"Did his uncle really commit a crime?"
"We didn't even recognize you in that photo! You didn't reveal your real name online either..."
"Is it really you?"
When Wen Zheng was asked a question, he leaned back ten degrees, and now the stool was teetering on the edge. Li Xiaoting reached out from behind him and slapped him hard: "Brother and sister, look how scared you've scared him!"
The crowd backed away with exclamations of "Oh!" Wen Zheng took a breath and admitted, "It was me."
The crowd erupted in uproar, each offering their own opinion on the matter.
"I knew Lao Jin was just bragging. There's no such thing as a free lunch!"
"I've wanted to say this for a long time. He's so arrogant. His relatives are so powerful, including his cousin-in-law. They're from who-knows-how-many generations ago. How good can their connections be when they come knocking on our door?"
"Exactly, it's like a pie falling from the sky, landing on your head at best, and it keeps falling. What if it's hail? Look, it overturned."
"Is Old Jin still coming...?"
"Who knows? It depends on whether he helped his cousin-in-law embezzle funds?"
After everyone finished their discussion, they collectively asked Wen Zheng, "Does Wen Zheng know anything inside information? Tell us!"
If he could, Wen Zheng really wanted to roll his eyes.
Before Jin Fanrong got into trouble, you all rushed to praise him.
It's clear that the truths of this world are all up to you. Everyone knows the two sides. When you need the positive side, you say the positive side. When you praise someone for being lucky, you say they were born into a good family. You can't be envious, so don't be a sour grapes. But when you need the negative side, you say that there's no such thing as a free lunch.
But Jin Fanrong is really annoying and always takes the lead in picking on him. Wen Zheng is not willing to speak up for him and just says that he doesn't know much about it.
Everyone sighed, realizing that even though Wen Zheng could greet people now, he wasn't approachable; it was the same old formula and the same old taste.
Wen Zheng was in a good mood today, so he didn't wear headphones and occasionally took out that poem to look at during breaks from work. The sounds of other people talking and chatting didn't seem too annoying because of his good mood; in fact, they seemed quite lively.
After lunch break, Jin Fanrong finally arrived late.
Upon his arrival, he immediately claimed the title of "most popular person in the office." Except for Wen Zheng and Li Xiaoting, everyone rushed to the door, surrounding Jin Fanrong completely.
Li Xiaoting: "Brother Wenzheng..."
"Aren't you going?" Wen Zheng asked as he typed.
Li Xiaoting smiled shyly: "No, I don't think they're cool at all. You should learn from Brother Wenzheng."
Wen Zheng paused for a moment, looked at Li Xiaoting, and a hint of doubt appeared in his eyes.
Li Xiaoting lowered her voice and said, "When I first joined the company, I was afraid that everyone would ostracize me, so I would listen to everything they said... Even if it was a topic I wasn't interested in, I would pretend to agree. At first, they all seemed to like me a lot, saying they wanted to take me as their god-sister and teach me how to work. But when I encountered problems, they never answered patiently. In the end, it was you who taught me."
She lowered her head shyly: "And that time it rained, you probably didn't notice, but I asked several people to borrow an umbrella, all of whom I had chatted with before. They only had one umbrella, and no one invited me to share. The gossip girl had another one in her drawer, but she said it was for sun protection and the water would damage the coating, so she wouldn't lend it to me. In the end, it was you who gave me the umbrella, and I didn't even have time to catch up with you... Although I've said it many times, I'm really grateful to you."
"I don't want to become like them. I want to learn from you. That's so cool. If I can stay on after my internship, I'll become a senior colleague and mentor newcomers just like you did."
After Li Xiaoting finished speaking, her face turned red. She turned her head and pretended to check her email, focusing her attention on the screen.
Wen Zheng smiled slightly and said nothing more.
Jin Fanrong finally managed to escape the crowd in a disheveled state and returned to his workstation, his entire being visibly withered.
This time, it was his turn to be asked questions he didn't want to answer, one after another. Unfortunately, he couldn't avoid them, since they were in the same office anyway, and he didn't have any noise-canceling headphones like Wen Zheng.
"Did your brother-in-law embezzle that house?" "Can you still work at your job?" "Has your boss spoken to you?" "Hey, say something..."
