When Ning Yue woke up, daylight filled the room. She looked through the guardrail at Hu Ziyuan sleeping soundly in his small bed and smiled contentedly. Suddenly remembering there was supposed to be another temperature check in the early morning that she had slept through, her heart jumped to her throat as her hand instinctively reached for the child’s forehead.
At that moment, the door opened gently, and the head nurse entered. Seeing Ning Yue’s anxious expression, she smiled and said, “Don’t worry, the fever’s gone. When I came to check his temperature this morning, you were sleeping so well I didn’t want to wake you. You’ve had some tough days – mothers need rest too, too where will you find the energy?”
Ning Yue smiled sheepishly, withdrew her hand, and stood up to accept the small medicine box from the head nurse. After the nurse gave detailed instructions about the medication, she looked at the child and couldn’t help adding, “You must take care of your rest. The child is doing quite well now – let family members take turns when possible!”
Ning Yue’s eye twitched. She blinked and smiled, brushing off the comment.
After the head nurse left, Ning Yue turned back. Looking up, she saw a thick layer of green through the window. What was once sparsely decorated with touches of green outside was now covered in lush foliage. The layers of leaves softened the light, casting a faint cyan shade on the cream-colored walls, making everything look fresh and warm.
How pleasant! Ning Yue blinked, savoring the massage-like comfort brought by the light. She was somewhat surprised to realize how beautiful the daytime was here – she had never noticed before!
Joy filled Ning Yue’s heart. She took out her phone, snapped a photo, and captioned it with just three words: “Fever is gone.”
All her colleagues were connected on WeChat. Qin Can saw Ning Yue’s moment and hesitated about whether to call or let her rest more. According to company procedures, there must be a leadership discussion before dismissing an employee. Qin Can used this as an excuse to delay signing the dismissal document.
Manager Qiu naturally didn’t care, but Luo Yating was curious about who this Ning Yue was that warranted such retention from Qin Can! After asking around, she quickly learned about Ning Yue’s negotiations with Yan Hui and the minor tasks she had helped handle.
Luo Yating has been dealing with Yan Hui recently regarding the framework agreement.
Yan Hui’s company was interesting – they had a relatively single product line but a high turnover, with more engineers than salespeople. The company originally had five partners, but after several rounds of financing, only one remained. The equity structure had changed frequently, making for a complex history.
The remaining owner was named Chen Gongzhe, one of the five founding partners. Fair-skinned and slightly plump, but tall enough to maintain a decent appearance. His plain exterior belied top-tier internal capabilities. A child prodigy who graduated early, he went abroad alone to study at 14. Before even receiving his diploma, he started his own business with his technology. At a young age, he was already considered successful by worldly standards. After being pushed out during internal company struggles, he casually returned to school to complete his studies. The day after defending his thesis, he opened his new company and declared war on his former one. A fierce intellectual property lawsuit ensued, forcing the original company to buy out his new venture. He re-entered management and ultimately won absolute control of the entire company.
Such a young but experienced person undoubtedly had strong desires to control both his life and career. The bone-deep pain from the earlier equity changes led him to believe that too many people couldn’t get things done, and he particularly disliked so-called management departments. In his view, these departments were the source of internal strife – the fewer, the better. So whenever company performance was slightly unsatisfactory, he would vent his emotions by cutting staff from management departments.
The originally small legal department was left with just three people. He especially couldn’t understand why they needed an internal “legal department” when outside lawyers could do the work! Later he discovered that outsourced lawyers took money without doing work when unsupervised, and he couldn’t spend all his time with lawyers like in the startup days, so a legal department was necessary after all! Only then did he leave Yan Hui with two people: an assistant and a lawyer.
Yan Hui had to manage everything, big and small.
When dealing with giants like Luo Yating’s group, she could interact with everyone from the legal counsel to legal assistants. Most people couldn’t handle it, but fortunately, they found Yan Hui, who was passionate enough to happily do the work after a small raise in salary.
Luo Yating felt that Yan Hui and Qin Can be the same type of person. When the sales center reported the situation to the legal center, her first reaction was to let Qin Can handle it. Unexpectedly, Qin Can was busy with internal investigations and let an administrative assistant handle it. And this assistant did quite well.
Luo Yating adjusted her posture, deciding such small matters weren’t worth too much thought. She sat up straight, preparing to handle other matters. Suddenly something flashed through her mind… Ning Yue? Such a familiar name!
Luo Yating remembered – not long ago, the sales center had asked her for a department assistant with legal knowledge, and someone had recommended Ning Yue. To confirm her memory, Luo Yating checked her emails again, not only confirming that the sales center had specifically requested her but also that Qin Can have previously requested to dismiss Ning Yue. She had been too busy then and the two emails came too close together, causing her to miss Qin Can’s.
Department heads like Qin Can, while lacking hiring authority, had the power to dismiss employees from their departments. Leaders like Luo Yating generally wouldn’t interfere with directors exercising such rights. Therefore, Qin Can’s type of email was just a courtesy copy – when Luo Yating was pressed for time, she would skim or even skip them.
So, did Qin Can want Ning Yue back later? Otherwise, how would she still be working?
How interesting! Luo Yating shook her head – this Qin Can, acting so rashly! It seemed he needed more tempering. No, wait – such matters weren’t worthy of leaving an impression about Ning Yue’s name; they must involve higher-level people.
Luo Yating felt there was something else she couldn’t recall, something that should have caught her attention. Her secretary opened the door – it was time for the meeting with the Capital Management Department. As her thoughts returned to work, she pushed open the conference room door and immediately spotted the Procurement Center’s Director Chen sitting in the second position on the right side of the conference table.
