Two days after returning from Minning, Chen An received a phone call from Li Chaoxi at “Peace and Joy.”

With a slight sense of guilt from having spoken badly about her behind her back, Chen An didn’t immediately hang up the phone and let her ramble on for a long time.

It really was a long time—so long that Chen An’s hand grew sore from holding up the phone, to the point where he had to put it on speakerphone.

Tang Xin came in to deliver documents for signing. Seeing the boss’s ashen expression, she couldn’t help but think of the monster in “A Chinese Odyssey” who lost the will to live from being lectured by Tang Monk.

The voice on the other end of the phone was still talking loudly, even disturbing Tang Xin a bit. Then she heard her say: “President Chen, you also need to watch out for that Manager Cheng of yours. I heard from people at Tongda that she has serious character problems.”

Then Tang Xin saw Chen An pick up the phone again, speaking very seriously yet with restraint: “President Li, Manager Cheng is a subordinate I trust very much. Please don’t specifically call to slander her.”

The boss had a reserved personality that didn’t easily praise people. Tang Xin estimated she would never hear words like “Tang Xin is a subordinate I trust very much” in her lifetime, so she instantly developed a strong interest in this Manager Cheng and dawdled without leaving.

Li Chaoxi said very aggrievedly on the other end: “I’m not slandering her. I asked Peter, and he said Manager Cheng is full of lies, forms cliques, and even framed her supervisor. If she hadn’t been dispatched to Star Cinema, she would have been fired.”

Chen An’s index finger rubbed across his thumb pad as he asked: “Who is Peter?”

“Peter is Tongda Cinema Chain’s operations director. His Chinese name is Huang Tiangou. When I went to Tongda for a meeting with uncle before, I heard him introduce the business—he spoke very professionally and impressively. Yesterday I just found out he was Manager Cheng’s direct supervisor, so I asked a few more questions about Manager Cheng. Those comments I just mentioned were what he personally told me. He also has evidence in hand, but since it involves internal company scandals, it’s not convenient to share with me. President Chen, you can know someone’s face but not their heart. Don’t be deceived by her.”

Chen An said “thank you” and then abruptly hung up on this lengthy and arrogant phone call.

He thought of the daily work reports Cheng Lele sent. The recipient’s email prefix was peter.huang. Before, he’d thought Tongda’s requirements were a bit strange. Generally companies requiring weekly work reports was fine, but daily reports seemed too constraining of employee freedom. Now thinking about it, this was probably something Huang Tiangou specifically demanded.

He also remembered the gaudily wrapped gifts in Cheng Lele’s suitcase that still hadn’t reached his hands, indicating these things were never meant for him in the first place. She’d been exiled to Taixi and hadn’t expected to run into him there, so naturally she wouldn’t have prepared apology gifts.

Cheng Lele’s meeting with him was an accident—he’d had this understanding from the first day he met her. It was he himself who had gotten carried away, presumptuously generating unreliable associations. Now returning to square one, he felt a bit uncomfortable.

However, what made him even more uncomfortable was that Cheng Lele had been subjected to workplace bullying by her supervisor at the company, yet she danced around the cinema like a diligent and happy bee, never mentioning a word of grievance to him. And he had been preoccupied with establishing the proper superior-subordinate relationship with Cheng Lele. Plus, because during this period Cheng Lele had displayed a decisive, personable, professional, and sharp work style, he’d always assumed she must be highly valued talent at Tongda. Moreover, the consulting fee he paid was substantial—he believed Tongda would send a capable person to support the cinema’s development. So he had been completely deceived.

He looked up at Tang Xin: “Help me investigate discreetly the history between Huang Tiangou of Star Cinema Chain and Cheng Lele. As soon as possible.”

Seeing the boss’s expression grow increasingly grim, Tang Xin didn’t dare ask more questions and nodded.

“See if Huang Tiangou has any dirt on him.” Chen An added.

“Okay.”

He had no heart for work anymore. Now whenever Chen An saw Cheng Lele’s daily work reports in his inbox, he felt agitated and remorseful. He’d once had doubts about this, but because of his selfish motives—wanting to know what she was doing every day—he’d never thought one step deeper about those doubts.

Actually, he could have detected these things much earlier, instead of being like an idiot waiting for others to sow discord, fan the flames, and maliciously frame someone.

After meeting Cheng Lele, he’d lost even his most basic sensitivity and had been played by a mere cinema chain company behind his back.

Chen An pinched his forehead. The more he thought about it, the more furious he became. He opened his Moments to distract himself. Unexpectedly, at the very top was a status Cheng Lele had just posted.

“Are there any big shots who want to buy group tickets or book the theater? Please reach out.”

He clicked on her profile picture and scrolled through her recent Moments from the past month. They were all hawking tickets, like a complete multi-level marketer.

Chen An’s head hurt even more. He transferred twenty thousand yuan to Quan Zirong: [Find an excuse to go to the cinema to buy tickets or book the theater.]

Quan Zirong: […You two don’t need to drag me into your couple’s games.]

After a while, Quan Zirong sent another message: [Are you two together?]

Chen An: [No.]

Quan Zirong: [Then has she broken up?]

Chen An: [No.]

Chen An, asked to the point of agitation: [Have you actually introduced any clients to Star Cinema or not?]

Quan Zirong: [Change that hideous pomegranate profile picture of yours before you talk to me.]

Chen An: [I’ll find someone else to do it.]

Tang Xin should be busy gathering information about Tongda Cinema Chain. For a moment he didn’t know which trusted friend to find to act as a convincing plant. After thinking it over, he still sent Quan Zirong a WeChat message.

[I’m serious. Zirong, I urgently need you to help her right now. Make her happy.]

[Damn. Chen An, you’re done for again.]