Faced with Zhang Zhiyuan grilling me, I just shook my head and said, "I'm really not sure."
Zhang Zhiyuan then asked, "Did Gu Xiaofei say that I was having an affair with your wife?"
Hearing Zhang Zhiyuan finally get to the heart of the whole thing, I couldn't help but get a little worked up inside.
But I'm not stupid. Admitting to that wouldn't do me any favors.
So I shook my head and said, "Xiaofei didn't say that exactly. She just said that you and my wife were getting a little too close. I don't believe a word of it, though."
Right then, I felt like the most pathetic guy in the world, not even daring to admit to something that was just a rumor.
But Zhang Zhiyuan's a businessman, he's not dumb. He'd understand what I was implying.
"Zhao Jian," Zhang Zhiyuan said, "sure, I like to have fun, but I don't just mess with any woman. At least, I'd never touch a friend's wife."
Hearing Zhang Zhiyuan deny it himself, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. So that Gu Xiaofei was just spreading lies after all.
But without any proof, what good would spreading those kinds of rumors do for her?
I still wanted to know some details about how Zhang Zhiyuan and my wife interacted.
After thinking for a bit, I tentatively asked, "Mr. Zhang, I once heard that you helped my wife with her school expenses. I wanted to thank you on her behalf."
On the surface, it was a thank you, but secretly I was testing the waters, trying to figure out if Zhang Zhiyuan and my wife really had something going on.
Zhang Zhiyuan looked even more surprised. He clearly realized that things weren't as simple as he thought.
A nagging feeling told me that what Gu Xiaofei had said definitely wasn't completely made up.
I secretly made up my mind that whether they had something going on or not, I was going to try and figure it out.
Zhang Zhiyuan knew I was waiting for his explanation. He looked at me and asked, "Your wife even told you about that?"
I gave a little smile and said, "Actually, my wife and I don't really hide anything from each other."
What Zhang Zhiyuan said next made me even more curious. He said, "But your wife promised me she wouldn't tell anyone about that."
Clearly doing a good deed but not wanting to talk about it didn't really fit Zhang Zhiyuan's usual style.
Unless there was something shady going on.
Even though Zhang Zhiyuan was trying his best to clear things up, the more he talked, the more suspicious I became.
But Zhang Zhiyuan didn't explain anything further. He walked over and patted me on the shoulder, saying, "Zhao Jian, honestly, your wife is a really great person. You're lucky to have found her."
I used to think so too, but after everything that's happened lately, I was starting to feel frustrated.
I nodded and said, "Mr. Zhang, I know my wife's a good woman."
Walking out of the boss's office, I felt like crying.
I felt like this was some big annual drama that the boss and my wife were putting on together.
Liu Jing saw me come out of the boss's office looking a little down and smirked, saying, "What's wrong? Didn't you finish the task the boss gave you?"
Honestly, I didn't feel like dealing with Liu Jing at that moment, but this little minx seemed pretty flirty and kept getting a little too close for comfort.
I wasn't going to say anything, but Liu Jing suddenly gave me a mysterious smile and said, "You're such a dummy, you can't even pick up girls. I don't even know how you managed to snag your wife back then. Why don't I give you some lessons?"
Any guy would be thrilled to hear something that direct, but I just wasn't in the mood.
But Liu Jing was my superior, and I definitely couldn't afford to offend a woman like her.
I ignored Liu Jing's flirting and just asked, "Liu Jing, I was wondering if I could take today off?"
Liu Jing frowned. You could tell she wasn't happy about it.
"Didn't you just take a day off yesterday? Why do you need another one today?" Liu Jing seemed a bit annoyed.
I had no choice but to explain my reasons to Liu Jing.
"Yesterday I was taking care of the task Mr. Zhang gave me. Today, my father-in-law is sick, and I wanted to go see him."
Liu Jing immediately got interested in the first part of what I said. She asked, "What? Did you actually manage to get Gu Xiaofei?"
