Chapter 28: Even a donkey on a production team wouldn't be worked this hard.

"No, really, you just looked like you were having an allergic reaction, so I..."

Zhao Qiang felt speechless. He thought to himself, *If you aren't having an allergic reaction, why are you lying there?*

"I worked overtime last night, so I'm a bit tired. I don't feel like explaining it to you," Gao Lan replied, sounding annoyed. "If I still had symptoms of a dust allergy, how could I possibly be a police officer? I would have recovered long ago. If I didn't, who knows how many people would have taken advantage of me?"

Gao Lan’s face flushed red, and the more she spoke, the angrier she became. One bite here, one bite there—how could she possibly endure that?

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I'll leave it to you then; I'm heading out." Zhao Qiang felt incredibly awkward, thinking it best to escape as quickly as possible.

After Zhao Qiang left, a colleague of hers named Damei walked over with a mischievous grin.

"Gao Lan, you're quite bold, aren't you!" Damei teased. "So many guys chase after you and you don't even spare them a glance, so why are you so desperate now?"

"Don't talk nonsense. We just had a misunderstanding; he’s just a high school classmate of mine." Gao Lan quickly explained, looking somewhat flustered.

"Oh, a high school classmate? And you’re kissing the moment you meet?" Damei wouldn't let it go, the corners of her mouth curling upward. "You're a police officer. Is it appropriate to do that right at the entrance of the station?"

"Stop spreading rumors! If I hear anyone in the office talking about this, I won't let you off!" Gao Lan’s expression shifted, and she issued a stern warning.

"Sorry, it's too late!" Damei chuckled.

"What do you mean? You’ve already started spreading it?" Gao Lan’s face turned even paler, and she began to pace in agitation.

"It’s not me. The chief went to the surveillance room just now, so I'm sure everyone knows by now!"

"Ah!" Gao Lan covered her face and couldn't help but shriek, feeling both ashamed and furious.

The report from the identification center wouldn't be ready for a while, so there was still a wait. Chu Siqi called, wanting to know what happened next, claiming that netizens were demanding an update online. Zhao Qiang clicked the link Chu Siqi sent; the headline was quite explosive:

*[Aggressive Mother-in-Law Demands Accountability, Flees in a Panic at the Mention of a Paternity Test.]*

It had already received over 100,000 likes, and there were thousands of comments below from onlookers just there for the drama. He was speechless; these netizens really loved stirring the pot. Fortunately, the comment section was largely supportive of him, with people urging him to get the paternity test and refuse to be a sucker.

He had to admit, the influence of the internet was immense. Before long, every group chat at the Imperial Capital University would be discussing it. No matter how many lies the Liu family spread, they couldn't compete with the power of public opinion.

"Brother-in-law, please, we need an update," Chu Siqi said sweetly.

"Look, let's get this straight: I am not your brother-in-law. Your sister and I just happen to have a child together," Zhao Qiang clarified quickly, feeling like he could never explain this clearly enough. He and Chu Mengyao only had a child, and that was all.

"Is there any difference? Doesn't that still make you my brother-in-law?" Chu Siqi retorted, her tone filled with confusion.

"Of course there's a difference. Your sister is a high-and-mighty CEO, and I’m just an employee," Zhao Qiang shook his head helplessly. "We will never have any intersection in the future, but I will visit Little Peach often."

Zhao Qiang’s eyes were filled with resolve; he only wanted to see his daughter and had no other intentions. A massive family like the Chu clan letting him become a live-in son-in-law? That was a fantasy. Besides, Chu Mengyao was a golden girl; her future husband would surely be a billionaire CEO. Even if it wasn't Zhang Zihao, it would be some other outstanding man. He only hoped that man would treat Little Peach well; otherwise, even if it cost him his life, he would take her back.

Just as he hung up with Chu Siqi, another call came in.

*Why is that old woman Lin Meina calling me?* Zhao Qiang hesitated for a few seconds, his brow furrowed as he pondered, but he ultimately chose to answer. It seemed the troubles of the day were truly endless.

"Manager Zhao, come back and work some overtime!"

It was his direct supervisor, Lin Meina. His company was a small subsidiary of the Zhao Group, and in his previous life, he had worked like a beast for them. He had only been promoted to manager because of all the overtime he put in. Now that he had been reborn, he would not be as foolish as he had been in his past life, slaving away for Zhang Zihao. He knew that Zhang Zihao was behind his promotion; it had surely been at his instruction.

"Director Lin, if I recall correctly, I have already requested leave," Zhao Qiang said in a calm, steady voice. "My wife just gave birth; I should be entitled to paternity leave, right?"

He remembered that in his past life, he had taken leave at this exact time, staying at the hospital to care for Liu Ruyan and serving the Liu family hand and foot. The reason Lin Meina was calling him now was likely because he had fallen out with the Liu family, and Zhang Zihao was starting to target him, using the company to put pressure on him.

"The proposal from last time was rejected by the client. You need to lead the team to redo it!" Lin Meina’s voice came through with a hint of urgency. "It won't take much of your time. Besides, your wife is in confinement; you don't necessarily need to be by her side every single second, do you?"

*Hmph, trying to pull that trick on me to get me to work for free.* If this were his past life, he might have actually listened, obediently returning to work to earn money for baby formula. Unfortunately, he now knew that Zhang Zihao was the one pulling the strings to mess with him.

"I'm sorry, Director Lin, but this is leave mandated by the state," Zhao Qiang said coldly, his tone filled with dissatisfaction. "If the proposal was rejected, just assign someone else to handle it. Why are you calling me?"

Did they really think he was a beast of burden?

"Zhao Qiang, how dare you speak to me like that?" Lin Meina’s fiery temper flared, her voice sharp and grating. "Do you not want this job anymore? Do you have any idea how much effort the company put into training you?"

In his past life, Lin Meina had a terrible temper, constantly berating him at the slightest provocation. If a proposal wasn't perfect, she'd scream at him. If he left work early, she'd scream at him. She frequently used the threat of taking away his manager position to keep him in line. To keep his job and support his family, Zhao Qiang had poured his blood and sweat into that company.

But now that he was reborn, he would no longer endure such abuse. This was a clever move by Zhang Zihao—using him like an ox. Squeezing him dry at the company during the day, then making him take care of his wife and child at night. The plan was calculated to perfection; even a donkey on a production team wouldn't be worked this hard.

"Lin Meina, I'll say it one more time: I am on paternity leave. If you have work, find someone else," Zhao Qiang raised his voice. "Stop calling me for no reason. Am I your servant? Are you just unhappy if you don't call and berate me once a day? I think you should see a psychiatrist; are you mentally ill?"

Zhao Qiang didn't hold back at all. It was obvious that Lin Meina was sent by Zhang Zihao to humiliate him. If he hadn't known, he might have tried to hold onto this job, but since he did, there was no reason for this job to exist. He didn't even need to think to know that Zhang Zihao would continue to make his life miserable. Staying in the Zhang Group was just waiting for trouble.

"Zhao Qiang, I suggest you watch your mouth and rephrase that," Lin Meina barked.

"What is there to rephrase? I remember Zhou Jie was the one who did that proposal. Since he did it, why don't you just go to him? Why are you calling me?" Zhao Qiang stood his ground.

"His work wasn't good enough; someone else needs to do it," Lin Meina suppressed her rage. Zhang had ordered her to give Zhao Qiang a hard time and make things difficult for him, but not to go so far as to drive him away.

"If he's not good enough, if he's not good enough, then why is he a manager?" Zhao Qiang switched to a biting, sarcastic tone. "Could it be because he's your boy toy?"