Chapter 7: Mie Rashomon

Zheng Yang’s breathing grew rapid due to the extreme humiliation, her nostrils flaring with anger.

However, amidst this absolute disgrace, she felt a sliver of relief.

This collar, at least, proved that the person who loved her was not this Zheng Shiqiang.

To refuse—of course, she wanted to refuse ten thousand times over.

But as a veteran corporate slave, Zheng Yang had been humiliated countless times over the years.

That experience allowed her to maintain a level of rationality that did not belong to her current physical age.

She looked up, staring at Zheng Shiqiang with a composed gaze, while he stared back with a beaming smile.

She wanted to discern his true purpose from his eyes, but Zheng Shiqiang seemed merely curious about how she would react.

Zheng Yang knew that since this old fossil had brought a collar as a gift, he must have already anticipated her refusal.

And if she refused, what would the consequence be?

Would she take another beating, or would he simply pack it up and leave?

She couldn’t say for sure.

But a stalemate was useless; it was better to ask directly.

“Mr. Zheng, this is a collar, isn’t it? What exactly do you mean by this?”

“Didn’t your neck get injured and bleed yesterday? This is for concealment.”

Zheng Yang nearly burst out laughing.

Concealment? He actually had the nerve to use that as an excuse!

“Then I thank you, Mr. Zheng. But what if I say I don’t need any concealment?”

“You need it.”

“I don’t.”

“You need it.”

“Why do I need it?”

“Because you aren’t an ordinary girl. I can see a light in your eyes that is different from the others. You want to leave this place, don’t you?”

A reluctant chord was struck in Zheng Yang’s heart.

She remained stubborn.

“Which girl working here doesn’t want to leave? I’m nothing special.”

Zheng Shiqiang ignored her and continued on his own.

“Put it on, and I’ll help you leave.”

“No need. Thank you, Mr. Zheng, but I’m doing just fine here.”

“I can resolve your Black Household status.”

Zheng Yang really didn’t want to admit it, but her heart was shaken once again.

The Black Household status was, in her opinion, the most critical problem for this female body.

Relying solely on herself, with no relatives or connections, would be far too difficult.

So, Zheng Shiqiang would help her?

Suddenly, Zheng Yang thought of another thing Lili had said—”Give up some dignity, and you’ll live very well.”

Could it be that this was the moment she needed to abandon her dignity?

She was weighing the options: which was more intolerable, this momentary humiliation or being a Black Household member?

The experience of a capable veteran corporate slave told her that being a Black Household member would likely breed even more humiliation in the long run.

Wearing a collar was only temporary.

Once this old fossil actually resolved her status and she had a proper identity, she would no longer be at his beck and call.

The only variable now was whether Zheng Shiqiang would keep his word and truly help her resolve the issue in a timely manner.

Zheng Shiqiang crossed his legs and said with great interest, “You’re very smart. You’re weighing the options, you’re worried, and you’re thinking about whether or not to gamble.”

Zheng Yang looked up at Zheng Shiqiang in surprise.

Is this the insight of a conglomerate president? As expected, a mere corporate slave like herself was no match for him.

Against a person like this, the only card Zheng Yang could play was sincerity.

Any attempt at being slick would be seen through and looked down upon.

“Yes, Mr. Zheng. You’ve seen right through me…” Zheng Yang said calmly.

“So, are you going to gamble?”

Zheng Yang gritted her teeth.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t been humiliated three or five times before.

If she lost the bet, the worst that would happen was wearing a collar for a while.

But if she won, the payoff would be massive.

She was gambling not just on the pros and cons, but on the character and credit of the man at the helm of a massive corporation.

Her mind made up, Zheng Yang didn’t speak.

Instead, her face flushed as she picked up the Bell Collar and obediently fastened it around her neck.

Feeling the restriction around her throat, she even straightened the position of the bell.

Zheng Shiqiang’s two lackeys began to hoot and cheer, as if celebrating their boss finally taming a wild horse.

Zheng Shiqiang himself offered a faint smile.

“Thank you for your trust, Yangyang.”

Those words allowed Zheng Yang to breathe a sigh of relief.

However, one of the lackeys laughed loudly.

“Mr. Zheng, you’re really something. Isn’t that a collar for a puppy? It even has a bell!”