Right! It was her! Recommended by Director Chen from the Procurement Center, saying she was taking care of a partner unit leader’s friend, placing an “idle person”! The reason for calling her “idle” was because Luo Yating had seen Ning Yue’s resume: just looking at her age over forty and seven to eight years without work, there was no need to waste time looking at what she did before. Various regulations are updated relatively quickly nowadays, and seven to eight years was enough to overturn many things. What could a housewife isolated from society, past her prime learning years, do? For the sake of maintaining relationships with partner units, just find a corner to place her, pay her something, and find an opportunity to dismiss her later.
Such an idle person should be exactly what a workaholic like Qin Can couldn’t stand! So Qin Can’s effort to keep her must not be for work reasons!
The meeting content was mostly what had been confirmed before, just announcing it to everyone, nothing important. Luo Yating perfunctorily dealt with it. Walking out of the conference room, she saw Director Miao, who was in charge of personnel and logistics, and remembered something else: her thought of laying off Ning Yue this time seemed to have been prompted by someone!
Luo Yating’s brows furrowed, a trace of annoyance clouding her mind. Unconsciously, she had been used as someone’s pawn, and who knows how many people were laughing behind her back!
“Director Miao, are you busy?” Luo Yating approached casually, blocking Miao Chongli who was about to leave.
Miao Chongli wore rimless high-prescription glasses and a perfectly tailored suit. Hearing Luo Yating’s question, he first checked his watch before responding, “Hello, Director Luo. I have an internal meeting in ten minutes.”
Luo Yating smiled, “I’ll walk with you. I have something to ask you.”
Miao Chongli nodded, and they walked side by side.
Luo Yating said, “Our legal center has always been understaffed, so we don’t participate in layoffs every time – this has been the company’s default for many years. Why must we contribute one person this year?”
Miao Chongli pushed his glasses up: “Some departments feel it’s unfair to them if the legal center does this. Moreover, they have evidence proving that someone in the legal center is unsuitable for their position.”
“You mean that Ning Yue who often takes leave?”
Luo Yating recalled that last time when she was asked to provide someone, she was overwhelmed and said she had no one to spare, Miao Chongli had suggested she check attendance rates. She hadn’t thought much of it then, but now it seemed they had come prepared!
Miao Chongli nodded.
Luo Yating’s mouth twitched, speaking with a half-smile: “I didn’t know when our legal center’s branch office administrative assistant became a target of concern for other departments. Our assistant has some special family circumstances – taking a few extra days off while not affecting work to care for family, how does that bother others?”
Miao Chongli stopped, his glasses glinting, making his eyes unreadable behind them. His voice remained characteristically calm: “She does take a lot of leave.”
Luo Yating trembled with anger: “Then please, Director Miao, investigate the actual leave status of every female employee who has become a mother in the entire group. Then dismiss them all using Ning Yue as the standard!”
Miao Chongli remained silent for a few seconds before saying: “I will investigate, thank you for the reminder! However, you still need to lay off one person.”
The layoff documents had already been issued. If Luo Yating wanted to keep Ning Yue, she would either need to find someone to replace her or get special approval from the CEO. If they wanted to rehire her, they would need to check if there were any available positions!
“You!” Luo Yating suddenly stopped, realizing she was being somewhat emotional. Taking a deep breath, she said, “No, I just hope this kind of thing doesn’t happen again!”
Miao Chongli nodded and turned to leave.
Luo Yating glared fiercely at Miao Chongli’s retreating figure. There weren’t many people left in this world who could provoke her like this, but Miao Chongli was one of them. This man who lived by precise timing had never married, nor even had a girlfriend.
The only rumored relationship was with Yan Hui’s company’s boss Chen Gongzhe. They were not only Stanford classmates but also good friends. It was said that the patent technology Chen Gongzhe used for his second startup belonged to Miao Chongli, but Miao Chongli had simply handed it over to Chen Gongzhe without asking for a penny, letting him use it for revenge. Chen Gongzhe neither confirmed nor denied this. According to information circulating in their social circles, Miao Chongli had said he couldn’t stand those petty people’s behavior and let Chen Gongzhe deal with them. This dealing ended up creating a billionaire. When others questioned Miao Chongli about this, he said, “You can check the patent registration.” The registrant was naturally Chen Gongzhe, but before registration, as a trade secret, who knows whose it was?
In this matter, the usually rigid Miao Chongli showed something of a noble scholar’s demeanor, indifferent to wealth and fame, along with some characteristics of a righteous warrior who settles matters and leaves without a trace! However, in the eyes of those wearing rose-colored glasses, all this became evidence of them being “in love” and “deeply in love,” even fabricating details about their supposed roles with “Chen being dominant and Miao being submissive”! But when Chen Gongzhe, comfortable and secure in his position of power, started dating one girlfriend after another, the rumor mill added many plots about Miao Chongli’s “painful love.”
Rumors are always exciting but stop at those who don’t care. Miao Chongli neither listened nor asked nor heard, so everything remained just rumors.
Luo Yating hadn’t achieved her current success by being ordinary. Discovering through subtle clues that she had been used as someone’s pawn naturally angered her, but after being brushed off by Miao Chongli, instead of becoming more angry, she calmed down. Fundamentally, Luo Yating was someone who could find merits in others’ actions. Where others saw Miao Chongli dismissing her, she saw his calm, objective attitude, which reminded her of what she should do now.
Who had used her as a pawn? Why did they do it? Had she done something wrong? Or had she offended someone? A series of questions made Luo Yating somewhat uneasy, and all of this was simply because she didn’t know who was behind it. Well then, first she would find out who this person was!
This matter wasn’t without traces to follow. Initially, Director Chen from the Procurement Center had recommended Ning Yue, but now that Ning Yue was being dismissed, there wasn’t any reaction from his side – wasn’t that strange? Even if he had already privately informed the so-called client unit’s friend, before the announcement, given Director Chen’s position, he could have obtained the list or at least heard rumors, yet he hadn’t made a sound – something was wrong.
