Until Chen An stopped at the steps below the overpass. He turned his head sideways to look, and when Ying Ni noticed, she withdrew her gaze and listlessly walked forward.

Suddenly, many images appeared in her mind — moments when she followed Lin Rongyuan to attend various fashion shows.

The male models were all tall, with perfect bone structure and skin, exuding an almost hypnotic aura from head to toe.

Even so, Ying Ni still arrogantly pointed and commented on everything behind Lin Rongyuan.

In comparison to now, without the support of money and with a busy work schedule that leaves no time to dress up, a downgrade in aesthetic taste was inevitable. But what shocked her was…

Her taste had actually become this bland.

Thinking of this, Ying Ni lifted her eyelids and looked ahead.

At that moment, Chen An stopped and didn’t turn around, standing beside the handrail at the bottom of the steps. One hand in his pocket, the other gripping his phone, his gaze loosely falling on the screen.

It seemed like he was waiting for her, having not heard any sound.

Ying Ni quickened her pace, and when she was about four or five meters away, Chen An put away his phone and started walking down.

The two walked one in front and one behind, maintaining a constant distance. To the passersby, it looked like two strangers coincidentally walking on the same path.

It wasn’t until they reached the entrance of Chuangyuan Company that Chen An turned to her and said, “Be careful, text me when you get home.”

Almost all farewells come with such polite words. Ying Ni responded with a couple of “mm” sounds, waved her hand to signal goodbye, and continued walking alone on the nearly empty street.

Chen An went to the R&D department.

Though Chuangyuan Times was a leader in China’s battery industry, there was still much to improve in material innovation and structural upgrades. After all, there were many companies in the new energy race, emerging one after another. In the short term, the key to leading the competition was battery volume utilization and cost reduction.

It was a bit late now, so Chen An casually asked about the endurance and low-temperature performance of the experiments.

He glanced over the latest CRA3.0 technology’s battery decay test, which the R&D department hadn’t yet submitted.

Chuangyuan’s beginnings were humble, starting as a small battery repair shop of less than fifty square meters. In just a few years, it had skyrocketed to become an industry giant. As one of the few “technically experienced” CEOs, Chen An was highly respected by the R&D staff.

He was focused on analyzing data, with the head of the R&D department standing by, occasionally answering his questions.

Suddenly, Chen An lifted his head, pulled over a nearby chair, and patted the backrest, signaling the department head to sit down.

In such a situation, the department head wasn’t anxious but instead naturally sat down as though in his own office.

Because even if he was facing a regular receptionist, Chen An’s attitude would remain the same.

He was a man who valued efficiency and didn’t need any superficial displays.

At 1:00 AM, Chen An left the R&D department and drove to the hospital, two kilometers away.

After cleaning the wound in the emergency department, following the doctor’s advice, he was injected with tetanus antitoxin and tetanus immunoglobulin.

The elevator led to the underground parking lot, and as the number reached “-2”, he suddenly remembered something and pulled out his phone from his pocket.

He glanced at it while walking.

The chat window was still open from several hours ago.

That sentence, “Text me when you get home,” had clearly been ignored by her.

The security in Heze was always good, and she had gone home before midnight, so there shouldn’t have been much to worry about if she took the bus.

Chen An stood still for a moment, and after a brief pause, he put his phone away and opened the car door.

“Sorry, the user you are trying to reach is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later…”

The old fluorescent light emitted a dim glow, and the walls were a dull gray. Ying Ni was sitting on the bed, legs crossed, anxiously dialing the insurance customer service number.

She couldn’t renew her premium, and years ago, Lin Rongyuan had bought her insurance which had mostly been canceled, leaving only the critical illness and dividend insurance with Ren An still in effect.

The total amount was only a few thousand, and the cancellation fee accounted for 60% of the policy value, making it very uneconomical. Ying Ni hadn’t planned to cancel it, wanting to keep it as protection for sickness.

But now, knowing that her mother could transfer to Kangmu, she had called Ren An’s customer service.

In the time since, the other side had kept dragging her along, citing missing materials as reasons for delays.

Ying Ni dialed three more times.

