So within a couple of days, the two of them broke up.
After things fell apart with the technician, he immediately started pursuing other female coworkers.
Only then did she realize she had encountered a scumbag.
Later, she and Lin Miaomiao became friends through their initial clashes. Whenever she met a decent guy, she would ask Lin Miaomiao to check him out.
But Lin Miaomiao never approved of any of them.
And precisely because of this, she still hadn’t found a partner.
That’s right—it wasn’t that her standards were too high; she simply didn’t want to end up with a man even her rival couldn’t stand, afraid of being laughed at.
“Yes, yes, you’re the prettiest in the whole factory.”
“Beautiful lady, are you confident about getting first place in this assessment?”
Lin Miaomiao rubbed her nose and fell silent. She had never taken this kind of assessment before. Forget first place—whether she could even pass was another matter entirely.
After thinking it over, she reluctantly said to Yu Meijing, “Meijing, if I don’t pass… I plan to work at another factory.”
Seeing Yu Meijing’s expression change, she quickly added, “But don’t worry, even if I leave, I’ll still hang out with you.”
Yu Meijing’s eyes instantly reddened. She understood the pressure Lin Miaomiao was under. Although she kept saying everything would be fine, the new factory director this year was notoriously strict. Lin Miaomiao had been studying hard these past few days, all because she had recommended her.
Originally, she had thought Lin Miaomiao had the ability and wanted to give her a hand, but she hadn’t expected her to end up under scrutiny.
If Lin Miaomiao really didn’t pass and couldn’t become an accountant, and her original position was taken over by another employee, she would have no choice but to be let go. It was all her fault, yet Lin Miaomiao didn’t blame her and was even trying to comfort her instead.
In a moment of impulse, Yu Meijing blurted out, “If you don’t pass, I won’t stay either. I’ll switch factories with you.”
Lin Miaomiao was startled. “Are you crazy?”
Yu Meijing retorted, “What’s wrong with that? With my skills, plenty of factories would want to poach me. In ancient times, top scholars brought their partners to Tsinghua; now, I, Yu Meijing, will bring my sister into the factory.”
She even rhymed it.
Lin Miaomiao was both amused and exasperated. “That won’t do. If you leave, how smug would Wang Xiulan and her crew become?”
Yu Meijing had never gotten along well with Wang Xiulan and her group; they were in constant competition.
Wang Xiulan and her clique had formed small groups to isolate her, so she absolutely despised them.
When Lin Miaomiao arrived, she finally had her own small circle. Wang Xiulan and her crew didn’t dare target her anymore, so they started targeting Lin Miaomiao instead.
How could Yu Meijing tolerate that?
Yu Meijing suddenly snapped back to reality. She had always been the one keeping Wang Xiulan and her group in check. “You’re right. I can’t resign. If I quit, next time we meet, they might be senior employees while I’m just a new hire… Who knows how much they’d mock me.”
“But you should find a job close to our factory. I’ll ask around to help you get an introduction. The textile factory next door is pretty good—it’s only a hundred meters away. Even though it’s close, you still have to promise we’ll meet once a day, have two meals together every week, and call each other once a month. That way, we’ll always be best friends.”
She actually made demands that were even more troublesome than those of a romantic partner.
Lin Miaomiao was both annoyed and amused.
“Deal. I plan to rent a place nearby. You can come over to my place every day, and I’ll cook for you.”
“Oh right, speaking of housing, I actually found one. My mom said it belongs to a relative of ours. Their whole family moved away, their son went abroad, and the house has been sitting empty, unused. It’s very spacious, but they can’t bear to let it go to waste, so they want someone to maintain it. I told my mom about your need to rent, and she called to ask. My relative said if you’re willing to help maintain the house, they won’t charge you rent.”
“Really?”
If anyone else had said this, Lin Miaomiao would have thought she was being scammed.
But since it was Yu Meijing speaking, she had no choice but to believe it.
Yu Meijing’s circumstances were excellent—she had once attended her child’s birthday party…
They had set up twenty tables just for the banquet…
“Why would I lie to you? It’s just that the house hasn’t been lived in for many years, so it’s a bit old. But compared to a Tongzilou, it’s definitely much better. You can think about it. If it doesn’t work out, then—”
“It works!”
“I’m fine with it!”
“I’m absolutely fine with it!”
Lin Miaomiao was afraid she’d say no and look elsewhere.
Was she someone who could afford to be picky and extravagant?
“Isn’t it just maintaining the house and cleaning? Don’t worry, I’m great at cleaning.”
“But how is this different from being a nanny?” Yu Meijing felt it was troublesome.
“I’m willing to be a nanny,” Lin Miaomiao said sincerely.
“Being a nanny is great. The owners work hard day and night to earn money, while I get to live in their big house for free…”
Yu Meijing: “…That does make sense.”
“Alright then, come with me later to get the keys.”
As she spoke, she also felt like she was taking advantage: “My mom said this relative hasn’t been back for seven or eight years. If they never come back, wouldn’t you be able to live there for a lifetime?”
Lin Miaomiao: “…” You’re even greedier than I am.
…
After work, Lin Miaomiao went to pick up her child first, while Yu Meijing went home to get the keys from her parents. They agreed to meet at their usual spot and then parted ways.
It was A Bao’s first day at the new kindergarten, and Lin Miaomiao was a bit worried, wanting to hurry over and check on the situation.
But she never expected to run into a familiar figure as soon as she arrived at the kindergarten entrance.
A man was holding the hand of a four- or five-year-old child, talking to the teacher about something.
Lin Miaomiao froze for a moment. As the man turned his head and spoke gently to the child, she caught a clear glimpse of his face.
It was him… Lu Yanzhou.
So his child was already that big… Her heart felt a little sour.
But at the same time, Lin Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief.
She hadn’t interfered with him and the female lead like in the novel, and they had successfully started a family. That meant she wasn’t the villainess from the novel, right?
She instinctively wanted to avoid him, but the teacher spotted her right away.
“A Bao’s mom!”
“You came at just the right time. I was just looking for you.”
Lu Yanzhou straightened up, undoing the buttons on his shirt cuff with one hand. As he lifted his eyes, he saw the woman standing stiffly behind him.
The dim evening sun fell on her, and a gentle breeze brushed through the hair on her shoulders.
Her face was pale.
Though she had lost a lot of weight, he would recognize this woman even if she turned to ashes.
Lu Yanzhou slowly undid the buttons.
His gaze didn’t waver.
The teacher, however, seemed to have found a lifeline and quickly said, “A Bao’s mom, I wanted to discuss something with you.”
Lin Miaomiao snapped out of her daze, taken aback.
“Is it about A Bao?”
The teacher glanced at Lu Yanzhou behind her and nodded hesitantly.
“It’s like this, A Bao was coughing a bit in class. I originally arranged for him to sit in the front with the child Lu Xiaoguang, but Lu Xiaoguang said A Bao was bothering him, and his parents were also worried about the child getting infected, so…”
Lu Yanzhou hadn’t expected that the child with an infectious disease mentioned by Lu Xiaoguang would actually be Lin Miaomiao’s son.
He frowned slightly.
“That Lin Ruibao is so strange, always wearing a mask. I don’t like him, I don’t want to sit with him.” Lin Miaomiao heard the child tugging at Lu Yanzhou’s hand and whining.