Chapter 7 The Past
In the kitchen, Xiao Peiyin was busy preparing breakfast for tomorrow, bathing An An, and doing housework. This was what she repeated every day.
"Mom~ Grandma doesn't like me?" An An's childish voice rang out beside her.
"How could that be? An An, grandpa and grandma love you very much," Xiao Peiyin comforted her daughter in a gentle tone.
"But grandma won't let me play with my brother..." An An pouted and said aggrievedly
"That's because brother has to study, so he doesn't have time to play with An An. When brother is on vacation, we will go to play with him, okay?" Xiao Peiyin squatted down and gently hugged An An, frowning slightly.
Chen Feng's parents also favored boys over girls. Over the years, they cared much more about Nan Nan than An An. Although she was helpless, she couldn't say anything. After all...
"An An, go watch TV. Mom will come to accompany you after washing clothes." Xiao Peiyin picked up An An and walked towards the bedroom.
Chen Feng walked over from the living room and stood at the doorway in silence for a while. He looked at Xiao Peiyin and spoke slowly after a long while: "You've been doing that job for a while, how do you feel about it?"
Hearing Chen Feng's voice coming from behind, Xiao Peiyin was stunned for a moment, turned around and walked out the door, glanced at An An, and gently closed the bedroom door. Then he said indifferently: "It's okay, what do you want to say?"
"You heard what Mom said at the dinner table just now. The family doesn't need you to go out to work, but since you insisted, I let you go. You've been doing this job for a while now, and it's almost enough. The money I give you every month is not enough. Wouldn't it be better for you to stay at home with An An? Going out to work, you don't earn much, and you have to endure the bullying. Why do you do this?"
Xiao Peiyin felt a little angry when she heard Chen Feng's words. Ever since she married Chen Feng, she had taken care of Nannan, and later had An'an. The big and small things at home always weighed on her. Chen Feng never understood why she insisted on going to work. In his heart, a woman only needed to take care of the family...
Before Xiao Peiyin could respond, Chen Feng continued, "It's just the right time. The end of the month is just a few days away. You should quit your job these few days. Your parents are getting old, and it's already a bit difficult for them to take care of Nan Nan. You don't need to earn money, just stay at home and take good care of the child!"
"Chen Feng!"
Hearing Pei Yin's voice behind him, Chen Feng stopped
"I won't quit!"
"What did you say?" Chen Feng turned around suddenly, his eyes filled with unchallengeable authority.
"I said I won't resign. I will take good care of An An. As for Nan Nan, how do you think I should treat him?"
Chen Feng was stunned in place, with a flash of displeasure in his eyes. He didn't say anything, just looked at her quietly.
"Ever since I married you, I've always treated Nan Nan as my own child, but your parents have always treated me the way they treat me. I'll always be an outsider in your family. If they had left Nan Nan to me, they wouldn't even be able to sleep well, afraid that I'd neglect him or abuse him. After all these years, what else can I do to win your hearts? I'll say this one last time: I need a job. This is my only request!"
After saying that, Xiao Peiyin turned and walked towards the bedroom and closed the door without looking at Chen Feng again. Cartoons were playing in the bedroom, and An An fell asleep quietly beside her. She turned off the TV, held An An in her arms, and waves of warmth welled up in her eyes...
…
Gu Cunxi arrived at the station early in the morning, hoping to avoid the morning rush hour, but...she miscalculated.
Standing at the bus stop, she suddenly thought of Xiao Peiyin and wondered if she would run into her...
Jianghuai City was covered in frost in the winter. Standing in the cold wind, Gu Cunxi saw a bus approaching in the distance and hesitated. She didn't know why she wanted to wait a little longer...
The bus pulled into the station, the front door flung open, and passersby hurriedly piled in. Gu Cunxi stood still, not moving a foot, as if frozen in time, unable to move. As he hesitated, the door slowly closed...
Watching the bus leave the station, Gu Cunxi lowered her head and chuckled softly, secretly mocking herself in her heart. She had deliberately missed the bus because she was a little bit looking forward to Xiao Peiyin's appearance...
How long had she not done such childish things? She didn't know what had happened to her? She actually did such a stupid thing! Fortunately, Xiao Peiyin was just a woman, otherwise she would probably suspect that she had gradually fallen in love with her...
After a long time, Gu Cunxi still hadn't seen Xiao Peiyin. Deciding not to wait any longer, she joined the crowd and squeezed onto the bus. The small space was filled with a complex mixture of smells. People were crowded together, coming and going in different directions. She didn't know who she would leave behind at the next stop, or who she would meet. She hadn't experienced this kind of life in a long time. She felt a sense of nostalgia, but also a sense of loss...
When she first joined Huahai Group after graduating from university, her daily routine was just like this. Because she rented in the suburbs, she would leave home two hours early every day and rush from the outskirts to the center of the northern city. Even though the journey was long, she never felt tired. Back then, she was full of expectations for the future, until a year ago...
