As Xu Miyu attentively listened to Zhang Zong’s introduction of his investment project, suddenly, a clamor emanated from behind.
It seemed like the two customers at the neighboring table were playing something loudly.
Zhang Zong, seated opposite her, immediately frowned and remarked, “Playing something so loudly in public, truly lacking in manners.”
With that, he swiftly handed Xu Miyu a pair of wireless earphones, hastily instructing her to put them on. He then quickly handed her his phone, saying, “The people at the table behind are making too much noise. I can’t reason with them. Regarding my project, here’s a video of my speech during an external seminar. Miss Xu, you can listen carefully with these earphones. I disinfect them every day, so feel free to wear them.”
Xu Miyu put on the earphones, isolating herself from the external sounds, and watched the video on Zhang Zong’s phone.
When she removed the earphones after finishing, there was no more noise behind her; presumably, the customers at the other table had left.
She returned the earphones and the phone to Zhang Zong, then invested half of all her money with him. For several consecutive weeks, she received the interest payments on schedule.
Seeing the lively profit-sharing posts in the group every week, Xu Miyu joined in as well. After sharing her earnings, the group members showered her with applause and congratulations.
Xu Miyu liked this group; she found it warm, making her feel valuable and giving her a sense of existence.
So, she decided to entrust the remaining half of her money to Zhang Zong. After this, she had only a few tens of thousands left as emergency funds.
However, Jiao Xiumei continued pressuring her every day, mentioning buying a house for her daughter with the money.
“Little surplus, I know you have money; don’t pretend not to hear me!” The rhythmic tone made Xu Miyu sometimes feel as if Snow Aunt was talking to her.
“I think you should quickly take out the money and buy a house for your brother. Hoarding so much money will only lead to depreciation. It’s better to buy a house for your brother; it might appreciate,” Jiao Xiumei reasoned.
Initially, this argument sounded reasonable to Xu Miyu.
However, when she thought about it, what did her brother’s increased value have to do with her? Investing offered tangible returns that would directly benefit her.
She planned to give Jiao Xiumei the interest she received from Zhang Zong after three months, just to silence her constant nagging.
But on the third week of putting all her money into the investment, an unexpected incident occurred.
The interest earnings for that week did not arrive on time.
Xu Miyu asked Zhang Zong, and he explained, “This week is the accounting settlement, so the returns won’t be processed. They’ll be released together next Monday.”
She patiently waited as instructed.
However, when the interest for the next week was due, the money still hadn’t arrived.
She inquired with Zhang Zong again, and he replied, “The month-end settlement isn’t complete yet. Once it’s done, the returns for these three weeks will be released together.”
She waited patiently again.
From mid-month to the end and into the new week, she believed that the accounting settlement must be efficient this time, and the returns for the past few weeks would finally appear in her account.
However, when the interest payment day for that week arrived, she checked her account all day, but not a penny had arrived.
Growing uneasy, she went to ask Zhang Zong once more. This time, he took a long time to respond. When she called him, the voice message indicated that his phone was turned off.
From a lingering unease, Xu Miyu became completely restless.
She hurriedly asked in the group if everyone else received their returns as usual.
The group, which usually exuded warmth and confidence, remained silent this time.
Sitting by the window in the afternoon, Xu Miyu watched as dark clouds rolled in from the horizon, turning daylight into gloom. She witnessed thunder and lightning rumbling within the cloud masses.
She felt as if her mind was also experiencing flashes of lightning and deafening thunderclaps.
She sat dazed by the window, letting the pouring rain splash through the open window onto her.
She thought, “What should I do? That’s all of my money.”
After a quarter of an hour, Xu Miyu made a decision. Ignoring Jiao Xiumei’s scolding – “Stupid child, did your divorce make you lose your mind? You don’t even know to close the window in the rain!” – and facing the thunderous roar and pouring rain, she rushed to report the incident.
The law enforcement officers, upon hearing her situation, wore expressions of both anger and sympathy.
“We’ve been tirelessly promoting anti-fraud measures, trying every method to get everyone to download the anti-fraud app, precisely to prevent situations like yours. You’ve been deceived! In the group you joined, was there only one real person – you? Everyone else, including this Zhang Zong, is part of the scam. They collaborated to deceive you! Why didn’t you report it earlier? It’s been several weeks, and now they might have fled the country to avoid capture. It’s challenging for us to apprehend them now.”
Sitting there, completely soaked, Xu Miyu felt a chill all over her body.
