Chapter 67: The Pitiful Female Supporting Character from a Patriarchal Family in the 2000s (14)

At exactly six in the evening, everyone gradually signed out and left.

Ai Xiaoling was still organizing files, and Ye Zhou slowed his pace to wait for her.

A new Hunan cuisine restaurant had recently opened nearby, and he wanted to take her there to try.

“Little Boss.” Ai Xiaoling suddenly called him.

“Hm?”

She put the files into a kraft paper bag and smiled, “Don’t wait for me. I have something to do later.”

“What are you going to do?” Ye Zhou asked instinctively.

He couldn’t blame himself for suspecting. Her daily routine was really simple. Zhang Bin had asked her out a few times, but he used the excuse of going to construction sites to cut off her romantic chances.

Besides work, they were always together.

What else could she be doing?

“I’m going to find my sister,” Ai Xiaoling said.

Ye Zhou was feeling down, but when he heard that, he relaxed. “Do you want me to take you?”

“No need. She’s coming to find me.” Ai Xiaoling politely declined.

At this point, Ye Zhou didn’t insist anymore. He slowly finished his work, took the car keys, and before leaving, looked at her, “I’m leaving?”

Really didn’t want him to see her off?

“Yeah, bye—” Ai Xiaoling didn’t even raise her head.

Ye Zhou’s heart sank, and he dragged his feet downstairs.

At the gate, he ran into the company employee Wang Dazhou. The other greeted him, “Mr. Ye? You look unhappy.”

Then Wang Dazhou handed him a cigarette.

Ye Zhou hesitated for a moment looking at the cigarette but took it, “Thanks.”

Last time Ai Xiaoling said there was a strong smell of smoke in his car and that secondhand smoke was harmful to health, so he hadn’t smoked since then.

But now, feeling annoyed, he couldn’t help but want to smoke.

Wang Dazhou took out a lighter and leaned over to light Ye Zhou’s cigarette for him.

Just as it was lit, a voice shouted from upstairs: “Little boss, why are you smoking again? Didn’t you say you quit? You don’t keep your word, huh?”

The two looked up, and Ai Xiaoling’s figure appeared on the balcony without them noticing. She was leaning on the railing, shouting down at them.

“Are you trying to scare people to death?” Wang Dazhou almost dropped the lighter in fright.

Ye Zhou immediately put out the cigarette, tossing the butt into a nearby trash bin.

“Wang Dazhou, don’t lead my little boss astray!” Ai Xiaoling warned him.

She stayed with Ye Zhou most of the time, going out on business trips for over half the month, and Ye Zhou’s smoking seriously affected her physical and mental health.

“Your little boss, your little boss, aren’t you embarrassed?” Wang Dazhou teased her.

Ai Xiaoling ignored Wang Dazhou, turning to Ye Zhou and saying: “Little boss, a person must keep their word!”

If you said you wouldn’t smoke, then you are not allowed to.

It was the first time Wang Dazhou had seen such an arrogant admirer, and it was directed at his boss.

Ye Zhou had too good a temper.

Ye Zhou lifted his head and looked at Ai Xiaoling on the balcony: “I know.”

Ai Xiaoling smiled in satisfaction and withdrew her head.

Ye Zhou walked back to the car, a faint smile still on his lips, not feeling embarrassed at all.

Ai Xiaoling finished her work and headed to the supermarket.

“Are you thirsty?” Ai Xiaofen saw her and quickly came over, saying: “I made some ginger syrup today and bought some jelly. I’ll make you a jelly sugar drink.”

The jelly was mixed with ginger syrup, then poured with ice water taken from the fridge.

Taking a sip, it was refreshing and sweet.

She was going to buy food on the road, but Ai Xiaofen didn’t allow it. She had set up a small kitchen at the back door. When there were fewer customers, she cooked and stir-fried dishes herself. It was healthy and saved money.

Knowing Ai Xiaoling was coming, she even cooked an extra portion.

“Xu Zhi and that woman broke up, and that woman even scammed him out of several thousand yuan, making his mother sick with anger,” Ai Xiaofen said nervously, worriedly looking at Ai Xiaoling. “Mom called my old friends and classmates, asking me to go back and live well with him.”

Mother Ai couldn’t get in touch with Ai Xiaofen directly and had to keep calling her old friends and classmates.

