Chapter Fifty-Two: Bullying...!

Beautiful women always attract all sorts of people, each with a clear purpose: to possess her. As modern society gradually sinks into a tide of material desires, money has become the most direct, effective, and simple method for winning a woman's heart.

It's been said, "Better to be sick than poor," fully illustrating the importance of money. Even the dead require the living to burn paper money for them—after all, there aren’t so many guaranteed housing units in heaven or hell.

...

Wang Zheng’s indifference to Lin Xiaolei’s pleading gaze clearly disappointed her. She lowered her head in silence, using her chopsticks to poke at the rice grains in her bowl, eating them one by one.

Bai Bing had already stopped sparring with Wang Zheng. She glanced at Lin Xiaolei, who sat quietly across from her, then jabbed Wang Zheng’s waist with her elbow, frowning and giving him a meaningful look.

“What?” Wang Zheng asked, acting as if nothing was amiss, while enjoying the delicious food. Only when his hunger was satisfied would he entertain any amorous thoughts; before that, he refused to be distracted.

Bai Bing glared at Wang Zheng after seeing his response. Was eating the only thing this glutton understood? She glanced again at Lin Xiaolei, then leaned close to Wang Zheng and whispered, “Can’t you comfort her? Are you really so unconcerned about her?”

“What else should I do? I’m a professional assistant, not a bodyguard. If you’re worried, you could follow her yourself,” Wang Zheng replied, unconcerned.

“You…!” Bai Bing was so angry she couldn’t find words. Suddenly, she stretched out her right foot and stomped hard on Wang Zheng’s with the heel of her three-inch high heels.

What was this man thinking? Sometimes he was overly attentive before women, sometimes he acted like a stranger, ignoring them entirely. Didn’t he like Lin Xiaolei? Why didn’t he seize this chance to play the hero? What was going on in his mind?

Lin Xiaolei, dejected and lost, sat there with her head lowered, but she could clearly see Wang Zheng and Bai Bing’s every gesture across from her. Their whispered exchanges, oblivious to others, made her feel bitter and uncomfortable.

She couldn’t eat another bite.

Suddenly, Lin Xiaolei stood up from her seat, the chair scraping noisily against the floor, drawing the attention of nearby diners. Her fists clenched, head bowed, the long strands of hair before her forehead hid her face, making it impossible to read her expression.

...

“I—I’m done eating. Thank you for the invitation. Goodbye!” With that, Lin Xiaolei turned and left.

“Stop!”

Just then, a low, commanding voice sounded. Lin Xiaolei, already in the aisle, froze unconsciously, her teeth biting her lip, her hands clutching the hem of her clothes.

Wang Zheng licked his lips, tapping his plate with his chopsticks, still speaking with authority, “Sit down!”

Bai Bing glanced at Lin Xiaolei, then at Wang Zheng, sensing he was being unreasonable. She shoved Wang Zheng hard, stood up, and pulled Lin Xiaolei’s hand, leading her to sit across from Wang Zheng.

Lin Xiaolei wanted to leave, but her legs wouldn’t obey, and Wang Zheng’s words seemed to possess some magic that held her in place.

Wang Zheng ignored Bai Bing’s ‘reminder,’ and, seeing Bai Bing had once again defected to sit with Lin Xiaolei, he picked up his chopsticks and began piling meat onto Lin Xiaolei’s plate. In no time, the plate was heaped with food.

“Eat!” Wang Zheng ordered for the third time, his voice carrying an irresistible force.

Lin Xiaolei sat there with her head lowered, looking aggrieved, like a bullied bride. For a moment, Wang Zheng seemed transformed into a tyrant.

“Do you want her to die? Don’t you know how to cherish women?” Bai Bing finally lost her patience, shouting angrily at Wang Zheng. Lin Xiaolei was, after all, a woman, and Bai Bing herself felt sympathy for her pitiful state. To Bai Bing, Wang Zheng’s manner was nothing short of discriminatory and insulting toward women. She seemed to have forgotten her own earlier disdain for Lin Xiaolei; now she stood firmly on Lin Xiaolei’s side.

Wang Zheng merely smiled at Bai Bing’s outburst; he wasn’t bothered by her. To him, Bai Bing was like a free housekeeper—occasionally teasing her made for pleasant diversion. At least she was familiar and pleasing to the eye.

“You may call me a scoundrel, but don’t say I lack compassion for women.” Wang Zheng said calmly, “Sit still, or you’re a fool.”

“You… you’ll regret this!” Bai Bing retorted furiously, “One day you’ll have to confess your sins before a priest in church, you shameless villain!”

...

“Heh! What I need is not confession, but a reason to confess! Besides, I never go to places like churches. It's not just a matter of faith—I stand at the pinnacle of belief; others worship me!” To be precise, Wang Zheng believed in nothing but himself.

Ignorance breeds confusion, and confusion gives rise to faith. In other words, faith is the privilege of the ignorant and the mark of the weak.

The strong have no need for faith.

Bai Bing glared at Wang Zheng. After a minute, her eyes were bloodshot and tears threatened to spill. She finally realized that she was no match for Wang Zheng, neither in skill nor in words—and certainly not in shamelessness.

Lin Xiaolei glanced at Bai Bing out of the corner of her eye, saw her helplessness, and understood that this woman could not stand up for her. With that realization, she looked at the man opposite her.

Why was he so domineering? Why?

Suddenly, Lin Xiaolei picked up the chopsticks on the table, bowed her head, and quietly began to eat. She had recognized the situation; it was best to simply eat obediently now.

She had not always been so easily manipulated, but recent events had profoundly changed her attitude toward people and life. Falling from the peak to the valley was easy; climbing back up was hard.

It usually takes a long time.

Wang Zheng could wait, standing atop the mountain, encouraging her, motivating her, occasionally tossing down a rope so she could rest or find a handhold. But Wang Zheng would never pull her up himself. Otherwise, the next time she fell would be even more painful.

“That’s right!” Wang Zheng smiled as he watched Lin Xiaolei finally begin to eat. He wasn’t bullying her; in truth, Lin Xiaolei hadn’t eaten properly for days. Wang Zheng just wanted her to eat more—after all, health is the foundation of revolution.

To be able to command the boss’s assistant so imperiously—perhaps only Wang Zheng could do it. They say a female secretary is half a wife to her male boss; it seems a male assistant can be half a husband to his female boss as well.