Zhan Bei Jue had just arrived at the office, intending to head to the inner lounge to wash up and change before starting his day.
Zhou Jinbei followed him in.
He stood with his back to the door, his hand on a button, having just undone one, when he heard the door click.
Turning around, he met Zhou Jinbei's face, and his already foul mood darkened further.
"You're getting more and more out of control, not even knocking before entering my office?"
Zhou Jinbei felt unwell. She had spent the previous night in the hospital and the entire day at home yesterday.
Aside from Chen Jiaojiao, no one had shown her any concern, and she couldn't even find her newlywed husband.
Today, she had come with the intention of confronting Zhan Bei Jue, her heart already full of anger, and now he was scolding her.
With a face etched with hardship and grievance, she pushed open the office door and stepped out, knocking twice.
Before Zhan Bei Jue could even agree to let her in, she walked back in.
"I have something to ask you!"
Very well.
Zhan Bei Jue was also feeling annoyed. Since she was so eager to deliver herself, he wouldn't be polite.
He slumped onto the sofa ungraciously and glanced at her.
"What is it? Do I owe you something?"
"Have I spoiled you too much lately, Zhou Jinbei? Is this the attitude you have when speaking to me?"
Zhou Jinbei, for some reason, found the courage to argue with him.
"Then what attitude do you want from me? You know I've only been married to Ah Zhong for a few days, and you sent him away so he's nowhere to be found. Is this how a brother acts?"
"I'm not even scolding you, so what's wrong with me venting a little?"
This girl, so unruly.
Coming to settle scores with him first thing in the morning?
Damn it, he owed them! Every single woman around him was difficult to deal with!
Zhan Bei Jue snorted coldly.
"It's right that you can't find him. You and Ah Zhong are not suited at all. You're so overbearing; I sent him away for his own good."
"Otherwise, you would have been exposed long ago, and Ah Zhong would have been angered to death by you sooner or later."
Zhou Jinbei: "You!"
"Are you his cousin or my cousin? How can you talk about your own sister like that?"
"What do you mean I'm overbearing? Even if I were, could I be more overbearing than you? Didn't he work as your subordinate for so many years?"
"Is the nature of it the same?" Zhan Bei Jue said.
"When he's my subordinate, no matter how overbearing I am, I provide for him. But you?"
"Alright, alright, I'm not in the mood to bicker with you. Don't you have his phone number? His WeChat? If you want to find him, contact him yourself. I never said he couldn't contact you, so why are you coming to me?"
Zhou Jinbei couldn't win the argument. Thinking of her pathetic state yesterday made her so angry she wanted to cry.
"I have to find you, who else would I find? I've noticed you've really changed lately. No wonder my sister-in-law wants a divorce from you; you weren't like this before!"
One sentence struck Zhan Bei Jue to the core.
He shot her a cold glance.
"Don't go too far, Zhou Jinbei. Do you know what you're saying?"
Zhou Jinbei was furious, her drama queen nature surfacing, and she argued with him recklessly.
"Then what about you? Do you know what you're saying and doing?"
"Don't think that just because your career is big and you have money, you can do whatever you want! People were willing to surround you and dote on you before because they felt you were not only capable at work but also had good character in life. But now you..."
"Let me tell you, if you continue like this, you'll be abandoned by everyone sooner or later!"
Zhan Bei Jue couldn't understand where her immense resentment came from.
What had he done to be abandoned by everyone?
Seeing her puffed up, like a frog with a deflated mouth, eyes wide, and roaring hysterically, he suddenly felt it was meaningless to argue with her.
Her emotions were openly displayed, her view of things was simplistic. Besides Ah Zhong, she was likely using this opportunity to speak up for Jiang Nan Fang.
Jiang Nan Fang.
He was quite curious how Jiang Nan Fang viewed him behind his back after experiencing such a major event.
Zhan Bei Jue quickly calmed himself down. "Did Jiang Nan Fang say anything to you in private?"
Zhou Jinbei, thinking he was going to blame Jiang Nan Fang, quickly straightened her neck.
"She didn't say anything!"
"She wouldn't deign to gossip behind people's backs; she's very broad-minded! But everyone in the entire South City knows what you've done now!"
"I used to think you were different from those other men; I looked up to you as a god. But now..."
"However, since Sister Nan Fang doesn't care anymore, there's no point in me saying more. Your personal matters have nothing to do with me. But you must clarify Ah Zhong's situation with me. What exactly did you send him to the United States to do?"
So disheartening.
Zhou Jinbei actually said Jiang Nan Fang wouldn't discuss him in private.
Jiang Nan Fang, Jiang Nan Fang, it's really not easy to get a sense of presence from you.
Since she couldn't provide him with any information related to Jiang Nan Fang, Zhan Bei Jue couldn't be bothered with her anymore.
"Call him yourself."
"From now on, unless it's work-related, do not come to my office. You must knock before entering. Get out."
Zhou Jinbei felt that Zhan Bei Jue had changed completely.
Ever since that news broke, his attitude towards her was vastly different from before. His words were truly unpleasant!
It must be that vixen outside instigating him!
She turned around angrily, about to leave. After taking two steps, her phone rang.
Lifting it up, she saw it was her father calling.
She hadn't received a call from home in a long time. It was early in the morning; there must be something.
Zhou Jinbei suppressed her anger, walking and answering, "What is it, Dad?"
"Are you at your second brother's company right now?"
"Yes, I'm about to start work. What's wrong?"
"Give the phone to your second brother. I have a few words for him."
Her uncle was huffing and puffing on the other end.
"A few days ago, you said your aunt was sick and hospitalized in Beicheng. I just arrived and can't find her. What's going on?"
"One moment she's in the country, the next she's abroad, one moment she's sick, the next she's nowhere to be found. Her number is blocked too. What's going on with your Zhan family?"
Zhou Jinbei didn't know about her aunt's illness.
She only knew that after Jiang Nan Fang got together with Zhan Bei Jue, her aunt had left the country in anger.
After such a long period of no contact, Zhou Jinbei, engrossed in her own personal matters, had almost forgotten about her aunt.
Zhan Bei Jue watched her walk back step by step and handed her the phone.
"My dad wants to talk to you."
"He said he went to Beicheng to see Aunt, but he can't find her. What's going on?"
About to lose his temper, he took the phone.
He spoke coldly into the receiver.
"It's fine now. She's abroad again. You don't need to concern yourself with our family matters anymore. Come back."
Her uncle yelled at him.
"Don't hang up yet! What's wrong with you, kid?"
"You blocked me when I called you. Your mother's number keeps changing. What exactly are you up to? How can relatives be like this..."
Zhan Bei Jue didn't want to explain to him, patiently saying he had to get to work and had something important to do.
Her uncle called him again.
"Why did the police call me that day? They insisted on asking if your mother had any enemies. Are you not going to give me an explanation?"