Actually, Ai Xiaoling already knew about this because when Mother Ai called the hardware store, she had Ye Zhou tell them she had resigned and didn’t inform Ai Xiaofen about this matter.

“Do you want to go back and live that kind of life?” Ai Xiaoling asked her.

“I don’t want to go back,” Ai Xiaofen said without hesitation, but then added, “If he finds me, and discovers our supermarket—”

People can only endure darkness when they see the light.

She now had her own job, her own life, stable income, and was not restricted by anyone. Why go back to suffer? To ruin herself?

But she was more timid and cowardly than Ai Xiaoling and was very afraid of the Xu family.

“Don’t mind it,” Ai Xiaoling said and told her, “You are already divorced. What happened before was domestic violence, but nobody cared. Now if he dares to do it, we will call the police immediately and send him to jail.”

Ai Xiaofen felt much comforted and nodded.

“As for why Mom is doing this, don’t you know?” Ai Xiaoling didn’t explain fully, only saying, “If you go back, it will be difficult to live a peaceful good life.”

Mother Ai was afraid of being laughed at, afraid Ai Xiaofen would drag them down, and afraid it would affect her precious son finding a wife.

Of course, if Ai Xiaofen went back, she could help with farm work and bring things home sometimes. Now she had nothing.

Not only Ai Xiaofen, but Mother Ai had also calculated that now Ai Xiaoling had paid off her debts and wanted to reconnect with her daughter to keep her as a financial source.

Listening to Ai Xiaoling, Ai Xiaofen’s body trembled slightly, her eyes full of resistance and fear.

“We have already started a new life and are saving to buy a house, a home of our own,” Ai Xiaoling held Ai Xiaofen’s hand. “Sister, you don’t have to be afraid. No one can oppress or bully us anymore.”

Ai Xiaofen was still uneasy inside. When Ai Xiaoling left, she gave her the bankbook and the money in the cash register, as if that would make her feel at ease.

“I’ll keep it for now. When we find the right plot of land, we’ll buy it and build a building. The supermarket will be on the first floor, so no rent. How great is that—” Ai Xiaoling painted a bright future for her.

Ai Xiaofen’s face showed some smile.

In the following month, whenever Ai Xiaoling finished work or had a day off, she often went to the supermarket to spend more time with Ai Xiaofen so she wouldn’t overthink.

Also, the supermarket business got better and better, especially after getting the tobacco selling license. The income became more stable.

Ai Xiaoling could also help out there.

However, as Ai Xiaoling spent more time with Ai Xiaofen, Ye Zhou had fewer chances to be with her, and he could not complain.

To increase time together, Ye Zhou took Ai Xiaoling to construction sites more frequently.

Because he felt guilty, and the projects had large profits, he gave her more attendance fees.

One hundred fifty yuan a day.

Ye Zhou worried she might have negative feelings and think the work was too hard, so he gave her money before setting out to work.

When Ai Xiaoling got the money, she opened her eyes wide, clutching the money tightly and shyly said: “Little boss, you give me so much, I feel embarrassed.”

“You deserve it,” Ye Zhou was relieved instead.

He just wanted her to be satisfied.

“Thank you, little boss,” Ai Xiaoling smiled like a flower.

At the construction site, she actively took out her tape measure and pen.

Ye Zhou was about to measure the dimensions, but she immediately stepped forward: “You shouldn’t do it, little boss. Let me handle this kind of thing!”

Saying that, she quickly started measuring, even telling Ye Zhou: “Little boss, you’ve driven for so long and must be tired. Why don’t you take a rest? I’ll measure whatever data you need.”

Ye Zhou was deeply moved by how much she cared and understood him. He shook his head and said softly: “No need. Two people working together is faster, and we still have to rush to the next site.”

When Ai Xiaoling heard that, what a good boss he was. She smiled brightly and immediately promised, “I’ll work hard and try to finish the task quickly.”

“No need to work so hard,” Ye Zhou said.

“It’s what I should do.” Ai Xiaoling picked up the measuring tape and started measuring and recording data.

Full of energy.

When they finished, Ye Zhou saw that her forehead was covered in sweat. His eyes filled with a bit of pity as he handed her a tissue. “Wipe your sweat.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You worked hard,” Ye Zhou said.

Ai Xiaoling shook her head with a smile. “It’s nothing.”

A hundred and fifty a day. A qualified employee must make the boss feel the money is well spent.

