Zhang i’s back was drenched in sweat, fear coursing through her as she found herself cornered by Cao Heping, who had co too close for comfort. She was in a situation she had never faced before, uncertain about how to escape it. Her eyes remained tightly closed as she braced for what might co next.
Just as Cao Heping was about to make an indecent move, a furious voice bood behind him, demanding, "Stay away from her!"
Zhang i couldn’t help but exhale a sigh of relief upon recognizing the voice as Li Chen’s. Finally, he had arrived. Cao Heping slowly turned to face the source of the interruption, his arrogance undiminished, and snapped, "How dare you interrupt , young man?"
Li Chen’s eyes blazed with anger as he retorted, "How dare you hover around my girlfriend like that!"
Seizing the chance, Zhang i swiftly moved to stand beside Li Chen and uttered, "Baby, you’re finally here."
Li Chen replied, "Don’t worry, my love. I would never allow such a pervert to touch you. I’m sorry I was late."
Cao Heping, undeterred, continued with his indecent proposal, "Oh, so you’re the boyfriend. Listen, young man, I like your girlfriend. If you can give her to for just one day, I’ll make it worth your while."
Li Chen’s fury intensified at Cao Heping’s audacity, despite the fact that he wasn’t officially dating Zhang i. He couldn’t stand the disrespect being shown to her.
Li Chen couldn’t contain his anger, and he punched Cao Heping directly in the face. A crackling sound of jaws dislocating was heard. Cao Heping held his bleeding mouth after losing a tooth and said, "How dare you touch ! Do you know who I am?"
Li Chen replied coldly, "I know you’re a pervert. Is there sothing else I should know?"
Cao Heping threatened, "I will make you pay for this, both of you."
Li Chen bellowed, "Get out!" Cao Heping held his mouth tightly and hurriedly left the apartnt.
Li Chen turned to Zhang i and asked, "How are you doing? Did he touch you?" Zhang i exhaled with relief and said, "No, he didn’t. Thank you, Li Chen."
Zhang i added with a hint of regret, "I’m sorry."
Li Chen, puzzled, asked, "What are you apologizing for?"
Zhang i explained, "Cao Heping is a dangerous man, and I’ve gotten you into trouble."
Li Chen reassured her, "Don’t worry; I can handle trouble."
Li Chen sat down, his eyes darting between the papers on the coffee table, and then he said, "You’re being evicted."
Zhang i nodded sadly, replying, "Yes, from today onwards, I will be holess with my sick mother."
Li Chen offered a solution, "How about you stay with ?"
Zhang i opened her eyes in shock, "Stay with you? I can’t. It doesn’t seem appropriate."
Li Chen assured her, "Hey, I have an extra bedroom you can use. We can be housemates. Don’t worry; I’m not a pervert. Even though I grew up in different hos, I was taught to respect won."
Zhang i hesitated, "That’s not what I an."
Li Chen pressed, "Then what do you an?"
Zhang i struggled to find the right words, and Li Chen continued, "You need a place to stay, and I have an extra room. I think we can consider ourselves friends now, can’t we?"
Zhang i finally nodded, "Yes, I think we are friends."
Li Chen smiled warmly, "And what type of friend would I be if I let my only friend be holess?"
Zhang i chuckled softly and said, "I just don’t want to trouble you."
Li Chen insisted, "But I’m asking you to trouble . At least you’ll be in a safe environnt where that pervert can’t find you."
After careful consideration, Zhang i finally agreed, "Okay, but I’ll move out as soon as I find a job."
Li Chen nodded, "That’s fine with ."
Zhang i started packing her belongings, and Li Chen helped her while they engaged in casual conversation. After packing everything she could, Li Chen and Zhang i carried the bags downstairs to Li Chen’s car. The car ride to Li Chen’s house was mostly quiet, but Li Chen eventually broke the silence.
Li Chen turned to Zhang i and said, "So, tell , Miss Zhang, since when did I beco your boyfriend?"
Zhang i was so embarrassed that her ears turned as red as ripe tomatoes. She opened and closed her mouth, struggling to find the right words.
Li Chen chuckled and reassured her, "I’m kidding. No need to be embarrassed."
Zhang i let out a sigh of relief and responded, "Thank you."
The car soon arrived at Li Chen’s ho in the 4th district, and Zhang i was genuinely impressed. The house was clean and beautifully furnished. Li Chen led her to her room and said, "Welco to your new ho."