Luo Yating could even be certain that for people recommended like Ning Yue, the HR department kept records. Although Miao Chongli was precise in his work, he wasn’t ignorant of human relations. On the contrary, Luo Yating had always felt that Miao Chongli simply disdained the common expressions of social niceties, but that didn’t mean he didn’t understand their intricacies! Therefore, when Miao Chongli dismissed such a person, he would leak the information to relevant parties beforehand. So this Director Chen, during the meeting just now, didn’t even ask her a single question – it wasn’t like him at all.
Luo Yating thought for a moment, called her secretary over, gave some specific instructions, and the secretary left. Luo Yating relaxed, rubbing her neck where it was cool and slightly damp with sweat.
At noon, the mother-in-law came with home-cooked food to see her grandson. Ning Yue was somewhat puzzled, accepting the food and saying, “Mom, you don’t need to trouble yourself, the hospital’s food is quite good.”
“However good it is, it’s not as reassuring as home-cooked food.” The mother-in-law helped take the food out of the thermal containers and placed it on the small table Ning Yue had prepared. “I wanted to come over the past couple of days. Your father asked the hospital front desk, and they suggested waiting until the child’s condition was more stable. Now, hearing that the baby’s fever has gone down, I rushed over.”
Ning Yue felt warmth in her heart, nodded, and said softly, “Thank you for your trouble!”
Hu Ziyuan sat properly, picked up his chopsticks, looked around, and asked, “Why is there only food for me? Where’s Mom’s?”
The mother-in-law seemed to pause for a moment, and Ning Yue quickly said, “Look how much food Grandmother made, you can’t eat it all by yourself. If it was packed separately, how could Grandmother carry it all?”
“That’s right, that’s right!” The mother-in-law quickly agreed, “Darling, eat more! You’ll get better faster if you eat more!”
Ning Yue wanted to interrupt her – wouldn’t eating too much now cause indigestion and make him sick again? She held back and turned to watch the child. She had already decided to take away the bowls and plates once the child had eaten enough!
Ning Yue watched intently, and the mother-in-law stared without blinking. If it weren’t for the rules already established at home, the old lady would have rushed over to shovel everything into Hu Ziyuan’s mouth with a spoon! Now, she habitually watched Hu Ziyuan. Whenever the food in the dishes got a bit low, she would reach out to turn or push them, ensuring the child always had access to the highest pile of food closest to his mouth.
At this time, the hospital also delivered lunch. As Ning Yue opened each dish, before she could speak, her mother-in-law had already started commenting: “Green vegetables and tofu, what nutrition could there be?”
“But there are meatballs here,” Ning Yue uncovered the last soup bowl, revealing winter melon meatball soup. The winter melon was specially cut into thin strips to accommodate the child’s small mouth.
The mother-in-law peered in to look: “Only these few meatballs, who could that be enough for!”
“Ziyuan just recovered from his fever, the doctor instructed more vegetables and less meat, keeping it light, with soups and porridge as the priority,” Ning Yue paused, glancing at Hu Ziyuan, “Eating too much will cause indigestion, leading to fever and coughing again.”
Hu Ziyuan’s condition had just improved, and his appetite wasn’t large. Attracted by the aroma of his grandmother’s food, he had taken a few bites, but feeling the greasiness, he didn’t want to eat more. Hearing Ning Yue’s words, though he didn’t fully understand, his mother’s expression was clear enough, and he immediately put down his chopsticks: “I’m full.” He blinked and added, “I want soup.” His eyes fixed on the winter melon meatball soup as he pushed away the pork rib soup his grandmother was offering.
The mother-in-law held back and ultimately didn’t say anything – Ning Yue was just repeating the doctor’s words, nothing to criticize there. But she felt unhappy and turned away saying, “Fine! If you won’t eat, that’s that.” She efficiently started cleaning up.
Hu Ziyuan suddenly stopped her: “Grandma, Mom hasn’t eaten yet!”
Mrs. Hu froze and looked at Ning Yue. She had been quick – the leftover food, including what Hu Ziyuan had chewed but couldn’t swallow and had spit onto the table, was all dumped into one bowl, a greasy mess. Her mouth twisted as she pushed it toward Ning Yue: “Right, right, right, here, Ning Yue, Doudou saved this for you.”
Ning Yue looked at the pile of leftovers and nearly vomited. She smiled slightly and pushed it back to her mother-in-law: “Mom, didn’t you say you haven’t eaten either because you were busy cooking? You’re not used to outside food, so you should have this. I’ll eat the hospital food. Otherwise, it would be wasteful to leave it.”
Hu Ziyuan looked at his mother, then at his grandmother, his little mouth opened and closed again.
Mrs. Hu frowned, immediately becoming angry: “You want me to eat these leftovers, how can anyone eat this!”
Ning Yue didn’t get angry, took the bowl, and looked at it: “Oh, I didn’t see. Let’s not eat it then. Just now when you asked me to eat it, I thought it was edible.”
Mrs. Hu stood there stunned while Ning Yue ignored her, directly taking the bowls and dishes to dump them in a garbage bag, then took them to the bathroom to clean up.
However, the old lady was used to her double standards. She quickly forgot about trying to make Ning Yue eat leftovers and, with a wounded heart, played with Hu Ziyuan. Ning Yue, in the bathroom, listened to Hu Ziyuan sweetly calling “Grandma” as the old and young chatted and played games, and shook her head helplessly. She couldn’t say the old lady was abusing her, only that when her mother-in-law was in a good mood, she truly forgot about her daughter-in-law. Ning Yue understood clearly that in her mother-in-law’s mind, a daughter-in-law was meant to be a scapegoat. For her mother-in-law to live comfortably and freely in her later years, having a daughter-in-law to shift blame onto was very important to balance her inner guilt. This wasn’t a major fault, nor was it related to character – in Hu Cheng’s eyes, it was perfectly natural! As for what the daughter-in-law thought, did anyone care?
