Chapter 3 (1)
Yu Jia helped to connect Di Liren and Bai Yuankai, and they had a phone call. They found that there was indeed room for cooperation.
Yuan Kai was courteous and dedicated, quickly connecting with a friend who was starting a data annotation business. By remotely assigning tasks, he was improving the efficiency of disabled workers' employment. He also shared his own AI work. Liren integrated relevant enterprises in the development zone, and Yuan Kai served as a demonstration, initially on a small scale, to help shipbuilding, wind power, and rail transit companies implement intelligent optimization and improve production efficiency. This initiative was well received by the companies, and Liren was praised by leadership for his successful integration efforts.
His leader gave him four words: keep pace with the times.
This is almost the highest praise Di Liren has received since he was transferred to a big city.
Revolution does not distinguish between the old and the new, and positions are not high or low, all are important, but Di Liren has always wanted to change his position, as it is difficult to excel in his current position. He proposed it once, but the leader refused and advised him to do his best. Now that he has suddenly made some achievements, Liren believes that he has finally laid a solid foundation. In the future, when the New Year comes, the opportunities for transfer will increase. Therefore, he is even more grateful to Yuan Kai. The two men met at the meeting and handled the matter impartially. Since the eight regulations were implemented, Liren rarely ate and drank outside. Everything is settled, and Liren will definitely invite Yuan Kai to dinner at his home. Yu Jia was worried and said, if he really wanted to invite him, he could just set up a table outside, why bother coming to his house.
Li Ren's face paled slightly. "Why? Is my home shameful? It's just a simple home for a public servant, not ugly!" Yu Jia quickly said that wasn't the point. She had no choice but to arrange things. It felt a bit strange to invite Yuan Kai alone, so Yu Jia asked Yu Shuang to join them. Shuang agreed immediately. Yu Rui had moved out, Yu Meng was away all day, Yu Shuang's workload had been reduced, and she didn't have to work overtime on weekends. Kang Long hadn't returned from Israel yet. She was bored.
Yu Jia was a little nervous. This was her first time entertaining an outsider since arriving in the big city. She thought carefully, trying to maintain her decorum. After tidying up, she even bought a bouquet of daisies and placed them next to the TV. This was a home; it needed to be simple yet warm.
In the morning, Yu Jia spent her time cooking and cleaning the living room.
Li Ren was dazzled. "Stop wandering around, okay? It's no big deal. I'm not trying to ferry a god." He'd seen it all. Yu Jia said, "You have to make a good impression. We'll need you in the future, and I'll be helpful in your work. I'll be useful to you." Li Ren said, "It's just a one-time deal. How can I care about disabled people forever?" Yu Jia couldn't explain it to him and went about his business.
When the time came, Yu Shuang and Yuan Kai arrived together. It was Yuan Kai who picked up Shuang.
As soon as they entered, Li Ren joked, "Oh, a couple."
Yu Shuang waved her hands, "No, no, no." Yu Jia said sheepishly, "Xiao Shuang has a boyfriend, a PhD." Li Ren said, "Boss Bai has a PhD, too." Bai Yuankai laughed and said, "There are PhDs everywhere. A degree is just experience; you have to put in the work." Sisi came out of the room. She loved to snuggle up to Yuankai and asked for another photo. Yuankai wasn't wearing his glasses today. Sisi said he looked like the Korean star Gong Yoo.
Yu Shuang went into the kitchen to talk to Yu Jia about the changes at home. The men were talking in the living room. Sisi continued with her homework.
"Where did Xiaorui move to?" Yu Jia asked.
"I didn't elaborate, but said it wasn't far away."
"You don't ask."
"privacy."
"Living alone? Or sharing with her actor friends?"
Yu Shuang said, "She didn't tell me. I wanted to go see it, but she wouldn't let me." The fish head was cooking in the pot. Yu Shuang used chopsticks to stir it and said, "Don't mention it. I saw Rui's classmate in a drama a few days ago."
"Which classmate?" Yu Jia couldn't put her finger on the name. She didn't know Yu Rui's personal life as well as Yu Shuang did.
