Dawn of Life

"What are you doing standing at the door? Move aside!" The girl's boyfriend's voice rang out, and he nudged Lin Yue's arm. After a brief moment of surprise, Lin Yue snapped out of her daze and said to Xiao Feng, "I've taken care of everything. Didn't you say you wanted to see a movie? Let's go now."

Xiao Feng's expression relaxed considerably. He turned and walked with Lin Yue, asking, "Did you drive?"

Just as Lin Yue was about to answer, Gao Ming's voice came from behind her: "Mom said we should go home for dinner together later. She said Xiao Yu has a bit of a fever and asked me to go check on him."

Lin Yue paused for a moment, ignored him, and continued walking forward with Xiao Feng.

Gao Ming stood there alone until he saw them get into a Mercedes-Benz E-Class AMG. His heart suddenly felt a sharp pain, and his face flushed.

Inside Xiao Feng's car, it was so quiet that only their soft breathing could be heard. Lin Yue turned her head to look at Xiao Feng beside her. He felt her gaze, but still did not speak.

Lin Yue found the atmosphere strangely unsettling, so she said, "How about we go see the movie another day? I want to go home early today; Xiao Yu has a fever, and I'm quite worried about him."

Xiao Feng gently turned the steering wheel, his gaze still fixed straight ahead: "So you were deliberately trying to anger your ex-husband just now?"

"No," Lin Yue denied matter-of-factly.

But Xiao Feng didn't believe it. He said, "Really?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue's shoulders slumped slightly, and she sighed, her voice full of exhaustion: "Please pull over. I'll take a taxi home myself. I'm sorry for standing you up today."

She felt that both men today were acting strangely, and she didn't want to settle for either of them. Right now, she was really worried about Xiaoyu. Although his fever had subsided in the morning, it was still the flu. What if it relapsed in the afternoon?

Xiao Feng didn't say anything more. He slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a steady stop on the side of the road. He watched Lin Yue get out of the car, but ultimately said nothing. He then stepped on the gas, and the car disappeared from sight.

Back home, Gao Ming was still there, and the "family" was sitting around the dining table, enjoying dinner happily. Lin Yue walked over to Xiao Yu, gently touched his forehead, and, confirming that his fever had subsided, felt a little relieved.

Liu Cuiying got up with a smile and went to the kitchen to add more rice: "Look how nice this is, the whole family is together, and the children have a complete family."

"Eat more and talk less," Lin Haifeng interrupted Liu Cuiying at the right moment, adding a piece of food to her bowl.

The meal was finally over. Lin Yue wondered how Liu Cuiying would react if she told her about Gao Ming and Ma Hongli.

While clearing away the dishes, Liu Cuiying said to Lin Yue, "Go see Gao Ming off, and while you're at it, go downstairs to the parcel locker and pick up my package."

Lin Yue rolled her eyes at her and refused, "I'm not going. I'll pick up the package tomorrow."

Xiaoyu ran over and hugged her leg, saying, "Mom, the package is due today. Grandma bought me Ultraman cards yesterday."

Lin Yue had no choice but to leave the house one after the other with Gao Ming. In the elevator, Gao Ming stared at Lin Yue and said with amusement, "Was that man this afternoon your boyfriend? His car was indeed nice, but given his circumstances, he's probably just playing around with you, right?"

Lin Yue, her face dark, stared directly into Gao Ming's eyes, her tone laced with anger: "None of your business. I find it annoying to even say a single word to a cheating scumbag like you!"

As they were talking, the elevator doors opened, and Lin Yue quickly stepped out and headed towards the parcel locker.

As soon as she got home, Liu Cuiying came over and asked how her conversation with Gao Ming went. She glanced into Xiao Yu's room to make sure the door was closed before speaking, "Didn't you see his WeChat Moments post about going out with his girlfriend? Why would you think that?"

Liu Cuiying waved her hand, somewhat smugly saying, "I asked him, and he said it was just a joke by the girls in the shop. If you go look now, that post on WeChat Moments has already been deleted."

Lin Yue was speechless: "You actually believe that? They were together before we were even divorced."

Liu Cuiying was stunned for several seconds, as if her newly risen hope had been extinguished, but she still stubbornly said, "Hey, all men in this society are pretty much the same. I just feel that you two have a child. Well, it's up to you then, I don't care anymore."

Lin Yue watched Liu Cuiying's departing figure. Of course, she had seen the hint of disappointment in her mother's eyes. She knew it was a mother's worry, so she couldn't blame her.

For a fleeting moment, a bold idea flashed through her mind: she wanted to use Xiao Feng as a shield, but she quickly suppressed it. She knew that once Liu Cuiying rekindled this hope, she would soon be pressuring for a meeting.

In the stillness of the night, Lin Yue lay in bed, tossing and turning. The events of the day played on a loop in her mind like an old movie, every frame vivid. Her brows were furrowed, and her eyes flickered with complex emotions, as if she were trying to sort out her chaotic thoughts.

A surge of resentment welled up in her chest: "It's been so long since the divorce, how come he hasn't improved at all? Self-righteous, cold-hearted, and materialistic, using all those PUA tricks—what makes him so sure Xiao Feng just wants to play around with me? Does a divorced woman with a child not deserve to be loved? Can't I find a better man? It's utterly ridiculous!"

Then she thought of Xiao Feng. His reaction this afternoon... was he jealous? The thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. She shook her head, trying to banish these unrealistic thoughts. She needed to sleep quickly; December 31st was almost here, and tomorrow she had the "Family Heritage Day" to prepare.

To differentiate itself from traditional e-commerce platforms, Dasheng never participates in Singles' Day (November 11th) or Double Twelve (December 12th). Instead, it holds a unique event every year on December 31st, named "Heirloom Festival." This is because artworks, besides being given as year-end gifts, are primarily collected and passed down through generations. The event begins a month in advance each year, keeping the entire company extremely busy.

Lin Yue was no exception. Not only did she have to be at the forefront, organizing the launch meetings for various activity modules, but she was also responsible for the welfare and care of the logistics staff working overtime. Lin Yue decorated the company's interior. The company's reception area had a large table with a bright red tablecloth on which Coca-Cola cans were arranged to spell out December 31st, and a large bunch of golden barley hung next to it.

The electronic screens and banners at the workstations were filled with motivational slogans. Although Shengxing had always thought such decorations were ostentatious and tasteless, he didn't find anything wrong with them this year. Perhaps he wanted to make a big sale more than ever.

The company had just gone through a merger and acquisition upheaval, and this major event would be a good opportunity to boost team morale. Sometimes Lin Yue even suspected that Shengxing had deliberately timed Liu Zheng and Shi Potian's departures precisely. Based on past data, this month's event revenue would account for 40% of the annual total. They had just finished reporting to headquarters after the merger and acquisition.

She poured all her energy into her work. Since parting ways with Xiao Feng, their interactions had noticeably decreased. Lin Yue thought, "He's such an outstanding man, he's already been so proactive, yet she's still hot and cold towards others. It seems like she doesn't appreciate it, or she's not interested in a relationship and is just playing with people."