She was prepared for rejection because her skills were rusty, but not for this—not for a reason so superficial. All of this was on her resume. If they minded, why even schedule an interview? “Our company has its hiring policies. You're married and childless,” the interviewer stated, rising from his chair. “You might join and immediately start trying for a baby. Maternity leave, parental leave… we don’t pay people to sit at home.” He gestured for an assistant to show Jiang Lili out. Jiang Lili chalked it up to bad luck, figuring she was just there to fill a quota. She gathered her materials and left. But then it happened at the second company, and the third. Both interviews were over in a matter of minutes, ending in rejection. The fourth and fifth were even more absurd; the receptionists turned her away before she even made it to the interview, saying, “Sorry, we’ve already filled the position.” Her initial determination collapsed in an instant. That evening, Jiang Lili returned to Su Yunyou’s place. The moment she opened the door, the rich aroma of a home-cooked meal filled the air. Su Yunyou shimmied over, holding a small chocolate cake. “To the beautiful Jiang Lili's new job! Here's to you becoming a famous designer and making that dog Fu regret everything!” Jiang Lili froze, her hand still on her shoe. Her expression fell, and a wave of awkwardness washed over her. Sensing something was wrong, Su Yunyou placed the cake on the entryway cabinet and walked toward her. “What is it?” She forced a smile, trying to sound nonchalant. “Your cake was for nothing. I didn’t get any offers.” “How is that possible?” Su Yunyou was stunned. “Once you get to the interview stage, your chances are at least fifty percent. Plus, you graduated from a top university, you’ve won awards… even without experience, you’ve got the talent. Are those companies blind?” Jiang Lili slipped into her slippers and pulled her friend to the dining table. “Maybe it’s just bad luck. I still have two interviews on Monday. You can’t rush finding a job.” She said the words, but a deep sense of loss settled in her heart. Lin Xiran, a woman about her age, was already the Vice President of Xingyun, while she couldn’t even land a basic job. “Which two companies on… on Monday?” Su Yunyou’s eyes darted around as she got up to retrieve the cake. “Tu'an and Yunlan.” They were two of the most well-known firms in Jiangcheng. The companies Jiang Lili had visited today were decent, but they couldn’t compare to these two. After today's string of rejections, her hopes were slim, but she had to cling to that last shred of possibility. Lost in her own gloom, she missed the strange look on Su Yunyou's face. Su Yunyou brought the cake over, pretending everything was fine, and they chatted and laughed to keep her spirits up. Jiang Lili played along, feigning cheerfulness to show she was okay. It wasn't until they had both gone to their separate rooms for the night that Su Yunyou quickly pulled out her phone and dialed a number. “Bro, do you know the bosses at Tu'an or Yunlan?” The companies were too big for her to have any connections; she needed to call in a favor. On the other end, a man's voice, smooth and refined, was thick with sleep. “Yunyou, it's three in the morning here.” Su Yunyou whined. “Well, whose fault is that? You’re the one who suddenly ran off abroad two years ago and never came back. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have a time difference! C’mon, big brother, this is an emergency. Lili has interviews at those two companies on Monday. You've got to pull some strings for her!” “Who?” Su Fengchen’s voice on the other end sharpened, suddenly wide awake. “Jiang Li? She’s working now? Would Xingchen approve of that?” “Don’t talk to me about that dog Fu!” Su Yunyou fumed. “Lili is divorcing him. She needs a job.” Su Fengchen paused. “Divorcing? Why—” “Stop asking so many questions!” Su Yunyou cut him off. “Can you do it or not?” “I understand,” Su Fengchen said after a moment’s thought. His tone grew heavy. He said those two words and hung up. “Understand what?” Su Yunyou stared at the dark screen, utterly bewildered. That meant yes, right? * * * It was only then, when he heard Jiang Lili had started looking for work, that Fu Xingchen realized she was serious. He felt a headache coming on. His work had been interrupted, and for two days straight, problems had been cropping