Honestly, I really didn't want to talk about that with Liu Jing, but she kept pushing, leaving me with no choice.
I knew you couldn't really trust what women said, but I also didn't want her spreading rumors.
I shook my head and said, "No, Gu Xiaofei is more difficult than I thought."
Liu Jing said, "Mr. Zhang is really something, making you chase after Gu Xiaofei just to expand his business."
That made me break out in a cold sweat. I looked at Liu Jing with suspicion.
And at that moment, Liu Jing seemed to realize she had said too much.
"What did you just say? What's Mr. Zhang's real reason for having me go after Gu Xiaofei?"
Seeing me press her, Liu Jing suddenly panicked. She said, "Nothing, Mr. Zhang just wants to get rid of that woman, so he asked for your help."
Liu Jing's expression made me even more suspicious. I was sure there was a deeper motive behind all of this.
It seemed like this whole thing was a trap, and I was the one caught in it.
If I couldn't figure out the truth, it would be hard for me to get out of this mess.
Right now, it seemed like the only way to get some answers was through Gu Xiaofei. Even though she wasn't exactly trustworthy, she might still be able to give me some useful information.
I knew there was no point in questioning Liu Jing further right now, and it would also make Mr. Zhang suspicious.
Before things became clear, I still wanted to keep working here.
After all, the job paid decently and wasn't too tiring.
Seeing that I wasn't going to press her anymore, Liu Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief. She said, "I'll approve your leave. I'll report your situation to Mr. Zhang later."
Whether my work performance was good or bad all depended on what Liu Jing said, so right now I had to be extra nice to her.
I smiled and said, "Thank you, Miss Liu."
Liu Jing went back to her flirtatious self and said, "I told you, you can call me Jing'er."
After leaving the office building, I drove straight out of the company.
That's when I finally had a chance to take out the red envelope the boss's wife had given me.
Opening the envelope, a stack of brand new hundred-yuan bills appeared in front of me.
I counted them. There were five thousand yuan in total.
That five thousand yuan was equivalent to my entire month's salary. It seemed the boss's wife was quite generous.
With this five thousand yuan, I could buy some nice gifts and wouldn't feel so embarrassed going to my mother-in-law's house.
Having made up my mind, I immediately went to a store and bought a whole bunch of nutritional supplements and fruit.
It turned out all those things only cost me a little over a thousand yuan, and it would definitely save face with my wife's family.
Thinking about it, I felt pretty good.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, I called my wife.
"Honey, I'm at the school gate. Where are you?"
"My last class is almost over. Wait for me, I'll be out in ten minutes."
After hanging up, I felt really good about today.
Ten minutes later, my wife indeed walked out of the school.
She was still wearing that red shawl, and the way her hips swayed when she walked made her look really sexy.
I always felt like my wife was the center of attention. Even when she walked out, I couldn't help but wonder if there were male teachers watching her from behind.
There are always so many romantic stories in schools. For example, when I was in school, I had a crush on an English teacher.
Back then, that English teacher was still a young woman and very beautiful. She always attracted the attention of many male students during her classes.
It's just that I haven't heard any news about that female teacher for many years now. Maybe she got married a long time ago!
Every time my wife got into my BMW, I felt like a real man, as if the car was actually mine.
As soon as my wife got in the car, she said to me, "Go to the First People's Hospital."
I was a bit surprised and asked, "Dad went to the hospital again?"
My wife nodded and said, "His illness flared up again this morning. There was no choice but to send him to the hospital."
My face immediately darkened.
Our financial situation wasn't great. If her father was hospitalized, it would cost a lot of money again.
I guessed that my father-in-law was probably going to ask us for help this time.
But my wife and I had only been married for a short time. Where would we get the money to pay for my father-in-law's medical treatment?
At that moment, I felt a bit dumbfounded.
The few thousand yuan I had on me was undoubtedly a drop in the bucket compared to the hospital fees.
But right now, the only thing to do was go to the hospital and see what was going on.