What keeps you from sleeping
Is another kind of force
Now trapped in the prison of your body
Do you remember
You were once the free wind—
Qin Can glanced at the bookstore window. Every day after coming up from the basement garage, he would take the dedicated escalator to the company’s private entrance on the first floor to clock in. Between the garage and the first floor, he would pass by a supermarket with a Sisyphe Bookstore next to it. In the red arched window display, various books were arranged at different heights, and one of them had these lines written on it.
As always, Qin Can stopped in front of this book. Through the window, he once again contemplated whether to go in and buy it, but as usual, he walked away. He wanted to know what kind of story lay behind such words, and what kind of person these words were meant to describe. But each time he resisted the urge to explore, perhaps afraid that the person behind it might be too similar to himself.
Every day he would buy a coffee on the first floor before going upstairs, but since the department got an administrative assistant, this task had been delegated to her. Qin Can swipe his card, frowning as he thought: It had been over six months, and unexpectedly, that administrative assistant had passed her probation period without him having a chance to find an excuse to dismiss her.
Qin Can admit that this administrative assistant, when not taking leave, completed her work quite well – at least he couldn’t find major faults. However, thinking about her work attitude made him as irritated as if he’d swallowed a handful of dog hair.
She left earlier than others, though she did arrive earlier. But she left exactly on time, never working overtime! She took leave every month, claiming her child was sick! She never attended team-building activities on holidays, saying she had family matters! Most importantly, this person was pushed in by Luo Yating! According to his opinion, he didn’t need some useless assistant taking up the headcount! He needed staff, working staff, not someone to serve people!
It must be that old woman Luo Yating who couldn’t stand seeing him doing well and deliberately pushed in someone useless!
The elevator doors opened, and Qin Can walked into the office with a belly full of anger. He grabbed the perfectly cooled coffee from his desk and took a large gulp, thinking viciously, “Luo Yating, if you’re trying to force me out, dream on! This isn’t a place where you can just send whoever you want.”
Opening his laptop, he habitually reached out and found his draft notebook and three markers already placed beside his hand. Besides coffee, room-temperature water was also kept in a thermos. Qin Can, completely unaware, immediately buried himself in work!
However, at that moment, he discovered that the laptop that should have been on was still black!
It had remained black all this time!
Ning Yue had achieved her wish of entering a large company, enjoying the benefits of a formal employee including social insurance, a housing fund, and various perks. The salary wasn’t high, and her hours were arranged according to Hu Ziyuan’s school schedule, with no need for overtime, and no one would ask her to work overtime. One could say this job completely met Ning Yue’s requirements, leaving her nothing to complain about!
Occasionally, Ning Yue would wonder about Tian Qiuzi’s current feelings. Helping her lover’s wife find work – was it a satisfying feeling of superiority, or anger at being used? Ning Yue had heard that mistresses’ mindsets differ from legally married wives. After marriage, everything received feels “deserved,” while mistresses experience a kind of “extra income” joy. So, regarding giving, do mistresses also feel they haven’t lost much? Ning Yue had never been a mistress, so she couldn’t judge. She could only sense from Tian Qiuzi’s text messages that the other party seemed quite pleased. What could be more delightful than currying favor with your lover while proving your rival’s incompetence? However, as someone who understood Hu Cheng well, Ning Yue vaguely felt that Tian Qiuzi’s actions might not necessarily make Hu Cheng “appreciate” her.
Walking into this building, she felt an urge to laugh. In her youth, through her efforts, she had countless times walked in and out of such grand entrances. Now, at just forty, she had to coerce her husband and rely on his mistress’s influence to enter through the back door. A woman’s work value depreciated so quickly!
Every day, she had to walk into a building that many envied, then take out her work card at the entrance, gently swipe it with a “beep,” and squeeze through the narrow passage with elegance and pride.
Then, as if suddenly removing a mask, she would abruptly accelerate, rushing or squeezing into an elevator packed like sardines, intently watching the numbers above change to her floor, expressionlessly pushing through bodies wrapped in deep blue and gray fabric, entering an office area decorated with glass and gray. The feeling was like suddenly crawling out of an overwhelming pile of fabric only to fall into a huge glass display tank. At such moments, she would unconsciously lick her lips and smooth her hair, ensuring she wouldn’t be criticized for looking unprofessional due to a slightly disheveled appearance while passing through the short but spotlight-filled work area.
Although she had been working for almost a year, Ning Yue still felt inexplicably nervous. Hu Ziyuan was about to start elementary school, not so clingy anymore, but those little eyes had become more perceptive.
Hu Cheng had become even more distant since then; apart from regular credit card payment reminder texts to her phone, they had almost no communication. How long could this life continue? How long could she hide it from their child? Where was her hope?
Her department wasn’t the legal department of the group headquarters, but rather the legal department of a subsidiary company. The department had only three people, plus her and the big boss, making five in total. However, they weren’t on the same floor as the subsidiary company’s general manager’s office. Lawyer Zhong said, “Just from the office arrangement, you can tell that we legal staff are just here to stamp documents.”
But clearly, the boss didn’t think so.
Ning Yue’s superior, Qin Can, was a 33-year-old male legal elite, never hiding his burning ambition, and his professional capabilities were outstanding. Recently, he had seized upon inappropriate wording in a competitor’s advertisement, filed a direct lawsuit, and obtained a court order requiring the competitor to modify their ad copy. Although it didn’t earn much money for the company, it greatly affected the competitor’s advertising investment and effectiveness. Moreover, this incident indirectly enhanced the company’s influence.
Strangely, such a capable person was willing to stay in a company rather than seek broader development opportunities in a law firm, leading to endless speculation.
With such a boss, the department’s work atmosphere was predictable. When Ning Yue first arrived, she immediately felt out of place. Sometimes, she wondered if others who disliked Qin Can have deliberately pushed her, someone with “connections,” in to irritate him.
But her connections—better left unmentioned!
Ning Yue had privately inquired and discovered she had some history with this big boss. Years ago at a class reunion, a successful classmate who had been promoted to partner brought along a young assistant named Qin Can to help carry bags, saying they had to catch a flight later.
No one paid much attention then, eating and drinking as usual. The young assistant, fresh out of school, sat awkwardly in the corner. Ning Yue invited him to join them, but the young assistant repeatedly declined with a red face, eventually choosing to wait in the outer hall. It was dinner time, and the young man certainly hadn’t eaten, with a flight to catch later. Empathizing, Ning Yue quietly took some money and ordered a separate dinner for the young assistant. After the gathering, the classmate left for the airport with his assistant, and there was no further contact after that.
