Chapter 123: Chapter 123

What else could be holding Mr. Zhang back apart from a broken heart?

Imagine his surprise yesterday when he saw the news on the forum. To him, the girl didn’t return to proceed with her resignation because she was thinking about agreeing with his request.

He didn’t know that Annie had returned and even applied for a better position. This girl was now out of his reach. How could he not be sad?

“Good Morning, Mr. Zhang.”

The employees’ greetings snapped the man out of his dazed state. He stared at the girls waiting in front of his office and his eyes fell on her. His heart skipped a bit.

“Why is he giving you that creepy look, Annie?” Layla whispered. “Is Mr. Zhang perhaps still disturbing you?”

Annie only smiled in response and stood up with the other employees.

Mr. Zhang looked away with a heavy sigh and he answered to their greetings in low spirits. “You’re all here for your transfer, right?”

“That’s right. Mr. Zhang, we have been waiting for many minutes now.” One girl couldn’t hide her frustration and she grumbled out.

Everyone expected Mr. Zhang to reprimand her. The man shook his head, however, and entered his office.

“Seriously, that man is creeping me out, Annie. Why does he look like a rejected teenager?” Layla could sense something was wrong with the man, thinking back to the way he stared at her friend.

Annie was in no mood to talk about Mr. Zhang, so she changed the topic. “It will soon be our turn, Layla. Did you bring all your documents?”

“Of course,” Layla replied. “I couldn’t even sleep last night because of this promotion. Annie, my dream is finally coming true. Very soon, we will start working with the CEO. We can get to see him every day too. My goodness, I still want to believe I’m dreaming.”

Layla’s attention was instantly diverted from Mr. Zhang’s strange behavior. She spoke nonstop about her excitement, keeping them both occupied.

She didn’t stop speaking until it was Annie’s turn to enter the Manager’s office.

“I don’t trust that man, Annie. Despite the no-romance rule, I can feel Mr. Zhang still has eyes for you. If he tries anything stupid, we can report him to the security.” Layla reminded her before she entered.

To Layla, Mr. Zhang was a fickle man. She didn’t even offend the man that day and he tried to fire her.

.

Inside the Manager’s office, Mr. Zhang’s heart would skip whenever the door opened and a girl stepped in. Then he would sigh in disappointment when he realized the girl wasn’t Annie.

He handled each transfer fast, hoping it would get to her turn soon. He had attended to more than fifteen girls already when Annie finally appeared.

“Ms. Lin.” Mr. Zhang stood up and made sure the door was properly closed. “Ah, thank goodness. I was dying for us to have alone time.”

“What is it, Mr. Zhang?” Annie looked at him.

Mr. Zhang returned to his chair and sat down. “I don’t want to believe that I stand no chance with you, Ms. Lin. I am happy for you that you got a better position than the one I offered you. But, Ms. Lin-“

“Mr. Zhang, please handle my transfer.” Annie opened her bag and retrieved her documents then placed them in front of him. “Other people are on the cue. It’s not right to keep them waiting.”

Mr. Zhang stared at her for a few seconds before he sighed. “Sure, I’ll handle your transfer quickly. Ms. Lin, just know that I won’t give up yet. I actually wanted to tell you that I will be leaving MystiArt Productions soon. If you’re worried about the rules, it will no longer apply to us once I stop working here.”

“I hope Mr. Zhang is not doing that to get my approval.” Annie found it ridiculous that the man would decide to leave his job because of her.

“No. Not at all, Ms. Lin.” For once, Mr. Zhang smiled. To him, this girl was considering giving him a chance. Right?

“I have been investing a lot in real estate businesses. At this stage, Ms. Lin, even if I don’t work anymore, I can take care of myself and my family. All I need right now is a wife to live happily with.”

While he spoke, he typed her information into the computer in front of him, processing her transfer. Moments later, he printed out some documents and handed them to her.

“Ms. Lin, if you give me a chance, I will give you a great life. You can decide to stop working and it won’t be a problem. I hope Ms. Lin will think about it again.”

“Mr. Zhang.” Annie stood up and took the documents from him. “I wish you good luck.”

Annie left his office and put the documents in her bag. Layla was the next person on the line and she walked inside with an annoyed look. She would give anything not to speak to that man. Urgh! Apart from him, no one could handle her transfer though.

Unlike Annie, Layla didn’t take long in his office. Mr. Zhang was in a trance after Annie left, her last words echoing in his mind.

He didn’t even notice Layla, and he mindlessly processed her transfer and sent her off.

“That man is really strange,” Layla said to Annie as they both left the HR Department. “I wish I could get back at him. But that man looked like a lost puppy. Urgh! Maybe I should just forget about him.”

Layla didn’t like Mr. Zhang, but the man looked pitiful when she entered his office. She even expected him to treat her like last time, yet, he was as obedient as a robot.

“That’s thoughtful of you.” Annie agreed with her words. “Keeping a grudge is like a poison in one’s heart. Slowly, it will keep eating at it, leaving it with nothing but harmful intentions.”

“You are right, Annie.” Layla nodded. “Instead of feeding our hearts with poison, we should occupy it with happy memories. How about we commence working in the CEO’s area with a fresh mind?”

The girls entered another elevator which took them down to the Arts Department. When they arrived, a hushed silence fell in the area as the employees instantly stopped what they were doing.