Drenched by the rain, deceived, she returned home and soon developed a high fever. Upon learning about the whole situation, Jiao Xiumei scolded Xu Miyu, who lay in bed with a fever, mercilessly.
She pounded her chest and stomped her feet, frustrated and angry. As she fed medicine to Xu Miyu, she berated her, accusing her of being not only foolish but also blinded to the point of neglecting her brother’s need for a house. Her anger reached a point where she almost swallowed the medicine herself, not wanting to give it to Xu Miyu.
Xu Miyu lay on the bed, feeling the warmth, suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of despair. Marriage gone, money gone, and even her health temporarily lost. Now, even familial ties came to torment her.
All she wanted was a moment of peace, but Jiao Xiumei wouldn’t let up. Relentlessly demanding money, and when met with silence, she took advantage of Xu Miyu’s dazed state during her fever to turn everything in her surroundings upside down.
Then, Jiao Xiumei took away all the cards, passbooks, and cash, totaling nearly a hundred thousand. This money was originally kept by Xu Miyu for emergencies. Now, she had become a penniless destitute.
After seizing the money, Jiao Xiumei’s complaints paused momentarily, finally allowing Xu Miyu a bit of quiet space to recover.
When Xu Miyu finally got better, she looked at herself in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize her own reflection. This severe illness had drained her appearance, leaving her face pale and devoid of vitality, her eyes dull and lifeless.
Xu Miyu felt like a walking corpse.
Recently, her second sister, Xu Mi Nan, also returned to their parents’ home.
Xu Mi Nan had a bold personality, disliked studying, hadn’t gone to college, and started working right after graduating from high school. Later, when Xu Miyu got married, she used the financial support from Xu Miyu and Nie Yu Cheng to open a small shop in the county, earning some money. Due to her business commitments, she rarely had time to visit her parents’ home unless there was something to deal with, and she didn’t often return to her hometown.
Through conversations between Xu Mi Nan, their parents, and Xu Miyu, she learned that during her illness, Jiao Xiumei used the money she gave and the additional hundred thousand from her elder sisters to buy a house for Xu Mi Bao in the local county.
“Originally, Mom wanted Nie Yu Cheng to help, buying a house next to yours for Mi Bao. But who knew you and Nie Yu Cheng would divorce at this critical moment? Now, the money you can contribute isn’t much more than what my elder sisters and I have. Mom thought about it and figured, forget it. If we delay, we might not even be able to raise this three hundred thousand. Mi Bao can’t enter a big city, but at least he can get a house in the county. So, Mom used the money to pay the down payment in the city.”
Listening to her second sister’s words, Xu Miyu nodded.
Seeing her sister almost lifeless, Xu Mi Nan gave her a push. “Stop just nodding; didn’t you understand what I said?”
Rubbing her shoulder, Xu Miyu, feeling like she was falling apart, raised her head and asked, “What do you mean?”
Xu Mi Nan, pushing her again, couldn’t resist saying, “The meaning is, from now on, we definitely can’t escape Mi Bao’s mortgage. We all have to help repay it. So, you can’t just stay idle at your parents’ home. You have to go out and earn money quickly.”
Xu Miyu was stunned. She felt like she had been living in a haze.
She, herself, was like a bird without feet, nowhere to land, and somehow, she ended up taking on the burden of Mi Bao’s mortgage without realizing it.
Acknowledging her sister’s words, from that day forward, Jiao Xiumei drove Xu Miyu out every day, urging her to find a job and not stay at home eating free meals all the time.
Although Xu Miyu had recovered from her illness, her body was still weak. She wanted to take some time to recover before looking for a job.
However, in Jiao Xiumei’s eyes, her sickly appearance was just a pretense; she was simply lazy.
“Girl, are you our ancestor or not? Hurry up and find a job. Look, your brother’s mortgage is right in front of us. Relying on your elder sisters won’t be enough; you have to go out and earn some money to help them out.”
Xu Miyu couldn’t comprehend. She questioned her mother, “If it’s not enough, why insist on buying such an expensive fully furnished property for Mi Bao?”
Jiao Xiumei scolded her, “Our family only has this one root; shouldn’t we give him the best? He’s already been wronged enough. Originally, he should have lived next to your family! Stop talking nonsense. Tomorrow, go find a job. Our Xu family under the banner of socialism can’t drag down the country with idle people!”
Xu Miyu was speechless. “Mom, do you have any consideration? I haven’t fully recovered! Mi Bao isn’t a three or four-year-old without the ability to work. He’s thirty now! He’s the same age as me! Why should I support him? I can’t even take care of my illness now, and you want me to support him?”
