Chapter Fifty-Nine: Compensation

I said, "It's nothing serious. I just wanted to see you. Have you been well these past couple of days?"

Gu Ruoyan hurriedly cleared her throat, reached up to adjust her glasses, and said in a low voice, "Close the door first!" I responded and turned to close the door.

Only after the door was shut did Gu Ruoyan reveal her anger, speaking sharply, "Tang Qian, I'm warning you, the fact that I'm divorced is only known to you in this company. If anyone else finds out, I won't let you off!"

I looked at her feigned fury and sighed softly. "Manager, even if I wanted to say anything, I probably won’t have the chance anymore." Gu Ruoyan was an exceedingly clever woman. She immediately sensed something unusual in my words, noticing the sorrow of farewell threaded through them.

She said, "What’s going on? Sit down and tell me slowly."

I sat across from her, sighing repeatedly. "Manager, I owe you an apology. I just resigned from the company. I’ve let down all the effort you spent transferring me to the planning department. I promised you I would achieve something in this new position, but now, I've broken my word. I came to confess, hoping you'd scold me, otherwise the guilt would eat me alive."

Gu Ruoyan was stunned for a moment, then said, "You resigned? Did you… find a job that's more suitable for you? If so, that's fine. Go ahead, did you think I’d object?" I replied, "No, that’s not it."

Gu Ruoyan was puzzled. "It’s not? Then why did you resign?"

Facing this leader who had done so much for me, I found myself unable to repeat the lofty excuses I’d told my other colleagues. I hesitated for a long time before sighing, "Manager, I don't want to lie to you, but the reason for my resignation is hard to explain. All I can say is: I resigned because I had no choice, and it was necessary—it can prevent a lot of trouble. I came here hoping to ask for your forgiveness, for deciding on my own to leave."

Gu Ruoyan glanced at her watch. "If you won’t tell me the truth, how am I supposed to comment? Work is over. Let’s find somewhere to eat, and you can tell me about your issues in detail. Maybe I can help."

Her continued concern warmed and touched me deeply. "Thank you, Manager! But I’m afraid this is something you can't solve. I have an important meeting soon. If I ever get the chance, I’ll explain everything to you."

Gu Ruoyan gave a cold "Oh," her eyes returning to indifference. "Is that so? Then why did you come to me? Just to inform me you’re leaving? Fine, I know now—you can go."

Seeing she seemed upset, I quickly said, "Manager, that’s not what I meant. You know I’m not good with words, and you know I respect you deeply—how could I ever hide anything from you? Why don’t I finish my appointment tonight as quickly as possible, then call you? I’ll tell you all the reasons behind my resignation."

Gu Ruoyan, seeing my nervousness and how much I valued her, seemed quietly satisfied. She smiled again. "You really are honest. All right, I’ll wait for your call tonight. Hey, is resigning really that complicated?"

I forced a smile. "It truly is complicated. You’ll understand tonight. By the way, after your divorce, if you need any help or have any troubles, you can confide in me; I can help you with advice, too."

Gu Ruoyan hadn't expected those words, and her face flushed. She scolded, "Whether I have troubles or not, what’s it to you? Don’t you have an important meeting? Why are you still here? Get going!"

Page 2/3

I cursed myself inwardly—another slip of the tongue. Awkwardly, I said, "I… I really didn't mean it that way…"

Gu Ruoyan turned her gaze away, refusing to look at me. "Just go, we can talk later. Don’t interfere with my work." Seeing her unwillingness to talk, I sighed. "Then… I’ll leave first?"

"Hmm," Gu Ruoyan pretended to focus on typing at her computer, never glancing at me again. I stood up, opened the door, and left in resignation.

Gu Ruoyan immediately stopped typing, wrapping her arms around her head. I heard her muttering, "Troubled? Ha, do you even know what trouble feels like? I… I’m about to go insane…"

Carrying my box, I made my way to the parking lot, only to find Hua Jingjing standing anxiously beside the car, phone in hand. When she saw me approaching, she barked, "Where did you go? Why was your phone off?"

"I went to say goodbye to the people in the sales department. My phone? Oh, it ran out of battery," I answered.

Hua Jingjing snorted. "Give me the keys."

I fished the car keys out of my pocket and handed them to her. She pressed the remote, and with two chirps, the doors unlocked. I put the box in the Ferrari’s trunk, got in, and closed the door. "Where to?" I asked.