The other side directly hung up.

At this time, a message from the second-hand luxury store popped up.

She had previously discussed the price, and if the quality inspection was passed, the price could be between 100,000 to 130,000. After returning, Ying Ni briefly mentioned the damage to her bag.

Hearing about her situation, the other party expressed shock and sympathy, stating they could repair the minor wear.

Ying Ni sent a few clear photos and waited until now.

“The damage is too extensive, we need to replace this entire piece of leather here,” she marked the area with red, “Our store’s craftsmanship is currently not at this level.”

She included a crying emoji.

Seeing that the other side was reluctant to accept, Ying Ni immediately checked similar items’ prices on the second-hand trading forum.

After some deliberation, she offered 70,000.

Kwei Kwei Luxury (Little Deer): [We’ve already taken several of these recently, we’re not short for stock, check with other stores, dear.]

Kwei Kwei Luxury (Little Deer): [Mwah~]

Ying Ni sat up cross-legged, tightly gripping her phone: [Price can be negotiated, smile/smile.]

The top bar showed “typing” and Ying Ni anxiously waited.

A few seconds later, it disappeared.

Then her phone stopped vibrating.

She asked a few more stores on an app; either they didn’t accept or the prices they offered made her want to laugh.

With only a few days left until the hospital’s latest payment due date, the nurse said that if payment wasn’t made, they would stop the respirator and force her to discharge.

She tightly gripped her phone, staring at the balance of less than four digits. Her wet hair hung on her shoulders, the tips dripping.

Drops kept falling, and the light gray floor gradually darkened.

She didn’t dare think about the future, always feeling that time passed one month at a time. Once this month was over, there would surely be a new way to solve it.

It had always been like this. Life would always continue.

But now…

Ying Ni hugged her knees and slowly buried her head.

It felt as if she suddenly lost all confidence.

On Monday morning, Xiao Wen came over and said that Section Chief Zhao was transferred to the sales department.

Ying Ni didn’t care about the company’s personnel changes and absent-mindedly replied with a “mm” while handling the work in front of her.

Xiao Wen scratched her neck and muttered, “Who do you think the new section chief will be?”

Ying Ni replied that she didn’t know, and an hour later, the supervisor personally answered this question— Qiao Juan.

The scapegoat was demoted, and the real culprit got promoted.

Others were equally surprised, and there was a moment of silence before the supervisor coughed, and everyone reacted by crowding around to offer congratulations.

Although it was absurd, it was also expected.

Ying Ni remained seated, focusing on her work.

Since the scapegoat incident, her relationship with Qiao Juan had been nothing short of hostile. Whenever Qiao Juan passed by, she would roll her eyes at Ying Ni, and Ying Ni wouldn’t give her any good looks in return.

However, since Qiao Juan was a well-connected person, Ying Ni needed this job. When facing provocation, she tightly shut her mouth and silently chanted, “I’m not angry, I’m not angry at all.”

In the afternoon, Qiao Juan treated everyone to tea, but Ying Ni was left out.

Everyone sat in a circle chatting.

Employee A took a bite of mango mille-feuille and was so delighted that their eyes sparkled, “So good! Where did Section Chief Qiao get it?”

Perhaps knowing in advance about her promotion, Qiao Juan was dressed very stylishly today — a white shirt paired with a pencil skirt, delicate makeup, and a perfectly tied silk scarf.

She held a cup of iced Americano and leaned against the partition of the workstation, smiling as she said, “It’s so good, I’ll order it again tomorrow.”

Employee B seized the opportunity and spoke up, “Sweet’s desserts are so expensive, a small piece like this costs dozens, I usually can’t bring myself to buy it, Section Chief Qiao is so generous.”

Qiao Juan smiled brightly, “Compared to everyone’s help to me before, this little thing isn’t anything.”

Then, her gaze swept over, landing on Ying Ni, who had her back to them. She raised her voice a little.

“I’m a very grateful person, no matter who helped me, I will remember it clearly.”

The last four words were said with emphasis.

Everyone followed her gaze and understood the implication.

After that day, Ying Ni was isolated.

