Chapter 4: We are from two different worlds...

Quitting your job is a momentary pleasure, but unemployment is a nightmare.

After searching for several days without finding a suitable part-time job, Sheng Yi couldn't help but start to wonder if things could have been salvaged if she could go back to that night.

The store manager probably didn't expect that, even though everything had been handled properly, she would suddenly come back.

"If you're not satisfied with the compensation plan I've proposed, I can help you raise your salary even further." After the initial surprise, the store manager quickly calmed down.

Sheng Yi knew her well. Besides working part-time for her, she would take on other jobs and occasionally disappear for a week or two, clearly not having a proper job. But her face was pleasing to the eye even if she were just a pretty face.

Although the salary here isn't high, it's stable and the environment is simple. In this day and age, what could be more attractive than a job that provides a safety net?

They've set such a high bar; she doesn't believe she can give it up so easily. They're just using this as an opportunity to play hard to get.

After sorting things out, the store manager made up his mind. Indeed, he had done his part in calming things down today; as long as the problem could be solved with money, there was always room for negotiation.

Who knew that Sheng Yi would be so stubborn?

"I'll post the job opening here as well, you can think about it some more."

In the end, both compromised, not making a final decision on the spot, but once the words were spoken, there was no room for negotiation. Leaving aside the fact that the job market is always in high demand, even if they did stay together, could they truly be completely without resentment?

Old Qian, having somehow gotten wind of the situation, immediately sent a voice message: "What, you finally couldn't keep up with that lousy job?"

Unlike him, Sheng Yi was not energetic. He said in a muffled voice, "Yes, I resigned."

If the store manager works quickly, they should be able to find someone to take over the work in the next few days.

"Good thing you quit." Old Qian's voice was full of undisguised laughter. Regardless of what Sheng Yi thought, he said to himself, "I told you long ago that you're not cut out for this."

In his opinion, this girl was born for the entertainment industry. Unfortunately, she lacks ambition, and he has all his talent but nowhere to use it. Sigh, what a waste of her good looks.

Thinking of this, he sighed silently.

Sheng Yi was already used to his unpredictable moods; if it weren't for the internet connection, she would have loved to punch him a couple of times. But what could she do when he had so many connections? She gritted her teeth and asked anyway, "Is there any work suitable for me lately?"

"What, now you realize you need me?" I've never seen him try to get close to me before.

"I'm hanging up now." Sheng Yi didn't want to say anything more to him.

"Okay, okay, I'll keep an eye out for you."

Sheng Yi hung up the phone and checked the time; it was almost 10:30, and her roommate Fu Xiaodan hadn't gotten off work yet.

Fu Xiaodan was about the same age as her. Her roommate suddenly moved out, and the house was in a hurry to be sold, so Sheng Yi happened to move in.

The two-bedroom apartment was mostly occupied by Shengyi alone. Although they didn't see each other often, the two surprisingly got along well. Neither of them liked to move, and they had been living there for quite some time.

Fu Xiaodan returned around 11 PM. Despite having worked all day, she still had a flawless makeup look. Sheng Yi truly admired her boundless energy.

The two rarely had a face-to-face chat, so Sheng Yi told her about this matter. Upon hearing that she had refused the double wages, Fu Xiaodan spat out the toothpaste foam in her mouth, "You apologized, and she agreed to give double wages because she was willing. What's there to feel guilty about?"

"Maybe I just lost my mind for a moment," Sheng Yi said after thinking for a while, staring at the snow-white ceiling.

Fu Xiaodan knew her all too well. "Anyway, we won't see each other again, so why do you care what she thinks? You think they'll think you have backbone if you don't take the money? They might just think you're making trouble for no reason."

Sheng Yi thought about it and realized it made sense. In the workplace, backbone doesn't put food on the table. Without real ability, no matter how obsequious you are, no one will respect you.

"Should I go ask for it back? It's not a lot of money, but it's enough for us to have two cups of milk tea," Sheng Yi joked.

However, she was too embarrassed to bring it up again.

She went to work as usual and met the store manager; both of them acted as if nothing had happened. The last half-day shift went uneventfully, and the store manager even invited her and her colleagues to dinner. Sheng Yi politely declined the invitation, tidied up the bookshelves one last time, and then packed up to leave work.

Turning off the lights and closing the door also temporarily shut down a part of her life that had been spent here.

Her rented apartment was in the old town; although the facilities were rather dated, the transportation and security were quite good. It was about a half-hour walk from the bookstore/cafe. Sheng Yi was used to enjoying this rare quiet time after work, letting the evening breeze carry her thoughts away completely.

Having worked here for several months, she knew this route well. The March wind was still a bit chilly. Sheng Yi bent down to straighten her clothes, intending to retrace her steps. Only when she looked up did she see a man standing not too far away under the streetlights.

His face was shrouded in shadow, making it difficult to discern his features.

Seeing someone come out, the man looked up.

As he approached, his face became clearer and clearer; it was the same person he had seen a few days ago.

He just stood there beside Huang Bei, coldly watching her go crazy. Although he was the one who eventually managed to calm her down, Sheng Yi was an innocent victim caught in their crossfire, so she naturally wouldn't be grateful to him.

What is he doing here? Has something gone wrong with Huang Bei again?

Sheng Yi gripped the strap of her handbag, a wary expression on her face. The two sized each other up, neither uttering a sound.