Enraged, Jiao Xiumei raised the broom to hit Xu Miyu, feeling that she had grown capable and dared to confront her mother who had fallen ill because of giving birth to her.
Feeling wronged, Xu Miyu thought that she and Mi Bao were born only minutes apart. Why was she the only one responsible for her mother’s illnesses?
The next day, Xu Mi Zi, the elder sister, went to the countryside and took Xu Miyu away. It was their father, Xu Guang Zong, who called and told her to do so.
“Quickly bring your younger sister with you; otherwise, she’ll keep arguing with your mom. If she stays at home, sooner or later, she’ll either anger your mom to death or be beaten to death by her. This child, she used to be quite honest when she was young, had a sense of propriety, and knew how to behave. How did she become so bold after getting married and divorced? She even learned to argue!.”
Taking Xu Miyu to her home in Xing Cheng, her elder sister, Xu Mi Zi, provided substantial support when buying the house. Therefore, Xu Miyu felt a bit confident staying with her elder sister.
At Xu Mi Zi’s home, Xu Miyu couldn’t help but pour out her grievances to her elder sister. “I always feel that she’s my mom, and she’s not easy. I understand and sympathize with her, but when will she understand and sympathize with me?”
Xu Mi Zi, with a placating tone, said, “Alright, don’t take it seriously; that’s just how Mom is.” After a pause, she seemed hesitant, but still shared a piece of news with Xu Miyu, “Never mind Mom, let’s talk about you. I originally thought you and Nie Yu Cheng could reconcile, but now it seems unlikely. Do you know if Nie Yu Cheng has someone else? Recently, there’s a woman who comes to the company every day looking for him.”
Xu Miyu felt thunderous roars in her ears. The day they divorced, Nie Yu Cheng stood in the heavy rain, trying to persuade her, watching her cry. The divorce certificate was still warm, but he was already with someone new.
Is this what men are like?
She didn’t want to ask her elder sister if the woman was called Lu Zhen Zhen. She just said, “Oh, I divorced him. Whoever he wants to be with is his choice.”
Casually, she asked her elder sister, “Will my divorce with Nie Yu Cheng affect your and your husband’s jobs? Nie Yu Cheng wouldn’t kick his ex-wife’s sister and brother-in-law out of the company just because he has a new woman, right?”
Xu Mi Zi began setting the tableware, “He won’t fire me and your brother-in-law, but our work might be slightly affected. After all, it won’t be so easy for us to get a raise now.”
he eldest brother-in-law interjected at this moment, launching into a scolding session directed at Xu Miyu. “Why, Sister Three, are you making a fuss about divorcing for no reason? Successful men have affairs, it’s just a minor issue. What’s the big deal? Now that he has someone new, you can’t even think about remarriage. You, unable to appreciate being under Nie Yu Cheng’s protective shade, are not satisfied. At the slightest discomfort, you initiate a divorce. Now, you’ve directly transplanted the big tree to someone else’s bed. Moreover, with your departure, both your elder sister and I are in a difficult position. When the new lover takes over as Mrs. Nie in the future, who knows if we, the remnants of the ex-wives’ club, will be swept out like dust.”
Listening to these words, Xu Miyu felt as if her heart was being carved out. “Brother-in-law, when I helped you arrange a job for Nie Yu Cheng, you didn’t thank me at all. Now that I’m divorced, you blame me so bluntly. Isn’t that inappropriate?”
The eldest brother-in-law shrugged. “Aren’t I speaking the truth? How is this blaming you? If Sister Three didn’t say it, you never used to argue with people. Your father-in-law is right; you do have a bigger temper now.”
Feeling wronged, Xu Miyu wanted to explain, “No, you…” But her words were immediately cut off by her elder sister, Xu Mi Zi. “Alright, Sister Three, stop arguing. Say less; you’re living in my house now, and your brother-in-law can’t vent a little frustration? Okay, okay, quickly wash up and have dinner.”
Xu Miyu, until this moment, finally felt a bit uncertain and lost about the divorce.
Was she right to insist on the divorce? Why has she ended up in this situation after the divorce? Penniless, rejected by her family, resented by her sister, and even her brother-in-law could casually trample on her. In the past, she had helped this big family with money, goods, and effort. Now that she’s divorced, it seems like all the benefits she brought them have disappeared, and all that’s left is blame.
After the divorce, it seemed like she had transformed from a person of importance into mud and dust.
In the days staying at Xu Mi Zi’s home, Xu Miyu, fearing being disliked, diligently cooked, did housework during the day, and studied and sent out resumes at night.