Hua Jingjing paused, then started the engine. "Let’s get some McDonald’s first, then find somewhere quiet to settle accounts with you."

A chill ran through me. I understood perfectly what her words meant—a passionate woman, rejected in love and now furious, about to exact her wildest revenge. I could even picture the scene. I resolved that tonight, I’d let her vent however she wished, without resistance or retort—my punishment for hurting her. After tonight, I’d never see her again.

We drove to McDonald’s. I got out, bought two chicken burgers and two hot drinks, and returned to the car. I handed her one, then started eating mine.

Hua Jingjing didn’t eat; she set the food aside and drove the car slowly out of the city, onto the highway. The whole time, we didn’t exchange a single word.

When I finished my meal, I realized the direction we were heading was eerily familiar.

It was winter, and darkness fell quickly. All the cars on the highway had their lights on. Halfway through, the Ferrari took a turn and exited the highway. I was certain now: she was driving to the wild field, the place that left Hua Jingjing with unforgettable humiliation. She chose this spot to settle accounts with me—she really knew how to pick a place!

Soon, the Ferrari turned onto a country road and finally stopped in the wilderness. I looked out into the pitch-black night. "You can’t see anything here. Are you sure this is where we stopped last time?"

Hua Jingjing didn’t answer. She leaned against the car door, staring blankly outside. Since she was silent, I said nothing either. I rolled down the window, took out a cigarette, lit it, and smoked slowly.

Suddenly, Hua Jingjing spoke. "If you had been the one to drink the laxative that night, and I came to take care of you, would you have fallen in love with me?"

Page 3/3

I was stunned. "If I’d drunk that wine that night, I’d probably be dead already—love wouldn’t even be a question."

Hua Jingjing sighed deeply. "It’s fate’s fault. If that night hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t hate you so much. If I didn’t hate you, I wouldn’t spend all my time thinking about you. If I didn’t think about you, I wouldn’t like you. Don’t you think so?"

I was silent for a long time, unable to comprehend the logic of her affection for me. I could only say, "Miss Hua, I…"

She immediately interrupted, "Don’t call me Miss Hua, don’t call me President Hua. I just want to hear you call me Jingjing!"

I opened my mouth, the name Jingjing lingering on my tongue, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I apologized, "Maybe I’ll just use your given name—I really can’t bring myself to say something that intimate."

Hua Jingjing’s eyes reddened, and she turned her head away from me. After a while, she spoke again. "Your girlfriend, you said her name is Qiu Jieqin, your high school classmate. Do you love her?"

It was a question I’d asked myself many times. At the deepest level, I was moved by Qiu Jieqin and liked her very much, but if you raised it to the level of love, I felt there was always something missing. I had never agonized over her, never felt a soul-stirring passion. I didn’t understand this before, but ever since meeting Xu Shu, I finally understood that heart-pounding feeling—something I’d never felt for Qiu Jieqin.

Qiu Jieqin was the woman I chose to spend my days with. She was gentle, considerate, and loved me. I liked her, didn’t dislike her, we understood each other well, and our backgrounds matched. It was a practical choice. Beyond that, I couldn’t find another reason to explain why I wanted her as my girlfriend.

So when Hua Jingjing asked, "Do you love her?" I hesitated, not answering immediately.

That hesitation led to countless problems for me later, and many stories unfolded. Hua Jingjing, sensitive as ever, trembled, then turned to me in delight. "So? You don’t love her?"

Inside, I cursed myself, but stubbornly replied, "Who says so? If I didn’t love her, would she be my girlfriend?"

Hua Jingjing fixed her eyes on mine, scrutinizing the truth in my words.

She sneered. "Lying? Why are your eyes avoiding me?" Then, she seemed to realize something. "You said 'let her be your girlfriend’? So she wasn’t someone you pursued, she pursued you?"

I could only reply, "She’s my girlfriend, does it matter who chased whom?"

"Of course it matters! There's a big difference!" Hua Jingjing was so excited, she looked as if she’d discovered a new continent. "The difference is in how much you like her. And you said before you owed her too much, and now you’re just with her to make it up to her, right? But love isn’t about compensation! You definitely do NOT love her, right?"

Unable to win the argument, I spread my hands. "Regardless, I have a girlfriend. I won’t leave her, whatever you say won’t change that."

Hua Jingjing pointed outside at the wild darkness. "Then you made me lose all my dignity, suffer so much, almost lose my life—and you… you even saw my bare bottom. I don’t care, you owe me so much, I want you to make it up to me, too!"