Chapter 4: Hidden Corners

It turned out that he had agreed to meet with An Kexin.

For a moment, Qiao En was lost in thought, unaware.

Time, like fine sand slipping through one's fingers, completely passed by.

She sat motionless in front of the computer.

Qiao En rarely indulged in her emotions like this.

Her heart was a tumultuous sea, indescribable feelings of congestion, pain, suffocation...

Just like last night, when she hadn't received a response from Zhou Jin'an.

Nearing the end of the workday, Qiao En finally snapped back to reality.

Who Zhou Jin'an married was never her concern from the start.

The differences between her and him were predetermined before they even met.

The Zhou family was eminent, naturally seeking a well-matched lady of status to marry in, and An Kexin just happened to meet all the criteria.

With the backing of the An family, her older brother An Jinrong a key political figure, and her other brother An Jinhua a business magnate, the An family's power was not inferior to the Zhou family's.

When prominent families unite in marriage, it's all about creating a win-win situation.

If Zhou Jin'an married An Kexin, he would definitely gain strong support from the An family, which would be a no-lose move for both the Zhou family and Zhou Jin'an personally.

And Qiao En, coming from an impoverished family, with a frequently ill father, an unemployed mother, and a younger brother who was still in school.

Having been fortunate to be Zhou Jin'an's companion for three years, she ought to be content; how could she dare to dream of being his partner?

He was beyond her reach, not someone for her to worry about.

That afternoon, with Zhou Jin'an not in the office, Qiao En could concentrate on preparing the briefs.

When night fell, she wasn't sure.

Her neck became stiff and sore; only then did she realize it was the wee hours of the morning.

Her work efficiency was high, and she was fast, nearly completing a year's worth of reports in five years.

By this calculation, she indeed could make the deadline set by Zhou Jin'an.

Very tired, yet Qiao En did not sleep.

She struggled on, staying up another night.

Zhou Jin'an came to work early the next morning and saw the light still on in the neighboring room where Qiao En was.

He didn't knock, but turned the handle and pushed the door open, only to see her busily working at the computer.

Her hair was a mess, her face pale and worn.

"Didn't you go home?"

He asked casually.

Qiao En responded, her voice hoarse, "Mhm."

Zhou Jin'an pursed his lips, hesitating to speak.

He slammed the door as he left, the sound echoing down the hallway.

Qiao En didn't look up, continuing her work.

Busy until noon, Little Xu came to invite Qiao En for lunch.

She was just finishing up the brief for the past three years.

"Get me a chicken leg rice," she requested.

Little Xu bought the meal and brought it directly to her, and Qiao En wolfed it down.

It wasn't that she wasn't hungry, she just didn't have time to eat.

Mrs. Zhou had given an order which she had no reason not to follow.

Zhou Jin'an's stalling tactics, however, were not an excuse for Qiao En to linger.

Some things had been said, and if one didn't leave, it would be pointless.

By rushing and hurrying, she finally completed all the briefs before the end of the workday.

This was her style, always leaving herself some leeway.

As Zhou Jin'an was about to leave, Qiao En came in with the printed briefs.

"Mr. Zhou, the briefs are ready for your review," she said.

She was meticulous in her work, arranging the briefs neatly on the desk in chronological order.

Zhou Jin'an's gaze merely swept coldly across them.

Then, it fell on Qiao En.

Like him, she was a typical workaholic, the type who would toil through the night regardless of her health.

"Are you so eager to leave?" he asked, pulling over a chair and sitting down heavily, pulling out a cigarette, sliding the lighter, igniting it, and taking a deep drag.

The smoke swirled around; Qiao En couldn't see his eyes clearly, but she sensitively sensed his anger intensifying.

Qiao En was not angry, pretending not to notice.

She smiled, "It's better for everyone if I leave early."

"For whom?"

Zhou Jin'an asked sharply.

For whom? It was a rhetorical question, wasn't it?

"Regarding the handover of work, Director Zhou, please rest assured, I will arrange it as soon as possible,"

Qiao En conveyed her decision in another way.

This was her usual style, seemingly gentle as water, but stubborn to the core once she set her mind on something.

Zhou Jin'an said nothing, his eyes narrowed as he simply observed Qiao En.

His gaze was scorching, making her heart waver.