Ye Zhou drove forward and softly said to her, “You’ve accompanied me on so many trips. When this project is done, I’ll give you an extra five hundred yuan as a bonus.”

“Is that okay? You’ve already given me such a high attendance fee.” While she said that, she couldn’t hide the smile in her eyes no matter how hard she tried.

Seeing how happy she was, Ye Zhou pressed his lips together and said, “It’s fine. This project is fairly profitable. If the payment goes smoothly, I’ll give you eight hundred.”

Ai Xiaoling was already dizzy from the number. That was her sister Ai Xiaofen’s monthly salary as a waitress.

She quickly lowered her head, tugging at her fingers, trying to hide her heart bursting with joy.

Because she knew herself too well. Her eyes right now probably looked like stacks of banknotes.

Money money money.

Following Ye Zhou really brought in big money.

Her emotions were too strong to express. She just knew she was right to follow him.

A bonus of eight hundred yuan for one project, plus such high allowances and part-time pay.

She was moved to the point of tears.

“There are a few more construction sites. I’ll give you bonuses for those too.” Ye Zhou saw how calm Ai Xiaoling was and believed she wasn’t someone who loved money too much. It was precisely because of this that he couldn’t let her suffer.

“If there’s anything that needs to be done, little boss, just tell me. I’m available,” Ai Xiaoling said immediately.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t feel comfortable taking the money.

Upon hearing that, Ye Zhou’s gaze softened. He knew that Ai Xiaoling was simple and honest, not the scheming type. She couldn’t take favors from others without giving something back. Luckily, he was clever enough to give her money in the form of attendance fees and project bonuses.

If she worked for someone else, she would definitely be taken advantage of.

He had to protect her.

So Ye Zhou said, “When you have time, learn about project cost estimation from them.”

He didn’t have any other expectations of her. If she could work in an office with air conditioning to earn money, why go through all the hardship?

He would take care of the external business. She just needed to do technical work in the office.

Once Ai Xiaoling received her distance-learning degree, she could start taking certification exams.

Step by step.

If she could pass the first-class cost engineer exam, that would be a guaranteed job for life. He would open a company for her, and she could be a shareholder and earn money.

Ai Xiaoling nodded quickly. “Mm-hmm.”

Seeing her so obedient, Ye Zhou felt content.

He had to make money properly. Otherwise, how could he let her enjoy life?

He couldn’t bear to let her suffer, not even a little.

Before this, Ye Zhou also didn’t want Ai Xiaoling to live a hard life. He kept a tight watch on the project. As soon as he received the payment, he rushed back to the company to find her.

He had to give her the “bonus.”

Ye Zhou drove back to the company. The wind on the road felt sweet. Thinking of how happy she would be, he couldn’t stop smiling.

After parking the car, Ye Zhou quickly went upstairs. He vaguely heard Ai Xiaoling’s voice and walked even faster.

At the stairwell, he saw Ai Xiaoling chatting and laughing with He Wenlei from the design institute next door. The two of them were getting along quite well.

“Little boss, you’re back?” Ai Xiaoling turned her head and greeted him when she saw him.

“Mm.” Ye Zhou’s gaze stayed on He Wenlei. The man was refined, wore glasses, was skinny, spoke softly, and looked weak.

He looked like someone who had worked overtime for too long and was malnourished. Not a trace of masculinity.

“I’ll come find you after work,” Ai Xiaoling said to He Wenlei. “Wait for me.”

“Okay, see you later.”

After He Wenlei left, Ye Zhou continued to stare at his back.

Come find him later?

See him later?

“Little boss,” Ai Xiaoling turned and walked into the company, “I have a contract I want you to look at. There seems to be a problem.”

Ye Zhou absentmindedly followed her back into the company.

All he could think about was her saying she’d see He Wenlei after work. He felt very unhappy.

But when facing Ai Xiaoling, he couldn’t show it.

When it was time to get off work, Ye Zhou kept delaying her and handed her the project bonus.

Ai Xiaoling counted the money. Her eyes lit up, and she said in surprise, “A thousand yuan?”

Didn’t he say eight hundred?

“Saying eight hundred was to keep your expectations low. I always planned to give you a thousand.” Ye Zhou really did think that way. If the profit weren’t limited, he would have given her even more.

He still hadn’t found a good chance to confess. If he did and they got together, he could openly give her all his money.

Wouldn’t that be great?