In the end, she was the first to give up on this stalemate and chose a relatively safe topic: "Excuse me, are you here to look for a book? I'm sorry, we're closed."

The man lowered his eyes, the expression in them hidden by the night. Hearing Sheng Yi's words, he hesitated and shook his head. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke, "I came here specifically to apologize. I'm sorry, we disturbed you that day."

Special trip? Who would come to ambush someone in the middle of the night? Sheng Yi felt that the couple's thought process was a bit unusual.

But since they meant well, she pursed her lips and replied indifferently, "It's all in the past."

It wasn't that she was magnanimous; she genuinely didn't want to argue with them anymore. The matter should be resolved on the same day, and she had already made her stance clear. Settling things amicably was their official decision, and she had chosen to comply; there was no reason to blame anyone now. If she couldn't afford to offend them, couldn't she at least avoid them?

Seeing her like this, the man knew she really didn't care anymore, and his gaze became somewhat complicated.

Aside from their brief encounter, the two had nothing else to talk about. Sheng Yi nodded slightly to him and turned to leave. Suddenly, the man behind her spoke, and she heard her name uttered from his lips.

The enthusiasm suddenly vanished.

The man hesitated for a moment before asking, "You're Sheng Yi, right? Sheng Yi from Ancheng No. 1 High School?"

How did he know? Sheng Yi couldn't help but wonder. Even Fu Xiaodan only knew that she was from Ancheng. Once you're in the workforce, who cares how famous you were in high school?

Seeing her reaction, the man knew he hadn't mistaken her for someone else, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face. "Sheng Yi, do you remember me? I'm Feng Shu."

He introduced himself as if it were perfectly natural, as if she should indeed know such a person.

To be honest, the name did sound familiar. Sheng Yi squinted, trying to make out a familiar face. But so much time had passed, and the people and events of that time had long since faded from memory.

Feng Shu wasn't in a hurry. A faint smile played on his lips as he let her look at him. Compared to the silent man in the book cafe that day, he exuded a gentle and carefree charm.

"Why are there still so many cars so late?" Cao Jun muttered to himself as he watched the intersection ahead change color again.

The journey was fraught with red lights, stretching what should have been a short distance to more than double. If the boss hadn't been sitting in the car, he would have preferred to just walk home.

Cao Jun glanced at the passenger seat. Wen Shili was as usual, either sleeping or spacing out. Right now, he was looking out the window, so calm that it was as if they weren't even in the same car.

In comparison, he appeared particularly restless and agitated.

Cao Jun sighed, his gaze following Cao Jun as he looked out the window, sweeping over the street scene ahead, and he couldn't help but let out a soft "Eh."

He sat up straight and stretched his neck.

Cars lined the roadside in a long queue, and a man and a woman stood gazing at each other, seemingly oblivious to everything else. They even looked somewhat familiar.

Before he could see clearly, the red light turned green, and he looked away, gripping the steering wheel and preparing to move forward again.

The car in front of us had a "new driver" sticker on it, and it was obvious that the driver was a novice. They dawdled for a long time, and when it was their turn to pass, the traffic light changed color again.

Cao Jun was no longer in a hurry. Now that they were closer, he could clearly see that the two people standing face to face on the street were indeed people he had met not long ago.

The woman was beautiful and the man was gentle and refined; they seemed exceptionally well-matched. But didn't he have a girlfriend? They caused quite a stir back then, making him worry that she would be affected. How come they're actually together now, just a couple of days later?

He remained silent and glanced at the passenger seat again. Perhaps he really should go to the ophthalmologist.

Wen Shili's expression was calm and composed, seemingly oblivious to his complex emotions and having long forgotten the farce he had witnessed a few days ago.

How could this woman appear so innocent on the surface, yet behave so recklessly in private? Cao Jun watched them laughing together, feeling as if he were being slapped in the face repeatedly, his resentful gaze almost poking a hole through Sheng Yi.

Sheng Yi had no idea what he was thinking. She stared at Feng Shu for a long time before finally remembering, "It's you!"

Feng Shu. They sat at adjacent desks for a year during their second year of high school.

However, at that time, Sheng Yi sat at the same table as her good friend, and she didn't talk to the people around her much, so the two of them weren't very familiar with each other.

But I still have some recollection of it.

It's truly fate that we can meet again in S City after all these years.

She became enthusiastic and asked, "Do you work here?"

"I'm from City S."

Oh, so he's a local.

It's incomparable. You have to understand, for ordinary working people like them, settling down here is practically impossible. The initial enthusiasm they had seemed to vanish abruptly.

Compared to my distant high school days, the scene from a few days ago is much clearer. We were originally from two different worlds.

It was getting late, and many shops along the road were closing up shop. The two of them stood on the street and chatted casually for a few minutes, exchanging contact information and saying they were both in S City and would meet up again sometime.

Sheng Yi has long understood the essence of adult social dynamics. "Later" or "another day" are merely polite excuses. Who would actually take them seriously?

The congested traffic started moving again. Cao Jun watched the couple walk away side by side, fuming. If he hadn't been sitting in his car, he probably would have followed them home. Where did Lin Hao find such a treasure for him?

Wen Shili knocked on the car window to remind him, "Drive."

"Huh? Oh." Cao Jun hurriedly followed the vehicle in front.