met free Chapter 1451 Tearing Ling Ling Apart
Chapter 1451 Tearing Ling Ling Apart
Chapter 1451 Tearing Ling Ling Apart
At 11 p.m., Tang Jing knocked on Luo Zijun's hotel room door, carrying a box of still-steaming Hong Kong-style dim sum. She had deliberately finished work early that day, thinking that Luo Zijun must be exhausted on her first day of work, so she wanted to treat her to some late-night snacks.
The door opened, and Luo Zijun appeared, wearing pajamas, her hair disheveled, and her eyes slightly red and swollen.
"How was your first day at work? Come and try the pineapple bun and milk tea I brought you." Tang Jing smiled as she walked into the room and placed the snacks on the small coffee table.
Luo Zijun stood by the door, head down, saying nothing.
Tang Jing sensed something was wrong and turned to look at her: "What's wrong? Did you get upset? Did the manager yell at you?"
Luo Zijun bit her lip, her voice barely audible: "I...I've been fired."
"What?" Tang Jing nearly dropped her milk tea. "Fired? Wasn't today your first day at work?"
Luo Zijun stammered, avoiding eye contact with Tang Jing.
Tang Jing took a deep breath, put the milk tea on the table, and tried to calm herself down: "Sit down and tell me clearly what happened?"
Luo Zijun reluctantly sat down on the sofa, nervously twisting the hem of her pajamas with her hands: "A few customers came in this afternoon, tried on a lot of clothes but didn't buy anything. I muttered a complaint under my breath while I was tidying up, and one of them overheard..."
"What are you complaining about?" Tang Jing's voice turned cold.
"I told you... if you can't afford it, you can't afford it, why pretend..." Luo Zijun's voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.
Tang Jing closed her eyes, feeling her temples throbbing: "Luo Zijun, do you even know what you're doing? Getting fired on your first day of work, you've really given me a big surprise."
"I didn't know she'd suddenly turn back," Luo Zijun said, feeling wronged. "Who knew I'd left my bag behind..."
"Whether a customer buys something or not is her right. How dare you talk about her behind her back?" Tang Jing looked at her with exasperation: "When you were a customer, did you always buy something every time you came into the store?"
Luo Zijun lowered her head and muttered softly, "So many trivial matters for 3500 a month..."
"What's wrong with 3500?" Tang Jing's voice suddenly rose. "Luo Zijun, do you know that even this kind of job was something I had to beg He Han to find for you? How am I supposed to explain this to He Han? He was kind enough to help you, and this is how you repay him?"
Luo Zijun was speechless for a moment.
Seeing that Tang Jing was too angry to speak, Luo Zijun immediately took Tang Jing's arm and said coquettishly, "Okay, I know I was wrong. But what's done is done, and I can only look for another job."
Tang Jing was speechless. Looking at Luo Zijun's pitiful appearance, she really wanted to abandon her. But she couldn't bear to see Luo Zijun continue to sink into despair.
"I must have owed you something in my past life," Tang Jing finally sighed.
Just as Luo Zijun was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she saw Tang Jing pick up the laptop again and immediately wailed, "Seriously? What time is it? Can't we look for it tomorrow?"
“I have to go to work tomorrow, I don’t have time to help you find a job.” Tang Jing pulled Luo Zijun to sit next to her, opened a job search website, and warned her seriously: “Luo Zijun, remember this, you have no way out now. Even if it’s not to get back custody of Ping’er, you have to learn to be self-reliant. You’ll eventually run out of the money you got in the divorce.”
She turned her head and looked directly into Luo Zijun's eyes: "You should be glad that Chen Junsheng didn't wait until you were in your forties or fifties to divorce you. If he had, you would have been in real trouble."
Luo Zijun pouted: "So I should thank him?"
"As a friend, I'm firmly on your side." Tang Jing paused, "But if I were in Chen Junsheng's shoes, I probably would have dumped you long ago."
These words were blunt and cruel, and Luo Zijun's face paled, but she couldn't find a rebuttal. She recalled that in the past ten years, she had indeed done nothing but shopping, beauty treatments, and fitness. She had a nanny at home and a childcare worker for her children; the only things she needed to worry about were what to wear each day and where to go for a spa.
"Alright, let's not talk about anything else." Tang Jing turned the computer screen towards her: "I need to find you a job and reintegrate into society as soon as possible. While you're still young, you still have a chance to start over. If you drag it out for a few more years and lose your drive, it will be even harder."
