Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 159, Section 157: The Last Straw That Broke Through Humanity

"cheers!"

"Happy housewarming! This toast celebrates everyone's new office! Come on, let's drink!"

"This toast is thanks to Professor Shen for hosting the dinner for everyone!"

About 500 meters west of Nanhu Industrial Park, there is a Chinese restaurant called "Xiaoqiao Liushui".

This was the location chosen by Shen Yunrong, and the dishes and drinks were also ordered by her personally.

She always acts with propriety and tact.

As a mentor at Jieyou Media, she refused alcohol, ordered a glass of pear juice, and spent most of her time sitting in the center of the round table in the private room, smiling as she watched her students enjoy their meal.

For some unknown reason, the moment Shen Yunrong noticed Du Jianuo's arrival, she automatically and silently raised the level of the banquet in her mind by one grade.

Today, Du Jianuo wore a warm gold V-neck satin dress.

Despite being a vibrant female college student, Du Jianuo styled her hair in a high bun like herself, leaving two long, black strands hanging down at her temples, which she then curled with a curling iron.

At the dinner table, Shen Yunrong sat in the main seat, with Zhou Mingyuan, who seamlessly led the atmosphere, on her left and Du Jianuo, who always had a smile on her face, on her right.

Looking from the right, the teacher and students had the same hairstyle and sat together gracefully, looking just like a pair of sisters.

It's no wonder that Shen Yunrong kept staring at Du Jianuo, her gaze darting back and forth.

This beautiful woman, with her charming smile, showed no restraint whatsoever, even in front of Teacher Shen. She cracked jokes from time to time, and her silvery laughter echoed in the private room.

She wore a pair of small pillar-shaped silver earrings, a delicate round necklace around her neck, black stockings that showed her calves, and high heels with light-colored bows on her feet.

A deep, snow-white hue adorned the V-neck of her chest, while her nails were a specially made new style, their milky white sheen even giving them a dazzling shine when viewed up close at the dining table.

Every detail is exquisite and elegant, incredibly sexy.

This is not just about the politeness of daily attire. From the dormitory to the new office area, Du Jianuo will definitely encounter all kinds of acquaintances and needs to maintain her proper image at all times.

Therefore, she looks expensive.

The price was so high that Shen Yunrong didn't even need to think before abandoning the idea of ​​taking the students to eat at a roadside stall.

But to ask a university teacher to treat students to a Michelin-starred meal is obviously a pipe dream.

She simply raised the budget for the dinner by a whole level, choosing a Chinese restaurant with reasonable prices.

But when Zhou Mingyuan heard that he was going to reward the troops, he simply raised his arms and called on everyone. All the employees and classmates of Jieyou Media came out, and more than ten people came to eat together.

All things considered, this is no small number.

Shen Yunrong finished ordering the food with a smile, but her heart was bleeding, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

Not to mention the drinks that followed.

Eventually, she simply gave up and stopped looking at the menu altogether.

If Zhou Mingyuan hadn't stopped the meal in time and only had the waiter bring out some drinks as a token gesture, Shen Yunrong would have even doubted whether she could afford the meal.

That's right.

She has been in financial crisis since November.

After receiving my salary, there was an automatic deduction that paid off last month's Alipay and credit card expenses.

After deducting basic expenses, and with the mortgage payment due on the 15th of the month, there's barely any money left for living expenses.

What she didn't expect was that life is full of unexpected events that disrupt her original plans and considerations.

For example, this reception hosted on behalf of the law school.

Invite a group of college students to dinner.

Shen Yunrong actually admitted that, from both a moral and legal standpoint, she could find no fault with paying for the meal.

Because she was not only a mentor personally invited by Jieyou Media, but also the tutor of the boss, Zhou Mingyuan.

Just for this small friendship, she is equally happy that Jieyou Media has come this far and has received this super-luxurious policy support from the school.

Many people have offered their congratulations or offered advice to Shen Yunrong, whether openly or secretly.

For example, if you receive an excellent performance evaluation this year, you might be eligible for a position in the student affairs office or even a nomination for honors at the city or provincial level.
Since such an excellent entrepreneurial project as Jieyou Media has been cultivated, then one good thing after another must be inseparable from Shen Yunrong.

To put it bluntly, she is a prime example of someone who gets carried along without lifting a finger, a comrade-in-arms whose fortunes are intertwined.

Compared to what I've gained, what does treating someone to a meal even mean?
Although the number of people in the private room had already exceeded Shen Yunrong's budget.