up one after another. After some thought, Fu Xingchen called his father, Fu Sijun. Fu Sijun was surprised to get a call from his son. “Xingchen, is something wrong?” “Work has been hectic these past two days. My body’s feeling the strain. I’ve been craving your soup,” Fu Xingchen said, his voice laced with a hint of discomfort. “You’ve been craving my soup?” Fu Sijun was even more surprised. “Don’t you usually only drink the soup Lili makes?” Fu Xingchen was silent. Fu Sijun, ever perceptive, sensed something was amiss. “You know, some problems need to be resolved quickly. This is as much as I can do to help. The rest is up to you.” A husband appearing on the trending topics with another woman, rumors flying everywhere—no wife would be able to accept that. Fu Sijun had expected a reaction from Jiang Lili. But his son was stubborn as a rock and had too much pride. He recognized his son's pride—the boy needed an olive branch, and as a father, Fu Sijun didn't hesitate to offer one. On Saturday morning, a phone call jolted Jiang Lili from a deep sleep. She fumbled for the phone under her pillow and answered without looking. “Hello?” “Xiao Li, it’s me. I’m outside your gate. I made some soup for you and Xingchen, come down and get it.” The familiar voice shot through her like a jolt of electricity. Her eyes flew open. She glanced at the screen: it was Fu Xingchen’s father, Fu Sijun. “Dad, why did you bring it over yourself? We were going to come over tonight to have some.” She scrambled out of bed, her long hair a mess, feeling flustered and confused. Saturday was the day for their weekly family dinner at the Fu family’s old residence. Fu Sijun chuckled warmly. “Your mother and I have a reception to attend tonight, and your grandmother isn’t home, so don’t bother coming over. I made the soup earlier, with my own hands, so I thought I’d bring it to you.” “Oh, well… I actually left early this morning. Maybe you could just leave it by the door?” Jiang Lili rushed to the closet. The lie made her voice tremble. Fu Xingchen was nothing like his father. Fu Sijun was gentle, refined, and kind, and he always cooked for the family dinners himself. It was Fu Xingchen's mother who was the stern, humorless one. “Alright. I also have a document for you. Take it to Xingyun Group for me. Thank you for taking care of Xingchen. You’ve been married long enough to know his temper. A couple has to be patient with each other, communicate well when problems arise…” Fu Sijun went on, meticulous and caring. He played the mother’s role in the Fu family, always concerned about Fu Xingchen’s well-being. He was kind to Jiang Lili, too. In fact, the entire Fu family had always treated her well. That was why the thought of divorce filled her with reluctance; she had no idea how to tell them. The moment she heard she had to deliver something to Xingyun Group, Jiang Lili’s throat tightened. She didn’t answer right away. The image of Fu Xingchen and Lin Xiran, so intimately close, was still burned into her mind. She didn’t want to see it a second time. Fu Sijun must have known she and Fu Xingchen were fighting, but he couldn’t have known it had escalated to the point of divorce. She hadn’t complained or confided in them; telling the Fu family would only add another obstacle to the divorce. She would rather suffer through it alone. “Xiao Li, are you listening?” he prompted when she remained silent. Jiang Lili snapped back to attention. “Yes, Dad. I understand. I’ll head back right now and take everything to the office.” She agreed. After changing and washing up, she hurried to the house she shared with Fu Xingchen, picked up the thermal container and the file from the doorstep, and went straight to Xingyun Group. The taxi she'd called was waiting for her at the main gate of the villa and took her on to the company. Seeing her clutching the container and the file, the driver asked, “Hey miss, you the housekeeper here?” “Something like that,” Jiang Lili replied, her voice tinged with self-mockery. Earlier, she had seen the car she used to drive parked in the courtyard, already covered in a thin layer of dust after just a few days. If it sat there any longer, it would be nothing more than a worthless heap of scrap metal. Fu Xingchen would rather let it rot than give it to her. Maybe she was worth even less than a housekeeper. Moments later, they arrived at the Xingyun Group building.