The personnel system at Newan was well-established, and for Wen Yi, who was new to the position, the difficulty wasn’t high.  

However, the work content was vastly different from what she was used to. Before, coming to the company meant attending meetings and training, with the rest of the time spent at the hospital. Now, from 9 AM to 6 PM, her activity was confined to the company and nearby restaurants.  

Tian Jia messaged her to ask how the new job was going, and Wen Yi replied: [I feel like I’m suffocating.]  

After a week, Wen Yi gradually got used to it and found the job quite interesting. On Friday, the four BPs sent her the regional sales attendance and performance reports to review. Once she approved them, SSC would calculate the salaries. In the afternoon, when Wen Yi logged into her account, she was shocked. Good heavens, she could see the salaries of employees below the mid-level!  

Confidentiality about salaries was a basic principle in any profession, especially in sales. Transparency of salaries was harmful, with no benefits.  

She first checked Tian Jia’s and Yan Fu’s salaries, who were at her level. Tian Jia’s salary was similar to hers, but Yan Fu’s was far lower, with performance only about a third of theirs. Wen Yi sneered a few times. If Li Wei still promoted him to regional manager, Newan would be doomed.  

Less than an hour after the transfer email was sent, a frantic Yan Fu called her, asking if she was behind it. Wen Yi didn’t say anything and told him to provide evidence. Of course, Yan Fu couldn’t produce any. People without virtue didn’t deserve their position and had many enemies.  

A couple of days ago, Wen Yi ran into Wei Yuan at work. She couldn’t be bothered to engage with such a person and simply turned and walked away. People who wear fake smiles make others think they are easy to bully.  

She then checked on her apprentices, Song Qingqing’s, and found them all doing well. No surprise, as they were her own students.  

Unfortunately, without access to higher-level leadership permissions, Wen Yi couldn’t help but feel a little curious about the salaries. She checked again while feeling regretful, then confirmed her findings.  

It was 3:30 PM, with two and a half hours left until the end of the workday—quite a long stretch.  

Wen Yi stared at her computer, lost in thought. Her work was pretty much like this; there were no immediate training arrangements, performance management was already self-sufficient, and there were no employee relations to maintain at the moment. The only upcoming task was the campus recruitment with Jiang Yu. If she wanted to slack off, it would be easy.  

But Wen Yi didn’t want to slack off. She rested her chin on her hand, thinking deeply, using her six years of sales experience to reflect on the work content and methods, aiming to break through from the inside out.  

She thought for two full hours, and by the end, her notebook was filled with two pages of notes.  

In the last half hour, Wen Yi collected her thoughts and prepared to leave. The office was buzzing with the excitement of the weekend approaching.  

Jiang Yu came over, leaned on her desk, and asked, “Manager Wen, what are you doing this weekend?”  

“Resting.”  

“…” Jiang Yu rolled his eyes and said nothing more. “Next week is the start of spring recruitment, and I’ll be busy. Before the crazy overtime kicks in, I’m planning to go out and have some fun. Do you want to join?”  

Wen Yi laughed. “Why would I, a pregnant woman, go with you instead of those young girls?”  

“It’s more fun with more people.”  

“I really don’t have time. You guys go ahead,” Wen Yi declined. She wasn’t sure if she would be going to Qin Nanshan’s family dinner this weekend. She wasn’t in the mood for much, just wanted to sleep well for two days.  

At 6 PM, Wen Yi punched out on time.  

The traffic was heavy on the road, and it took her half an hour to get home. There was only Summer, no Qin Nanshan.  

The house felt empty. The living room was clean and tidy, with the spring breeze gently blowing the white curtains on the balcony. The soft rustling of the fabric echoed in the otherwise quiet room, while the sounds of children playing outside could be heard.  

Wen Yi stood at the door for a while, feeling slightly out of place.  

She fed Summer, who had been hungry all day, and after finishing the food, she touched her own stomach. She was hungry too. After a moment’s thought, she sent a message to Qin Nanshan: [When will you be back? Do you want me to buy groceries first?]  

The two of them had only been seeing each other for two or three hours in the evening as a couple this week.  

He left for work before 8 AM, and when Wen Yi woke up, she would only see breakfast on the table and Summer wagging its tail under the table. Wen Yi’s working hours were irregular, and this week, with all the new social obligations, she didn’t get home until 8 or 9 PM.  

When she arrived, Qin Nanshan would come out from the guest room, check that she had already eaten, and then retreat. Wen Yi was tired from work and, being pregnant, often fell asleep right after finishing her live-streaming lessons.  

If he came back early, they could talk for a few minutes. If he came back late, they might as well be strangers. She was the one who applied the stretch mark oil.  

Today was Friday, and she had returned home early with great difficulty, but he wasn’t here?  

Sitting on the sofa, Wen Yi grew angrier the more she thought about it. She had turned down her colleague’s invitation, but he was out enjoying himself?  

She angrily called him, and when the phone rang without being picked up, she tried again. No answer.  

Wen Yi suppressed her frustration and spoke to her belly: “Baby, never date a man who doesn’t answer his wife’s calls, understand?”  

“Don’t believe his excuses that he’s in a meeting or busy. If he can’t answer, he’ll reply to you.”  

She waited another five minutes, but no reply.  

She touched her belly again, “See? He didn’t respond.”  

Wen Yi grabbed her phone and typed furiously, continuing to mutter to herself: “We don’t need men. Mommy will take you and Auntie Qiao En out for fun.”