Although the prices of those drinks seem somewhat expensive.

However, Shen Yunrong, who was sitting in the main seat, tried her best to be relaxed, friendly, and dignified every time she spoke.

"Do you have enough to drink?"

"If it's not enough, let Xiao Zhou go and ask for some more. It's okay."

"I have classes this afternoon, so I won't be able to join you all for the fun."

She actually wanted to have a few drinks to numb her senses and enjoy those few hours of blissful time while feeling dizzy.

But after thinking about it, she ultimately gave up.

Shen Yunrong was afraid that she would get drunk again and lose control of her emotions.

So she spent most of her time observing.

Observe the young people at Jieyou Media, observe the triumphant Du Jianuo, and observe the adored Zhou Mingyuan.

Compared to their face-to-face meeting in the college's main office, she could tell that Zhou Mingyuan was completely different now.

He only gets closer to his true self when he blends in with his peers.

Judging from his gentle and refined demeanor and his eloquent speech, it's easy to see that Zhou Mingyuan is definitely the leader at the dinner table.

Not only that, he is also very handsome, and has a deep, masculine charm.

At least it's not an opportunity to boast about one's child just because they received a huge reward.

But Zhou Mingyuan is far too indifferent.

He joked around the whole time, occasionally chatting about future work arrangements, seemingly not taking the 500,000 yuan that was about to arrive seriously at all.

He wasn't too reserved just because the teacher was sitting next to him.

He chatted politely, keeping the conversation in a comfortable and respectful manner without overstepping any boundaries.

Shen Yunrong, of course, knew how to distinguish such subtle differences.

Especially Zhou Mingyuan's gaze, which was peaceful and gentle.

However, this gentle gaze lacked the goddess-like admiration that many people usually show her.

This feeling of being on equal footing surprised Shen Yunrong.

The surprise didn't last long.

The time the teacher and student spent together lasted only for one meal.

He pretended to go to the restroom to pay the bill, then watched the students leave one by one, and finally took the bus back to his residential community, Jiangnan Jiayuan.

Shen Yunrong pushed open the door in a daze, not even bothering to change her shoes, and collapsed onto the sofa, closing her eyes tightly.

The moment she paid the bill, she felt like the sky had fallen.

Why pretend to be generous?
What the hell are these kids who haven't even left the ivory tower doing, pretending to be so generous?
Why are you so concerned about saving face?

A decent traditional Chinese meal for more than ten people cost Shen Yunrong nearly two thousand yuan.

While the average cost per person isn't particularly high, it's undoubtedly adding insult to injury for Shen Yunrong's current financial situation. Aaaaaaah!
Could you please pay me back some of it? I treated my students to lunch today, and I'm really out of money.

really.

Any message I send to my boyfriend that mentions money will always go unanswered.

Shen Yunrong covered her face, utterly despondent, never having felt so helpless in life.

She checked her Alipay, WeChat, and bank card accounts, and after treating the guests to dinner, she only had a little over 1500 yuan left in total.

It's only the beginning of the month!
Moreover, I still have to pay more than 800 yuan in mortgage payments on the 15th of this month.

This apartment in Jiangnan Garden was a small unit that Shen Yunrong purchased at an internal price for faculty and staff.

Even with the internal price and the housing provident fund loan covering part of it, I still have to make up for it with my salary every month.

Originally, this amount of money wouldn't have been a significant blow to Shen Yunrong.

But ever since she lent all her savings to her boyfriend, her cash flow has become increasingly tight.

When it rains, it pours; when the boat is late, it gets caught in a headwind!

Why are all these unlucky things happening one after another?
Shen Yunrong lay on the center of the sofa, instinctively kicking off her high heels one on each foot, and counting on her fingers for a long time.

700 yuan to get through the next half month.

How am I supposed to get through this?
I don't buy cosmetics, I don't go shopping, and I don't think about new clothes for the changing seasons.

In this way, going to and from get off work every day, eating only in the cafeteria, I can barely get through this month.

How boring.

Shen Yunrong picked up her phone, unable to resist the urge to send a WeChat message to her boyfriend again.

After agonizing over it for ages, picking it up and putting it down repeatedly, I finally didn't know what to say.

Never mind, it's not easy for anyone.

He probably really had a tough time.

Why is life so hard?
Shen Yunrong took a deep breath, wrapped her arms around her knees, hugged herself tightly, and gently squinted her eyes.