Through twists and turns, the young assistant who once sat in the corner now stood in the spotlight, while she…
Ning Yue didn’t want to complain about anything. She had walked her path, and regret was the most useless thing. If you’re strong, I’ll applaud you. If you’re weak, I won’t bully you. I’ll walk my path, not comparing myself to anyone.
Ning Yue quickly found her desk, started her computer, and began cleaning. Not just her own space, but also her boss Qin Can’s. Although the cleaning lady would take care of the hygiene, she still needed to prepare today’s possible work reminders with labels and arrange them on the desk. Ensuring that when Qin Can wanted a pen, it would be right at hand, when the computer ran out of power, the nearest outlet wouldn’t be occupied, when he was thirsty… Ning Yue checked her watch, nine forty-five, the coffee shop downstairs opened to the public at ten, but to accommodate the building’s internal employees, it opened fifteen minutes earlier. Ning Yue rushed back into the elevator, this time against the flow of people, the elevator almost empty. She didn’t even raise her eyelids, standing straight with hands folded in front, adjusting her expression to its most gentle state while facing the mirror-like elevator doors. She knew there were cameras in the diagonal upper and back positions. Although almost no one watched the surveillance recordings, each record was kept for seven working days. As a member of the legal department, she had an inexplicable aversion and alertness to such surveillance things.
At nine fifty-six, holding the boss’s coffee with sugar, milk, and chocolate added until it barely smelled like coffee anymore, Ning Yue turned around and saw He Kuan.
For half a year, she had seen him almost every working day at around nine fifty-six.
At one meter seventy-eight tall, with slightly hunched shoulders but still maintaining an upright waist, a clean face, exceptionally lively eyes, and perpetually slightly upturned lips exuding hidden ambition. Such eyes attracted Ning Yue—they were exactly like Hu Cheng’s when he was young. Seeing Ning Yue, Kuan nodded with his usual smile. Ning Yue paused, finally smiling and nodding back. Then they passed each other.
He Kuan watched Ning Yue leave, smiling and shaking his head: Should buy a lottery ticket today, the ice queen finally nodded! Though this way, it seemed to lose some of its intrigue.
He Kuan ordered his drink and headed toward the elevator. His department was on the fourteenth floor of this building, and just from the floor number, you could tell it was the most boring department, mainly responsible for the company’s information network. Such departments had various fancy names, but although it was officially called the Information Management Department, they all casually called it “Network Management.”
Just as He Kuan finished his coffee, still wondering which department’s assistant that “lady” he often encountered was from, in Ning Yue’s office area, Qin Can’s roar rang out: “Ning Yue, come here!”
He Kuan certainly couldn’t hear the roar, but he could hear the ring—the telephone ring.
The repair request phone placed at the entrance was screaming desperately. He Kuan looked left and right; his colleagues were all present but busy. He Kuan was used to this, opened his drawer, took out his headphones, and put them on.
The phone rang until it died, but no one moved. That was the dedicated repair line; those in the know all had good relationships with network management’s phones, and only newcomers would think of checking the internal directory to find the computer repair number.
Although network management wasn’t high-ranking, if relationships weren’t maintained well, they could always find ways to make things difficult when needed. Despite their low floor, they didn’t skimp on putting on airs.
A message flashed across WeChat, sent by He Kuan’s colleague Ma Dou: “Where’s the boss?”
With the manager absent, He Kuan usually handled such calls. He Kuan replied with a shrugging emoji, not taking the matter seriously. Ten minutes later, the manager, having finished the morning meeting, entered listlessly and dove into his workstation nestled in a corner surrounded by green plants, putting on his headphones.
He Kuan, Ma Dou, and Liang Long were already waiting online. They had agreed today that as soon as the manager came online, they would tackle the Ghost Realm Forbidden Zone. Yesterday they’d played all night and only cleared three levels. The manager said today they must reduce the clearance time to under half an hour, otherwise, they wouldn’t get the application rights to breed Akhal-Teke horses.
He Kuan had long passed the phase of being obsessed with such things and hadn’t joined last night’s team. But he was skilled, and the manager had texted him at dawn, insisting he join the team today. With rank comes power, so He Kuan could only put his matters aside and gear up for battle.
As for that repair request call, what was that compared to an Akhal-Teke horse?
Ning Yue put down the phone and looked around at her colleagues uncertainly. Everyone was busy with their work, with no one looking in her direction.
Since Qin Can’s outburst, her colleagues have treated her as if she were dead. Early this morning, for some reason, Qin Can’s computer wouldn’t start! Qin Can didn’t even bother calling, just shouted for Ning Yue from his office.
Ning Yue had heard some of Qin Can’s “dark” history. Computers were one of his weak points.
Years ago, when Qin Can’s hard drive first failed, he stormed into the HR department with his computer and berated a forty-something administrative manager responsible for computer equipment for an entire morning. According to witnesses, the entire tirade didn’t include a single vulgar word, but referenced classical texts and spanned Eastern and Western philosophy, leaving the target without a chance to interject! After he finished and left, the person who’d been scolded said, “My goodness, it was like attending a lecture!”
After that incident, Qin Can’s computer was configured according to senior executive standards—no, the entire legal department’s computer configurations were upgraded to two levels. After being scolded, that manager became convinced that providing lawyers with unsuitable computers might constitute a crime. He didn’t understand what crime exactly, but being close to retirement, he didn’t want to risk it. So, without hesitation, Ning Yue grabbed Qin Can’s computer and rushed out, found Information Management’s number, and called! Qin Can’s shout followed her from the office: “Get it fixed before one o’clock, or don’t bother staying in this department!”
After the third busy signal, Ning Yue stood up, hugging Qin Can’s computer, and rushed into the elevator. Pressing the fourteenth-floor button, she had already decided that if everyone was truly too busy to help, she would cry if necessary to get them to do this job first! Today her mother-in-law was out mountain climbing, and her son’s kindergarten class let out at four-thirty—she didn’t want Hu Ziyuan waiting until sunset!
If all else failed, she’d just smash this damn computer and quit! By the time she pushed open the Information Department’s door, Ning Yue had prepared for the worst.
The inside was completely quiet.
Bai Ke wore headphones, intently watching his screen. Ning Yue glanced at the screen, thought for a moment, walked behind Bai Ke, took out her phone, and snapped several photos. Then she removed Bai Ke’s headphones and said to his angry face, “Manager Bai, this computer is broken, please fix it.”
“No time!” Bai Ke pushed her away disgustedly, about to put his headphones back on, but Ning Yue stopped him.
Ning Yue put on a smile, leaned toward Bai Ke, and said as gently as possible, “Manager Bai, this is Legal Department Director Qin Can’s computer. It seems the hard drive is broken, but we’re not sure. There are many important files inside, and Director Qin is urgent.”
