If I had heard such words two months ago, I probably would have jumped for joy. But hearing them today was like a heavy blow to the head.
Because I was very clear in my heart that lately, there hadn't been many intimate moments with my wife.
My first instinct was that the child wasn't mine.
If that were true, then my wife would be even less likely to come back.
So I didn't understand why she returned home today.
Seeing the stunned look on my face, my wife suddenly asked, "Are you happy?"
I really wanted to ask if the child was mine, but in the end, I didn't say it because I was afraid of hurting her feelings.
What if this was just a misunderstanding? What would I do then?
If my wife came back, there was a high chance the child was mine.
After thinking it over, I asked, "Did you only reconcile with me because you're pregnant?"
Obviously, my tone carried some resentment. Hearing this, my wife suddenly said, "Zhao Jian, I've forgiven everything you did to me, and yet you still have the nerve to say that?"
At this moment, I suddenly felt that my wife always stood on the moral high ground—that on the surface, everything seemed to be my fault.
Facing her anger, I was almost speechless. I didn't want to fall out with her just yet.
Because I understood some words hurt more than actions.
At the thought that the child in her womb might be someone else's, I felt even more sad; this meal became more suffocating.
My wife seemed to notice the atmosphere, and after eating, she slammed her bowl down on the table and went straight to bed.
Before, our division of labor was that she cooked and I washed the dishes—no exception today.
I began tidying the table, preparing to wash the dishes.
Actually, at that moment I was wondering whether I had really misunderstood my wife.
Half an hour later, I finally finished tidying up and went into the room, saying, "Honey, are you still mad at me?"
My wife turned her back to me and didn't speak, looking quite angry.
I said to her, "Honey, you have to believe me, I really haven't done anything to wrong you. Heaven and earth bear witness."
Hearing this, my wife turned around and said, "How much faith do you put in a man's promises? What exactly did you say to me when you proposed?"
I couldn't help but recall the words I said when proposing to my wife.
Heaven and earth as my witnesses, my love for her was truly sincere; so naturally, the words I said back then were heartfelt.
Thinking about this, I suddenly felt I had wronged my wife somewhat.
I wrapped my arms around her and said, "Honey, I'm sorry. Everything in the past was my fault. I hope you don't mind."
A woman's heart is always soft, especially when she is carrying a child.
Then my wife suddenly started crying.
In my memory, although my wife had a gentle personality, she was a very strong person.
I only saw her cry once, and that was when I proposed to her.
I knew those were tears of happiness.
But now, I didn't know what was in her heart or why she was crying.
Sometimes a woman's thoughts are really hard to fathom.
That night, my wife lay beside me, sleeping soundly, but no matter what I did, I couldn't fall asleep.
My mind was racing—with thoughts about work, family.
I was sure this was the hardest period in my life.
By three or four in the morning, I finally fell asleep, and in the morning, my wife woke me to have breakfast.
It seemed life had returned to its previous routine, and I felt no particular dissatisfaction.
But the child in my wife's womb was still a knot in my heart. If that child really belonged to another man, not only would I be a cuckold, but I'd also be raising another's child—a terribly unfair situation.
So, truthfully, I didn't feel happy eating breakfast.
After eating, I greeted my wife and hurried off to work.
At the company, the other sales staff were already all present. It was time for the morning meeting.
Originally, I was supposed to be the one hosting, but since I was a rookie at sales, the acting host was the sales deputy manager, Liu Jing.
During the meeting, I could tell Liu Jing didn't take me seriously at all. It seemed she was intent on pushing me out of the position sooner or later.
Liu Jing assigned some tasks, and everyone in sales obeyed without question—it was clear she had a good grip on them.
I couldn't utter a single word during the meeting, and some of their discussions were beyond me—for example, how to use the company's sales system software—I was completely unfamiliar.
But there was one thing I remembered clearly: the company was going to participate in an exhibition.
This project had been set by my predecessor to expand Xingchang's market and promote new products.
Liu Jing looked at me and said, "Manager Zhao, this exhibition is very important to our company. Should you personally oversee it?"
Her words sounded polite on the surface but were actually assigning the task to me.
I knew that if we came back empty-handed from this event, not only would the sales department mock me, but even Zhang Zhiyuan would be displeased.
Nowadays, no boss wants dead weight.
If I were still a driver, things could be handled more smoothly, but now it was impossible—I had to push forward with no way to retreat.
Honestly, my pressure was heavier than ever.
I nodded and said, "Okay, I will personally oversee this matter."