After finishing cleaning up, seeing that Hu Ziyuan showed no interest in playing with her, Ning Yue opened her phone and sat aside to check messages. Her phone could also receive company emails – there was a large pile of unread messages from several days, marked in red. Seeing He Kuan’s celebratory email about the completed contract and framework agreement signatures, Ning Yue’s mood greatly improved. Most of her earlier frustration disappeared!
As she continued reading, Ning Yue’s smile froze. Then, with a bitter laugh, she read again that mass-sent notification email and the following notice telling her how to process the procedures and then lifted her head. She looked in Hu Ziyuan’s direction but didn’t focus.
She had been dismissed!
A full-time mother, returning to the workplace – why was it so difficult? Even with connections, even with some usefulness, she still couldn’t be tolerated.
While Ning Yue’s mind was in turmoil, Hu Ziyuan called out “Mama,” and she immediately snapped back to attention. Her smile had already precisely engaged every muscle in her face, and ordinary people couldn’t tell any difference from her usual smile – at least her mother-in-law thought so.
She told Ning Yue she was leaving, and Ning Yue quickly picked up the cleaned bags. The old lady was happy from playing with the child and didn’t mind other things, leaving cheerfully.
Ning Yue had Hu Ziyuan stay obediently in the room while she escorted her mother-in-law to the elevator. Mrs. Hu kept glancing at Ning Yue several times as if wanting to say something but ultimately seemed to give up. Such obvious gestures couldn’t escape Ning Yue’s notice. However, she was used to pretending not to notice anything, and at this moment, her bewildered expression seemed quite appropriate.
While waiting for the elevator, Mrs. Hu sighed and finally spoke: “Ziyuan is such a sensible, good child! You and Hu Cheng should cherish him well.”
“Yes, Mom. I love Ziyuan very much,” Ning Yue said without looking at the old lady, speaking to herself, “He is my life.”
Mrs. Hu seemed somewhat shocked, looking at Ning Yue in surprise, and stammered: “Ah, you’re both still young, you both have your things to do, don’t take the child too seriously.”
Ning Yue nodded, “Yes, Mom is right.”
The elevator descended slowly, and they both watched the red LCD numbers that seemed frozen above the elevator as if they held the secrets of the entire universe.
Mrs. Hu said: “Now that you’re working, just do it well. Your father and I can help with the child.”
“Thank you, Mom. You’ve worked hard.” Ning Yue stared at the numbers, which had already changed one digit.
Mrs. Hu finally said what had been weighing on her mind: “Hu Cheng is out there building his career, and men, well, they inevitably have some flowers and grass they can’t clean up completely. But rest assured, Hu Cheng is a very family-oriented child, your father and I are absolutely certain about this. Don’t overthink it, and don’t pay too much attention to messy talk.”
Ning Yue’s mouth curved into a smile she wasn’t aware of, “Right, as long as I stay properly in this home, nothing else matters.” As the words fell, the elevator doors opened. Before Mrs. Hu could figure out what Ning Yue meant, she was already being urged into the elevator by a nurse pushing a blood test cart behind her.
The elevator doors slowly closed. Ning Yue’s face with its standard smile didn’t change even slightly until the very last moment before the doors shut! Mrs. Hu initially thought Ning Yue’s words meant she understood her meaning and was willing to stay in this home. But thinking about that unchanging face, she felt the response was too perfect to her wishes: if Ning Yue knew about Hu Cheng’s affairs outside, how could she show no complaints, no anger, no emotion at all?
The old lady pondered all the way home but still couldn’t figure it out. She discussed it with her husband, but they did not conclude. Finally, the old man said, “Maybe she’s already figured it all out!”
The old lady knew crystal clear in her heart. She knew that a man’s infidelity was like seeing one cockroach by the water tank – there were already thousands or tens of thousands behind it! Although the old lady fiercely protected her son, she also knew clearly that if she could discover this matter, then Hu Cheng was practically a habitual offender. Thinking about Ning Yue’s behavior these past few years, could it be that Ning Yue had known long ago? Mrs. Hu was almost certain Ning Yue had known for a long time. They say wives are the last to know about their husbands’ affairs, but Mrs. Hu scoffed at this! That’s just wives pretending to be deaf and dumb, not that they don’t know! Whenever Hu Cheng’s father showed interest in any woman outside, she knew everything! Let alone actual affairs! The only explanation was that Ning Yue didn’t want a divorce. Thinking of this, the old lady felt at ease.
She glanced at Hu Cheng’s father, “Not to mention anything else, just considering Hu Cheng’s dedication to this family, his job, his status, the life he gives Ning Yue now, she should understand!” Then, as if warning Hu Cheng’s father, she added, “Let me tell you, if you don’t have the skills, don’t take on tasks beyond your ability! With just your pension, stop embarrassing yourself in the square!”
Hu Cheng’s father snorted but didn’t respond to his wife.
In the evening, Hu Cheng arrived – bringing with him a fresh breeze.
He lifted Hu Ziyuan high in the air enthusiastically, father and son playing together joyfully. Ning Yue looked up at the green outside the window. The vibrant vitality reminded her that in this world, everyone except herself was doing well. No one pitied her anymore! Her parents had passed away long ago, leaving her alone with no one to rely on but herself. She needed strength to stand up on her own.
“Mom, I want to go to Chimelong!” Hu Ziyuan’s voice crashed into her ears. Ning Yue looked up, following Hu Ziyuan’s pointing finger to see a Chimelong Zoo advertisement playing on the wall-mounted television.
Before Ning Yue could speak, Hu Cheng said first: “Sure! As long as you’re good and recover properly, get strong and healthy, Mom can take you anytime.”
Ning Yue frowned: “But I still have to work.”
“Weren’t you laid off?”
Ning Yue froze, looking at Hu Cheng without responding. Her mind was rapidly recalling when she had told him or anyone around her this news.
Oh, right! Ning Yue remembered he had his own “channels” to know her every move at the company. Thinking of this, nameless anger rose again, burning away that ball of fur in her throat completely! However, before Ning Yue could speak, Hu Cheng had already continued talking, clearly in a good mood.
