Ding Yawen patted Lu Jiaping’s shoulder. “Life isn’t always so black and white when it comes to right and wrong, but think carefully about what your original intention was.”
Lu Jiaping checked the time—it was almost ten o’clock. She quickly called Jiang Cheng. “Jiang Cheng, Yuxin has an online Chinese class at ten this morning. Remember to turn on her tablet for her and make sure she attends properly.”
Ding Yawen sighed helplessly, stood up, and said, “Let’s go. It’s ten o’clock—we should go shopping and then find a place for a nice meal.”
Lu Jiaping hurriedly replied, “No need. I’ll cook later. I’ve simmered some soup and bought delicious ingredients. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
“I won’t be satisfied!” Ding Yawen pulled Lu Jiaping up. “It’s rare that I have a day off today, and I want you to take a proper break too. No cooking—I’m going out for a nice meal with my son. Are you coming or not?”
Lu Jiaping laughed. “Using the emperor to command the vassals, are you? With my son kidnapped, how could I not go?”
But the house was still a mess, and Lu Jiaping frowned as she looked back.
Ding Yawen patted her shoulder again. “Alright, alright. If you keep this up, I’ll hire a housekeeper for you.”
The two of them took the child downstairs. Lu Jiaping’s home wasn’t far from the mall, but walking would take nearly half an hour.
“Let’s walk. Parking at the mall is expensive, and if we park again when we come back, the residential area will charge us another fee.”
Ding Yawen pulled her toward the underground garage. “Forget it. Making me walk for half an hour is worse than killing me. I drive everywhere I go.”
Lu Jiaping grumbled, “You usually spend one or two hours working out at the gym. Isn’t that the same thing?”
“Now I understand why your back hurts. Yucheng is over four years old, and you still spoil him by carrying him. Such a heavy child, and you won’t even take a taxi for such a long distance. Who else would be in pain if not you?”
Ding Yawen drove to the mall, took Jiang Yuchen to the children’s area to play in the playground, and the two of them sat outside to continue their conversation.
“I’m actually really annoyed. Didn’t I tell you before that I wanted to transfer to a different position?”
Lu Jiaping nodded. “Yes, I remember. It’s about time you transferred to something easier, even if the pay might be a bit less. By the way, didn’t your director say he’d arrange a permanent position for you? Once you have that, it’ll be an iron rice bowl.”
Ding Yawen rested her chin on her hand, looking unhappy. “Forget it. I want to be a host, but he wants me to be a director—and a deputy director with no real authority at that. Old Liu is so old-fashioned. He probably thinks, ‘Oh, you’re a girl who’s not married at this age—has work held you back? Then I’ll transfer you to an easier department.'”
“You, you… Your director treats you well. You’re judging a gentleman’s heart by your own mean measure,” Lu Jiaping said seriously. “You’ve worked under him for so many years—you know what he’s like. If he wanted to mess with you, he wouldn’t have waited until today, right? To be honest, if he weren’t genuinely looking out for you, why would he send you away when he has such a hardworking and capable subordinate like you in the department?”
Ding Yawen spread her hands helplessly. “I understand the logic, but emotionally, I can’t accept it. My goals have always been very clear—I want to be a host. He knows that, yet he arranged things this way. I’m angry, really angry.”
Lu Jiaping tentatively asked, “Maybe he arranged it this way because he couldn’t make it happen?”
Ding Yawen paused.
Lu Jiaping said, “He’s just the director of your department. He can only suggest candidates for the host position, not make the final decision. Maybe he lacks the ability, so he settled for the second-best option.”
“I didn’t expect him to guarantee success, but he could at least recommend me.”
“How do you know he didn’t recommend you? Maybe he did, and it just didn’t work out.”
Ding Yawen fell silent. It was true that Director Liu had always been kind to her, but in this matter, he clearly hadn’t put in much effort. If he had, why would the higher-ups not even accept her resume? In the end, she still had to rely on herself.
Knowing her friend was struggling to accept this, Lu Jiaping changed the subject. “Besides, between you and Jianhui—your campus romance—I’ve seen it clearly. Yawen, if I’m being honest, your thirteen-year relationship isn’t fake. The irresponsible one here is you, not him.”
Ding Yawen turned her face away. “You didn’t see how he and his mother talked about me.”
“I didn’t see it, but I can imagine,” Lu Jiaping said calmly. “They said you prioritize work over family, that you keep delaying marriage year after year, wasting Huang Jianhui’s youth.”
“Worse than that.”
The words she had seen felt like needles piercing her heart. She had weathered storms in her career and didn’t care much about others’ opinions. But Huang Jianhui was different, and so was his mother. In her eyes, they were family and loved ones. How could they say such things about her?
“His mother said I can’t have children.”
Lu Jiaping looked at her calmly. “Do you want to cry? If you do, go ahead.”
Ding Yawen let out a laugh, tears welling up in her eyes before she swallowed them back. She wasn’t used to showing her emotions in front of others, except those closest to her. The mall was bustling with parents bringing their children to play, and she didn’t want anyone to see her lose composure, even strangers.
Seeing her regain her composure, Lu Jiaping asked, “Do you think your mother-in-law is wrong?”
“I…”
“For a sixty-year-old woman, you’re already thirty-three, which in your hometown’s reckoning is thirty-five.” Lu Jiaping took her hand, her tone gentle but firm. “Getting married and having children at thirty is already considered late, let alone dragging it out until you’re almost forty. Your hometown isn’t Shanghai. Even being a little older invites discrimination.”
Ding Yawen looked up. “So women must marry and have children? Must they depend on men?”
Lu Jiaping shook her head. “Not at all. I believe women can be independent, whether they marry or not. Between you and Jianhui, it’s clear you’re the stronger one, and he relies on you more. But Yawen, it’s precisely because of his dependence on you that you feel you can take him for granted.”
“That’s not true.”
Lu Jiaping elaborated further. “If your mother said Huang Jianhui doesn’t earn money or strive for success, and Jianhui got very upset after hearing it, what would you think?”
Ding Yawen answered without hesitation. “He really doesn’t earn much or show ambition. That’s the truth. I haven’t made things difficult for him, so why can’t she say a few words? Besides, it was my mother who said it, not me.”
Lu Jiaping spread her hands. “Exactly. Put yourself in his shoes. Why is it that when your mother-in-law states the facts—and she didn’t even say it to your face—you assume she came all the way here to pick on you because she was provoked back home? It wasn’t Jianhui who said it, so why are you taking it out on him?”
Ding Yawen was momentarily speechless. She choked back a bit before whispering, “Well… my mother-in-law didn’t tell me any of this. She… sent messages to Jianhui, and I saw their chat history.”