Even the usually talkative Xiao Wen proactively moved her desk to the other side.

Everyone was either intentionally or unintentionally targeting her, throwing all the work on her, and the number of overtime hours grew increasingly.

Ying Ni became a ninja turtle, enduring and enduring.

On Thursday afternoon, Ying Ni was scratching her head over the medical fees.

Her phone, which was lying next to the mouse, vibrated twice. She thought it was a payment message from Cui, but she ignored it. A few minutes later, it rang again, and she picked it up in annoyance.

Chen An: [I found the earring.]

Chen An: [Do you want to come get it, or should I bring it over?]

…

Chen An: [Can you take a call on WeChat?]

She didn’t respond, and Chen An called directly.

Ying Ni didn’t want to pick up, but just as she was about to hang up, something hit her on the back.

It hurt, and she let out a muffled sound. Her phone slipped from her fingers.

“What are you doing not replying during work hours!” Qiao Juan shouted, standing a step away with her hands on her hips.

Everyone turned to look, holding their breath.

The sky outside was gloomy, signaling that a storm was imminent.

Ying Ni picked up the mouse, her back hunched from the pain. She looked at Qiao Juan in confusion, “What’s your problem? Did you forget to take your medicine this morning?”

Qiao Juan, who had been pampered, had never been spoken to like this in front of so many people.

She said each word slowly, “What… did you… say?”

Ying Ni rubbed her back to ease the pain, “I said you need to go see a doctor.”

Qiao Juan’s face turned darker. Ying Ni added, “Take more medicine, it might help.”

Qiao Juan: “Are you insulting me?!”

“Yeah, crazy woman.”

Ying Ni hadn’t finished her task, but as soon as her bottom hit the chair, her shoulder was grabbed.

She turned around, and a long, sparkling acrylic nail came towards her.

Sharp, they looked almost transparent and white under the light, transforming into a weapon for a woman’s catfight.

Ying Ni had grown up in a family compound with many children. They often played games after school, throwing sandbags, climbing trees, or catching grasshoppers. She enjoyed playing with everyone, but she also had a proud personality and liked to argue.

Because of her sharp tongue, the boys couldn’t argue with her. If they couldn’t win in words, they would resort to fighting.

Ying Ni was small and delicate, and each time she would end up crying after being beaten. When she could no longer stand the bullying, she begged Lin Rongyuan to let her learn Sanda.

She took one class a week, but it was effective. After just two terms, Ying Ni’s fighting skills soared, and she became unbeatable in the compound.

However, fighting between women and men was completely different. While men used fists, women liked to scratch, claw, and bite.

Ying Ni didn’t have long nails and didn’t act like a dog, so within a few moves, she body-slammed the already weak Qiao Juan onto the ground.

The crowd quickly gathered around, pulling Qiao Juan up and asking if she was okay.

Qiao Juan lay on the ground, not getting up. Her legs were spread awkwardly, and she covered her face as she cried, “Waa— it hurts so much— my butt hurts so much—”

Ying Ni wiped the blood on her chin from the scratch left by Qiao Juan and picked up the phone that had fallen onto the chair. She glanced at it and froze.

The call duration was still going.

Five minutes and twenty-eight seconds.

It was the entire period of their argument and fight.

The other side seemed to recognize she had picked up the phone from the heavy breathing.

“Did you get into a fight?”

Ying Ni kicked the chair away and sat down, smirking, “Who am I fighting with, am I fighting with you?”

There was a half-second of silence before the other side responded, “Just asking, no other meaning.”

After a pause, the voice sounded slightly displeased, “Don’t speak so harshly.”

“Mm-mm,” Ying Ni replied, glancing back. Qiao Juan was being carried away to the infirmary.

Chen An said, “Do you still want the earring?”

Ying Ni replied, “Of course.”

Chen An: “…”

Thinking about the issues she had to face next, she sighed deeply. “Just leave it there, I’ll come get it some other day.”

Chen An: “No, today.”

Ying Ni didn’t say anything.

Chen An: “Come downstairs.”

Ying Ni: “Huh?”

“I’m downstairs at your company.”