Chapter 7 (5)
During the rotation period every few years in the society, Yu Jia was transferred to the information room.
It was a position many middle-aged women with secure livelihoods dreamed of. A large office, a secluded corner, uncaring and unconcerned, few people at the publishing house, except for newly hired employees, would go there to read.
This position had originally belonged to a relative of a leader. She retired this year, leaving the position vacant. The reference room was once a gossip-gathering hub for the women in the agency. But after Yu Jia moved there, visitors became increasingly rare. Her husband had just died, and she had no power or influence, so the women were too lazy to curry favor with her, fearing she would bring them bad luck.
Therefore, Yu Jia spent most of her mornings in that room. Except for the evening sun that filtered through the window, the rest of the time, she felt like she was sitting in a cold palace. Alone, in complete silence, Yu Jia felt terrified. Was this how the days would pass? Would she just sit there for ten years, then retire and enter a life of old age, a natural progression?
She didn't dare think about it. She'd lost Liren, lost her family, and Sisi would have her own life in the future. What would she do? Alone and helpless. Crucially, still so insignificant. She'd always felt important in her family, but now, with her family gone, she'd lost everything. Yu Jia felt a surge of crisis, convinced she couldn't go on like this. But what else could she do?
She thought of Bai Yuankai. Last week, accompanied by Yu Qi, she had gone to Qushe to film a song. Seeing Yu Qi's enthusiasm for work, she wondered if she could ask Yuankai or Yu Meng for a job. Even working at Yu Meng's beauty salon would be better than staying here.
Yu Jia ultimately remained silent. She felt she was too old. Was she a good match for Yu Qi? Yu Qi could start as an assistant, but could she? Even if she could, would anyone want her? She offered to be a technician at Yu Meng's beauty salon. Would Yu Meng agree? Yu Jia didn't want her friends to feel that being around her was a burden.
The only good news this season was Yu Yi's engagement. He was with the female doctor from Linqu. Yu Jia hosted the engagement party, and all his friends from the big cities attended. Yu Meng gave a large red envelope, and Yu Shuang, Kang Long, Yu Rui, Yu Qi, and Yuan Kai were all in attendance. Everyone praised the female doctor.
Yu Jia knew his brother had once been in love with Yu Rui, and to prevent him from dwelling on the past, she placed Yu Rui at the far end. That day, Yu Yi was drunk. Yu Jia understood his brother's plight, a feeling reminiscent of Xiangzi finding Tiger Girl. No, no, no, the female doctor was far superior to Tiger Girl. Not everyone you liked had to be yours. Given the current situation, with Li Ren's passing, the Yu family's survival in the big city was difficult. Yu Yi's joining forces with the female doctor to start a family together was, in keeping with the very nature of marriage.
Marriage is cooperative, you plow the fields and I weave the cloth.
After the banquet ended, Yu Meng did not leave but helped Yu Jia clean up the mess.
Yu Jia asked, "How is it?"
Yu Meng looked up, knowing she was asking about her feelings towards the female doctor, "Not bad."
"Tell the truth." Yu Jia smiled.
"He's a nice person." Yu Meng had to be tactful.
"It's just that she doesn't look that good." Yu Jia helped her out.
Yu Meng chuckled and gestured to her lips, implying that the bride-to-be had a bit of buck teeth. Yu Jia smiled wryly, "I can only pursue one." Yu Meng said, "Yes, I pursue one, but I'm afraid..." She trailed off. Yu Jia understood. He was afraid that he might pursue a degree and a job now, but in the future, when he succeeded, he'd want to change wives again.
Yu Jia believed in Yu Yi's character, but this was not absolutely related to his character. She had no confidence in men now, even her own brother.
Yu Jia didn't mention her work troubles to Yu Meng. Yu Meng's approach was unconventional, relying on others. She couldn't learn. She preferred practical work. Yu Jia planned to consult someone. On Li Ren's big day, Luan Chengyun brought a few friends to visit Yu Jia. They were all Li Ren's former acquaintances, and they knew Luan as well. However, they hadn't been in touch for a while after Li Ren's promotion, and they hadn't been notified of the funeral. Now that they knew about the situation, they were determined to come and pay their respects and visit their sister-in-law.
In the small house Yu Jia rented, the four men, except for Chengyun, praised Liren profusely. They said he was honest, loyal, devoted to his wife, and kind to his daughter. They were all sincere. Yu Jia listened, blushing and then pale. Liren, Liren, you have earned a good reputation in life and after your death! The few people sat for a while, and then Luan Chengyun took his three friends away. He turned back and said a few more words to Yu Jia. Yu Jia knew from Luan's reaction that he understood Liren's "true face."
"Do you believe it?" Yu Jia asked.
What does the carrier ask?
"What they just said."
Luan Chengyun smiled but said nothing.
Yu Jia was indignant. "The final verdict is that he is now a good man, a perfect man."
"That's right." Luan Chengyun still smiled.
"Okay, Lao Luan, we have known each other for many years, there is no need to tell lies to comfort me."
"Really." Luan added.
"How does he evaluate me in front of you?" Yu Jia suddenly became a little curious.
"It's not easy for you."
"Is it possible?" Yu Jia sneered.
"Absolutely true."
"You're a good person," Yu Jia said. "I understand your perspective. You must think that since Li Ren is gone, it's important for me to live a good life, so why bother telling me the truth? Did you know that he was still divorcing me before he died?"
"I heard what he said."
"He's out there..." Yu Jia couldn't continue. She didn't want to expose her husband's shortcomings in front of her friends. After all, he was the father of her children and a martyr.
"This is a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding? The woman who cried the most at the funeral, remember?"
