Dawn of Life

Qin Lan replied, "Sure, I just got a new can of black tea, it'll go perfectly with your snacks. I'll be home all afternoon, just message me when you get to the gate of the complex."

When she saw the message, she felt the emotions that had been weighing on her chest instantly ease, and the joy she felt was no less than when Shengxing told her about the raise the day before.

Lin Yue smiled and replied, "Okay, I'll get ready and come over around 3 PM."

She changed her clothes, took the pre-packaged pastries, and went out. She had worked with Qin Lan for seven years, and this was only the third time she had visited her home. Once was when a manager from the team came to her house for a meeting, another time was to deliver some documents, and this was the first time she had delivered pastries.

Qin Lan lives in a large, single-level apartment in the Xihu District. The 200-square-meter apartment features only three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two living rooms. Each room is spacious and tastefully decorated. The study is a suite with a large bookcase filled with various books, and an outer tatami area where the team sits cross-legged during meetings. Her husband works for a state-owned enterprise; his job is easy, but his salary is not high. He usually spends weekends fishing and drinking tea with friends.

Qin Lan also covered the down payment and monthly mortgage payments for the house. Her previous company successfully went public, and she cashed out her shares to buy this house. Because she benefited from the company's IPO, that was her primary motivation for joining Dasheng. Dasheng offered her stock options, but the option agreement she signed was essentially worthless before the IPO. Therefore, leaving Dasheng under these circumstances left her with some resentment.

Lin Yue registered at the security guard's booth in the residential complex. After the guard called Qin Lan's home to confirm, he let her in. From the moment she entered the complex, Lin Yue began to lament the disparity between people, thinking about her own apartment of just over 120 square meters, where she only owned half the property rights. She secretly hoped that one day she could buy her own apartment, solely through her own efforts.

As Lin Yue reached the door, she was about to ring the doorbell when she noticed the door was unlocked. It seemed the security guard had left it open for her after answering his call. She went inside and called out to the large room, "Boss, I'm in."

"I'm in the study, come directly to the study." Perhaps because she felt on her own turf, Qin Lan's voice was exceptionally warm. Lin Yue changed her shoes and went in, where she saw Qin Lan had set up a small table on the tatami mat, with several plates of fruit and a pot of freshly brewed tea on it.

Lin Yue opened the boxes of pastries she had made, placed them on the table, and asked with a smile, "Is my brother-in-law not home again today?"

As Qin Lan fiddled with the tea set, she casually replied, "He said a friend invited him fishing, and he won't be back until tonight."

Lin Yue glanced subconsciously at the weather outside. Although the sun was out, it was December after all, and sitting by the river all day would be chilly. However, she didn't voice this thought. Qin Lan rarely mentioned her husband. Lin Yue only knew that the two hadn't had children yet, mainly because Qin Lan was afraid of interfering with her work. But her husband was able to withstand the pressure from the family and respect Qin Lan, which made her think he was a good man.

Then the two began to enjoy tea and cake, chatting idly. Perhaps due to the environment, both of them were quite relaxed. Lin Yue took a small sip of tea, looked up at Qin Lan, and mustered her courage to say, "Boss, I'm quite embarrassed about what happened with President Liu."

Qin Lan turned her head and met Lin Yue's gaze, as if confirming something. A few seconds later, she smiled gently and said, "I knew you came to see me today to talk about this. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. If I were you, I would have made the same decision. And I'm really happy for you. Although I haven't been in Dasheng for the past three months, I've still heard some things about you. You've done very well and grown very quickly."

Lin Yue raised her teacup, sincerely clinked it against Qin Lan's, and said, "Boss, thank you. Whenever I encounter difficulties during this time, I think of the principles of conduct you taught me."

Qin Lan looked at Lin Yue and was suddenly moved. She thought about how, at Lin Yue's age, she herself had just left a large company and felt lost and uncertain upon arriving in Dasheng. Besides sincerity, Lin Yue's eyes held a hint of grievance. These past few months had probably been incredibly difficult for her.