"The one who looks like Wang Kai."
"What was played?"
"Play the role of a Fire Nation prince with red hair."
Yu Jia wasn't interested in asking further, so she turned to ask about Meng. Yu Shuang only said that she was about to move out and had been away from home a lot lately. Yu Jia sighed, "You're just asking for trouble. Divorce? Ugh, is that easy?" Yu Shuang asked back, "What if, I mean what if, you were Sister Meng, and your husband had a secret affair and even hit you, would you divorce?"
Yu Jia was speechless. Deep down, she was determined not to divorce. But with Yu Shuang's question, it seemed a bit too spineless. She had to say it in a roundabout way, "We can't just divorce the moment we have a clue. Didn't Xie Xingfang forgive Lin Dan? An impulsive divorce hurts loved ones and delights enemies. Physical action is even more difficult to define; it's possible that it was an accident. We all know Xiao Luan well enough; she's probably not the one who did it."
Yu Shuang asked directly, "You mean Sister Meng is being unreasonable?"
"That's not the case."
"We don't know what Luan Chengyun is like behind closed doors. He's just like my brother-in-law." Yu Shuang looked outside the door. "Just like my brother-in-law. Now he's a public servant, but behind closed doors, he might become a tiger or a wolf." He laughed.
"Don't talk nonsense." Yu Jia objected softly.
"Thirty wolves and forty tigers." Yu Shuang explained with a playful smile.
The unintentional remark struck a chord with Yu Jia. Where did the wolf come from? Where did the tiger come from? Liren was now either working overtime, living at work, or sleeping in the study. They were essentially separated… but she couldn't even tell her mother-in-law about this. Let alone outsiders. Yu Jia felt bitter. But Yuan Kai was here today, and Liren was delighted. It was rare to have someone to talk to about Marx. Yuan Kai even brought wine. Lunch wasn't enough, so the two of them drank and talked, from "Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1884," "The German Ideology," and "Employment and Labor Capital," to "The Civil War in France," "The Holy Family," "The Poverty of Philosophy," and "Critique of Hegel's Philosophy." Liren quoted extensively, his imagination running wild, by turns serious and laughter-filled. This kind of release was something he had never, and could never, experience at work. There were some things even Yuan Kai didn't know, but thankfully, he had a solid foundation and was smart enough to play the supporting role.
Liren also bossed Yu Jia around, either serving food or pouring tea, occasionally snapping, "What do you know?" Yu Jia couldn't afford to lose face for her husband in front of others. Liren was drunk. She had to bear the consequences. From Liren's sudden display of unbridled behavior, she realized that her husband had accumulated so much pressure that he could only release it through alcohol and Yuan Kai, an unrelated friend outside his circle.
This was the first time Yu Shuang had met a brother-in-law like this. Men turned into bastards when they drank. She resented Li Ren's bossing Jia Jie around. But Yu Jia was so attentive and busy, and Yu Shuang had nothing to say. It was all done willingly.
We talked and drank till dark. Wine, white wine and beer.
Li Ren was already drunk and fast asleep in bed. Yuan Kai was vaguely conscious, but only enough to tell his home address. Yu Shuang had drunk some red wine, and the smell of alcohol still lingered. Yu Jia felt that it was her duty to send the guests home safely. Yu Shuang said, "Sister, don't send them home, call a designated driver." Yu Jia was worried. The news had just reported on a scheme set up by designated drivers. "Don't say anything, drive Xiaobai's car back, so I don't have to come to get it again." Yu Shuang asked, "What about you?" Yu Jia said, "Don't worry about it." She planned to take the bus back no matter how far it was. The passengers were groggy and went to Yu Shuang's house first. Yu Meng got out to meet them, and kept yelling, asking what was going on and who had gotten them drunk. Yu Jia didn't explain much, just said she was happy and had a couple of extra drinks. The second stop was to Yuan Kai's residence. In the back seat, Bai Yuankai had already fallen asleep.
The car reeks of alcohol.