No sooner had I finished speaking than Liu Jing said, "Ren Tingting, Fu Xin, you two assist Manager Zhao at the exhibition."
Damn, by the tone of it, she seemed like the real boss of the sales department.
Hearing this, I could tell Ren Tingting and Fu Xin were reluctant but had no choice.
It seemed Liu Jing truly commanded authority here.
A person like her should be sales manager—there's no reason otherwise.
After the meeting was dismissed, everyone returned to their posts. Though silent, I sensed their mockery.
I guess it was only natural. Appointing a loser like me as sales manager inevitably made me the butt of jokes.
If one day I couldn't hold on, these guys would laugh even harder.
I finally understood why Zhang Zhiyuan appointed me as manager—he wanted to see me humiliated.
No, to be precise, he was giving Gu Xiaofei a warning and telling her not to assign people recklessly at Xingchang.
Back in my office, I sat in my chair and let out a long sigh. Clearly, I was under a lot of pressure.
At that moment, I noticed Ren Tingting and Fu Xin busily preparing, seemingly getting ready for something.
An exhibition requires a lot of materials, all of which had been prepared by the former manager.
Thinking of this, I felt utterly useless.
Half an hour later, Ren Tingting entered my office and said, "Manager Zhao, everything is ready. We can depart now."
I nodded. "Okay, I'll come right away."
In the Xingchang parking lot, a minibus waited—it was the sales department's dedicated vehicle.
In the past, when there were guests, I was the one who drove this minibus to pick them up.
I finally understood why Liu Jing asked Ren Tingting and Fu Xin to accompany me—they both were not licensed to drive this minibus.
So they basically just used me as a driver.
Now I fully grasped how ruthless Liu Jing was.
At least she felt this was a blow to my face.
Actually, I didn't mind driving for them. To be a big shot, one must start from the bottom.
"Suffer hardships to rise above"—that saying is not without reason.
Once everyone was seated, I suddenly realized I had no idea where we were going.
It seemed I truly knew nothing about sales, not even the details of this exhibition.
I asked Fu Xin, "Fu Xin, where are we going?"
She said, "First to Nanhu City. There's a technology exhibition center there—that's where the fair is held."
As a driver, I was somewhat familiar with neighboring cities, so I said nothing else and drove out of the company.
At the factory gate, I saw the guard who had a thing with Ren Tingting salute me.
I clearly remembered that when I accompanied Zhang Zhiyuan into the company, the guard saluted every time.
Even if Zhang wasn't with me, as long as I was driving the BMW X1, the guard still saluted.
I knew the guard was saluting Zhang Zhiyuan, demonstrating Zhang's status in the company.
But now, driving the sales department's vehicle, the guard saluted me, showing respect for me personally.
Suddenly, I felt there was a wonderful benefit that power brings to a person.
The whole trip was silent, perhaps because of awkwardness.
Finally arriving at our destination, everyone started unloading the items.
Then we began setting up the venue. I noticed many companies attending—mostly building materials enterprises.
Our company's main goal was to promote new products and expand the customer base.
Since starting work, I had never felt so exhausted. Setting up an exhibition was really strenuous.
No wonder Ren Tingting and Fu Xin were reluctant. This was a thankless job.
By 3 PM, we finally finished organizing the venue.
At that time, the organizer came over to discuss some points with me.
By the time everything was done, it was already 7 PM.
The exhibition would start early the next morning, so returning to Nanzhou was out of the question.
I had to call my wife.
"Honey, I'm on a business trip today and won't be coming home tonight."
Hearing this, my wife felt strange.
In her impression, I was just a normal driver; in the year we'd been married, I had never been on a business trip.
So she couldn't help but ask a few more questions.
"Zhao Jian, where exactly are you?"
After thinking, I said, "I'm in Nanhu City."
My wife didn't seem to believe me, saying, "Zhao Jian, since I came home, have you been avoiding living at home, trying to dodge me?"
I didn't know why my wife thought this way—unless she was hiding something?
Before I could figure out how to answer, my wife suddenly started crying.
I felt she became fragile very quickly. Maybe pregnant women all have this kind of vulnerability.
I had to explain the situation to her.
When she heard I was the sales manager, she was somewhat surprised.
She knew me well enough and had a general judgment of my abilities.
She couldn't understand why Zhang Zhiyuan would promote me to such an important position for no reason.
I said to her, "Honey, I won't be home for three days. Please stay at home and take good care of yourself. Don't harm the baby."
She replied, "Don't worry, I'll take care of myself."