“Being laid off is fine! It’s better than being fired, and they’ll have to compensate you several months’ salary. Now Mom has time to accompany baby! Right?” Hu Cheng said cheerfully to Hu Ziyuan, then looked up and saw Ning Yue’s expression, and froze, “What’s wrong?”
Ning Yue wanted to ask him why he was “monitoring” her, why he was making decisions for her, and if he had ever considered her feelings! But when she heard Hu Cheng ask “What’s wrong?”, all these scattered questions had no chance to be voiced.
She just frowned, looking at Hu Cheng sideways with slight displeasure, questioning: “What did you say? When was I laid off?”
Hu Cheng paused, instinctively distancing himself: “Ah, you don’t know? I heard it from someone.”
Ning Yue took out her phone and scrolled through it, “There’s no notification! If the company had decided, they should have notified me, why haven’t I received anything? If it’s not decided yet, ask your friend why they want to lay me off. It can’t be because I often take leave, right?”
Ning Yue spoke with an ambiguous smile.
They knew from the beginning this person would often take leave, and even had instructions passed down from above, yet they used the same reason to lay her off – clearly a manufactured excuse, so what was the real intention?
Hu Cheng suddenly felt the room was a bit hot, stood up, and moved around before saying: “How would I know? He just mentioned it, and I just heard it. Said it was routine internal layoffs.” As he spoke, Hu Cheng had an idea. Since ancient times, the most effective lies were half-truths, and the most suitable excuse was no excuse at all. He said: “Didn’t your boss want to fire you before? When I asked people then, I said no-fault layoffs were acceptable, but firing was not. They probably remembered that, and with this routine layoff, they asked me, and since the child isn’t well either, I agreed.”
Hu Cheng spoke at length, then stopped only to find Ning Yue had already sat by the child’s bed, folding clothes. Hu Cheng felt somewhat proud, quietly waiting for Ning Yue to nod in agreement.
Ning Yue spoke flatly, just one simple sentence: “Why didn’t you ask for my opinion?”
Hu Cheng heard the annoyance in her voice. Thinking carefully, since their big fight when Hu Ziyuan was two months old, Ning Yue had never quarreled with him again, but these kinds of cold, cutting remarks seemed to be increasing.
If Hu Cheng would feel guilty about this, he wouldn’t be Hu Cheng. He had an instinct to find others’ faults in his own mistakes, then seize upon these points and attack relentlessly, until finally, the whole thing looked as if he were innocent!
Hu Cheng said: “How can you say that? I’m doing this for your good! Besides, Ziyuan needs you. That little money you earn, the child suffers, and you suffer too!”
Ning Yue slowly smoothed the clothes, her movements very slow and careful, as if trying to align every fiber. Hu Ziyuan, sensing the strange atmosphere, snuggled up to Ning Yue, holding up his toy car asking her to play with him. As if this way, the odd atmosphere would disappear.
Ning Yue smiled and took her son’s car, having Hu Ziyuan stand at the other end of the sofa. She gave it a gentle push, and the car glided over with a steady hum. The previously tense atmosphere softened somewhat because of this.
But Hu Cheng still stood tall, unwilling to bend down to play with the child, unwilling to bow before Ning Yue. He crossed his arms, looking down at his wife crouching on the ground playing with the car, maintaining the air of someone wrongly accused demanding justice.
The car slid under the stool. Ning Yue retrieved it, and stood up patting off nonexistent dust: “Anyway, I haven’t received any notice yet, we’ll talk about it when I go to work. By the way, who’s the person who helped me find this job? We’re in the same company, it’s not good if I don’t greet them when I see them.”
Hu Cheng’s imposing manner was like a sudden giant log, gently deflected by a delicate hand, sent to the side. Moreover, along with this, Ning Yue raised a question that put Hu Cheng in a difficult position.
Who helped find the job?
Should he directly say Tian Qiuzi?
Hu Cheng knew Ning Yue knew this person – they had fought because of her. Mentioning her name now, wouldn’t that be admitting to Ning Yue there was something wrong here!
Hu Cheng chuckled, “An old friend. I’ve already thanked them, you don’t need to worry about it.”
Ning Yue didn’t pursue it, continuing to play with her son on the ground. Hu Cheng looked down at them, but his thoughts drifted away: Had they not notified Ning Yue? Why hadn’t they notified her?
Tian Qiuzi had confidently told Hu Cheng that Ning Yue was on the layoff list, maybe Ning Yue just didn’t want to admit it. Hu Cheng felt Ning Yue had no reason to put up such a pretense – if she said she hadn’t received notice, then she hadn’t. Tian Qiuzi suddenly flared up: “Do you trust her so much more than you trust me?”
Hu Cheng looked bewilderedly at the out-of-control Tian Qiuzi, not understanding why she had suddenly become so unreasonable. Moreover, Hu Cheng knew in his heart that there was no way to answer Tian Qiuzi’s question. He felt that what mattered most now wasn’t who to trust, but whether Ning Yue was actually on that list or not!
Hu Cheng’s tone unconsciously became somewhat stern: “Shouldn’t you be checking whether Ning Yue has actually been laid off or not?”
Tian Qiuzi was enveloped by an inexplicable sense of hurt. She had done so much, running around busy for Hu Cheng’s wife, and in the end, was still being doubted – what was it all for?
Hu Cheng’s question was rational, but hit Tian Qiuzi’s sore spot: “Do you love me or not?” Her expression was pitiful, her voice trembling, enough to break one’s heart.
Unfortunately, Hu Cheng’s mind wasn’t on sympathy for delicate flowers. After hearing this, he looked at Tian Qiuzi as if she were mentally ill, his thick eyebrows furrowing unceremoniously. Though he didn’t speak, he clearly expressed the meaning “Are you having some kind of episode?”
