Abducted by the White Moonlight of a "Tormented Protagonist" Novel - Chapter 6
Chapter 6
The atmosphere in the bar was still noisy, but in the small booth, the air began to feel a little heavy.
Shen Shiyi stopped swirling her wine glass. She squinted slightly at Gu Tingsheng and sneered, “What does his happiness have to do with me?”
Gu Tingsheng looked helpless. “You know how he feels about you.”
“What? Are you going to help him pursue me?” Shen Shiyi took a sip of her wine and scoffed, “What about your sister? She likes Fu Wen so much, after all.”
“Sigh.” Gu Tingsheng looked even more helpless.
Shen Shiyi tugged on the hem of her dress lazily. “Don’t beat around the bush. Why did you ask me out this time?”
If it weren’t for him, she would already be lying in bed with a face mask on for her skincare routine.
“Shiyi, can’t I ask you out even if there’s nothing going on? It’s been a few years since we last saw each other,” Gu Tingsheng poured himself a glass of wine, looking at the woman in the dim light, his eyes filled with thought.
“Alright, so you want to find out why I’m back?” Shen Shiyi’s lips curled into a smile. “You don’t have to overthink it. I’m just tired of staying abroad.”
“Is that so? I thought you came back for the marriage alliance with the Fu family,” Gu Tingsheng’s thumb gently rubbed the rim of his glass, his tone betraying little emotion.
The Shen family, the Gu family, and the Fu family could be considered the three top-tier wealthy families with the most resources. As heirs of these families, their marriages naturally became a bargaining chip.
Not long ago, Fu Wen proposed a marriage alliance with the Shen family. And once these two families united, the Gu family had to be cautious.
Even though Gu Tingsheng and Fu Wen had been friends since they were kids, in the business world, you had to be careful even with your friends.
Shen Shiyi looked at him with a half-smile. “So you’re worried about me marrying Fu Wen?”
“If you’re so worried, why were you speaking up for him just now?”
Gu Tingsheng leaned back, his expression a little bitter. “He’s still a friend, after all.”
Shen Shiyi’s voice was meaningful. “Don’t you know what kind of person he is? And you’re trying to play matchmaker?”
Shen Shiyi thought this person was interesting. On one hand, he was worried about the Shen and Fu families uniting, and on the other, he was speaking up for Fu Wen and trying to get them together. This person was really twisted.
Gu Tingsheng’s face stiffened. He sighed deeply, as if exhausted, and loosened his tie.
“If we’re going to talk about it, shouldn’t I be worried about your two families uniting?”
A faint smile appeared on Shen Shiyi’s lips. After all, Gu Tingsheng and Fu Wen were good friends, and Gu Shiyu also liked Fu Wen. The chances of their two families uniting seemed much higher.
Gu Tingsheng shook his head, leaning back on the sofa and looking at the ceiling lights. He sighed, “It was better when we were kids.”
When they were young, they played and messed around together, and they didn’t have to think about so many things.
Shen Shiyi took a sip of her wine without comment.
“Now that you’re back, are you planning to join the Shen Corporation?” Gu Tingsheng asked.
“We’ll see. It’s not a definite thing,” Shen Shiyi said casually.
Gu Tingsheng didn’t say anything else, quietly drinking his wine.
Shen Shiyi finished the last sip of wine in her glass, placed it on the table, and picked up her coat. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going. We can talk again if something comes up.”
With that, she turned and left without a second thought.
Gu Tingsheng looked up at her retreating back, his eyes under his glasses looking deep, a bitter smile on his lips.
She was still so ruthless, showing no mercy at all.
…
The next morning, Song Zhiqi stretched comfortably in her warm bed and sighed, “I wish I could wake up naturally like this for the rest of my life.”
This was normal for her in her previous life, but now it had become a luxury. This made Song Zhiqi angry at the system.
She acted on it immediately. After washing up and having breakfast, Song Zhiqi went to her company to collect evidence. She also had some personal belongings to pick up. When she arrived, she recorded everything with her phone to preserve evidence.
“Song Zhiqi, you’ve offended Mr. Fu, and you still want compensation? Do you know what the consequences of offending him are?” The HR person looked at Song Zhiqi with a look of disbelief, as if her asking for compensation was an unbelievable thing.
“What does my offending him have to do with you? Is this your reason for firing me without cause? The labor law isn’t just for show, is it?” Song Zhiqi couldn’t care less about the female lead’s innocent persona now. She put her hands on her hips and argued with the HR person!
“Song Zhiqi, don’t be unreasonable. We’ve already agreed to pay you your salary, and that’s generous enough. If you keep making a scene, you won’t even get that much!”
“No, is this company yours? Why are you protecting it so much as an employee? And what you did was wrong in the first place. Shouldn’t you give me the compensation I’m entitled to?” Song Zhiqi said, baffled.
