Regarding my concern for his work, Fang Yuan just smiled and said, “Mine is merely a job, but yours is a career. Zhaoyang, I can sense that your future is boundless. Among us brothers who have struggled together since college, you will definitely become the most powerful one in a few years!”
I didn’t feel complacent because of Fang Yuan’s praise. I understood that at least at this stage, I had made a qualitative leap only through others’ support. Otherwise, I would have just been a small business owner with a few shops. Therefore, knowing this, I felt an even stronger desire to achieve more to repay my investors. Thus, I couldn’t easily insist on refusing the contracts from Tianyang and Zhuomei, but these contracts seemed like another form of support. Upon reflection, life indeed seems to be a vicious cycle—no matter how hard we try, we can’t seem to break free.
I said to Fang Yuan, “Actually, I’m still quite envious of you. At least your job can create value, while my career seems to be one where value has been created for me… damn it, there’s a kind of frustration I can’t quite express!”
Fang Yuan sighed, wearing an expression that seemed to say nobody’s life is easy. After a while, he turned serious and asked me, “Do you have any private contact with Mi Mi besides business matters?”
I recalled that rainy night when Mi Cai and I had eaten instant noodles together. Even though we had broken up, there still seemed to be a lingering connection. However, these feelings weren’t something I could share with others, so I replied, “Not much contact. Isn’t she going to marry Weiran? You guys who worked at Zhuomei together should know about this news, right?”
Fang Yuan sighed again, “There certainly are such rumors, but I’ve never really understood Mi Mi…”
He paused slightly before continuing, “Let me be straightforward. If she really marries Weiran, it’s not just targeting you, Zhaoyang, but also Mi Zhongde and her entire family. Actually, Mi Zhongde has already stepped back behind the scenes. What threat could Mi Lan possibly pose to her? Recently, all of the company’s development strategies have been led by her. In fact, she’s already taken full control of Zhuomei.”
I didn’t immediately respond to his words, merely looking at him, somewhat unclear about his motives for saying this.
Fang Yuan continued, “Zhaoyang, since you and Mi Mi broke up, I’ve never tried to persuade you about anything. I think matters of the heart shouldn’t be overly interfered with by outsiders. Since we happened to meet today, I’ll just share my thoughts with you… Mi Mi is currently in a state of obsession, desperately uniting the investors and other shareholders to suppress Mi Lan. In fact, when Mi Zhongde stepped down, it already indicated that Zhuomei had been handed over to her. She really doesn’t need to act like this now…”
I knew that what Fang Yuan said was very likely the truth, but his obvious defense of Mi Lan made me instinctively uncomfortable!
Fang Yuan picked up his coffee cup and took a sip before continuing, “I know you might think I’m biased toward Mi Lan, but that’s not the case. You should know that people naturally sympathize with the weak. I know Mi Lan well; she’s a woman without any scheming. With Mi Zhongde stepping down, it’s like handing Mi Lan directly into Mi Mi’s hands. But Mi Mi’s actions are really… Furthermore, her breaking up with you and then marrying Weiran, isn’t that also a sign of obsession? She really doesn’t need to do this… Well, as a subordinate, I probably shouldn’t say these things. Just take it as casual talk; I just needed to vent a bit…”
I didn’t respond, simply picking up my coffee and taking a sip. Although I felt there was some truth in what Fang Yuan had said, I still warned myself: it’s none of my business anymore, after all, we’ve already broken up. All I can do is listen casually. I just hope Mi Cai isn’t really consumed by obsession. At this moment, I even felt some sympathy for Mi Lan. After multiple interactions, I knew she was indeed a simple-minded, guileless woman. If Mi Cai really wanted to suppress her, Mi Lan would be completely defenseless. If Mi Zhongde’s stepping down was indeed to pass the torch, then Mi Cai’s current behavior was genuinely bullying, especially since she was doing it in collusion with a scoundrel like Weiran…
I could understand Fang Yuan defending Mi Lan, after all, they had once shared a complicated past. It was normal for him to sympathize with her, but I really hoped this sympathy didn’t involve any lingering attachment. At this moment, I still wanted to believe Fang Yuan, because many of Mi Cai’s actions did align with what he had described, such as marrying Weiran.
As I thought more, a strange, bursting feeling suddenly began to fill my heart without my realizing it.
…
After finishing our drinks, Fang Yuan and I arrived at Zhuomei’s office area. Since I had an appointment, Mi Cai’s assistant was already waiting for me at the visitor registration desk. Without any obstacles, I followed her toward Mi Cai’s office, but my mood was no longer the same as when I had arrived. I even began to unwillingly accept this contract, because Fang Yuan’s recent complaints made me realize: this contract was given to me after Mi Cai had secured her marriage with Weiran and taken full control of Zhuomei… If I accepted it, I would be acting without integrity, living less like a real man!
The assistant had already opened the door to Mi Cai’s office and gestured for me to enter. I nodded in thanks and walked into the office.
Mi Cai was looking at some documents. Seeing me arrive, she closed the file in her hands and said to me, “President Zhao, please have a seat first. The assistant will bring the contract over shortly. When it arrives, you can take a look. If there’s no problem, we can sign the contract today.”
I didn’t sit down but approached her desk and said to her, “President Mi, there’s something I’m not sure whether I should say or not.”
Mi Cai looked puzzled and said, “Go ahead.”
I struggled internally, after all, I had warned myself that I should just casually listen to Fang Yuan’s words. Mi Cai and I were no longer connected, and neither was Zhuomei. Yet some emotions suddenly began to ferment inside me, eventually becoming uncontrollable. Finally, with a cold expression, I told her, “I think you have serious problems as a person!”
“What?”
I loudly repeated, “I think this woman has serious issues with her character… You’re acting like you’ve lost your mind, you know that?”
Mi Cai frowned, her expression full of confusion, but she still calmly asked, “Why are you suddenly saying this?”
“…Do you really have to go this far? Although I really dislike Mi Lan, she’s still your sister. Do you really have to… damn it, do you really have to collude with a scumbag like Weiran and suppress her so severely at the company that she has no room to survive at all?… She’s just a simple-minded, guileless woman, your sister. Do you really have to do this?… Also, is Weiran really that important to you? If he really meant so much to you, then why did you have to start something with me back then… playing with someone’s feelings, who exactly were you toying with?… When you think things through, I’ve already seen right through you, woman! Hypocrite, disgusting!”
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