“He’s urgent? I’m urgent too!” Bai Ke didn’t even look at Ning Yue, staring fixedly at the flashing lights and characters on the screen. Ning Yue saw a flash of blades that didn’t hit anything, while monster-like creatures surrounded them from all directions.
“Health bar’s almost empty.”
Ning Yue occasionally played these things, not very skilled, but could understand.
“Obviously!” Bai Ke forgot about his headphones and grabbed his mouse to fight. With a yank, the mouse came unplugged. “What are you doing!”
Ning Yue had unplugged the mouse while speaking.
“Fix the computer!” Ning Yue wasn’t polite either, placing the computer directly on Bai Ke’s desk.
“No time!”
The screen flashed a golden “FAILURE,” and Bai Ke’s face reddened as he picked up his teacup and headed out. Ning Yue thrust out her chest, blocking the less-than-one-meter-wide exit from the workstation.
“You think I won’t run into you!”
“If you touch a single hair on my head, I’ll report you for sexual harassment! Back off!”
Bai Ke’s lips trembled, and he finally looked at Ning Yue’s work badge, where “Legal Department” was visible.
Bai Ke sat down angrily, glanced at Qin Can’s computer, and said, “This is an old computer, due for replacement. We don’t fix it!”
“If it needs replacement, why wasn’t there advance notice?”
“How would I know about that? Isn’t that your administrative secretaries’ job?” Bai Ke glanced sideways at Ning Yue triumphantly.
Ning Yue smiled and softened her tone: “Let’s not talk about useless things. Today, you must fix it, and it must be fixed before one o’clock.” She looked at her watch—it was already ten-thirty. “I just happened to take photos of you playing games. I heard the group is handling several labor arbitration cases for dismissed employees these days, causing quite a stir with banners and sit-ins, even catching the chairman’s attention. If word got out that someone like you could remain as manager while playing games at work, those dismissed employees might have something to say. If higher-ups inquire, such unfavorable evidence would be troublesome to handle!”
“If you dare spread this, you won’t get away with it!” Bai Ke’s face turned bright red.
Ning Yue immediately became serious, “Indeed! I’m from Legal, I should protect the company’s interests. Director Qin is also involved in handling that labor arbitration, how could such things leak out? Do you have evidence that I spread it? You wouldn’t leak it either. But what I have, others might obtain from elsewhere. Even a rumor would be bad. I should remind Director Qin to be careful, to avoid being outmaneuvered at the arbitration tribunal, don’t you agree?”
Seeing Bai Ke’s face and neck reddening, Ning Yue continued smiling: “No matter how good the game is, reality is more cruel. Brother, finish the work first, then you can buy equipment with your earnings.” As if that wasn’t enough, she added, “I saw when you died earlier, didn’t your equipment get dropped?”
Bai Ke almost wanted to punch that face.
As the two stood in tense confrontation, someone suddenly intervened: “Manager Bai, I just got back from the Major Clients Department, their computers are fixed.”
Bai Ke saw it was He Kuan and started formally reporting work while wiping his hands. Bai Ke was stunned—wasn’t He Kuan supposed to be teaming up with him for the Hell Forbidden Zone?
“You guys got wiped too?” Bai Ke was truly obsessed.
He Kuan rarely felt embarrassed but maintained his serious demeanor: “Ah, not exactly wiped. Just their lines were old and burned out the power supply.”
Bai Ke suddenly understood and repeatedly said “Good.” To Ning Yue, he said: “He Kuan specializes in hardware maintenance, go find him.”
Ning Yue looked suspiciously at He Kuan, then at the gaming-addicted middle-aged uncle that was Bai Ke, and finally nodded: “Thank you then.”
When leaving, Bai Ke didn’t even ask for the photos back. Ning Yue doubted whether her strategy had worked as she’d planned.
This question was answered while He Kuan accompanied her to get replacement parts: “It’s useless. His wife’s aunt is Director Chen’s cousin. Other departments have complained too, but nothing comes of it.”
Watching He Kuan repair the computer, Ning Yue felt chills down her spine. She had been too careless—if He Kuan hadn’t intervened, she likely would have been the one embarrassed in a confrontation.
Being away from work for so long had made her less prudent.
Opening the computer, the thick dust made He Kuan wonder if it had been taken to the desert. Ning Yue suddenly remembered—a few days ago she’d overheard that Qin Can had gone on a desert hiking vacation last month!
This guy took his computer hiking!
“That’s crazy!” He Kuan said enviously, “No wonder everyone says Attorney Qin is wasting his talents staying at the company!”
Ning Yue smiled without responding. Being a lawyer was essentially being a blue-collar worker among white-collar workers, and a manual laborer among intellectual workers. Once, for a letter of credit case, she had sailed for seven days on a cargo ship with a key witness, one hand holding a vomit bag, the other on her computer. When they docked, she had compiled all the files and materials required by the senior lawyer and incidentally persuaded the previously resistant witness to take the stand.
Easy money wasn’t something any lawyer could achieve, regardless of their status.
Chatting as they worked, they quickly cleaned the computer. When finishing up, they exchanged phone numbers and WeChat contacts.
“Next time call my number directly, the company’s repair line doesn’t work,” He Kuan said good-naturedly.
Ning Yue nodded, looking down at the phone number in her phone, feeling a sense of belonging here for the first time.
Seeing He Kuan to the elevator, he suddenly said, “I can help you queue for coffee in the future, get it earlier so you don’t have to rush.” Ning Yue was stunned, but the elevator doors had already closed.
The computer was handed to Qin Can at exactly one o’clock. After checking it, he said irritably, “I told you to deliver it at one, so you deliver it at exactly one?” He wanted to say next time he’d make it twelve-thirty, but suddenly remembered how maddening the computer crash was and that there shouldn’t be a next time, so Qin Can stop himself, though his expression remained somewhat resentful.
Ning Yue remembered the layer of dust inside the computer and looked at Qin Can now like seeing her former self, so she didn’t mind his provocative words. Instead, with a smile like comforting a child, she said, “Based on the previous crash precedent, your deadline should have been the end of the day. One o’clock is already early.”
Qin Can was speechless, turned to look at the contents of his computer, and said stiffly, “Go get me a hard drive! A portable one!”
Ning Yue nodded and left. The portable hard drive was obviously for backup. When she gave it to Qin Can, she also placed his afternoon coffee on the desk.
“Thanks!”
Qin Can still wear an expression as if someone owed him a hundred million, but his words were no longer hurtful. Ning Yue felt relieved.
Walking out, colleague Zhong Tianming poked his head up from his workstation, using his eyes to inquire about the situation in Qin Can’s office. Ning Yue smiled and gave an “OK” hand sign. Zhong Tianming jumped up, stretched, and called out, “I’m going!” Then, hugging a folder, he nodded to Ning Yue and knocked on Qin Can’s office door.