Looking at the densely packed job postings on the screen, Luo Zijun let out an "Oh," feeling a mix of emotions.
……
For the next few days, Luo Zijun was relatively well-behaved. Every morning at seven o'clock, she was woken up by Tang Jing's phone call, and then began a day of job interviews.
Tang Jing devised a strict plan for her: submit at least twenty resumes and attend three interviews every day. To save time, Luo Zijun learned to use her phone's map app to check routes, to touch up her makeup on the subway, and to quickly eat lunch at a roadside stall.
The first interview was with a receptionist at a small trading company. The interviewer was a woman in her thirties who frowned as she looked at Luo Zijun's resume.
"A ten-year gap?" She looked up, her gaze scrutinizing her. "What were you doing during that time?"
"I...I stay home to take care of the kids," Luo Zijun answered softly.
"Does taking care of children count as work experience?" The interviewer smiled, a smile tinged with obvious sarcasm. "What we need is an experienced receptionist who can handle incoming calls and visits proficiently, use office software, and assist with administrative tasks. Do you think you're qualified?"
Luo Zijun wanted to say she could learn, but she swallowed the words back. Looking at the busy young people in the office, their fingers flying across the keyboards, their professional tones on the phone, she suddenly felt like an alien.
The second interview was for a sales clerk position at a chain clothing store. This interview went very smoothly; the store manager was very satisfied with her and asked her to come in for a trial shift the next day.
The trial period lasted eight hours, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Luo Zijun thought that with her previous experience, she could do better this time. But she was wrong.
This store is located on a commercial street, with an astonishingly high volume of customers. She stood there from nine o'clock to twelve o'clock, without even having time to drink water. During her half-hour lunch break, she had just finished eating when the store manager told her to go to the warehouse to organize the newly arrived goods.
At 2 PM, a picky female customer came in. She tried on more than a dozen clothes, requiring Luo Zijun to run around fetching each one, and ultimately didn't buy anything. Luo Zijun couldn't help but show her displeasure, which the customer noticed.
"What kind of attitude is this? Giving me attitude?" the customer shrieked.
The store manager rushed over upon hearing the commotion. After understanding the situation, he pulled Luo Zijun aside and said, "Xiao Luo, the customer is always right. No matter how impatient you are, you can't show it on your face. That's enough for today. Don't come back tomorrow."
Luo Zijun was stunned: "Why? What did I do wrong?"
"In our industry, service attitude is the most important thing." The store manager patted her on the back: "You're still young, find a job that suits you."
The third interview, the fourth, the fifth…
Luo Zijun gradually realized that making money was so difficult. There was so much competition for a job with one day off a week and a salary of 3500. She had seen recent college graduates willing to take only 1,800 yuan for an internship; she had seen women in their forties who arrived at work earliest and left latest every day to keep their 3,000 yuan monthly salary; she had seen women her age working and taking care of their children at the same time, with dark circles under their eyes that were impossible to hide.
Moreover, often, it's not enough to just do your job well; you also have to manage relationships with colleagues and superiors. When Luo Zijun was working her trial period at a coffee shop, she made a mistake with a takeout order because she didn't understand a colleague's coded language, and was publicly berated by the manager for ten minutes. At another bookstore, she spoke up for a senior employee who was bullying a newcomer, and was fired the next day for being "unsuitable for teamwork."
In half a month, Luo Zijun lost five pounds, developed thick calluses on her feet, and her complexion became much duller. But she learned to catch up on sleep on the subway, to eat her meals on the cheapest possible budget, and to manage a smile and say "thank you" even after being rejected.
……
After going through two weeks of repeated interviews and trial work, Luo Zijun finally received an offer of employment.
I work at a chain convenience store, near the entrance of an old residential area in Pudong. My monthly salary is 3800 yuan, with no social insurance or housing fund. The only advantage is that it provides meals and accommodation—the boss provides a dormitory in a small attic above the convenience store.
During the interview, the shop owner, a man in his fifties surnamed Wang, looked at Luo Zijun's resume, then at her: "Divorced? With children?"
Luo Zijun's heart tightened, thinking she was about to be rejected again.
"The child lives with the father?" Mr. Wang asked again.
“For now…” Luo Zijun said softly.
Mr. Wang nodded: "My job involves three shifts: the morning shift is from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., the afternoon shift is from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the night shift is from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. I get four days off a month. Can you accept that?"
