Lin Sui really adored this uncle of hers. “Thank you, Uncle! If I ever strike it rich later, I’ll look out for you.”
Liang Junsheng laughed heartily. “Hahaha, that’s a promise!”
“Even a job as a ticket seller isn’t something to look down on. Do it well!”
“Got it, got it.” But if Lin Sui knew what lay ahead, she probably wouldn’t have agreed so readily.
That evening, she didn’t stay overnight at her uncle’s place. Instead, she headed to where Luo Feifei lived—on the second floor of a local family’s home. Though it was a rental, Feifei had kept it neat and cozy.
“Come on, let’s start this intensive training. This is your chance to change your fate.”
Luo Feifei was a smart girl, so she seized the opportunity with both hands. She studied earnestly and tirelessly, going on until past eleven o’clock at night.
Her admiration for Lin Sui flowed like a surging river. “How do you know so much?”
“You worked in a shoe factory in Shenzhen, remember? Do you think I mentioned that just in passing?” Lin Sui asked. “Got all that?”
Everything she taught was practical, actionable knowledge—things that would cost you ten or twenty thousand yuan to learn in the future.
Luo Feifei jotted down notes quickly. “Give me a moment to review this again.”
Seeing her like this, Lin Sui felt the kind of quiet pride one feels watching a young girl blossom into maturity.
In her past life, Luo Feifei had been deceived by her boyfriend. The man was already married, yet lied and said he was single. Later, his wife publicly humiliated her by tearing off her skirt in front of everyone. Faced with widespread condemnation, Luo Feifei tried to drown herself in a river.
She survived, but afterward lived like a walking corpse. It was only when Lin Sui became successful and gave her a job in her factory that Feifei slowly began to recover.
Back then, Lin Sui had been too busy dating Gu Shaonan and had neglected her friend. In this life, she hoped to make up for that regret.
If she remembered correctly, Feifei was already seeing that man now.
Sure enough, Luo Feifei’s face lit up with a sweet smile. “Heh, when Weiqiang sees how motivated I am, he’ll be so surprised!”
Her boyfriend came from a well-off family, and she constantly worried that his mother would look down on her. If she could eventually help set up a shoe factory, things would be completely different.
This made her study even harder. Lin Sui didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm—having a stable, good job would make it much easier for her to get through the heartbreak ahead.
“You two… haven’t gotten too serious yet, right?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean.”
“What?”
When Luo Feifei finally caught on, her cheeks flushed red. She playfully swatted Lin Sui’s arm. “Oh, stop it! Of course not!”
Lin Sui felt a little more at ease. “Once you pass the interview, bring him out to treat us to a meal. As your teacher, I’ll make sure to give that scoundrel a piece of my mind.”
That night, Lin Sui didn’t sleep well. She tossed and turned, wondering if she should tell Gu Shaonan that she, too, had been reborn.
But would he really not have suspected anything at all? After all, they had lived together for decades in their past life.
Perhaps it wasn’t that he hadn’t suspected—maybe he just refused to admit it. He probably thought that if he didn’t bring it up, he could pretend nothing had changed.
So even if she told him, what good would it do? You can’t wake someone who’s pretending to be asleep. It would only make her look more ridiculous.
Her mind was made up when she arrived outside the factory manager’s office and saw Gu Shaonan standing there with Chen Qinghe’s younger brother. She decided to say nothing for now. She would lie low, grow stronger quietly, and make sure Gu Shaonan returned everything he had taken from her in their previous life.
Take this very position, for example. In the past, she had listened to his advice and given up competing for it so she could focus on her family. Meanwhile, this good-for-nothing Chen Bin had somehow passed the interview—undoubtedly thanks to her uncle’s help.
Back then, she had asked her uncle to keep an eye out for work for a relative. Her uncle had then recommended Chen Bin to Factory Manager Yang.
Surely Gu Shaonan hadn’t forgotten that? This time, she would pull that string away and see if Chen Bin could get the job on his own merit.
