After Trying To Pursue The Cold, Elegant Beauty. I Ended Up Being Flirted With Instead - Chapter 37

I just couldn’t control myself.

I finalized the interview time for the following afternoon.

The next day, Wen Zhu left work on time and followed the address to the agreed upon coffee shop.

Pushing the door open, she looked around. The coffee shop was quiet, with only one familiar figure sitting by the window.

Wen Zhu’s steps faltered.

The person saw her too and waved with a smile.

… Sister Zhishu?

Wen Zhu was slightly confused but walked over nonetheless.

“What a coincidence, Sister Zhishu.”

“Sit.” Li Zhishu motioned to the seat opposite her and pushed a menu across. “I’ve ordered you cake and black tea. See if you want anything else.”

Wen Zhu hesitated before sitting down. “Are you… the interviewer for Dali?”

With only the two of them in the cafe, she had to think so.

“It is me,” Li Zhishu admitted frankly.

Something “buzzed” in Wen Zhu’s mind, and everything instantly connected.

Zhishu… Dali. (In Chinese, the names are part of the idiom ‘Zhishu Dali’ which means ‘educated and sensible’).

How could she not have thought of it earlier?

Seeing her expression change, Li Zhishu smiled and offered an explanation: “Dali is my grandmother’s company. She hasn’t been well lately, and since I have free time, I came to help her look after the company, acting as the president.”

Wen Zhu thought, your “free time” and my “free time” are certainly not the same concept.

She pursed her lips and voiced the doubt in her heart: “Sister Zhishu, is this position… real?”

Meaning, this isn’t a position you specially created for me out of gratitude, is it?

“Of course.” Li Zhishu seemed to read her mind, her tone certain. “Don’t overthink it. I really have been looking for someone for this position, but I haven’t found the right fit. When I saw your resume, I knew it was you.”

Her tone was sincere, not like empty pleasantries.

Wen Zhu felt a slight sense of relief.

As long as it wasn’t a position created specifically for her.

“But I don’t have experience in home design,” Wen Zhu still had some reservations. “The company I’m currently at, Youni, mainly focuses on architectural design.”

“That’s not a big problem,” Li Zhishu said lightly. “Architectural design and interior design are essentially similar. I don’t know why, but the first moment I saw you, I trusted your ability.”

She looked at Wen Zhu, her eyes conveying complete confidence. “If you can manage things so beautifully in a place like Yu pei, how could a small home design role stump you?”

Seeing Wen Zhu still hesitating, Li Zhishu suddenly reached out and took hold of her hand resting on the table.

Her palm was warm and dry, carrying a reassuring strength.

Li Zhishu sighed softly, her voice taking on a gentle note of helplessness. “Wen Zhu, could you please just help your sister out?”

“I have to look after Jiao Jiao, take care of my grandmother, and now I have to watch over the company for her. I’m truly overwhelmed.”

Wen Zhu was beginning to waver.

“If you’re really uncomfortable,” Li Zhishu continued, “you can try it out for three months first. Once my grandmother is better and discharged, I will respect your decision, whether you want to stay or leave.”

With everything said up to this point…

Wen Zhu looked into her sincere eyes, and thinking of her current situation, indeed, no one else would dare to hire her besides Dali.

Moreover, given the Li family’s background, she wasn’t afraid of Pei Xiubai going after Dali.

Wen Zhu thought for a moment and finally nodded.

“Alright.”

Li Zhishu also breathed a sigh of relief when she agreed so quickly, and the smile on her lips deepened.

“I still need twenty days to resign,” Wen Zhu added. “During these twenty days, you can also look for a more suitable candidate.”

Li Zhishu just smiled without saying anything.

After finishing the cake, Li Zhishu offered to drive Wen Zhu home.

Wen Zhu shook her head and picked up the bag beside her. “No need, Sister Zhishu. I have an appointment to meet with Youni’s outsourced studio, so I’ll head there now.”

While in her position, she had to do her duty.

Before leaving, she still wanted to finish her assigned work.

However, as she was leaving soon and wouldn’t get much compensation, she naturally wouldn’t put too much effort into making the project outstanding.

After bidding farewell to Li Zhishu, Wen Zhu walked alone on the streets of Tongcheng.

As dusk fell, streetlights flickered on one by one, stretching her shadow long.

Turning a corner, her steps didn’t pause, but the corner of her eye caught sight of the glass display window of a shop by the road.

A few sneaky figures were trailing behind, not too far and not too close.

Wen Zhu’s expression remained calm. She took out her phone from her bag, operated it single-handedly, tapping quickly on the screen a few times, then casually put the phone back into her bag as if nothing happened.

