The housekeeper seemed very reluctant as she let me into the villa. I wondered to myself why she was so resistant to me.
Out of courtesy, I sat on the sofa in the living room on the first floor, waiting for the boss's wife to arrive.
Time passed, minute by minute, and after about half an hour, the boss's wife finally came downstairs.
I noticed she looked radiant and her complexion was very good.
When she came before me, I could smell a subtle, alluring fragrance emanating from her.
Undoubtedly, such a boss's wife is the most charming.
After sitting down, my mind was still unsettled because I wanted to know who exactly was the man having an affair with her.
But from beginning to end, I hadn't seen any man come downstairs.
I wondered to myself: could my judgment have been wrong?
The boss's wife looked at me with charming eyes and said, "Zhao Jian, what exactly brings you here today?"
I thought for a moment and said, "Boss's wife, actually, I came because I need your help with something. Do you remember Zhao Hu from before?"
She smiled and said, "Of course I do. That young man is quite handsome. I like him. Why are you asking about him?"
I said, "I introduced Zhao Hu to work at Xingchang."
She listened happily and said, "That's good then. It's better than him hanging around outside. A man should have legitimate work."
I frowned and said, "Boss's wife, you should know that I'm currently the sales manager here at Xingchang."
She smiled and said, "Zhi Yuan told me about that. He said he had high hopes for you and hoped you would work hard."
I didn't know if she was telling the truth, but Zhang Zhiyuan certainly wasn't that optimistic about me.
Then I said, "Just today, I was removed from the sales manager position. General Manager Zhang made his mistress, Liu Jing, take my place, and Zhao Hu, whom I appointed to the sales department, has already been sent back to HR for retraining. It's possible that Zhao Hu will eventually be kicked out of the company."
The boss's wife was shocked and asked, "Is it really that serious?"
It seemed she had stayed home too long and was unaware of how cruel workplace struggles could be. In this era, just surviving is a hardship.
I nodded and looked into the boss's wife's beautiful eyes.
Her gaze was calm, and I even sensed a solemnity.
This was the kind of aura only a person of refined upbringing could exude—the boss's wife was after all from a respectable family.
I looked at her and said, "I hope you can give me a hand."
Perhaps sensing my sincerity, she then asked, "What do you want me to do?"
I considered for a moment and said, "You can put pressure on General Manager Zhang. After all, you are legally married to him and hold shares in Xingchang. Your words carry weight."
She thought for a moment and said, "You know well I don't manage Xingchang's affairs. With the current situation, even if I wanted to intervene, I can't. Besides, Zhi Yuan doesn't listen to me at all."
I understood that last sentence was the key.
I thought for a moment and said, "Boss's wife, there's only one way to guarantee General Manager Zhang obeys."
Curious, she asked, "What way?"
I leaned in close and whispered a few words into her ear.
After hearing this, the boss's wife looked troubled and said, "Is that really appropriate?"
I said, "What's inappropriate about it? You are Zhang's legal wife. Whatever you do regarding Xingchang is only right and proper."
She nodded and said, "Alright, I'll try it. But you have to give me a reason."
At that moment, I suddenly realized the boss's wife was very smart. Her words carried serious weight.
I thought for a moment, but I couldn't find a suitable response.
If I told her the real reasons behind the sales department, would a housewife really understand?
But no matter what, I had to try.
I said, "The reason I want the sales manager position is actually for General Manager Zhang's good. Someone in the sales department is harming the company's interests."
Many people like to speak elegantly but act differently when it comes time for action. When I said this, I felt like a hypocrite.
Because I had no proof—just one side of the story—it was hard to convince the boss's wife.
She smiled and said, "Xiao Zhao, can you explain it more clearly? I don't understand at all."
At this point, I couldn't hold back anymore. I said, "Boss's wife, our sales system has loopholes. The salespeople collude with buyers at other companies, underreport shipments, and pocket kickbacks."
Knowing it would be hard to explain all the loopholes at once, I kept the explanation simple.
She was surprised, "Is that true?"
I nodded and said, "I just became sales manager and discovered this. If you want your own company to thrive, you absolutely must not let Liu Jing be sales manager."
The boss's wife suddenly fell silent, and I sensed she was moved by my words.
Then she furrowed her brow and seemed to make up her mind. She said, "Zhao Jian, I believe you. I've decided to help you."
As soon as the boss's wife spoke up, combined with the pressure from Yuxing Group, my plan would surely succeed.
A satisfied smile spread across my face.
I thought for a moment more and said, "But you can't mention this to General Manager Zhang. Otherwise, he'll keep making things difficult for me."
She smiled and said, "With Zhang Zhiyuan's cleverness, if I cause a scene at the company, he'll immediately know you were behind it and that I talked to you."
I smiled but said nothing because I knew the boss's wife's cleverness would allow her to handle this matter gracefully.
Since my purpose had been achieved, I stood up to take my leave.
She smiled and stood as well, saying, "I won't see you out."
As I walked out the front door, I deliberately glanced back at the villa, thinking, "Could the boss's wife be doing things behind Zhang Zhiyuan's back?"
That white sedan was still parked at the villa's gate, but at this point, I didn't care anymore.
Driving my BMW X1 down the road, my mood suddenly brightened.
Feeling good, I realized I was a bit hungry.
I saw a Chinese restaurant nearby and went inside immediately.
But as soon as I entered, a familiar figure caught my eye.
A woman wearing a red cloak—very much like my wife.
More importantly, standing beside her was Lu Feng, the campus heartthrob.
I really did not expect such a coincidence—running into them at a restaurant.
Normally, this kind of encounter would be awkward, but it was too late to avoid them now.
Lu Feng's eyes had already found me; he obviously noticed me too.
Seeing this situation, I immediately walked over and said to Lu Feng, "What a coincidence—so you're here too."
No sooner had I spoken than I was stunned by an unbelievable scene.
The woman in the red cloak was, in fact, my wife.
My mind went blank instantly—I didn't understand why she was here with no reason. Shouldn't she be teaching at school right now?
Seeing my expression, Lu Feng immediately stood and said, "Mr. Zhao, please don't be angry. I invited your wife out today to talk about something. Please don't misunderstand."
Hearing this, I felt as if I had swallowed a pile of dog poop — disgusted.
I stared into my wife's eyes without saying a word.
Suddenly, I felt I had been living in a dream; my wife had never forgotten her first love.
Lu Feng continued, "Zhao Jian, calm down. I'm telling you, I invited your wife out for a reason. There's nothing going on between us."
At this point, I no longer listened to a word Lu Feng said. What I wanted was an explanation from my wife.
"Why did you do this?" At last, my anger exploded.
Seeing me like this, my wife said, "Zhao Jian, whether you believe me or not, we are innocent. I have a clear conscience."
Usually, cheating women say these kinds of words—grand on the surface but untrue.
Yesterday's woman in the red cloak was clearly not my wife. Why did it suddenly change to another woman? What was really going on?
Time passed by moment to moment, and I kept waiting for my wife's explanation.