Chattering away, chattering away, Jin Fanrong wished he could shove his head into a drawer.
Finally, it was time to leave work, and the gossipmonger was the first to block Jin Fanrong's desk again: "Don't go, Lao Jin, tell us, tell us some inside information!"
"Shut up, all of you!" Jin Fanrong finally lost his temper and roared, startling his colleagues.
"All you do is ask, ask, ask! Are you a fly?! Are you satisfied now that the boss hasn't contacted me?!"
“…Jin Fanrong.” The face of the top leader appeared slowly in the doorway, looking directly at Jin Fanrong through the small crack: “Come with me for a moment.”
"...Master, Director." Jin Fanrong stammered, dropping his pen on the table.
Author's Note: Big Black: Ugh, what am I going to do? This guy really likes me. (Shrugs)
(One more update around 12:00, and this volume will be finished, mwah!) (Just before posting, I realized I'd miscalculated the password in the outline. I was so scared I went back and calculated it twice more, until my head was spinning! Even though no one would actually calculate it exactly, I was still so afraid of bugs! If any of you are interested, search "volume password" on Baidu and try calculating it yourself!)
Chapter 43
Jin Fanrong did not return until everyone had left work.
The next day, Wen Zheng heard that he had been invited to the police station for a second round of questioning because some evidence suggested that he was suspected of being an accomplice in the attempted molestation committed by his cousin-in-law, Hong Zhi.
He was speechless. Hong Zhi had asked him to go to the restroom of the hotel where the banquet had been held to find the bottle of sleeping pills that had fallen there. However, the bottle had already been taken by Bai Shuang's men. Jin Fanrong searched for a long time in a daze, and his behavior was very suspicious. He was thus suspected and invited for tea.
There were no security cameras in the hotel restroom, but unfortunately, Jin Fanrong asked the supervisor that day if he had seen a small white bottle.
On the one hand, this mistake was fatal; on the other hand, the matter was related to Wen Zheng, and the message from above was taken very seriously by the entire police station.
This attention did not lead to Jin Fanrong's conviction, but an administrative penalty would put him in a very awkward position within his unit.
The leaders held a meeting and decided to reduce his salary and terminate his permanent position, making him a contract worker. If Jin Fanrong wants to regain a permanent position, he will have to retake the exam.
Jin Fanrong's house was gone, his dreams shattered, and his identity became that of a contract worker whom he often mocked Wen Zheng. The bitterness and regret in his heart were unstoppable. Once, Wen Zheng bumped into him in the break room. Normally, he would have come over and put his arm around him, but now, seeing Wen Zheng, he ran away like a mouse seeing a cat, incredibly fast.
Wen Zheng was still getting used to the gradually improving office atmosphere when he was summoned to the detention center by a phone call from his superior.
Because Shan Yu kept asking to see him.
Out of humanitarian considerations, the detention center conveyed this message to its superiors, and the top leaders consulted Wen Zheng's opinion. Wen Zheng ultimately decided to make the trip.
He hadn't planned to bring Dahei that day, but Dahei insisted on going, and Wen Zheng couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he had to go along with it.
Wen Zheng had changed into a formal suit, but the cat dragged him back into a casual hoodie and jeans, making him look like a young man buying groceries on the street.
This cat even cares about what he wears. Wen Zheng sometimes finds it unbelievable.
The police station specially sent someone to pick him up, and Wen Zheng sat in the back seat with the cat.
Ever since he became 95 percent suspicious of Big Black, he has become less and less worried about it. When he sits down, the cat jumps up and then sits steadily on his lap, as if the cushioned chair isn't noisy enough.
Upon arriving at the detention center, Wen Zheng noticed that the guards were all staring at Da Hei, and, with suspicion, nodded in acknowledgment.
Even in this cat-dominated world, few people bring cats when visiting prisoners. The guard quickly consulted his superior and received a green light before letting Wen Zheng in.
The environment is very nice.
The evergreen plants are lush and green, and they do not wither even in autumn. However, the sky is inevitably somewhat bleak and gray, and everything looks dim.
However, the detention center was even darker, and the country was doing everything it could to conserve energy.
He sat in the inner room, head bowed, behind the soundproof glass, sensing an impending storm. His case was still pending, but he was certain he would be sentenced to three years of free dormitory accommodation.
