Jing Yan did not pursue Bai Qing relentlessly. Although she had left the Zhan Corporation, with her qualifications, finding another job would not be difficult. Even though Bai Qing had been greedy and concealed many things, she hadn't committed any heinous acts. For the sake of the good times they once shared, Jing Yan did not want her to be too destitute.
It would be for the best if they never saw each other again.
Compared to Bai Qing's predicament, Wei Yumeng was thriving in her career. Huo Xiao, her apprentice, proved to be capable. Together, they secured a major project, and the department organized a celebratory banquet for them.
Wei Yumeng generally avoided social engagements, often citing her young children as an excuse to decline. However, this was her celebratory banquet; she was the protagonist. To not attend would seem rather unsociable.
While she didn't care what her colleagues gossiped about behind her back, she couldn't openly offend them like this. Otherwise, it would inevitably lead to sabotage in her future work. Thus, she decided to attend.
The initial proceedings were fairly normal. Despite their envy, her colleagues offered seemingly sincere congratulations. However, as the evening progressed, she realized they were deliberately plying her with alcohol.
Initially, Huo Xiao had helped her fend off many drinks. But what was a newly employed young man's tolerance for alcohol? The entire table was pressuring both of them, and Huo Xiao was already thoroughly incapacitated.
Without anyone to help block the drinks, Wei Yumeng soon felt groggy, her vision blurring.
She staggered to her feet and said, "No more drinking. That's enough for today. Thank you, everyone. I need to head home."
As she spoke, she pulled out her phone to call Zhan Mohan.
Seeing her attempt to make a call, a colleague sitting nearby quickly snatched her phone away. "What are you going back for? Nobody has had enough to drink yet. We're not going home until we're all drunk tonight."
Thus, she was forcibly seated again. However, she couldn't stomach another drop. No matter who offered her a drink, she refused.
She knew these people were intentionally trying to get her drunk, so she had to find an excuse to leave the table. Just then, feeling a wave of nausea, she quickly announced she felt like throwing up and stumbled into the restroom.
After vomiting, her consciousness cleared somewhat. She planned to sneak home quietly. To her surprise, the moment she entered, a female colleague followed her in and began chatting incessantly, guarding the restroom door.
"Yumeng, why aren't you coming out? Are you feeling really unwell? Open the door and let me check on you."
The colleague outside feigned concern. Wei Yumeng refused to open the door, saying she was fine and just needed a little more time.
She hoped to wear down the other woman's patience, thinking she would slip away once the person outside grew impatient. To her surprise, the woman outside not only had patience but also refused to leave even when she couldn't wait any longer.
"Yumeng, I'm really worried about you. If you don't open the door, I'll have to call the cleaning staff to open it for you."
At these words, Wei Yumeng knew she couldn't escape this time and reluctantly opened the door.
"Oh, you're finally out! I thought something was seriously wrong with you."
Wei Yumeng gave a weak, wry smile, her face pale. "What could be wrong with me? I'm fine after throwing up."
The two returned to the private room. The female colleague sat down. "Come, come, let's keep drinking. Yumeng said she's fine after throwing up and can drink with us for a while longer."
Wei Yumeng's face paled in alarm. That wasn't what she meant.
She pushed away the wine glass that was being offered. "No, if I drink any more, I'll really be drunk. I can't drink anymore."
"What are you afraid of? We don't have to work tomorrow. Besides, you barely drank anything just now; your little apprentice drank most of it for you. This is your celebration, how can you not drink?"
As she spoke, she was forced to drink several more glasses. Although most of the liquor spilled onto her clothes, the alcohol content was high, and combined with what she had already consumed, she quickly became dizzy and couldn't see clearly.
In a haze, she seemed to see them laughing. She wanted to leave, but she had no strength left. Under the influence of alcohol, her limbs felt heavy, and she couldn't even stand, let alone leave.
"See if she's passed out yet?"
