My mind went blank for a long moment. My once calm heart felt like a bomb had been dropped, sending a tsunami of shockwaves through it. I stared at Liang Tian, stunned, for a long moment before asking, "Did you... see clearly? Are you sure that person is my wife, Tang Jia?"
"Of course I am. How could I be mistaken for someone as beautiful as my sister-in-law? I walked right past her, so there's no way I could be mistaken," Liang Tian assured me.
If what Liang Tian said was true, then Tang Jia was lying. Looking at Liang Tian's confident expression, I wanted to slap him to death.
"What about that man? Do you know him? Did you get a good look at him?" I pressed on.
Liang Tian struggled to recall, then shook his head. "I don't know him. He's quite well-built, about the same height as my sister-in-law. He was wearing a high-end suit and had the air of a successful man. He must be a wealthy man."
The more Liang Tian spoke, the more my heart sank. If Liang Tian was right, then the man who had accompanied her to the hospital for the abortion was definitely her adulterer, and the child was definitely his.
This thought intensified, and a surge of humiliation washed over me once again. My face darkened, frightening Liang Tian so much that he swallowed the rest of his words.
"Just say whatever you want. I'm not going to eat you up. I know you mean well, and I won't blame you," I said, suppressing the humiliation and anger surging within me.
Liang Tian pondered for a moment, then said, "Brother Fang, do you think my sister-in-law has someone else? The child is from that man, so she secretly had it aborted at the hospital without your knowledge."
"Do you even need to tell me that?" I nearly burst into anger. I took a deep breath to swallow it. "Family disgrace shouldn't be aired in public. If it spread around the office, people would only laugh at me for being incompetent and unable to even keep my wife safe. What else would that entail?" "Don't talk nonsense! How could such a virtuous woman like your sister-in-law cheat on her? If she did, she'd choose a tall, rich, and handsome man, not a sleazy, wealthy woman. She explained it to me: she'd just been promoted, and the mortgage was too much pressure, and I earn so little. Now that she's pregnant, she'd have to quit her job to protect the pregnancy. With my consent, she decided to have an abortion. I happened to be busy that day and couldn't go, so she asked her cousin to take her to the hospital. I didn't expect you to run into them and cause this misunderstanding." Damn it! My wife cheated on me, and I have to cover for her. My heart is bleeding.
Liang Tian half-believed this, and gave me a strange smile. It was so exciting that I wanted to kick the bastard to death.
I changed the subject, "You only make so little money every month, and you got your girlfriend pregnant. You probably borrowed the money for the abortion. I can't expect you to pay me back this month."
Liang Tian rubbed his head and smiled awkwardly, "Brother Fang, I definitely can't pay you back this month. I'm so broke right now, and my monthly salary is gone as soon as I get it. Give me two more months."
"Okay, don't rush the repayment. You can pay me back whenever you have the money. Just don't say anything in the office. If you damage your sister-in-law's reputation, I won't forgive you." I smiled, but my heart was bleeding.
Liang Tian quickly assured me, "I promise I won't say anything. How could I damage my sister-in-law's reputation? Brother Fang, I'll pay you back as soon as I have enough money."
I lowered my head and ate in silence. My heart ached unbearably, and I almost burst into tears. The humiliation in my heart was unbearable, as if the thing I cherished most was leaving me. During the afternoon shift, I had no focus on work. All I could think about was a man accompanying Tang Jia to the hospital for an induced abortion. It was unimaginable that such a virtuous wife like Tang Jia could cheat on me. What was she thinking? Images of her and that man tumbling in bed kept flashing through my mind. She always used a condom with me, but with that bastard, she hadn't even used safety precautions, and she'd gotten pregnant. What a shame!
"Hey, Fang Wen, what are you doing sitting there like an idiot? Have you finished the work I assigned you? You've been dawdling for three days. I've been waiting for you to finish it and hand it over to me, but you're just sitting here vacant. Don't you want to do this anymore? If you don't want to, just quit. You idiot! If you can't even do this, what's the point of the company keeping you?" A woman suddenly appeared behind me, looking at me coldly and sternly.
This woman was Liu Li, our company's Marketing Director. She was very beautiful, dressed in a professional suit and a hip skirt that perfectly defined her curvaceous figure. Liu Li is a highly capable and impulsive worker, known for her harshness. She's ruthless to others and even more so to herself, earning her the respect of her boss. It's said she even has a relationship with him.
Liu Li and I joined the company the same year. Six years after graduating from college, she's risen to the position of Marketing Director, while I'm stuck at the same level, completely outgunned by her, with no salary increase. But she called me a fool in front of so many marketing colleagues, which infuriated me so much that I almost stood up and yelled back.
I cursed inwardly, "You're a fucking fool! You're just relying on your looks and sleeping with men to get to your position. What's so great about that?" Strong women can be a bit warped, and they're often very harsh to their subordinates.
"Boss Liu, I'll finish the job right away and return it to you. Okay?" I said, swallowing my anger. Liu Li's face fell, and she snarled, "You haven't even finished a single PowerPoint presentation in three days! What the hell have you been up to all day? Lao Fang, I'm not saying anything mean, but how come you've become such a seasoned veteran, yet you're still doing the most basic work? Don't you have any ambition at all?"
This made me blush and feel humiliated. It was so hurtful, I almost flipped out right there and then.
Damn, when you're down on your luck, even drinking cold water makes your teeth ache. My wife just cheated on me, and now my boss is constantly finding fault. Is this driving me crazy? I really wanted to pick up a stool and hit him. Damn it, I quit!
I cursed all the female relatives of Liu Li in my heart, but I didn't dare to retort. My face flushed crimson, and I hesitated to strike out with my clenched fist.
"Come to my office. It seems I need to talk to you privately!" Liu Li said coldly, looking at me with contempt.
I shuddered at this. Was Liu Li's dissatisfaction with me so severe she was trying to persuade me to quit?
My heart trembled. Although this job didn't pay much, I absolutely couldn't lose it at this critical moment. If that happened, I'd become a gigolo, relying entirely on Tang Jia for all my expenses. I'd have even less dignity and status at home. What would I do if Tang Jia broke off relations with me and brought her adulterer home? Would I have the courage to resist?