Ahead was a narrow, deep alley, without streetlights, like a massive maw waiting to devour someone.

She walked straight in without the slightest hesitation.

Sure enough, just a few steps into the alley, rapid footsteps sounded behind her.

At the other end of the alley, a few figures also emerged, blocking her retreat from both front and back.

With the faint light filtering in from the alley entrance, Wen Zhu clearly saw the group of people.

Five or six of them, all young, looking around eighteen or nineteen, dressed like street thugs.

The leader was a girl with dyed yellow hair. She spat the cigarette she was chewing on the ground, crushed it with her toe, then pulled a dagger from her pocket and brandished it.

“Hand over your money,” the girl’s voice was still laced with a childish hoarseness.

Wen Zhu watched them calmly, her eyes serene. “Who sent you to find trouble with me?”

“Stop the damn nonsense!” another boy shouted aggressively. “We’re just robbing you!”

“Robbing?” Wen Zhu chuckled softly. “Does robbing require following me for two streets?”

The group was visibly stunned, not expecting her to have noticed them so early.

Wen Zhu’s gaze slowly swept over their young faces. “I’ve already called the police. Considering your young age, it’s not too late to stop now. Once we’re at the station, as long as you honestly confess who instructed you, I might choose to forgive you.”

“Called the police?”

The words instantly panicked the group, and some instinctively wanted to retreat.

“No one move!” The girl with the dagger, sensing her companions’ intention to retreat, became anxious and yelled loudly, “We all agreed, we can’t run! Running would be too disloyal!”

She gritted her teeth, her eyes turning vicious. “Besides, the police aren’t here yet! If we just take care of this woman before they arrive, won’t that be fine? There are so many of us, are we really afraid of just one of her?”

These words made those who had been wavering steady their ground again, and they all glared at Wen Zhu with menacing looks.

It was clear that a conflict was unavoidable.

Wen Zhu sighed softly.

She slowly took off the earrings and the ring on her hand, putting them into her bag.

Then, she took a silk scarf tied to her bag strap and carefully wrapped it around her left hand, circle after circle.

As she wrapped it, she sighed helplessly, “Why is it that people who want to attack me never bother to check up on me properly?”

After her right hand was disabled, she also became very proficient in Muay Thai with her left hand.

Her dismissive attitude thoroughly enraged them.

“Go!” The leading girl shrieked, clutching the dagger as she rushed forward first!

The blade flashed with a cold light, lacking technique, but full of viciousness.

Realizing they were all aiming for her face, Wen Zhu’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

Just as the dagger was about to scratch her cheek, she dodged sideways, simultaneously delivering a precise kick to the girl’s wrist.

“Ah!”

The dagger flew out of her hand, scraping sparks on the wall before clattering to the ground.

Before the girl could react, Wen Zhu gripped her arm with force, executing a clean over the shoulder throw, slamming the person onto the ground.

Seeing this, the remaining boys yelled and charged at her.

Wen Zhu didn’t retreat but advanced, her fists sharp and fierce, each strike landing solidly on their bodies, making dull thuds.

For a few minutes, the only sounds in the alley were the impact of bone and flesh and continuous groans of pain.

A few minutes later, the piercing sound of police sirens approached from a distance.

When the police rushed into the alley, they saw the following scene:

A well-dressed woman was sitting quietly on the side, leisurely untying the silk scarf on her hand.

Scattered on the ground at her feet were several young hoodlums, all bruised and swollen, groaning in pain.

The lead officer was stunned. He looked around and asked in bewilderment, “Who called the police?”

Wen Zhu looked up at the officer, her lips curving into a polite, gentle smile.

“That would be me.”

The officer: “???”

Inside the police station, the lights were bright.

Wen Zhu held a cup of warm water, sitting quietly on a long bench, looking as relaxed as if she were waiting for a friend in a cafe.

The young officer responsible for taking notes looked at her, then at the words “one person took down six” in his notebook, and fell silent.

He walked over and cleared his throat. “We’ve got the story.”

Wen Zhu looked up at him.

“Those young thugs were stubborn at first, refusing to say who instructed them,” the officer said, finding it a bit funny himself. “We just had to scare them a little, and they confessed everything.”

“It was someone named Ju Zi (Orange) who gave them money to come and cause trouble for you. They and this ‘Ju Zi’ were high school classmates and used to hang out together. They didn’t know why they were targeting you, but they came for the sake of so-called ‘street loyalty.'”

Ju Zi.

Wen Zhu’s fingertip lightly rubbed the disposable paper cup.

It was Jiang Xinxin’s overly emotional assistant.