Ning Yue knew it was about a subsidiary company’s bankruptcy application, which was tricky because it involved local government debt issues. She habitually thought about how she would handle it if it were her case. It wasn’t until the end of the day that she suddenly realized this was no longer something she should be concerned with. But looking down, she found she had already drawn a complete mind map in her notebook. Her computer desktop was filled with retrieved files, and she had unconsciously opened but still familiar legal research websites, blinking away…
She couldn’t help but freeze in place.
“Well done!”
Ning Yue was startled. Zhong Tianming leaned over his cubicle partition, nodding and saying, “I needed these files.” He pointed at them, “And I think the Supreme Court issued an interpretation about two years ago, but I can’t find it. Could you help locate it and send it to me too?”
Ning Yue took a deep breath, efficiently organized the documents into folders, and sent them to Zhong Tianming. She smiled and said, “Here are these first, but I can’t help you find the Supreme Court one.”
“Why not?” Zhong Tianming looked confused.
Ning Yue pointed at the clock on the desk, “I’m off work. Besides, this isn’t within my job scope.”
She packed up her things and hurriedly left the office. Somewhere in this city, a little person was waiting for her, and reuniting with this little one was far more important than finding any Supreme Court interpretation!
All passionate love, stripped of its layers of decoration and imagination, ultimately comes down to the bitterness and sweet of daily life. Marriage to Hu Cheng had long taught Ning Yue about reality, but facing children, there was still excitement in seeing them after a day apart. However, after the brief intimacy, Hu Ziyuan’s subsequent typhoon-like behavior and selective hearing made Ning Yue wonder: how did I end up devoting so much to such a troublemaker?
Finally catching Hu Ziyuan who was running wild in kindergarten, coaxing him endlessly to put on his clothes properly, they walked out the gate. With Mother-in-law absent and no one to cook at home, considering the child’s early bedtime and that eating too late could cause indigestion, she took Hu Ziyuan to choose a restaurant outside. Hu Ziyuan insisted on McDonald’s. After lengthy negotiations, they compromised on Subway.
The chosen Subway was very close to the kindergarten, with a street-facing window. Halloween was approaching, with pumpkins and monster face decorations along the window edges. Mother and son sat by the window, eating slowly.
Hu Ziyuan suddenly said, “Niu Niu is leaving.”
Ning Yue asked why absent-mindedly.
Hu Ziyuan said, “Her parents are getting divorced, so she can’t go to kindergarten anymore. Mom, what is divorce?”
Ning Yue looked at Hu Ziyuan and said calmly, “Divorce? It’s when mom and dad don’t stay together anymore.”
“Why can’t they stay together?”
“Because they don’t love each other anymore.”
Hu Ziyuan’s expression darkened, his little face frowning. Ning Yue said, “Divorce is between mom and dad, whether they separate or not, both parents will still love their baby.”
Hu Ziyuan nodded, his expression brightening. Young children are like blank paper, always believing adults’ words without doubt.
Just as Ning Yue breathed a sigh of relief, Hu Ziyuan suddenly stood up excitedly, waving at the window and shouting, “Niu Niu! Here, we’re eating!”
Ning Yue turned to look, and indeed it was Niu Niu and her mother. Ning Yue also gestured for them to come join them. Niu Niu’s mother hesitated, then grabbed Niu Niu’s hand and walked in the opposite direction. Niu Niu’s body twisted in the evening twilight, but that tiny force couldn’t shake an adult’s determination.
Ning Yue felt this was a bit excessive and was about to dial Niu Niu’s mother’s number when she saw her suddenly raise her hand and strike Niu Niu’s back hard. The slap came suddenly, the location chosen carelessly. Niu Niu threw her head back crying loudly, Hu Ziyuan suddenly froze and stopped waving, and Ning Yue slowly put away her phone, watching the mother and daughter disappear into the crowd.
In that direction was the bus stop. Niu Niu’s mother used to pick up her child in a white Lexus.
Back home, while Hu Ziyuan played with his grandfather, Ning Yue browsed through the mothers’ WeChat group and discovered everyone was discussing Niu Niu’s family situation.
Niu Niu’s father had an affair, and her mother angrily filed for divorce. Niu Niu’s father disagreed and tried various delays, but her mother cut through the mess decisively, returning to her parents’ home with nothing but her child.
Niu Niu’s father was a mid-level technical manager at a foreign company, and their combined family income provided Niu Niu with relatively good schooling and a comfortable life. Now with the divorce, her mother’s income alone clearly couldn’t maintain Niu Niu’s current educational and living standards.
Niu Niu’s maternal grandmother was a middle school teacher, and her grandfather was a retired civil servant. With Niu Niu’s mother being their only daughter, the three adults’ combined income could support Niu Niu without much difficulty. But the elderly were aging, and if they needed medical care, it wouldn’t be a small expense. How could Niu Niu’s mother feel right using her parents’ retirement money?
Ning Yue felt her hands and feet grow cold. Not because of the similar circumstances, but because the following comments were all praising Niu Niu’s mother for being decisive, ambitious, and living freely. Looking at the screen full of proud words about female liberation and self-respect, Ning Yue remembered that slap and Niu Niu’s withdrawal from school, and felt utterly dejected, unable to type a single word in agreement!
At home, she helped Hu Ziyuan complete his kindergarten homework while playing. The teacher had sent home a large folder containing his writings and drawings from the past two weeks. Hu Ziyuan hugged the folder and went to show it off to his grandfather. Grandfather squinted at it briefly before dragging Hu Ziyuan off to watch a variety show. Ning Yue wanted to stop them, but her tired body begged for a break.
“Just let him watch for a while, ten minutes, no, five minutes,” Ning Yue told herself, as her body collapsed spread-eagle on the bed. Her mouth moved automatically, her voice echoing through the house: “Hu Ziyuan, ten minutes, only ten minutes!”
Hu Ziyuan’s slightly childish voice replied with a simple “Oh.” Ning Yue worriedly thought, “He’s already this disobedient now, how will I talk to him when he hits puberty!” Her head throbbed.
“Better to be dead than suffer like this! The one you once loved betrayed you. The one you love now will leave you in the future! Why endure this? If you can’t let go, better to end it all!”
“Mom! Ten minutes are up!”
Hu Ziyuan charged in like a cannonball, landing heavily on Ning Yue.
With a startled cry, accompanied by her child’s carefree laughter, Ning Yue’s black-and-white world shattered into colors!
“Slow down! You nearly crushed me!” Ning Yue complained, but her arms held her son as she ruffled his hair, saying, “Would you be happy if Mom died?”