The HR person suddenly looked around, glanced at the phone in Song Zhiqi’s hand, and said softly, “You also said it. I’m just an employee. Don’t make things difficult for me. If I approve this compensation for you, I’ll be out of a job, too.”
Song Zhiqi: “…”
She looked at the HR person speechless. The HR person also smiled awkwardly. Song Zhiqi snorted, “Fine. I won’t make it difficult for you. I’ll just go to labor arbitration.”
With that, she turned to leave.
“Hey, wait…” The HR person quickly followed her, mumbling about how hard it was and how much trouble it would be, all to make Song Zhiqi soften up.
Song Zhiqi didn’t pay attention to her. She picked up her personal belongings and said to the HR person before leaving, “You were the one who acted immorally first, so don’t blame me for being unjust. Anyway, I’m unemployed now, so I have plenty of time to deal with you.”
“You!”
Seeing that she was about to walk out of the company, the HR person gritted her teeth and stomped her foot. “Fine! You win. I’ll go apply for compensation with my boss!”
Song Zhiqi stopped in her tracks. She turned her back to the HR person and showed a smug smile. She knew the company wouldn’t want to get into trouble with her.
They were in the wrong for firing her under Fu Wen’s pressure, and she wasn’t a soft persimmon that they could easily mess with. When faced with her firm stance, they were the ones who had to compromise.
Song Zhiqi left in a good mood after getting the compensation she was entitled to. Before she left, she said to the HR person, who had a bitter look on her face, “Thank you for protecting our rights as employees.”
HR person: “…”
Song Zhiqi happily took her things back and put them away. Then she went to the hospital and looked at the middle-aged woman lying on the hospital bed. Song Zhiqi’s eyes held a complex expression.
The female protagonist in the novel, before meeting Fu Wen, all of her hardships were brought upon by this woman who seemed to have a gentle face.
The original protagonist had a younger brother. Her father died early, and the two siblings were raised by their mother. However, the mother favored her son and would often hit and scold the protagonist. She had to do all the housework from a young age, while her brother could play outside without doing anything and still be praised by their mother for being lively and cheerful.
If the protagonist hadn’t been so smart and received help from her teachers, she wouldn’t have even been able to finish high school. Later, she got into a good university, and she paid for it all with student loans. Her family was still dissatisfied, thinking that she should have started working earlier to earn money for her brother.
As for her good-for-nothing brother, he didn’t even finish middle school before he started working with others. Later, he somehow got addicted to gambling. This made their already struggling family even worse. Their mother worked herself sick and was hospitalized, and the family’s only source of income was Song Zhiqi.
After their mother was hospitalized, the brother didn’t even bother to come and see her, let alone give her a single cent. He then went to Burma with some people to make a lot of money.
“You, why do you have to be like this? Aren’t you a woman yourself? Why don’t you treat other women like people?” Song Zhiqi shook her head and sighed. As she said this, she felt powerless about it.
People like the mother had already been indoctrinated. They never felt that anything was wrong, especially since everyone around them took pride in having a son. Even though she was a woman, she had become a part of the oppression of other women.
“Host, what are you trying to do?” The system’s voice suddenly came out, sounding deep and mysterious.
Song Zhiqi awkwardly pulled her hand back and coughed. “I saw that her oxygen mask wasn’t on properly and wanted to adjust it for her.”
“I hope so,” the system said in that same mysterious tone.
Song Zhiqi rubbed her nose. She was just feeling a little tempted. She didn’t actually say she was going to pull it off. She didn’t want to be a murderer.
As soon as she left the hospital, Fu Wen’s call came in.
“Song Zhiqi, you’ve seen your mother’s condition. Are you sure you can let her continue to linger like this?”
The man’s cold voice came through the phone, sounding a little distorted, but the sense of superiority didn’t lessen at all.
He thought he was a cat, and Song Zhiqi was a mouse he was toying with.
“Host, say yes! If you say yes, the plot will get back on track!” Song Zhiqi hadn’t even spoken yet, but the system had already anxiously chimed in.
Song Zhiqi: “…Is he your son? You’re in such a hurry to send me to his bed?”
The system was slightly annoyed. “That’s how the plot goes!”
Song Zhiqi: “Oh. Then you have to learn to be flexible.”
With that, she ignored the system’s furious voice and said to Fu Wen, “Mr. Fu, is this how you force others to be with you?”
After putting people in a difficult situation, you come back and act like a savior. Does this person think he’s so noble?
“Heh.” Fu Wen sneered. “I haven’t failed to get what I want. If you had said yes early on, would this be happening now?”
Song Zhiqi pouted. When she looked up, she was a little stunned.
Am I seeing things? That person looks like Shen Shiyi?
What is she doing at the hospital?