"Wen Zheng." He hadn't shaved for many days; his chin was bluish-black, echoing the bags under his eyes, making him look extremely haggard.
Wen Zheng didn't even sit down. He held the cat in one arm, letting the big black cat's two paws rest on his shoulder, and held up the microphone with his other hand, and hummed in response.
After so many days of rain, Shan Yu has calmed down considerably. It's fortunate he was locked up and his phone and other communication devices were confiscated; otherwise, he might have driven himself to madness just from browsing the internet.
His eyes were tired, and his voice carried an indescribable weakness: "I just want to know one thing: when did you start to doubt me?"
Wen Zheng: "It's not that I suspect it, it's that Deng Puyue found out. During that Jacaranda Flower instance, you deliberately eliminated him early, and since he had nothing else to do, he went to your livestream to continue watching us. Your explosive performance at the end was very suspicious." (anan casually pushes...)
Shan Yu was in a daze: "So it was that time... Yes, I was too bold. When I first started memorizing questions, I never dared to show off like this."
Wen Zheng stared at him intently: "You've developed the illusion that you deserve this praise because of the constant praise from netizens."
Shan Yu gave a wry smile, rubbed his face with both hands, took a deep breath, and said, "One last question. You really never had any feelings for me at all?"
Big Black suddenly turned its head, its sharp eyes fixed on Shan Yu, its little paws opening and closing, grabbing Wen Zheng's hoodie shoulder.
Wen Zheng was silent for a moment: "No. I won't be moved when I'm on guard, and you're a very fake person. I don't dare to relax in front of you."
The big black pine twitched its claws, boredly moved its ears, and looked out at the clouds.
The phone rang suddenly. Wen Zheng glanced at it and saw it was Wendy. He answered it.
"When are you done?" Wendy asked excitedly. "Don't forget we're having dinner with Rick tonight. I'm quite a fan of his stuff, so don't embarrass me. Oh, and Old Wang said you should dress smartly so the paparazzi can take pictures!"
Wen Zheng remained silent: "I remember. But you better not be late."
"How could that be? By the way, are you going to sign up for the pet beauty pageant or not? You've been thinking about it for days, you should have made up your mind by now, right? The deadline is tomorrow, and I'm taking my dog."
"Then I'll sign up too." As soon as Wen Zheng finished speaking, Da Hei suddenly shoved his shoulder, its golden eyes full of surprise.
Wen Zheng smiled involuntarily, said a few more words to Wendy, and then hung up.
Then Deng Puyue's message followed, saying that during the rest day of the second stage of the streamer competition, Aimao Live would be holding a streamer conference and offering a free trip. Wen Zheng glanced at the link briefly and put his phone back in his pocket.
Deprived of his freedom, Shan Yu stared intently at his movements. These were all things he had once dreamed of possessing, but now they had all gone to the person in front of him.
Wen Zheng suddenly said, "The glow of a firefly is not fire, and the dew on a lotus leaf, though round, is not a pearl."
Shan Yu asked blankly, "What?"
Wen Zheng shook his head, hung up the receiver, and walked out of the temporary cell amidst Shan Yu's unwilling and regretful gaze.
The clouds were just blown away, revealing a patch of hazy sunlight. Big Black Ears twitched, tickling his cheek.
Author's Note: Volume 1 - End
(Volume 2 preview: Human travel, cat beauty pageant, why is the sexy demon king's identity being exposed!? The demon king is heartbroken for the future of the animals. A mysterious person appears in the fighting arena, who is he? Big Black angrily runs away, and the whole nation is calling out—come back!)
(Phew... writing ads is so hard.)
(I'll consider this half a bonus chapter for every 2,000 comments, and I'll make up for the rest at 2,500 comments! It'll be this afternoon if nothing unexpected happens, but if it gets dark... just pretend it didn't get dark!)
Volume Two, Chapter 44 of the Second Code
Rongcheng Sports Park, Central Swimming Pool.
"yahoooo——"
Rick let out a strange scream and plunged into the water from the edge of the pool, splashing up a huge wave.
Standing by the pool, Wen Zheng and Wendy, dressed in formal attire, silently took a step back to avoid the water at their feet, both with expressionless faces.
Big Black sat far away, head held high and noble, perched on the bench.