Qin Lan nodded to her and said, "Actually, what's happening right now isn't a big deal, and work is only a part of life. You can broaden your perspective and think about what kind of person you want to be in ten years, what kind of life you want to live, and then work backward to figure out how to use the resources at your disposal to get there step by step."

Lin Yue also received Qin Lan's kindness and sincerity. It was completely different from the last time Qin Lan invited her to dinner. Perhaps there was still an element of testing back then, but now Qin Lan was sincerely giving her advice as an older sister.

Finally, driven by an inexplicable feeling of trust and dependence, Lin Yue told everyone about her recent divorce and how she needed to win Shengxing's trust to get the director position at Dasheng. She also mentioned Xiao Feng's confusion about his own pursuit.

Qin Lan listened attentively as she finished speaking. She took a piece of cake, broke off a slice, put it in her mouth, chewed and swallowed before slowly saying, "The divorce is in the past. Keep working hard, and besides salary and stability, focus on your career planning. As for Xiao Feng, my suggestion is that you can give it a try. At your stage, it's rare to find a man who can guide you in both life and career."

During the few dozen seconds Qin Lan was deep in thought, she thought about her family. Her husband was her college classmate, she had an older brother, and her family doted on her, which made her strong-willed from a young age; she could get anything she wanted.

However, in intimate relationships, it's hard for any man to tolerate her like this, until she met her husband. He has a good temper, a gentle personality, and puts her at the center of everything, but he lacks ambition.

A man who has been working in a state-owned enterprise for years and only earns a fixed salary will not interfere with her career, but he will also definitely not provide her with any help in her career.

Thinking of this, Qin Lan continued, "I used to think that independent women had to rely on themselves, but now I think that's the biggest trap. For example, most men rely on their families to buy houses and cars, and no one says they're not independent. The true mark of a woman's maturity is not getting rid of dependence, but learning to leverage resources and coexist, and placing herself in a dominant position."

Lin Yue listened to Qin Lan's words, seemingly lost in thought.

Qin Lan's advice to Lin Yue was 80% out of empathy and 20% out of a desire for her to gain more experience, which might come in handy when she starts her own business in the future. Aside from needing to temper her character, Lin Yue is excellent in every way; she's resilient and knows how to be grateful.

As for Qin Lan, she generally wouldn't do anything that wouldn't benefit her at all, since everyone's time and energy are precious.

After staying at Qin Lan's house until five o'clock, Lin Yue got up to say goodbye to Qin Lan, worried that her husband would be back soon. She respected Qin Lan, but she always felt there was still a distance between them, and attending their family dinner made her feel uncomfortable.

On the way back, Lin Yue felt generally comfortable. Qin Lan didn't blame her; in fact, her apology brought them closer.

She thought that sincerity was the strongest strategy, whether in business or the workplace. Although revealing her personal matters wasn't part of today's plan, it had nothing to do with business opportunities, and she trusted Qin Lan's character; he would never bring up such personal issues. So she quickly put the matter aside. However, Qin Lan's suggestion that she consider Xiao Feng's advice made her initially wavering resolve waver a little more.

After driving into the underground parking garage and turning off the engine, Lin Yue picked up her phone and saw a WeChat message from Xiao Feng sent ten minutes earlier. A smile crept onto her lips; she wondered if this person could actually sense something.

Xiao Feng: "Are you busy today? I haven't received a reply to the message I sent yesterday (looking around emoji)."

Lin Yue: "Sorry, I'm really busy. I was just about to reply to you (grinning face)."

Xiao Feng: "How about we go to the movies together tomorrow?"

Lin Yue was replying to Xiao Feng's WeChat messages as she walked upstairs when she saw this one just as she reached her front door. She stopped typing and pondered. If Su Ling's assistance was based on the hope that Xiao Feng was sincere, it had a somewhat gamble-like mentality, while Qin Lan's approach was based on current reality and needs, making her more worthy of consideration.

Lin Yue replied, "Okay."

Whatever, let's give it a try.

After replying, she put her phone back in her bag, unlocked the door with her fingerprint, and felt a surge of excitement. However, the scene that greeted her instantly plunged her good mood to rock bottom.