Chapter 156: Please Forgive Me!

Wang Zheng shifted his gaze from the glowing computer screen to Bai Bing, who was standing in front of his desk. It was hard to imagine that the woman who had always opposed him and even once threatened him with a gun would actually utter an apology. What surprised Wang Zheng even more was that Bai Bing was bowing to him in remorse.

Such a stubborn and proud woman was actually bowing to apologize? Wang Zheng felt a genuine sense of shock in his heart. Had this woman taken the wrong medicine?

Looking at Bai Bing, who remained locked in a ninety-degree bow without straightening up, Wang Zheng did not know what to say for a moment. Yesterday, he had indeed been infuriated to the point where he wanted to tear Bai Bing apart, throw her off this eighteenth-floor high-rise, and draw a firm line between them forever. Yet now, seeing Bai Bing bowing in apology—especially seeing a woman who was usually full of spirit looking so haggard and aggrieved—his hostility toward her faded significantly, and most of his anger dissolved.

This made Wang Zheng think of a certain song: *I am always too soft-hearted, too soft-hearted...*

Getting angry was merely punishing one's own heart, liver, spleen, stomach, kidneys, gallbladder, intestines, and lungs with someone else's mistakes. Wang Zheng was not foolish enough to continuously punish himself for the errors of others.

Could such a bow and apology be considered sincere? Wang Zheng had no way of knowing. Who could tell if this woman would repeat her old tricks in the future, thinking that a bow and apology could resolve every mistake? Besides, given their respective positions, a conflict was bound to arise eventually. What would happen then? Wouldn't that mean burying a time bomb right beside himself?

After turning the matter over in his mind, although he had already forgiven Bai Bing in his heart, Wang Zheng did not voice it. Instead, he turned his gaze back from Bai Bing to the computer screen. There was no banquet in the world that never ended; parting ways now was better than facing off in fierce conflict later. Therefore, ignoring Bai Bing, who was still bowing, he looked at the computer and decided to get down to business, since a mountain of tasks still awaited his attention.

Bowing for a minute was fine. Five minutes was also acceptable. But what if it were half an hour, or an hour? Wang Zheng believed that when she could no longer endure it, she would eventually straighten her back. When that time came, she could take her wide boulevard and he would cross his single-plank bridge. Afterward... it was better to part ways and fight their own battles independently!

Wang Zheng let out a deep sigh in his heart. For some reason, his eyes suddenly felt a bit sore; perhaps some tiny flying bug had fluttered into them!

Time ticked away, second by second. Ten minutes... thirty minutes... an hour!

Wang Zheng tried several times to concentrate all his attention on the display screen, but he failed. Both his willpower and mental strength were formidable; even ordinary tranquilizers had no effect on him. He remembered back on the African grasslands, when he had taken multiple bullets and still managed to rely on his strong willpower and mental endurance to escape the encirclement of non-governmental armed forces. Today, however, it was different. He could not focus his attention, and his mind unconsciously began to drift. And the woman standing right before him was the root of it all.

An hour—she had actually stood in front of Wang Zheng, bowing for a full hour. Even someone with a heart of stone would be moved by such a sight, let alone when the other person was a woman.

Bai Bing did not leave. She maintained that ninety-degree bow no matter what. Until she heard Wang Zheng utter words of forgiveness, she would not straighten her back. Thus, she said nothing, harboring no complaints as she stood quietly in place. Even if Wang Zheng fell asleep and forgot her existence, she would still have done this without slacking off.

"You... get up!" Wang Zheng said flatly. He hated himself—hated himself for lacking a heart of stone to scold the other party severely and drive her away, and hated himself for turning indecisive. Living a life in constant contact with women for too long really tended to make one's emotions overly rich!

"If you don't accept my apology, I will keep bowing and never get up!" Bai Bing said with a slightly hoarse voice. Despite this, a trace of stubbornness still lingered in her tone, proving that she was not joking.

Wang Zheng scratched his head; he was feeling rather frantic now. Stubbornness? This was clearly behaving like a rogue! Who had ever heard of forcibly compelling someone else to grant forgiveness? Meeting such a woman truly meant running into eight lifetimes of bad luck. He had no idea what kind of misdeeds he must have committed in his past lives to encounter her in this one.

"Alright, alright, get up quickly. I forgive you, I forgive you, all right?" This method of apology completely left Wang Zheng helpless. Was this really Bai Bing coming to apologize? It was clearly her forcing Wang Zheng to beg her to straighten her back.