Hu Ziyuan said childishly, “Of course! Then no one would control me! I could watch TV as long as I wanted! You need to give me some freedom!”
Ning Yue froze, looking at her son’s round face, not knowing what to say.
Children are very perceptive. After just a pause, Hu Ziyuan actively hugged Ning Yue’s neck, burying his head in her chest and nuzzling, “Mom, you won’t die, right? You’ll live to be a hundred!”
Ning Yue’s eyes suddenly stung, and she forced back tears as she repeated, “Yes, Mom will live to be a hundred! As long as we exercise, we’ll live long and healthy lives!”
She then took her child’s small hand and went to the living room to practice jump rope.
The tears were swallowed back, her eyes dry again. Having help with childcare would be nice, but you get what you give. To earn the right to continue guiding her child until he could ride off on his own beyond her reach, she couldn’t give up now, nor could she be lazy!
That night, Hu Cheng came home. Hu Ziyuan was excited to see his long-absent father, loudly asking what gifts he’d brought back from his business trip. Hu Cheng looked suspiciously at Ning Yue, who said, “Weren’t you on a business trip to Hangzhou?” Hu Cheng nodded repeatedly, casually taking out a small company gift for Hu Ziyuan to play with.
After the child was asleep, Hu Cheng asked Ning Yue, “I heard you made quite a scene at the company today?”
Ning Yue asked in surprise, “What scene?”
Hu Cheng examined her, “You threatened Director Chen’s relative?”
Ning Yue frowned, “What relative of Director Chen? Who?”
She remembered He Kuan’s words. Instinctively, she didn’t want to tell Hu Cheng about her work colleagues. She also felt aversion and wariness about Hu Cheng knowing her company activities through other channels. Hu Cheng said nothing, just carefully scrutinized her, as if evaluating something. Then he started urging Ning Yue to resign. He didn’t know that Tian Qiuzi had already revealed everything to Ning Yue.
Ning Yue didn’t expose this, just smiled and said, “That won’t work. The house is mortgaged, and though this job doesn’t pay much, it’s a lifeline. When you clear the mortgage, I’ll consider coming back!”
Hu Cheng’s face darkened: “What’s wrong with you, insisting on working? My mother’s so old, exhausting herself helping you with the child, why are you doing this unnecessary thing!”
Ning Yue finally understood—it was her mother-in-law who didn’t want her to work. Before she started working, her mother-in-law helped with cooking, cleaning, and watching the child at home. Since Ning Yue started working, she was either traveling or meeting old classmates, disappearing at school pick-up time. She had thought the elderly woman had let go and finally stopped clinging to the child, but now she realized it was just another way to express disapproval of Ning Yue working!
Ning Yue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. When she didn’t work, they told the child his mother was just a freeloader; when she worked, they were unhappy. She didn’t know how to satisfy them!
After some thought, Ning Yue said seriously, “Let’s hire a nanny. Mom just needs to supervise.”
They already had a cleaner; switching to a full-time nanny wouldn’t be difficult. Hu Cheng squeezed out through his teeth, “Then what’s the point of having you as a mother!” Then he snorted coldly and turned to enter the bathroom.
The couple had been sleeping in separate rooms for so long that when Hu Cheng slammed his bedroom door, Ning Yue felt nothing. Her only concern was whether it would wake Hu Ziyuan, but the child slept deeply. Despite the loud noise, he just turned over, mumbled something, and fell back asleep. Ning Yue tucked in her child’s blanket, lay on the bed, and wore an expression between a smile and not.
They never hired a full-time nanny. Her mother-in-law felt sorry for her son’s hard-earned money, and after Ning Yue mentioned the mortgaged house, both in-laws became alarmed. For several days, meat disappeared from meals, let alone discussing hiring a nanny. Consequently, they had no objection to Ning Yue going out to earn money. Her mother-in-law stopped going out, and doing what needed to be done, and the house suddenly became peaceful.
Ning Yue wasn’t against hiring a nanny; she just hated her mother-in-law’s constant backbiting.
No one knew how Hu Cheng’s small business was doing. He didn’t say, Ning Yue didn’t ask, and family members didn’t discuss it openly. During the Spring Festival, Hu Cheng said he had to accompany clients for inspections and wouldn’t be home for the New Year. Ning Yue wasn’t surprised, spending the “joyous Spring Festival” at home with Hu Ziyuan and his grandparents.
Every day, the elderly couple either played with Hu Ziyuan or lamented how hard it was for Hu Cheng to be alone outside during such a major holiday. At these times, Ning Yue had to resist the urge to hand them her phone.
Whether Tian Qiuzi truly loved Hu Cheng desperately or just enjoyed provoking Ning Yue, she sent intimate photos of the two of them to Ning Yue’s phone daily, like writing a diary. Ning Yue felt disturbed but couldn’t block her. She had another consideration: since Tian Qiuzi could help her find work, she could likely influence whether she kept this job. Before understanding the extent of her influence, the best strategy was to stay put. So, besides carefully archiving the photos to prevent others from seeing them, Ning Yue showed no outward reaction. Sometimes, Ning Yue felt desolate, wondering how terrible her carefully maintained marriage had become when even her job security drew more of her attention!
When love is gone but marriage remains, it becomes a smokeless war, testing one’s ability to maintain composure.
After the holiday, work resumed before the kindergarten reopened. This time, her mother-in-law took the initiative, taking over without a word. Ning Yue was surprised but didn’t ask. With her mother-in-law, her principle was: focus on results, don’t ask about the process—asking too much only leads to anger.
Time flew swiftly, and before long, it was the season of growing grass and flying orioles.
Standing in the hospital parking lot, at the moment of opening the car door, Ning Yue paused, looked slightly left and right, then slowly raised her head. The sunlight fell gently on her face, unexpectedly warm. Ning Yue closed her eyes, her lips curling slightly upward.
This time the doctor said she truly didn’t need medication anymore. Her hormone levels had completely normalized, and all that remained was to stay positive as much as possible. When Dr. Xue learned she was working, she cautioned Ning Yue not to overexert herself. When tired, she needed to stay vigilant and not let emotions take control.
The doctor mentioned some other precautions, but something else captured Ning Yue’s attention. Dr. Xue mentioned that before the New Year, Hu Cheng had come asking for her medical records.
Ning Yue’s heart skipped a beat, anxiety surging up, the dog hair she had carefully smoothed away was scattered by a wild wind, thoroughly blocking her heart—so Hu Cheng knew she had been lying all along.
Their marriage increasingly resembled a performance, both striving to act like a loving family while harboring separate plans behind each other’s backs.
She knew her calculations, but what about Hu Cheng? Was he also preparing for “the worst scenario”? If so, they truly were a married couple, frighteningly in sync!
