Dawn of Life

The instructor looked at Lin Yue, who was bundled up tightly, with a puzzled expression. Lin Yue explained, "I have lung nodules, and the doctor told me to avoid dust."

The driver shook his head, coughed, and said, "You office workers are so much more sophisticated. You're from this company, right? It used to be a chubby manager who came, but he always came during work hours and never brought us water. Beautiful ladies are much more generous."

Lin Yue grabbed a few more drinks, walked over to the workers, handed them the bottles, and said, "I'm from another department, not in charge of the renovations. I was just passing by after get off work and thought I'd stop by. You guys go about your business, don't worry about me, I'll just look around and leave."

Afterward, she wandered around, taking photos of the building materials with her phone when no one was looking. Many of the materials, such as partitions, ceiling panels, and glass, were still bundled together and unopened from their packaging. She carefully photographed the specifications and materials on the boxes. After finishing this, she said a brief goodbye to the workers and went home.

After obtaining this information, you still need to find a way to get the renovation contract so that you can compare the materials.

Just as Lin Yue was racking her brains about how to get her hands on a renovation contract, one Friday afternoon, she unexpectedly found a photocopy of it in her folder at her workstation. It bore Qu Liang's signature and included attachments for renovation materials. Clearly, someone had left it there. A meaningful smile crept onto her lips.

This document was placed by Wang Lu. On one hand, she wanted to use Lin Yue to get rid of Qu Liang; on the other hand, the renovation contract was handled by her according to the company's renovation approval process. If the matter were to be exposed one day, she would inevitably be implicated. Because she was in the middle of it all, she couldn't report it herself. And the whistleblower needed to be cautious, intelligent, and also dislike Qu Liang, so Lin Yue was the most suitable candidate.

Lin Yue compared the sample photos on her phone with the materials in the attachments, and found 13 discrepancies. Among them, the difference in the material of the electric sliding door steel frame device alone was more than 6 yuan, and the other miscellaneous items added up to a total difference of more than 50 yuan.

Shengxing has extremely high standards for quality, and the total cost of this renovation was over 200 million yuan. Unexpectedly, Qu Liang pocketed over 50 yuan through material kickbacks. This amount far exceeded her expectations. She had researched online and learned that if Qu Liang's case were handed over to the police, he would face criminal penalties, not only having to return all the embezzled funds and pay a fine, but also potentially being sentenced to prison.

Lin Yue had always thought Qu Liang was an opportunist, but she never expected him to be so greedy and audacious. In the end, she decided to hand the evidence over to Sheng Xing. After all, as an adult, one must be responsible for one's choices, and Qu Liang should have been prepared to accept the consequences when he did this.

Lin Yue compiled a table, listing the names, models, and prices of the materials in the contract and the photos, and also printed out all the photos. Finally, she sent it, along with the complaint letter, to Sheng Xing anonymously via express mail. She had hesitated whether to hand it to Sheng Xing in person or secretly place it on his desk, but ultimately chose the most discreet method.

After finishing all that, Lin Yue went straight home from get off work. On her way home, she suddenly received a call from Xiao Feng.

"Tomorrow is Saturday, are you coming to my house?" Xiao Feng's voice sounded slightly tired.

Lin Yue asked in confusion, "You're back from your business trip?"

Xiao Feng hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yes, the matter is finished ahead of schedule. If you already have other plans, that's fine too."

Lin Yue sensed that Xiao Feng's tone was a bit strange today, wondering if he was too tired from his business trip or if something had happened. So she quickly replied, "I don't have any other plans. I'll arrive at your place around 10 a.m. tomorrow. Let's go grocery shopping together and cook lunch at home."

The next day, Lin Yue's car drove into Xiao Feng's residential area as scheduled. In June 2023, the area was already lush and green, with the air filled with the fragrance of flowers. The car drove along the winding asphalt road, and in the distance, the artificial lake shimmered, with several elegant black swans swimming leisurely on its surface.

Xiao Feng lives in a row house in Liangzhu Cultural Village, a place Lin Yue knows quite well. Xiao Feng is someone who desperately needs companionship, but Lin Yue is often too busy to pay attention to him. Therefore, he and Lin Yue have an agreement: every weekend, Lin Yue will spend one day with their son and one day with him, and if there are any special circumstances, they will explain in advance.

At first, the two would make special arrangements for activities, such as watching a movie, going shopping, or going to an art exhibition with him. After a while, they simply cooked a meal at home and then snuggled on the sofa to watch a movie.

Lin Yue quickly and smoothly parked the car in front of his house. She walked across the yard and rang the doorbell. Xiao Feng, wearing pajamas, opened the door, naturally took her bag, let her in, and then went to wash up. Lin Yue turned on her phone screen, glanced at the time—10:30—and asked, "Did you go to bed very late last night?"

While brushing his teeth, Xiao Feng mumbled a reply, "Wait for me a bit, I'll come out and tell you."

When he came out again after getting ready, he looked much better than before. Lin Yue looked up at him and said, "I just bought groceries and meat on Dingdong (a Chinese online shopping platform). You didn't look too well when we came in, so we didn't go out to buy groceries. Have you been too tired from your recent business trip, or did something happen?"

Xiao Feng paused for a moment, then walked to the sofa, sat down next to Lin Yue, leaned back, and naturally pulled her into his arms. After a while, he replied, "The business trip was too tiring."

Seeing that he seemed unwilling to engage in further conversation, Lin Yue didn't press him further.

At noon, Lin Yue cooked braised beef brisket with potatoes, bok choy, and also stewed corn and pork rib soup.

Lin Yue and Xiao Feng sat facing each other, above the dining table, a uniquely designed glass chandelier hung quietly. The translucent glass lampshade resembled layers of blooming petals, and warm yellow light shone through it, gently illuminating the dining table.

Xiao Feng looked at Lin Yue across from him and suddenly said, "Lin Yue, thank you."

Lin Yue paused slightly as she picked up some food with her chopsticks. She looked up and met his gaze, asking in confusion, "What's wrong? Why are you suddenly calling me by my full name? What are you thanking me for?"

Xiao Feng was taken aback, then picked up a soup ladle and, while ladling soup for himself, said, "I just feel that no woman has ever cooked for me before, and this scene has a very homey atmosphere."

Lin Yue saw loneliness in his evasive eyes. She suddenly remembered Xiao Feng telling her that his parents divorced when he was young and he had lived with his aunt. She thought to herself, perhaps he really longed for a home. Maybe it was time to consider introducing him to her family.

On Monday morning, Lin Yue went to work and passed by the front desk. She saw the young woman at the front desk organizing Shengxing's packages. Her eyes fell on the pile of packages, and her heart skipped a beat.

That afternoon, when Sheng Xing opened the package in his office, his face immediately turned grim. The discrepancy of over 50 yuan sent chills down his spine. He propped his head up with his right hand, rubbing his temples. After calming down, he carefully reviewed all the documents again. He knew that Qu Liang was severely bureaucratic and had offended many people since coming to Dasheng, so for a moment, he even suspected that someone might have fabricated evidence to deliberately target Qu Liang.

After confirming the evidence was correct and calming down, he called Qu Liang into his office.