Returning - Chapter 78
Chapter 78: Short Pain, Long Gain
Seeing Zhao Yu and Xue Zhan emerge from the office together, with Zhao Yu quietly murmuring that she wouldn't be joining them for the meal, Wang Qi and Xia Nan's eyes instantly lit up.
Xue Zi'ang's expression grew even darker. But within seconds, he suddenly flashed a grin again. "Going to eat? Count me in."
Before Zhao Yu could react, Xue Zhan had already swept a cold glance at him. "None of your business."
The smile vanished from his face. Xue Zi'ang stared directly at Xue Zhan. "Does Uncle not remember what he promised me?"
Xue Zhan said nothing. Instead, he suddenly wrapped an arm around Zhao Yu's waist, answering with the gesture itself.
Zhao Yu was once again startled by his behavior, but showed nothing on her face. She simply cooperated, standing close against him.
Then, she clearly saw Xue Zi'ang clench his fists.
The atmosphere in the entire office instantly froze to an extreme. No one dared make a sound. Even Wang Qi and Xia Nan, who had long anticipated this kind of drama, couldn't help breaking into a nervous sweat.
The other secretaries were thinking about how to break up a fight if the two bosses came to blows.
But Xue Zhan clearly had no intention of getting entangled with Xue Zi'ang any further. Arm still around Zhao Yu, he headed straight for the elevator.
And although Xue Zi'ang's knuckles cracked audibly from how tightly he clenched his fists, he didn't take a single step to follow.
Only after they entered the elevator and watched the doors close did Xue Zhan withdraw his hand from Zhao Yu's waist.
He didn't speak, so Zhao Yu could only stand there quietly, silently trying to gauge his thoughts.
She was self-aware enough not to imagine that Xue Zhan had suddenly fallen in love with her. But his series of actions today were genuinely surprising and puzzling.
The restaurant Xue Zhan chose was right near the company. The private room had been booked in advance, and the dishes were already prepared.
Only after the server finished setting the dishes and left did he speak. "I promised him I would not have any relationship with you."
Zhao Yu wasn't surprised. In fact, from the moment she had chosen to use Xue Zi'ang as a shortcut to get close to Xue Zhan, she had already considered this issue.
Their uncle-nephew relationship was, for her, both an advantage and a disadvantage. After all, under normal circumstances, no uncle would compete with his nephew over a woman.
Zhao Yu didn't speak, waiting for him to continue.
Xue Zhan slowly ate a couple of bites before continuing. "You've seen his state during this period. Because of you, it hasn't been good. His mother and grandfather have both come to me, saying that if you let things drag on without resolution, the chaos only deepens."
Zhao Yu understood perfectly. It was simply that the Xue family didn't want her and Xue Zi'ang to continue in this ambiguous muddle. Even if it had always been Xue Zi'ang unilaterally seeking reconciliation, that wasn't acceptable either. So Xue Zhan was here to settle this matter once and for all.
Casting an indifferent glance at her, he continued. "It was Xue Zi'ang who wronged you. So, I respect your choice. The question I asked you in the office just now—you can consider it again. Make your decision carefully."
To put it bluntly, the Xue family was forcing her to give a definitive answer on Xue Zi'ang's behalf.
Was her resentment toward Xue Zi'ang, her revenge upon him, merely an attempt to teach him a lesson before reconciling? Or did she truly feel only hatred for him now, unwilling to be with him even after exacting her revenge?
If the former, the Xue family was willing to accept her. If the latter, the Xue family would not permit her to continue tormenting Xue Zi'ang like this.
Zhao Yu smiled faintly. "Just now in Director Xue's office, I already made myself quite clear. What comes next—whether Director Xue wants me to leave Huacan or something else—please, just say it plainly."
Xue Zhan asked, "Do you truly want to leave Huacan?"
Zhao Yu fell silent, hesitation surfacing on her face.
At first, she hadn't left Huacan because Xue Zi'ang had forbidden it, and she could use that to keep fighting with him, to seize the opportunity to become Xue Zhan's assistant. But playing the same act for too long risked losing its authenticity.
After those first few days when her anger peaked, once she gradually calmed down, if she had truly wanted to leave Huacan, she could easily have sought Xue Zhan's help, or even approached Xue Zi'ang's grandfather and mother. They were unlikely to be as childish as Xue Zi'ang, forcibly retaining a low-level employee who wanted to resign. After all, she wasn't exactly the ideal candidate for the future Mrs. Xue anyway.
So in the days that followed, Zhao Yu had gradually revealed her inner hesitation to Wang Qi and the others.
Just as she had told Ji Sui, Huacan was an exceptionally good company. Countless people fought tooth and nail just to get in. Not only was she already inside, but the three years of seniority she had accumulated were invaluable. Especially now that she had become the Vice Chairman's assistant—setting aside her relationship with Xue Zi'ang and considering things purely from the perspective of her own career development, she truly felt some reluctance.
She had only been in the workforce for a little over three years. She could still be considered a newcomer. This was also her first job after graduating from university. That she would covet everything she now possessed was perfectly normal and entirely in character for her established persona.
Xue Zhan, of course, was already well aware of this sentiment. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked her that question.
Seeing her hesitate, he understood even more clearly. "Then there's no need to leave. Continue the act according to today's script."
"Director Xue means…"
"Better short pain than long suffering."
"Aren't you afraid he'll see through it?"
Xue Zhan took a slow, unhurried sip of tea. "My own nephew—I know him. And he does not know me. It seems he doesn't know you well enough either. As it happens, this will also serve your purpose, helping you take revenge on him."
So Xue Zi'ang wouldn't realize they were acting. So Xue Zi'ang wouldn't be able to bear it and would take the initiative to give her up.
It sounded like helping her take revenge on Xue Zi'ang, helping her break free from his entanglement. But in truth, everything was still for the sake of that nephew of his. From beginning to end, he stood on the Xue family's side.
Looking at the leisurely, composed man across from her, Zhao Yu felt, for the first time, a very strong sensation—perhaps she had chosen the wrong target from the very start.
Because she truly lacked the confidence that she could win this man over, that she could make him do what she wanted him to do.
Even if she had won that gamble on the day of Xu Miao's wedding, even if Xue Zi'ang really did care deeply about her, using Xue Zi'ang to achieve her revenge was an impossibility.
After all, Xue Zhan was the one who truly wielded power. No matter how important Xue Zi'ang was within the Xue family, as long as Xue Zhan didn't relent, there were many things Xue Zi'ang simply couldn't accomplish.
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