"Ding-dong—"

The WeChat notification sound on her phone broke the early morning silence.

Zhang Yan, who had been spacing out, jolted and quickly picked up her phone.

First she saw the friend request confirmation, and right after that, another message.

[Wen Ruan: "Hi, Zhang Yan, I’m Wen Ruan from Star Cloud International. Tang Song already told me about your situation, so don’t worry and don’t feel any pressure. You’re welcome to come to Star Cloud International anytime, I’ve got your back, sis (#smiley)!"]

Looking at those warm words with a little bit of street flavor, Zhang Yan felt flattered and overwhelmed.

She had been extremely nervous inside; after all, she was the one asking for help.

She hadn’t expected that such a big leader from the group would be this... easygoing with her.

She mulled it over for a long time before carefully replying: "Hello, Chairman Wen, I’m really so grateful to you. I’ll work hard and won’t let down your trust."

[Wen Ruan: cheeky (sticker)]

[Wen Ruan: "Honestly, you really don’t have to be so polite. Oh right, how is Auntie doing now? I’ll be staying in Yang City for the near future—if you need anything, just let me know anytime."]

Zhang Yan was made a little flushed by the other party’s enthusiasm. She typed, deleted, deleted, typed, and in the end could only send: "Everything’s fine, thank you. I’m really very, very grateful."

She had just been about to put her phone away when Wen Ruan sent another message.

And so they "struggled" through chatting for over ten minutes.

Only when she saw the other person say "Going to eat, bye-bye" did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

However, her goodwill toward this Chairman Wen had already shot up to the max.

Later on, Wen Ruan directly started calling her "Sister Zhang Yan" and showed great concern for her and her mom’s situation, saying a lot of comforting things, every line full of sincerity.

In all her life, this was the first time Zhang Yan had felt this kind of unconditional kindness from a "stranger"—kindness with no strings attached.

Just like Lulu had said, she really was a very warm person.

The people around Tang Song truly were all wonderful.

Then she backed out to the main WeChat screen and tapped open that chat box she’d pinned to the top.

At the top were the few simple lines they’d exchanged after he got home last night.

Looking at those intimate and natural words, Zhang Yan could no longer keep calm.

She secretly pinched her thigh; the clear sting of pain confirmed again and again that this wasn’t a dream.

Not only had Tang Song responded to her confession, he had also... kissed her on the lips.

Her fingertips, out of her control, lightly brushed over her lips. The warm, soft sensation still seemed to linger there.

She felt like her whole body had been set on fire. She couldn’t sit still at all, burying her face into the pillow, her body trembling slightly with excitement.

"Meow-oo meow-oo~~"

Orange, who had been ignored, kept bumping his head against her, voicing loud protests.

Only then did Zhang Yan snap out of it. She hurriedly got out of bed, picked Orange up, and spun around the cramped room a few times with him in her arms.

She skipped into the kitchen with light steps, started cooking with practiced ease, and even gave Orange an extra treat—boiled a piece of chicken breast for him.

Steam rose from the pot, and the smell of food spread through the tiny space.

Her heart, which had been floating around from happiness, gradually settled back down.

After breakfast, she made a video call to her mom.

She quickly tidied herself up, changed into a clean outfit, said goodbye to Orange, and headed for the company.

The subway car, which used to be so crowded it felt suffocating, didn’t seem so unbearable today.

Standing in the crowd, she had a faint, silly smile on her face that even she didn’t notice, and from time to time she would space out, staring at the scenery flashing by outside the window.

She got off at Nongjiangsuo Station, walked to Huiming Building, and took the elevator straight to the seventh floor.

When the elevator doors opened, Zhang Yan took a deep breath and stepped into the familiar office.

This was probably going to be her last day at the company.

Although there was a slight reluctance in her heart, there was even more longing for the future.

It felt like her life had never been this bright and sunny before.

"Good morning, Brother Wang."

"Uh, morning, Zhang Yan."

"Morning, Sister Chen."

...

This time, she didn’t lower her head and hurry straight to her workstation like she usually did.

Instead, she took the initiative to greet every colleague she passed by.

This small change wrapped her whole person in a halo of confidence.

She sat down at her desk, and Lulu immediately scooted over like she’d discovered a new continent, staring in surprise.

"Zhang Yan! Why are you... so happy today?"

Zhang Yan pressed her lips together, leaned toward Lulu’s ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Lulu, I—I’ve decided to go to Xingyun International Group. We’re going to be colleagues again."

"Waa—" Lulu couldn’t help letting out a huge cheer.

Noticing the surprised looks from the colleagues around them, she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth in an exaggerated way.

Grabbing onto Zhang Yan’s arm in excitement, she lowered her voice and said, "That’s awesome! I knew you’d figure it out! We’re going to be big-company employees from now on! The poor peasants have finally turned over and are singing, hehe!"

She started excitedly picturing the beautiful life they’d have after joining.

"Let’s resign together! Though the handover might be a bit tricky." Lulu quietly analyzed, "You go first. Auntie still needs you to help out anyway. My offer says I just need to start next Monday. I’ll help you stall for two days, no rush."

Even though Shu Cheng Technology was in crisis and planning to gradually lay people off to survive, since they were in the same department and same role, it was best to stagger their resignations to avoid the company deliberately making things difficult.

"Thank you, Lulu."

"And you also need to confirm your offer as soon as possible. Get everything settled. Don’t be shy about stuff like the position and salary—you have to take the initiative and ask!"