Based on her experience dealing with Jiang Xinxin, Jiang Xinxin herself wouldn’t come up with such a foolish idea.

So, it could only be the assistant named Ju Zi, acting on her own accord.

It seemed she was trying to get revenge for Jiang Xinxin.

Just as she was thinking, a commotion was heard at the door.

Ju Zi was being brought in by two officers. As soon as she entered, she glared intently at Wen Zhu.

When she saw Wen Zhu completely unharmed, without even a scratch on her face, her eyes instantly became filled with intense resentment.

“She’s fine!” Ju Zi struggled, yelling at the police, “Why are you arresting me? She’s perfectly fine! She’s the one who should be arrested! She’s the mistress who broke up someone else’s relationship! This kind of cheap woman should be taught a good lesson”

“Slap!”

The last word was cut short.

A sharp, clear sound of a slap exploded in the quiet police station.

Ju Zi’s yelling stopped abruptly. Her head was snapped to the side by the force of the blow, which was so powerful that her lip immediately started bleeding.

Jiang Xinxin, who had just arrived behind her, was stunned.

All the police officers around were also momentarily frozen.

One officer subconsciously stepped forward, trying to stop Wen Zhu.

Wen Zhu had already retracted her hand. She flexed her slightly numb wrist, looking at the officer, a hint of apologetic smile even on her face.

“I apologize, Officer.”

“I just couldn’t control myself.”

Her tone was calm and her attitude was exceptionally good. “I apologize. Don’t worry, I won’t use my hands again. I’ll leave the rest for you to handle.”

Since she was the victim and her attitude in admitting fault was so good, the police couldn’t say much more.

The two officers immediately reacted, quickly holding the still dazed Ju Zi and dragging her toward the interrogation room.

“Wen Zhu, you cheap woman! How dare you hit me! I’m not done with you!”

Ju Zi finally snapped back to reality, and her harsh curses rang out again until the interrogation room door completely muffled them.

The police station returned to silence.

Wen Zhu picked up her bag and walked toward the door.

As soon as she pushed open the glass door of the police station, a blast of cold wind hit her face. Just as she was about to flag down a taxi by the roadside, rapid footsteps sounded behind her.

“Sister Wen Zhu!”

Jiang Xinxin chased her out, still with traces of tears on her face. She rushed up to Wen Zhu in a few steps, her voice urgent and laced with sobs.

“I’m sorry, I… I know everything now. I truly had no idea Ju Zi would do something like this.”

She apologized frantically while speaking. “She was just sticking up for me, acting on impulse… She’s still young, can you… can you forgive her this one time?”

Wen Zhu looked at the tear-stained face before her.

She had to admit, this woman was indeed very beautiful, looking delicate and pitiful, appealing to sympathy.

No wonder Pei Xiubai liked her.

If they weren’t in this situation, perhaps she would genuinely appreciate this face.

Jiang Xinxin always looked like a delicate white flower.

But was this seemingly innocent purity truly without any flaw?

Wen Zhu smiled.

“No.”

The two words were light and airy, yet incredibly firm.

Jiang Xinxin grew anxious, and her tears fell even harder: “Sister Wen Zhu! Are you… are you still angry with me because of Mr. Pei, which is why you’re targeting Ju Zi? I truly can…”

Wen Zhu raised her hand, interrupting her words.

“Miss Jiang, you really don’t need to provoke me with Pei Xiubai every time.” Her voice was calm, revealing no emotion. “I’m not ‘targeting’ her; I’m ensuring Ju Zi receives the lesson she deserves.”

“I told you last time, don’t provoke me. But your assistant seems never to learn.”

Wen Zhu’s gaze rested on Jiang Xinxin’s startled face. “You said she was sticking up for you, so you must have expressed your dissatisfaction with me, otherwise, why would she target me?”

“Since she didn’t receive a proper education when she was in school, I can only lend a hand now.”

“Ju Zi tried to harm you, but didn’t you also slap her?” Jiang Xinxin’s face was pale, and she instinctively retorted. “Logically speaking, it should be even now…”

Wen Zhu realized that nothing Jiang Xinxin said was pleasing to her ears.

She raised her hand again, stopping the other woman.

“Even?”

A hint of sarcasm overflowed in Wen Zhu’s eyes. “Miss Jiang, she came to disfigure me. If someone tries to harm me, and I respond with a slap, you can’t call that even.”

“Because I had no intention of hitting anyone, yet I suffered fright and harm due to the other party’s actions.”

Wen Zhu’s tone remained flat, but her words were like knives.

“Therefore, I must make the other party feel a lesson that is many times more painful than a slap. Only then can you come and talk to me about being even.”