Chapter 12

Voicing one’s feelings loudly only leads to being controlled by others.

“Ah—! Damn you, you bastard! Sela Wash, you wretched little bitch! You heartless woman who uses revenge for personal gain!”

No longer able to contain the anger and resentment in her heart, Evan Thorne shouted loudly into the empty office, venting all her dissatisfaction and frustration. As she shouted, she waved the rag in her hand furiously, as if it were Sela Wash’s face.

“I hope you’re not cursing me.”

A calm, yet slightly cold voice suddenly rang out not far away, instantly interrupting Evan Thorne’s outburst.

“Hoh!” Evan Thorne was startled by this sudden noise. The rag in her hands fell to the floor with a thud. She turned around quickly and saw Sela Wash leaning against the doorframe of the office. She appeared elegant and calm, as if she hadn’t heard anything at all.

Evan Thorn’s heart was pounding wildly. He panicked for a moment, but then he remembered that it was already after hours. Even though he was acting as his boss, he had no right to interfere with what she did or said after work!

She gathered her thoughts, tried to remain calm, and asked politely, “Minister Lin, it’s already after hours. Why haven’t you left yet?”

Sela Wash raised an eyebrow, her tone tinged with disdain. “Since I’m already off work, does it matter to you whether I leave or not? Is it your business?”

“Since it’s after hours, what I do or say shouldn’t really be your concern, right?” Evan Thorne’s tone became a bit sharper. Since he already heard everything, might as well go ahead and say whatever he wanted. At worst, Thorne would just give him some more trouble.

Sela Wash watched her pretend to be strong, yet actually be panicked. A teasing glint appeared in her eyes as she nodded. “Hmm, it’s okay.”

He really wanted to see what tricks this stupid woman would come up with. After all, he had plenty of time. He could spend it playing with her, killing time, and even getting revenge on that hotpot restaurant at the same time. Why not?

Upon hearing his reply, Evan Thorn’s eyes lit up instantly, and a bright smile appeared on his face. He quickly confirmed, “You’re really okay with it? No matter what I do, you won’t mind?”

“What? Do you want to do something outrageous again?” Sela Wash retorted, her tone slightly provocative. “Or do you want me to keep an eye on you all the time?”

“No, no!” Evan Thorn quickly waved his hands, wearing a flattering smile. “I was just checking, that’s all.”

She bent down to pick up the rag on the floor, tossed it aside, then went to the corner, picked up the broom, and pretended to be very disappointed. She sighed, “Ah, what should I do? I just realized that the office floor is really dirty. I’d better sweep it first. Otherwise, when you check it tomorrow, you’ll complain that I didn’t clean properly again.”

As she spoke, she took out a mask from her pocket and put it on. She walked up to Sela Wash and flashed him a “gentle” smile, her tone innocent: “Minister Lin, I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.”

Before Sela Wash could react, Evan Thorn grabbed a broom and began frantically sweeping the floor beside him. He swept all the dust and paper scraps in Sela Wash’s direction.

“Cough, cough, cough!” Sela Wash was caught off guard. She inhaled some dust and began to cough violently. She quickly stepped back, her usual calm expression disappearing in favor of one of utter embarrassment.

Through the dust-filled room, he watched Evan Thorn’s smile, which couldn’t be concealed. There was a hint of helplessness in his eyes, along with a barely noticeable trace of indulgence. To be honest, he had intended to be angry. But seeing her smug, secretly delighted expression, he simply couldn’t bring himself to take it seriously anymore.

But then again, if he just let her go like that, it would be too easy on her. At least, he needed to scare her a bit, to make her understand that he wasn’t someone to be messed with.

Sela Wash gathered her thoughts, suppressed her cough, and stepped forward toward Evan Thorne. She snatched the broom from her hands, fiddled with it casually, and glared at her coldly. “I mean, during off-hours, I’m not your temporary boss to give you orders.”

He paused for a moment, a sly smile in his voice: “But I didn’t say that I wouldn’t bother with you as an interfering stranger. Now, in my capacity as someone who likes to meddle in others’ affairs, I’m here to give you trouble.”

Evan Thorn’s smile froze instantly. His heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling.

Sela Wash watched her flustered expression and felt considerably better. She continued, “I guess your workload is going to increase even more. Out of a sense of ‘public morality’, I’ll send a complaint letter to your supervisor. I’ll accuse you of being careless in your work, causing trouble in the office after hours, and ruining the company’s atmosphere.”

