My Terrible Life in Those Years

I went back to my room to rest after she had calmed down and fallen asleep.

Thinking about what she just said to me in her complicated state of mind, I felt awkward.

I do think she made herself look somewhat lowly!

Can the magic of love really make a person lose themselves?

I immediately recalled Wan Ning's attitude when she heard me say I liked her, and my heart started to race and my body felt a little hot!

My mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts: What exactly did that expression of hers mean?

I drifted off to sleep.

I ran downstairs early in the morning to buy Du Yan some porridge and eggs. When I knocked on the door and went in, she was already up.

She had just finished taking her medicine and was doing her makeup in front of a mirror on the only high stool.

Looking at her slightly pale face in the mirror, she didn't know what to say.

"I've bought breakfast for you. Eat it later, take your medicine, and then get some rest. I have to go to work during the day."

She smiled at me from her reflection in the mirror.

"Thank you, Jiang Ning. I'm going to work after I finish breakfast!"

I exclaimed, "Oh! Your body..."

She turned her head: "We can't take leave. If we do, we'll lose three days' pay! I took my medicine and slept a bit, and I feel much better. I can manage!"

"So what if they deduct three days? Is your health worth less than anything else?"

"No, if I don't go, I won't see him today!" she blurted out.

I...you're really going to stick to this stubbornly to the end! I'm completely speechless! I never expected you to be this obstinate!

I quickly pulled out a hundred dollars from my pocket and placed it on her table.

"This is the money you borrowed from me yesterday. My company gave me some money yesterday, so I'm paying you back now. Take good care of yourself!" After paying me back, I planned to go downstairs to work.

"Jiang Ning, will you still consider me a friend?" When she looked at me, I saw the stubbornness and pride in her eyes, but also a certain inferiority and depression.

I smiled and said, "Have you ever heard the saying, 'A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative'? We're not only friends, we're neighbors too!"

Du Yan finally smiled at me.

On my way to work, I couldn't quite come back to my senses.

I don't know how to describe Du Yan; I can't find a single word.

I am completely unable to empathize with Wan Ning's emotions as I would with her, because her thoughts and actions are currently beyond my understanding and acceptance.

So I gave up on describing it, because I want to listen to Wan Ning, work hard at the company to achieve results, stay at the company, make money, and live a good life!

As soon as I got back to the company, Xiao Zhou Tong stopped me.

She took out two red envelopes, one thick and one thin, from the bottom of her bag and handed them to me.

I laughed: "Didn't you say you were saving it for meals?"

Zhou Tong rolled her eyes: "If you're going to treat me to a meal, you have to pay in person to show you're sincere! There are two in total, so keep them safe. You have to treat me to lunch! At least a plate of dumplings, right?"

I smiled and accepted the red envelope. It contained a plate of dumplings, which wasn't expensive, only twelve yuan.

She knows my situation, and her interactions with me are mostly playful and lighthearted; she wouldn't deliberately try to take advantage of me!

Liu and Yi, who were standing next to me, also joined in the commotion, so I had to say we should order two more plates!

They barely managed to escape from the administrative office area!

I had just returned to the office and hadn't even sat down to catch my breath when Aunt Shu called me into the office.

I was shocked. What's going on today? Aunt Shu actually came so early?

I know her habits; she doesn't arrive at the office until at least 9:30.

Before she could speak, I stood in front of her large desk and handed her the two red envelopes.

"This is a red envelope they gave out yesterday when I went to the event. I'm handing it over to you!"

I know that what she said to me yesterday was to tell me to pay 100% attention to these situations and details.

I can't let this little thing ruin my chances. Besides, everyone in the entire sales department thinks I'm really Aunt Shu's informant, that I'm on her side. Even if I'm not, I can't make a mistake that could be wrong!

She looked at me directly for at least ten seconds.

He glanced at the red envelopes on the table, his expression turning somewhat strange.

"What's wrong, Manager Shu? I've handed everything over to you. I remembered everything you said yesterday. That doesn't count as making a mistake, does it? I haven't tarnished your reputation, have I?"

