But the slap in the face came all too quickly. Two days later, the higher-ups posted the official notice.

Several departments had promotions, and in theirs, it was Xue Yue.

After the news broke, Feng Yujie first went to Xue Yue to discuss the matter. Xue Yue was, of course, delighted. She hadn’t expected the promotion to actually fall to her.

"Keep up the good work. I believe in you."

Xue Yue nodded. "Thank you, Sister Feng."

Afterward, Feng Yujie called Zhao Li into her office. Zhao Li was clearly not taking it well; her face was terribly grim.

"Still can’t accept it?"

Zhao Li looked at Feng Yujie in a daze. "Sister Feng, I just don’t get it. I’ve been here for so many more years than Xue Yue. How did it end up going to her? Is it because of Vice Minister Zheng?"

Feng Yujie looked at her with disappointment. "It has nothing to do with Vice Minister Zheng. This was a decision from Human Resources. In fact, I gave you many opportunities, but you turned them all down. Before every assignment, I always asked you first, but you always had an excuse to shirk the responsibility. And now you feel wronged? Let me tell you something about the workplace: no effort goes unnoticed. Especially this time. Xue Yue made sure the leadership remembered her, and you didn’t. It’s gotten to the point where people see you and don’t even know if you work here. That’s the difference."

"Of course, another factor was your education. That was also part of the evaluation. Your vocational school diploma is just too low. If you can, you should consider upgrading your qualifications. There will be other opportunities in the future."

Zhao Li had no desire to listen to Feng Yujie’s lecturing. She looked at her boss desperately. "Can’t you just go to the leadership and tell them to give the position to me?"

Feng Yujie just looked at her calmly.

It took a long moment for the realization to dawn on Zhao Li. "You recommended Xue Yue, didn’t you?"

Feng Yujie nodded decisively. "Yes. I have more faith in her. This position isn’t just a job; it requires a certain conviction in your heart. I haven’t seen that quality in you."

Zhao Li stood there, stunned, for a moment before leaving without another word to Feng Yujie.

Her eyes were vacant, as if she’d lost her soul. Ding Ruzhi glanced over, thinking she looked a little pathetic. She winked at Xue Yue, who also glanced at Zhao Li but didn’t feel much of anything.

After all, there’s no true empathy in this world. Xue Yue was the winner now, so of course she was happy. But Zhao Li had lost and was miserable. Xue Yue didn’t have much sympathy to spare for others, especially not for Zhao Li, who had always looked down on her.

The atmosphere in the office was terrifyingly quiet all morning. Even the usually boisterous Ding Ruzhi kept her mouth shut, probably because she knew Zhao Li was in a bad mood and didn’t want to rub salt in her wound.

At noon, Zhao Li asked for time off, saying she didn’t feel well. Feng Yujie hesitated for just a second before approving it.

After lunch, Xue Yue went to the Human Resources department to sign some papers. Her salary was increasing, and her benefits were being updated to those of a deputy team leader.

That evening, as she and Ding Ruzhi were leaving work, she saw He Lang right at the entrance.

Xue Yue smiled. Ding Ruzhi grinned. "Well, look at that, your husband’s here to pick you up again. Tsk tsk, I’m so jealous. Hmph, as if I don’t have someone too."

Xue Yue was surprised. "You’re married?"

Ding Ruzhi’s eyes flickered. "I’ll get married eventually." ’Can I really admit I don’t even have a boyfriend right now?’ she thought. ’Of course not. People would laugh at me.’

Ding Ruzhi could be a bit kooky sometimes, but Xue Yue was used to her way of talking.

"Well, I hope you get married soon then."

With that, Xue Yue walked over to He Lang.

He Lang watched Xue Yue approach. "Did something good happen? You look like you’re in a great mood."

Xue Yue smiled. "Let’s go. I’ll tell you on the way."

"I got promoted."

"You made deputy team leader?"

"Mhm, you were right. You have to fight for things. You only get a chance if you fight for it."

"Congratulations! How should we celebrate tonight?"

Xue Yue thought for a moment. "Let’s do it tomorrow. It’s a day off, so we can get together with my brother and the others."

"Sounds good."

When they got home that evening, He Lang announced Xue Yue’s promotion. Mrs. He was so happy that she cooked two extra dishes. At the dinner table, she kept praising Xue Yue for being so accomplished, making Xue Yue blush with embarrassment.

After dinner, Xue Yue played with the children for a while. Before bed, it was bath time. Ruanruan was a big girl now and didn’t need Xue Yue to bathe her, but Shiyi still couldn’t manage on his own. As Xue Yue was bathing him, the two of them chatted idly back and forth. Suddenly, Shiyi mentioned an "Uncle Gu."

Xue Yue was scrubbing his back and asked casually, "Who’s Uncle Gu?"

"He’s the Uncle Gu who saved me! Mom, let me tell you, Uncle Gu is a platoon leader. He’s super strong! He’s the one who beat up the bad guys and saved me."

Xue Yue was confused. "When was this?"

Shiyi said, "It was when you were away. A bad guy knocked me out in front of our school, then he took me onto a train. Uncle Gu was the one who saved me."

Xue Yue’s hands stopped. She stared at Shiyi in astonishment. "What did you say? While Mom was gone, a bad guy knocked you out and took you on a train? Then where were your dad and your grandma?"

Shiyi, completely oblivious to the change in his mother’s tone, continued, "Grandma was arguing with a woman. Oh, that woman said she was Xiao Yu’s mom. Then the bad guy took me away."

Hearing this, Xue Yue pretty much understood what had happened. She’d been back for days, and no one had told her that Shiyi had been taken.

Her heart in turmoil, she quickly dried Shiyi off, carried him back to his room, and tucked him into bed. After the boy was asleep, Xue Yue returned to her own room.

He Lang was already in bed. Seeing Xue Yue come in, he patted the space beside him. "Is the kid asleep?"

Xue Yue walked to the side of the bed and looked down at him. "Did anything happen at home after I left?"

"What?" He Lang looked up at Xue Yue. Seeing her expression was off, his eyes shifted. "Shiyi told you?"

Xue Yue’s voice was cold. "If he hadn’t told me, were you all planning to hide this from me forever?"

He Lang quickly reached for Xue Yue’s hand, but she dodged his grasp.

He Lang hastily explained, "I wasn’t planning to hide it from you."

Xue Yue scoffed. "If Shiyi hadn’t said something tonight, I would have never known. You say you weren’t planning to hide it, so when exactly were you going to tell me? Or were you just waiting for me to find out on my own?"

He Lang sighed. "It’s not like that. My mother didn’t mean for Shiyi to get taken, and he was found safely. I just hadn’t figured out how to tell you. I knew you’d be upset if you found out, so I hesitated."

Xue Yue rolled her eyes and sat on the edge of the bed. "Tell me exactly what happened back then."

At this point, He Lang didn’t dare hide anything. He told Xue Yue the whole story from beginning to end.

Xue Yue’s heart pounded with fear as she listened, a wave of retroactive terror washing over her.

"This Gu Kai Zhi... did you thank him?"

He Lang nodded. "Mhm. I sent some things to his hometown, and some money, but the money was returned."

Xue Yue fell silent after hearing this.