.
Seriously, how was he this good?
“That’s what I said! But apparently, he’s done this before. Last time, a client caught her fiancé cheating and decided to expose him at their engagement party.”
Zhou Zhuofei sighed with genuine admiration. “I’m so jealous of his job. Next life, I’m definitely becoming a private investigator!”
“Haha, why wait? Quit now, and let’s start our own agency.”
“Yeah, no. We’ve got zero skills and no connections. We’d probably get caught the second we pulled out a camera.”
“Fair point.”
“Anyway, this is your call. My biggest concern is whether it’ll affect your work. What if he goes scorched-earth and comes after you?”
“That’s a valid worry. But Jiang Shen said he could guarantee cleanup—make sure the guy never bothers us again. So I wanted to ask you—do you think he’s reliable?”
“Damn, this guy’s confident. I’ll look into it for you. You know I don’t know Jiang Shen that well either.”
“Mm… If everything checks out, I’d really like to go through with it.”
Ever since Jiang Shen proposed the plan, Du Yu had been itching to try it.
Unlike Zhou Zhuofei, she didn’t overthink things—she trusted her gut. If something felt worth it in the moment, then it was.
Then again, back in their school days, Zhou Zhuofei used to be the same way. It was only after joining Huanyu that she’d grown more cautious.
“Honestly, if this goes off without a hitch and that scumbag gets publicly humiliated? I’d bow to Jiang Shen in gratitude.”
“Hah! Shouldn’t that be my line?”
“Let me ask around first. But think carefully—your birthday’s still two weeks away. Can you stand pretending for that long?”
“No problem. I already requested a business trip. I’m leaving in a couple of days, so I won’t have to face him daily. A few texts here and there to string him along will do.”
It seemed Du Yu had made up her mind. Zhou Zhuofei didn’t press further, promising to dig up more on Jiang Shen’s background.
After hanging up, Zhou Zhuofei stared at her contacts, deliberating.
Should she ask Zhan Zilang, or Xiao Wang?
Zhan Zilang would be more convenient, but he didn’t know Jiang Shen well either—anything from him would be secondhand gossip at best. Xiao Wang, on the other hand, had direct connections.
After weighing the options, she decided to reach out to Xiao Wang.
However, since it was already after work hours, she didn’t want to disturb him and decided to see if she could run into Xiao Wang the next day to ask.
There was a pattern to finding people—either right before or after the morning meeting or just before leaving work. These were the two time slots with the highest probability of success.
So the next day, Zhou Zhuofei went to the top floor early in the morning with the documents that needed signing.
She set the files aside first and noticed that Xiao Wang’s office was occupied. All offices at Huanyu used electronically controlled frosted glass partitions, adjustable for visibility based on the user’s needs.
Generally, to avoid any suspicion, managers would set the partitions to transparent glass when meeting with employees privately.
Thus, Zhou Zhuofei could clearly see a female employee sitting across from Xiao Wang—someone she recognized as Chu Qing, a project manager.
Chu Qing had joined the company over a year before her and was now the star performer in the project department, highly regarded by leadership.
Rumors had long circulated within the company that Chu Qing would be promoted next year, making her one of the most outstanding among recent hires.
Huanyu had a very clear promotion track—simply put, the more you contributed, the more you earned. The project department was relatively easier to achieve results in; as long as the projects you managed succeeded, promotions and raises were practically guaranteed.
In contrast, climbing the ladder in the administrative department was much slower. First, there had to be an opening, and second, the nature of the work rarely allowed for major breakthroughs.
Zhou Zhuofei’s future likely had only two paths: either grind out her tenure without promotion, waiting only for salary bumps, or switch departments and start over. Changing departments was like switching professions in a game—all your tools and equipment reset, and though you kept your skill points, it was still an uphill battle.
Besides, Zhou Zhuofei didn’t have any strong ambitions to climb the corporate ladder, so she figured she might as well stay in administration.
The project department might offer higher salaries, but the pressure was intense too—aside from R&D, it was the department with the longest overtime hours in the entire company.
Seeing that it was Chu Qing meeting with Xiao Wang, Zhou Zhuofei instinctively assumed they were discussing important work matters that wouldn’t wrap up anytime soon. She immediately prepared to leave and try again another day.
But just as she glanced over, her eyes accidentally met Xiao Wang’s.
The two locked gazes, and Zhou Zhuofei reflexively smiled, giving a slight nod as a greeting.
To her surprise, the next second, Xiao Wang gestured for her to come over, as if beckoning her inside.
Afraid she might have misunderstood, Zhou Zhuofei first looked around to confirm no one else was outside, then pointed at herself to double-check with Xiao Wang.
Only after he nodded did she walk to the office door and knock.
She pushed the door open just a crack, not stepping inside, only revealing half her body. "Xiao Wang, were you looking for me?"
The conversation inside the office abruptly stopped. Chu Qing turned and, recognizing Zhou Zhuofei, greeted her with a smile. "Oh, it’s Zhou Zhou! Do you need Xiao Wang for something?"
Zhou Zhuofei was about to respond, but Xiao Wang cut in first. "Zhou, wait for me just a moment."
