Dawn of Life

Chapter 72 Su Ling's Phone Call

Lin Yue rolled her eyes at Liu Mei, ignored her words, and turned on her computer to continue organizing the data.

She used to be an HR Director, and she could stand up to employees who spread rumors. But now she's just a new employee, so she can only express her protest in silence.

At this moment, she was unsure whether she could settle down in this place. She had been back in Mianyang for half a month, and apart from video chatting with her parents and Xiaoyu every day, she had basically lost contact with everyone in Hangzhou.

However, she would check their updates on social media late at night, and whenever she saw their busy work and colorful lives, she would fall into deep thought while holding her phone.

Lin Yue was the only one left in the office at 5:05 PM, as she left the office at 5:05 PM. It wasn't dark yet when she stepped outside; the street-side restaurants, barbecue stalls, and rice noodle shops were packed with people, and everywhere you looked, there were middle-aged, greasy men with bare arms, drinking beer.

Lin Yue couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive, because Lin Hua had arranged a blind date for her today. The man's name was Hu Shaohua, 45 years old, and 170 centimeters tall.

She initially refused, but Lin Hua and Liu Cuiying took turns persuading her for several days, saying that the other party was a high school math teacher with a stable job and a house in Mianyang.

Such people are highly sought after in the area, and if Lin Yue is unwilling to even meet him, they would consider her overestimating herself.

When Lin Yue entered the hot pot restaurant where they had arranged to meet, there weren't too many people inside. She quickly spotted Hu Shaohua sitting by the window.

Because she had prepared herself mentally, Lin Yue felt that he was more presentable than in the photos, especially since his black-rimmed glasses effectively suppressed any signs of middle-aged greasiness.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Hu Shaohua handed the menu to Lin Yue and asked if she wanted to order anything else. Lin Yue took the menu and glanced at it; it wasn't too much, just over eighty yuan for two people.

She gave him a polite smile and said, "That's about enough. I'm not too hungry."

Hu Shaohua nodded at her with a satisfied smile, and Lin Yue knew that the blind date assessment between the two had begun from that moment.

Lin Yue lowered her head and carefully stirred the ice jelly in her hands. She knew that Hu Shaohua was scrutinizing her closely.

She was quite calm. She had thought it through beforehand because he was her uncle's colleague. Whether the blind date went well or not, she was prepared to maintain her dignity.

After a long silence, Hu Shaohua spoke up: "Since we were introduced by an acquaintance, and I'm a rather direct person, I think it's best if we clarify some things beforehand."

Lin Yue paused slightly as she stirred the ice jelly, then looked up to meet Hu Shaohua's gaze, waiting for him to continue.

Hu Shaohua was taken aback and looked away. Perhaps it was his advantage in the dating market, but he felt a little uncomfortable facing such a calm and composed gaze from his date for the first time.

He poured himself a glass of orange juice with pulp and slowly said, "I heard you just sold your house in Hangzhou. We can buy a new one in Mianyang outright. I have a daughter who's already in high school and lives at school. You have a son, and we'll definitely need a child together after we get married. So we'll need a bigger house."

But don't worry, this house can be given to your son directly when he grows up and gets married. My current house will also be transferred to my daughter's name; until then, it will be rented out for her education. After you have children, we'll buy one together for our kids. Isn't that fair?

Lin Yue couldn't help but feel a little ironic after hearing this. She quickly extracted the key points of the conversation: if she wanted to live with this man, she would have to agree to two conditions: first, buy him a house; second, have him have another child.

Lin Yue adjusted her expression and stared directly at Hu Shaohua, saying, "Teacher Hu, as expected of a math teacher, your calculation skills are indeed very strong. However, I don't plan to have children, and as for a house, we haven't made any plans yet."

Hu Shaohua's face suddenly turned ugly: "You are a son and I am a daughter. If you don't plan to have any more children or buy a house, it's not fair to me, and people will gossip and say that I'm raising someone else's son."

He paused for a few seconds, as if talking to himself: "However, it is indeed quite difficult for you to have another child at your age."

The meal ended quickly and rather uninterestingly. When Lin Yue returned to Lin Hua's house, she saw Lin Hua sitting on the sofa watching TV. He seemed slightly surprised to see her enter. She said, "You're back so early? How did your chat with Xiao Hu go?"

Lin Yue placed her bag on the coffee table, sat down next to Lin Hua, and said casually, "They didn't like each other, did they? He wants to find a woman who will buy him a house and have his children."

Lin Hua broke off a banana and handed it to Lin Yue, saying earnestly, "Yue, Xiao Hu's conditions are pretty good. Your uncle said he's quite popular at school. You're divorced and have a son, so let's not be too picky. If you want to remarry, you'll definitely need to have a son with him. As for buying a house, since you've chosen to go back to Mianyang, you still need to have your own home, right?"

Lin Yue took the banana: "Auntie, I know you mean well, but I really think there are many ways to live life, and you don't have to remarry."

Just then, the sound of the door opening came from inside. Lin Yue's uncle, who had finished his evening self-study session, pushed the door open and walked in. Lin Yue greeted her uncle briefly and then went to wash up. Through the bathroom door, she could faintly hear Lin Hua and her uncle chatting in the living room.

The uncle said calmly, "Hu Shaohua didn't take a liking to Lin Yue. She has a child from a previous marriage, so it will be very difficult for her to remarry."

Lin Hua said helplessly, "I'm just appeasing my sister-in-law. You know she's always been a strong-willed person. If I don't do my best to help Lin Yue, who knows what she'll say about me in front of the Lin family. It's just that Lin Yue seemed like a pretty smart girl when she was little, so how did she end up like this? I think she's quite ambitious."

Lin Yue turned off the tap, took a towel and wiped the water off her face little by little. Staring at herself in the mirror, she realized that her eyes had lost their light.

That night, she lay in bed, unable to sleep. The mockery of Zhao Bin, her colleagues, Hu Shaohua, her uncle and aunt flashed through her mind like a movie rewinding.

She picked up her phone and opened Qin Lan's WeChat Moments. The pinned post was a promotional video for her consulting firm. The 30-second video was exquisitely shot, clearly planned and filmed by a professional team. She watched it several times, unable to help but change her expression each time she watched the camera work.

Qin Lan's words echoed in his mind again: "Look further ahead, think about what kind of life you want to live in ten years or five years from now, and then work backward to plan your career."

She doesn't know when she fell asleep, but she knows that she had a long dream that night. In the dream, she returned to Dasheng, and there were Qin Lan, Liu Zheng, and Su Ling.

It seems that Shengxing and Xiaofeng are also there, but their faces are blurry and not very clear.

The next day was Saturday. Lin Yue woke up around 10 a.m. Lin Hua and her uncle had already set off for Chengdu to visit her cousin. Lin Yue felt very uncomfortable in her stomach. After eating a few pieces of toast, she curled up on the sofa to watch "Sisters Who Make Waves." Watching the 30-something-year-old sister working hard to practice singing and dancing in order to stand in the spotlight again, she suddenly felt like crying.

Just as she was engrossed in her thoughts, her phone on the coffee table vibrated. She picked it up, glanced at it, sat up straight, and quickly answered. Su Ling's voice came through the phone: "Lin Yue, I've resigned. Send me your address, I'll come to see you in a couple of days."