Tian Qiuzi felt even more heartbroken: “If I find out Ning Yue is lying, what will you do?”
Hu Cheng finally heard something he could understand but felt this question was idiotic. Suppressing his impatience, he said: “Even if she’s lying, it’s just because she doesn’t want to talk about it, there’s nothing to be done about it.”
Hu Cheng had long experienced Ning Yue’s strong personality. Thinking carefully, even after she quit her job to stay home with the child, her strong character hadn’t diminished one bit. Just looking at how she angrily dismissed the nanny and then took care of the child alone with no experience, never complaining no matter how difficult it was – Ning Yue after becoming a mother was still the same woman as before!
Tian Qiuzi’s tears suddenly fell: “Hu Cheng, I’ve given up everything for you! Do you know how people at work look at me? Do you know I don’t even dare go home now? I have nothing left except you, nothing at all!”
She cried as she spoke, gasping for breath, clearly deeply emotional. Although Hu Cheng was bewildered, he understood women somewhat and knew there were some misunderstandings. Now wasn’t the time to clear things up or even possible to do so, so he patiently softened his tone and said: “Stop talking nonsense! Why are you crying when everything’s fine? Don’t cry, we can talk about anything properly.”
If he had just shouted, Tian Qiuzi might have been shocked back to her senses. But this gentleness seemed to completely acknowledge that Tian Qiuzi had been wronged! Having received this acknowledgment, Tian Qiuzi felt even worse, her emotions surged, tears flowing uncontrollably, and she collapsed onto the sofa unable to get up.
Hu Cheng had originally tried to be patient, but seeing Tian Qiuzi not taking the way out he offered, he became irritated. He knew that today he’d either have to listen to her cry it out or leave now – the result would be the same. As a busy man, how could he have time to listen to her cry?
With a wave of his hand, Hu Cheng left!
Tian Qiuzi had given all her lonely courage in love to Hu Cheng.
She was financially independent, having bought three houses and made investments. She was beautiful and interesting, able to make her five-point face look like nine points with makeup, and with her way of talking, she was a perfect ten as a woman. She was also socially adept, good at reading people, and everyone who interacted with her felt refreshed (except Ning Yue)… According to social media’s standards, Tian Qiuzi was an exceptional woman, like a character from fantasy crossing into reality.
However, she had fallen hard in love. She dove in headfirst, willingly burying herself in the dust, unhesitatingly turning herself into fertilizer to nurture what she believed was a beautiful flower.
She could sensitively detect the slightest change in Hu Cheng’s tone or the tiniest fluctuation in his mood, then magnify it into floods and volcanoes erupting in her heart.
In matters of emotion, women understand each other. They oppose each other yet understand each other. They can precisely find each other’s wounds because they’re merely looking in a mirror.
When Ning Yue received a text message from Tian Qiuzi before bed, she quickly understood Tian Qiuzi’s state of mind by connecting the dots, and a subtle sense of satisfaction tingled through her.
The message was simple, just one sentence: “You’ve clearly been laid off, why are you lying!!!”
Three intense exclamation marks showed how agitated the sender was. If the sender was still that perfect-ten woman Tian Qiuzi, she must have been completely out of control with agitation.
Ning Yue looked at this message like a general examining her spoils of war. She rarely replied to Tian Qiuzi’s messages, but this time she felt compelled to respond, like wanting to kick an enemy who had finally fallen!
Ning Yue’s reply was simple: “?”
She didn’t know if Tian Qiuzi and Hu Cheng were close enough to share phone communications, but she always guarded against Tian Qiuzi showing her responses to Hu Cheng. No, she guarded against Hu Cheng seeing her responses on anyone’s phone!
“Of course, I know! Hu Cheng doesn’t want you to work, he asked me to find someone to dismiss you properly! You’ve already been fired, why are you lying!”
Ning Yue took a deep breath. When suspicions are confirmed, whether the confirmation brings joy or not, there’s always a sense of relief. However, like the night outside, even with a gentle evening breeze, it couldn’t lighten the heavy darkness. Ning Yue’s thoughts were entirely focused on how to handle the layoff. Tian Qiuzi sent another message: “Why don’t you get divorced? He doesn’t love you anymore! Why keep clinging on, what’s the point!”
This question struck Ning Yue’s heart.
“The entire meaning of my marriage lies in my child. It’s not about staying together or separating, it’s all for the child.”
She wouldn’t say this to Tian Qiuzi, and rarely even said it to herself. In Ning Yue’s view, this wasn’t truth but a choice. A choice that couldn’t withstand questioning, a choice she would abandon with the slightest explanation. Yet, she still chose it.
Only by doing this could she feel truly safe from her heart, could she feel a long-lost warmth in the coldness, could she experience peace and joy flowing from deep within her soul without regret or shame.
Looking back at the questioning message, Ning Yue smiled coldly.
“Tian Qiuzi, don’t you understand? There’s no war between us at all! Our enemy is the same – Hu Cheng. Whoever falls in love with him loses. I lost once, but I’m slowly turning things around. What about you?”
The next day was Hu Ziyuan’s discharge day. No one asked, and Ning Yue hadn’t told anyone. First, the nurse came for final checks, confirming the child was indeed well, and the doctor issued the discharge papers. Ning Yue packed everything up and had Hu Ziyuan play in the room while she went to the front desk to settle the bill. The nurses were all busy then, but fortunately, Hu Ziyuan was interested in the TV program and lay obediently on the bed watching.
There were quite a few people settling bills, so it took Ning Yue some time. When she returned, seeing her son still watching TV, she first sighed in relief, then became annoyed. She couldn’t help imagining years later, a grown man lazily lying on the sofa living off his parents! But since this wasn’t her first time feeling this way, Ning Yue controlled her impulse and negotiated with Hu Ziyuan about turning off the TV.
Since various parenting articles had called for parents to “control anger” “stop yelling” and not hit their children, countless parents had worried themselves bald. At times like these, Ning Yue always missed getting spanked in her childhood – her mother had the right idea!
