dmims Chapter 19 can't even beat a level 5?
Chapter 19 can't even beat a level 5?
When the villa's chandelier illuminated their disheveled state, they could only tense up and put on a show of hatred.
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The villa was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Zeng Jia and Wang Haowen could hear their own heartbeats. Even though the heavy, carved bronze door was closed tightly, they felt a cool breeze seeping into their hearts, making their spines go numb.
Oh no! It's Zhang Zihao? Yu Li and Zhang Zhishan's precious darling!
Wang Haowen had met Zhang Zihao a few times, but had never spoken to him. Right now, his mind was completely blank, as if it had been smothered by an electric mosquito swatter. Zeng Jia's face was as white as a freshly opened A4 sheet of paper; her first thought was to run away, but her feet seemed glued to the ground, unable to budge.
Zhang Zihao chewed his gum and slowly blew a huge, round bubble. The bubble was so big that it popped on his face with a crisp "pop".
"You two are having a lot of fun, aren't you?" His eyes held a hint of a half-smile.
Zeng Jia gasped, scrambling off the sofa. Her throat tightened as she preemptively demanded, "Why are you back? Shouldn't you be at school studying at this hour? Did you skip class?!"
At 25, do you think you can be fooled by a kid? I'll just deny it to the death!
Wang Haowen clicked his tongue and quickly chimed in, but he was targeting Zeng Jia, saying, "They must be back because school's on holiday! You're meddling more than the head of student affairs!"
"I didn't ask you! What are you pretending to be, acting all high and mighty!"
"You're so proactive, always wanting to know everything, from the sky to the earth to the air! You're everywhere!"
"Mind your own business! You broke this thing, so fix it right now! Don't try to get away with it!"
In a flash, their eyes met: Act! Act to the death! Put on a show of "enemies meeting with intense hatred," and maybe that will fool them and get them through.
"I've told you a million times! This isn't my problem! You need to talk to the control room! I can't argue with an amateur like you!" Wang Haowen pretended to squat in a corner, took out his phone, tapped on Doubao (a Chinese instant messaging platform) and pretended to look up a guide, muttering, "What kind of stupid malfunction is this..."
Zeng Jia glanced at her watch: "Zihao is back. I'm not going to waste any more time here. If I dawdle any longer, I'll really be late."
She scooped up the heavy case of Moutai as if it were a lifeline, and before she could finish speaking, she had already dashed out the door like she was on fire.
She wished she had more legs so she could run all the way to Da Dong in one breath. Wang Haowen grumbled under his breath, but his hands moved quickly. Pretending to find out that the surveillance footage showed a switchboard malfunction and he was completely helpless, he casually tidied up the trash neatly, even cleaner than a professional cleaner.
He looked up and saw Zhang Zihao still leaning against the door frame, looking like he was watching a big show.
"Don't worry," Wang Haowen forced a smile, "She wouldn't dare whisper to your dad about you skipping class, and I promise I won't tell President Yu either." With those two precise sentences, he shut the young master up completely.
Zhang Zihao didn't refute it from beginning to end, so it seems that his truancy was correctly guessed.
Wang Haowen even called Yu Li in person to report on the important matters, and casually mentioned that the monitoring switchboard was down.
Zhang Zihao scratched his head: Why are these two even more neurotic than my parents? Is their company hiring someone?
Hearing the nanny's footsteps returning from buying chicken, Zhang Zihao didn't bother to think about it. He turned around, scurried upstairs, and pretended to be gone.
Wang Haowen only let out a long breath after watching him disappear from sight; the back of his shirt was already soaked with cold sweat. He greeted the nanny, then turned and ran off as if they were old friends, faster than if a dog were chasing him.
The early winter wind was like a knife, scraping his cheeks until they stung. He couldn't tell if the pain was from the wind or from the embarrassment. He took out his phone to ask Zeng Jia where she was, but as soon as he turned the corner, he saw a little ball huddled under the bus stop sign—Zeng Jia?!
She clung tightly to the case of Moutai, curled up on the curb like a stray cat soaked by the rain, her head buried in her knees, her shoulders trembling.
Wang Haowen's heart suddenly clenched with pain, and the tough stance he had put on in the villa instantly deflated.
He quickly squatted down, gently touching her arm with his fingers, his voice hoarse and low, full of regret: "It's all my fault, you bastard! I shouldn't have caused this trouble! I'm so narrow-minded, I just hate that I'm not Musk's son, otherwise I would have gotten you two or three of these golden nests..."
