Two hundred extra per month?
Zhang Fan laughed.
If it were before today, she might have swallowed her pride for that two hundred.
Two hundred—she could buy better sanitary pads, eat meat a couple more times, or even save up for a few months to swap for a better second-hand phone.
But now, she just wanted to scoff.
She had been afraid of being chased and beaten by her parents, afraid of losing her pension, her social security, of having no one to rely on in old age.
Like a machine, she had lived for forty years without even once being in love.
Afraid of being disliked, afraid of being abandoned.
But now, whether there was money in her account or not, she was done living like this.
Without the “God-Level Subsidy System,” she would take the compensation she deserved, find a place where no one knew her, and start a simple life.
If this “God-Level Subsidy System” was real, then why would she bother with romance?
Her boyfriend could stay twenty-five forever!
Everything she had ever dreamed of but never dared to hope for—she was going to try it all!
“Sorry, Boss Huang!”
Zhang Fan smiled slightly, confident but not showy: “You just told me to get lost, so I got lost. Now I can’t get back!
You’d better call finance, or else at the labor arbitration, I’ll have to add personal insult and destruction of private property!”
She waved her cracked-screen phone in front of Huang Daren.
“I’m going to fix my phone. I hope by the time I’m back, finance has settled the accounts!”
Before the other party could react, she had already strode away, carefree. Behind her, Huang Daren roared like a lion, berating everyone in the office.
Once outside the company, her heart began to race, and the hand holding her phone trembled slightly.
She hoped it wasn’t an illusion, hoped everything was real!
From activating the System to now, about twenty-five minutes had passed, which meant her account should have an extra one thousand five hundred yuan.
She went straight to the bank and handed over her ID card: “My phone was just snatched!”
As she spoke, she showed the bank teller her cracked-screen phone: “Please help me check if there’s anything unusual with my electronic account?”
The teller glanced at her through the glass, casually took her ID, and clacked away at the keyboard:
“Your account balance is three thousand three hundred twenty-six yuan and seventy-eight cents. One second ago, one yuan came in, no outgoing transactions!”
The impatient voice came through the microphone into the lobby, causing the people queuing nearby to glance over.
She tossed the ID card into the pickup slot and pressed the button for the next number.
Before Zhang Fan could fully stand up, a man pulled the chair she was sitting on under his own butt and muttered:
“Just a few thousand, and you’re afraid someone will rob you!”
Zhang Fan glanced at the man, but her mood was surprisingly good.
Because it was almost the end of the month, her account should have only two hundred yuan left!
That meant during the time she took a number and waited in line, her account had grown by another one thousand five or six hundred.
The money was real, it had gone through the bank’s system, no alarms, no anomalies—so the money was safe too!
She curved her lips into a smile, sat on the flowerbed outside the bank for a while longer, and seeing that there was still an hour before the company got off work, she finally got up and went back.
Knocking on the door of the finance office, she froze on the spot.
Inside were not only the company’s accountant, but also her parents!
“Fanfan, where the hell have you been? Why are you so late?” Her mother reached out and yanked her inside, then commanded:
“Sign it quickly! Once we get the money, we need to hurry back and make dinner for your brother!”
There was no room for negotiation—her father had already stuffed the money into his own bag and was ready to leave.
“You ungrateful girl! Quitting your job—such a big deal—and it was Mr. Huang himself who had to tell us about it! You really don’t know what’s good for you!”
Her father jabbed his finger hard into her forehead, grinding his teeth: “Don’t you dare come back until you’ve found a new job. I can’t afford to lose face over this!”
At that moment, Zhang Fan felt as if the finger wasn’t poking her forehead, but piercing straight through her heart.
It hurt!
She took a deep breath, forced a smile, and looked at the accountant: “Cashier Wu, I haven’t signed yet, and you’ve already handed my compensation to someone else. That’s clearly a violation of procedure, isn’t it?”
“This is a family matter—don’t drag it into the company, thank you!” Cashier Wu said coldly, sliding the document in front of her and tapping the signature line with her finger:
“Your parents have already counted the amount six times. Please sign.”
She spoke with complete self-righteousness, as if Zhang Fan were the unreasonable troublemaker.
“I won’t sign, and I haven’t taken the money!”
Zhang Fan pushed the document back: “Give me my money, or I’ll file for labor arbitration and demand enforcement!”
“Zhang Fan, this is a family matter between you and your parents. Why are you making things difficult for me?”
Cashier Wu sneered: “The money is right there in your parents’ hands. If they took it, doesn’t that mean you took it?
Just sign it—your aunt and uncle are getting impatient!”
Could she sign? No, she couldn’t!
Over three hundred thousand—this wasn’t just money; it was her youth!
Even if she were worth a hundred million now, she could spend this money, donate it, give it away—but it could never be taken from her by anyone!
“According to the law, this is my personal compensation. You cannot hand it over to anyone else!”
Zhang Fan stood her ground, her expression calm and steady: “Please give the money directly to me, or I refuse to sign!”
“Zhang Fan, what do you mean by this?”
Her father grabbed her arm and spun her around, spittle flying onto her face:
“What, we gave birth to you, raised you—and we’re not worthy of holding this little bit of money for you?”
Zhang Fan turned her face away, silent.
“Fine, you ungrateful brat! Are you signing or not?” Her father raised his hand, ready to strike, but Cashier Wu stopped him.
“Hey now, you’re all family—what’s this about?” She winked at Zhang Fan’s father, took the bag of money, and shoved it into Zhang Fan’s hands:
“There, now the money’s in your hands, and the cameras have recorded everything. Can you sign now?”
Zhang Fan hesitated, but with the money in her hands, she had no reason left to refuse signing.
The outcome had been predictable all along—Huang Daren had pulled one over on her again at the last moment, and she couldn’t even change a thing.
If her parents resorted to crying, screaming, and threatening suicide again, could she really refuse to give them a single cent?
Enough. Everything had to come to an end eventually.
She picked up the pen and signed her name on the document.
The moment she finished the last stroke, a stinging slap landed on her face.
“Smack!”
The sharp sound echoed through the entire accounting office, and through the surveillance feed, it reached the ears of Huang Daren watching from his screen.
He blew on his hot tea, smiling with pure delight.
At that slap, something inside Zhang Fan shattered completely.
She shoved her father aside as he grabbed for the money bag, clutching it protectively to her chest.
That slap made her understand—they didn’t deserve it!
Even giving them a single cent would be degrading herself!
“From now on, you are you, and I am me!” She held back her tears, her voice resolute:
“With this slap, we are completely severed! If you want alimony, take me to court!
Whatever the court orders, I’ll pay. Not a cent more will I give you!”
She raised her hand, pointing at her parents who still wanted to hit her: “If you dare try to snatch anything, I’ll call the police immediately. Our family will make the social news again—then let’s see who would still dare marry your son?”