Chapter 1 Today is a Good Day
Luo Yan stared at the "List of Candidates for Employment" stamped with a bright red official seal on her phone screen, her fingers almost poking through the screen.
I finally climbed out of the dead-end major of environmental engineering, which meant unemployment after graduation. After enduring three years of hardship as a car salesman, I finally took the civil service exam and passed!
Three years, a full three years.
Does God know how she's been through these past three years?!
"Yes!" She almost jumped up at her workstation, then quickly covered her mouth and glanced at her colleague Lao Wang, who was spitting as he talked to a client at the next workstation.
Stay calm, Luo Yan, you can't let your image crumble. You have a secure job now!
I took out my phone and opened the pinned chat window.
Wu Yuzhou, her childhood sweetheart, they used to pee and play in the mud together since they were little, mainly he would pee and she would watch, a rich and handsome guy who grew up with her, now a partner in a well-known law firm.
Three years ago, when she was facing setbacks after graduation, he suddenly looked at her very seriously and said, "Xiao Yan'er, I think you can also consider handing yourself over to the country. That would be really cool."
This sentence became her mental energy booster for the past three years, helping her get through countless late nights of studying problems until she felt like throwing up.
Luo Yan's fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed, a wild smile spreading across her face.
My sis has joined the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism! When are you free? I'll treat you to dinner! [Laughing wildly with hands on hips]
After sending the message, I put my phone back in my pocket and felt like I was floating on air.
Sunlight streamed in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows of the 4S store, making even the smell of new car leather mixed with cheap air fresher.
When it was time to leave work, Luo Yan grabbed her bag and walked with a light step, as if she were riding on wheels of fire.
Just as she stepped out of the store, her phone buzzed. Wu Yuzhou had replied to her message! Her heart raced, and she quickly opened it.
The End of the Universe:
- Congratulations, my cigarette is awesome! You're off work now, right? I'm nearby, let's go celebrate.
Luo Yan stood on the street, fixing her hair in front of the shop window. "Hmm, thank goodness I changed into this business suit before leaving today. I look so smart!" she thought. "Uniform allure, aren't you going to rock it?"
Soon, Wu Yuzhou's gleaming Porsche Cayenne pulled up in front of them. The window rolled down, and the man's handsome face, still bearing his usual smile, said, "Get in, I'll take you to a nice place to celebrate."
The car wound its way through the streets before finally stopping in front of an elegant Western restaurant that Luo Yan usually only dared to glance at when passing by.
Wu Yuzhou gentlemanly opened the door for her. The restaurant was softly lit, with melodious violin music playing, and the air was thick with the scent of money and hormones. Luo Yan tried her best to maintain a ladylike smile as she followed him inside, her heart pounding wildly: There's potential! There's definitely potential! This level of prestige, this atmosphere!
Then, her smile and her steps froze simultaneously.
Wu Yuzhou strode over and, under Yang Xin's slightly affected look of surprise, magically produced a small box. He knelt on one knee, and the restaurant instantly fell silent, all eyes focused on him, and the background music changed to "Marry Me" at just the right moment.
“Xin’er…”
Wu Yuzhou's voice was deep and affectionate, with a powerful penetrating quality: "From the first moment I saw you in college, I knew I was doomed. Thank you for being willing to enter my life and make my world complete. Will you marry me?"
"I do!" Yang Xin covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes, whether real or not, and stretched out her hand wearing a lace glove.
The diamond ring dazzled the eyes under the lights, and the surrounding area erupted in applause, interspersed with whispers such as "How romantic!" and "What a perfect match!"
Luo Yan stood there, feeling as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her from head to toe, her internal organs frozen solid. Her heart, which had been pounding just moments before, now felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, causing her so much pain that she could hardly breathe.
Three years of hard work and ten years of anticipation, like a giant, colorful soap bubble, burst and shattered before her eyes with a "pop," leaving not a trace of moisture behind.
She watched blankly as Yang Xin threw herself into Wu Yuzhou's arms, the two embracing tightly as they received blessings from everyone present.
Yang Xin's gaze pierced through the crowd and precisely landed on Luo Yan, who stood frozen in place. Her eyes held the triumph of a victor, undisguised boasting, and a hint of pity. She walked over with her head held high, reached out and gave Luo Yan a hug, speaking in her usual gentle voice, with a tone that sounded like joy and gratitude, "Yan Yan, you are my best friend. I'm so happy that you could witness my happiest moment."
Oh……
Luo Yan gasped, her body stiffening as she was held, feeling like a mannequin. In fact, she had only just realized that she was merely a tool, tricked by Wu Yuzhou into adding fuel to the fire of this jarring scene.
"As long as you're happy..."
Luo Yan shoved Yang Xin away, turned around, and almost staggered out of the restaurant. The romantic music and cheers behind her were blocked by the heavy glass door, leaving only the noisy traffic of the city and her own pounding heart.
A double whammy of love and friendship, truly a "good day" to get out of trouble, what a dark joke!
