Chapter 282: You Actually Get it Straight Now And Think Rather Clearly

“Don’t just remain silent, pretend to be stupid, or act bashful to avoid the topic. You have to confront the matter sooner or later. What exactly do you think about Shen Zongyi? If you also feel good about him, then I’m happy for you as a friend. If you don’t like him and find the matter disturbing, then I’ll no longer mention anything surrounding the two of you in the future.” Xu Moyan said seriously.

Zheng Yuntong did not dare to continue to shrug shyly like how she constantly did in the past. She had no choice but to face this issue head-on.

Lowering her head slightly, she used her fingers to grip the wooden pattern of the doorframe. “To be frank, I do feel good about Shen Zongyi. Not only does he have a very good character, but he also has never approached any female colleagues at the company with the intention of flirting with them. Both his looks and character are definitely appealing to me. He handles matters in a calm manner, interacts with the opposite sex appropriately, and behaves like a gentleman. He carries himself well with his words and actions, which makes people feel very comfortable around him.”

“It seems like you truly do like him.” Xu Moyan looked at her with a teasing smile.

“To be honest, Shen Zongyi is really outstanding. Our company has a lot of single female colleagues that have been staring longingly at him in secret. His behavior, looks, and economic condition are all what a modern woman will look for in a potential spouse. Although he can sometimes be a bit cold, he’s never seen misbehaving with any female colleagues, and he is anything but misogynistic. In reality, many of our male workers in the company look down on female workers; They follow no principles while playing office politics and will do their best to get to the top by hook or by crook. It’s absolutely not how a gentleman should behave.” Zheng Yuntong curled her lips as she said.

Xu Moyan nodded. “I’m aware of this. Such situations already happen quite often whenever I clients, what more in the company.”

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“Yes, situations like this are far too common. Previously, an ex-university classmate of mine was competing together for a case with a male colleague from the same department. At the time, it seemed like whoever was tasked with the case would likely be promoted and eventually take over the position as manager of the department. When it comes to sales, women often lose out very easily and they’re often impeded. This case was no different. The male colleague damaged her reputation behind her back, claiming that she had conducted illicit transactions with clients, worked part-time as a mistress, and was supported by a sugar daddy during her time in university. All this was nonsense. That female student was very well-behaved when she was in university and she concentrated wholeheartedly on studying. Anyway, this matter caused so much trouble my fellow student could no longer stay at the company and was advised by the leader to resign. She had such a strong reputation, but no one in the company believed her. After resigning, she asked me and another schoolmate who she’s close with, out for a meal. She cried as she told us about the matter. The other student was an extremely astute person in the workplace, and she said that even gender equality is more commonplace these days, there is still a lot of indirect inequality going on when the company is recruiting. Why was my schoolmate advised to resign? It was not only because her reputation was damaged, but also it’s because she was single. She isn’t married yet, so she’ll likely claim paid maternity leave in the future. These are all additional costs to the company. Since they perform the same in the workplace, it’s only natural to keep the male worker who is less likely to burden the company with these additional costs. Xu Moyan nodded and agreed. “Women are indeed comparatively disadvantaged in this respect.”

“Although the management of our company is strict and the working environment is very good, it’s inevitable that certain unpleasant things happen. A similar incident previously almost happened in the other department. It wasn’t an incident whereby the male colleague played some dirty tricks, rather, a female colleague from the sales department was groped by a client. While she went out with her superior to discuss a business deal, the client took advantage of the superior’s temporary absence to grope her. The female colleague was afraid that she’d lose her job so she didn’t tell anyone about this, but she told another female colleague that she was on good terms with in private. I’m not sure how Shen Zongyi found out about this, but he immediately told President Wei about the incident. President Wei immediately refused to cooperate with the company at fault and penalized the department leader by cutting his salary, stating that he did not protect his female subordinate properly. From this situation, I gather that President Wei and Shen Zongyi are truly upstanding people. This alone makes me feel that I can trust Shen Zongyi with my life.”

Xu Moyan winked at her. “I didn’t expect your appraisal of Shen Zongyi to actually have secretly reached such heights. You have even thought about trusting him with your life.”

“What do you mean secretly? You told me to discuss the matter seriously but you’re teasing me after I’ve said my piece.” Zheng Yuntong seized the opportunity to reach out and jab Xu Moyan’s ribs twice while the latter’s hands were busy applying the makeup remover to her face.

Xu Moyan hastily sucked in her stomach, dodging the blow. “Alright, alright, I’ll be slightly more serious and won’t tease you anymore.”

“I never dared to think about this in the past. I don’t need to think about the flowers that I can only admire from afar, like President Wei. He’s not somebody who a low-level worker like me can possibly attain, yet Shen Zongyi isn’t that much lower than him. Though he’s only President Wei’s assistant, he holds a significant position and is very respected at the company. This, along with his other traits, makes him particularly popular with the ladies. When we normally have lunch together at work, female colleagues can always be heard swooning over Shen Zongyi. Nevertheless, I don’t dare to think about such a good person either.” Zheng Yuntong lowered her eyes slightly. “Maybe I’m a little insecure, since I always feel that if I ever date and get married in the future, my significant other will most likely not be very remarkable, just like me. Two nobodies striving for a cozy and simple life.”

