In May, Zhao Mingyue went to the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology to recruit designers. In the past two years, the job placement of graduates from major universities has not been entirely determined by the schools. Students can choose their jobs to a certain extent, such as contacting employers themselves or signing employment contracts with companies that come to the school to recruit.
So Zhao Mingyue also caught this wave. Many people inquired, since it was a Beijing-based company, but few submitted resumes, because it was a private enterprise. Students worked hard to get into university, and their families were counting on them for stable jobs; they couldn't bear to work for others, risking their lives, even though Zhao Mingyue's offers weren't particularly generous—she offered contracts of at least five years.
In recent years, with the development of the market economy, state-owned and collective enterprises have been greatly impacted by the market, and many small factories are struggling to survive with very poor performance. However, people have become accustomed to the inertia of state-allocated jobs and the "iron rice bowl" mentality, and have not been able to change their old ideas.
In the end, Zhao Mingyue sat there for a whole day and only received two resumes. These were from students who were quite bold and did not intend to follow the rules. However, even so, they were not sure if they would go, because they still needed to discuss it with their families.
Zhao Mingyue thought to herself, if they don't seize such a good opportunity these past two years, when her company develops in the future, they'll have to go through rigorous assessments to get in; only those with real skills will be accepted. She's recruiting now simply to build a talent pool. The company's clothing division will definitely continue to grow in the future, and two designers alone won't be enough. However, she's not in a hurry. If it doesn't work out this year, she can wait until next year. Besides, she can continue holding clothing design competitions and recruit from those competitions.
Besides clothing, Zhao Mingyue began exploring other avenues. She was optimistic about the home appliance sector. The Chinese home appliance market was currently a huge, almost untapped pie. As people's living standards improved, appliances became increasingly common. Maintaining a leading technological position in a particular field would ensure long-term success. Of course, this required substantial technological and financial support. Financially, she wasn't worried; Zhao Mingyue thought acquiring an electronics company would be ideal—it would provide an existing foundation, much better than starting from scratch.
However, no matter how bad the businesses in Beijing are, they won't collapse in just a few years; after all, it's the capital. Zhao Mingyue can't leave Beijing for the time being because Shen Xuyue has been transferred to a city in Hebei as vice mayor. It's not close, and he can only come home to visit once every one or two months. She can't leave her son alone at home, making him a left-behind child.
Liangliang will be starting elementary school soon. Shen Xuyue had mentioned that he could take his son to study in his new post, but this was clearly not a good idea. Shen Xuyue's job was unstable, and he would be relocated in a few years, meaning the child would have to move around and readjust to a new life, which would be detrimental to his personality development. Zhao Mingyue didn't want to leave Beijing either, so she could only wait for a better opportunity.
That day, Zhao Mingyue was driving to run errands and parked in front of a shopping mall to buy something. She saw a man and a woman coming out of the mall; the woman was holding the man's arm, appearing quite intimate. At first, Zhao Mingyue didn't pay much attention; what might seem strange to others, she considered perfectly normal. However, after her gaze swept over them, she realized something was amiss. Upon closer inspection, she recognized the man as Yang Maolin, and the woman as not Shen Fuyu.
Zhao Mingyue was startled. What was going on? The couple had already walked towards a car parked by the roadside. Zhao Mingyue quickly chased after them and called out, "Yang Maolin!"
Yang Maolin turned around abruptly and saw Zhao Mingyue. Startled, he quickly removed the woman's hand from his arm. Only then did Zhao Mingyue see that the woman had curly hair, white powder on her face, and blood-red lips. She wasn't necessarily beautiful, but she did have a somewhat seductive look, and most importantly, she was young.
Yang Maolin looked at Zhao Mingyue and stammered, "Mingyue, this is my cousin. She's from my hometown in Northeast China. I brought her here to buy some things."
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Really? Why didn't you come with your older sister?"
"She has to go to work." Yang Maolin's forehead was covered in sweat.
Zhao Mingyue said casually, "Oh, I see. What did you give my cousin?"
The woman instinctively reached up to touch her neck. Zhao Mingyue saw a gleaming gold chain and sneered inwardly. Giving her cousin a gold chain? What a weird cousin! More like a lover.
Yang Maolin stammered, "N-nothing, I didn't like it."
Zhao Mingyue said, "Oh, then I'll go in and buy something." With that, she turned and left.
Yang Maolin stopped Zhao Mingyue: "Wait, could you not tell your older sister about this? I'm afraid she'll be unhappy."
Zhao Mingyue said, "You tell her yourself." She sneered inwardly; her older sister certainly wouldn't be happy to know. Men with money turn bad; there aren't many good ones. She used to cherish Chen Fuyu so much, but now that she's older and her beauty has faded, he's got money and starts scheming. He's shameless! Who did he rely on to get rich in the first place? This is a sickness in society. Material civilization has developed, but spiritual civilization hasn't kept up. People are spiritually empty, so they pursue various sensory stimulations and enjoyments, leading to all sorts of strange phenomena. Infidelity and divorce have gradually become fashionable topics of this era.
