Chapter 38: Out of Control Life

He Xiaolan boarded the high-speed train a little after five. The window seat was occupied by a woman holding a child. The child cried non-stop, tears and snot rubbing against He Xiaolan's coat. He Xiaolan didn't bother to care. She planned to go home and change clothes and get ready. If she drove to work, she would have plenty of time. But when she checked her phone, she saw that the license plate was restricted today, so she had to take the subway. She gritted her teeth and vowed to herself, "Sooner or later, I'll save up and buy a tram." Electricity was cheap, and she had just filled up a tank of gas last week for a little over 300 yuan.

The more I calculated my bills, the more upset I became. On the way here, I noticed the weather was getting colder. I took advantage of the high-speed train ride to call Ms. Zhang Xinrong and asked her to pack up and move to Beijing for the next few days. After selling her house in her hometown, Ms. Zhang Xinrong had been living in her self-built house in the village. It was fine when the weather was warm, but now winter was approaching, and the house had no heating. While it had air conditioning and I could use my own stove, it wasn't very warm, and the electricity bill was too high when I used the AC, meaning I was wasting money.

"I'm not going. I'm fine here. If it's really cold, I'll go stay at your aunt's house." He Xiaolan had guessed this before she called. No matter what was said, she always had to refute it.

"Why are you going to my aunt's house? Tingting just gave birth to a child and the house is already a mess. Don't make it more complicated."

"How could I cause more trouble? Why don't you let your parents-in-law live with you, and I will go to Tianjin to accompany Yueyue."

"Can you just follow my arrangements and not have your own ideas? I'll buy you the tickets this Thursday. I'll book them and send them to you later."

"Don't buy it for me, I will buy it myself when the time comes."

"What's wrong? You never listen to me. From now on, you can do whatever you want. I'll just leave you alone, okay?" He Xiaolan knew her tone was harsh and didn't want to argue in public, so she hung up. She had to get up at five in the morning to catch the bus, spend money like water, and there were so many messes at the company, and Ms. Zhang Xinrong was always pushing her.

A mother is always sensitive to her daughter's emotions, so she quickly hit back. Ms. Zhang Xinrong sensed the grievance in He Xiaolan's words, then changed her tone and gently asked about her condition. However, stubbornness is hereditary, and no matter how Zhang Xinrong asked, He Xiaolan said she was fine, just woke up too early and was in a bad mood.

I went home and boiled some water for myself. Yueyue was not at home, and the gas heating was not turned on very high to save gas bills. When I changed into slippers, my feet felt cold when they stepped on the floor. I quickly packed up and went to the company to do my errand.

Li Lingyue had already gone there and was sitting at her workstation eating a cold sandwich. Seeing He Xiaolan come in, she quickly handed over another sandwich and said, "I brought you one too. I bought it from the convenience store downstairs. I heated it up, so it's probably a little cold now."

He Xiaolan wanted to pay, but Li Lingyue kept pushing it, but finally gave in and accepted the twenty yuan. Workplace relationships are the most frustrating. A sandwich today, and a hot pot dinner tomorrow to even things out. It's better to settle now and not worry about it.

Before the sandwich wrapper was even opened, the boss called He Xiaolan to the office and asked her why she was absent from work yesterday afternoon. He Xiaolan was looking for an excuse when Li Lingyue hurriedly came to the boss with He Xiaolan's leave application form.

"Oh, it's all my fault. Director He took a leave yesterday, and I got so busy that I forgot to submit it in the system."

Whether he was really busy and forgot, he was too lazy to pursue it. In this situation, he apologized first and then promised. On the way back to the office, Li Lingyue was still explaining to He Xiaolan that she was old and didn't know if it was because of early menopause that she often forgot things.

At this point, let's not dwell on who's right or wrong. Qin Tiantian messaged He Xiaolan to ask her to have dinner together that evening. She had already completed all the paperwork and was ready to fly to Italy when a cheap flight became available. He Xiaolan didn't dare to agree to her arrival time. Currently, they could only leave work when their boss rang the bell. Leaving without permission was a serious offense, punishable by a fine at the very least and dismissal at the worst.

By the time she could finally leave the company, He Xiaolan felt like the residue squeezed out of a juicer, not a drop of juice left. Qin Tiantian and the others had already moved to a second stall, and the 8090 BBQ near Changying was bustling with activity. Qin Tiantian, Hua Hudie, and Qian Helin were huddled in a corner, enjoying their meal. When they saw He Xiaolan come in, they quickly waved her over.

"What's wrong with your new boss? Why do you have to work overtime every day? Even when Yang Fan was here, he wasn't so harsh." Hua Hudie said as she quickly placed the sizzling grilled meat skewers in front of He Xiaolan for her to eat. He Xiaolan poured herself a glass of beer to moisten her throat. "Don't mention it. Others are new officials who start with three fires. We are the real fire of three flavors. We will grill you right away. You don't know what the attendance system is like in each department now. They even make it difficult for you to go to the toilet. We asked the aunt to lock several toilet doors. No one can stay in there for a long time and slack off."

"Old Wang said he's not coming, and he probably won't be home tonight. We'll have you come home with us after dinner." Qian Helin hung up the phone and conveyed Wang Qingwei's intention. It's said that men outsource their filial piety after they get married, and in Wang Qingwei's case, even the affection between husband and wife is outsourced.

"Why should I ask him to take care of me? It's not like I don't know where my home is."

"You know everything about Lao Wang's unemployment?" Qian Helin asked cautiously, fearing that he would reveal Wang Qingwei's secret.