“Don’t think about such nonsense. You didn’t dare to think about such things in the past, but now you are?” Xu Moyan quickly washed the makeup remover away and squeezed some cleansing lotion onto her fingertips to thoroughly remove the remaining bits of makeup and makeup remover that remained on her face. Then, she raised her head to look at Zheng Yuntong.

“Now, I feel that Shen Zongyi treats me a little differently. It’s not just me imagining myself as his sweetheart, right?” Zheng Yuntong said uncertainly, “I’m always afraid of overthinking. What if the other person doesn’t have such intentions? However, both you and Lin Chu thought of the same thing too. This led me to believe that perhaps I was not overthinking after all.”

“Yeah, we truly feel the same.” Xu Moyan nodded.

Zheng Yuntong seemed to feel reassured, breathing a sigh of relief and patting her chest. “Then it’s not just me imagining things, even if Shen Zongyi didn’t exactly tell me that he likes me. You know, not only am I rather slow, but I’m also afraid of overthinking; I’m often uncertain about the things that you guys can instantly identify. To be frank, I’m timid. If he doesn’t open his mouth to speak, then I would never dare to make the first move.”

This was just Zheng Yuntong’s personality so Xu Moyan did not push her. Instead, she pulled Zheng Yuntong as she returned to her bedroom.

Then, she sat in front of the dressing table which was covered with a whole variety of bottles and cans. Xu Moyan poured some moisturizing toner onto the cotton pad while saying, “This may be so, but I feel that Shen Zongyi is slowly leaning toward you bit by bit. Don’t worry, it’s just good that you finally know how you feel after all this time. Also, give him a chance to develop a bit more and don’t always shrink away and hide. If you cause him to misunderstand and assume that you don’t have any feelings for him, then don’t come running back to me after.”

“Am I really like that?” Zheng Yuntong was startled.

“Yep.” Xu Moyan nodded. “I stay together with you all day long. I know you well enough, don’t I? However, I still had to ask you about your thoughts on Shen Zongyi to properly understand what you think of him. After all that, do you think that Shen Zongyi would be able to understand you better than I do? I’m already struggling, so there’s a good chance that he’ll misunderstand. Therefore, you need to pay a bit more attention later on. Approach him appropriately and don’t shy away from any the friendliness he extends.”

“Oh.” Zheng Yuntong nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll take note of it.”

Xu Moyan saw the way she looked; she was really serious about Shen Zongyi. Thus, she continued, “It just so happens that you want to show your appreciation for him this time. It’s an opportunity to mingle with him nicely ——”

Xu Miyan paused for a moment, then turned her head and looked at her. “But why are you telling me about this matter?”

Zheng Yuntong giggled twice before sitting down by the dressing table. “Isn’t this because you have a useful skill?”

“You’re letting him come to the house to entertain him?” Xu Moyan asked in surprise.

“Is that bad? You don’t like it?” Zheng Yuntong asked, “I mean, I guess it’s not very appropriate to bring a man to our home so randomly.”

“That isn’t what I meant.” Xu Moyan shook her head, then threw away the cotton pad in her hand before taking out a new one. Subsequently, she twisted off the cap of a bottle of Facial Treatment Essence* (TN: Facial Treatment Essence or 神仙水 is an SK-II skincare product. You can find more about it here https://com.my/en/product-detail.aspx?name=facial-treatment-essence) before pouring out some and applying it on her face. “It’s no big deal to invite him to the house. Assistant Shen isn’t an outsider anyway as he’s trustworthy.”

The phrase “not an outsider” subsequently made Zheng Yuntong lower her head, making her seemed like a young daughter.

“However, is it better that I give you guys some space? How great would it be for you two to be left alone to connect. If I’m around, then there will be a prominent third wheel intruding on the two of you. I’d feel awkward even if you don’t.” Xu Moyan shook her head before saying to herself, ‘Why can’t Zheng Yuntong understand this?’.

Even though they had not dated yet, it was better to interact in private since they were at the flirtatious stage. Who still dragged a third wheel along at this point?

Zheng Yuntong scratched her head. “I said this after having lunch. Wasn’t it because I still didn’t get the point then? Perhaps he was afraid that I’d still feel awkward and reject him, which is why he deliberately dragged you into it.”

Xu Moyan shot her a glare. “You actually get it now and think rather clearly.”

Zheng Yuntong giggled twice, tucking both her legs against her body before hugging them with her arms. She had the look of a fool in love as a silly smile subconsciously spread across her face.

Xu Moyan was shocked by her foolish appearance and helplessly said, “Alright, I’ll be the third wheel, but only once. When will he be coming over?”

“I presume he’ll come on Saturday afternoon. It’d be very inconvenient for him to come at night.” Zheng Yuntong said as she twiddled her fingers.

Xu Moyan could not help laughing. “Okay, then I’ll cook in the afternoon. After the meal is over, I’ll find an excuse to leave.”

After they had finished talking about the matter, Zheng Yuntong recalled her boss. “Moyan, didn’t I tell you yesterday that Yu Linling’s voice sounds familiar? When I had a meeting this morning and heard the voice of my boss, I finally realized why it sounds familiar. It sounds a lot like the voice of my boss, which is the only reason why I let Shen Zongyi bring us to that restaurant this afternoon.”