C9 A Person Who Should Not be Offended

Xiong Miao felt as though she were facing a formidable enemy, deftly slipping from his grasp like an eel and spinning around to open the door.

Zhang Huansheng was quicker, blocking the doorway. "What's there to be shy about? You're in your element when you're with other men. Just stick with me, and I'll have your back at the company."

"Who would want to be with you? Get out of my way, you creep!" Xiong Miao fumed, her face flushed with anger.

It was the end of the workday, and the office was nearly empty. No one was around to come to her aid; she was on her own.

"Angry from embarrassment?" Zhang Huansheng taunted, reaching for her chin.

"Ah!" Before his hand could get close, it was seized and bitten fiercely, eliciting a howl of pain from him.

Xiong Miao shook off his filthy hand and made a break for it while he was still reeling.

"Trying to run? Freeze!"

Despite her efforts, Xiong Miao, being a woman, lacked the physical strength of a man and was quickly overtaken after just a few steps.

Considering the setting, Zhang Huansheng restrained himself. Clutching her hand, he arrogantly proclaimed, "You should consider yourself lucky that I've taken an interest in you. Don't be so ungrateful!"

"Ugh, you're garbage!" Xiong Miao was panting, her emotions a mix of rage and despair.

"How dare you insult me." Zhang Huansheng's hand flew up, ready to strike her face.

Xiong Miao held her chin high, her expression one of defiance and fury.

But the descending hand was abruptly halted mid-air by a firm grip.

Stunned, Xiong Miao caught sight of the stern face and, without a second thought, wrenched free and retreated several steps.

"Director Zhan, she, she made a mistake. I was just disciplining her," Zhang Huansheng stammered upon seeing Zhan Yeling, his bravado deflating like a punctured balloon, yet he still scrambled for an excuse.

"Is this how you see the company? Don't bother showing up tomorrow!" The authoritative voice of Director Zhan brooked no argument.

Zhang Huansheng was in disbelief, unwilling to accept the reality of the situation, but when the CEO himself had spoken, he had no choice but to comply.

He had never imagined that his eight years of hard work could be shattered overnight.

He could have been content with a high salary, blissfully ignorant of the wider world. Yet, a single reckless impulse had led to his downfall.

Without a moment's hesitation, Zhang Huansheng packed up and was out the door in less than a minute.

Xiong Miao, terrified, sat at her desk, struggling to steady her shaking breath.

As the temperature in the room seemed to plummet, Xiong Miao looked up in alarm and met the man's intense gaze. She hurriedly began to gather the drawings on her desk, saying, "I'll leave right away."

"Did you design all of these?"

She paused, realizing that his attention was on the design drafts she had sketched that day.

"It's my first day, and I wasn't assigned any tasks, so I just drew these," Xiong Miao confessed.

After so many years of enduring hardship, she had come through it all alone.

She knew she couldn't afford to be fragile, especially not in front of others, because no one would pity her.

Even now, despite the injustice she faced, she maintained her composure.

Tears were cheap in the eyes of others and only served to diminish her dignity.

"Starting tomorrow, you're the manager of the Design Department. Gu Yi, take care of it," Zhan Yeling said, then casually pocketed his hands and walked away.

Xiong Miao couldn't believe her ears. "I've been promoted?"

"Yes, Miss Xiong, you heard correctly. Tomorrow, I'll accompany you to the HR Department to complete the formalities," Gu Yi stepped forward, clearing up her confusion.

"But I've only recently graduated, and I've just joined the company..." She felt her experience and abilities were still lacking.

"Director Zhan values design, and Miss Xiong, your design talent is extraordinary. You're the ideal choice to revitalize our lineup for the next season," Gu Yi explained, having worked alongside Zhan Yeling for many years and understanding his approach to business.

Zhang Huansheng's creative well had run dry, and the team he led had delivered several seasons of lackluster press conferences that were painful to witness. A change in the Design Department was urgently needed.

Coincidentally, today Director Zhan had observed Xiong Miao's exceptional design talent. "But I want to resign. I don't want to work here anymore," she said, unaware that she was actually in the Design Department of the Rich Corporation. Had she known, she would have never come.

"Director Zhan has made it clear—you don't have the right to resign. Moreover, if you displease Director Zhan, the consequences can be quite severe," Gu Yi ominously warned, leaving her to ponder his words.

On her way home, Xiong Miao felt like a lost soul, devoid of any joy from her promotion. Passersby pointed and stared, their looks cutting her to the core.

"It's her..."

"That's the one who's all over the internet, the mistress who fought with the wife."

"How can she still show her face in public, walking around like that?"

"Being a mistress so often, her face has been marred by others. She had it coming."

"Shameless..."

Xiong Miao bore the brunt of these insults for no reason. The crowd became more aggressive, encircling her and hurling abuse, some even throwing objects at her.

Earlier that day, she had narrowly escaped an assault, and her mood had plummeted. Now, she was being treated like a pest, with everyone against her. Overwhelmed by injustice, pain, pressure, and on the brink of collapse, her emotions surged under the relentless condemnation.

Xiong Miao couldn't take it anymore and fought back, yelling, "Back off! I'm not a mistress! It was someone else who harbored ill intentions, and I rejected them. Is that wrong? You so-called paragons of virtue, distorting the truth and launching personal attacks! I'll sue all of you!"

Seeing her break down, the onlookers, wary of getting involved, quickly dispersed.

Once the floodgates of her emotions were opened, they couldn't be closed. Xiong Miao crouched down and wept, crying out, "Why? What did I do to deserve this?"

A black Rolls-Royce was parked at the curb, the red light not yet changed. Inside the car, a somber man witnessed the entire scene.

Seeing the woman's distraught weeping, he recognized the voice—it stirred something within him. Yet, the thought of her luring another woman's husband and being confronted at her own home ignited an inexplicable rage in his heart.

"Director Zhan, while I was handling the media, I did some digging. You were found asleep on the roadside yesterday, and the police took you in. Xiong Miao is the woman who made the news with you, and she's the designer you were interested in," Gu Yi reported during a red light.

"What are you trying to say?" His voice was even, betraying no emotion.

"I think she's had it rough. She's probably not like what the internet is making her out to be," Gu Yi ventured, not wanting to see their usually stoic CEO's budding feelings crushed by misunderstandings.

"Keep spouting nonsense, and you can leave," came the cold reply.

Gu Yi fell silent, quickly driving off, puzzled about what he said to provoke Director Zhan's ire.

Having released her pent-up emotions, Xiong Miao found a place to wash her face, cleansing herself of the day's disarray. Back home, she transformed into a warm and smiling mother.

"Mommy, I want milk."

"Mommy, baby's tummy is hungry."

"Mommy, I'm so hungry."

"Mommy, I want milk."

"Mommy, I want milk."

"Mommy, sixth baby is hungry."

As she opened the door, six little bundles of joy energetically kicked their legs, rolling towards her like playful balls.

Hearing her children's voices softened her, and their cries of hunger nearly brought her hard-fought tears to the surface once more.

"Alright, my darlings, line up nicely. Mommy will make your milk," she said.

The little ones obediently queued up, their six pairs of innocent eyes eagerly watching Xiong Miao.