A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

"This matter is actually quite convoluted."

"That's alright, go ahead and tell me. I'm really curious. There's no one else here today, so please tell me slowly."

"Well, let's start from the year 2000. Brother Ming, did you know that our Southern Metropolis Daily and Shenzhen Daily had a fight back then?"

Li Mu began to speak slowly.

From the argument, to the former director's failed attempt to brake the company's downturn, to his subsequent resignation after the storm had passed, and then the rumors of his transfer at the beginning of this year...

When it came to the topic of transfer, he didn't stop there. Near the end of the matter, he said:

"After learning of the old director's transfer, Brother Bie was actually quite saddened, because the old director was his mentor; he had been training him when he first entered the industry. I learned the whole story from Brother Bie. To put it bluntly, Brother Da Ming, this whole thing... the old director wasn't some kind of scapegoat, but rather... after the storm had passed, he was due for reckoning. In my opinion, it's because you weren't on my side back then, playing the good guy. Now that I've recovered, it's time to settle our scores."

Dong Huaiming didn't say anything, only nodded slightly, and lit another cigarette.

"Then... Brother Bie started thinking about how to leave a way out for the old director. Brother Da Ming, the old director is actually about to retire, and although he'll still be at the director level before and after the transfer... the retirement benefits for a director at our newspaper are different from those for a director at 'Men's Wear'."

"That's for sure. 'Men's Wear' seems to be at the bottom of your group's rankings, right? And your circulation is over a million copies."

"Yes, the pension alone would be significantly less. But... the old director definitely couldn't stay, so Brother Bie used his connections to find him a way out. He stayed at *Men's Wear* for a few months, and then Brother Bie pulled some strings and got him an editorial board position at *Finance*. It's like another promotion. And, as I just said, *Finance* is the group's key publication for the next few years, so being on its editorial board... compared to our unit... is considered a promotion, at the very least a lateral transfer."

"I understand. Weiwei actually told me that Brother Bie was a huge help in my father-in-law's matter. But I never imagined... that the whole thing started like this."

"That's not all."

Li Muyi waved his hand:

"The old director had just left when the group brought in a new one... a director, a department head in the GG department, and a deputy general manager. What Brother Bie told me was: 'The heat has died down, and they're back to reap the rewards.' Then, in July of this year, the group brought in another general manager. Still from their same line of work."

"So, even within your supposedly flat management structure, there's a toxic factional atmosphere?"

"Um."\

Li Mu nodded:

"Then those who were close to the old director gradually got suppressed. When the old director left... there wasn't even a farewell banquet. The transfer was announced in the morning, and the office was emptied by the afternoon. He didn't even let anyone see him off. As for the others, it wasn't appropriate to see them off either. Because the new director had just taken over..."

As he said this, he noticed that Dong Huaiming's nostrils were slightly flared.

Then he shrugged:

"So... that's it."

"I see."\

Dong Huaiming nodded calmly, then raised his glass:

"Come on, let's have a drink!"

……\

We ate hot pot from a little after 6 pm until almost 9 pm.

it's over.\

The two parted ways calmly.

And they didn't drink much alcohol; at most, three bottles each, six bottles in total.

Not even slightly tipsy.

After stepping outside, Li Mu noticed a detail: Dong Huaiming had a driver to pick him up.

The car was a very understated Toyota Camry.

But there really was a driver.

"Xiao Li, shall I give you a ride?"

"No need, Brother Ming, my car is right there."

"Well... you shouldn't drive after drinking, right?"

"Haha, I asked my girlfriend to pick me up. She'll be there in a bit; she's driving. Brother Da Ming, you go ahead, don't worry about me."

"Shall I just take it to you?"

"Really, you don't need to. Go on your way, bro."

"Alright then..."

After saying goodbye, the Camry drove off directly, and Li Mu didn't drive either. He waited until the Camry's taillights were out of sight before dialing Bie Yan's number:

"Brother Bie, shall I come find you?"

"Are you done?"

"Um."\

"Then come over, I'm at home."

"good."\

Li Mu hailed a taxi and headed straight for Bie Yan's house.

Around 9:15, he arrived at Brother Bie's house, knocked on the door, and was taken aback.

Bie Zhi opened the door.

Furthermore, Xu Jinwen was also present.

"Big sister, Brother Wen."

Li Mu quickly greeted them.

Bie Yan then chuckled and pointed at the sofa:

"Have you had too much to drink? Come on, have some tea."

"We didn't drink much, just three bottles of beer each."

"What did you eat?"

"Hot pot, super spicy... but it was pretty good."

As Li Mu spoke, he sat down on the sofa.

I didn't see Sister Dong; she's probably not here.

Xu Jinwen handed him the teacup, and Li Mu quickly thanked him:

"Thank you, Brother Wen."

"Hmm... what did you talk about?"