“Little boss, you’re so generous. I think as long as I follow you, I’ll definitely have a good life!” Ai Xiaoling said as she held the money, almost wanting to worship Ye Zhou.

Right now, he was only doing small projects and already so generous to her.

She couldn’t even imagine how much money they would make if he started doing big projects and she became his right-hand person.

“Of course. I’ll definitely treat you well,” Ye Zhou had everything planned for her.

He couldn’t bear to see her suffer. Once they were together, he would definitely take care of her.

If she didn’t want to work, he would accept that too.

Thinking about them getting married and becoming so close, Ye Zhou’s ears quietly turned red again. He was so nervous he didn’t even dare look at Ai Xiaoling. His hand that was hanging down curled slightly.

Because of that, he didn’t notice Ai Xiaoling stuffing the money into her pocket and, after saying a quick goodbye, hurrying off to the design institute next door.

Ye Zhou instantly sobered up and walked in that direction.

It was already after work hours. The design institute was empty except for He Wenlei, who sat at his workstation. Ai Xiaoling stood beside him. The two were standing close together, discussing something.

Ye Zhou’s expression changed again and again.

Unfortunately, the two people engrossed in their conversation did not notice his sharp gaze.

This made Ye Zhou extremely angry.

What were they talking about?

“Thanks. I’ll go back and download it to have a look. If I run into any problems, I’ll ask you again.” Ai Xiaoling held her notebook and stood up to thank him.

Ye Zhou quickly stepped back and stood in the corridor.

When Ai Xiaoling came out and saw that Ye Zhou was still there, she asked in surprise, “Little boss, you haven’t left yet?”

Hadn’t she told him she had something to do and asked him to go first?

“Just finished,” said Ye Zhou.

“Are you going back now?” Ai Xiaoling asked.

“Yes.”

He Wenlei happened to come out too. The three of them went downstairs together.

Ai Xiaoling and He Wenlei kept chatting, rambling from one topic to another, talking about food and clearly enjoying the conversation.

Ye Zhou clutched a notebook in his hand and held it tightly the whole time.

“Bye bye. See you tomorrow.” Ai Xiaoling said goodbye to He Wenlei.

The two of them got into the car.

Ye Zhou casually placed the notebook to the side. Ai Xiaoling picked it up out of curiosity and asked, “I just saw it was fine. Why is the cover so wrinkled now?”

“You probably saw it wrong,” Ye Zhou lied with a straight face.

“Really?” Ai Xiaoling tried to recall.

“What were you talking to him about?” Ye Zhou asked while driving, pretending to ask casually.

What could they be chatting about so happily?

“Just asked a few things.” Ai Xiaoling didn’t elaborate and instead smiled, “Do you want to have dinner with me? This time it’s on me.”

She was just trying to understand the prospects of the interior design industry. After all, learning anything is a gain.

Ye Zhou gave her a computer. If she had free time at night, she would tinker with it.

Aside from cost estimation, the company occasionally handled design drawings. In those cases, they would hand them over to the neighboring design institute. And the design fees were much higher than construction costs.

For now, she was just learning, so Ai Xiaoling didn’t want to say too much to Ye Zhou. She was afraid he would think she lacked focus and never seriously committed to one thing.

“Let’s have some Shaxian snacks. I haven’t eaten them for a long time.” Ye Zhou didn’t want Ai Xiaoling to spend more money, so when she asked again, he still chose the cheaper one.

Walking into the store, Ye Zhou ordered a basket of dumplings and a bowl of noodles.

When he made the dipping sauce, he poured in only vinegar.

Ai Xiaoling was sensitive to the smell of vinegar. She stared at him and asked, “Little boss, are you really craving vinegar today?”

“Yes.”

Ye Zhou hoped Ai Xiaoling could realize that her being so close with another man made him very jealous.

He was unhappy inside.

Sour!

“Oh, then eat more.” Ai Xiaoling respected him. When she saw the vinegar was gone, she even happily went to the next table to fetch another bottle and asked him, “Want some in your noodles?”

“Yes!”

He had just eaten a lot of vinegar already.

Ai Xiaoling immediately helped him pour it enthusiastically, determined to meet every request her boss had.

As for why he wanted to eat so much vinegar?

No idea.

But a good employee should not randomly question the boss. She should only guess his intentions and promptly carry them out.

Ye Zhou took the first bite of noodles and choked, coughing non-stop. “Cough cough cough—”

It was too sour.