A colleague sitting nearby confirmed she was drunk and asleep and quickly summoned the department manager, Wang Hua.
This Wang Hua had long coveted Wei Yumeng. He had noticed her from the very first day she joined the department. Wang Hua also knew that many people in the department were unhappy with her, so he used this celebration banquet to get everyone to get her drunk.
Seeing that their task was completed well and Wei Yumeng was completely unconscious from drunkenness, Wang Hua smiled lewdly, his eyes narrowed.
"Alright, you've done a good job. Everyone will get a bonus when we get back."
With that, he put his arm around Wei Yumeng and prepared to leave.
However, someone reminded him, "Manager Wang, this is President Zhan's wife. Aren't you afraid President Zhan will give you trouble if you do this?"
Wang Hua, emboldened by his audacity, feared nothing. He waved his hand dismissively. "You don't need to worry about me. I have plenty of ways to ensure she won't dare to speak up and will have to obey me from now on."
Seeing his lecherous smile, the female colleagues in the department fell silent. This time it was Wei Yumeng; would he set his sights on one of them next?
Watching Wang Hua half-drag, half-carry Wei Yumeng away, these people didn't feel as triumphant as they might have expected. It seemed Wei Yumeng hadn't done anything wrong; it was just that they were less capable and thus resented someone else's excellence.
If Wang Hua was right and he could make Wei Yumeng suffer this loss in silence without daring to speak out, wouldn't they also be complicit?
Among the crowd, a female colleague slowly sat down. "Are you all feeling better now? I certainly don't."
Once this sentiment was voiced, it quickly resonated with others. They all sat down and drank morosely, none of them feeling truly satisfied.
"What can we do now? We've poured the drinks, and we've handed her over to Manager Wang. It's too late to say anything."
"Why don't we inform President Zhan?"
Someone proposed this suggestion, but it was quickly shot down by another.
"Are you stupid? If we call President Zhan, won't our getting her drunk be exposed? Would President Zhan let us off if he knew?"
They babbled amongst themselves, but no conclusion was reached. They even managed to wake up Huo Xiao.
He rubbed his eyes and looked around, only to find Wei Yumeng conspicuously absent.
"Where's my mentor?"
"She went home early due to not being able to hold her liquor."
Hearing that Wei Yumeng had already gone home, Huo Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up unsteadily. "Then I'll head back too. I drank quite a bit today."
As he stood up, his peripheral vision caught sight of where Wei Yumeng had been sitting. He noticed her bag and phone were still there, untouched. How could she have gone home?
Huo Xiao's senses sharpened instantly. "Where did my mentor actually go? Her belongings are all here; she couldn't have gone home. Where is she?"
Seeing this, some wanted to tell the truth, while others wanted to cover it up. They stammered, none of them answering his question.
Seeing them all staring at each other blankly, Huo Xiao realized something was definitely wrong.
After asking for a long time without anyone responding, he furiously swept all the glasses on the table to the floor. "Where did you people take my mentor!"
He grabbed a male colleague by the collar, raising his fist.
Just then, the door to the private room was flung open. Zhan Mohan stood at the entrance, radiating a chilling aura, and looked at the mess inside.
His gaze swept across the room, and not seeing Wei Yumeng among the crowd, his expression turned icy. "Where is my wife?"
Huo Xiao had seen Zhan Mohan's interviews on television and knew who the newcomer was. He quickly released the colleague he was holding. "President Zhan, I don't know where she's taken my mentor."
Zhan Mohan glanced at the phone Wei Yumeng had left on the table and pulled Huo Xiao behind him.
"I'll give you one minute to tell me where my wife is, or you will all disappear from Pengcheng tomorrow."
Zhan Mohan's oppressive aura bore down on everyone, making it difficult for them to even breathe.
With Zhan Mohan showing up, they had no room to lie, even if they wanted to.
Those who had advocated for telling him the truth now decided to conceal nothing.
"President Zhan, our Manager Wang took Yumeng away. She's in the presidential suite upstairs."