He glanced at Evan Thorn, whose face showed clear dissatisfaction, yet who didn’t dare to say anything. His tone grew even more smug: “I’m sure your boss is a fair and honest person who handles things in a professional manner. With an irresponsible employee like you, he’ll definitely ‘train’ you properly, won’t he?”

“You!” Evan Thorn trembled with rage, pointing at Sela Wash, but unable to say a word.

Isn’t his boss himself? All this talk about being honest and handling things professionally is nothing but self-praise! And filing complaints against her on purpose is nothing but petty revenge!

“Haha, sorry, I need to go now.” Sela Wash threw the broom back on the floor, put her hands in her pockets, and walked happily toward the door. Before leaving, she turned around and waved at Evan Thorn. “Go ahead and continue cleaning slowly. I’m sure your boss will carefully check the results of your work tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work!”

Watching Sela Wash walk away with such nonchalance, Rowey Reeves was so angry that she stamped her foot. She picked up the rag on the floor and started scrubbing the table frantically, while muttering to herself in frustration: “May you be cursed with circles forever! Sela Wash, you wretched bitch! You step on poop when you go outside, don’t have any toilet paper when you need it, end up drinking formula instead of milk! You’ll never find a girlfriend in your life!”

Meanwhile, Sela Wash’s sports car slowly made its way back to the Lin family’s villa. The sound of the car’s engine grew louder as it approached. Even before it reached the gate, the car started honking its horn, in a rather ostentatious manner.

Lin Kun, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room reading a newspaper, put down the newspaper and called out in the direction of the kitchen, “Hey, you there! Where did you put my erhu? Please find it for me right away!”

Mom Lin, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen, heard her husband’s voice. A helpless yet affectionate smile appeared on her lips. She poked her head out and said with a laugh, “Old man, you’re quite old now. Why do you still argue with your son every day? Is it really necessary?”

Speaking of which, Lin’s mother had originally wanted to have more children. But when giving birth to Sela Wash, she suffered a great deal of pain. She was in labor for almost two days. It was only because Lin Kun insisted on a cesarean section that both she and the baby were able to be safe and sound.

Lin Kun stayed outside the delivery room the entire time. Watching his wife in pain, he felt extremely heartbroken. From then on, he firmly refused to let Lin’s mother have a second child, even though Lin’s mother said she had no objections. Lin’s mother knew that her husband was just trying to protect her, so she didn’t say anything further.

Since he was young, Sela Wash was constantly “tormented” by Lin Kun. Every day, Lin Kun would keep telling him how hard his mother had worked to give birth to him. On one hand, he urged Sela to be filial to his mother. On the other hand, he trained him strictly in every aspect of life, whether it was academics or daily behavior. Lin Kun had extremely high expectations of him.

Sela Wash would of course resist, but Lin Kun held his “weak point” in his hands—a erhu.

Speaking of this erhu, Sela Wash feels full of regret. When he was a child, the Lin family wasn’t yet wealthy. He had a sister who loved playing the erhu. Every morning and evening, she would play the instrument. At first, he thought it was fun. But later, he discovered that his sister had a special trick: she would play the erhu while crying and muttering to herself.

It wasn’t that his sister cried every time she played the erhu. Instead, when she was unhappy or unwilling to obey, she would go to the balcony, play the erhu while crying, and mutter nonsense that no one could understand. Sela Wash spent his entire childhood surrounded by the sound of the erhu and his sister’s crying. To this day, whenever he hears the sound of an erhu, he gets goosebumps all over his body, feels itchy, and has no strength to resist at all.

Lin Kun knew very well this “weak point” of his son. Every time Sela Wash behaved badly or was mischievous, he never scolded her. Instead, he would take out his erhu and play music in front of her. Even if Sela Wash ran to the bathroom, he would bring a stool and sit outside the bathroom door, continuing to play until Sela Wash finally gave in.

Every time he was “tormented” by the erhu, Sela Wash couldn’t help but exclaim: How could he have such an amazing father? This time, again, Sela Wash didn’t listen. Lin Kun had no choice but to bring out his “secret weapon” once more, waiting for his son to come back and admit his mistake.

What Kolinkun didn’t know was that his beloved son was currently in the car, with a smug smile on his face, reliving the pleasure of bullying Evan Thorn just moments earlier. He had no idea that a “difficult battle” awaited him back home. Meanwhile, Evan Thorn also had no idea that the “war” between her and Sela Wash had only just begun.