"Yes!" Luo Zijun nodded quickly.
"Meals and lodging are included. The accommodation is in the attic upstairs, the conditions are basic, but utilities are free." Boss Wang looked her up and down: "Judging from your appearance, you've never experienced hardship before, have you?"
Luo Zijun gritted her teeth: "I can endure hardship."
Boss Wang smiled and said, "Okay, then come to work tomorrow. Learn from the senior employees for three days first, and then you can work independently."
As Luo Zijun walked out of the convenience store, she stood at the door, looking at the small shop that was only a few dozen square meters in size, feeling a mix of emotions. This place was completely different from the imported supermarket she used to frequent. The shelves were filled with inexpensive goods, the floor was a bit greasy, and the air was filled with the smells of oden and grilled sausages.
But she has a job now. This time, she found it herself.
Luo Zijun couldn't wait to dial Tang Jing's number, and the phone was answered after two rings.
"Zijun? How did the interview go?" It was a bit noisy on Tang Jing's end; it seemed like they were outside.
"Tang Jing, I found a job!" Luo Zijun's voice was filled with rare excitement: "A convenience store, monthly salary of 3800 yuan, room and board included!"
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Tang Jing's laughter: "Great! I knew you could do it! I'll treat you to a big meal after get off work to celebrate."
"Hooray! Finally, I don't have to eat boxed lunches every day anymore!" Luo Zijun almost cried. For the past two weeks, in order to catch up with her job interviews, she had been eating boxed lunches from roadside stalls every day, and she was almost sick of them.
After hanging up the phone, Luo Zijun stood at the entrance of the convenience store, watching the people coming and going. Elementary school students bought snacks after school, office workers bought lunchboxes after work, and elderly people bought soy sauce and eggs. This small convenience store was like a microcosm of the community—ordinary, real, and full of everyday life.
She took a deep breath, walked into the store, and said to Mr. Wang, who was arranging goods, "Boss, can I take a look at the dormitory first?"
Mr. Wang pulled out a set of keys from under the cashier: "Upstairs, room 201. Go see for yourself. Give me back the keys when you're done."
The attic was smaller than Luo Zijun had imagined. It was a room of about ten square meters, with a single bed, a small wardrobe, and an old desk. There was no private bathroom; it had to be shared with the convenience store downstairs. The window was small, so the lighting was poor, but at least it was clean.
Luo Zijun sat on the bed. The mattress was hard, unlike the imported mattress she used to sleep on. But suddenly, she felt that this bed, this room, belonged to her. It wasn't given to her by Chen Junsheng, nor was it helped by Tang Jing; it was something she earned through her own hard work.
She took out her phone and showed Ping'er's photos. Her son was smiling happily in the photos, taken on his birthday last year. Luo Zijun gently stroked the screen and whispered, "Ping'er, Mommy found a job. Mommy will work hard and will definitely bring you back."
……
Meanwhile, in the office of Chenxing Company, Qin Hao was carrying a folder and walking towards Chen Junsheng's office.
Chenxing has recently taken on several large projects, keeping the entire company extremely busy. Chen Junsheng, as the project manager, often works overtime until late at night. Qin Hao knocked on the door, and a voice inside said, "Come in."
Pushing open the door, Qin Hao found that Chen Junsheng wasn't alone in the office. Ling Ling was also there, sitting in the chair opposite Chen Junsheng, holding a document in her hand, seemingly asking him a question.
Upon seeing Qin Hao, Ling Ling's expression became noticeably unnatural. She quickly stood up: "President Qin."
"Mm." Qin Hao nodded, without saying anything more.
Ling Ling tactfully packed her things: "Director Chen, I'll think about this issue again when I get back. I won't disturb your conversation with President Qin any longer."
After she left, Qin Hao closed the door and looked at Chen Junsheng with a half-smile: "What? Can't you stay still after just getting divorced? Planning to return to the grave of marriage?"
Chen Junsheng shook his head with a wry smile: "Don't talk nonsense, she just asked me for advice on some work-related matters."
"I need your advice on a frontline data processing task?" Qin Hao raised an eyebrow: "Looks like you're still too idle. I need to give you more responsibilities."
He walked to Chen Junsheng's desk and glanced at the mountain of documents piled up on it. Chen Junsheng had indeed been working very hard lately; his dark circles were quite noticeable, and his hair was somewhat disheveled.
