?Chapter 176: Chapter 176 “Old Friend” Reunion Chapter 176: Chapter 176 “Old Friend” Reunion Zhu Lian’s expression wasplex as she spoke softly to Fu Han, “I have something I want to talk to you about alone, can I?”
After all, they were once friends, though they were no longer friends, Fu Han still nodded to Zhao Ting, “Go out first, I’ll call you if I need anything.”
Only Fu Han and Zhu Lian were left in the office. Fu Han looked at Zhu Lian with a half-smile, “Go ahead and say what you want to say. I’ve got other things to deal with.”
Thump!
Zhu Lian actually knelt down in front of Fu Han, crying and saying, “Fu Han, I know I shouldn’t have done that, but my father is seriously ill at home, and the whole family is depending on my sry. I can’t be without a job.”
Fu Han quickly got up to avoid Zhu Lian and said coldly, “Get up, I didn’t ask you to kneel before me. You had your choices, and I have no right to me you.”
“Can you forgive me then?” Zhu Lian didn’t get up, but instead covered her face and cried, “I worked hard and withoutint at the Xia Family’s Newspaper Office to stay, but since that incident, everyone in our office has been giving me dirty looks, giving me all the dirty and tiring jobs, and also cursing me at every turn. Now… now they’ve just kicked me out.”
Fu Han thought to herself, with Xia Ning’s pettiness and vindictiveness, it was already an extraordinary mercy that she hadn’t dismissed you on the spot.
But then she thought again, Zhu Lian had indeed kindly introduced her to the job, and for her own revenge against Xia Ning, she knew it was the Xia Family’s Newspaper Office and yet she still went there. So, Zhu Lian ending up in this predicament was, more or less, her responsibility.
Fu Han’s expression softened. She cleared her throat awkwardly twice and said, “Let bygones be bygones, I’m not ming you anymore. You can get up now.”
Zhu Lian got up, leaning on a chair, and stood before Fu Han, pleading quietly, “Fu Han, my dad’s condition is really severe. I can’t be without a job. Could you let me stay here?”
The truth was, Fu Han really didn’t want to work with someone who had betrayed her, but she thought Zhu Lian was truly pitiable, and she always felt that Zhu Lian’s downfall was somewhat connected to her.
After an internal struggle, she finally spoke, “You can work here, but the position you’re applying for doesn’t pay much, and I can’t give you any special treatment. Think it over.”
“It doesn’t matter, as long as there is an ie,” Zhu Lian said, her face full of gratitude. But because of the tears on her face, her grateful smile seemed strange no matter how one looked at it.
Watching Zhao Ting lead Zhu Lian away to handle the onboarding, Fu Han always felt as if there was a heavy stone pressing on her heart, indescribably heavy.
Outside the window, birds flew by, leaving a faint trace against the blue sky and white clouds, but within seconds, that trace had vanished.
She hade back this time determined to be free, but why did she feel the word “freedom” growing farther and farther away from her?
Actually, being a bird wouldn’t be too bad. You could fly wherever you wanted, with no one to restrain you.
…
Human Resources Company.
The person in charge of onboarding pleasingly insisted Zhao Ting take a break and sit down while perfunctorily asking Zhu Lian, “Whichpany did you work for before? Why didn’t you bring a resignation certificate?”
Zhao Ting patted the HRdy’s shoulder to remind her, “Miss Zhu Lian knows Director Fu. It was Director Fu who asked me to bring her here for the onboarding.”
“Oh, I see,” the HRdy’snguid attitude disappeared instantly. She sat up straight and earnestly instructed Zhu Lian to fill in the information, while she couldn’t help asking curiously, “You’re Zhu Lian, right? How do you know our Director Fu?”
Zhu Lian, who was bending down to write, did not raise her head upon hearing the question and said seemingly casually, “I was Fu Han’s ssmate before. After she returned to the country, I even helped introduce her to a job.”
“Oh, ssmates,” the HRdy nodded, smiling even more brightly as she looked at the information Zhu Lian had already filled out, but then couldn’t help asking with doubt, “You’re ssmates with Director Fu, but why are you three years older than her?”
Zhu Lian had a quick sh of guilt across her face but immediately reced it with an embarrassed expression, “Well… my family was poor, so I started schoolte.”
“I see,” the HRdy quickly epted the exnation.
By this time, Zhu Lian had finished filling out all the information. She looked up hesitantly at the HRdy and Zhao Ting, “There’s something I’d like to ask for your help with. Could you not tell others that I am Fu Han’s ssmate? I don’t want others to think I got in through connections.”
Seeing Zhao Ting and the HRdy still hesitating, Zhu Lian quickly added, “It’s also what Fu Han wants. She doesn’t like her private matters being discussed in thepany.”
“Of course, we won’t talk about it,” the HRdy blurted out anxiously, “We’re not the kind of people who gossip, don’t worry.”
Zhu Lian kept voicing her thanks, and due to the connection with Fu Han, the HRdy and Zhao Ting acted even more politely, introducing Zhu Lian to her work with added care.
The position she applied for was Su Cheng’s Assistant, and as Su Cheng was currently not in the Office, she didn’t have much to do. Thus, the HRdy arranged a workstation for her and let her get to know thepany environment.
In the afternoon, Su Cheng returned. The HRdy roughly exined the matter regarding Zhu Lian to him, but actually, she didn’t need to offer many details; she just had to say this person was hired by Fu Han, because Su Cheng would never say a single word of “no” to Fu Han.
…
At dinnertime, thinking about Zhu Lian’s situation, Fu Han still wasn’t sure if she had made the right decision, so she casually mentioned the incident to Nan Qing.
Right then, Nan Qing was gnawing on a corn cob. She swallowed all the corn kernels she was holding in her mouth and said, “I think you did the right thing. She pushed you down when you were already down, but she had her hardships, and now she has received hereuppance. Let the past be the past; we should all look forward.”
“That’s what I was thinking too,” Fu Han smiled, revealing her bright white teeth.
With this, thest stone in Fu Han’s heart finally settled. She smiled as if a burden had been lifted off her shoulders.
Sometimes, choosing to forgive may be a form of liberation. Hatred is too heavy; when your heart carries too much, even smiling can feel like a luxury.
Fu Han stood on the balcony looking at the scenery outside the window and unconsciously nced towards the balcony of 2502 next door, which was shrouded in darkness; He Xing hadn’te home yet.
Actually, she didn’t need to judge by the lighting of the balcony to know if He Xing had returned, because He Xing woulde to 2501 to report his arrival every day aftering back, not just to his own apartment at 2502—a fact even Nan Qing knew.
These days, He Xing was returningter andter each day. He never said what he was busy with when asked, only mentioning work issues; waiting for him, Fu Han had started to get used to sleepingte.
You can’t me Fu Han, she was just picking up the habit from three years ago. Without personally saying goodnight to He Xing, she couldn’t sleep.