On My Way - Chapter 46

Chapter 46 - Supporting Each Other Through a Rainy Night to Keep From Falling

The office, caught in the midst of a storm, suddenly fell into a dead silence.

Old Feng curled the corner of his mouth into a smile. "So, you believe I’m the one making things difficult for you?"

There are many things that are difficult to put out on the table.

For instance, every time I feigned ignorance or gave subtle hints to refuse his advances, he would never say a word.

But then, something disastrous would inevitably happen in the area I cared about most: my work.

I was truly exhausted by this back-and-forth cycle. I felt tired even just pretending to be oblivious.

"Ren Dongxue, you’re just a vocational school graduate," he said coldly. "Without me, you wouldn’t even have had the chance to step into S-Construction! I’ve supported you every step of the way to where you are today, and you have the nerve to blame me for making things difficult for you!"

As he went on, his voice grew louder, until he was practically roaring.

This was the first time I had ever seen him so enraged. For a split second, I considered backing down, just to keep the peace.

But no, my simple philosophy as a poor person told me that either I stay low and submissive until the very end, or if I’m going to make a stand, I must do it with a heart prepared for death.

Otherwise, I would be finished anyway.

"Professionally, I have followed you for six years and haven't done anything wrong. Personally, when you made a miscalculation in the load-bearing requirements, I was the one who cleaned up your mess. When you had conflicts with the workers, I was the one who went to take the beatings and insults. When you were kidnapped, it was me who fired the shot that saved your life," I said, clenching my fists, equally hoarse and desperate.

"It’s true that you gave me an opportunity! But ask yourself honestly: aside from not sleeping with you, is there any way I have ever let you down?"

He stared at me, shocked, his lips trembling.

"I know why you're angry." I smiled; I hadn't smiled so thoroughly in all these days. "It's because you think the best fate for me is to be your mistress and act as your white-glove accomplice. You think that if I don't agree, I’m being ungrateful."

"But I came from a family that picked through trash, I struggled for six years in Africa, and I made sure every project I touched was perfect, even if it cost me my life." A bleak smile appeared on my lips. "I didn't do all this just to be someone's plaything, do you understand?"

Old Feng laughed instead. "And why... oh, you think that Young Master Cheng will marry you? Keep dreaming. You’re just something he’s finished playing with."

A massive wave of shame rushed to my head; my face felt burning hot.

"At least he made me realize that my life is worth more than this," I said, enunciating every word. "Compared to him, do you think you’re even worthy?"

"What did you say?! Say it again!"

Old Feng suddenly exploded in rage, grabbing me by the collar.

The sheer physical oppression of a man, combined with the sudden suffocation, caused the nightmares of New Year's Eve to surge forward instantly.

But I didn't weaken. I stared into his eyes, my whole being like a burning flame. "He doesn't feel I'm beneath him, so he doesn't frantically belittle me. He is a man of honor, and most importantly, he doesn't blur the lines between public and private to force his subordinates into submission!"

We stared each other down for a long time before Old Feng slowly, slowly let go of his grip.

"I thought..." He sighed and slumped into his chair, defeated.

I held my head high, still staring him down relentlessly.

"Whether you believe it or not, Engineer Zhou’s arrival was the Board of Directors’ decision," he said quietly. "I tried to fight for you, but it was no use."

I knew he had backed down.

But I hadn't planned on letting him off the hook today!

I said, "You proposed it, and the Board approved it, isn't that right?"

Old Feng looked at me with surprise.

After it was confirmed that Old Feng would be in charge of this project, General Manager An’s secretary had given me a call.

"Old Feng is a very aggressive person. He crosses many lines to achieve his goals. Watch his situation and email me every week, copying Manager An," the secretary’s voice was rational and professional. "Everyone says you are his person, but I know you are the company's person, aren't you?"

Even after Engineer Zhou arrived, she informed me:

"Old Feng needed assistance and the leadership approved it, but the leadership sees the contributions you have made to the company. Don't worry, it’s just to share the workload; there is no intention to replace you..."

With the mask completely torn off, there was nothing left to be nostalgic for. I said, "You can scold me at work, that’s fine, but don’t try to disgust me with anything else. After all, I’ve walked through the gates of hell once already; I’m not afraid of anything."