That year, she successfully entered the planning department of Huahai Group and started as an ordinary employee. There, there were endless planning proposals, endless projects, and endless overtime work. The first skill she learned there had nothing to do with work. Because she often worked overtime until late at night, missed the bus, and lived in the suburbs, the price of taking a taxi back home was unaffordable for her at the time, so sleeping in the company toilet became a common occurrence for her. Of course... the toilet facilities in Huahai Group were luxurious and even more comfortable than her rental house, except for the lack of a bed.
For a long time afterwards, she often worked overtime until late at night and slept on the bathroom floor.
Because she devoted herself to her work, she quickly earned the appreciation of President Xu and, in just a few years, established herself at Huahai Group. The following years marked the highlight of her life, with continuous promotions and salary increases, from team leader to manager. At the age of 30, she became the director of the planning department, earning a seven-figure annual salary. In the eyes of many, she was undoubtedly successful. Her life had been so smooth sailing, if it hadn't been for those events that followed...
Thinking of this, Gu Cunxi sighed slightly, with an indelible worry between her brows. She looked at the hurried crowd outside the window. After the bus passed several stations, the bus was already crowded. She was thinking that maybe she should buy a car, but when she thought of Xiao Peiyin... Gu Cunxi felt that the feeling of taking the bus home with her seemed not bad!
She had already sold her car in North City because of a major accident at a work event, which resulted in numerous casualties. As the planning director, she was fully responsible for the event. However, she hadn't expected that Lin Mo, her competitor for the position of vice president of the group, had bribed the construction workers and colluded with them, secretly tampering with the construction process. This caused the entire stage at the event to collapse, killing several people instantly after falling from a height. The collapsed steel frame and billboards also injured several others...
This incident caused a huge uproar in North City at the time and occupied the front pages of various media reports. Her competitor Lin Mo and the construction workers accused her of secretly stealing the group's planning funds and building a shoddy project at the event site.
She was then taken away by the police and suspended for investigation. The day before the incident, Lin Mo colluded with the construction workers to deposit a sum of money into her bank account in his name. Lin Mo knew that her bank card did not have transfer reminders activated. This was also what Gu Cunxi couldn't figure out. She didn't know how Lin Mo knew her bank account number and made sure that she had not activated the relevant business reminders. The day before the event was the busiest time. She was always staring at the scene and didn't even have time to check her phone.
Later, the group and the police investigated Gu Cunxi internally and externally. A bank transfer record made her at a loss for explanation. The person who made the transfer was the construction worker. He identified Gu Cunxi as someone who had asked him to choose the cheapest materials for the event site and split the remaining money 50-50. Gu Cunxi was responsible for the fake account. She was then taken away by the police. The group prosecuted her for embezzling a huge amount of public funds. The families of the injured and dead gathered at the gate of the group with banners.
Just like that, Lin Mo became her nightmare for a long time...
She had never imagined that at the age of 30, her life could fall so drastically. Before the trial, Mr. Xu came to see her and hired one of the best lawyers in North City. With all the help, she was able to avoid jail time.
Xu Shengnan, the general manager of Huahai Group, saved Gu Cunxi because of his personal intervention.
She still remembers that before she decided to leave Beicheng, she once asked Mr. Xu why he wanted to help her.
Xu Shengnan said to her, "There's never any smoke in the war of business. Hidden places are smeared with hidden arrows. I've worked my way up from the bottom to the middle level, and from the middle level to the top. I've sat in that chair in the middle of the conference room for so many years. If I don't have the ability to distinguish right from wrong, and can't see through the complexities behind the events, then I'm stupid. I can only help you get here, to avoid jail time, so that life won't be too difficult!"
She then sold all her assets, took out all her savings, and gave away everything she had gained over the years. She then faced the family of the deceased, beating and scolding them...
She could not refute or escape guilt. A living life had become a victim of the competition between Lin Mo and her. How could she say that she did not kill the person and that it had nothing to do with her?
In fact, after the incident was settled, she thought about finding the construction worker and asking him to tell the truth, so that she could clear her name. However, that person left no trace, as if he had never appeared. She knew that Lin Mo would not give her a chance to turn things around.
She is still too young after all...
Later, because of this incident, Gu Cunxi could no longer stay in North City. The newspapers clearly recorded the stain that Lin Mo had framed her. Overnight, few people in the city did not know the name Gu Cunxi. All major companies rejected her, no matter how impressive her resume was...
For a while afterward, she set her sights on small and medium-sized businesses, but no one dared to hire her. A murder case, no matter how capable she was, no one was willing to take the risk. She kept hitting a wall. Thinking back on how many companies had tried to poach her, no one was willing to hire her now. It was truly ironic...
The night before she decided to leave Beicheng, Gu Cunxi stood in front of the hotel window for a long time. She still vaguely remembers the night view outside that night, which was particularly gorgeous and lonely! Although it can't be called her hometown, the city has carried too much after all. Her youth and pride were lost there.
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