After breakfast, Ling Ruoke drove the two of them off. First, she dropped Huo Fu'an off at school, and then went to the company.
She needs to deal with the things she didn't finish yesterday, otherwise it will affect Xia Mo and the others' work. Then she'll take Mei Yanting to the school to ask if she can become a teacher there.
Mei Yanting followed her into her office.
"Sister Ximeng, is this your company?" Mei Yanting had already looked around. There were only two separate offices here, and this one was slightly larger and in a better location.
“I started it with my friend. We’re just getting started, and as you can see, there are only a few of us.” Ling Ruoke answered while turning on her computer.
"It'll grow into a big company someday! Sister Ximeng, you're amazing, you even have your own company!" Mei Yanting's eyes lit up. She saw it at the door; it was called Peihuo Advertising Company. So, Sister Ximeng works in advertising.
Ling Ruoke smiled. "I need to take care of something first. There are newspapers and magazines outside; you can take a look, or you can go downstairs for a walk."
"Okay." Mei Yanting looked out through the transparent glass at the people sitting in front of computers behind the desks, and felt envious. She had once dreamed of being a white-collar worker, wearing business attire and typing on a computer.
But she was just an orphan, and it was already a remarkable achievement that she was able to work her way through vocational school. In fact, being able to become a primary school teacher was an incredible stroke of luck for her. The moment she lost her teaching job, she truly felt like her world had collapsed!
Mei Yanting didn't dare go out to watch them work because the feeling of being excluded was too embarrassing. Although looking at Sister Ximeng made her feel like she didn't belong to this world, it was still better than feeling embarrassed in front of a group of people.
If only I could sit in an office like them, sipping tea and typing on my computer! Unfortunately, that's just a dream. Even if she were willing and had the money to go back to school, she might not be able to get into university.
As she was lost in thought, she saw a man walk in, sit down opposite Sister Ximeng, and begin a discussion. Both of them seemed very focused and capable.
She couldn't understand much of what they were saying. Occasionally, they would mix in English. She had studied English, but only very simple sentences.
Sister Ximeng looks like one of those strong women on TV, not at all like the gentle and demure woman she is at home. But her tone of voice is not aggressive, nor does she throw a tantrum.
Even after they finished their discussion, Mei Yanting still couldn't understand what they were talking about.
As Xia Mo left, he looked at Mei Yanting and joked, "Sister Ruo, you even brought your assistant to work today."
"She's a friend of mine, named Mei Yanting. I'm going out with her to take care of some things later. Tell the others to contact me as soon as possible; I'll be out in a bit."
"OK, no problem. Beautiful Mei, my name is Xia Mo. Let's get to know each other sometime." Xia Mo smiled dashingly, pushed open the door, and went out.
Mei Yanting felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
As soon as Xia Mo left, other people who needed to see the boss came in one after another. Fortunately, there weren't many things to do, and Ling Ruoke finished in a little over an hour.
"Okay, Yanting, let's go." Ling Ruoke turned off her computer and stood up.
Mei Yanting quickly put down her magazine, stood up, and said with a smile, "Sister Ximeng, you're really amazing!"
Ling Ruoke chuckled and patted her head as she passed by, treating her like a child.
Once inside the car, Mei Yanting asked the question that had been on her mind. "Sister Ximeng, why do they all call you Sister Ruo?"
"My real name is actually Ling Ruoke. I encountered some things when I went to Y City, so I used another name. Ling Ruoke is my real name. You won't be angry that I lied to you, will you?" She had forgotten to tell Mei Yanting about this.
Mei Yanting suddenly realized and quickly shook her head. "How could that be? Sister Ximeng must have her reasons. I'm still used to calling you Sister Ximeng, is that alright?"
"certainly."
The two of them first went to Yucai Primary School. Actually, it's very close to Peihuo Company, just a few minutes' drive away.
The principal still remembered Ling Ruoke, and saw her smiling as kindly as ever.
After exchanging pleasantries, Ling Ruoke explained her purpose for coming. She added at the end, "I've worked with her before; she's a good teacher and very responsible. The children all like her very much."
However, the principal looked troubled, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Mei Yanting's heart skipped a beat; she had already guessed the outcome. Her expression was one of barely concealing her embarrassment.
"This...this might be a bit difficult. You know, even though I'm the principal, I can't just do whatever I want..."
Since things had already come to this point, Ling Ruoke couldn't make things difficult for others.
When she came out after saying goodbye, Mei Yanting seemed to have all her strength drained away, and she couldn't manage a smile no matter how hard she tried.
"Let's see how it goes, don't be discouraged." Ling Ruoke patted her shoulder.
Mei Yanting forced a smile, but it looked worse than crying. She knew that the principal of this school knew Sister Ximeng. There was no need to even ask about other schools.