I returned home in a daze. As soon as I inserted the key into the lock, I heard a sickeningly sweet laugh and a strange male voice coming from inside.
Luo Yan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.
In the living room, her mother, Ms. Xu Jingfei, who was over forty but still very elegant, was lounging on the sofa in a close-fitting silk nightgown. Behind her stood a young man who looked to be no more than thirty years old, who was attentively massaging her shoulders with his well-defined muscles.
On the coffee table, red wine swirls in the decanter, creating an atmosphere so intimate it's almost palpable.
"Oh, you're back?"
Xu Jingfei tossed her newly dyed ash-gray hair, her eyes sparkling, "Wasn't the announcement due today? How did it go? Did you get that secure job?"
Luo Yan threw her bag on the ground with a thud, her face expressionless: "Hmm, it's served. We're finally getting our paychecks." Her gaze shifted to the young man, not the one Xu Jingfei had been showing off her relationship with on social media a few months ago.
She's changed boyfriends again. Xu Jingfei has had a tough time, juggling multiple relationships with men much older than her.
"Tsk, that's not easy."
Xu Jingfei swirled her wine glass, her red lips curving into a smile. "I knew it! It's so good for a girl to have a stable job. It's a guarantee of income, and it's easy to find a partner. Someone like your mom, who stays single and childless for peace of mind, needs to have some kind of financial security, you know?" She glanced meaningfully at the young man behind her. "Let me introduce you, He Jun, the coach of 'Flying Speed,' and now my personal trainer."
He Jun flashed a bright, ingratiating smile. "Hello, Xiao Luo."
Looking at the man in front of her, who was only a few years older than her but acted like an "elder," a surge of anger rushed to Luo Yan's head.
The image of Wu Yuzhou and Yang Xin embracing, Xu Jingfei's "winner in life" demeanor, and He Jun's fawning smile in front of her all intertwined, tearing at her already fragile nerves.
"Looking for a partner?"
Luo Yan sneered, as if mocking herself, "Thanks to you, I grew up with the label of 'bastard' and experienced all the bullying in school. Now things are even better. My childhood sweetheart proposed to my best friend today, the very day I got a job! Double happiness!"
She became more and more agitated as she spoke, her pent-up grievances and anger erupting like a volcano: "Back then, you ran off with your baby so carefree, pursuing your freedom and your commitment to not getting married, while I was constantly being pointed at and gossiped about since I was a child! Now even the person I've liked for ten years has run off with someone else! You, on the other hand, are forever young, forever changing boyfriends with tears in your eyes! Your life is a female protagonist's wish-fulfillment novel, while my life is a Les Misérables book, and a damn deluxe collector's edition at that!"
The languid smile on Xu Jingfei's face vanished, replaced by a layer of frost.
She put down her wine glass, sat up straight, and looked sharply at Luo Yan with her phoenix eyes: "Why are you yelling at me? Anyone can judge me, but you have no right! You are the 'mistake' in my life, a 'mistake' that ruined my studies abroad and all my life plans! But I still chose to give birth to you, raise you, and didn't let you go hungry or cold, did I? I let you live a more decent life than most children from single-parent families, didn't I? You're just blaming me for your own emotional setbacks? If you're so capable, go and win Wu Yuzhou back! This cowardly behavior is exactly like your father's!"
"Mistake?" Luo Yan was stung by this word. She looked at Xu Jingfei, her voice trembling involuntarily. "Yes, I am your mistake! Then I really thank you for your 'decency'! Thank you for your great, selfless, and unavoidable nurturing grace! Now, seeing your face and hearing your voice, I feel suffocated!" She grabbed her bag from the ground and almost screamed, "I can't stay here anymore. Enjoy your time alone with your dear little boyfriend!"
The apartment door slammed shut, making the walls seem to shake.
Xu Jingfei's face was ashen, her chest heaving. He Jun tried carefully to comfort her, but was pushed away.
Outside the door, Luo Yan leaned against the cold wall, panting heavily, and tears finally broke out uncontrollably.
After calming down, she realized she had nowhere to go.
Behind that door wasn't home, but a battlefield. Friends? Yang Xin's victorious face still flashed before her eyes. Wu Yuzhou? Ha…
As for his biological father, Luo Muyang, that old man is just a die-hard fan of Xu Jingfei, a love-struck fool!
Very well, the world has been turned upside down in ways she could never have imagined.
The night wind rushed into her neck, and Luo Yan shivered.
My gaze swept across the street corner, and a bustling barbecue stall, shrouded in smoke, burst into view. The pungent smell of charcoal fire mixed with the aroma of cumin and chili powder violently assaulted my nostrils.
Celebrate? A ridiculous day is definitely worth celebrating!
Luo Yan plopped down on a greasy plastic stool, slamming her hand on the rickety low table with a loud thud: "Boss, ten skewers of pork kidneys, ten skewers of cartilage! The coldest beer ever! A whole case!"
The icy beer, fizzy and strong, poured down my throat and burned all the way to my stomach.
The joy of reaching shore had long since vanished, leaving only utter exhaustion and a near-numb sense of absurdity.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
