Due to the move, the factory granted me a few days off.

As a result, I hadn't seen Lin Wentao for several days.

On the last day, I prepared a table full of dishes, even braising some meat as a treat for myself.

Just as I was about to start eating, there was a knock at the door from outside the courtyard.

It was Lin Wentao, and he brought his son along.

"Ms. Chen! Open the door!"Little Jun called out, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, while pushing hard against the door.

I carried my bowl to the courtyard and asked through the door, "What's the matter?"

"Ms. Chen, my dad said there's no food at home today, so he brought me here to eat with you."

Through the crack in the door, I could see Lin Wentao standing behind, holding an empty lunchbox.

This scene was all too familiar; in my past life, it happened countless times.

Back then, I yearned to get closer to Little Jun, thinking it was a great honor for them to come to my house for meals.

I was eager to give them all the ration coupons I had saved up.

Who would have thought that I'd end up feeding two ingrates?

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and coughed deliberately.

"I'm not feeling well today. You should go eat at the cafeteria."

"What? Are you feeling unwell? Did you catch a cold?"

Lin Wentao moved closer, feigning concern.

I saw through his act; he was someone who always expected others to wait on him hand and foot. What ginger tea could he possibly make?

I declined directly, "No need. I've taken medicine and need to rest. You should go back."

"Wait! I have good news for you!"

Lin Wentao grew anxious and knocked a few more times.

"The factory approved my transfer request. Next week, I'll be joining your textile department!"

My steps faltered.

I had heard about this a few days ago, assuming it was just a joke. I never imagined it to be true.

"We'll be colleagues in the same department from now on. Being close, we can look out for each other."

There was a hint of flattery in his voice, but I remained unmoved, responding curtly, "There's nothing to look out for, " and turned back inside.

Behind me, Lin Wentao raised his voice, "Chen Lingshuang!

What do you mean by this? I've done all this, and you're still not satisfied?"

I ignored him, went inside, and shut the door.

Outside, there was a brief silence before Little Jun's whiny voice came through, "Dad, I'm hungry!"

"Eat, eat, eat, that's all you know!" Lin Wentao snapped suddenly, "Let's go home!"

Listening to the father and son walk away, I leisurely finished my feast, then sat at the table and filled out my resignation letter.

Early the next morning, I went straight to the director's office.

The director struggled to understand my decision to resign, reluctant to see me go.

He tried to persuade me for nearly an hour, talking about everything from new economic policies bringing change and opportunity to the factory's development prospects, and even revisited the topic of salary and benefits.

Seeing that I was unmoved, he finally sighed, "Think it over.

I'll keep this letter for now."

I got up to leave, and as I opened the office door, I saw Lin Wentao standing outside, his eyes red.

It seemed he had overheard my conversation inside.

"Are you resigning? Leaving? Is it because I'm transferring over?"

"Lingshuang, didn't you once say you hoped we could work together, walking home slowly after work? Why... "

"You said it yourself, " I interrupted him, walking past him with a blank expression, "That was in the past."

"Chen Lingshuang! Is it necessary to go this far? Ever since I agreed to go out with Li Xiangyun, you've been avoiding me as if I had a contagious disease!"

"You... you just want to be with me and are angry because I laughed and chatted with another woman!"

"Isn't it enough that I've agreed? Can't you stop being so cold?"

He finally began to panic, feeling anxious when he realized I truly intended to leave him.

But unfortunately, this wasn't some game of hard-to-get. I genuinely didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

I turned to look at him.

Lin Wentao's eyes were brimming with tears, and he didn't bother hiding it, grabbing my arm to keep me from leaving.

Colleagues in the corridor were already glancing our way. I shook off his hand and lowered my voice, "Lin Wentao, you may want to be with me, but I don't want to be with you anymore. So... have some dignity and stop pulling at me."

It was as if he'd been burned; he recoiled his hand, tears streaming down his face, "Fine, fine!

Go ahead and leave, but don't come back!"

Without looking back, I left him behind, already planning to buy a train ticket heading south.

The winds of change carried by economic changes were blowing across the country. This time, I was determined to live for myself.

Since that day when we parted on bad terms outside the factory manager's office, Lin Wentao seemed to deliberately provoke me by publicly pairing up with Li Xiangyun.

At noon, while I was having lunch in the cafeteria, a commotion erupted at the entrance.

I looked up to see Li Xiangyun clinging to Lin Wentao's arm, sporting a deliberately smug smile.

She intentionally sat across from me, pulling Lin Wentao along.

"Oh, isn't this Ling Shuang? I heard you're resigning. Is it because you can't make it here anymore?" she taunted.

I continued eating slowly, not even bothering to lift my gaze.

Lin Wentao pretended to dissuade her, but his eyes kept darting toward me.

"Xiangyun, don't say that. Maybe she has better opportunities elsewhere, " he said.

"Her?" Li Xiangyun scoffed, "What's she going to do, coming from an embroidery background?"

I swallowed the last bite of my meal, picked up my tray, and stood up.

In my past life, these words would have upset me so much I couldn't eat for days. Now, I couldn't care less about their antics.

