Two days later, Liu Hongxing arrived in Beijing City.

Xue Xingjun was already waiting for her outside the train station.

The moment Liu Hongxing saw Xue Xingjun, she started to cry.

"Little Jun."

Xue Xingjun just sighed quietly and patted her on the shoulder. "Let’s go. We can talk when we get back."

With red-rimmed eyes, Liu Hongxing nodded and followed Xue Xingjun to where she would be staying—a single dormitory room.

Liu Hongxing went inside and looked around. "Little Jun, is this where you’re living now?"

Xue Xingjun placed her luggage on the table.

"No, I’ve been living with my sister and brother-in-law. But now that you’re here, it wouldn’t be convenient for you to stay there. This is the employee dormitory for our supermarket. You can stay here for now."

Liu Hongxing looked at Xue Xingjun. "If I’m staying here, where will you live?"

"I’ll keep living with my sister and brother-in-law. We have an apartment now, but it’s being renovated, so we can’t move in just yet. It should be ready in a few months."

Hearing this, Liu Hongxing’s eyes lit up. "You bought an apartment?"

Xue Xingjun said helplessly, "How could I afford to buy an apartment? Prices in Beijing City have been driven sky-high. My brother-in-law gave it to me."

Liu Hongxing blinked, seeming to find it hard to believe. "Your sister gave it to you?"

"Yeah."

Liu Hongxing mumbled, "Well... then they really are good to you."

Xue Xingjun nodded. "Of course. Haven’t I been relying on my sister and brother-in-law all these years? My brother-in-law handles my room and board. Everyone else envies me for having such a great sister and brother-in-law. That’s why I’m the luckiest person."

Liu Hongxing said, a little uneasily, "Um... do your sister and brother-in-law know I’m here?"

Xue Xingjun knew what she was afraid of. "They know. They even wanted to invite you over for dinner, but I figured you’d feel awkward, so I declined. Once our apartment is renovated, you can live there without any worries. I’ll earn money to support you."

A smile finally appeared on Liu Hongxing’s face. "Oh, okay. Good, good."

Xue Xingjun had already cleaned up the room beforehand. He had bought new bedding, and all the daily necessities were provided.

"Mom, this is the supermarket’s employee dormitory. The supermarket is right outside. You saw it just now. I work here too. You can walk around the supermarket when you have free time, but you can’t just take things. No matter who it is, everyone has to pay for what they buy."

As he spoke, Xue Xingjun handed his mother a stack of money.

"Here’s two hundred yuan. If you want to buy something, use this."

Liu Hongxing took it and nodded in agreement. "I know. I won’t take anything without paying. I won’t cause you any trouble."

"Good. The supermarket has a cafeteria. I’ll take you there for meals. Once you get familiar with the place, you can go by yourself when it’s time to eat. I’ve already spoken with the cafeteria staff. The cost of your meals will be deducted from my salary."

Liu Hongxing said, "Won’t that cost a lot? I can cook for myself. That would save money."

Xue Xingjun said, "There’s no place to cook here. Once we move into the new apartment, you can cook. Then I’ll have a home-cooked meal to come back to."

Liu Hongxing nodded. "Okay."

"Alright, you must be tired from the train ride. Rest here for a bit. I have to get back to work. I’ll come get you when it’s time to eat."

"Okay."

"Um, Little Jun... will my being here cause problems for you?"

Xue Xingjun shook his head. "No. I told you I’d take care of you. Just stay here and don’t worry."

Liu Hongxing’s eyes flickered. "I treated Yue’er and the others so badly before... maybe I should go apologize to them?"

Xue Xingjun paused for a moment, then shook his head. "No need. They’re not petty people, or they wouldn’t be so good to me. Just try not to get in their way from now on."

Liu Hongxing nodded sheepishly. "I understand."

After Xue Xingjun left, Liu Hongxing sat down on the edge of the bed. She ran her hand over the mattress; it was very soft.

She took a deep breath, feeling a little dazed. ’I really got divorced and came to Beijing City.’

’There’s something to look forward to now.’

Xue Xingjun went upstairs and spoke to He Lang first.

He Lang looked at him. "You brought your mother back?"

Xue Xingjun nodded.

"She’s here. She seems a bit anxious. She feels guilty about what she did to my sister and brother-in-law. A moment ago, she asked if she should go and apologize to them, but I told her not to. I figured my sister probably doesn’t want to see her, so I just told her to keep her distance from them from now on."

He Lang was older now and not so extreme in his views.

"You don’t have to put it like that. Your sister let go of it a long time ago. Since your mother is here, just let her stay comfortably. If she needs anything, she can get it from the supermarket. Just put it on my tab."

Xue Xingjun nodded. "I know, but she shouldn’t be lacking anything for now. She can buy anything else with her own money. I can’t spoil her, or it’ll be trouble if her old habits come back."

He Lang looked at him with amusement. ’Guarding against his own mother like a thief... he’s really one of a kind.’

Meanwhile, when Xue Yue heard that Liu Hongxing and her father had actually divorced, she made a special call back home to ask about the situation.

"They really got divorced?"

Xue Changlin replied, "Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

"I’m fine."

Xue Yue sighed. "Well, what’s done is done. Take care of yourself. Call me if you need anything."

"Okay."

Xue Changlin’s words were few. To become a bachelor again in his sixties or seventies... life was truly unpredictable.

Xue Yue didn’t want to meddle in the affairs of the older generation, nor could she.

’Oh well, let them be.’

Under Xue Xingjun’s guidance, Liu Hongxing gradually became familiar with the supermarket. When she had nothing to do, she would even help with the cleaning.

Although Xue Xingjun told her she didn’t have to, Liu Hongxing said, "I can’t sit idle. Besides, I can chat with the others while I work."

Seeing this, Xue Xingjun let her be.

The apartment renovation was also in full swing. Xue Xingjun was running back and forth between the two places. Liu Hongxing’s heart ached for her son, so she offered to go supervise the work herself. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"No need. You’d get lost, and you wouldn’t know what to look for anyway."

Liu Hongxing thought about it and, afraid she would just cause more trouble for Xue Xingjun, didn’t bring it up again.

Xue Yue only heard about Liu Hongxing’s general situation from He Lang.

"You’ve seen her?"

He Lang said, "A few times. She seems to have changed a lot. She’s very warm when she sees me. No, more like she’s trying to curry favor. I can guess what she’s thinking. She probably found out about the apartment, and she’s also afraid we’ll give her a hard time."

Xue Yue pursed her lips. "Why would we give her a hard time? Little Jun is caught in the middle, after all. Besides, she’s the only one still dwelling on the past. She has a guilty conscience."

He Lang chuckled. "Exactly. We’re magnanimous; why would we hold a grudge? Let her be the only one who remembers. Maybe that’s what will keep her on her best behavior."

Xue Yue said, "She should be careful not to cause trouble for Little Jun. But then again, she always doted on her son, so she probably won’t. Sigh... life is so unpredictable. I never thought she’d see a day like this."

He Lang reminded her, "With your brother around, her future won’t be too difficult."

"I know. That’s her good fortune."