The pushover offended a top-tier boss

In the study of the Xu family home.

Xu's father slapped Xu Shihan across the face with such force that her head turned to the side and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

"You bastard! So it was you who did this behind my back! I told you not to antagonize the Zhou family, but you didn't listen to a word I said!"

Xu Shihan wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and gave a cold laugh.

"Even if we weren't enemies, we've already become enemies. Dad, from now on, you can only follow the path I've laid out for you."

Mr. Xu trembled with rage, his finger shaking as he pointed at her. "You! You want to destroy the foundation the Xu family has built over so many years!"

"Dad, I'm trying to help you too."

Xu Shihan stared at her father and said calmly, "Bin City will be at your disposal. With the Zhou family suffering a blow, who can suppress the Xu family? At that time, it won't be impossible for you to take another step up in the ministry."

Mr. Xu glared at her angrily. Although what she said wasn't entirely unreasonable, it was far too radical, and he felt a growing sense of unease. "Do you think things will be that simple? Even the most meticulous plans can have flaws! How dare you gamble with the Xu family's future?"

Xu Shihan's smile faded. She looked at her father and questioned him coldly, one question after another.

"And what about you? How could you bear to let me marry that old man?"

"Dad, did you ever love me?"

"In your eyes, no matter how hard I try, I can't compare to that good-for-nothing younger brother."

"Because of him, my marriage was ruined, and I lost the person I love. Why?"

She stood there, the handprint on her face still visible, the blood at the corner of her mouth dried. Outside the window, the sky above Beijing was hazy and gray, and lights in countless homes began to twinkle one by one, but she only felt cold.

"All of you must come with me today."

"If I die, my whole family will be buried with me."

The interrogation room was brightly lit, with only a small table and two chairs. The walls were gray, and there were no windows.

Ye Zhenzhen sat on one side of the table, facing two uniformed staff members, a man and a woman, with cold and serious expressions.

Before that, she had been alone for a full ten hours, with no one speaking, no sound, only the hands of the clock on the wall turning round and round.

The purpose was to gradually wear down her psychological defenses through loneliness and fear.

She had never experienced anything like this before, and the unease and fear in her heart had only grown stronger.

"Ye Zhenzhen, please tell us the truth about how Zhou Huaijin interfered in your relationship with your boyfriend, and how she abused her power to make money for you." The male staff member spoke up, his voice icy.

Ye Zhenzhen's fear lingered, but when she heard the words "interference," an inexplicable anger welled up in her chest. "He didn't interfere in my relationship, nor did he abuse his power. You're slandering me."

The man sneered and said sternly, "Let me remind you, resistance will be punished severely, and lying is useless. Zhou Huaijin has already confessed to the crime, and Lin Rui and Chen Zheng have also confessed. If you fabricate a testimony that is inconsistent with their statements, then you are an accomplice."

Ye Zhenzhen's heart tightened, and she couldn't help but tremble all over.

She didn't know what was happening outside, nor did she know whether she should believe what these people were saying.

At this moment, the female staff member looked at her and softened her tone.

"Ms. Ye, you should understand that if you were forced to be with him, and he acted against your will, then you are the victim. Victims are innocent. If you can truthfully confess his crimes, the organization will reward you for your meritorious service."

"On the other hand, if you insist on lying, then you are an accomplice, enjoying the illegal gains as his mistress. Not only will you lose your job in the system, but you will also face imprisonment."

She looked at her with pity in her eyes, sighed, and said, "Ms. Ye, think about it. You've been fired from your job, and then you get a few years in prison. After you get out, will you still have any hope for your life? By the way, don't you think you're your parents' only daughter?"

Ye Zhenzhen trembled as she listened to those words. She didn't know how Zhou Huaijin was doing now, or how much of what they said was true and how much was false.

The environment and atmosphere were suffocating her. The environmental and psychological pressure was designed to break her down and force her to reveal what they wanted.

She forced herself to calm down. She remembered what Zhou Huaijin had told her: "Don't lie. We have a normal romantic relationship."

She forced herself to look into the man's eyes and gradually calmed down.

"Comrade, as I just said, he did not interfere in my relationship, nor did he abuse his power for my benefit."

The man paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting her to persist.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at them and continued, "I am just an ordinary citizen cooperating with the interrogation. I am neither a criminal nor a suspect, and you have no right to convict me. As an employee of the organization conducting the interrogation, you should be neutral and objective. You have been trying to lead me to slander him, so it's hard for me not to suspect your motives."

The man's expression changed, and he became somewhat annoyed. "Ye Zhenzhen, you're still trying to deny it!" He opened the folder in front of him. "Your ex-boyfriend of five years, Meng Chen, with whom you were engaged, has filed a formal complaint against Zhou Huaijin for interfering in your relationship, using improper means to transfer you to the Secretariat, and for having illicit affairs at work. Chen Xuefei, the deputy director of the Secretariat, can testify to this."

"What else do you have to say about that?"

Ye Zhenzhen took a deep breath, trying to remain calm and carefully choosing her words.

"Zhou Huaijin transferred me to the secretariat because of work needs at the time. During that period, I had normal interactions with Meng Chen. Meng Chen even came to Bin City to see me, and there are chat records to prove it. At that time, Zhou Huaijin and I were just ordinary superiors and subordinates. I even had some complaints about his overly strict work requirements and often complained to Meng Chen."

"Before the Spring Festival, our parents met to discuss the wedding. They had a big argument over the bride price, which led to the breakdown of our relationship. There is a security camera in my living room, so we can find that footage."

"After breaking up with Meng Chen, Zhou Huaijin and I developed feelings for each other while working together and started dating. Due to our special positions, we didn't go public with our colleagues to avoid affecting our work. But our close friends were all aware of it. We were both single, so what kind of approval do we need for a normal romantic relationship? Or does the organization not allow single employees to date?"

Ye Zhenzhen presented her points one by one, her logic sound and her arguments traceable.

The man's face gradually darkened. He had thought this was an easy target; as long as he put enough psychological pressure on him and gently coaxed him, he would naturally reveal the truth.

Especially when it comes to interests, there is no such thing as deep affection. Everyone will shift all the blame onto the other person in order to protect themselves.

This Ye Zhenzhen, I really underestimated her.