I was extremely surprised. What did she mean by glaring at me like that?

"Anything else?" Her tone was a little cold, and when she asked me, I felt even colder. What did she mean? Did she think there were more than just these two red envelopes? Were there more? Had I hidden them and not handed them in?

"It's all here. This thin one was given by the outsourcing company, and this thick one was given by the village committee. I didn't dare take it yesterday, afraid I wouldn't be able to explain it, so I asked Zhou Tong to take it home. She just gave it to me, and I handed it in immediately. There definitely aren't any other extra red envelopes!"

"How much money is inside?"

She was still staring at me without blinking.

I frankly admitted, "I really don't know. I just received it and haven't even opened it yet!"

"You don't believe me? Why don't I call Zhou Tong over to confront me?" I was getting a little angry.

If you don't believe this, then what's the point of me doing this?

A smile suddenly spread across her face.

"I just want to see if you've remembered everything I said."

Then, he pushed two red envelopes toward me, pushed them halfway, took them back, and opened them.

"Not bad, one costs three hundred and the other six hundred. Together, that's enough for you to eat for a month!"

Huh? What does that mean?

"Keep it. This kind of unspoken rule doesn't fall under what I told you yesterday about not being able to accept or take. It's called a 'service fee,' or 'tea money.' From now on, you don't need to report this to me; you can accept it!"

Aunt Shu looked at my expression with amusement.

I suddenly realized that she wanted to see my expression so early in the morning, right?

Watching me tumble around in her palm, and then she flips me over whenever she wants?

I didn't stand on ceremony and put both red envelopes into my pocket.

"What were your specific takeaways from your first day on the construction site?"

This is a serious discussion about work; I've thought about it for a while.

"I don't really understand it, and I'm not very familiar with it. Zhou Tong told me some things about it. I have a general understanding of the surface level!"

"Tell me specifically what you've learned?"

She stared intently at me.

I told her everything I had done yesterday afternoon, from beginning to end, without missing a single word.

I have no idea what Manager Wu was talking about inside.

"The basic survey data is already with Cheng Juan. She said she'd let me know when it's ready to pick it up. Judging by her efficiency, she should let me know soon. Should I give it to you directly, or to Manager Wu?"

"What do you think? Who should it be given to?"

This time, she didn't stare at me; instead, she glanced sideways at a photograph on the desk.

That's a photo of her and a man.

It seemed like they were eating in a very tall revolving restaurant, with the brightly lit night view of Guangzhou behind them. They were embracing each other, smiling broadly, which made me unable to imagine how they could have argued so much on the phone that day!

After thinking about it for a moment, I realized that she was testing me by using various problems that arose at work. If I wasn't careful, she would definitely criticize me.

She's always wanted to get revenge for using me as a pillow. I know that perfectly well!

"I'll hand the data over to Manager Wu once I get it. But before that, I'll call you to give you a briefing."

I think this approach is quite appropriate, right?

I finished the work and didn't forget to report to her, so it's a win-win situation, right?

To my surprise, her face immediately fell.

He looked at me with a cold expression.

I was baffled: "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong? Or is there something wrong with what I did?"

"Take out those two red envelopes!"

I was puzzled for a moment, then took out the red envelope that I hadn't warmed up yet. She took the red envelope with three hundred yuan in it and placed it in front of her.

"This is your punishment for making a mistake in the work process. Here's three hundred; you can take it back when you've done something good!"

I'm not convinced.

"What did I do wrong? Do you expect me to retrieve the data and hand it over to you immediately?"

"You're not convinced?"

Of course I'm not convinced!

"First, I'm not your direct supervisor on this project, so you don't need to report everything to me immediately. Second, once you have the data, just hand it over to Manager Wu; you don't need to report to me beforehand. He will report to me!"

I opened my mouth wide. "Then what you said yesterday contradicts what you're saying now?"

What are you trying to do? Are you settling a personal score?