"Of course."
At the same time, Chu Qing stood up. "In that case, I won’t keep you from your work."
As Chu Qing passed by Zhou Zhuofei, she gave her a polite nod. With her departure came a wave of perfume drifting in Zhou Zhuofei’s direction.
So fragrant…
Zhou Zhuofei’s thoughts momentarily wandered, wondering what brand of perfume Chu Qing used—it was quite distinctive.
Xiao Wang’s voice pulled her back. "Zhou, I saw you waiting outside earlier. Did you need me for something?"
"Well, there was something I wanted to ask you, but it’s not urgent. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important?"
Zhou Zhuofei looked nervous. If Xiao Wang thought she had an emergency and dismissed Chu Qing because of it, she’d be in trouble.
"It’s fine. We weren’t discussing work just now," Xiao Wang reassured her gently, gesturing to the chair across from him. "Didn’t you have something to ask?"
But Zhou Zhuofei still hesitated. "Actually, it’s not work-related."
"Take a seat."
Xiao Wang’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a steady authority that brooked no refusal. Though he was usually mild-mannered, years in the corporate world had naturally given him a certain presence—one he rarely showed.
Seeing this, Zhou Zhuofei stopped resisting and pulled out the chair to sit.
With Xiao Wang already poised to listen, she had no choice but to steel herself and speak.
"I’ll keep it brief. It’s about Jiang Shen. Last time, you mentioned his strong professional skills. Now he’s proposed a solution to my friend, claiming he can handle everything perfectly afterward. My friend is tempted but still a little unsure, so they asked me to look into it."
She didn’t go into detail about Jiang Shen’s plan—something told her there might be aspects best left unspoken, and it was better if Xiao Wang didn’t know.
"Jiang Shen promised your friend he’d take care of everything?"
"Mm, that’s the gist of it."
Xiao Wang interlaced his fingers and rested them naturally on the desk. Zhou Zhuofei’s gaze lingered for a few seconds before she quickly looked away.
Stop staring! Control that bad habit of yours!
"If he’s made that promise, your friend can trust him."
"Really? You’re that confident?"
"Jiang Shen has a very extensive network in City K." Xiao Wang spoke vaguely. The question might have been about Jiang Shen, but it was really about the Jiang family’s influence in City K.
He didn’t want to overcomplicate things—those so-called elite circles were far removed from Zhou Zhuofei’s life, so sticking to the key points was enough.
"His credibility is solid. As far as I know, once he commits to something, he’ll see it through to the end."
"Oh, that’s great! I’ll let my friend know right away."
Zhou Zhuofei exhaled in relief, her expression brightening with excitement.
If that was the case, she’d wholeheartedly support Jiang Shen’s plan—she couldn’t wait to see the drama unfold at the birthday party.
"Thank you so much, Xiao Wang!"
"Don’t mention it. If anything, I should be thanking you."
Thanking her again?
Last time, Zhou Zhuofei could somewhat understand—she’d accompanied Xiao Wang to clear his mind. But this time, she hadn’t done anything!
"Xiao Wang, you sound like you’re humoring me. You’re always saying you’re grateful."
"But I’ve never lied to you."
"Then what are you thanking me for this time?" Zhou Zhuofei was utterly baffled, unconsciously touching her nose. "I didn’t do anything."
Since arriving, she’d only done two things—sat down and asked a question. Wait…
A bold hypothesis suddenly dawned on her.
"Could it be because just now…?" She studied Xiao Wang’s reaction carefully.
Logically, she’d been about to leave, but Xiao Wang had called her in. So maybe he’d needed her to enter, not necessarily because she needed his help.
Seeing that Zhou Zhuofei had pieced it together so quickly, Xiao Wang didn’t hide it anymore. "Exactly. I’m thanking you for helping me out of a tight spot earlier."
Chu Qing had indeed come to discuss work initially, but the work-related conversation had concluded five minutes ago. The remaining time was spent on casual chatter from her side.
At first, Xiao Wang merely responded out of politeness, but after a few exchanges, he realized she was angling for a deeper conversation. Just as he was contemplating how to tactfully decline, he happened to spot Zhou Zhuofei standing at the doorway, watching them.
Seizing the opportunity, he naturally called her over. Whether Zhou Zhuofei actually had business with him or not didn’t matter—his mere words would be enough for Chu Qing to take the hint and excuse herself.
Zhou Zhuofei instantly understood the situation and let out a knowing sigh.
She wisely refrained from prying. In the workplace, knowing too much was a cardinal sin. As long as she could help Xiao Wang out, that was enough.
With that thought, any lingering guilt vanished. In fact, she felt rather pleased with herself for perfect timing, achieving a win-win outcome.
She decisively stood up to leave. "Got it. I’ll head out then."
Her considerate behavior left Xiao Wang marveling once again at how Zhou Zhuofei truly regarded him as a trustworthy and respected figure.
Even when "used," she didn’t so much as ask a single question.
Naturally, he felt touched, but at the same time, he couldn’t help worrying about her.
With a personality like hers, what if someone else took advantage of her in the future?