"I'm so busy I barely have time to breathe," Chen Junsheng said with a bitter face. "I don't even get to see my son when I get home. Ping'er lives with my parents now, and he's already asleep when I get back. He's still asleep when I leave in the morning."
Qin Hao sat down opposite him: "After you divorced Luo Zijun, how is the child?"
When Ping'er was mentioned, Chen Junsheng's expression softened, but he also felt guilty: "He was fussy for several days at first, constantly looking for his mother. He's been better recently, after all, Yaqin has been taking care of him all these years, and my parents can also help out, so it's been a smooth transition."
"That's good." Qin Hao placed the folder he was holding on Chen Junsheng's desk: "Take a look at this."
Chen Junsheng curiously opened the folder; the first page listed the name of a well-known company. His eyes lit up, and he looked up at Qin Hao in disbelief: "Are you sure you want to entrust this case to me?"
Previously, the projects that Bian submitted to Chenxing were mostly of relatively low value. After all, high-value projects are prioritized for their own teams first, which is industry practice. Although Chen Junsheng is capable, he is relatively inexperienced, and this is his first time dealing with such a well-known company.
"After this period of adjustment, we all recognize your abilities," Qin Hao said calmly, leaning back in his chair. "We happen to have a case on our side that we're too busy with. If you're not interested..."
Before Qin Hao could finish speaking, Chen Junsheng quickly grabbed the folder and exclaimed, "Interested! I'll take this case!"
He knew all too well what this opportunity meant. A corporate transformation project of this caliber—if his proposal succeeded, his reputation would spread throughout the industry. Then, even if he left Chenxing, he wouldn't have trouble finding a better position.
"You just said you were too busy?" Qin Hao asked with a half-smile.
"Brother, I was wrong." Chen Junsheng quickly patted his chest and promised, "I promise I will handle this case perfectly and will definitely not let you down."
Qin Hao then smiled and said, "That's good. We're going to the client's company for a kick-off meeting next Monday. All the relevant materials are in the folder. Prepare them well over the weekend."
"Understood!" Chen Junsheng nodded emphatically.
Chen Junsheng was the only one left in the office. He opened the folder and carefully read the client's information. This was an established company facing the impact of the internet and urgently needed to transform. The success or failure of the project would directly determine the company's survival.
Chen Junsheng took a deep breath, feeling unprecedented pressure, but also filled with fighting spirit. This was his chance, and he had to seize it.
……
The next morning at 8:30, Qin Hao drove to the company's underground parking garage as usual. After parking, he picked up his briefcase and headed towards the elevator, only to find Ling Ling already waiting there.
She was wearing a light gray business suit today, her hair neatly styled in a ponytail, looking capable and understated. Upon seeing Qin Hao, she immediately took two steps forward.
"Good morning, Mr. Qin." Ling Ling's voice was a little tense. "Could I have two minutes of your time?"
Qin Hao glanced at his watch: "Go ahead."
Ling Ling rubbed the corner of her clothes, a gesture that betrayed her nervousness: "Do you have some misunderstanding about me?"
"Misunderstanding?" Qin Hao's lips curled into a cold smile. "Which aspect are you referring to?"
Ling Ling hesitated for a moment, then seemed to muster a great deal of courage: "President Qin, Director Chen is divorced, and so am I. Everyone has the right to pursue their own happiness, right?"
She felt she had already won Chen Junsheng over, but for some reason, Chen Junsheng suddenly became indifferent to her, which was especially noticeable last night.
Ling Ling had sounded out Chen Junsheng, and the problem likely lay with Qin Hao, since Qin Hao was not only Chen Junsheng's benefactor but also a very close friend.
“Indeed, everyone has the right to pursue their own happiness.” Qin Hao nodded, but then changed the subject: “However, if one person’s happiness is used to destroy another person’s happiness, isn’t that too selfish?”
Ling Ling's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly explained, "President Qin, I don't know why you have such hostility towards me."
"I've investigated you," Qin Hao interrupted her, simultaneously turning on his phone's recording function with his hand in his pocket.
The moment she finished speaking, Ling Ling felt a jolt of fear. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms.
“Ling Ling, 36 years old, divorced her ex-husband less than half a year ago, has a twelve-year-old child who is now with you.” Qin Hao’s voice was as calm as if he were reading a report: “You only have a junior college degree, but you jumped from a lower-level data collection company to Chenxing. You are a person who is not content with the status quo.”