She wanted to find a job quickly, earn money, and get out of this life where she had to rely on others.
However, she found that in the several leisurely years as a housewife, she had become seriously disconnected from society. It took her a long time even to format a resume.
She also discovered that there were many job positions available, but there were almost none that she could do.
She tried applying for some secretary and clerk positions with lower requirements. The employer called for a phone interview, and she didn’t know how to answer any of the questions. When asked about her experience, she had none. The conversation was dull, and she was basically rejected in this phone interview round.
Xu Miyu felt bewildered and almost bald from scratching her head. Like a headless fly, she couldn’t find a focus. She didn’t know if she should go out first, learn some skills, and then find a job, or find any job, even sweeping the streets, to support herself before learning skills and moving on.
But it seemed like even a street-sweeping job wasn’t something she could do just because she wanted to.
So, what should she do now? She sadly realized that she had been pampered in her previous marriage, and now she seemed to have lost the skill to survive.
Later, Xu Mi Zi, the elder sister, had a conversation with Xu Miyu. “Sister Three, it’s not good for you to stay idle in my house. Yes, you cook, do laundry, and clean up the house, making it much more efficient than before. But as long as you live here, there is indeed extra expense. Your brother-in-law and I don’t earn money easily.”
Xu Miyu felt like she had never been so embarrassed as she did at this moment. She couldn’t even lift her head. She tried to express her efforts to Xu Mi Zi, saying, “Sister, I’m trying to find a job, but at the moment, I still can’t find…”
Her voice lowered, and her head drooped.
Xu Mi Zi changed the topic, telling her, “I’ve found a job for you.”
Xu Miyu immediately looked up, raising her increasingly thin and haggard face to look at Xu Mi Zi.
“This job is easy to understand. It’s a hotel room service job. You should know the hotel; it’s the Swire Hotel. We have some cooperation with them in our travel agency, so I have a friend there who can speak for you. I talked to my friend, and he said the hotel is currently hiring floor room service attendants. You can go and try it. If you can pass the probation period, the salary is not low. There are benefits like social security and housing fund; the treatment is quite good.”
Hearing Swire Hotel, Xu Miyu couldn’t help but be stunned.
Lately, her life seemed to be constantly linked to Swire Hotel.
She witnessed her husband’s affair there, declared the end of her marriage there, and was deceived of all her money there.
It was as if Swire Hotel had witnessed her descent into the abyss of life.
Meanwhile, the elder sister continued to advise her, “…Don’t stay silent. Do you dislike the job because it involves serving people and lacks dignity? Let me tell you, being a room service attendant in a five-star hotel is not as easy as you imagine. It’s not a place anyone can go just because they say they want to. Besides, what skills do you have now? You spend all day watching TV dramas at home and, apart from doing housework, what else can you do? Well, cleaning the room and making the bed are things you’re good at, so being a room service attendant is just right for you. Moreover, you won’t be a service attendant forever. This is an opportunity for you to reintegrate into society. If you do well, you can rise to be a floor supervisor, manager, even more. Sister Three, listen to me, go for it. Don’t be picky…”
Xu Miyu came back to her senses. She was afraid that Xu Mi Zi would continue to advise her extensively, draining her of water.
She quickly told Xu Mi Zi, “Elder sister, don’t say anything more. I promise you, I’ll go.”
Did she have the right to be picky? No.
In her current situation, she had no energy to be sad or to uphold fragile dignity.
She needed to eat, to live, to earn money to support herself.
Author’s Note:
This chapter serves as a reminder. There are many financial scammers out there. Several people around me have fallen victim, including a neighbor’s child who was given a few thousand yuan by the family and got scammed. Another aunt was scammed out of over two hundred thousand, originally intended to help her child get married. There’s also someone who, after being scammed, vomited blood on the spot, realizing the money couldn’t be recovered… (The female lead’s financial scam is based on real-life incidents. I hope emotional readers commenting won’t use offensive language or personal attacks. Otherwise, it feels like those who have been scammed in real life are also being verbally attacked. But who can guarantee that they will never be scammed at some point in their lives…?)
The female lead has reached rock bottom, and now, she starts climbing up from the low point. Miyu is going to grow and change little by little. Give Miyuzi some time to grow~ Kisses to our Miyuzi!
Here’s a joke for everyone: [Wife is on a business trip, and the husband has to cook for the son. After much effort, the meal is served. The father asks, “Son, how does the food taste?” The son replies, “I don’t know, I vomited too quickly to taste it!” (From the internet)]
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