“Is it too sour?” Ai Xiaoling was afraid she had added too much and quickly said, “How about I get another bowl?”

“No need.” Ye Zhou kept a straight face and ate the overly sour noodles.

Just like how sour his heart felt at the moment.

Quite fitting.

*

For several nights in a row, after finishing her work, Ai Xiaoling would use the computer to explore drawing software.

She also looked up a lot of material online and studied by herself.

Testing things out bit by bit.

Whenever she didn’t understand something, she would ask He Wenlei online. He was very enthusiastic about helping. As long as he was online, he would patiently answer all her questions.

Over time, Ai Xiaoling began to understand a bit.

He Wenlei even sent her some simpler drawings to see if she could recreate them herself.

If they were too hard, He Wenlei would teach her step by step.

Typing was troublesome, so they usually chatted through online video calls.

“How do I mark this step?” Ai Xiaoling asked while operating the software.

“Move your mouse to the right. See that toolbar? Count down to the fifth icon—” He Wenlei guided her step by step. “Click on it, does it show—”

“You’re amazing.” Ai Xiaoling followed his instructions and quickly marked the dimensions. She was so proud she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

At the stairway.

Ye Zhou was coming upstairs. He heard Ai Xiaoling’s laughter and raised his eyebrows.

He was holding a portion of dinner in his hand, specially bought for her. Some fried rice noodles and a few skewers of her favorite barbecue.

He had even thought up an excuse. He would say he just came from a project meeting, had ordered too much, no one else ate it, and he didn’t want to waste it so he brought it back for her.

Ye Zhou walked to Ai Xiaoling’s room and heard voices and laughter coming from inside.

Who was she talking to so happily?

Ye Zhou raised his hand and knocked on the door. “Knock knock knock—”

Ai Xiaoling paused her actions and stood up. “Coming.”

Soon, she opened the door.

Because the weather was hot, she was wearing a nightgown. She had just taken a shower and smelled fragrant. The moment Ye Zhou saw her, his irritation instantly subsided.

He handed her the dinner.

“You bought this for me?” Ai Xiaoling asked shyly.

“No,” Ye Zhou gave his rehearsed excuse.

Ai Xiaoling immediately relaxed and smiled. “Thanks. I was just getting hungry.”

“Go to bed early after eating.” said Ye Zhou.

“Mhm, you should go to bed early too.”

Before closing the door, Ye Zhou took the opportunity to glance at her computer.

With a beeping sound, a profile picture on the friends list quickly flashed.

Note: He Wenlei.

Ye Zhou’s expression suddenly changed. His jealousy surged again.

She!

Chatting with He Wenlei in the middle of the night!

Chatting with He Wenlei behind his back!

Ye Zhou stared at the tightly closed door, clenching his fists, standing outside for half an hour. His gaze was so intense it seemed like he wanted to burn through the door, through the computer, and beat up He Wenlei.

He didn’t leave. He wanted to hear what they were talking about.

But Ai Xiaoling had already grown tired from drawing and was now happily enjoying her dinner. She ate stir-fried noodles and munched on grilled skewers, then went to bed.

Ye Zhou didn’t hear anything. He dragged his feet upstairs and had another sleepless night.

His mind was filled with images of her chatting intimately with He Wenlei. Moreover, this He Wenlei was very annoying, always chatting with her late at night.

Just like that Zhang Bin. Definitely not pure intentions.

It couldn’t possibly be Ai Xiaoling’s fault. She even wanted to be with him forever. How could she have a change of heart?

Over the next two days, Ai Xiaoling went to find He Wenlei a little more frequently. Ye Zhou became even more upset.

He even secretly overheard that He Wenlei would be coming to the office to work overtime this weekend, and Ai Xiaoling planned to see him then.

Ye Zhou immediately told Ai Xiaoling, “This weekend we’re going to the neighboring city to check out a project.”

“Both days of the weekend?” Ai Xiaoling hesitated.

“Yes.” After speaking, Ye Zhou added, “Since it’s far, they’ll give an attendance bonus. With the company’s allowance added, you’ll get three hundred yuan a day.”

Ai Xiaoling’s face instantly lit up with a smile. “Then let’s go for two days. I don’t have anything planned anyway. I’ll go wherever you go.”

See?

Ye Zhou felt that in her heart, he was clearly more important than He Wenlei.

She agreed to go with him without even the slightest hesitation.