Chapter 134

Was distinguishing between good and bad in a conversation really harder than academic research?

Such people did exist, but unfortunately, Zhong Ning was not one of them.

Zhong Zinuan had already been placed into the category of “untrustworthy.” Every word she spoke, Zhong Ning would automatically take as malicious, so naturally, she could easily identify the hidden provocations within them.

Saying that Assistant Hua had praised her was a way to flaunt her own abilities; bringing up the student council was to emphasize her own status.

She just had to step on Zhong Ning to elevate herself, deliberately showing off.

Zhong Ning had no interest in engaging with her.

Speaking at all was merely a matter of politeness. Recently, she had been going to the company frequently, and her “lucky emperor” aura was once again at work—her exceptional affinity naturally helped her filter out a few sincere friends.

They had long told her that her reputation in the company had been terribly bad, even though she had never even stepped foot inside before. They didn’t know where the rumors had come from, but they sounded vivid and detailed.

As if these people had all seen it with their own eyes, as if they were personally involved.

To be able to work at Zhong Corporation’s main office, how could anyone not be sharp and cunning? In private, everyone actually speculated that it might be the two heirs locking horns. As ordinary staff, they had no place in choosing sides. At the very least, one would have to be at the supervisor level to be in a position to place bets.

So most of the employees treated it like gossip, outwardly exclaiming “oh my god” and “wow,” but whether they truly believed it or not was another matter.

Once Zhong Ning arrived at the company, the rumors naturally evaporated like the first snow.

It was easy to see whether someone was genuine or not. And Zhong Ning happened to be someone with an inexplicable affinity about her. Good luck followed her, making everything she did seem effortless.

Zhong Zinuan thought she hadn’t handled any company matters—did she really think Zhong Ning had just been standing around these past few days?

If one had studied, then one should also put it into practice. She had truly resolved issues and disputes, and had even signed a contract. These were things Zhong Zinuan had no idea about.

That was why Zhong Ning didn’t care about her provocations. She only needed to follow her own rhythm, moving forward step by step, steadily and surely. She didn’t even need to confront that person directly to win.

Besides, when dealing with someone who kept chattering and loved to provoke with words, ignoring her would be even more painful than outright defeating her.

Zhong Ning walked into Assistant Hua’s office, and the latter handed her a document. “Take a look at this proposal and share your thoughts.”

Ha, what a coincidence.

It was Zhong Zinuan’s proposal.

She lowered her head and glanced through it. After a short while, her brows furrowed.

“It’s a bit too focused on the high-end market, overlooking the mid-to-low-end segment. And this Double 12 event, with a minimum spend of five thousand yuan—that’s just too high. The ad focus is also off—too many foreign brands. The current policy supports domestic products, so how can this go against the trend?”

She had only read two pages and had already pointed out a pile of issues, even looking a bit surprised. “Is this Zhong Zinuan’s proposal? She just told me at the door that you were very satisfied with it.”

Setting the proposal down, she said in a low voice, “With all due respect, it doesn’t align with Zhong Corporation’s longstanding brand positioning.”

Assistant Hua raised her brows slightly. “She really said that?”

Zhong Ning gave a helpless smile. “Xiao Xin at the front desk saw it. I happened to run into her.”

“Of course we won’t be using it, just wanted you to take a look,” Assistant Hua pushed up her glasses. “Perfect timing then. You write up a proposal as well. No specific theme or focus, just go with your instincts. Can you submit it in a week?”

Zhong Ning nodded.

Assistant Hua added, “Alright. On the desk over there, the one with the brown cover is information on the Zexi brand. Go take a look.”

Watching Zhong Ning’s focused expression as she read, a faint gleam flashed through Assistant Hua’s eyes behind the lenses. Compared to Zhong Zinuan, she appreciated Zhong Ning more.

Zhong Zinuan appeared glamorous and liked to do superficial things. She enjoyed flaunting and exaggerating flashy but empty concepts. Like a vase—beautiful on the outside, but hollow inside.

Some of her thoughts and ideas were very shallow.

If Zhong Corporation were handed over to her, that would truly be the end of it.

By contrast, Zhong Ning was indeed better—not arrogant or impatient, steady and composed, efficient in her work, and very modest. Just based on attitude, she had already won.

She lowered her gaze. Although she was dealing with future inheritance contenders and could maintain a fair stance, whom she liked or disliked in her heart was already quite clear.

Zhong Ning had always been down-to-earth. She didn’t try to flatter or suck up to Assistant Hua just because she was following her around, but focused on doing her own work.

By noon, she went to the cafeteria for lunch. She first snapped a photo and sent it to Xie Shiqing, then mentioned what had happened with Zhong Zinuan that day. After that, she opened Qi Wan’s chat window.

Qi Wan and Xie Shiqing had grown up together, so there might not be much left to tell. Human memory is limited—no one could remember everything. Only the most deeply ingrained impressions would remain.

She had told her about the tragic childhood, the competitive and prideful teenage years, and then came the arrogant, untouchable young adult phase.

That had also been the time when Xie Shiqing was at her most domineering.

Then, a car accident broke her spine.

[The one responsible for the car crash was the Le family’s driver. The report said it was drunk driving. He was speeding late at night, rushing to pick up Le Xi, and crashed.]

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Aiyo, President Xie is so happy right now, what’s going to happen in the future? (Crawls away gleefully)

Chapter 52

That car accident had truly come out of nowhere.

It was rare for the three members of the Xie family to be in the same car. Their professional fields didn’t overlap, and the time they spent together at home was also minimal.

When Xie Shiqing was still little, Madam Xie had temporarily postponed her own career, entrusting her responsibilities to a trusted aide so she could focus on raising her daughter—this child who had grown up in her arms, the continuation of her own life.

Learning how to love was a very difficult thing.

After realizing that Xie Shiqing had gone astray, she did try to correct her, but failed—completely and utterly failed.

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