For this project alone, he had committed countless violations, to say nothing of that larger stripping operation.

The worst-case scenario was that I’d resign; I could still be a project manager at another company.

He was about to enter the Board of Directors. After grinding for a few more years, who knows, he might even sit in the top chair.

He was afraid.

After I finished speaking, I turned and left.

I don’t know when it started raining; the ground was covered in muddy puddles.

I ran faster and faster, soaked through, my pants splattered with mud.

Finally, without paying attention, I fell into a puddle and burst into loud, uncontrollable tears.

I didn't know what I was crying about; I only felt I had suppressed myself for too long. My heart was filled with so much fear and injustice that it all had to come out.

Why did everyone have to bully me?

Why did I have nothing?

I missed Cheng Xia so much; I had always missed him.

I couldn't find my way home. If I saw him and talked to him, would I know where to go?

I gripped my phone tightly. He would answer; he was like the moon, always hanging there.

In the end, I didn't press the button.

We had broken up, and I had already lost him. I couldn't give him what he needed, and if we kept entangled, his condition would only get worse.

I wandered aimlessly through the rain.

I don't know how much time passed, but the rain stopped.

I looked up to see Yu Shixuan, wearing a fluffy coat, her other hand pulled tightly against her collar to keep out the cold.

I wiped the rain from my face and said, "Why did you run out here? It’s so cold."

"It started raining, so I came to pick you up!" She was a bit shorter than me, standing on her tiptoes to hold the umbrella over us. "Dongxue, let’s go home."

She didn't ask a single question, just as I wouldn't have asked her how her meeting with Chana went today.

We shared one umbrella, chatting as we walked toward home.

Her hands were warm and dry, with a faint, sweet scent of apricots.

On such a dark night, it really is true that you have to support each other to keep from falling.

—

After having that breakdown with Old Feng, I had prepared to resign.

But everything remained as usual. I worked, I attended meetings, and after a certain inspection by the headquarters, Engineer Zhou—who used to boss me around—also restrained himself quite a bit.

But Old Feng was a man who held grudges. I knew that from this day on, we were enemies.

Harina was doing well with her online courses. One time when I was on leave, I sent her to S City to stay at my place, which also gave my grandma company. I took the opportunity to help her look after her grandparents here.

She had signed up for a class to learn Business English; I thought it would be useful for her if she ever went into sales.

In the autumn of the following year, Chana’s sentence was handed down.

Surprisingly, despite the infighting between father and son, Teng Qishier took the fall for everything in the end and was sentenced to life in prison. Chana, as an accomplice, received a much lighter sentence.

Most of their property was auctioned off by the court, leaving only that villa complex. Yu Shixuan continued to renovate it, and I kept helping her.

A year later, those dreamy, swirling blueprints finally transformed into a strange and beautiful landscape on the grasslands.

This architectural design work later won her an international award. There are very few young designers who can produce such unrestrained and bold works—after all, when she designed it, she was the client herself, and she had an unlimited budget to squander.

By then, she had sold it to a real estate company, and the old villas were sold for three times their original price. She left all that money for Chana.

"We loved each other once; that’s enough to make it right by him," she said, before leaving that place without a backward glance.

What no one expected was that the following year, it was named "Breeze Grass Homestay," and simultaneously, an overwhelming wave of advertising and marketing swept across the entire internet.

"The grass is tying its seeds; the wind is shaking its leaves. We stand there, without speaking, and it is beautiful enough."

"This is the world's last pure corner, which will allow you to find true inner peace."

"When summer comes, take the person you love and visit Breeze Grass."

Literary youths flocked there to feel the sea of grass and the breeze. After all, it wasn't often you could enjoy a five-star homestay while also experiencing the most authentic grasslands.

Such places are few and far between.

The continuous development of tourism projects also boosted Uleji Village. Being the village with the best infrastructure nearby—clean, warm, and ecologically preserved—the villagers' homemade salty milk tea and mare's milk wine were in high demand, and taking photos with the small foals became a popular activity.

It had grown up to be a truly mighty and graceful grassland horse.