I was forced to start the second round because I was raised in poverty

Chapter 228 The Truman Show

Liu Wenhua cooked a pot of noodle soup in the kitchen, and after it was done, she ladled out two bowls and brought them to the dining table.

Ye Haijun was smoking in the living room, still resentful about Ye Li's deception of him and his wife.

Where can you find a girl like this?

They clearly make a lot of money, but they tell them they only make five or six thousand.

Even a security guard can earn four or five thousand!

What's wrong?

Are you afraid they'll ask her for money?
They've worked so hard to raise Ye Li for over twenty years, what's wrong with lending her some money?
They have absolutely no sense of gratitude.

"Stop smoking, let's eat first."

Ye Haijun stubbed out his cigarette, picked up his chopsticks, and started slurping the large bowl of noodles in front of him.

After the two finished their meal...

Ye Haijun asked Liu Wenhua about her cleaning job.

“It was great. I told them I had experience in housekeeping, and the female supervisor who interviewed me offered me the job.”

Liu Wenhua wasn't interviewing for a property cleaning job, but rather for the cleaning job at the company's own office, where she would be responsible for cleaning the company premises.

But Liu Wenhua felt that this was more tiring than property cleaning, because she was in charge of the entire large apartment.

How much does she pay you per month?

"5500."

"It's not low."

"But I need to get a medical examination first and then get a health certificate."

"Have you signed the contract?"

"Not yet."

"Then don't sign it yet."

"What's wrong?"

"I feel there's something strange about this job; I wonder what kind of pitfalls are hidden inside."

Why do you say that?

Ye Haijun recounted to Liu Wenhua what the property manager had told him that day.

"Huh? Didn't we agree on 4,500 for guarding the gate?"

"He told me that the first year would be 1500, and if I worked for a full year without making any mistakes or violating their rules, I would get paid in a lump sum."

"That's not so bad, really? Consider it saving money for us?"

"What do you know? What's so great about it?" Ye Haijun retorted. "Whether I make a mistake or violate the rules is up to them."

"I'll have to be their little wife all year, afraid of them deducting this money or that money."

How do you know they might find fault with me because they don't want to pay?

"Having money in someone else's hands is like having my lifeline in their hands."

Ye Haijun saw the situation very clearly: "This job is simply impossible to do."

Liu Wenhua frowned: "I've never heard of paying salaries like this before. Does this mean we can sue them?"

"Sue what?" Ye Haijun asked, displeased. "Don't lawsuits cost money?"

"Moreover, his security guard uniform cost me 2,700 yuan, and the medical examination and certificate processing cost 1,500 yuan, which means I have to pay out of my own pocket to work."

Ye Haijun then asked about Liu Wenhua's job: "Is your company the same company our daughter works for?"

"No way, I'm not really sure either."

Liu Wenhua recalled what she saw and heard at that company; she couldn't understand what the people there were saying at all.

What kind of combination punches are these, and what's with the "granularity"? I don't know what they mean. Liu Wenhua couldn't even understand what they were doing.

"You should first ask the supervisor if this is how wages are paid. If so, you should quit and find another job. We won't work here."

Liu Wenhua is worried that it will be difficult to find work in Jingzhou.

"Don't worry about that. What Jingzhou needs most are security guards and cleaners. With my license, I'm not afraid of not finding a security guard job."

Liu Wenhua questioned, "Your certificate is over thirty years old. Who would recognize it now?"

Ye Haijun said with a sullen face, "Why wouldn't you admit it? I just took out my certificate, and that manager let me work there, okay?"

"But people nowadays prefer younger people."

"Don't worry about it."

"Okay, I'll ask again this afternoon."

“I’ll go with you this afternoon. I’ll also find out which company our daughter works for. She hasn’t been home for the past day or two, and I’m worried about her.”

"middle."

……

night.

Su Cheng brought food to Ye Li's hotel, carrying large and small bags.

In the afternoon, Qin Fen and Zhang Yangwen had already found out about Liu Wenhua.

Liu Wenhua works for a telecommunications company called Datang Telecom.

The main products are network products, such as Cat6 and Cat6e network cables, RJ45 connectors, and gigabit and 10-gigabit network ports.

However, like Ye Haijun, he hasn't signed a contract yet and hasn't been officially hired.

Su Cheng has already contacted their HR manager and is working to resolve this issue.

Instead of deceiving Liu Wenhua, Su Cheng firmly insisted that the manager fire her.