"That's someone he sponsored, who later came to work here," Chengyun said. Sponsored someone? When did that happen? He sponsored them during research. Luan Chengyun added that the person was an earthquake orphan. Liren had taken care of them. The details became more and more detailed. Yu Jia tried to recall the woman at the funeral... and suddenly felt guilty. She didn't know Liren well enough. Could he really be a good man?! No, even if he was, it wouldn't work! She still hated him because he didn't love her. She gave everything, but he still didn't love her!
Luan Chengyun asked about Yu Meng again. Yu Jia could sense that he still had feelings for her—even though they were divorced, he still thought about her. Although Li Rensheng hadn't had time to divorce her during his lifetime, they had already broken off their relationship.
Isn’t it ironic!
Yu Jia changed the subject and talked about her troubles at work. Luan Chengyun thought about it and said that it was not a good thing to go on like this. He pointed out two ways for Yu Jia. One was to work hard on people like some women. Needless to say, it was a reference to Yu Meng. Yu Jia shook her head. "There is another way." Luan Chengyun said, "Do it yourself." Yu Jia asked what to do. Luan Chengyun said, it depends on what you like, what you want to do, and what you are good at. Yu Jia was embarrassed. She had been buried in her marriage for many years. What did she like? What did she want to do? What could she do? She herself was not quite sure. She liked Kunqu Opera, but could it make a living? Does being good at cooking count? But she couldn't be a nanny or a part-time worker. Yu Jia had a headache thinking about it and could only put it aside for the time being.
After becoming Dong's assistant, Yu Rui's workload doubled. Ye Cha occasionally offered help and guidance, though he'd lashed out at her. But when the chips were down, he couldn't resist lending a hand. Yu Rui now deeply admired Ye Cha, admiring his ability to bridge the gap between Weng Yue and Han Guang. For example, Han Guang would occasionally ask about Weng Yue's schedule, and Weng Yue, on the other hand, would almost daily demand updates on Han Guang's progress. Han Guang instructed Yu Rui to use a mix of truth and falsehood. She didn't have to tell the truth all the time.
Around this time, Han Xiqian returned and handpicked Yu Rui to accompany her. Upon learning that this "young lady" had become the general assistant, Xiqian smiled and said, "My aunt arranged it, right?" Yu Rui was surprised. Xiqian said, "You're not the first, nor the last. But don't worry, as long as I'm around, she and my dad won't have a chance." Yu Rui listened to the household chores without interrupting.
Xiqian stayed for three days and asked Yurui to meet up with her senior, Bai Yuankai. Yurui pretended to make a phone call to her sister, relaying what she had told Xiqian: Yuankai had been out of town for the past few days, attending a meeting. Yurui saw the clues and decided she had to "protect" Bai Yuankai; she had to keep this piece of good meat for her sister.
Several conferences followed. The secretariat assigned Yu Rui to accompany them. Afterward, the leaders dined, and Yu Rui stood in the back, greeting them and helping Director Han pick up food. Afterward, there was a tea party, where a group of people sat, drinking tea and discussing. Yu Rui was a little surprised. She saw Yu Meng among them, smiling and talking.
Yu Meng was stunned when she saw Rui. Then she pretended not to know her and continued chatting. It was not until she returned home that Yu Rui received a call from Yu Meng.
"Xiao Rui." Yu Meng's voice was still sweet.
Yu Rui greeted.
"I'm downstairs from your house." Yu Meng said.
Yu Rui was shocked. How could he show up at this time?
"I'm just passing by, so I'd like to give you a few products. They're made in Germany and I find them quite useful."
Yu Rui quickly invited Sister Meng to come up and sit for a while, but Yu Meng asked her to come down for a while, as she was in a hurry to go home and couldn't stay long.
As soon as Yu Rui got in the car, Yu Meng immediately handed her a large bag of cosmetics. Yu Rui hugged it. "Wow, enough to last until next year!" Yu Rui said thank you.
Yu Meng pretended to be angry, "Do you think of me as your sister?"
Yu Rui said of course.
Yu Mengchen said, "I changed to such a popular position, don't mention it!"
Yu Rui was helpless. "It wasn't me who wanted to change, it was the company that forced me to..." She felt really uncomfortable being caught in the middle. She guessed that Sister Meng was looking for revenge. She probably heard that Sister Weng and Sister Meng had a feud during the committee change. Han Guang was the mastermind.
Yu Meng retorted, "What do you think I'm going to do? Throw sulfuric acid? Or throw feces and urine? I have a few projects to collaborate on, and I'm looking for President Han, but I can't find him. If you're still my sister, you'd better let me know."
Yu Rui was in a dilemma. Ye Cha claimed that Weng Yue had thoroughly investigated her. Weng Yue knew about her relationship with Yu Meng—that was why she needed her help. Yu Rui believed that Weng Yue was trying to undermine Yu Meng—look, your little sister has become my little sister. It was clear who was winning and who was losing. But at this point, Yu Rui couldn't clearly choose sides. Who could predict the future? Who knew which cloud would bring rain? Without waiting for Yu Rui to refuse or reason, Yu Meng urged her out of the car. Yu Rui had no choice but to get out, say goodbye, and go upstairs with her cosmetics.
While she was brushing her teeth, Weng Yue called again, questioning her. She had no choice but to give a brief answer. After taking a shower and finally resting, she was overwhelmed by exhaustion. Being a human being is difficult, being a woman is difficult, and being a woman who must be versatile is even more difficult.
Yu Rui realized she still couldn't be like Sister Meng. She had scheming but no ruthlessness, ideas but no execution. Ultimately, she still harbored a certain honesty deep down. Yu Rui felt like a triple agent, a hub of information: Han Guang, Weng Yue, and Yu Meng, all trying to extract intelligence from her. However, she found it difficult to strike the right balance between what to say and what not to say.
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