Ling Ling took a deep breath, raised her head and looked directly at Qin Hao: "Isn't it right to be dissatisfied with the status quo? I want a better life, I want a better future for my son, what's wrong with that?"
“There’s nothing wrong with that; you could even call it an inspirational story.” Qin Hao nodded. “The question is, why did you divorce your ex-husband?”
Faced with Qin Hao's questioning, Ling Ling's face turned pale: "We don't get along."
“Feelings are only one aspect,” Qin Hao pressed, “The bigger reason is that he can’t give you the life you want, right?”
Ling Ling stared at Qin Hao in shock, her lips moved but no sound came out.
"You two have known each other since college, and your relationship has always been very good." Qin Hao continued, each word piercing Ling Ling's heart like a needle: "Although your husband doesn't earn much, he has no bad habits. He does most of the housework, and he only keeps 500 yuan of his salary for himself each month, giving the rest to you. The three of you live a very happy life."
"Unfortunately, ever since you joined Chenxing, you've started to complain that your husband doesn't earn enough. Your husband has no choice but to set up a street stall after get off work every day, but that still can't satisfy your appetite. Until you discovered Chen Junsheng—not only does he earn a lot, but he's also very good to his wife and children. So you took the initiative to get close to Chen Junsheng, but unfortunately, Chen Junsheng knows that you are married and has always kept his distance from you."
"Through your usual conversations, you learned that Chen Junsheng was dissatisfied with his wife's extravagant spending. Seeing a glimmer of hope, you gritted your teeth and divorced her, then took advantage of Chen Junsheng's pity to get close to him. All you wanted was to replace Luo Zijun and become Mrs. Chen. Am I right?"
Ling Ling's face changed drastically when her secret was exposed. She took a step back and leaned against the cold wall: "No, I didn't. You're lying!"
Qin Hao sneered: "There's no one else here, and you don't need to play innocent with me. You know best whether it's true or not."
Ling Ling glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then gritted her teeth and said, "President Qin, I'm not like you. I only have a college diploma, and I worked myself to the bone to get into Chenxing, using every spare moment to study my major. I'm determined to change my destiny! I absolutely will not allow my son to end up like me, losing at the starting line!"
Her voice trembled with emotion: "I don't want my son to end up like me, working his butt off only to be someone else's starting point! I want him to settle down in Shanghai, receive the best education, and become someone superior! Is that wrong?"
Qin Hao shook his head: "Wanting to change your fate is not a problem in itself. The problem is that, to satisfy your ambition, you dumped your husband who had worked hard for you and your child for more than ten years. What did he do wrong? He was divorced in middle age, with no car, no house, no savings, and not even a son. Have you thought about how he will live in the future?"
Ling Ling was speechless. She remembered her ex-husband's honest face, his figure getting up early every day to make breakfast, and his hands, red from the cold, as he sold food at his street stall in winter. For a moment, guilt almost overwhelmed her.
But soon, she hardened her heart, struggled for a moment, and then clenched her fists: "Then it's just that he didn't try hard enough."
"Not hardworking enough?" Qin Hao's voice suddenly rose: "He works like a dog at work, and after get off work he still has to do housework and take care of the children. He even has to go out to set up a street stall during his rest time at night! If it weren't for his silent dedication behind the scenes, where would you find the time to calm down and study your professional knowledge?"
He stepped forward, his gaze sharp as a knife: "A woman like you who treats men as tools, stepping stones, and discards them when they're no longer useful—all those words like 'struggle' and 'effort' are just pretenses to cover up your shameless behavior!"
Ling Ling's face was as pale as paper. She opened her mouth, but found herself speechless.
"Let me give you some advice." Qin Hao's voice returned to calm, but beneath that calm lay an undeniable authority: "Don't ever try to take advantage of Chen Junsheng again. Otherwise, I'll make sure you can't stay in this industry."
The moment he finished speaking, the elevator dinged. Qin Hao didn't look at Ling Ling again, turned around and stepped into the elevator.
The elevator doors slowly closed, leaving Ling Ling alone in the empty garage. She leaned against the wall, then slowly slid down to sit on the floor, hugging her knees with both hands, her body trembling slightly.
After a long while, she raised her head, her eyes no longer showing the vulnerability and guilt she had just displayed, but instead a kind of almost obsessive determination.
“I paid such a high price to see a glimmer of hope,” she murmured, her voice echoing in the empty garage. “I will not give up, and I cannot give up.”