As the sun rises, Ding Manman wakes up and sits up from the bench, but finds that she seems to have an attack of a recurrent sickness while coughing incessantly. “It never rains, but it pours.” She has had everything but the locusts.
After walking back to An’s house, Ding Manman finds that An whose phone goes dead hasn’t returned home yet. Ding Manman has no choice but to drag her sick body in yesterday’s old clothes to the company.
As soon as she enters the office, she feels everyone is talking about her and whispering behind her back in an unfriendly manner. Considering that she has done nothing wrong before, she peacefully sits down to start working.
At this time, a straightforward female colleague cannot restrain herself any more and scoffs, “Whoops! Being abandoned by your rich backer? You must have failed to satisfy him so he even didn’t buy outfits for you. Ding Manman, you’re totally a looser.”
Hearing this, Ding Manman raises her head, staring at this colleague in puzzlement, asking, “What are you talking about? A rich backer?”
“Hum, Ding Manman, you’re still pretending to be noble and pure. Now the whole company has known you’ve been a mistress of a wealthy married man. Why are you still keeping on disguising. You are so disgusting!”
Ding Manman, so devastated, defends weakly, “No, it wasn’t me! Why you guys didn’t believe me?”
Another colleague steps forward and says defiantly, “Believe you? Why should we believe you? There existed some rumors about you long before you joined the company, though no evidence is provided.”
“I thought you guys were dissatisfied with me and indifferent to me because I got the offer suddenly. However, I never thought it resulted from this kind of reason. Otherwise, I would have explained to you!” Ding Manman says with a blush.
Hardly has her voice faded away when her colleagues burst into laughter. The first defiant female colleague speaks, “All right, Ding Manman, stop pretending. Why not explain to us how you are qualified to join this department with no work experience or qualifications?”
Other colleagues echo: “That’s right, Ding Manman, why not tell us how you got the offer. Although our company is not big, not all ‘dogs’ and ‘cats’ have chances to come in here. Do you agree, my colleagues?”
The others agree to say yes one after another, which really upsets Ding who didn’t want to beg misunderstood by her colleagues.
Ding Manman stands up and falls into deep thinking for a long, long time. When her colleagues start to wonder if time is frozen, Ding Manman says, “There is no rich backer, really. I got this job just because of my best friend who recommended me, and she is the pretty girl who brought me here on the first day at work.”
Some of the colleagues still remember the girl who was dressed in a rich and noble outfit did have the ability to introduce a job for Ding Manman, thus they begin to ponder whether or not they have misunderstood Ding and done something wrong. After all, nobody got close to Ding Manman. It seems to be somewhat unfair to condemn Ding Manman just because of some gossips.
Noticing the colleagues faltered and got flurried, those who were bribed by An Ya feel alarmed, fearing that they will screw up An’s plan, which will bring them more trouble than benefit.
In a rush, a bribed man says, “How can you prove that the girl is your friend? I’ve never seen your so-called friend pick you up to work. You’re making up stories, are you? Maybe she is the daughter of your rich backer?”
His words inspire imagination of her colleagues, after which someone starts whispering that the shameless Ding destroys someone’s family as a mistress; some say that the so-called friend who is so pitiful has to find a job for her father’s mistress. Of course, nobody knows the girls’ name is An Ya.
Noticing the easily reversed situation, Ding Manman feels so nervous, not knowing what else to say or how to make colleagues believe her.
At that moment, a robust woman appears in the office and bellows, “Who is Ding Manman? Come forward quickly.”
Everyone feels confused about what happened, except for those bribed colleagues who guess it is An ya who has specifically dispatched the woman to embarrass Ding. They push Ding Manman in front of the angry woman.
“You’re Ding Manman?” The robust woman questions aggressively.
Ding Manman, who gets so frightened, nods subconsciously.
“That explains. You really have the potentials to be a mistress with your appearance.” The woman sneers.
Ding Manman feels so scared, but still tries to nerve herself to speak, “Is there enmity between us?”
“Enmity? No! the most loathsome thing of all is to see a mistress, so I’m here to teach you a lesson!” The robust woman slaps Ding as soon as her words are blurted out.
A colleague feels this aggressive woman is familiar and she remembers that half a year ago her husband abandoned her for a mistress. Her husband transferred all the family assets away and divorced her. Since then, she teaches every woman a lesson in the company who is accused as a mistress.
As the aggressive woman intends to slap Ding again, the project manager comes out and says, “Don’t do it, try to solve the problem with words rather than force.”
Hearing these words, the woman doesn’t want the manager to lose face, so she gives Ding a ferocious stare and leaves.
Although Ding Manman dislikes the project manager with his previous words, she feels it polite to say thanks to him considering he is the only one who helped her just now.
Before her words are finished, she hears what the project manager is saying. “Oh, that is like! You are the mistress of a wealthy married boss. Why are you pretending to be pure and lofty? You seduced me after the colleagues left last night and I was such a fool as to be tempered and had sex with you. You should provide me some money to have a medical check-up for I fear being infected by some venereal disease diseases!”
The project manager’s words are like a rolling thunder from the clear sky, which makes everyone start murmuring once again.
Ding Manman blushes and defends for herself, “I didn’t, it was obviously you who molested me yesterday while I was drunk, and nothing happened in the end. Bullshit! How can you denigrate and insult me?”
“Bullshit? Why do I have to bullshit you? and I take the initiative to molest you? No one denies that my wife is pretty gorgeous, and you are not able to compete with a piece of her hair. Why do I abandon my wife to make love with you?”
The sarcastic remarks and insults from the colleagues and the project manager are so overwhelming that they make Ding Manman want to run away. Whereas, her intention to escape is discovered by others.