Sure enough, after a busy day, there were no results. Actually, Z City is much more developed than Y City, so the requirements for teachers are naturally higher there.
Mei Yanting was so devastated that she almost cried. Several times while the car was moving, she looked out the window and tried hard to swallow her tears.
Ling Ruoke also felt bad, but Mei Yanting was the one who applied for the job, so she had to come along. Otherwise, she wouldn't want her to suffer such a blow.
Back home, Mei Yanting hid in her room.
Ling Ruoke didn't stop her; perhaps she needed to cry. Life is cruel like that, and she had to learn to face it. She let out a sigh, feeling a heavy weight pressing on her heart.
The next day, Mei Yanting said she wasn't feeling well and wanted to stay home for the day.
Ling Ruoke didn't say anything, but left her the key to the front door and also put a few hundred yuan extra in the money box in the entryway. Then she left with Fu'an.
Not long after Ling Ruoke and the others left, Mei Yanting took her keys and went out. When she saw the money in the box, she hesitated for a moment, then finally took out a 50-yuan note.
Instead of taking a taxi, she relied on her memory and slowly walked along the road. Fortunately, the villa wasn't far from the city, and she arrived in less than an hour.
Mei Yanting looked at the passing cars, somewhat lost. This place was more bustling than Y City, a completely different feeling. She paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and started walking forward. No matter what, she had to give it a try.
But after a day of searching, Mei Yanting found that job opportunities were scarce, and there was almost nothing she could do. Even when a restaurant was hiring dishwashers, they rejected her because she was too small and lacked strength.
Mei Yanting didn't dare stay out too late. More than an hour before Ruoke got off work, she hurriedly headed back.
This has been the case for several days in a row.
Ling Ruoke actually knew that Mei Yanting was secretly looking for work because she had accidentally bumped into her once. But if this was all the pride Mei Yanting had left, then there was no need to expose her.
Lying in bed at night, thinking of that poor little girl, she felt terribly sad. She even considered using bribery to see if she could get the school to hire Mei Yanting.
That day.
Ling Ruoke received a call from the kindergarten, saying that someone had been appearing outside the kindergarten for several days in a row, constantly peering inside. After observing, she determined that the person she was looking at was Huo Fu'an. The woman was wearing a headscarf and was quite young.
Ling Ruoke was terrified and, disregarding everything else, dropped what she was doing and rushed to the kindergarten.
…
Outside the kindergarten, a woman was looking inside. She was wearing a headscarf, so her face could not be seen.
Meanwhile, at the kindergarten, a group of children were playing a game called "Old Huo Catches Chicks" with their teacher. That "Old Huo" was none other than Huo Fu'an, a child. So, you could hear his laughter and the screams of other children every now and then.
Yuan Meng watched quietly, her eyes fixed on him. He was a premature baby, weighing just over five pounds at birth, as small as a kitten in her hands. Now, he had grown so big. He was chubby and fair-skinned, with a cute, round face, and a lively, energetic personality. His quacking laughter had never stopped since he was born, like a carefree, happy little duck.
Yuan Meng couldn't help but burst into tears. They had raised him very well and cared for him exceptionally well. It was clear that they truly loved him as their own child!
Tears blurred my vision, and I couldn't see that small figure anymore.
Yuan Meng hurriedly lowered her head to wipe away her tears, not wanting to waste this limited time.
Suddenly, a teacher's anxious voice rang out from inside. "Huo Fu'an, where are you going?"
Yuan Meng hurriedly looked up and saw the child running towards her.
"Auntie, why are you crying?" The childish voice, the big, blinking eyes, the thick, long eyelashes, the chubby cheeks... everything about her was so adorable.
Yuan Meng reached her hand over the railing, wanting to touch his face. But her hand missed. She looked up and saw the teacher pulling the child away.
"Who are you? I've noticed you for days. What do you want?" the teacher demanded loudly.
Yuan Meng paused for a moment, then quickly waved her hand. "I didn't mean anything by it. I... I just wanted to see the child. I... I really wouldn't hurt him."
"You know him? Then why don't you go directly to him instead of sneaking around hiding there?" If she were open and aboveboard, the teacher wouldn't suspect anything.
"I...I..." Yuan Meng didn't know how to explain. How could she tell people that she just wanted to see her child, but couldn't reveal her identity, much less take him away!
"I think you're a bad guy! You'd better get out of here, or I'll call the police and have you arrested!"
Yuan Mengyi let out a sob and turned to run away. But she had only taken a few steps when she bumped into someone. She mumbled an apology and tried to pass by, but was stopped. After dodging a few times, she knew the other person was doing it on purpose.
Yuan Meng stopped crying, abruptly looked up, and saw a young and beautiful woman standing in front of her. "What do you want?"
