Dawn of Life

Sheng Xing stared at her for a long while: "Since you've put it this way, then it'll be 20."

Afterwards, the two patiently chatted back and forth for a few more minutes, expressing their regrets and reluctance to part. They ended their relationship in the most hypocritical way.

As soon as Lin Yue left Shengxing's office, she started packing her things. The deal was done, and she didn't want to stay there a minute longer. She told Shengxing there wasn't much to hand over; she simply packed some documents and emailed them to Xiao Feng, also sending a copy to Shengxing.

Under the watchful eyes of those around her, she carefully packed the items from her desk and drawers into bags. Having worked at the company for over seven years, she had accumulated quite a lot of belongings, filling several bags of various sizes.

Yuehua and Xiaoyu accompanied her on one trip and put the things in the trunk of the car. On the second trip, she left the company alone carrying a bag containing books, a water bottle, and a cushion.

Before leaving, she returned her employee badge to the administration office. In the administration office, Wang Lu came over and gave her a big bear hug, and whispered in her ear, "If you become rich and powerful, don't forget me."

Lin Yue forced a bitter smile: "Everything is for the best. See you in the martial world!"

Lin Yue stepped out of the elevator carrying her things and bumped into a tall, imposing figure. Looking up, she saw the face she had both loved and hated. Xiao Feng stared at her with a complex expression. She didn't know how much Xiao Feng had helped her get laid off, but none of that mattered anymore.

Lin Yue didn't say anything, but walked past him and headed straight for her car.

As she walked out of the office building where Dasheng worked, she looked back at the place she had moved into less than a month ago. She didn't know what Qin Lan and Liu Zheng felt when they left before, she only clearly remembered that they had also packed their things and left quickly after leaving Shengxing's office.

Having seen so many people pass away, only when it's my turn can I truly empathize.

When Qin Lan left, everyone thought Lin Yue would also resign, because a new emperor brings a new court.

Later, she was successfully promoted to HRD and saw Qu Liang go. Everyone was saying that Lin Yue was very capable of handling all kinds of bosses.

Lin Yue had no idea what kind of legend would be passed down about her in the martial arts world from this day forward.

None of this matters, and she doesn't care.

She lost her job after that; a 37-year-old divorced woman with a child had no stable source of income.

Now, in addition to the fixed mortgage payment of 6,000 yuan a month, she also has to pay Gao Ming 5,000 yuan in rent. Although her salary has increased in recent months, the family's living expenses are also high, so she only has a little over 30,000 yuan in her account. With today's 200,000 yuan, it will only be enough for her expenses for a little over a year at most, provided that everyone in the family is healthy and no accidents happen.

Thinking about this, her legs felt heavy, and every step forward was difficult. Lin Yue suddenly felt that she had low blood sugar. Shadows swayed around her, and she unconsciously squatted down by the roadside.

Xiao Feng stood by the window of his office on the 29th floor of Dasheng, taking in the entire scene. At this moment, Lin Yue looked as small as an ant on the roadside; without careful observation, one could hardly recognize her.

Suddenly, someone pushed the door open and walked in. Xiao Feng turned around and saw Sheng Xing standing beside him, looking down the stairs in the direction of his gaze. He then said calmly, "Feeling sorry for him?"

Xiao Feng turned around, walked to the sofa, sat down, took a bottle of Oriental Leaf from the small refrigerator next to him, opened it, and took a few big gulps without answering Sheng Xing's question.

Lin Yue squatted by the roadside for a while, calmed herself down, and then stood up again and walked towards the car.

Sitting in the car, just about to start the engine, her WeChat suddenly flooded in with messages. She opened it and saw that her team had created a group chat called "Blessings to Sister Lin."

Immediately afterwards, she saw a group chat with over a dozen people, filled with messages of comfort, blessings, and emojis. In just one minute, dozens of messages had been sent. Lin Yue's eyes welled up, and tears streamed down her face.

She didn't know how she drove home; her mind was filled with thoughts of how to tell her parents she'd been laid off. Ten months had passed since her one-year agreement with her mother. Was she really going to sell the house and return to her hometown?

This problem was too thorny and too troublesome. She parked her car at the entrance of the community and sat there for a long time without finding an answer. It was only a little past four in the afternoon, and she decided to find a place to stay until she got off work before going home.

She ordered a coffee at Starbucks, and felt a pang of anxiety as she paid, thinking that she should go to Luckin Coffee next time.

She found a seat by the window, watching the hurried flow of people outside. In the more than ten years since graduation, she had never felt like this before, idly sitting in a coffee shop during work hours, waiting to get off work. Work was her source of confidence, always had been.

When she broke up with her first love, when she divorced Gao Ming, and even when she was pregnant with Xiao Yu, the place she lived with Gao Ming was far from Lin Yue's company. Gao Ming suggested that she either stop working and wait until after she gave birth, but it was really hard to travel two hours by bus from the west side of Hangzhou to the east side every day with a big belly.

However, Lin Yue felt insecure because she had met him through a blind date and didn't have a job, so she rented a single room near her company. Her neighbors were shocked to see her pregnant belly, which looked like she could give birth at any moment, but Lin Yue calmly said, "It's okay. If the pain starts, I'll call 120 before I lose my last bit of strength."

Lin Yue took out her phone and dialed Su Ling's number. At that moment, she missed the girl who always gave her warmth terribly, and wondered if Su Ling's mother was feeling any better. The call connected, and Su Ling's voice came through, choked with tears: "Lin Yue, my mother is critically ill. I'm at the hospital right now. How are you? Are you alright?"

Lin Yue was about to ask about her mother's condition and then tell him about her own when she heard Wang Yu's voice calling Su Ling's name on the phone. Su Ling hurriedly said, "Lin Yue, the doctor called me. Take care of yourself. I'll call you back later when I have time."

Then came the cold, disconnected tone on the phone. She continued to stare blankly out the window. Suddenly, her phone rang again. She thought it was Su Ling calling back after finishing her work so quickly.

The call was from Jin Yingying, who knew everything about Xiao Feng and Lin Yue. She was also one of the driving forces behind Lin Yue's dismissal.

After she explained the reason, Lin Yue originally did not want to see her because it was completely unnecessary. However, she could not resist Jin Yingying's persistent pleading and finally thought that since she was free anyway, such a person could not possibly stir up any ripples in her heart, which had already fallen to the bottom.

Lin Yue told Jin Yingying the address, and Jin Yingying replied, "See you in a bit."