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Tang Ning nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

She thought about it and felt that this person was perfect for her plan.

Young, steady, good driving skills, good attitude, and doesn't seem like the type to cause trouble.

Most importantly, Suning has no ties to the complex web of interests within the group; it's like a clean sheet of paper.

It's important to understand that none of the bigwigs in the real estate industry are simple characters; the complexities involved are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Having someone like that by Zhao Xiankun's side would definitely be a helper for her.

After finishing their meal, the two chatted for a while. Tang Ning learned more and more about Su Ning, and her liking for him increased dramatically.

It's not just that I feel Suning is capable of being a driver, but there's also a feeling that I can't quite put my finger on.

It's just that you feel very comfortable being with this person; you don't have to put on airs or rack your brains to guess what's going on.

Perhaps Suning has always been open and honest, telling the truth without deceiving Tang Ning in any way.

When we came out after dinner, it was already dark.

Tang Ning and Su Ning said goodbye at the restaurant entrance. Tang Ning said, "Wait for my news, it won't be long."

"Keep in touch anytime! I'm not in a rush to find a job anyway." Su Ning nodded, then turned and left.

Su Ning exuded confidence and freedom, as if nothing in the world was worth his concern.

Tang Ning stood there, glanced at Su Ning's back, smiled, and then turned and left.

……

Su Xiao had no idea how many days she had stayed at home.

Since returning from the hospital that day, she has locked herself in her rented room, drawing the curtains tightly shut, putting her phone on silent under her pillow, and not wanting to answer anyone's calls.

Losing her job and her engagement, Su Xiao felt like she had been suddenly pushed off a speeding train, her body shattered, yet she didn't even have the strength to cry out in pain.

"Knock knock knock..." A knocking sound suddenly came from outside the door.

Su Xiao nestled on the sofa, initially not wanting to respond, but the knocking on the door was just too persistent.

Su Xiao scratched her hair in frustration, then walked barefoot to the door and subconsciously peered through the peephole.

This sight was so striking that she almost jumped up...

Standing outside the door was none other than her father.

Su Xiao panicked.

She quickly looked down at herself; her pajamas were wrinkled, her hair hadn't been washed for days, and her face was probably a mess too.

Su Xiao rushed into the bathroom, turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face. She then roughly combed her hair and patted her face in the mirror, trying to make herself look better.

After doing all that, she took a deep breath, walked to the door, put on an expression as if nothing had happened, and then turned the lock.

"Dad, what brings you here?" Su Xiao tried to make her voice sound cheerful.

Su's father stood at the door, carrying a heavy eco-friendly bag. He glanced at his daughter, said nothing, and stepped into the house.

First, he put the reusable bag on the coffee table, then sat down on the sofa and glanced around the room.

The curtains were drawn tightly in broad daylight, and takeout boxes were piled up on the coffee table, still uncollected.

Although Su Xiao splashed cold water on her face to try and look a little more energetic, her eyes were swollen, with dark circles under her eyes, and her lips were dry and chapped.

These details all fell into Su's father's eyes.

Without saying a word, Su's father opened the reusable bag and took things out one by one: "Your mom made braised pork ribs for you. Knowing you like sweet food, she added extra sugar. And this braised beef, you can heat it up and eat it. These are sauerkraut dumplings. Your mom spent the whole morning making them, saying you probably wouldn't eat properly while you're alone in Shanghai."

As he took things out, Su's father kept muttering to himself, as if he had just come to Shanghai on a business trip and stopped by to see his daughter, and that nothing had happened.

Su Xiao stood beside the coffee table, watching the lunch boxes being laid out one by one, and watching her father's rough hands skillfully untie the knots in the plastic bags. Her lips began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Dad…” Su Xiao had only managed to utter one word when her throat tightened.

Mr. Su looked up at his daughter, but did not ask any further questions or urge her.

He simply pulled the chopsticks out of the bag, placed them on the lunchbox, and said, "Eat first. Your mom made so much, eat some first."

Su Xiao couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

She stood there, tears streaming down her face, her shoulders trembling, crying silently but uncontrollably.

She clearly had so much grievance inside her...

The injustice of being fired from the company, the injustice of being betrayed by Zhou Jun, the injustice of bearing everything alone without daring to tell her family...

But now, facing her father, Su Xiao couldn't utter a single word.

Mr. Su sat on the sofa, quietly watching his daughter cry, waiting for her to calm down on her own.