Zhao Mingyue didn't plan to tell Shen Fuyu about this for the time being. If it got out, given Shen Fuyu's personality, she would definitely make a huge scene, and it would most likely end in divorce. But since she had already encountered it, she couldn't pretend she hadn't seen it at all. If Yang Maolin still had any sense of shame, he should know when to stop.
Zhao Mingyue lost interest in shopping and drove back to the Shen family home. Today was Saturday, and school was only open for half a day. Liangliang was on holiday and was playing outside with Zhuangzhuang and the neighborhood kids. When he saw Zhao Mingyue's car, he stood by the roadside, waved at her, and called out "Mom!" before running off to play. They were playing a game of catching robbers, a favorite game among children.
Zhao Mingyue parked the car at the gate of the yard. As soon as she got out, she saw Jingjing returning home looking listless, carrying a schoolbag. "Jingjing's out of school?"
He raised his eyelids and saw Zhao Mingyue, calling out weakly, "Auntie."
"What's wrong, Jingjing?" Zhao Mingyue asked with concern. Thinking about what she had seen today, she felt sorry for the child. At this age, she was going through a rebellious phase. If she knew what her father had done, she would definitely be furious, and who knows what the consequences would be. This was also why Zhao Mingyue didn't dare to tell Shen Fuyu rashly, because Shen Fuyu herself was not a calm person. If something like this happened, she would definitely make a scene, and in the end, the one who would be hurt the most, besides herself, would also be the child.
Jingjing said, "It's nothing. I missed Grandma, so I came to see her."
"Is your mom still at get off work?" Zhao Mingyue asked.
Jingjing shook his head: "I don't know." His expression became very strange, as if he was suppressing some kind of emotion.
Zhao Mingyue found it a bit strange: "What's wrong, Jingjing?"
Jingjing sniffed and gritted her teeth, saying, "Yesterday after school, I went to play with my classmates and saw my dad with his arm around a woman to go to the movies. That woman wasn't my mom."
Zhao Mingyue felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Wasn't Yang Maolin courting death? Doing something like this so openly, and even letting the child see it, she forced herself to remain calm and said, "Could you be mistaken?"
Jingjing shook her head: "How could I be wrong about my own dad?"
"Did you tell your mother?" Zhao Mingyue asked.
Jingjing squatted down, crossed her arms and rested them on her knees, her head on her arms: "No, I don't know how to say it."
Seeing that the child was almost crying, Zhao Mingyue squatted down as well, sighed, and said, "Let's talk to your dad privately, and then decide whether to tell your mom. Don't tell anyone else for now." The family, young and old, will definitely be anxious if we tell them. These days, infidelity and divorce are big deals. The elderly are not in good health, and if they get sick from worry, it will be terrible.
Jingjing nodded: "Mm." This child is also sensible. After thinking about it all night, she felt that it was better to discuss this matter with her aunt, because she is more capable and reliable. Telling others would only cause them to worry.
Zhao Mingyue patted his head: "Don't be sad, child. Let's go back and eat first, and then we'll go find your dad together this afternoon."
Jingjing nodded, her eyes still lacking luster. This child was fifteen years old this year, and was more than half a head taller than Zhao Mingyue. She was still developing and had a very thin body. She looked like an adult, but she was still a child. She looked quite pitiful.
Zhao Mingyue couldn't help but add, "Child, no matter what, this is your parents' business. Don't think too much about it. They have their own lives, and you have yours. Don't punish yourself for adults' mistakes. Just live your own life well. Your mother has had a hard time, so please be more understanding of her."
Jingjing nodded: "Mm."
Zhao Mingyue knew that this matter couldn't be resolved in a short time and had to be addressed gradually. She felt like she wanted to tear Yang Maolin to pieces. He could be as promiscuous as he wanted, but couldn't he at least do it in front of the child? He used to be so good to the child, and now this was a direct blow to his head—how could anyone accept this?
After lunch, Zhao Mingyue took Jingjing out and called Yang Maolin on her mobile phone. It was a newly released Motorola cell phone, as heavy as a brick, weighing at least a pound, and it had only been launched in China last year. The price was outrageous; Motorola's market price was 20,000 yuan, but you had to pay 25,000 yuan to buy one, plus a 6,000 yuan internet fee. Even then, not everyone could afford one. Zhao Mingyue bought one, and Yang Maolin got one too; it would certainly make doing business much more convenient.
The call connected, and Zhao Mingyue said, "Brother-in-law, Jingjing and I have something to say to you. Let's meet somewhere."
Yang Maolin was taken aback: "What does Jingjing want with me?"
