"Hey, what do you mean by that? I’m working my butt off here, not playing wife for someone, you make it sound like I’ve landed some rich, handsome guy."
"No, Jiaojiao, that’s not what I meant..."
"Who do you think I am? What’s wrong with me coming to work? Who have I bothered?"
"Don’t get worked up, I didn’t mean it that way. It was just a joke, why take it so seriously? Come on, don’t be mad, I’ll treat you tonight."
On the phone, her best friend hurriedly tried to smooth things over with a laugh, but Tian Jiaojiao felt an unbearable pain as if pierced by a thousand arrows.
This was clearly not about a simple meal!
"A joke? Do you think this kind of joke is funny? You know how tired I am from running around lately, and you think it’s funny to joke at a time ?"
"Oh, come on, Jiaojiao, can’t you see I’m sorry? I’ll never make that kind of joke again."
"Forget it, let’s not talk about it. I’ll transfer you some money later, and you can take them out to have fun, and... I really am at work today, didn’t take a break, and I have things to do tonight, so I won’t be joining."
"Oh, you didn’t take a break, huh! I was thinking about your weekend... Oh, then there’s no need for dinner, it’s not like everyone has to..."
"That’s all then. Have fun." Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs NoveIＦire.net
Tian Jiaojiao didn’t want to say anything more, after all, they had been best friends since childhood.
Perhaps she was really making a mountain out of a molehill.
But after hanging up the phone, she felt physically and emotionally drained. She leaned against the wall, took a few deep breaths, and tears began to fall.
Taking a moment, she composed herself and strode away from the fire escape.
Little did she know, as soon as Tian Jiaojiao reached the clerical area, she sensed something was off. Her colleagues were whispering among themselves, some even pointed and sneered at her with disdain.
She overheard their conversations.
Her supposed imminent transfer from headquarters had been completely twisted.
"Hey, did you hear? Tian Jiaojiao seems to be getting transferred to Chi Hai District, to a newly acquired company, ah, so pitiful! How did she mess up?"
"Isn’t she the chairman’s assistant?"
"Oh please, isn’t it obvious? She must have offended Assistant Huang. He’s a senior assistant, who is she compared to him? It’s such a pity; she had such a good position and didn’t treasure it. Serves her right!"
Tian Jiaojiao fought back her tears, refusing to cry in front of everyone.
She took a deep breath and reminded herself to stay strong, not to be brought down by these rumors and slander.
Just then, a colleague spotted Tian Jiaojiao and immediately halted their gossip, pretending to be busy typing. The others quickly shifted their attention elsewhere, stopping the discussion about her.
Well, of course, she was still around.
Gradually, the office quieted down, but the air was still filled with awkwardness, mockery, and a distinct smell of gunpowder.
Tian Jiaojiao returned to her seat, started her computer, and began to work on her tasks.
She wanted to distract herself with work, to forget about the hurtful rumors and unfounded slander.
However, the sense of injustice and loss inside her surged uncontrollably.
She silently asked herself, "Did I really do something wrong? Why me? Just because I have no background, am I easy to bully?"
She had been working so hard recently.
Whether it was going to Qingcheng or Jin City, she felt she had done nothing to deserve any blame, always completing her tasks ahead of time without a moment of slack.
Could Assistant Huang have been scheming behind her back?
Had he spoken ill of her to the chairman, or perhaps he made some irreversible mistake and let her take the fall?
It was too much, saying one thing to your face and another behind your back!
Just then, Tian Jiaojiao was called by Huang Yi to help with a small meeting, as Leng Lingxiao had to hold an impromptu discussion with various department managers, but he wouldn’t be coming over and would attend via laptop.
Without further thought, she hurried along.
Two minutes later, in the meeting room.
Huang Yi was in charge of distributing various materials, while Tian Jiaojiao was responsible for preparing tea for the managers.
After setting the tea out on the conference table, she carefully checked each cup for leaks, then arranged bottled water.
Whether they drank it or not was one thing; it needed to be there.
Tian Jiaojiao wanted to ask about the transfer several times but couldn’t muster the courage to speak up.
"Alright, you can go out now."
Hearing Huang Yi’s words, Tian Jiaojiao’s heart dropped once again.
Okay then, she’s not needed here after all.