Zhang i admired her room, which had a comfortable bed, a desk, and a spacious wardrobe. She turned to Li Chen and expressed her gratitude, "Thank you, Li Chen."
Li Chen replied, "There are no thank-yous among friends."
Zhang i smiled and nodded, saying, "You’re right. So, I’ll treat your house like my own."
Li Chen chuckled and said, "I’d really love that."
Zhang i began to settle into her new room, unpacking her belongings and reflecting on her life’s journey. She hadn’t always been so impoverished; her family had once enjoyed a comfortable life. Her father owned a small business that had promising growth prospects. However, everything changed when her father’s own brother betrayed them.
Zhang i’s uncle, motivated by jealousy and resentnt, secretly colluded with their competitors, causing her father’s business to rapidly decline. The family’s financial stability crumbled, and their lives took a devastating turn for the worse. The stress and despair had a severe toll on her father’s health. He suffered a stroke, followed by a fatal heart attack that tragically took his life.
Their hardships continued as Zhang i’s mother fell seriously ill with cancer just a year after her husband’s death. This cruel twist of fate left Zhang i and her mother with nothing, struggling to make ends et. The most heartbreaking aspect of their situation was that Zhang i’s uncle, the very person who had betrayed them, took over her father’s business and beca their sole source of suffering.
What made their predicant even more distressing was the knowledge that Zhang i’s uncle had long harbored romantic feelings for her mother. He couldn’t bear to see her mother marry his own brother, and when her mother chose a life with Zhang i’s father, it stoked the fires of his resentnt. These past betrayals and family intrigues cast a long shadow over Zhang i’s life, and she found herself in her current difficult circumstances, determined to create a better future for herself and her ailing mother.
Zhang i’s determination to reclaim her father’s business burned deep within her. Despite its stagnant state under her uncle’s managent, she believed that with hard work and determination, she could revive it to honor her father’s mory and achieve the vengeance she sought.
Every day, she aspired to visit her father’s grave and tell him that she had avenged him. This long-cherished dream was her driving force, motivating her to keep moving forward even when life seed insurmountably challenging.
As she packed her belongings in Li Chen’s house, her thoughts inevitably drifted to her mother, who lay in a hospital bed battling cancer. The mounting dical bills added to her financial woes, and she felt the weight of responsibility pressing down on her shoulders. She needed money urgently to ensure her mother received the dical care she needed.
Despite Li Chen’s generous offer to provide her shelter, Zhang i hesitated to ask him for financial assistance. She didn’t want to burden him further; his kindness in giving her a place to stay was already more than she could have hoped for. Zhang i had even attempted to seek help from her uncle, hoping that the family connection might soften his heart, but she was t with cold rejection.
Fears of being blacklisted by Cao Heping, who had a reputation for controlling the industry, made her job prospects appear bleak. Zhang i was caught in a desperate struggle to secure her mother’s well-being and fulfill her long-held dreams, with each passing day bringing new challenges and uncertainties.
"Co, let’s have sothing to eat." Li Chen’s voice outside the room interrupted Zhang i’s thoughts.
Zhang i walked out of her room and the sll of food made her stomach rumble. "The sll of the food is incredible. I haven’t had a proper al in weeks."
"I can tell, your stomach was quite vocal."
Zhang i answered, still a bit absent-minded, "Yeah, well..."
Li Chen noticed her deanor and asked, "What’s on your mind?"
"Oh, it’s just...my mother’s bills...I can’t stop thinking about them."
"You an the hospital bills?"
"Yes, they keep piling up, and I’m not sure how I’m going to manage."
"Ouch, you’re hurting my feelings, Zhang i."
"How am I hurting your feelings?"
"Because you haven’t asked for my help."
"Well, you’ve already done so much for , Li Chen. I don’t want to burden you any further."
"Zhang i, give your account number or get out of my house"
"Okay, okay. It’s..."
Li Chen noted down the account number.
Li Chen laughed heartily and said, "you really thought I’d kick you out? I just want to help you, so please let ."
"But how will I ever repay you?"
"It’s simple. You’ll work for my company for a month, free of charge."
"Your company? But you don’t have a company."
"Ah, you’ll find out soon enough."
Li Chen made a transfer of 1 million yuan to Zhang i’s account and said "I hope this helps."
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