Ling Ruoke carefully examined the woman before her; her face was still haggard, and her eyes were filled with tears. "I am Huo Fu'an's mother. I heard from the teacher that you've been looking after my child these past two days. I'd like to ask why?"
Yuan Meng stared at her in astonishment. Fu'an's mother? After a moment of stunned silence, she came to her senses. This was Huo Qingfeng's wife. "I... I just thought those children were cute, so I glanced at them a few more times. It wasn't directed at any particular child. I'm sorry, I have to go now."
Ling Ruoke dodged and stood in front of her again. "But your behavior is suspicious. For the safety of my child, I can't just let you go."
Ling Ruoke saw no ulterior motives in her eyes. She was certain this person genuinely wanted to see the child. If she truly wanted to see Fu'an, then there was only one possibility: she was Fu'an's biological mother!
"I...I'm really not a bad person!" Yuan Meng was also getting anxious, afraid that she would call the police and have them arrest her. So she looked for an opportunity to escape. But how could her movements compare to Ling Ruoke's?
Ling Ruoke blocked her path, preventing her from escaping. "I know you're not a bad person, because... you're Fu'an's mother, her biological mother. Right?"
If she is Fu'an's mother, then everything can be explained.
Yuan Meng stared in astonishment, then panicked and shook her head violently. "I don't know what you're talking about, what mother, I don't understand what you mean. I really don't mean any harm, please let me leave!"
"Why won't you admit it? What's your reason?" Or did she abandon Fu'an back then? But she doesn't seem like the kind of person who would do that.
"I really don't know what you're talking about. Please let me go, please!" Yuan Meng cried miserably, tears streaming down her face.
Ling Ruoke paused for a moment, then silently stepped aside.
Yuan Meng took off running, but because her vision was blurred by tears, she tripped and fell heavily a short distance away. She got up and kept running, as fast as she could.
Ling Ruoke watched her staggering figure and felt sorry for her. She must have had some unavoidable hardship to be so heartbroken. But she couldn't imagine what hardship could make a mother disown her own child.
Ling Ruoke could have easily followed, but the thought made her feel a pang of sadness. Perhaps she truly had no choice. The fact that she secretly came to see Fu'an showed that she still loved the child, and that alone was enough to forgive her.
She recalled Huo Qingfeng accompanying her to the hospital and grocery shopping. Why was Qingfeng taking such good care of her? Was she the wife of a comrade-in-arms? Where was her husband...?
Question after question swirled in her mind, unanswered. But at least she was certain that her colonel and this woman had no romantic relationship. The colonel had said that Fu'an was not evidence of his betrayal. She believed him!
Ling Ruoke stood there for a while before returning to her office. On the way, she saw Mei Yanting looking for a job again.
Back in her office, Ling Ruoke looked at the busy employees outside and suddenly thought: Maybe she could arrange a position for Mei Yanting. She could have had her as a receptionist and administrative assistant, but her current junior colleague was doing a great job, and she couldn't just fire her.
We'll have to assign another position. But what kind of position is necessary but doesn't require any technical skills? I really can't think of one right now.
She thought that once things settled down, she should encourage Mei Yanting to learn something, like attending night school to get a diploma, or learning a skill at a training center. Hmm, that's a feasible idea. After all, life is so long, and it's really hard to make a living without a skill.
Setting aside Mei Yanting's matter for the time being, Ling Ruoke could focus on her work. Before she knew it, time had passed. She hurriedly grabbed her bag, intending to pick up the little one.
To my surprise, as soon as I went downstairs, I saw the colonel's Hummer in my field of vision.
Upon seeing her appear, the colonel honked his horn.
Ling Ruoke immediately smiled, crossed the road, opened the car door, and rushed in. Without saying anything else, she hugged the colonel's neck and kissed him.
The mission was short, and the colonel returned safely. He was checked over and found to be uninjured.
"Missed me?" The colonel stroked his wife's cheek, pleased with her eagerness. He couldn't resist embracing her and kissing her for a while. For a moment, their love was tender and affectionate.
"Wife, let's go home!" The colonel took a peck and finally started the car.
Ling Ruoke lounged lazily in her chair. She was always like this; whenever the colonel returned, she would become very relaxed, even a little lazy.
Is this what others call wholehearted dependence?
"What are you laughing at?" The colonel turned around, saw her chuckling, and asked casually.
Ling Ruoke looked at his handsome profile and smiled radiantly. "You're back, that's so good!"
Her tone was languid, her expression alluring, and the colonel almost slammed on the brakes. He thought to himself, "My wife is getting more and more seductive."
I was driving and couldn't kiss her, so I held the steering wheel with one hand and her soft little hand with the other.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, we returned home together.
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