By the time Zhao Yu arrived at the conference room, everyone was already waiting inside.
The joint investigation by the four major departments was strange and intimidating. Seeing her come in, Fu Tao nodded at her, his eyes clearly telling her not to be afraid.
Zhao Yu sat down with a smile, waiting for the leaders to speak. The manager of the administrative department took the lead and spoke.
"Xiao Zhao, I believe you Manager Cui has already told you why we are gathered here today so I will not beat around the bush. I called you here to ask about the nature of the relationship between you and Mr. Fu. Of course, we are not a judicial body and we have no right to investigate your private business, so you can refuse to answer as many questions as you wish."
Zhao Yu smiled and said, "But you have the right to fire me."
"You have a good sense of humor. The company is absolutely against firing employees for no reason. We are here today to let you prove your innocence."
Manager Zhang handed her some documents, "These are the two anonymous letters reporting you. There are also photos of you and Mr. Fu behaving intimately according to the accusers. Mr. Fu said you are not feeling well these days and I also think your face is quite pale so we will let you explain the context directly. If it is uncomfortable for to share personal information, you don't have to force yourself."
Zhao Yu took the file. After taking a look, she sighed in exasperation. "Mr. Fu and I have no relationship other than that of boss and a subordinate at work. In fact, we are not even friends in private. After all…" Pausing here, she looked apologetically at Fu Tao. "After all, there is an age difference between Mr. Fu and me which is quite serous. Almost as much as a generation gap so apart from work, we don't have many topics for us to talk about."
Hearing her words, Fu Tao was not at all embarrassed or annoyed. He faced was as calm as usual. Only Xue Ziang laughed and with a huff he jokingly said: "Old Fu, you are being rejected right now."
Zhao Yu continued, "But I really have no evidence to prove that there is no improper relationship between me and Mr. Fu. In reality, this meeting shouldn't be for me to prove my innocence but for the accuser to bring forward stronger evidence. As for these photos…" She looked at the photo in her hands, hesitated, glanced at Fu Tao and quickly set her gaze aside.
"The pictures are normal, I don't see how they could look compromising in other people's eyes. "
In the picture she and Fu Tao were indeed in a normal working environment, and at first glance they were not very close but the way Fu Tao was looking at her was obviously laced with intention. This was also clear to everyone that was present. But they all played along, pretending to be confused as well and agreed that the photo was okay, and listened to Zhao Yu explain her sources of income to refute the content of the complaint letter.
She also admitted to having boyfriends overseas and everything else, bringing the investigation to a close.
Zhao Yu spoke until her mouth was dry and looked helplessly at the leaders in front of her. "I know because I just started working at the headquarters, my three years of work experience in the North American branch is not recognized by my colleagues, and they doubt my qualifications to be the deputy manager. I understand that completely.
"Now the rumors about me and Mr. Fu are spreading like wild fire. Regardless of whether or not I can compete for this position, I cannot control what other people say. For the sake of Mr. Fu and my reputation, I will withdraw my application for this position and request for a job transfer. No matter whose assistant I am asked to become, I will prove myself with my own strength. I am confident that the next time there is a job opening, I will be able to get everyone's wholehearted approval."
Listening to her say that she will be changing jobs, Fu Tao frowned but Xue Ziang looked at her with a smile, "You talk a big game but if you miss this shot, what if such a good opportunity doesn't come along again?"
Zhao Yu looked at him directly, "People who have ability don't need to worry about not getting another opportunity."
Xue Ziang laughed jeeringly again, and patted Fu Tao on the shoulder, "Your little assistant seems quite like you, so arrogant."
At the end of the investigation, Fu Tao let Zhao Yu leave first. She didn't have a mind to care about other people anyway. After leaving the meeting room and closing the door, she held her abdomen and bent down.
Taking in a few breaths in the corridor, she slowly made her way towards the elevator. While gritting her teeth and leaning on the wall to wait for the elevator, Fu Tao's voice suddenly rang out from behind, "Are you okay?"
Zhao Yu's whole body stiffened, and not turning around, she put on a calm face and wiped the teardrops from the corner of her eyes.
"I'm okay, thank you Mr. Fu, for your concern."
Her voice was a little hoarse and she was obviously crying. Xue Ziang, who was standing beside Fu Tao, looked at her embarrassed back and laughed,
"I thought Miss Zhao was really such a confident person. But in reality, you're just a paper tiger."1
"Who the hell is a paper tiger?" She turned her head and angrily clapped back. Seeing Xue Ziang's playful face, Zhao Yu hurriedly lowered her head to admit her mistake, "Sorry, Mr. Xue, I have a bad temper during my menstrual period. Please don't mind me."
"Then does Miss Zhao have to cry during every menstrual period?"
Xue Ziang looked at her red eyes with amusement, "Big deal. Is it worth crying over?"
"I wasn't crying!" Zhao Yu still wanted to seem strong, but just as she spoke, tears fell down so she just turned around. Not caring about the seniority of the two people behind her, she stepped into the elevator a few steps and pressed the close button.
When the elevator closed, neither Fu Tao nor Xue Ziang went in. After all, Zhao Yu's was clearly embarrassed about the situation and wanted to hide.
Of course, they were considerate enough to give her space. Seeing that the smile on Xue Ziang's face had been wiped clean, Fu Tao explained with a smile, "Xiao Zhao2's personality is just like this. She absolutely can't stand being wronged but likes to act strong in front of others. Mr. Xue already made fun of her so don't take it to heart."
Xue Ziang stared blankly at the decreasing numbers on the elevator display and muttered, "Yes, she is just like this."
When she arrived at the parking lot, Zhao Yu put away her pitiful appearance, straightened up and carefully drove her car. The phone on the side rang and the display showed it was "Gu Yunfei".
Zhao Yu evenly answered, "What's the matter?"
"How did investigation go?"
"It's just as I guessed, they are just going through the motions."
"But they will definitely look into who filed that complaint."
"What? You scared?" Gu Yunfei scoffed,
"I was going to resign and return to my hometown anyway. I simply fish up a tidy sum before I left. What do I have to be afraid of?"
Zhao Yu also laughed, "The money has been sent to your account, remember to check it."
"I received it, I just don't understand. What's the point of spending so much money to let me report you along with Ye Zi? You are so rich, why are you holding onto such a small assistant's position to death? Or is it as Ye Zi says, you want to climb into Xue Ziang's bed?
This player's bed, even if you succeed, you will not be able to lie in it for long. You are such a smart person, can't you even see this?"
"You don't need to worry about this, you just need to remember that in the company, you and I will always be at odds against each other."
1 纸老虎All bark and no bite.
2 小赵 Little Zhao, a way to address a friend who is younger than you.