21 emails
◎Deleted Emails◎
While there are people in every industry who just get paid a basic salary, you can't say that to your boss's face, can you?
How could you say it so directly and without any attempt to hide it? Are you afraid of being hired?
"Sister, if you don't help me, what can I, a college graduate in cross-border e-commerce, do? I don't want to live a life where I can see the end of my life in an electronics factory."
Xu Jingya's words actually make sense. If there were better options, no one would spend their entire life on an electronics factory assembly line.
Technology can change lives.
But technology is a double-edged sword. When people adapt to tools instead of tools assisting humans, everything turns upside down.
Unfortunately, there is no "Modern Times" in the world of novels.
In the world of "Modern Times," there was no second Charlie Chaplin.
"Xu Jingya, what was your last job?"
"A clothing sales assistant."
"How long did you work there, and why did you leave?"
"Sis, are you interviewing me?"
"If you want me to bypass HR and put you into the company, I need to know your background first."
Xu Jingya was overjoyed. This meant they agreed to give her a special treatment. She blurted out everything: "I've been working as a clothing sales assistant for about three months. The base salary is too low, only a little over two thousand. The salary is too commission-based. I only get four days off a month and work ten hours a day. Who can stand that?"
It is indeed a job that sounds very tiring.
There are only 24 hours in a day, and working 10 hours, not counting commuting time, already takes up almost half of the day.
It's still one day off a week.
Anyone who has ever worked knows how inhumane the single-day weekend, the time off in lieu of work, and the alternating weeks of alternating work and rest days are.
Most jobs available to ordinary people involve working more than eight hours a day, and some even last more than ten hours. While they may earn slightly more money, the physical and mental damage is irreversible. For working-class people, it's like trading their lives for money.
She remembered an intern she had once mentored, Yu Sihui.
Yu Sihui is a very hardworking and dedicated girl. After completing her associate's degree, she went on to study for a bachelor's degree and is now preparing to work while preparing for graduate school.
Once, while we were chatting over drinks, Yu Sihui said, "Sister Huai, many of us are different from you. We got a good undergraduate degree. The reputation of a prestigious university is more important than anything else. We can be promoted to director after working for a few years. Even though I got into a university, and even though the university is pretty good, when I go for interviews, people still ask, 'You got a bachelor's degree after completing a junior college program. Why didn't you take the college entrance exam before?'"
Yu Sihui's smile was strained. She said, "I could only tell the interviewer that I didn't perform well." But, Sister Huai, do you know that in this world, for every person who goes to university, there's someone who goes to a vocational college? Because the number of university places is fixed; it's determined by people, by scores, which categorize people and decide the allocation of resources. Just like wealth in this world, some people spend lavishly while others are destitute. If there were no poor people, how would the wealth of the rich be apparent? If one day everyone could go to university with a bachelor's degree, then many job interviews would likely require a master's or doctoral degree.
Xu Huaihuai didn't know how to comfort her at that time, so she could only say somewhat weakly that it was the interviewer who asked that kind of question who was bad, and that she was already good enough.
Yu Sihui burst into tears. She cried, saying that more than half of her ten job interviews rejected her because she only had a junior college diploma. Interviewers preferred a perfect bachelor's degree to an inspiring story of transferring from a junior college to a bachelor's program. First and second degrees can be discarded, but the stereotype that junior college is inferior to bachelor's and the prejudices in people's hearts cannot be erased overnight. Sister Huai, not everyone who stands at a high position like you can treat those at the foot of the mountain with the same equanimity.
At that moment, Xu Huaihuai silently handed tissues to Yu Sihui, who was in tears. This girl, who was always lively and cheerful at the company, couldn't stop crying.
She really wanted to tell Yu Sihui that she wasn't actually at a high level; she was just ahead of Yu Sihui. Her demanding, high-energy work every day meant she couldn't even afford to keep a kitten. If she could, she wouldn't want to work; she wanted to raise her beloved cat and have a kitten of her own.
However, in a fast-paced era, it is difficult for people to stop.
If she hadn't come into this world, she might still be working overtime at her desk.
She looked at Xu Jingya, this twenty-six-year-old girl, expectant and nervously waiting for her to speak.
She wasn't particularly clever, but she wasn't bad either. Who doesn't yearn for a better life?
Xu Huaihuai remembers a song with lyrics that go something like: "In the mirror, it seems like I see the end of life."
Isn't a life that can be seen through at a glance terrifying?
Your twenties are a time full of dreams and fantasies. What if you strike it rich? What if you meet a benefactor on your way out today? What if you win the lottery?
Just like she scanned the QR code and filled out the questionnaire with the thought of "what if I win the lottery", she actually won and received a voucher for experiencing the life of the female protagonist in a novel.
Seeing that she didn't speak for a moment, Xu Jingya pushed the fruit plate containing red grapes over and said in a somewhat ingratiating way, "Sister, you can eat them. They're seedless and you don't need to peel them."
The aunt's shopping list today didn't include fruit, so it seems she bought it herself. It was a whole bunch, but she probably didn't eat any herself.
At this hour, everyone else is in their rooms, probably already resting.