Yu Jia felt a little regretful. She was the one who set up this scheme. She was the "culprit." Halfway through the journey, Bai Yuankai suddenly rushed up from behind. Yu Jia was so frightened that she lost her composure and the front of the car swayed wildly. She had to quickly slam on the brakes. The car stopped abruptly by the roadside. Bai Yuankai bounced back into the back seat and continued to sleep. Yu Jia, still in shock, called him twice. No response. She tidied herself up and continued driving.
Finally arriving, Yu Jia discovered that Bai Yuankai lived in a prestigious, upscale neighborhood. The middle-aged women in the community talked about housing all the time. Buying and changing houses, moving up the ladder from ordinary to high-end, was their life goal. One said, "Buying a house isn't just about the location, it's also about the neighborhood." Another lamented, "That's why I never leave our neighborhood. The neighbors are all so annoying. The mothers with children are all so ugly. I told you that men in bad neighborhoods usually marry ugly wives." She paused and added, "I'm an exception. I've gone astray."
Lifting the person up was another big problem. Yu Jia was short, but Yuan Kai was strong and tall.
"Can you walk?" she asked him. He groaned vaguely. She put his arm on her shoulder. It was okay, he could walk. He finally opened the unit door and got on the elevator. The task was half completed, but Bai Yuankai spit out a mouthful of urine. Yu Jia dodged quickly, but some dirt still splashed on her clothes. Yuankai took the opportunity to fall to the ground, and Yu Jia could only hold him tightly. He was going to get dirty, and she had to help clean it up. She didn't know what time the station would arrive. Finally, she arrived at the doorstep.
Yu Jia fished for the key in his trouser pocket. There was none.
Looking again, a bunch of keys hung from his belt buckle. The old-fashioned way. Reaching out to take it. Yu Jia felt awkward. A gentleman is cautious when alone. Women should be especially cautious about personal contact. Bai Yuankai struggled, still drunk, but his shirt was lifted up.
My belly is like a chocolate bar. I lift a lot of weights.
Yu Jia felt her face burning. She hadn't seen this thing in real life for a long time. She didn't go to the gym, and her stomach had always been a solid mass, like a sponge. Suddenly, she saw something meaty. Yu Jia felt uneasy. After being a vegetarian for so long, her appetite had dwindled considerably.
She quickly took out the key, pulled down his shirt, inserted the key into the keyhole one by one, and opened the door.
Bai Yuankai sat leaning against the wall, mumbling something she couldn't understand. Finally, he found the right place. Yu Jia muttered unconsciously, "Come in, come in." She lifted Yuankai up and walked him inside. As she entered the hallway, she saw a man standing before her, wearing an oversized T-shirt, his legs bare. His hair was disheveled.
"Where have you been?" She couldn't open her eyes under the light. Yu Jia was startled. She quickly pushed Yuan Kai into her arms, put the key on the small table by the door, and said goodbye. He ran away. The woman was still shouting behind him, "Don't leave! It's okay to stay here..."
Yu Jia still felt her scalp tingling as she boarded the night bus. It was true, how could a man like Bai Yuankai be without a female companion? The woman with the bare legs was most likely his girlfriend. Yu Jia regretted her "sending the Buddha to the west" tonight—seeing things she shouldn't have seen. "Don't listen to what's indecent, don't look at what's indecent, don't say what's indecent," she muttered to herself. She felt like this night was haunted.
Unexpectedly, Xiaobai called the next day, expressing his gratitude and explaining that the woman at his house the night before was his cousin - he was used to having fun abroad and still had a bold and unrestrained style when he returned to China.
Yu Jia didn't make any comment. She just felt strange. Why bother to bring up such a thing again?
Whether she is a sister, a younger sister or a female ghost, what does it have to do with her?
On the phone, Yu Jia smiled and said, "Young man, you should enjoy life."
She spoke like an older sister, and only in this identity did she feel safe.
Bai Yuankai said, "You don't believe it?"
Yu Jia had no choice but to say, "As a young talent, he cannot live without someone to take care of him." Before Yuan Kai could continue to explain, she said she had something else to do and hung up the phone in a hurry.
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