Lin Yue had originally planned to search for a new place while working, viewing apartments during her breaks after work.
But little did she know, the very next day after work, all her belongings had been packed and piled by the entrance.
Having just settled in, she didn’t own much—mostly clothes. Staring at the two oversized boxes by the door, she felt a wave of frustration she could hardly bear.
Qing Jing stood over her, looking down coldly, and said, “I hired someone to pack your things—they wore gloves. The penalty for breaking the lease is here, along with three months’ deposit.”
Lin Yue glanced at the envelope of cash on the entryway cabinet and said, “Where am I supposed to find a place to stay at this hour?”
“Not my problem.”
Lin Yue pressed her lips together tightly, standing there for a long moment before finally taking the money from the envelope.
She walked past Qing Jing without another word and went into the room to check. Sure enough, everything that needed to be packed had been. Trying to keep her composure, she left.
There were no elevators in their complex, so Lin Yue struggled to carry the boxes down to the first floor.
Evening was setting in, and the complex had few working streetlights.
Exhausted from a long day and hungry, Lin Yue tried to wheel the boxes along, but the uneven pavement kept catching the wheels, nearly tripping her.
Left with no choice, she picked up a box in each hand and trudged forward, but it was too much. She had to stop after just a few steps.
Catching her breath briefly, she continued on.
The boxes were heavy, especially the larger one. The moment her grip slipped, it dropped abruptly, its wheels scraping against a raised stone on the ground.
Lin Yue gasped, caught off guard as the box pulled her down. A sharp, stinging pain shot through her nerves.
She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the boxes, and sat on the curb. Pulling out her phone for light, she saw the skin above her left elbow was scraped, dotted with tiny beads of blood.
Staring at the fallen boxes, her eyes glistened with stubborn tears.
But no matter how hard she tried to hold back, the tears broke free, falling like scattered pearls, one after another, onto the back of her hand.
“What’s the big deal… sob… I’m not crying because I’m mad… sob… I’m crying because it hurts… sob…”
“What kind of person… damn it… sob…”
“Hotels are so expensive… I… sob… I don’t have the money… and cheap inns are so dirty… sob…”
Lin Yue sat there, sobbing until she began to calm down, though her breath still hitched even after the tears had dried.
She got up and continued pulling her boxes toward the exit. The shared apartment had belonged to Qing Jing’s aunt’s mother-in-law—they were relatives. Since the compensation had been paid properly, Lin Yue had no choice but to leave. After all, she still had work the next day.
If it had been any other landlord, she wouldn’t have let it go so easily.
Because the area was far from the city center, most of the nearby inns were old and run-down. Though not severely germ-phobic, she still couldn’t bring herself to stay in one.
Lin Yue had faced tough situations before, but never one this disheartening. Scrolling through her contacts, she considered Qin Yan—no, that wouldn’t work. Neither would this person or that one.
By the time she reached the end of her list, she felt like crying all over again.
In that moment, surrounded by the vastness of the city, a deep sense of loneliness filled her heart.
Fifty thousand yuan – when would she ever be able to buy a home of her own in this city, a place where no one could drive her out?
As she flipped to the end, the contact name “Assistant Zhou” caught her eye, and Lin Yue couldn’t help but think of Wei Jia again. But she didn’t have Wei Jia’s contact information. Since Wei Jia handled administrative matters, she should know about the company’s employee apartments, right?
After some thought, Lin Yue decided to ask about the company dormitory.
A phone ringtone echoed in a private room of a club in City C. Zhou Yun Ce took out his phone, a sly smirk lifting the corners of his eyes.
He Yuan set down his glass. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Zhou Yun Ce grinned and turned his phone screen around. He Yuan froze when he saw “Secretary Lin” displayed on it.
Zhong Mu and Guan Zeqing, friends of He Yuan and Zhou Yun Ce since childhood, leaned in curiously.
“Secretary Lin?” Guan Zeqing glanced at Zhou Yun Ce. “Who’s that?”
Zhou Yun Ce said, “Ask Old He.”
He Yuan kicked Zhou Yun Ce in the shin. “Answer the call.”
Embracing the spirit of “sharing joy is better than enjoying it alone,” Zhou Yun Ce kindly answered the call and put it on speaker.
“Hello, Secretary Lin.”
Hearing the call connect, Lin Yue felt a surge of relief. “Hello, Assistant Zhou. Sorry to bother you after work hours.”
“No problem. What can I do for you?”
Lin Yue said, “I just wanted to ask about the company dormitory. Do you have Vice President Wei’s contact information?”
Zhou Yun Ce and He Yuan exchanged a glance. “Why are you asking about this now? Is everything okay? Do you need help?”
“I’m fine.”
As soon as Lin Yue finished speaking, she suddenly let out a few uncontrollable sobs. Anyone with half a brain could tell these were the nervous tremors brought on by heightened emotions and hormonal surges while crying.
Zhou Yun Ce paused, glancing at He Yuan’s furrowed brow, and probed, “Secretary Lin, are you crying?”
“No,” Lin Yue quickly denied. “I just watched a touching movie and got a bit emotional.”
Zhou Yun Ce let out a meaningful “Oh.” “Alright then, I’ll send you Vice President Wei’s contact info right away.”
After hanging up, Zhou Yun Ce looked at He Yuan. “From the sound of it, did she get kicked out by her landlord?”
He Yuan remained silent for a moment, then suddenly grabbed his suit jacket from nearby and stood up. He patted Zhou Yun Ce’s shoulder and said, “Hold off on sending the contact info for now. You guys carry on, I’m heading out first.”
“Damn,” Zhong Mu, who had been quiet until now, watched He Yuan’s retreating back. “What’s the deal between Old He and this secretary? Why’s he in such a hurry?”
“Right? While listening to the call just now, he was stretching his neck out like a giraffe,” Guan Zeqing chimed in, eager for gossip. “Spill it—who is she? Don’t keep me in suspense.”
Zhou Yun Ce clicked his tongue twice. “How to put it? It’s probably something like, ‘The one I fell for at first sight turned out to be my secretary?'”
“Love at first sight?” Guan Zeqing sounded surprised. “But he’s the last person to believe in that sort of thing.”
Zhong Mu chuckled. “Guess it’s one of those ‘it worked on you’ moments.”
“Let’s make a bet,” Guan Zeqing said. “Old He is a man of action. Let’s bet on how long it’ll take him to win over this secretary. What do you say?”
Zhou Yun Ce: “Come on, I’ll start with 100 yuan—six months.”
Zhong Mu: “Deal. I’ll bet 100 yuan on one year.”
Guan Zeqing: “Knowing Old He, it shouldn’t take half a year. So… three months.”
Zhou Yun Ce: “Don’t forget Secretary Lin is still an unpredictable variable? Liking someone doesn’t guarantee you can pursue them successfully.”
Zhong Mu nodded; it made perfect sense.