Zeng Jia suddenly looked up, her vision blurry for a while before it focused. She had indeed been terrified just now, feeling fear, tension, and lingering dread. Now, seeing Wang Haowen's disheveled state and recalling the absurd scene at the villa, she suddenly couldn't hold back anymore.
"Pfft... Hahaha..." She couldn't help but laugh out loud, almost dropping the box of Moutai she was holding on the ground.
That laugh was like lighting a firecracker fuse; Wang Haowen couldn't hold back either. Embarrassed yet amused, he squatted down next to her and nudged her with his elbow: "Well done, Zeng Xiaojia! You acted pretty convincingly! I really thought you were going to wail and cry here!"
"Nonsense! I was scared out of my wits just now!" Zeng Jia angrily punched him, the force weak and carrying the grievance of surviving a close call.
Wang Haowen thought back to his earlier display of shabby, unsophisticated behavior and felt rather pathetic.
The two of them squatted there carefree in the cold wind, laughing like idiots, ignoring the stares from passersby who thought they were crazy. They just laughed away all the fright and frustration they had just felt.
After laughing enough, they slowly caught their breath. The tips of their noses were red from the cold, like two ripe hawthorns.
"You said..." Zeng Jia's voice was thick with a nasal tone, muffled, "Our lives are like a spy movie every day, constantly undermining each other. What if one day we start acting and it becomes real, and things really get heated?"
Her voice lowered, revealing an indescribable weariness, "Wenzi, do you think I was wrong? I shouldn't have dragged you into Tianyi."
She saw the resentment, anger, and indignation in his eyes in the villa; it wasn't an act. She was working like a slave for Zhang Zhishan every day, and Yu Li was no pushover either; Wang Haowen's life was even harder than hers.
Wang Haowen stared at the endless stream of car lights on the road, remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke in a very serious tone: "I'm annoyed! Annoyed to death! Wearing this fake face every day is exhausting. But then again, didn't we get some real benefits?"
"In the past, what would I know about the schemes behind high-end luxury goods with premium pricing? You, on the other hand, used to just manage attendance and write some ridiculous contracts. Now you know exactly how to negotiate logistics for small commodities and all the intricacies of local business! Everyone says that getting rich depends on luck, not hard work. Let's not compare ourselves to Zhang Zihao, but there are plenty of people in the company who are more capable than us. It just so happens that we two became secretary and assistant by some twist of fate. There are a lot of people who are envious."
Zeng Jia smacked her lips. "That's right. Although I was forced into this situation and had to force myself to eat, I actually managed to get a lot of things in. I never would have dared to imagine this before..." It's just that the tuition fee was too exciting. It's like playing with my heart all the time. My heart is almost made of iron.
"A little excitement is good! Without excitement, where does the energy come from to jump up?" A defiant glint appeared in Wang Haowen's eyes. He suddenly extended his little finger, staring intently at Zeng Jia: "Zeng Xiaojia, dare to make a bet with me?"
"What are we betting on?" Zeng Jia was taken aback by his question.
Wang Haowen wagged his little finger. "Let's bet... whoever makes their path clearer first! Let's see who fills the hole in their down payment for a house faster! If I lose..." He looked like he was ready to go all out, "I'll wash your stinky socks for a year! I guarantee they'll be smoother than your face! If you lose..."
"I'll cook for you for a year!" Zeng Jia said without hesitation, hooking her little finger on the table. "Four dishes and a soup every meal, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, I guarantee I'll fatten you up like a pig!"
The two little fingers are hooked tightly together:
"It's a deal!"
"Anyone who goes back on their word is a bastard!"
"But let's make this clear beforehand: gambling is gambling, but no one is allowed to create internal conflicts to win, or to fight for their own side, and no one is allowed to deliberately try to trick the other into revealing information," Zeng Jia said upfront.
"Am I that kind of person?" Wang Haowen scoffed.
"No, that's fine."
The hazard lights of the ride-hailing car beeped as it approached from afar. Zeng Jia quickly stood up: "The car is here. I'll go help Zhang Zhishan fool his fellow Northeasterners first."
Wang Haowen helped her stuff the heavy case of liquor into the car. "I'm going to Yu Li's party. Whoever gets home first tonight, let me know."
Zeng Jia responded and got into the car. Wang Haowen also started walking, plunging into the chilly night and heading in different directions.