As I started to leave, Lin Wentao suddenly called out to me, "Chen Lingshuang!

Next month, Xiangyun and I are going to Shanghai. Want us to bring you anything?"

Without turning back, I waved dismissively, "No need, have fun on your trip."

Leaving the cafeteria, I headed straight to the library.

Lately, I had been gathering information on doing business in the South, particularly the policies of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

Opportunities for change and growth were on the horizon, and I intended to seize this opportunity.

On the weekend, I tried setting up a small stall at the market near the factory, selling small goods like electronic watches and stockings from the South.

To my surprise, business was exceptionally good; I made half a month's salary in just one day.

"Boss, your goods are quite trendy, even better than what's in the department stores, " a young woman remarked as she paid.

I smiled, saying nothing.

In my past life, I knew nothing about this; I only clung to the meager salary from the textile factory, giving it all to Lin Wentao.

Now, looking back, I realize how foolish I was.

As I packed up my stall, I noticed Lin Wentao and Li Xiangyun standing not far away.

Li Xiangyun looked at me with disdain, while Lin Wentao frowned, lost in thought.

In a few breaths, they were right in front of me.

"Oh, look who's become a market trader? Want me to give you some business?"Li Xiangyun mocked.

I ignored her, continuing to pack up my things.

Lin Wentao pulled at her sleeve, urging her to leave, but she shook him off.

"Why leave?" she snapped, pulling out several ten-yuan bills and waving them in my face.

"This should be enough to buy everything on your stall, right? You poor thing."

I paused my work, looking up at her.

"Li Xiangyun, how long do you think your father can support you? Three years? Five?"

Her face changed. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, " I replied calmly, packing the last item into my bag. "Just a reminder—depending on others is unreliable, they won't always be there for you."

With that, I picked up my bag and walked away, leaving Li Xiangyun fuming on the spot.

Lin Wentao stood frozen, watching me with a complex expression.

Back home, I counted the day's earnings and reviewed the business materials sent from Shenzhen.

At this rate, in two months, I would have enough savings to head to the South.

Outside, the sound of a car horn interrupted my thoughts. I peeked through the curtains to see Li Xiangyun's newly bought Santana car, a popular model in China at the time.

Lin Wentao sat in the passenger seat, glancing in my direction.

I quickly drew the curtains and returned to my business plans.

Let them be; nothing would stand in the way of my path to making money.

After two more months of selling at the market, combined with my salary and the little savings I had left, I finally saved up enough to travel south.

The director, seeing my determination, sighed and stamped my resignation form.

The day before I was set to leave, Lin Wentao came to see me unexpectedly.

After some thought, I decided to let him into the yard.

He had dressed up today, with gel in his hair and cologne sprayed, a fragrance all too familiar to me.

In a past life, I had pinched pennies for three months just to buy him a bottle.

He sat on the garden bench, wearing a look of hesitation.

"Lingshuang... Li Xiangyun said she wants to marry me."

I continued tidying up the yard without looking up. "Congratulations."

"You…"

He took two steps forward, seemingly mustering great courage, and spoke urgently to me:

"As long as you say you don't agree, that you don't want me to marry her, I'll refuse her immediately!"

"Lingshuang... just say the word, and I'll stay with you. We can have a good life together."

I paused, looking up at him.

The sunlight slanted over, illuminating his carefully groomed face.

This scene overlapped with a memory from my past life, only back then he had mockingly told me:

"If it weren't for Xiangyun's family troubles, I wouldn't have had to marry you!"

Watching Lin Wentao's eager expression, I didn't respond immediately.

Instead, I put down what I was holding and sat in front of him.

"Did you know? I had a dream once, where we got married."

Lin Wentao's eyes lit up. "And then?"

"And then... in that dream, I was worried about Xiaojun overthinking things, afraid he'd feel his parents didn't love him, so we never had our own child."

"I gave you my all, just like before. I'd follow your every direction."

"I'd bring back anything nice I saw or tasted for you, and people would praise you for marrying such a good wife."

"But…"

The glimmer of hope in Lin Wentao's eyes faded slightly as he heard my change in tone.

"But in the dream, you always had someone else on your mind. No matter what, you kept talking about her."

"You constantly compared me to her, saying I was inferior in every way, blaming me for blocking your path to an executive role."

"Even Xiaojun, whom I raised wholeheartedly, was closer to her. In my old age, when I was sick, he was busy helping plan your wedding with her, leaving me to die alone."

"Lin Wentao... you know who I'm talking about, don't you?"

Lin Wentao's face turned as pale as paper, his fingers unconsciously picking at the edge of the table.

"But... but that was just a dream…"

I looked into his eyes, smiling silently.

Finally, I stood up and opened the gate to the yard.

"Congratulations on your upcoming commitment. I wish you happiness. Since you've already agreed to the vows, don't casually come to another woman's house."

"You…"

Tears welled up in Lin Wentao's eyes, on the verge of falling, a sight that once would have pained me enough to give him my heart.

He walked a few steps towards me, trying to take my hand, but I easily evaded him.

"Lingshuang... are you really going to leave me?"

I gently nudged him out the door.

"Don't ask such pointless questions. Look after yourself."