Chapter 86: Escalation of Conflict

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Staring at Lin Xiaolei’s departing figure, Wang Zheng was momentarily lost in thought, so much so that if Bai Bing hadn’t gently nudged him with her elbow, he might have ended up frozen in place like a statue.

Bai Bing shot Wang Zheng a flirtatious glance, then chased after Lin Xiaolei, embarking on her own mission of surveillance. Wang Zheng was about to call her back, but on second thought, if he kept her by his side, she’d just chatter on about the car all through lunch, so he abandoned the idea.

Originally planning to eat at the cafeteria, Wang Zheng, upon noticing the female staff still on duty, suddenly had a new idea. He clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention and announced loudly, “Lunch break! Everyone’s off duty now!”

The female employees cheered at the news, but before their excitement could fully erupt, a shrill, overbearing voice cut through the air, reminiscent of a shrew cursing at the entrance of an alley—its tone as sharp and relentless as a torrent.

“No one is allowed to eat until all assigned tasks are completed!”

At those words, the excited women immediately deflated, glancing first at the middle-aged shrew and then turning their pleading eyes to Wang Zheng.

Wang Zheng looked at the woman. Perhaps emboldened by the effect her words had on the staff, she stood with her chest thrust forward, head held high, exuding a haughty arrogance—a female version of the notorious landlord Huang Shiren. She cast a defiant, challenging gaze at Wang Zheng, as if issuing a direct provocation.

Provocation and confrontation had become the main agenda for Lin Xiaolei’s old subordinates. In the entire Zhongtian Corporation, only Lin Xiaolei and Wang Zheng had private offices. For those who didn’t know Wang Zheng, they initially behaved, but having seen him idle away his days, their resentment began to brew.

Why should someone who does nothing but sit around get a private office? What kind of “Assistant to the General Manager” is this, when he’s never lifted a finger?

Wang Zheng rarely left his office, so although discontent simmered, his detractors lacked an opportunity to act. With Lin Xiaolei absent, wasn’t this a golden opportunity sent from heaven?

Many of Lin Xiaolei’s old crew began to stir, and the middle-aged shrew, with her piercing voice and shrewd eyes, emerged as their leader. Her gaze toward Wang Zheng brimmed with disdain, contempt, and challenge. If Su Xue were present, she’d have probably grabbed a brick and stormed over—she was the sort who wouldn’t let anyone else treat Wang Zheng unfairly.

“When I say it’s time to leave, it’s time to leave. I’ll take responsibility for any consequences,” Wang Zheng said coolly. Reason doesn’t require volume, and he had no intention of matching this shrew’s bluster.

“Anyone who leaves without finishing their work, I’ll report you to the General Manager and have you all fired!” shrieked the shrew, her voice full of venom.

“Lunch break is a company policy—no one has the right to interfere. Even overtime must be compensated. Besides, every employee has the right to refuse excessive demands.” Wang Zheng spoke as he walked, “We’re all educated people here; we should know how to exercise our rights. Some people are merely putting on airs, wielding a feather as a command baton. There’s no tiger in the mountains, so the monkey claims to be king. Do you think you’re the General Manager? Go look in the bathroom mirror at those wrinkles—do you want everyone to end up like you?”

“You… you idle good-for-nothing, you have no right to speak here!” The shrew’s face flushed with indignation at this, and she shouted, “Earning money for nothing, occupying a post without doing any work!”

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“Hmph. I wonder who it was that ran off the moment Zhongtian hit trouble—those who are ungrateful have no right to speak this way. And for your information, I’ve never taken a cent from Zhongtian. My work here is entirely unpaid—can you say the same?” Wang Zheng had never considered himself less eloquent than any shrew. In fact, he saw arguing with such women as practice, a way to hone his debating skills.