“What does it matter if he has Hu Ziyuan? I can have children too! Then we’ll see if Hu Cheng chooses you or me!” Tian Qiuzi’s words echoed in her ears, lingering like a ghost!
Ning Yue parked her car in the office building’s basement garage, closed her eyes, and counted to a hundred in her heart, then opened them and dialed Zhuo Hao’s number.
The company had a one-hour lunch break, and even someone as intense as Qin Can couldn’t demand his employees work during this time.
A new food street had opened on the building’s first basement level, with a Japanese restaurant in a secluded corner. Perhaps due to the slightly high prices, even at its busiest lunch hour, it was barely full.
Zhuo Hao arrived as promised and, familiar with the place, ordered Ning Yue’s favorite curry chicken cutlet rice. This was Ning Yue’s childhood favorite, and seeing her delighted expression, Zhuo Hao thought: she’ll never change! He said impatiently, “In a marriage like this, what’s the point of investigating? You’re only staying for the child, but don’t the papers all say that not divorcing when you should is the greatest harm to children!”
Ning Yue froze there. Yes, even if material needs were met, what about the child’s emotional needs? Thinking of Hu Ziyuan’s small expressions that always carried a hint of wariness, Ning Yue realized she might have missed something important!
Picking at her food, Ning Yue spent a long time organizing her thoughts, only to find she couldn’t explain. Perhaps as Zhuo Hao said, she was just cowardly. Afraid of the changes divorce would bring, lacking the courage to face difficulties—maybe also a bit materialistic, preferring to cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle.
Finally, she gave up with a dejected, bitter smile, shaking her head.
“Forget it, it’s not my divorce, why worry!” Zhuo Hao sighed, “Wait for my news!” Before leaving, he suddenly said, “Take care of yourself too, you look as pale as a ghost!”
Ning Yue touched her face, remembering her recent ID photo, and completely agreed! Now she’d get winded just from running, barely able to keep up with Hu Ziyuan.
Zhuo Hao came back, placing a card in front of Ning Yue: “This gym is on the third floor, use the side entrance, it’s very close. Go practice when you’re free, I’ve talked to my buddy, he’ll teach you combat. In case of a fight, you can at least throw a few punches.”
Ning Yue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but still took the card: “Even if I divorce, I won’t need to fight!”
“Hmph! Who knows!” Zhuo Hao snorted coldly, “Even if you don’t fight, at least when you want to hit them, you’ll be able to throw a punch!”
Ning Yue suddenly laughed, her eyes and brows brightening, “You’re right! Why didn’t I think of that!”
Zhuo Hao was caught off guard by her sudden smile, then shook his head with a bitter laugh. “Those weren’t my words, but what fourteen-year-old you told me.”
“We don’t start fights, but when we want to fight, we can knock them down with one punch!”
That bright, spirited young girl floated through Zhuo Hao’s memories, breaking through layers of dust.
After refusing Zhong Tianming, everyone seemed to understand something and generally stopped asking Ning Yue to do things beyond an administrative role. But their looks toward her became strange, somewhat avoiding her. As long as she wasn’t fired, Ning Yue didn’t care, still arriving and leaving on time, trying her best to pick up and drop off her child herself.
However, after the Spring Festival, He Kuan was no longer seen during coffee runs. Ning Yue learned from his social media that he had transferred to the sales department.
Someone with those eyes couldn’t possibly be content just fixing computers. Even in such a lazy department, maintaining crisp, clean attire daily was someone full of hope who refused to give up. When she and his supervisor had clashed due to her ignorance, he had stepped in at just the right moment, smoothly defusing the situation for both sides—definitely someone with both emotional and intellectual intelligence. How could such a person spend his whole life under Bai Ke?
Ning Yue smiled bitterly: How familiar, just like Hu Cheng back then!
At that time, for better resources, she had transferred to the capital, returning home once a week. They had upgraded to a bigger house, but her mother was bedridden, her father was weak, and Ning Yue had hired a caretaker for them. Living in Beijing meant paying rent, and monthly expenses weren’t small. Therefore, Ning Yue couldn’t slack off, taking both big and small cases. Her billboard was packed full, from waking at 4:30 AM to sleeping at 12:30 AM, not wasting a second. In her records, there was even a special column recording time not billed to clients. Every day she had to summarize how to reduce such “waste”!
Hu Cheng’s company was too large for an independent lawyer like Ning Yue to handle. But because of her professionalism, relatively low costs, and the clear principle of “everything’s negotiable for money,” the firm’s senior partners chose her as their cooperating lawyer.
Thus began her life’s fate with Hu Cheng.
She was a money-driven small lawyer and an ambitious key account manager. Her task was to establish a workable compliance plan for the key accounts department after a corruption scandal, he planned to use this opportunity to eliminate rivals and climb to the position of key accounts director.
The current key accounts manager didn’t like Ning Yue because the group had said that before implementing the new plan, key account staff must be internally investigated. When Ning Yue’s survey questionnaires were all returned blank, she was forced to consider quitting. Hu Cheng found her, offering cooperation and guaranteeing task completion. He said then: “Water too clear has no fish.” After thinking all afternoon, Ning Yue replied with a few words: “I only need written guarantees.”
They made the deal.
Later, Ning Yue completed the task: the then key accounts manager was found to have issues and quietly transferred.
Hu Cheng took his new position and presented a special written guarantee: a marriage certificate.
Sitting at her workstation, Ning Yue’s mind wandered—she had probably been as despicable as Hu Cheng back then.
If she hadn’t returned to family life to have children, she wouldn’t have had the chance to reflect on her past self. If not for Hu Cheng’s betrayal, she wouldn’t have realized how disgusting such a despicable character could be!
Someone knocked on her cubicle partition. Ning Yue looked up to find Qin Can gracing them with his presence!
Qin Can announce loudly: “What are you doing? I’ve been calling you forever with no answer! Quickly now, for the group’s three-month internal inspection, our department’s lunches will all be ordered through you. Everyone registers their meal choices with Ning Yue one hour in advance. Here’s a takeout menu list, including all basic cuisines, everyone choose from this. Those craving something else can handle it themselves after work. Ning Yue, call directly or add their boss’s WeChat, don’t use those apps, it’s faster this way. Everyone eats in the break room, eat quickly to rest more!”
With that, Qin Can left. Like moles emerging from the ground, heads popped up two or three at a time across the previously flat office space.
Everyone looked left and right, finally confirming that all were hearing this for the first time and that Qin Can have left the office area before the buzzing discussions erupted.
Zhong Tianming moved fastest, rushing to Ning Yue’s desk to grab the restaurant list: “Huh? Only five places!” He counted, “Basically just the ones from the food street downstairs?”
