“Someone reported that you had an outsider staying overnight in your room.”
Auntie Wang looked at Xu Yiyi and said, “Teacher Xu, you know the dormitory is provided for faculty members only. Outsiders aren’t allowed to stay overnight—that’s the school rule. When you first checked in, the staff from logistics should have emphasized this to you.”
“Auntie Wang, could you please make an exception just this once?” Xu Yiyi’s expression was pleading.
Auntie Wang looked troubled. “Teacher Xu, this isn’t up to me. I’m just a temp worker—I do whatever the leaders assign. These past years, have you ever seen me make things difficult for anyone? I always try to keep things pleasant.”
“Auntie Wang, my friend…”
Not wanting Xu Yiyi to be embarrassed, Sang Wan quickly cut her off and turned to Auntie Wang. “Auntie, I’ll leave right after dinner. I promise I won’t stay overnight.”
“That’s fine then, that’s fine… You two eat quickly; I’ll be going.” Auntie Wang nodded, and before leaving, even helped Xu Yiyi close the door.
The steaming aroma of food filled the room. Xu Yiyi’s face darkened. “It must have been Lu Jinnian!”
Everyone in this building was a female teacher at Imperial University. Forget family or close friends—even boyfriends occasionally stayed over, and no one ever said a word.
Even if someone bumped into them in the hallway, the most they’d do was tease, “So when’s the wedding? Don’t forget to hand out wedding candy then.”
Who would be so idle as to report whether someone had an overnight guest? Thinking it over, the only culprit could be that bastard Lu Jinnian.
Xu Yiyi cursed furiously.
Sang Wan felt a pang of bitterness, though her face showed none of it. She smiled, picked up the chopsticks, and handed them to Xu Yiyi. “No matter who it was, the truth is we’re in the wrong. Even if the sky falls, we should eat first. Come on, let’s eat…”
“What about you?”
“I’ll stay at a hotel tonight… Come on, don’t frown. Trust me, I’ll definitely sort this out.”
Xu Yiyi’s face drooped, as if she were the one being kicked out.
Sang Wan coaxed her for a long time before Xu Yiyi finally managed a faint smile.
The cheerful hotpot dinner ended with Sang Wan’s playful jokes and lighthearted banter.
After Xu Yiyi returned from the restroom, Sang Wan waved her phone and showed her the hotel booking page. “I’ve got an interview tomorrow, so I booked a hotel right next to the company. Saves me the rush in the morning.”
“Alright then.” Xu Yiyi nodded, hugging Sang Wan with a wave of guilt.
They finished the hotpot, washed up, and tidied away the trash. Arm in arm, the two strolled through the night breeze, walking all the way to the subway station at the campus gate. Once, she used to come and go in a luxury car. But now, Sang Wan couldn’t even bring herself to spend money on a taxi.
Just before entering the subway, Sang Wan turned, stepped in front of Xu Yiyi, and hugged her. “I know—you’ll say I’m foolish, stubborn even. But Yiyi, I don’t regret it!”
Lu Jinnian had no grounds to stand on. If she hired a lawyer, she could easily claim at least half of the houses and cars under his name, not to mention the Lu Corporation.
“But when I married him, it wasn’t for the houses or the cars.”
All she wanted was to live a good life with him, to build a small home that belonged to the two of them. Two people, three meals, four seasons. Then maybe one or two children, and a lifetime of warmth and happiness.
“Rather than wasting time dragging him through court, I’d rather end it cleanly and decisively.”
“Work hard. With my ability, I can always afford a house and a car.”
“Marriage is for living a good life—divorce even more so. Yiyi, I believe I can do it!”
Xu Yiyi was convinced.
“I believe it too!”
Taking a deep breath, Xu Yiyi hugged Sang Wan tightly and cheered her on. “Then you have to give it your all! I’m waiting for you to reach the peak of life and take me along with you. Just don’t make me wait until I’m old and gray. By then, even if you could carry me, I wouldn’t be able to fly anymore…”
“Alright, I’ll give it my all!” Sang Wan couldn’t help but laugh. It took two subway transfers before she finally reached the hotel.
Once the door closed and darkness fell, Sang Wan felt as though all her strength had been drained away. She slid slowly down against the door, collapsing onto the floor.
Arms wrapped around her knees, face buried against them, her expression was utterly desolate.
She had lied to Yiyi. There was no interview. During the week she stayed at Xu Yiyi’s dorm, she had already sent out more than a thousand résumés.
From architect and assistant architect to lowering her standards to administrative assistant or logistics assistant, she had spoken with countless HR managers.
The moment they learned she was married with a child, most rejected her outright. When they discovered she had only one year of work experience in all those years, even more dismissed her. The few remaining companies, perhaps out of respect for her status as an outstanding graduate of Imperial University, merely tossed her a perfunctory “wait for the interview notice”—and then nothing.
A week had passed, and she hadn’t received a single proper interview call. They say heaven never shuts all doors.
But for one fleeting moment, Sang Wan felt as though she was already standing at the edge of a cliff. The wind howled, and the next second a storm was about to strike. She could neither move forward nor retreat.
Ding! The job-hunting app’s special notification tone rang out.
Sang Wan froze for a moment before quickly coming back to her senses.
On her phone screen, an “Interview Notification Email” popped up. It was from a company called Huajian Architectural Design. Checking her application history, she realized she had never submitted a résumé to this firm. The company itself was unimpressive—neither its scale nor its past projects were noteworthy, and it wasn’t within her selection criteria. Only the salary stood out—absurdly high. A monthly wage of fifteen thousand, plus housing, phone, and transportation allowances.
Too good to be true.
Sang Wan never believed in windfalls, especially when one was desperate and helpless. Before she could ask anything, the HR manager seemed to notice she had already opened the email. They reached out directly: [Ms. Sang, hello. I’ve reviewed your résumé and find your background and experience very interesting. Would you be available for an interview tomorrow morning?]
Sang Wan hesitated, then asked: [May I know the job responsibilities?]
The reply came: [Administrative assistant. We’re a start-up company, and the boss himself is an architect. Since he travels frequently, he needs an assistant. The role also includes personal secretary duties.]
Frequent travel. Personal secretary.
She instantly understood the subtext. Her face hardened. She refused decisively: [No need, thank you.] She tossed the phone aside, the screen dimming into darkness.
The room sank into pitch black, and Sang Wan was swallowed by exhaustion and helplessness. Then she remembered—the hundred thousand yuan in her account remained untouched. Even if she couldn’t find work for three to five months, it was enough to keep her fed and clothed.
Her spirits lifted.
She showered and changed clothes. Opening her backpack, she discovered what Xu Yiyi had packed when she insisted on helping. Not only had she included two sets of fresh clothes, but she’d also tucked between them two boxes of face masks and several skincare products, just like what Sang Wan herself had once done for her. Her fatigue vanished instantly. With a mask on, she lay in bed chatting with Xu Yiyi, and soon drifted into sleep against the noisy backdrop of the television.
The next morning, Sang Wan was jolted awake by the shrill ringing of her phone. She picked it up and saw a familiar number flashing on the screen.
Lu Jinnian.
She hung up without hesitation.
The phone rang again.
Since the divorce wasn’t finalized, she couldn’t block or delete his number. Even if she turned off her phone, she could only avoid him for today—not tomorrow.
She answered curtly: “What do you want?”