Chapter 128: Never Expected Anyone to Appreciate It
After much effort, they half-carried, half-supported Hua Mei into the car. Xiao Xiao, bustling about, helped wipe away Hua Mei’s tears and sighed, “Why are you doing this again?”
“I have no choice. Ziyu wants a divorce, and I’m so scared…” Hua Mei’s tears flowed uncontrollably.
“But aren’t you pushing him further away by acting like this?” Xiao Xiao was frustrated, almost as if scolding a stubborn child. “If Zeng Ziyu genuinely doesn’t want to be with you anymore, no amount of crying, tantrums, or threats will change that. It’ll only make him resent you more. Besides, his mind is completely on Nina now. What you’re doing is like slapping him right in the face. With his personality, do you think he can just ignore that? I’ve asked you before—if you’re not willing to make it work, then just let it be. But you can’t let go, and in the end, you suffer for it yourself.”
Xiao Xiao’s words were harsh, and Hua Mei bit her lip, pondering deeply, revealing a calm determination. “I’ve thought it through. Since he won’t be happy with me, then neither will they.”
Xiao Xiao wanted to cry out to the heavens. After all this time, this was the outcome? The poised, refined lady she once knew was gone. What was left was no different from a street brawler. Suddenly, she didn’t know what to say.
“Enough. You should go back to work. I’ll handle my own problems.” Hua Mei pushed Xiao Xiao out of the car and drove away without another word.
Watching Hua Mei’s car fade into the distance, Xiao Xiao’s heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.
Back in the office, though the matter had concluded, no one was in the mood to work. Groups of three or five gathered, chatting idly and gossiping. Manager Huang’s office door was tightly shut, and the secretary happily joined the gossip circle. Seeing Xiao Xiao staring at them, they exchanged glances and fell silent, dispersing quietly.
“Has Mrs. Zeng really just left like that?” He Li asked Xiao Xiao, clearly not quite satisfied with the ending.
Xiao Xiao shook her head helplessly. She didn’t want to blame anyone. Curiosity wasn’t wrong, but the mistake was in immediately taking sides. Holding back her frustration, she walked over to her desk and finally couldn’t keep silent any longer. “If the person involved doesn’t care, isn’t it a bit inappropriate for you all to be gossiping so eagerly behind their back?”
“Can’t blame them. One is Young Master Lin’s girlfriend, the other is Young Master Zeng’s mistress. A bit of elbowing is only natural,” said Manager Huang’s secretary. If she hadn’t overheard those few words, Xiao Xiao would have thought the young girl was only spreading rumors behind backs.
Perhaps the fire still burning in her heart, Xiao Xiao was anything but gentle with the young girl who had stepped up to fan the flames. “If you’re bored of the role you have, add your own stories. Constantly gossiping about others is dull. Wouldn’t it be better if we all shared the material?”
The young girl’s face flushed red with anger, lips pouting as she retreated to her desk. From then on, no one dared to openly discuss Nina.
Nina, overhearing this in the restroom, chuckled for a long while. She liked watching Xiao Xiao smoke. Smiling, she said, “Let them talk if they want. It’s not like they’re cutting a piece off me. It doesn’t matter.”
“I’ll help you send your dirty clothes to the laundry. Coffee stains are hard to get out.”
“Xiao Xiao.” Nina called her seriously, frowning slightly. “Are you planning to apologize for her?”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
Nina spoke bluntly, “She probably won’t appreciate it. Your efforts will be wasted.”
Xiao Xiao chuckled softly. “I never expected anyone to appreciate me.”
“You think too much. Like these dirty clothes—if they can’t be cleaned, just throw them away. It’s not worth the trouble.” True to her word, Nina stripped off the stained clothes right there, tossing them into the trash bin in the restroom. She took a deep drag of her cigarette, exhaling thick, large smoke rings.