“Hey, Mr. Zheng, why isn’t there a dog tag? It would be great to hang a tag on it with Yangyang’s name. That’s how I raise the dogs at my house!”

Zheng Yang’s face turned bright red, and her breathing became rapid again.

However, Mr. Zheng’s behavior gave her a shred of hope; she believed that his character was surely much higher than that of these two lackeys.

But she was wrong again.

Zheng Shiqiang seemed to have been influenced by the two subordinates.

He pulled out two stacks of cash and smiled.

“What’s a dog tag and a bell worth?”

“Oh, Mr. Zheng, what are you doing?”

“Yangyang, would you mind enduring a little more? Bark twice, and all this money is yours.”

It wasn’t entirely unexpected…

Zheng Yang closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

After calming her emotions slightly, she gave a thin smile.

“Since I’ve put this thing on, I’ll bark even without the money.”

Seeing her so submissive, the two lackeys started jeering again.

“If it doesn’t sound right, please don’t laugh at me, Mr. Zheng.”

As Zheng Yang spoke, she licked her lips and swallowed again. *“Woof—woof!”*

The private room fell silent for a second, as if they hadn’t expected Zheng Yang to actually bark.

Then, a burst of ecstatic cheering erupted.

The two lackeys danced with joy.

“Holy crap! That was spot on! Truly spot on!”

With a flushed face, Zheng Yang pushed the 20,000 yuan in cash back.

She comforted herself: ‘When I worked at the company before, wasn’t I just a lapdog for all the various leaders? At home, wasn’t I just a lapdog for life itself? How much different is it now?’

Although Zheng Shiqiang was the calmest, he was also the most unsatisfied.

Zheng Yang could tell.

He asked, “How did you convince yourself?”

Zheng Yang lowered her head.

“That… is a secret.”

She couldn’t exactly tell him that she was actually a 38-year-old corporate slave who had been sucking up to bosses for nearly twenty years.

Zheng Shiqiang’s interest was piqued. He pushed the 20,000 yuan back again.

“Then, call me Father.”

Zheng Yang frowned deeply, feeling as though she had swallowed a ton of flies.

The word “Father” brought to mind her own white-haired father, a strict official who was incredibly stern and never offered a word of praise.

Even though her father never praised her, that was his exclusive title.

Calling this Mr. Zheng “Father” would be a betrayal of her own father!

She would always remember how much she looked down on those young men and women who called a certain billionaire “Father” in public.

She despised how an actress who played a great mother would be chased by fans calling her “Mother.”

As a former man, the thing she couldn’t stand most was this “fatherless and motherless” act of ultimate degradation…

And yet, now it was her turn.

Perhaps she could convince herself that she was being forced.

Perhaps she could tell herself she wasn’t saying it in public.

Or maybe she could say that this current female body simply had no father; her official father now belonged to the duplicate Zheng Yang.

Therefore, she could proceed without any moral baggage.

But she didn’t want to commit that betrayal, even if no one would ever know.

Zheng Shiqiang curled his lips, as if waiting patiently.

Zheng Yang looked at him with cold eyes and asked, “I want to know, how many more requests like this will there be?”

“This is the last one.”

Zheng Shiqiang’s expression was serious.

“You said you would help me resolve my Black Household status if I wore the collar. Now, Mr. Zheng, you have already broken your word twice. If there is a third time, I would rather suffer through this for nothing than count on you to help me.”

Mr. Zheng nodded.

“Say it.”

Zheng Yang took a deep breath, kept her head down, and finally whispered softly, “Father…”

“Raise your head and look at me when you say it,” Mr. Zheng commanded. “That shouldn’t count as an extra request, right?”

One last time.

Zheng Yang went all out, like the final sprint of an 800-meter race.

If there were another 100 meters, she truly wouldn’t be able to keep going.

She raised her face and looked Zheng Shiqiang straight in the eye. “Father!”

Zheng Shiqiang smiled.

Moreover, he seemed… gratified?

“Yangyang, you truly are different.”

“How am I different?”

“The conflicted look you had just now wasn’t like a young girl. It was like a man.”

*Thump!*

Zheng Yang felt her heart sink like it was weighted down by a lead stone.

‘Was I seen through? Just like that?’