In exchange, Su Cheng promised to have the property manager give Datang Telecom a 20% discount on the property management fees at the end of the year.

This is equivalent to waiving more than two months of property management fees for them.

This is a real discount, and no one would refuse it.

The HR manager could easily use this to curry favor with the boss.

Su Cheng owed the property manager a favor.

Su Cheng had also considered what the elderly couple might want to know.

He didn't need to greet his colleagues at all.

The elderly couple could ask around.

The group has relevant regulations, and no one will leak employees' privacy.

Unless a client specifically requests to see Ye Li, the administration department will not provide assistance.

But the elderly couple looked like they weren't customers; they were looking for relatives.

After the old man caused trouble when he came to the company to see Su Cheng last time, the administration and security departments have strengthened their precautions in this regard.

Even if the elderly couple tried to force their way in, they wouldn't have a chance.

"Why did you bring me so much? I can't possibly finish it all!"

Ye Li looked at the large amount of McDonald's that Su Cheng had packed for her, which filled the entire table.

"It's okay, I haven't eaten yet. I'll finish what you can't finish." Su Cheng smiled and put the food on the table. "You eat your McFlurry first. It was just made and it'll melt soon."

"Nobody eats McFlurry first. Put it in the fridge, I'll eat it last."

"also."

Ye Li caught a glimpse of Su Cheng carrying a box when she came in.

"What's in that?"

"I brought you a little toy because I was afraid you'd be lonely."

Ye Li: ???
"Su Cheng, do you fucking want to die?"

"Ahhhhhh?" Su Cheng was startled by Ye Li. "Sister Chestnut, don't get the wrong idea. It's a real toy to relieve boredom."

"You better be."

"Eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

The two sat on the sofa in the suite, eating and chatting.

"How have you been these past few days? Haven't you gone back yet?"

"No, I don't want to see them."

Ye Li had never been home before and didn't know what had happened there, so she didn't even turn on her phone.

She's been feeling very irritable these past few days. Looking at Du Juan's case file, she can't seem to get into a deep thinking state at all, and her mind keeps wandering away without her realizing it.

Ye Li started watching movies again. Only by immersing herself in the movie plot and passively entering another state could she temporarily free herself.

But this is only temporary.

As soon as the movie ended, Ye Li would soon be overwhelmed by those intense emotions again. So Ye Li had to watch one movie after another, trying not to have any free time.

If you get tired of watching, go to sleep, and continue watching when you wake up.

Ye Li rewatched all the movies she thought were good before in the past two days.

"Let's watch this together."

Ye Li used the remote control to select a highly-rated classic movie: The Truman Show.

Su Cheng: ???
Oh my god.

Why is The Truman Show here?

Ye Li noticed Su Cheng's unusual expression: "What's wrong? Have you seen this before?"

Su Cheng wanted to say that he had not only seen it, but he was now Truman.

Ye Li assumed Su Cheng didn't like the movie, so she handed her the remote control, saying, "Or you can choose another one."

"No need, just look at this one."

"Then I'll let it go."

"Let it go."

Ye Li usually enjoys watching movies, especially those that can put you in a state of flow, prompting deep thinking and reflection on life.

She thinks "The Truman Show" is a very good movie, and she likes it very much and has watched it many times.

Ye Li has her own unique understanding of this film.

She felt that Truman was not an individual, but a type of person, a group of people.

Truman is trapped in a cognitive cage constructed by a script, secretly hypnotizing himself through his own fictional nautical log.

This is Truman's own treatment method.

She interpreted the dramatic portrayal of her father's drowning as a disciplinary ritual by the power system against those who rebelled.

When artificially created lightning appears during a rainstorm, the frenzied behavior is like that of the gravedigger in Nietzsche's writing, using extreme methods to cover up legitimacy and morality.

The characters around Truman are also terrifying; even their genuine emotions can be quantifiable performance data.

The truly terrifying thing about these characters is that they have long forgotten that they are also Truman.

In the process of playing the roles of "good friend," "good brother," and "good neighbor," they completed their self-enslavement.

It's worth noting that "The Truman Show" was made decades ago. The fact that the director and screenwriter back then had such profound insights into life is simply amazing!
Even with Su Cheng's current state of mind, watching this movie still evokes emotional fluctuations.

Su Cheng believes he is luckier than Truman.

Damn it, it seems most of the so-called business circles of this old man know how he raises his son.

The old man's small team maintains privacy and confidentiality, and does not publicly broadcast all of his videos and films.