Upon hearing this, Li Mu knew that Brother Bie must have discussed this matter with these two.

So, relying on his excellent memory, he cleared his throat and said:

We started eating.

After dinner, they started talking about how he and Sister Weiwei met...

From how they met, to the pursuit, to falling in love, and finally to the planned proposal being thwarted...

Three bottles of beer didn't impair Li Mu's thinking; he repeated almost 99% of Dong Huaiming's words, even adding his own feelings in between:

"When he mentioned his proposal had been thwarted... to be honest, Brother Wen, I felt a chill run down my spine at that moment..."

After the entire account was repeated, it sounded to Xu Jinwen and Bie Zhi as if they had overheard the entire meal.

Bie Yan, however, seemed somewhat speechless:

"You've mentioned me too much already, haven't you? People who don't know the situation might think it's all my doing!"

"hey-hey."\

Li Mu smiled and shook his head:

"I'm just telling the truth."

"You..."

The older brother shook his head, then looked at his older sister:

"sister?"\

Bie Zhi snapped out of her reverie, glanced at her younger brother, thought for a moment, and then looked at Li Mu:

"Xiao Li, how are you feeling right now?"

"Well……"\

After thinking for a moment, Li Mu said:

"My older sister once told me something when she was pregnant: 'A grudge from the postpartum period is irreconcilable.' She meant that she'd hold a grudge against anyone who offended her during her postpartum period. For example, she still remembers how her in-laws stewed a chicken and gave the legs to their son instead of her… even though they only gave the wings and legs to their son, leaving her with the thighs. But every time my sisters and I talk about it at home, she gets really angry. So… I think the nature of the matter is similar for him. The only difference is that my older sister couldn't fight back, while he… is like a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads."

Then he added:

"Besides, when my second sister was pregnant, she experienced extreme emotional fluctuations in the early stages. She would cry incessantly over the smallest things. Hormonal imbalance, you know?"

Bie Zhi nodded subconsciously; she understood what Li Mu meant without him having to say anything more.

yes.\

Who dares, and who can guarantee, that Zhang Wei, who is pregnant, will be happy every day?

Aren't you saddened by things from the past?

Besides, that's his own father's business.

If the pregnant woman is unhappy, how can the fetus be healthy?

If the fetus is not healthy...

She didn't dare to think any further, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

We live in a society governed by the rule of law, so of course we must act in accordance with the law.

but……\

I'll say it again.

Whether or not you are investigated is none of your business.

If you want to find fault, that's incredibly easy.

Moreover, this cannot be simply dismissed as "nitpicking."

Just then, Bie Yan spoke up:

"So I said, Li, it was the right thing for us not to get involved in this GG thing."

"Um."\

Li Mu nodded.

Of course.

The reason I didn't participate in the fundraising before was simply because I was afraid of violating my principles and affecting myself.

But now...

Tsk tsk.

Bie Yan's words brought Xu Jinwen and Bie Zhi back to their senses.

But he lost the will to speak.

Everyone has their own worries, and this contemplation lasted for the duration of a whole pot of tea.

Li Mu even drank an extra glass, then went to the restroom.

When she came out again, she heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. Bie Zhi snapped out of her daze and subconsciously glanced at the clock on the wall.

It's almost 10 o'clock.

"...Alright, that's enough for now. Yan Yan, you should rest. Xiao Li, let's all go back and rest. Knowing the gist of the matter is enough. Let's do our jobs, and the rest...we'll see."

The sky is vast, the earth is vast, but nothing is as vast as my younger brother's body.

It's 10 o'clock; Brother Bie really should rest.

So the three of them left.

Bie Zhi let Li Mu ride in her car and took him home.

Li Mu did not refuse and, at Bie Zhi's arrangement, sat in the passenger seat.

Xu Jinwen drove the car out of the residential area, and then asked:

"Xiao Li, why do you think he didn't call your brother today?"

"I think he's afraid he won't get the real information from Brother Bie. After all, Director Zhang is currently with you, Brother Wen. Putting myself in his shoes, I'd also worry that someone with the ability to move his father-in-law might have connections with others. So, asking me is worse than asking Brother Bie. My decision to lay everything out today, even including the newly transferred leaders, is essentially telling him subtly: Brother Bie isn't on these people's side. Therefore, he can only come to me today, and I'm the most suitable person. It's much better for me to clarify things for Brother Bie than for him to directly ask Brother Bie."

As Li Mu spoke, both Xu Jinwen and Bie Zhi in the back row showed a hint of appreciation in their eyes, though not out of surprise.

And so, they remained silent the rest of the way.

Li Mu arrived home.

After waving goodbye, Bie Zhi rolled up the car window and said to her husband who was driving:

"That kid, Li, is truly remarkable. He has great talent."

"Um."\

Xu Jinwen nodded.

really.\

He has great talent.