To stand out from the crowd is a process of constantly being taught a lesson by others; no one can take your place.

After a while, Mr. Su took two tissues from the coffee table and handed them over.

Su Xiao took the tissue and wiped her face, her voice hoarse as she asked, "Dad, why did you come so suddenly? Did you hear something?"

Mr. Su said, "I called you several times but you didn't answer, and you didn't reply to my messages. So why did I come here?"

"..." Su Xiao lowered her head, knowing she was in the wrong, and didn't reply.

Mr. Su paused for a moment, then said, "I specifically called your company before I came here."

“I…” Su Xiao suddenly raised her head, her eyes still red, a hint of panic flashing in them.

Mr. Su waved his hand: "You don't need to hide it from me, I already know you were fired. Your colleagues at the company told me on the phone that you were fired for negligence in your audit."

"..." Su Xiao opened her mouth as if to explain something.

However, Su's father didn't let her speak. Instead, he continued, "Xiaoxiao, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. I had already thought it through when I came here. If you're willing, come back to our hometown with me. A girl like you is struggling at work and has trouble with her boyfriend. Why force yourself to stay? Come home. We're not short of food for you. You can find a stable job in our hometown, close to your parents. Isn't that better? Besides, the real estate industry in our hometown is doing quite well now."

Su Xiao remained silent for a long time.

She knew her father wasn't looking down on her, but rather felt sorry for her. However, the thought of returning to her hometown in such a dejected manner filled Su Xiao with resentment.

She was made a scapegoat and pushed to take the blame, and her fiancé betrayed her to climb the social ladder. She did nothing wrong, yet she became the biggest loser.

She just left like that? She'll never get over this in her heart for the rest of her life.

“Dad,” Su Xiao sniffed, her voice still trembling with tears, but her tone had become very firm, “I’m not going back.”

"..." Su's father looked at her.

Su Xiao said, "I don't care what others think of me. I know I didn't do anything wrong. The company fired me because they needed someone to take the blame, not because I was really negligent. As for Zhou Jun... I admit that I misjudged him. But Dad, if I leave now, I'll feel like I ran away when I think about it later. I don't want to run away. I'll get up from where I fell."

After hearing these words, Su's father remained silent for a long time.

He looked at his daughter with a complex mix of emotions in his eyes—both heartache and pride.

He felt heartbroken that his daughter had to suffer so much, but he was also proud that her stubbornness was exactly the same as his when he was young.

“Okay,” Su’s father finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse, “If you say you won’t go back, then you won’t go back. Dad supports you.”

"..." Su Xiao nodded vigorously, her eyes red.

Mr. Su sighed and tapped the edge of the lunchbox with his chopsticks: "Alright, you've cried enough. Hurry up and eat. Don't let your mother's good intentions get cold."

Su Xiao burst into laughter through her tears, pulled up a chair, sat down at the coffee table, picked up a dumpling, and stuffed it into her mouth.

The dumplings were still warm, filled with sauerkraut, the taste she had grown up with.

As Su Xiao chewed, her eyes reddened again, but this time she didn't cry.

After watching his daughter eat a few bites, Su's father suddenly seemed to remember something, "By the way, Xiaoxiao, what about Su Ning who came to stay with you a few days ago?"

"..." Su Xiao's chopsticks, which were picking up dumplings, stopped in mid-air.

Suning.

Su Xiao froze for several seconds as if a pause button had been pressed, then slowly put down her chopsticks and looked at her father with a somewhat guilty expression: "Dad... I forgot about him."

"Forgot?" Su's father's eyes widened. "What do you mean by 'forgot'?"

Su Xiao raised her hand to cover her face, feeling that it was outrageous: "After I settled him in that day, something happened at the company, then there was the wedding dress fitting and the accident investigation, then I was fired, and then I broke up with Zhou Jun... I haven't even been able to take care of myself these past few days, and I haven't been able to take care of him at all. I rented that single room he was staying in, but I don't even know if he has eaten."

Father Su looked at his daughter with a mix of amusement and exasperation, shook his head and said, "You silly girl, this person came all the way from far away to seek refuge with you, and all you do is dump them in the house and then abandon them."

Su Xiao felt guilty, but she immediately thought of a more practical problem.

She's in dire straits herself, having lost her job and with savings barely enough to cover a few months' rent and living expenses. How can she possibly support Suning?

Su Xiao was originally the cost manager of Zhongjian Group. Although it wasn't easy for her cousin to find a job, she could at least help him out.