Gu Shaonan spotted her and raised his eyebrows slightly. “Comrade Lin, what are you doing here?”
Lin Sui smiled brightly. “I’m here to accompany a good friend for her interview. What a coincidence—you’re here for interviews too?”
“Luo Feifei? What qualifications does she have?”
“Actually, the manager mentioned last time that they needed someone to follow up on orders. Since I’ve already secured my own position, I encouraged my friend to give it a try,” Lin Sui replied.
Gu Shaonan felt a flicker of surprise, but quickly rationalized it. In their past life, Lin Sui had taken his advice and accepted the ticket seller role, while Chen Bin’s brother had gotten the order coordinator job. But since events were unfolding differently this time, things were bound to change—that was the butterfly effect, wasn’t it?
Still, he knew Luo Feifei well. She was the type who let her heart rule her head—hardly a threat.
He turned back to Chen Bin. “Did you remember everything I told you just now?”
To be safe, he repeated himself. But Chen Bin was the type who heard things with one ear and let them out the other. Worse, he’d stayed out late drinking beer with friends the night before and hadn’t slept much. He yawned and mumbled, “Got it, brother-in-law.”
Gu Shaonan frowned. “Pull yourself together once you go in.”
At least he had already spoken to Factory Manager Yang beforehand. The manager had always thought highly of him, so he was sure the favor would be honored.
There were four candidates interviewing that day. Lin Sui glanced at the other two—one man and one woman—but neither looked as presentable as Luo Feifei. That alone gave Lin Sui confidence. After all, what company didn’t prefer employees who looked neat and approachable?
As for Chen Bin, this interview would probably turn out very differently from the last time.
Luo Feifei grew nervous as her turn approached. Lin Sui whispered, “Just treat the interviewers like customers coming in for a haircut. Relax and be yourself.”
Feifei laughed, and the two girls’ bright smiles lit up the whole hallway.
Seeing Lin Sui looking so vibrant and full of life suddenly brought back all the memories Gu Shaonan thought time had blurred. His heart swelled with mixed feelings, and he quickly averted his gaze.
Chen Bin went in second and came out only a short while later.
Gu Shaonan hurried over. “How did it go?”
“Uh… it went okay, I guess,” Chen Bin lied, not daring to admit the truth.
A bad feeling settled in Gu Shaonan’s chest. He told himself he could smooth things over later—it shouldn’t be too difficult.
But he didn’t leave immediately. When Luo Feifei went in last and stayed far longer than expected, and he even heard Factory Manager Yang’s hearty laughter from inside, his confidence suddenly crumbled.
Half an hour later, Luo Feifei finally walked out. The manager, looking pleased, even escorted her personally to the door, still smiling broadly—though no one knew what had amused him so much.
“Come in for work next Monday,” he said.
“What?!”
Gu Shaonan and Chen Bin both stared in shock. “Brother-in-law, didn’t you say this job was mine?” Chen Bin blurted out in panic.
The smile on Factory Manager Yang’s face froze. “What do you mean? Is this factory owned by your brother-in-law or something?”
He shot Gu Shaonan a sharp, displeased look. He had only agreed to give the young man an interview chance—not to guarantee him the position! Besides, there were other candidates present. This outburst made it look as if he had accepted bribes and rigged the results.
Gu Shaonan’s face turned stiff. He had only told Chen Bin the job was his to boost his confidence—he never imagined the fool would say it out loud. And to make matters worse, Chen Bin just kept digging his own grave.
“Is it because she’s prettier that you’re playing favorites?”
That remark made Factory Manager Yang’s eyes widen in anger. “Now you listen here! Out of all four candidates, Comrade Luo Feifei was clearly the most capable. Besides me, the heads of the Sales and Human Resources departments were also in there. Are you questioning our professional judgment and fairness?”
Just then, the Sales Director and Head of HR stepped out of the room.
Gu Shaonan froze completely. In their past life, only the manager had conducted the interview—so why were both department heads present this time?