In the fiery red era of the heavens, refrigerators are refreshed daily.

Chapter 47. Wishful Thinking
When the sun shone brightly, Shen Meiyu was sitting on a bench at the very back, her back to the path, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she were sobbing.

Hearing footsteps, Shen Meiyu turned her head sharply.

After a week apart, she seemed to have lost some weight, and her face had lost some of its former charm, instead showing a deliberately worn-out look.

Upon seeing the bright sunlight, her eyes instantly reddened, and tiny teardrops clung to her long eyelashes, poised to fall, making her look utterly pitiful.

"Mingming..." Her voice was trembling with sobs, soft and sweet, as if filled with endless grievances, "You've finally come to see me..."

Shen Meiyu stood up, wanting to come forward, but then stopped timidly, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, looking like she had suffered a great injustice but dared not approach.

If it were the same Yang Ming from before, seeing her tearful face would have melted her heart, and she would have immediately gone up to coax her with gentle words.

Unfortunately, standing before her now is the current Yang Guangming.

"What's wrong? Tell me." Yang Guangming stopped two steps away from her, his tone flat, showing neither the joy of a long-awaited reunion nor deliberate coldness or distance, just like when he was facing an ordinary colleague who needed to resolve something.

His businesslike attitude caused Shen Meiyu's carefully prepared emotions to instantly falter.

Her prepared tears and accusations were like a punch landing on cotton.

She paused for a moment, then her tears fell even more fiercely, her voice trembling with sobs as she accused him:

"You... how can you be so cold-blooded! I waited for you for a week, and you didn't even step out of the alley."

I know you're angry with me, blaming me for calling you a liar last time... I was just anxious!

I was afraid you really wouldn't want me anymore... You have no idea how scared I was!

Shen Meiyu raised her tearful eyes, gazing at Yang Guangming with a sorrowful yet affectionate look, trying to find a trace of emotion on his face. Her expression was extremely infectious, and the way her eyes moved could easily evoke pity in those around her.

Yang Guangming remained unmoved, simply watching her performance quietly, his eyes deep and calm, as if he could see through the carefully crafted tears and discern the shrewd mind beneath her delicate appearance.

Shen Meiyu felt a little uneasy under his gaze, and her crying gradually subsided, turning into soft sobs.

She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, sniffed, and softened her voice, revealing a heartbreaking vulnerability:

“Mingming, you have no idea how I’ve gotten through this past week… They’ve been urging me every day, saying that the good spots are going to be gone and it will be too late if I don’t sign up now.”

My father said that if I didn't go, he would go to the neighborhood committee to find Officer Wang.

My mother cries every day... I'm completely helpless now, I'm truly at my wit's end..."

As Shen Meiyu spoke, tears began to fall again, her shoulders trembling slightly, perfectly portraying the image of a pitiful girl forced into a corner by her family.

This precise grasp of the situation and the ability to evoke emotions are her essential skills for survival.

"So?" Yang Guangming finally spoke, his voice still flat. "You came to me wanting me to help you get registered?"

Shen Meiyu suddenly looked up, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes, and quickly nodded:
"Hmm! Mingming, you're the smartest! You'll definitely find a way! Please help me, okay? I really don't want to suffer in the countryside..."

I know you still have feelings for me, right?

She tentatively took half a step forward, her eyes prying, trying to evoke Yang Guangming's memories of their "old love".

Yang Guangming slightly turned his body, avoiding her attempt to approach, his tone carrying a subtle hint of aloofness:

"What can I do? I'm not a street-level official. When it comes to things like registration, if they're urging you at home, you can just go find Officer Wang yourself."

"That's not how it's said!" Shen Meiyu blurted out anxiously, her voice filled with genuine worry. "Mingming, you have a job now, a cadre position at the Red Star Factory!"
How could you...how could you bear to send a young girl like me to the countryside to suffer? How could you be so heartless?"

Shen Meiyu finally revealed her true intentions, her eyes filled with urgency and a hint of desperate greed:

"You...you can let me cover your shift, okay? You're a man, you have more connections, why don't you try to find someone yourself?"

Or... or you can take over your mother's job and give me your cadre position, okay?

I promise, once I get a job at the factory, I'll work hard and I absolutely won't let you down!

She spoke faster and faster, as if grasping at the last straw, her tone carrying a hint of intimacy and exchange that she took for granted:

"I'm your boyfriend! Shouldn't you help me?"

Once I've established myself in the factory, I'll... I'll..."

Two blushes rose on her face, and she lowered her head shyly; the meaning behind it was self-evident.

Looking at her, Yang Guangming felt only absurdity and ridiculousness.

This scheme is so elaborate that it could be heard across the Suzhou River. It's amazing that she could even come up with it and have the nerve to say it out loud.

A faint smile played at the corners of his lips, devoid of anger, only displaying a calm understanding of everything.

“Comrade Shen Meiyu!” Yang Guangming deliberately used a formal address, speaking clearly, “You’ve got a few things wrong.”

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable penetrating power, instantly shattering the ambiguous atmosphere that Shen Meiyu had carefully created.

"First of all, my job at Hongxing Factory is an organization's recognition of my personal abilities and an organizational arrangement. It is not my private property, so how can I just give it up like that?"
This is a matter of principle and right!
"I just started working here, I haven't even settled in yet, and you're already thinking like this? Do you want me to die even faster?"

His gaze was sharp as a knife, staring directly at Shen Meiyu's face, which had turned deathly pale, each word striking at the heart of the matter.

"Secondly, my mother's job was earned through decades of hard work."

Whether or not to allow it, and when to allow it, is a matter for her and my father to decide.

As a junior, what right do I have to point fingers? Let alone trade away the fruits of her decades of hard work.

His tone became more forceful, carrying an undeniable authority.

"third."

Yang Guangming paused, his gaze sweeping over Shen Meiyu's face, which was slightly contorted with shock and shame. "Regarding the matter of your partner, I already made it very clear last time. Between us, it's over."

I am now a clerk at the Red Star Factory, and I must devote myself wholeheartedly to my work and contribute to the revolutionary cause. I cannot afford to be distracted.

Don't bring up "shouldn't" or "shouldn't" anymore. Helping you is a favor; not helping is my right. Nothing is taken for granted.

The words "cadre establishment" and "contribute to the revolutionary cause" struck Shen Meiyu's heart like two heavy hammer blows.

She then clearly realized that the Yang Guangming in front of her was completely different from the silly boy who used to obey her every word.

The composure and subtle aura emanating from Yang Guangming made her feel an unprecedented sense of oppression.

(End of this chapter)