Now that the words of forgiveness had been spoken, Wang Zheng figured Bai Bing could finally straighten up, right? She should hurry up and leave instead of being an eyesore here. Yet, half a minute after Wang Zheng voiced his forgiveness, Bai Bing still stood motionless in the exact same spot, maintaining her ninety-degree bow. This thoroughly infuriated Wang Zheng. Wasn't this pushing an inch after being given an inch—taking advantage of his leniency?

"What do you want?" Wang Zheng glared at Bai Bing, whose head remained lowered, and demanded, "I've already forgiven you, why aren't you getting up yet? Do you seriously expect me to kneel and beg you to get up?" Good grief, this woman was pushing her luck way too far and bullying people beyond reason!

"I... I can't move!"

Ah?

Hearing that hoarse and slightly choked-up voice, Wang Zheng paused slightly. Seeing Bai Bing remain utterly still, he immediately stood up, walked around his desk, and approached her.

Standing motionless in high heels for an entire hour while keeping her waist bent, coupled with staying up all night and having a weakened body, she had evidently suffered a temporary physical stiffness caused by a lack of movement.

"Can't move at all? Can you straighten your waist?" Wang Zheng looked down at her and asked. Seeing a woman who had once been immensely glamorous now reduced to such a pitiful and down-and-out state, Wang Zheng genuinely felt an urge to burst out laughing.

"No... I can't move!" Bai Bing said with a trembling voice.

"What about your legs? Can your legs move? Can you walk?"

"No...!"

"Since you can't do anything, why were you putting on such a brave front in front of me? If your waist and legs aren't up to it, you should have stopped while you were ahead! What kind of dramatic act are you playing?" Wang Zheng chided irritably, "I must really owe you in this lifetime!"

With that, Wang Zheng also bent down, placed his left hand around her waist, and hooked his right arm under the back of her knees, lifting the immobilized Bai Bing directly into his arms.

"Ouch...!"

"Serving you right for the pain! Just bear with it!"

Wang Zheng carried Bai Bing, whose brows were tightly furrowed and down whose face tears were silently streaming, over to the nearby sofa and gently laid her down. Given her ninety-degree bent posture, she naturally settled onto the sofa with her knees stuck straight out. If those straight legs of hers were replaced with a pair of arms, she would look no different from a zombie!

"Your waist is probably locked up; sitting down will help you recover faster. Your knees and feet are likely numb from standing in high heels for too long, causing a temporary loss of sensation. I'll massage them for you so you can heal quicker. By the way, you don't have athlete's foot, do you? I didn't bring any gloves!"

A faint flush returned to Bai Bing's pale face. If she weren't currently paralyzed and unable to move, she would have long since kicked Wang Zheng flying!

Without waiting for Bai Bing's consent, Wang Zheng slipped off her high heels, holding her ankle in one hand and her sole in the other, and gently rotated them.

"Does it still hurt?" Wang Zheng asked as he kneaded her foot.

"It hurts!" Bai Bing said with a wronged expression.

"Serves you right!" Wang Zheng retorted unceremoniously. After finishing with her feet, he began manipulating Bai Bing's stiff knee joints.

Wang Zheng placed his hands on the calves of Bai Bing's stiff right leg and slowly lifted it. At this moment, a rather comical scene unfolded: Bai Bing's upper body was pressed tightly against the back of the sofa, looking as though she were sinking into it. Without the support of the sofa back, Bai Bing would likely have toppled right over.

As he moved her leg up and down dozens of times, not only did Bai Bing's knee joints regain mobility, but her lower back also felt much better. However, Bai Bing's skin was icy cold yet soft and smooth to the touch—wait, no, gripped in his hands, it felt exceptionally comfortable. This woman clearly possessed immense confidence in her skin, as she wasn't even wearing stockings. If she wore a pair of black ones, would she look even sexier? Yes, absolutely; at least she wouldn't look as annoying as she did right now. The most important detail, though, was that Bai Bing was wearing a knee-length skirt; every time he lifted her leg, Wang Zheng caught a clear view of her pure white underwear...

Let it be stated beforehand: he was no lecher! Everything was purely for therapeutic necessity! Just like a female doctor massaging a man's backside before giving him an injection—it was precisely the same thing!

Because every push from Wang Zheng sent waves of pain radiating from her waist and legs, Bai Bing paid no attention to her accidental exposure, merely squeezing her eyes shut and enduring the agony.

Ninety-eight... ninety-nine... one hundred!

Right at one hundred, Wang Zheng lowered Bai Bing's legs, and she found that she could now move them freely.

"While wearing high heels looks pretty, standing for long periods compresses your toes and will eventually deform them. It also makes the soles of your feet harder and tougher, so it's better to wear casual shoes or low-heeled ones with air cushions in the future. I certainly don't want to look at someone with deformed feet wobbling around in front of me all day!"

"Wang Zheng!"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry. It was my fault."