“Yesterday evening, Jingjing went to see a movie with her classmates and ran into you there too,” Zhao Mingyue said directly, without beating around the bush.
Yang Maolin was immediately surprised: "Then, okay then." He said the name of a teahouse and arranged to meet there.
Zhao Mingyue drove there, and just as she drove out of the alley, she saw Chen Fuyu's car coming. Zhao Mingyue stopped and greeted her: "Big sister, I'm taking Jingjing to take care of some things."
Jingjing didn't dare look her mother in the eye, and only said, "Mom, my aunt is taking me to my classmate's place."
The two didn't quite agree, but Shen Fuyu didn't pay much attention: "Go early and come back early." She was in good spirits and obviously didn't know about Yang Maolin's matter.
The two people in the car were heavy-hearted. Jingjing suddenly said, "My dad really is seeing another woman and doesn't want my mom anymore?"
Zhao Mingyue was stunned for a moment before speaking: "Your father may have been unable to resist the temptation and lost his mind for a moment, doing something outrageous."
“That’s disgusting,” Jingjing said.
Zhao Mingyue said, "Jingjing, if your father is willing to change his ways, are you willing to forgive him?"
Jingjing said, "It depends on whether my mom will forgive him."
Zhao Mingyue hesitated for a moment, wanting to say, "What if your dad is nice and doesn't tell your mom?" But she knew that it wouldn't be fair to Jingjing. Asking a child to help keep a secret and protect the adults from harm seemed to be putting the cart before the horse. Besides, having Jingjing keep it a secret would make him feel uneasy every day, which would be torture. So she said, "Tell your dad first. If he's nice, let him apologize to your mom himself."
Yang Maolin had been leaning against his car smoking. When he saw them arrive, he threw away his cigarette butt and walked over: "Jingjing, Mingyue."
Jingjing glanced at Yang Maolin with disgust and turned her head away. Zhao Mingyue looked at Yang Maolin; he looked much more dejected than when she had seen him that morning, clearly upset that his son had found out.
Looking at his son's attitude, Yang Maolin said, "I'm sorry, Jingjing."
Jingjing said irritably, "What have you done to wrong me? You're my father, and I have no right to control you."
Yang Maolin was taken aback: "Jingjing, Daddy was just confused for a moment. Daddy won't make the same mistake again, really, I promise you."
Zhao Mingyue originally thought she would need to go to a teahouse to talk, but now it seems that she can skip that and just start talking on the roadside.
Jingjing said, "You don't need to promise me. Go and tell my mom yourself. If she forgives you, then you can promise her."
Yang Maolin's face turned deathly pale. His lips moved slightly, but he remained silent, clearly unwilling to tell Shen Fuyu. Jingjing glanced at him and said sharply, "You have the guts to do it, but not the guts to admit it? And you expect me to keep your secret? If you were going to do it, you should have done it flawlessly from the start, so I wouldn't have caught you. Do you know how I felt when I saw it? I felt utterly disgusted. That was something my father, the father I've respected since I was a child, did! When you did that, didn't you consider that someone would find out, that my mother and I would know?"
Yang Maolin pursed his lips, remaining silent. Zhao Mingyue coldly observed Yang Maolin. Even if this man was having an affair, he was incredibly high-profile, frequenting cinemas and shopping malls. Wasn't he afraid of being spotted by acquaintances? Beijing wasn't small, but it wasn't huge either. In just two days, she and Jingjing had both caught them. Wasn't this his own doing? Zhao Mingyue said, "Brother-in-law, you can't let Jingjing cover for you. He's so young, yet he's bearing such heavy psychological pressure for you. Have you considered his mental health? You should take the initiative to be honest with your older sister about this. If you don't, I'll do it for you."
Yang Maolin clearly hadn't expected to be so unlucky. He'd been caught cheating by both his son and sister-in-law, and there was no way to cover it up now. His shoulders slumped, and he seemed to have lost all his energy, aging him by five years. He shook his head: "No need, I'll go talk to her myself."
Zhao Mingyue knew that Shen Fuyu had always controlled the family's finances. Although she didn't have all the money in her hands—after all, she didn't work at the car dealership and was still attending classes—she knew the dealership's income and accounts inside and out. It was impossible for Yang Maolin to hide anything. It was even possible for her to file for divorce and leave Yang Maolin with nothing.
Zhao Mingyue said, "Brother-in-law, how can you be so confused? Life has only just started to get a little better, and you're already complaining about how comfortable it is? My sister is such a good person, and her child is so sensible. What more could you want?" Why do you always have to cause trouble? You're just reaping what you sow.
Yang Maolin wiped his face: "I got too carried away. I couldn't control myself when others egged me on and tempted me. I'm guilty. Where's your older sister?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "I went back to my parents' house."
Yang Maolin said, "I'll talk to her when we get back tonight. Let's not disturb the old lady. Jingjing, come back with Dad."