Xu Jingya didn't sleep; she waited for her to come back in the living room, trying to win her over with a bunch of red grapes.
I'm not that soft-hearted!
Xu Huaihuai didn't eat the red grapes that Xu Jingya washed, but she didn't leave immediately either, returning to her own bedroom.
"Xu Jingya, the base salary during the probation period at my company isn't as high as the seven or eight thousand you're looking for. After deducting social security, you'll only get a little over four thousand a month. If you can accept that, I can talk to HR and give you a chance to join the company, but whether you pass the probation period depends on yourself."
"Sis, you said yes? I accept! Wait a minute, sis, do you get weekends off?"
"There are weekends off. I will send you the specific job information through HR, but if you just want to earn the base salary, you should think carefully, as this is not a long-term solution."
Xu Huaihuai was about to go back to her room when Xu Jingya caught up with her. "Sister, wait a minute, I have something to do..."
"For work-related matters, just communicate with HR when the time comes."
“No, not this…” Xu Jingya scratched her head, “I think I’ve started my period, could you give me a pack of sanitary napkins, sis?”
"Okay. Do you want daytime or nighttime use?" Compared to asking for money or a job, asking for sanitary napkins isn't a big deal.
"Can I have a pack of each?"
Xu Jingya was perceptive enough not to go into Xu Huaihuai's room, but waited at the door.
Xu Huaihuai gave her a pack of daytime sanitary napkins and a pack of nighttime sanitary napkins. Xu Jingya felt a little uncomfortable. She couldn't tell if it was envy or something else. "Sister, the ones you're using are so expensive." She usually didn't dare to buy this brand. The money for one pack of this brand of sanitary napkins could buy several packs of other brands.
"Do you need it?" Xu Huaihuai leaned against the door, reaching out as if to take it back.
"Sure, thanks sis!" Xu Jingya grabbed the sanitary napkin and dashed back to her bedroom.
She runs so fast even during her period.
She wouldn't actually try to take back the sanitary napkins she gave away, so there's no need to be so wary.
Without Xu Jingya's interference, Xu Huaihuai was finally able to calm down and think about the cat meows she had heard earlier.
Where did that cat's meow come from? The sound was very close to her, as if it were coming from Lin Xu.
But Lin Xu couldn't possibly meow like a cat.
Moreover, Lin Xu didn't hear the cat's meow.
Was it really an auditory hallucination?
Recalling the similar hallucination he had seen at Wei Mingxue's house, Xu Huaihuai typed in the comments.
"I haven't asked you yet why I was able to see Wei Mingxue's childhood memories."
The comments section was like a network lag issue, only one message popped up after a long time.
It's about perception.
"Perception? Be more specific."
In short, you can think of it as an ability you awaken in the world of a novel, allowing you to read someone's thoughts when they are experiencing emotional fluctuations.
"Can I read someone's thoughts when they're emotionally fluctuating? So this perception is why I can see her past?"
That's right.
"No, this world actually allows awakened abilities, this kind of cheat code, why didn't you say so earlier? Isn't the original novel a redemption story? Why are there these fantasy elements?"
The comments section skillfully shifted blame.
[You didn't ask! Besides, of course it wasn't in the original story; it's just a transmigration. Your involvement might have caused some fluctuations in the worldview, which is why some abilities have awakened.]
"But I can't feel any difference between myself and before. Besides, I've only seen Wei Mingxue's past."
Because perception is like a passive skill; it only triggers when certain conditions are met.
"What are the conditions?"
This will only be triggered when you are very close to the person being perceived, the person experiencing intense emotional fluctuations, the person trusting you, and your feelings for the person being perceived are genuine.
"...Ha, that's quite a passively triggered skill. Then what was that cat meow I heard?"
[A cat meowing? What cat is meowing? When?]
"Just before I came in, when I was talking to Lin Xu at the door."
[Hiss—I didn't find anything unusual. Have you been under too much stress lately? You're not dead, you're not dead. Just get through a year and you can go back, you can escape the female lead's dysfunctional family.]
The comments section offered only half-hearted words of comfort.
Tsk, what an unreliable egg.
After taking a shower, Xu Huaihuai nestled in bed, turned on her computer, and started dealing with some work emails.
The female lead doesn't have to work regular hours, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have work to do.
Fortunately, the work content was all familiar to me, so I was able to handle it quite well.
Marketing Director Cui Limin sent her the marketing plan for the next quarter.
The beauty brand created by the female lead mainly deals in makeup products. The last quarter of the year is the golden period for product marketing. The operation of this beauty brand is relatively mature, and the marketing plan is basically without problems.
In the email, Cui Limin also inquired whether the products for the next quarter would still be included in the charity program, with one cent donated to the charity foundation for every order completed to provide extra meals for children in mountainous areas.
Xu Huaihuai gave her an affirmative reply, and after thinking for a moment, sent another email to her and the financial director, Li Chuqing.
After processing all her work emails, Xu Huaihuai prepared to close the page. However, she accidentally touched the recycle bin and saw a deleted email.
Sender: Municipal Mental Health Center.
[Author's Note]
"In the mirror, it's as if I see the end of life."
—You were once the young SHE
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