"I know. He told me last week. Now he has a job again. This is not a big deal. If Tao Lin can't fire him, I'll fire him too." He Xiaolan said it nonchalantly. She deliberately concealed the fact that her salary was reduced. The family's financial situation plummeted and this matter was locked up at home.

"Why don't you change jobs? This is like being in jail." Qin Tiantian seemed to be in a much better mood. She finished a plate of fried instant noodles before looking up to talk to He Xiaolan. You have to think things through yourself when it comes to relationships. The more others try to persuade you, the more trouble you'll make.

"When I couldn't sleep, I really thought about this, changing my job in Tianjin. I went to Tianjin yesterday, and Yueyue had a conflict with a little boy in her class at school. Don't mention it, it almost made me angry to death. The child's mother was unreasonable. When I arrived at the teacher's office, she started scolding me before I could say a word."

"If you have this matter, why don't you call us? Who is this woman? Let's go to Tianjin tomorrow. I'll meet her at the school gate." Hua Hudie couldn't stand hearing such violent talk, so she started rolling up her sleeves.

"Do you have your eyes on someone in the police station? Why do you always want to do something illegal and get yourself in trouble?"

The three of them gathered together and chattered non-stop. Qian Helin couldn't get a word in. He sat aside and played with his phone seriously. While playing with his phone, he heard a voice coming from the other end, "Hubby, please play with me again."

It was too late to shut off the phone in a hurry, so he hurried to explain, insisting that he didn't know the person on the other side, that they were not on the same team, and that it didn't matter who was called, it wasn't him, Qian Helin. Hua Hudie didn't say anything, but simply took his phone and opened it. He found that there was no game at all, but the page was fixed on WeChat. Someone named "Brown Sugar Ding Ding" was chatting enthusiastically with Qian Helin on WeChat. The chat history was longer than the lifespans of the three of them combined.

"When did this happen?" Hua Hudie was very calm, neither angry nor hysterical. After handing the phone to Qian Helin, she drank some wine and silently ate the skewers in front of her.

"There's nothing going on between her and me, seriously. I swear, we just met while playing games and I added her on WeChat for convenience. Watch out, I'm deleting her now. Xiaoxiao, I really haven't done anything to let you down."

"I know, it's okay, hurry up and eat, you two hurry up and eat, why are you all standing there?" At this time, the more normal it was, the more abnormal it became. Everyone was trying to find some topics to ease the atmosphere at the table.

"I want to take Yueyue to Disneyland next year. I looked at the speed pass and it costs 20,000 yuan for three people, plus the hotel in their park. I am still struggling with whether to buy the speed pass, mainly because it is too tiring to queue up with a child."

"I don't play every day, so I still have to have fun. Buy a speed pass, it's much easier." Flower Butterfly tore open the chicken wings and replied calmly.

"Yes..." Topic one, dead.

"Please help me look for houses in Milan. I've been overwhelmed by the choices these days. If I go there, I have to go to a language school first, and the transportation nearby doesn't seem to be convenient."

"Find a short-term rental first. After your language school is over, check around where you work to see if there's a suitable place. Finding a place online isn't always reliable." Hua Hudie broke the disposable chopsticks in her hand and started gnashing her teeth.

"That's right..." Topic two, dead.

"Let's go home, Xiaolan, you have to go to work tomorrow, don't stay up too late." Huadie finally gave the order, and everyone quickly packed up their things. As long as they took their phones, nothing else mattered. In the blink of an eye, the group was at the roadside.

"Qian Helin, you should stay at your parents' house tonight. I want to talk to Xiaolan and Teacher Qin for a while."

Qian Helin wanted to struggle, but Qin Tiantian stopped a taxi on the side of the road and stuffed him into the car, "Hurry up and go find your parents, go quickly."

After Qian Helin's taxi drove away, Hua Hudie squatted on the side of the road and cried, not caring whether the MaxMara coat she had just bought would be dirty. She just wanted to cry at this moment.

She has always been regarded as a "heroine" by everyone, the first to rush to support anyone who has been wronged, but when it comes to herself, she can't even say a harsh word. She can't stand failure, especially in a seemingly "simple" marriage.

Even if he offered countless words of persuasion, it would be meaningless. Qian Helin's infidelity was a foregone conclusion. Regardless of whether they had met, the level of intimacy between them was unacceptable in any marriage. Their cooling-off period was still ten days away, and these ten days were supposed to be the last chance for this marriage, but Qian Helin had ruined it himself.

He Xiaolan hid in the bathroom and called Wang Qingwei, asking him if he knew about Qian Helin's affair. Wang Qingwei said that he had no time recently and had not contacted Qian Helin much. He had heard that Qian Helin played a new game and joined a game group, but he didn't know the details.

"What should we do next?" He Xiaolan and Qin Tiantian looked at the butterfly, but they had no idea what to do.

Hua Hudie had stopped crying. Her eyes were red and swollen like walnuts, but she smiled fiercely. "What should I do? File for divorce and make him leave the house with nothing. For so many years, the house, car, and money in our family were all earned by me. He can't take a penny away, let alone leave it to outsiders. What's mine must be mine."

There is no point in being sad. What I can do now is to take all the initiative into my own hands. Looking at Qian Helin’s phone first was the biggest mistake. He must have deleted all the evidence at night. I have to make an appointment with a lawyer tomorrow to ask if there is any other way.

"Lawyer Guo, are you free tomorrow? I have something I want to discuss with you." Hua Hudie's motto was to act immediately. Her parents had always been critical of her divorce. Mistakes must be made, and she wanted everyone to know that Qian Helin owed her money, bit by bit.