Jingjing didn't even look at him: "I'm going back with my aunt." With that, she opened Zhao Mingyue's car door and got in.
Zhao Mingyue drove home. Shen Fuyu sat on the sofa chatting with her parents while watching TV, a happy smile on her face. These past few years had been stable and financially secure. Now middle-aged, Shen Fuyu had started to gain weight and wasn't as pretty as she had been a few years ago. "Why are you all back again?"
Zhao Mingyue forced a smile: "I came back as soon as I finished my business."
Jingjing sat obediently beside his mother without making a sound. Shen Fuyu reached out and touched her son's head: "My Jingjing has grown so much. Time really flies."
Jingjing looked like she was about to cry.
Zhao Mingyue smiled and covered it up: "Don't deny it, you're getting old too."
Shen Fuyu reached out and touched her face: "Am I old?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "Try to exercise and lose some weight. Don't sit down right after eating, it's bad for your health and can easily lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar."
"What are the three highs?"
"High blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol," Zhao Mingyue said.
Shen Fuyu laughed and said, "You're almost catching up to Fang Zhen."
“I’m exposed to it every day, of course I’ll learn a little.” Zhao Mingyue turned to her father, “Dad, how’s your blood pressure lately?”
"It's alright, I measure it every morning and evening, it's not too high." Mr. Shen nodded. The old man has aged over the years, he is already seventy-five years old, and his hair is almost completely white, but he is still quite energetic.
Chen's mother said from the side, "Fuyu, Mingyue is right. Being fat is bad for your health. It doesn't look good either."
Shen Fuyu gave a dry laugh: "Really? Then I need to lose some weight."
That evening, Shen Fuyu went home. Zhao Mingyue wanted to keep Jingjing at home so she wouldn't witness her parents' falling out. Jingjing whispered, "I need to go back and protect my mom. If he hits her, I can help him."
Looking at the child, who seemed very sensible, Zhao Mingyue nodded and said, "Okay, call your aunt if anything happens. My mobile phone is always on."
That evening, Zhao Mingyue didn't go home with her son; she stayed with her parents, afraid that Shen Fuyu might be upset and run back. The elderly couple would get anxious and stressed, and it would be bad if no one was watching over her. Around nine o'clock, her cell phone rang. She guessed it was Jingjing calling, and only answered when she reached the gate of the courtyard: "Jingjing?"
"Auntie, my mom went out by car. I don't know where she went. Maybe she went back to Grandma's house," Jingjing said anxiously.
Zhao Mingyue comforted him, saying, "Don't panic. Did your parents fight?"
“My mom got angry and threw things at my dad, but he didn’t fight back. He just kept begging for forgiveness and apologizing,” Jingjing said.
Zhao Mingyue said, "Okay, I understand. I'll let you know when I get news about your mother, so don't worry."
A few minutes later, a car pulled up in front of the house. It was going very fast, and when it stopped, it almost hit Zhao Mingyue's car. Shen Fuyu pushed open the car door and stepped out with tears streaming down her face.
Zhao Mingyue quickly went to greet her: "Big sister."
Shen Fuyu looked at Zhao Mingyue and then hugged her, sobbing. Zhao Mingyue patted her shoulder without saying a word, silently staying with her.
Shen Fuyu knew that Zhao Mingyue must know as well. After a while, she sniffed and asked, "Do you know too?"
Zhao Mingyue sighed: "I saw it at the entrance of Friendship Shopping Mall this morning. On my way back, I ran into Jingjing and found out that the child had also encountered it last night."
Shen Fuyu gritted her teeth and said, "That bastard Yang Maolin, I wish I could eat his flesh, drink his blood, and gnaw on his bones. That heartless bastard, I want to kill him."
Zhao Mingyue patted her back gently: "Big sister, don't get agitated. You need to think more about Jingjing. Right now, not only are you being wronged, but the child is being wronged too. Jingjing and I both feel that you have the right to know, so we didn't hide this from you. Besides, it's not fair to the child to have Jingjing help cover this up. He's still young and has a weaker psychological capacity. I'm worried that he will be hurt even more."
Upon hearing this, Shen Fuyu burst into tears. Zhao Mingyue was worried that her parents had heard and things would get messy if they found out. Just then, Shen's mother went to the kitchen and heard someone crying outside, so she asked, "Who's crying there?"
Hearing her mother's voice, Shen Fuyu cried even louder. Zhao Mingyue panicked and quickly said, "Big sister, take it easy. Don't make Mom and Dad worry about you. Grandpa has high blood pressure."
Shen Fuyu sniffed hard: "Mom, it's me."
"What's wrong, Fuyu?" Mother Shen asked as she walked over.
Shen Fuyu released Zhao Mingyue and sobbed, "I had a fight with Yang Maolin, and I want to divorce him."
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