“You…”

“I’m going to eat.” Just as the shrew was rendered speechless by Wang Zheng, a female employee stood up, slammed her documents on the table, and declared loudly, “Ever since those bullies arrived, we’ve been overworked, forced to stay late every day, and we don’t even get a lunch break. All that for just eight hundred a month—it’s exploitation! I have a master’s degree from Jinghua University, and I’m treated like a servant. Hmph! I was hired by Brother Wang, so from now on, I’ll only listen to him. If you want to quit, go ahead. I’m not planning to stay here much longer. I’m going to lunch.”

Her name was Ye Ruo—the most capable and bold of the fifteen women Wang Zheng had hired. She was their secret leader, and by speaking up, she voiced the feelings of them all.

“I quit, I’m going to eat too!”

“Me too!”

“Brother Wang, lunch is on me!”

One after another, the office erupted into a clamor. The fifteen women Wang Zheng had interviewed all stood up, leaving their work and gathering around him, facing off against the old staff who had long oppressed them. Their united front instantly overwhelmed their adversaries.

“Mutiny! You… you… I’ll call the General Manager and have you all fired!” the shrew, red-faced with fury, sputtered.

This was not just a clash between new and old employees; it was a confrontation between generations. On one side, jaded, scheming middle-aged people clinging to their positions; on the other, young women unafraid to fight for their rights. The gulf in age and mindset made reconciliation impossible.

Ignoring the shrew, Wang Zheng led his troop of fifteen women majestically to the second-floor cafeteria. The moment they entered, the previously noisy room stilled, all eyes turning to the entrance.

An army of women?

What’s going on? Are they here to cause trouble?

The roles were clear—eight women secured space, seven handled the ordering and serving, and Wang Zheng was in charge of paying. Thanks to the persuasion of the eight beauties, the largest corner by the window was soon theirs. Six tables were pushed together, and the sixteen of them sat as one—less a meal, more an assembly.

“Brother Wang, those people go too far—they treat us like servants, and we can’t take it anymore!” Ye Ruo, sitting beside Wang Zheng, spoke up, and the others soon poured out their grievances as well.

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Wang Zheng raised his chopsticks, and the room fell silent.

“To be honest, I don’t like them either. You all saw what happened yesterday—that collision was intentional on my part. But this is President Lin’s company, and those are her old subordinates, so getting rid of them is nearly impossible,” Wang Zheng said, looking at everyone. For the first time, the entire “Women’s Army” was holding a formal meeting in the second-floor cafeteria, with Wang Zheng as the only male participant and chair.

“What? So we just have to endure this forever? Brother Wang, can’t you do something? Doesn’t President Lin always listen to you?”

“That’s just in the past. Officially, I’m the Assistant to the General Manager, but in reality, I do nothing—I spend all day in the office, reading magazines or watching adult films. Exhausting,” Wang Zheng sighed.

“So what do we do?” Ye Ruo asked.

“If things keep going like this, I’ll just resign. I finally understand—not every company in Yong’an Tower is a good one!” one woman said.

“You’re wrong—Zhongtian is actually a good company. It’s just that Lin Xiaolei is too impatient and has brought in some two-faced people… What a pity!” With no outsiders present, Wang Zheng openly discussed his strategic disagreements with Lin Xiaolei. The women all voiced their support for him and their opposition to Lin Xiaolei’s leftist, reckless approach.

Correcting Lin Xiaolei’s mistakes would not be easy. After all, Zhongtian was her company, and she had made up her mind. Now, with her alliance with Huang Wei and Liu Jin, it would be even harder to change course.

“Brother Wang, what do you think we should do—resign or stay?”

Hearing this, Wang Zheng looked up to find all fifteen women gazing at him. He suddenly felt a sense of responsibility. So he bowed his head and thought carefully: if they all resigned now, Zhongtian would instantly lose a large number of trained staff, and it would take a long time to recruit and integrate replacements—something that would severely harm the company. Lin Xiaolei would almost certainly blame him for orchestrating it.

But if he didn’t let them resign, they would continue to suffer exploitation and unfairness, which was obviously unjust to these fifteen women.

And there was another problem—Wang Zheng still didn’t know what plans Lin Xiaolei had for Zhongtian’s future. That would directly determine whether he would ultimately step in or stand aside.

Damn, what a headache!