The car had already been called and was waiting downstairs. She asked for help carrying the three large bags and five small ones to the car, and then took Hu Ziyuan out of the hospital. In the car, she called her grandfather, asking them to meet at the building entrance. Sure enough, the moment they got out of the car, she was greeted by grandmother’s complaint “Why didn’t you tell us earlier!”
Ning Yue wasn’t surprised at all. This family was always like this – no matter what you did, right or wrong, they would find fault. The best approach was to act as if these complaints didn’t exist.
However, approaching the house, Ning Yue couldn’t help looking back one last time. Through the layers of high buildings and stacked rooftops, through countless windows, to that small room where they’d stayed for seven days – she felt a bit reluctant to leave! Although it had been tiring and worrying there, she could let down her guard, could let her heart slowly untie and settle.
Coming back meant she had to armor up again! Adjusting her emotions and expression, preparing her mindset, she stepped through the door.
Back home, Hu Ziyuan was like a fish in water, the old and young playing happily together. Ning Yue arranged everything properly, and during dinner casually mentioned she would go to work tomorrow. Upon hearing this, Hu Ziyuan’s little face immediately crumpled, his eyes filling with tears!
“Baby be good, eat your dinner, don’t talk about this! Don’t talk about this!” The mother-in-law was angry, glaring at Ning Yue while speaking.
Ning Yue sighed, not expecting her son’s reaction to be so strong, and could only lower her head to eat.
The first meal after discharge was tasteless.
Hu Cheng had something today and didn’t return until midnight. The couple had long since separated rooms, so Ning Yue did not react to the sound of the door opening. The next morning, hearing that Ning Yue was going to work, Hu Cheng showed no opposition.
Hu Ziyuan hugged Hu Cheng who was leaving late, watching Ning Yue leave with longing eyes. Though he’d promised not to cry, he couldn’t hide his “missing mommy” expression.
The spring breeze was warm, almost early summer. Ning Yue took a deep breath – she still had a tough battle ahead!
The office was as usual. Everyone greeted Ning Yue as if they knew nothing, and Qin Can hadn’t arrived yet. Ning Yue went downstairs to buy coffee, and as she was coming back up, He Kuan called out to her.
He Kuan said he had resigned.
As a technical person with his core technology, it wasn’t surprising, and having worked in marketing, and discovering business opportunities during his interactions, his sudden rise wasn’t unusual.
Ning Yue was just a bit surprised, then understood and smiled to congratulate him. Then both stood outside the punch clock, neither moving. Finally, He Kuan said: “I’ve started my own company, with my own technology. Hope we can break through!”
Ning Yue thought for a moment: “Patent or trade secret?”
He Kuan said: “Patent, but the core technology is secret.” Then he added, “We’ll keep upgrading, those who just copy us won’t be a big threat.”
Ning Yue smiled, “Then congratulations in advance! Brave entrepreneur.”
They both laughed.
When there’s hope, even with many clouds, you can see the magnificent brilliance of light streaming through like harp strings. As they parted, He Kuan said: “If you’re not comfortable there, you can come to my company. Though it’s small and there’s lots to do, there’s still work to be done.”
Ning Yue blinked and declined: “No thanks, starting a business isn’t easy, I won’t burden you.”
“No, no, no! Not at all! You really wouldn’t burden us. I mean, we’re facing many infringement issues, so you’d be very helpful. Besides, outside lawyers are so expensive, we’d be lucky to have you.”
Ning Yue shook her head: “Forget it. An employee who’s always taking leave only puts thirty percent of their mind on work, and won’t accept any overtime is practically a freeloader. I’d better stay in this big company and just get by.”
“But…” He Kuan glanced toward the elevator.
Ning Yue took a deep breath: “Don’t worry, I still need to fight for myself. After all, I want to work.”
At this point, He Kuan could only nod and give up.
Wishing each other good luck, they’ll stay in touch!
Watching Ning Yue walk into Qin Can’s office, Pan Jie withdrew her gaze. Her usually carefree face was now full of concern. She knew who Tian Qiuzi was now, and had found Tian Qiuzi’s story in social media chats, quickly making the connection.
But she didn’t care about any of that. She just couldn’t understand why Qin Can treated Ning Yue differently.
Pan Jie didn’t bother counting Ning Yue’s merits one by one – that would only make her feel worse. Although she had some feelings for Qin Can, it wasn’t worth making herself miserable over him. But feelings are strange that way: the more you try not to care, the more they pull at you. Just Ning Yue walking into Qin Can’s office made her unconsciously look up and stare for ages.
“What are you thinking about!” Zhou Tianming’s voice rang out, “Don’t tell me you’re lovesick?”
Pan Jie blushed. Although she knew he was just joking around, having her thoughts exposed still caused an awkward reaction.
Zhou Tianming wasn’t that sensitive, and continued worriedly after speaking: “What do you think Old Qin will say to Ning Yue?”
Pan Jie sensitively pursued: “You’re worried about Ning Yue too?”
Zhou Tianming, oblivious, nodded: “Not exactly worried, but Ning Yue is quite good usually. Sure, she takes a lot of leave, but she’s diligent in her work. Honestly, she’s better than that Angela who came in just to put on makeup!”
Pan Jie snorted, “Plus she always buys your favorite lunch. Look how fat you’ve gotten!”
Zhou Tianming patted his belly, “Don’t mention it! I’ve gained weight recently, and even my mom noticed! She asked if you were feeding me. I said how could that be possible? Would Pan Jie ever give me good food? She’d eat it all herself!”
A hawthorn candy flew at his head. Zhou Tianming caught it dramatically, grinning as he stopped talking and returned to his seat. He had come over because he heard Pan Jie sighing, and now that she was smiling, his mission was accomplished.
