Dawn of Life

Liu Zheng is 40 years old this year. He graduated from Zhejiang University with a major in e-commerce. His career experience is relatively simple. After graduation, he went to work in operations at a large company in Hangzhou, working on everything from PC to mobile platforms, and from merchant operations to product operations, thus benefiting from the booming development of the internet. Later, after the company went public and he successfully cashed out his shares, he started his own business, making significant contributions to Dasheng's cold start from scratch. Compared to Shengxing, he is much simpler in character, and his emotions are easily read on his face.

This was the first time Lin Yue had seen the two big bosses so tense. She quickly shifted her gaze from searching for information to her computer screen, afraid of accidentally meeting someone's angry glare and getting herself involved.

Qin Lan and Liu Zheng exchanged a glance, then turned to Sheng Xing and said, "President Sheng, if you feel that the current time is not suitable for implementing this plan, we can stop for now. Lin Yue is right; all the actions are merely to assist in business management."

Sheng Xing gave a look that suggested he couldn't be bothered with them, then turned to look at Zhang Wei beside him and asked for his opinion. Zhang Wei, always the type to smooth things over, would just muddle through in uncertain situations: "Everything has two sides. It mainly depends on the company's current plans."

This project could comprehensively adjust the positions and salaries of all employees in the company, closely related to their interests. It was also the best tool for winning over employees, given the current situation where the general manager and deputy general manager were acting independently. Qin Lan's attitude clearly shifted from actively promoting it to being reluctant to do so; this change in attitude was likely due to Shengxing taking over the department earlier than she had anticipated.

For Lin Yue, she definitely wanted to actively promote this project. It seemed she had lost Qin Lan's protection, and with President Sheng having just taken over the department, it was an opportunity for her to showcase her abilities. However, she also understood the saying that in turbulent times, the more you do, the more mistakes you make, and at this moment, she was somewhat undecided.

At the end of the meeting, Shengxing announced that Lin Yue would continue to serve as PM to expedite the process, and emphasized that the first priority should be to address the mismatch between the capabilities of the internal HR director and managers and their positions. The implication was clear: Shengxing wanted to reorganize and rejuvenate its HR team.

Lin Yue was thinking she needed to deal with her divorce troubles with Gao Ming as soon as possible. So she opened WeChat and sent a message to Su Ling.

Su Ling is 28 years old and works as the marketing manager at her company. Lin Yue hired Su Ling three years ago and supported her through a dark period in her life. During their time together, Lin Yue was also attracted to Su Ling's straightforward and courageous personality, and the two have now become close friends who can talk about anything.

She arranged to have lunch with Su Ling at a tea restaurant downstairs from the company. She walked into the restaurant and looked around before finally spotting Su Ling sitting in a relatively secluded corner, waving at her.

Lin Yue walked over and sat down. Su Ling looked around to make sure there were no familiar faces, then lowered her voice and said, "Why did Gao Ming suddenly bring up divorce? I think it's because you haven't been demanding enough of him, which has only made him more irresponsible!"

A hint of helplessness flashed in Lin Yue's eyes: "Even if we're going to divorce, we can't suffer in silence."

"It's okay, you still have me. But he doesn't go home much anyway, so the divorce won't have much impact on your life, right?" As soon as she finished speaking, Su Ling regretted it. Why did she have to speak faster than she thought again!

After talking with Su Ling, Lin Yue felt her mind clearer. Yes, what would be the impact of divorce on her? She decided to consult a lawyer first.

After finishing lunch and returning to the office, Lin Yue found her colleagues all taking a nap at their desks. She took her laptop and found a secluded, soundproof meeting room, locking the door behind her. She searched for the phone numbers of several divorce lawyers online and finally dialed the number of a 38-year-old female lawyer, thinking that someone of similar age and gender might better understand her.

After Lin Yue finished explaining her situation, the lawyer asked several key questions, such as: Are you familiar with the other party's financial situation? Has the other party been unfaithful?

The final conclusion was roughly as she had anticipated: the house would be split 50/50, Gao Ming would pay child support, and the cars and garages under their respective names were all purchased after the marriage. In total, Gao Ming's car and garage would be worth about 100,000 yuan more than Lin Yue's. However, considering that she had purchased insurance for herself and her son in previous years, and that some of her stocks and funds were currently mostly tied up, she decided to offset this difference.

As for Gao Ming, Lin Yue knew nothing about his financial situation. There was some inventory in the supermarket that was worth some money, but it was a mess because Gao Ming had been running the store before they got married, and the inventory back then was even more than it is now, so she didn't care about that part.

However, the bulk of the lawyer's fees were calculated based on the proportion of assets they divided, and Lin Yue calculated that it would amount to several hundred thousand yuan.

After weighing the options, she decided to try to avoid going to court, so as to save face for both of them. The most pressing issue right now is picking up her son after working overtime becomes the norm.

After picking up her son that evening, she didn't go home but went to an after-school care center near the school. They had chatted on WeChat before she arrived.

She inspected the premises; a two-story building facing the street, its exterior walls already yellowed, and there was no obvious sign at the entrance. With the national education policy of reducing enrollment and property costs, such institutions were operating very discreetly. Fortunately, the interior was cozy; the second floor had play and rest areas for children, and the first floor had five classrooms that could accommodate dozens of children. Lin Yue thought, even in such a secluded place, people still came because of its reputation. So there must be many people like her who don't have time to pick up their children; suddenly, she felt a sense of universal suffering.

The teachers seemed very kind. One teacher enthusiastically showed Lin Yue around, while another chatted with the son and gave him some snacks and toys. It was clear that he liked the teacher very much.

It costs 1500 yuan per month. The teacher is responsible for picking up the child from the after-school care program after class, providing dinner, and supervising the child's homework. The child is picked up before 21:30 pm every day. If there are any special circumstances, please inform the teacher in advance, and the teacher is willing to wait a little longer.

Today is Friday. When Lin Yue got home, she didn't see Gao Ming. She knew that this was Gao Ming sending her a signal that he was starting a cold war.

They rarely argued, but the silent treatment was common. A single disapproving glance from him could lead to months of ignoring her. Lin Yue was always the one to give in first, because their household expenses were always split equally, and Gao Ming would stop contributing money during a cold war.

When Xiaoyu asked Lin Yue why her father wasn't coming home, she could only say that her father had too much work at the shop and couldn't come back.

When Xiaoyu said that his father had contacted him a few months ago, asking who he wanted to live with if his father and mother had separated, Lin Yue was shocked. It seemed that Gao Ming had been planning the divorce for a long time.

Then Xiaoyu cried and said, "Mom, I don't want you and Dad to be separated."

Lin Yue's nose tingled, and she hugged Xiao Yu tightly in her arms with heartache. At this moment, the scales she had been prepared to tip in her favor. Xiao Yu had always been her weakness, and she wanted to do something more for her child, at least so that she wouldn't have any regrets.

The next day, Lin Yue took Xiao Yu to the store to find Gao Ming. When they arrived, they saw a young girl arranging the merchandise. Merchandisers had a high turnover rate, and Lin Yue didn't come to the store often, so the girl looked unfamiliar.

Gao Ming was sitting at the computer at the cashier counter, working on something. He looked up and saw Lin Yue walk in. He quickly moved the mouse and closed several programs on the computer, then frowned and said, "What brings you here?"