Su Cheng believes that it is fortunate that not many people are carrying out Orpheus-style collective spying; it is only a small-scale, secretive existence.

He felt that he was even more miserable than Truman.

In her previous life, Su Cheng only learned the whole truth after her father died suddenly.

He didn't have someone like Sylvia to help him achieve the mental explosion that breaks through the symbolic order.

My father would never allow someone like Sylvia to exist.

Su Cheng now has PTSD.

Just like Truman.

Su Cheng is now frequently having flashbacks and doubts about this and that.

He was a perfectly normal person before, but now he's acting like a complete lunatic.

The McNuggets in my hand don't taste so good anymore.

After glancing at it, Su Cheng began tidying up the table.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"Okay, I'm full." Su Cheng put the trash into a bag, intending to take it out and throw it by the door for Ye Li later. "I want to go back to sleep now."

"Oh okay."

Drive slowly on the road.

Ye Li saw Su Cheng to the door, then took out a McFlurry from the refrigerator, lay on the sofa, and ate it while continuing to watch the rest of the movie.

The film has ended.

Ye Li was also tired of watching.

My body is tired, but my mind is still in a state of high excitement.

To describe it as a state of heightened excitement is not quite accurate; to be precise, it's a state of excitement combined with confusion.

They can stay excited like this forever, but they can't do some high-tech creative work that requires focused attention and energy.

They can only do simple, repetitive physical labor.

For example, cleaning the room, washing dishes, and doing laundry.

However, the hotel did not require her to clean or wash dishes.

Ye Li's eyes fell on the large box that Su Cheng had brought over.

Ye Li hesitated for a moment before opening it.

Could Su Cheng have actually sent her some lewd toys?

If so, she'll definitely give Su Cheng a good beating the next time she sees him.

The box was not sealed with tape; it was left open.

Open it and take a look.

Inside were some Gundam model toys and several puzzle sets.

"Hey? Isn't this the Gundam that Zhang Yangwen posted on his WeChat Moments?"

Could it be that Su Cheng specifically asked Zhang Yangwen for it just to cheer her up?
I want to laugh myself to death at her!

Ye Li didn't touch the Gundam model; she knew it wasn't easy to assemble.

She took out the jigsaw puzzle model from the side.

Su Cheng was worried that the different modules would get mixed up, so she thoughtfully packed them into separate bags for her.

Ye Li casually took out a bag and laid it flat on the table.

"This pattern looks like the Mona Lisa?"

The Mona Lisa is not large, consisting of only about 150 pieces, and only a quarter of it has been completed.

Ye Li spent about twenty minutes completing the remaining model.

But after finishing one puzzle, Ye Li felt it wasn't enough, so she took out another bag of puzzles.

This puzzle is larger than the Mona Lisa, with approximately 300 pieces.

Judging from the model, it looks like the movie "The Truman Show" that she and Su Cheng had just watched.

It's worth mentioning that the movie poster for "The Truman Show" features a mosaic effect, creating a thought-provoking artistic result.

Ye Li immediately became interested.

This version of the Truman Show puzzle uses a single color, making it quite challenging.

Even though a small part of the puzzle was already completed when Su Cheng delivered it, it still took her more than an hour to finish it.

After completing the puzzle and putting the last piece on, Ye Li felt an instant sense of accomplishment and pride.

There's also a jigsaw puzzle that's a movie poster for "Forrest Gump," and it's even bigger, with 600 pieces.

But with Forrest Gump already more than halfway done, Ye Li casually spent a dozen minutes piecing together this version.

"Eh?"

"Wait a moment."

Ye Li's mind seemed to be electrified for a second, as if she suddenly thought of something.

The Mona Lisa jigsaw puzzle has 150 pieces, while The Truman Show jigsaw puzzle has 300 pieces.

Even though a small part of the two puzzles had already been completed when Su Cheng delivered them, she still felt a great sense of accomplishment after finishing them.

"Forrest Gump" is different; it has 600 puzzle pieces, making it significantly more difficult.

However, this version of the puzzle was already more than half completed when Su Cheng delivered it, and Ye Li finished it in a very short time.

However, the sense of accomplishment and experience she gained was not as high as that of "Mona Lisa" and "The Truman Show".

Ye Li's discovery has an inexplicable strangeness.

She focused intently, thinking carefully.

"Since the puzzle is like this..."

"Could the case of Du Juan be handled in the same way?"

(End of this chapter)