One wall of the office was floor-to-ceiling glass. Modern office buildings emphasize brightness. Initially, a designer had creatively made one corridor of this building with transparent flooring, and while it won much praise in the design world, complaints from female employees forced them to cover it up. The reason was simple – every summer, many male employees would gather below the transparent corridor, all doing neck exercises and looking upward…
While such extremes weren’t acceptable, the basic requirement for brightness was still rigid, and with just a floor-to-ceiling window, departments could be ranked by their outside views. At Qin Can’s level, his window faced another wall, a south wall. Someone once joked that no wonder Qin Can was so prickly – anyone sitting in this office was destined to hit the south wall.
Ning Yue surveyed the all-too-familiar layout of the room while Qin Can’s official-sounding voice flowed past her ears like water.
Finally, Qin Can stopped. Ning Yue knew it was her turn.
Qin Can stopped, looking at Ning Yue, his fingers unconsciously twirling the pen between them. This was a habit from his student days, one he had briefly broken after a judge commented on his pen-spinning during his apprenticeship in court.
The pen spun between his fingers like a gear as Qin Can hesitate about whether to share his not-quite-a-solution solution. Even just to show his sincerity, it would be good, right?
Just as he decided to speak, taking a deep breath, Ning Yue began.
Ning Yue said: “Director Qin, I know my work attitude here hasn’t been particularly enthusiastic. And you were once quite dissatisfied with me. However, just considering the needs of this position and my past performance, do you think I’m suitable?”
“Although you often take leave and never work overtime, you complete everything very well. Your learning ability is strong, and your efficiency is high. And…” Qin Can paused, he had indeed been very dissatisfied, but thinking carefully, “I think my dissatisfaction with you was more about regret that you weren’t reaching your full potential. You should be in a more important position, taking on more responsibility.”
Ning Yue smiled slightly: “Thank you! If you think it’s appropriate, I have a suggestion, may we discuss it?”
“Go ahead!” Qin Can be somewhat distracted. Giving up just like that? Unconsciously, Qin Can remember long ago, another woman smiling and saying to him: “If you want to fire me, go ahead, I can find another job!”
After being fired, finding another job was very difficult. Qin Can’s heart clenched, an inexplicable pain pressing down. He had a sudden urge to stop Ning Yue: don’t say anymore, don’t you know how hard it is to find a new job? Don’t you know your child will look down on you if you don’t have work?
But Ning Yue said: “I’ve reviewed my labor contract and company policies. The contract doesn’t specify detailed provisions for layoffs, but under ‘Other Items,’ it mentions following labor law and company regulations, and when inconsistent with laws and regulations or company policies, the laws and regulations or company policies take precedence.”
Ning Yue spoke eloquently, and Qin Can was stunned – wasn’t she going to give up? As he listened, the muscles in his face gradually relaxed.
What is it called when minds think alike? This was it. What you think of, the other person has thought of too. What you want to say, before you can say it, they’ve already organized similar logic.
Qin Can relaxed into understanding, waiting for Ning Yue’s conclusion.
Ning Yue said: “Since Director Qin thinks I’m still usable, could we maybe sign an outsourcing contract, so I can continue working here?” Ning Yue smiled and added a way out for Qin Can, “Actually, I don’t mean to put Director Qin in a difficult position. Rules are rules, and if Director Qin truly thinks I’m not suitable, I won’t insist. I just really hope to keep this job, and I like our department’s work atmosphere. So I have this suggestion, hoping Director Qin can consider it.”
Qin Can thought: “No, no, no! You don’t need to give me this way out, this was exactly what I was thinking.”
As this thought arose, Qin Can suddenly awoke from their shared understanding, remembering Manager Qiu’s words, his expression growing serious again. Would someone like Ning Yue, who hadn’t worked for so long, understand what outsourcing meant?
“But do you know what outsourcing means?”
Ning Yue nodded: “I do. Simply put, it means being the person who does the work, takes the blame, and gets no benefits.”
They both laughed spontaneously after that.
Ning Yue didn’t know Qin Can’s thoughts, assuming he was still hesitating, so she continued: “I know hiring outsourced staff comes from the department’s budget. So, regarding salary, I can accept a reasonable reduction.”
“No…” Qin Can suddenly realize, “How about this – you keep working here for now. I’ll discuss the outsourcing with HR, and see how to arrange it.” He unconsciously scratched his head and sighed, “My department, especially your position, has always required strong credentials. We’ve never used outsourcing before!”
At this point, he was somewhat surprised and casually asked: “Ning Yue, did you offend someone?” After suddenly relaxing, his words weren’t fully thought through.
Ning Yue raised an eyebrow, and Qin Can coughed once but still looked directly at her.
Looking at the closed door, Qin Can let out a long sigh. Ning Yue hadn’t disappointed him! But what expectations should he have for an administrative assistant? Qin Can frowned, asking and answering himself: she should be doing better, I’m helping her!
Helping a full-time mother return to the workplace, just like years ago, if someone had helped his mother, maybe she wouldn’t have struggled so much, and wouldn’t have left so early.
Shaking his head, Qin Can didn’t want to think too much. Yet a voice in his heart kept saying: “If I don’t help her, who will? Who would help a forty-plus housewife return to work? No one would. Not even their children, their husbands, would help them.”
Qin Can open his computer, wanting to focus on work, but couldn’t shake the chaotic thoughts in his mind.
“Am I projecting? Am I letting emotions override reason? I’m not wrong, I don’t need redemption, I just… don’t want to see…”
Qin Can sighed deeply, threw his pen aside, yanked open his collar, and stood by the window, staring straight at that south wall. He wanted to stare until his eye sockets hurt like before, but couldn’t stop the surge of bitterness. When tears welled up, he could only helplessly lock his eyelids, futilely trying to hold them back. Just like the fact he refused to acknowledge, a fact that couldn’t be changed no matter how many thousand times he explained it.
Because of his accusations and choices, his mother had ended her life in utter despair.