Now, Su Xiao herself is unemployed and doesn't even know where her next job will be.

“Dad,” Su Xiao said with some difficulty, “It’s not that I don’t want to take care of him, it’s just that I don’t know what to do myself in my current situation. I really don’t have the energy to take care of him.”

Father Su waved his hand and said rationally, "Don't worry about him for now. Your own affairs are the most important. Su Ning is a grown man with hands and feet; he won't starve. You should find a job first and get a foothold before thinking about anything else."

Su Xiao nodded, feeling slightly relieved, but was immediately overwhelmed by another layer of pressure.

Although her father's words were meant to help her out of a predicament, the phrase "solve the job problem first" itself was a huge problem.

Su Xiao could take her time looking for a job before, but now that her father has come, even if he doesn't say it, he must be worried about her. If she can't find a job after a long time, how will she explain it to her family?
Moreover, she had a cousin who had come to rely on her, and she realized that she couldn't afford not to work hard.

Seeing his daughter's brow furrow again, Su's father knew he was putting pressure on her, so he stood up and said, "Alright! I won't cause any more trouble for you. I'm going to find Su Ning and see what's going on with that kid. You should also get yourself together and stop staying cooped up at home all day. Go find a job or someone to help you."

Su Xiao stood up and saw her father to the door.

As Su's father walked to the door, he turned back to look at her again, but didn't say anything more, only reminding her, "Don't forget to eat."

Then he closed the door and left.

Su Xiao leaned against the door, looking at the lunch boxes on the coffee table, feeling a mix of emotions.

Her father traveled a long way just to see if she was alright, and all she could do was find a job as soon as possible so that her father could return to his hometown with peace of mind.

Su Xiao walked to the window, pulled back the curtains, and the sunlight outside rushed in, making her squint.

Su Xiao did some mental calculations: rent was 6,500 yuan a month, food was 2,500 yuan a month if she was careful with her spending, and transportation, phone bills and other miscellaneous expenses added up to 1,000 yuan. In total, she would have to spend at least 10,000 yuan a month.

But the savings in the card can only last for three or four months at most.

I must find a job within three or four months.

Su Xiao took a deep breath, turned around and went through her phone's contacts, starting to think about who to ask to help her find a job.

……

Ever since Wu Hongmei learned that Su Xiao had been fired, she has been unable to let it go.

She now works as an HR at Winsea Group. Although it's not a very high-ranking position, she has been in the human resources department for several years and has some authority over her.

Wu Hongmei thought that Su Xiao's professional skills were undeniable. She was a first-class cost engineer and had been a cost supervisor for several years. Her qualifications and abilities were impeccable. If she could be placed in Yinghai, wouldn't that be a win-win situation?
So, during her lunch break, Wu Hongmei printed out Su Xiao's resume, tucked it into her work notebook, and knocked on the office door of Maria, the HR director.

Maria was sitting behind her desk drinking coffee when she saw Wu Hongmei come in. She raised her eyelids slightly and asked, "What is it?"

Wu Hongmei pulled out the resume and placed it on the table, smiling as she said, "Maria, I have a particularly outstanding candidate here that I'd like to recommend to you. Her name is Su Xiao; she was previously the cost manager at Zhongjian Group, a first-class cost engineer, and has exceptional professional skills. What do you think of her potential..."

Before she could finish speaking, Maria reached out and took the resume, glanced at it, and then threw it back on the table.

“Wu Hongmei,” Maria’s tone turned cold, “Do you think the HR department is your personal property? You can just send me any person’s resume? This Su Xiao, don’t you read the news? The news of her being fired by Zhongjian after the collapse of the housing project has spread throughout the industry. You’re sending someone like that to Yinghai? Do you think the group doesn’t have enough negative news already?”

Wu Hongmei's smile froze, and she quickly explained, "Maria, Su Xiao isn't that kind of person. That accident wasn't actually directly related to her; she was..."

“Enough,” Maria interrupted her, her voice not loud but very authoritative. “Wu Hongmei, let me remind you, in the workplace, don’t bring your personal feelings into your work. Friends are friends, and work is work. If you mix these two things together, you’ll be the one who suffers in the end. Get out.”

"..." Wu Hongmei bit her lip, put the resume back, and walked out of the office with her head down.

For some reason, her boss Maria always seemed to dislike her, which made Wu Hongmei particularly unhappy.

...(End of this chapter)