Ning Yue rubbed her ears. Yesterday when Zhong Tianming and others returned from lunch at 1:30, Qin Can’s face had darkened. Though he said nothing, Ning Yue had already sensed trouble. Indeed, this vampire Qin Can was truly capable. His eloquence was just a small display—the real killer moves were these silent, formless ones.
Pan Jie, who cared greatly about weight loss and health, scanned the list and relaxed seeing her usual light-calorie restaurant listed, “I only eat at this place anyway, whatever! Though things are busy lately, we’ll just have to endure it.” She patted Zhong Tianming’s shoulder, returned to her seat smiling, and picked up the phone to check business registrations.
Others came to check successively, most less particular ones were satisfied and returned to their work, except for the foodie Zhong Tianming who kept standing there. Finally, only Ning Yue curiously watched him: “Need something?”
“Don’t you find this cruel?”
“And then?”
“Don’t you want to protest?”
“To whom?” Ning Yue hesitantly pointed toward Qin Can’s office, then firmly shook her head.
“So what will you eat?” Zhong Tianming asked Ning Yue, “You can’t possibly think this is okay?” He angrily shook the paper.
Ning Yue said, “None of these places have food I can eat.”
“Really!” Zhong Tianming’s eyes lit up.
Ning Yue didn’t want him to continue: “I bring my lunch.”
Huh? Zhong Tianming thought for a moment, then said excitedly: “The boss only said we had to order from these places, he didn’t say we couldn’t bring lunch!”
Ning Yue took the paper: “The boss is just upset because you took an extra half hour for lunch yesterday! I suggest you quickly decide what to eat for lunch. See here, it’s written – no orders accepted after 11:30, and no dining out allowed.”
Suddenly, a clear female voice shot out from Pan Jie’s workstation: “Ah-ha, Zhong Tianming, so you’re the one who got us all in trouble! You should treat us as compensation!”
A chorus of agreement arose, and Zhong Tianming, unable to suppress it, slumped over Ning Yue’s cubicle wall, wailing repeatedly.
Ning Yue whispered: “Isn’t there a business trip assignment?”
“Right! I can go on a business trip!” Zhong Tianming suddenly perked up, “But it’s to Xinjiang! Well, I can eat some fruit. And naan…” Muttering to himself, Zhong Tianming calculated as he walked back to his desk, silently accepting reality.
Ning Yue smiled, habitually took out her planner, and added this new task. After setting the reminder time, she stared somewhat blankly at the nearly half-full content.
Would she be doing such things for the rest of her life?
She held the mouse, sliding over items more tedious than household chores, finally landing on those folded, already-opened pages. These were pages she had clicked open unconsciously during work breaks. She just wanted to see if these pages were still there. Like a wanderer returning home after many years, gently knocking on the door, asking “Is anyone there?”
Clicking lightly, the pages opened one by one. Entering familiar usernames and passwords, the login pages gradually unfolded, browsing through unfamiliar content as her vision slowly blurred.
Qin Can sat in his office, rapidly spinning a pen between his fingers. Back at the law firm, senior lawyers called it childish. Times had changed—in his domain, who would dare say anything even if he spun it until it broke!
Except for that narrow-minded old woman from headquarters!
The “old woman” Qin Can referred to was Luo Yating, the group’s legal affairs general manager. Managing the entire group’s affairs, she was a notable figure even in the city’s legal circles. Unfortunately, Qin Can never thought she was that impressive!
Perhaps because he’d been too prominent lately, Qin Can felt Luo Yating was deliberately targeting him. Dropping the entire group’s internal review audit on their subsidiary department—could anything be more absurd? In the group’s thirty years, such large-scale internal reviews happened only three times, always handled by headquarters departments. It should never fall to a subsidiary’s small department, even if that subsidiary shares a building with headquarters!
But the woman’s excuse was grand: The group’s listed portion faced investigation from U.S. securities regulators, potentially facing huge fines, leaving no personnel for such documentary work. For fairness, other subsidiaries’ legal departments were also assigned different workloads, but everyone could see who got the most thankless task.
Qin Can wasn’t one to admit defeat. Though knowing he was being targeted, he refused to bow down, cheerfully accepting the task. He never complained publicly. Only his department members knew that the frequency of the word “old woman” in Qin Can’s vocabulary had increased a hundredfold!
Besides being thankless, this work had pushed aside several influential cases from Qin Can’s department. The old auntie proved her experience, simultaneously exhausting Qin Can while kindly stripping away his jewels.
The more Qin Can thought, the more irritated he became. His finger trembled, and the pen fell on the desk with a loud noise. Outside suddenly went quiet.
Qin Can stood up, and walked a circle in the windowless room, arriving at the frosted glass wall where through the transparent gap he could just see the entrance to Ning Yue’s workstation.
Ning Yue was focused on her screen, pen in hand, writing something in her notebook.
If she could join in, she’d be a fresh force.
Qin Can felt irritated just thinking about Ning Yue’s background. From her first day, he recognized her as his first mentor’s classmate! He’d decided that if Ning Yue dared mention this, even a single word, he’d dismiss her regardless of the consequences! However, Ning Yue never mentioned it. Moreover, her conduct maintained appropriate subordinate respect. He challenged her daily, yet she completed tasks meticulously, without any heard complaints.
Although Qin Can wanted to fire Ning Yue, he was like a dog trying to bite a hedgehog—finding no opening.
After nearly a year, Ning Yue’s low-key focus reminded him of his mentor’s evaluation: “Ning Yue, what a shame, she could’ve been a good lawyer.”
He admired her professional quality, work ethic, and interpersonal skills. Though she’d left the legal circle for many years, perhaps it wouldn’t be hard to pick up again. Moreover, this was mainly document review work. It required no special techniques, just attention, and patience—perfect for someone like Ning Yue.
Qin Can grew excited, never imagining Ning Yue would refuse. To him, such work meant recognition, a chance at more important tasks, and freedom from tedious administrative work—what reason was there to refuse?
Qin Can know about Zhong Tianming’s rejection by Ning Yue. However, this thought merely flashed through his mind without serious consideration. To Qin Can, who in this world wouldn’t want to work? Even if such people existed, they shouldn’t appear before him.
When the office phone rang, Ning Yue checked the time. Four twenty-eight.
Normal office hours ended at five, but her offer specified four-thirty since she started half an hour earlier than others. The leaving time perfectly matched Hu Ziyuan’s school dismissal, which Ning Yue greatly appreciated.
The phone kept ringing, and Ning Yue frowned. She checked the time again, wishing the hour hand would jump to 6. But one minute early was still before closing time.
Ning Yue sighed and answered the phone.
