After a grueling eight-hour shift, everyone was exhausted, eager to head home and get some sleep.

Dai Qing quickly washed her face in the workshop and joined the crowd heading out. Just as she stepped into the corridor, someone sidled up beside her.

“Comrade Dai, a few of us are heading to the park during our break. You should come too; the more, the merrier,” Liu Ming said, smiling sweetly, his voice dripping with warmth.

Dai Qing glanced at him with a look of disdain, wondering yet again how she could have been so blind in her past life to fall for someone like him.

Before she could respond, her arm was suddenly grabbed.

“Ow—what are you doing?”

Turning, she found Li Xing glaring at her with hostility. Dai Qing sighed in exasperation. “How many times do I have to say it? Whatever’s going on between you two has nothing to do with me. Why can’t either of you understand plain language?”

“You liar! Didn’t you say you didn’t like him? So why is he asking you to go to the park?” Li Xing’s eyes were red, her voice full of accusation as she glanced at Liu Ming with a mixture of hurt and anger.

“And you! What happened to your promise that you only liked me? What are you doing now?”

Liu Ming’s face darkened at Li Xing’s sudden outburst, and he scolded her in a low voice, “Stop making a scene here.”

“And what about you?” Li Xing shot back, her voice shaking with fury. “You’re flirting with another woman right in front of me. Isn’t that a bigger disgrace?”

Dai Qing pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, cursing under her breath. Her eyes turned cold. “You two are both nuts. If you’ve got issues, go see a doctor. Why drag me into it?”

I swear to hell, I can’t take this anymore.

If things continued like this, she wouldn’t wait for the right moment—she’d snap and handle it herself.

Seeing Dai Qing’s darkening expression, Liu Ming quickly pulled Li Xing aside. They exchanged a few words before Li Xing ran off, crying with her face in her hands.

Whatever drama was unfolding between them had nothing to do with her. She wasn’t about to get involved. Dai Qing continued on her way to the market, where she bought two fried dough sticks and a bowl of steamed tofu pudding to take home. After eating, she collapsed into bed to catch up on her lost sleep.

She didn’t wake until three in the afternoon, her stomach growling in protest. After getting up to wash and cook, Dai Qing had just finished eating and was wandering in the yard to help with digestion when Aunt Wang arrived.

“Xiao Qing, you’re up! Was work tiring?”

“It’s alright. I’m getting used to it.”

“That’s good. You’ll get used to the shift work too, and at least you have two days off,” Aunt Wang chatted briefly before getting to the point. “Tomorrow afternoon at 2:30, there’s a meeting at the Ruida Hotel. Here’s the address—it’s easy to get there by bus.”

“Got it. I’ll be there on time.” Dai Qing was looking forward to it. This was going to be her first proper job assignment.

After sending Aunt Wang off, Dai Qing turned around and spotted Liu Ming wandering across the street. Her brows furrowed—was he keeping an eye on her?

This guy never did anything unless there was something in it for him. What was he scheming now?

Liu Ming, seeing her, ran over with a big grin. Without giving him so much as a glance, Dai Qing turned on her heel, went inside, and slammed the door in his face.

Liu Ming stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on the small courtyard in front of him, lips pressed together. He had done his homework—this girl’s grandfather had just passed away, and now she was all alone.

She lived alone in a two-room house with a yard—what a waste.

His family of five was crammed into two rooms, with his sister sharing a space with their parents, separated only by a curtain. Even using the bathroom meant waiting in line.

If he could get Dai Qing to marry him, this house would be his. It was spacious enough that they could roll around in it and still have room to spare.

He was determined to have both her and the house.