Is there any reason?
Even a freshman like Zhou Mingyuan, who casually started an MCN company, can make a lot of money and even get policy support from the school.

How did I, a hardworking and dedicated worker, end up in this state?

Shen Yunrong slept on the sofa until five or six o'clock.

Knowing that she was on the verge of bankruptcy, she didn't dare order takeout.

After rummaging through the empty refrigerator, I ended up cooking a single noodle cake of instant noodles, pretending I was on a diet, just to get by.

While slurping noodles, Shen Yunrong was also carefully calculating on her fingers.

Hmm. Not bad.

I saved money on another meal.

But around 10 p.m., she was still hungry.

She was happily watching TV on the sofa, but then the algorithm suddenly went crazy and recommended a food program to her.

A food blogger with a sunny face, resembling a boyfriend in photos, travels all over the country.

They ate and drank voraciously throughout the journey, spending lavishly wherever they went.

This made Shen Yunrong very hungry. Her stomach kept growling, and she kept swallowing her saliva. She felt terrible.

She suddenly felt remorseful.

Why didn't you pack up the leftovers from lunch?
Why not pack it up?

What's so embarrassing about being in front of students?
Why bother pretending to be so generous?
Unconsciously, Shen Yunrong gently bit her nails, taking two bites; they tasted so bitter.
Looking down, she nearly fainted; her manicure, which cost several hundred yuan, had been unknowingly chewed into a small chip.

To eat a late-night snack or not, that is the question.

Shen Yunrong was too lazy to change her clothes and go out. Besides, at this time of day, the only options for eating out were Haidilao or barbecue, and nothing was cheap.

All the money she had painstakingly saved was wasted.

But she was really hungry.

Despite ordering a table full of dishes for lunch, Shen Yunrong barely touched her chopsticks in front of the group of students in order to maintain her dignity and status.

This meal is quite different from the celebration banquet at the New Year's Eve party.

Most of the students in the student council are very tactful and flattering; they'll say two out of every three sentences they want to say to someone.

But most of the people here are free spirits with no taboos, and there are even law school freshmen from their own classes who came to help.

At most, counselors can avoid putting on airs; how could they possibly become one of them so quickly?
So, Shen Yunrong curled up on the sofa, her stomach churning with hunger that grew stronger and stronger, as if countless tiny insects were gnawing at her internal organs.

Every now and then, a wave of cold, sour taste would rise from her stomach and reach her throat, as if protesting the perfunctory bowl of bland instant noodles she had just eaten.

On the TV screen, images of glistening, crispy fried chicken, sizzling grilled skewers, and steaming hot pot with chili oil flashed through Shen Yunrong's mind.

That's too much!
Shen Yunrong stared at the menu on the food delivery app on her phone, her slender, jade-like fingers swiping across the screen. Each picture of a dish seemed to have a hook, making her mouth water.

But when she thought about the meager balance left in her account, she bit her lip hard and tossed her phone aside.

"Never mind, just bear with it and it will pass."

"I'm not actually hungry, I just have a craving."

Shen Yunrong tried her best to cheer herself up, closed her eyes, and forced herself not to think about it.

Or not.

So she gulped down two large mouthfuls of water, grabbed a cushion from the bedroom, and pressed it against her stomach, hoping to relieve the discomfort.

Or not.

Just as Shen Yunrong was about to resign herself to her fate, her phone suddenly rang.

My gaze swept over and I saw a WeChat message.

She immediately sat up straight, grabbed the phone and unlocked it, only to find that it wasn't the person she had imagined.

Colleague A: [Xiao Shen, have you heard? A relative of Director Kong passed away. Our department is all contributing a condolence payment. How much are you going to give?]

Should I give a gift as a wedding gift?
Shen Yunrong rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

What the hell!

No wonder Director Kong rushed back at noon today, even pushing the dinner invitation onto me; there was indeed a reason for it.

Based on the relationships among colleagues at Nanhu University, the amount given as a gift for weddings and funerals is generally kept within the range of 300-500 yuan.

Those from the same department can have more, except for those with particularly good relationships.

Shen Yunrong transferred 500 yuan to xx via WeChat.

After exchanging pleasantries with her colleagues, Shen Yunrong transferred another 500 yuan as a gift via WeChat.

Looking at her entire fortune of 267 yuan, listening to the rumbling in her stomach, and remembering the forced transfer she had just received, the last straw broke the camel's back, and Shen Yunrong instantly felt a surge of anger.

【? ? ? 】

Can you please give me my money back?!

(End of this chapter)