“Ning Yue, besides your regular duties, for the next three months you’ll join Zhong Tianming’s group for internal reviews. After this project, I’ll include it in your performance evaluation. If you agree, we can adjust your position too,” Qin Can confidently instructed.
Ning Yue paused, satisfied to see the hand hit 6: “Director Qin, I’m off work.”
What? Qin Can froze, almost doubting his ears.
Ning Yue kindly repeated: “I leave at four-thirty. Sorry, I need to pick up my child.”
Then Ning Yue hung up and left at top speed. When she left, Qin Can still hold the receiver, stunned. With the dial tone in his ear, he watched Ning Yue’s pale yellow figure flash past like wind, disappearing outside the office.
Zhong Tianming and Pan Jie’s screens flickered as everyone commented in their small WeChat group. They didn’t know what happened, but were certain that just then, their arrogant, untouchable boss had been ruthlessly rejected by Ning Yue!
Zhong Tianming peeked out quickly, then retreated, leaving a message: “Boss hasn’t even hung up the phone!”
Pan Jie replied: “He’s stunned!”
Lawyer Qian: “From now on, the boss will have another ‘old woman’ to complain about!”
A queue of smirking emojis followed.
Ning Yue certainly knew the consequences of her actions, but today she absolutely couldn’t wait—she had to pick up her child. The reason is related to a silent battle at breakfast.
The recent weather fluctuations made both the elderly and children prone to colds. Her in-laws had caught it successively, constantly using tissues. Her father-in-law was conscientious, avoiding playing with Hu Ziyuan after noticing his runny nose. After two days, showing clear signs of a severe cold—whether common cold or flu uncertain—one thing was clear: her mother-in-law had “inherited” the cold from her father-in-law. Ning Yue worried they’d infect Hu Ziyuan but couldn’t say directly, only trying to keep the child away from them.
So, using the excuse that her mother-in-law was busy caring for her father-in-law, Ning Yue took over child pickup duties. Even during Tuesday’s afternoon meeting, she’d secretly left to pick up her child. That time Pan Jie had helped cover for her, likely earning a favor owed.
After bringing the child home, they stayed concentrated in the study room for play and learning. Her mother-in-law probably sensed something, leading to this morning’s confrontation.
For some reason, Hu Cheng had slept at home last night, and the family rarely gathered for breakfast together. Her mother-in-law, speaking through a congested nose, said to Ning Yue: “Seeing our illness, maybe we should go back. To avoid infecting you all.”
Ning Yue felt both angry and amused—this meant she didn’t want to leave! Afraid of being blamed by her son if the child got infected, she wanted to force someone to give her a reason to stay. If the child got sick later, she could say she wanted to leave but wasn’t allowed! After years together, Ning Yue could even picture exactly how she’d shift blame to others!
Usually, Ning Yue would pretend not to hear, but today was different.
Hu Cheng was here. The filial son Hu Cheng was here!
Hu Cheng said nothing, but his porridge-eating slowed, his broad shoulders visibly stiffening as he sipped slowly.
Ning Yue didn’t want him to sense her true thoughts yet. This family still needed to continue for now; her resolve needed a more solid financial foundation and stronger psychological preparation. Since that was the case, she needed to play the perfect daughter-in-law.
Ning Yue smiled and said, “Mom, what are you saying? How could we let you leave at a time like this—what would that make Hu Cheng and me? Even if you did infect Hu Ziyuan, that’s just unavoidable. Don’t overthink it, just rest well.”
Her mother-in-law’s expression changed several times. Hu Cheng said, “Exactly! Mom, you rest well. These few days, let Ning Yue take leave to travel with the child.”
Ning Yue glanced at Hu Cheng, saying as quietly as possible, “It’s busy lately, probably can’t get leave.”
“That worthless job of yours, not making much money but taking all your time. Better to stay home with the child, why bother? Hu Cheng said disdainfully, then ignoring Ning Yue’s reddening face, continued, “You and the child have food and clothing, what have I denied you? Why must you work? A kindergarten costing tens of thousands, we enrolled him without hesitation, and when you took the child abroad, I bought you both first-class tickets. What can your little money do? You should stay home with the child, let Mom and Dad relax too, wouldn’t that be nice!”
Ning Yue looked at Hu Cheng and said, “Your work is so hard, how dare I contentedly be a parasite!” She gritted out the last few words.
Hearing Ning Yue’s tone change, Hu Cheng looked at her suspiciously, meeting eyes that openly displayed anger and even hatred, so sharp he could barely meet them.
Hu Cheng’s father frowned, while his mother looked back and forth between the couple. Their conversation was like a riddle, she didn’t know how to intervene! Was it because of her? The mother-in-law quickly said, “It’s fine, it’s fine, I can still manage! I’ll watch the child, you both go about your business! I can do anything, won’t work myself to death!”
These words made things worse, like hot oil splashing onto Hu Cheng’s rationality, exploding into flames that burned away all reason.
“Resign!” Hu Cheng issued what seemed like an ultimatum.
Ning Yue stood up, and under everyone’s gaze, brought an envelope from the study, throwing it down before Hu Cheng with a “bang.”
Hu Cheng hesitated, not opening it immediately. His mother grabbed it, saw it was already opened, and found a photo inside. After one glance, she exclaimed “Oh my!” and threw it aside. When Hu Cheng’s father looked over, she quickly covered it, glaring at the old man. His father caught a glimpse and his face instantly reddened.
Hu Cheng narrowed his eyes: “You followed me?”
“Look carefully who sent it!” Ning Yue controlled her anger, sitting down slowly. This letter was just one of Hu Cheng’s past episodes.
Hu Cheng looked somewhat embarrassed: “Because of this, you want to work?” He leaned toward Ning Yue, lowering his voice to ask, “What are you planning? Divorce?”
Ning Yue leaned back, shaking her head: “I just want to find something to do, so I don’t have to think about your petty affairs all day!”
Hu Cheng’s mouth twitched. His mother suddenly said, “Ning Yue, well, men make mistakes sometimes. Sigh, that woman was a bit excessive, I already told her off. Hu Cheng already broke up with her!”
Ning Yue looked incredulous: “Mom, she came to you too? You knew about this all along?”
His mother realized she’d misspoken and fell silent.
Ning Yue slowly looked at the family before her, her initial anger gradually extinguishing. Finally, she asked Hu Cheng: “What am I in this family?”
“The child’s mother, of course, you’re the child’s mother!” His mother seemed trying to make amends but inadvertently spoke a harsh truth.
Ning Yue stared at Hu Cheng, giving a cold laugh. She turned to take Hu Ziyuan’s hand, saying gently: “Time for school, Mom will take you.”
Questions and fear showed in Hu Ziyuan’s eyes as he looked at the others behind his mother, but he obediently followed Ning Yue out.