Yet, her face remained as calm as still water.

"Mr. Zhou, thank you for your care over these three years."

Qiao En bowed to him, looked up, her gaze missing his, and then her slender figure walked towards the door.

The decision to part seemed to be made unilaterally by her.

A cigarette burned out, and Zhou Jin'an didn't smoke anymore.

He had always thought he understood Qiao En well. As a secretary, she was dedicated and obedient, which made him worry-free; as a companion, she was smart and tactful, which gave him peace of mind.

But at this moment, he suddenly realized that there were still many hidden corners in Qiao En that he hadn't explored.

A certain inexplicable emotion started to grow wildly in his heart like weeds.

No sooner had Qiao En left than Zhou Jin'an received a call from Mrs. Zhou.

"Kexin has already arrived, when are you coming?"

There was a dinner tonight, arranged by Mrs. Zhou, at Qingxiang Pavilion.

"I'll be there soon."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Jin'an moved.

Meanwhile, Qiao En was just coming out of the Nanchen Building with a storage box in her arms.

For these three years, she appeared glamorous and unrestrained in the eyes of others, but only she knew that every day was like walking on thin ice.

Zhou Jin'an was not easy to serve, and being his favorite, "wrapped around his finger", naturally required a great deal of effort.

Fortunately, she was quite adept at it.

And with Mrs Zhou, displaying loyalty, controllability, and obedience was by no means easy.

Fortunately, it was all over.

She turned back to look at the Nanchen Building, as if it were all a dream.

It was hard to say whether it was a nightmare or a beautiful dream, hard to say whether it was reluctance or relief.

Anyway, her mood was quite complex.

Just as Qiao En got into a taxi, her mother's call came in.

"Enya, your dad is coming home today, we're all waiting for you to eat. When are you coming back?"

Qiao's father had been living in the nursing home, funded by Mrs. Zhou.

He was discharged today, and Qiao En was supposed to pick him up, but she was busy and couldn't make it.

"Mom, you guys start without me, I just left the company, I'll be home soon."

After hanging up the phone, Qiao En sighed deeply.

Three years ago, Qiao's father collapsed at the lectern and was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with kidney failure.

The doctor recommended a kidney transplant to save his life.

At that time, Qiao En had just graduated from college and was unemployed.

A kidney transplant required a huge sum of money, which she couldn't afford.

Therefore, the only option left for her father was a dead end.

Just when Qiao En was most desperate, Mrs. Zhou found her.

She gave Qiao En a large sum of money to resolve her immediate difficulties and also got her a job at the Nanchen Group.

Of course, she also set a condition for Qiao En, asking her to become Zhou Jin'an's woman within a month.

That year, Qiao En was just twenty-two years old and had never been in love.

But she chose to agree.

Later, she found out that Mrs. Zhou had made painstaking efforts to bring her closer to Zhou Jin'an because she resembled his first love to some extent.

Being a pawn and an understudy wasn't much different essentially, both were acts.

Qiao En proved to be a highly perceptive actress, managing to keep up the act for three years without giving herself away.

Less than a month after becoming Zhou Jin'an's secretary, Qiao En spent the night at his private villa.

Mrs. Zhou was very satisfied with her performance.

She even hired a famous doctor from the United States to treat Qiao's father.

Normally, obtaining a kidney source would take at least five years, but Qiao's father found a suitable kidney source a year after diagnosis.

The surgery was very successful.

Over the past two years, he had been recuperating in the nursing home and his health was almost fully restored.

Thus, although Mrs. Zhou had used her, Qiao En's heart was filled with gratitude.

After all, Mrs. Zhou had given her the opportunity to repay her father's parental kindness.

As for her affair with Zhou Jin'an, Qiao En knew that overthinking was futile.

In the taxi, Qiao En was browsing through her social media when An Kexin happened to update her status.

[To hold your hand, and grow old with you.]

The picture was of two clasped hands.

She noticed that on An Kexin's ring finger, there was a large pink diamond.

Zhou Jin'an had given her many gifts, valuable ones, unique ones, but he had never given her a ring.

The symbolism of a ring was special, and she was not worthy of it.

She smiled bitterly and closed her social media.

But at that moment, her phone rang.

It was a WeChat call.

From An Kexin.