official career

Hong Yue was stunned after hearing Qin Feng's words. She obviously couldn't remember when she had last eaten with Qin Feng.

Over the years, Hong Yue has physically and deliberately isolated herself from Qin Feng. It's difficult for them to even meet, let alone sit down for a meal together.

“You have your family, and I have my life. It’s fine as it is now,” Hong Yue said as she served Qin Feng some food.

Qin Feng stopped eating and looked at Hong Yue, but Hong Yue avoided his gaze.

“Yes, I have my own family now, and you have your own life, but Hong Yue, what did you promise me back then? When I divorced you and later married Zhou Qian, you clearly promised me that you would live your own life well,” Qin Feng said.

"I'm doing very well now." Hong Yue continued to put food in Qin Feng's bowl and pick out the bones from the fish for him.

"Does that mean you'll be working as a waiter here?" Qin Feng put down his chopsticks.

“I’m the manager,” Hong Yue said.

"That's just because the name sounds nicer; he's still essentially a waiter."

Hong Yue did not argue; she knew that her statement itself was somewhat of a sophistry.

"I think being a waiter here is great; there's no such thing as a noble or lowly job."

"Yes, there is no distinction between noble and lowly jobs, but there are differences in their nature and, more importantly, differences in the degree of fatigue they cause." Qin Feng's voice rose slightly.

Hong Yue did not argue with Qin Feng, but simply said softly, "The food is getting cold, let's eat first."

Qin Feng was initially angry, but his anger subsided considerably after hearing Hong Yue's gentle voice.

"Don't just think about me, you should eat too. You must be starving if you haven't eaten yet this late."

"I'm used to it," Hong Yue said, taking a bite of her own rice and then serving Qin Feng food, all of which were Qin Feng's favorite dishes.

"When did you get back?" Hong Yue asked.

"Yesterday." Qin Feng knew Hong Yue was changing the subject.

When will you return to Gansu and Liangzhou?

"In a couple of days."

"With such a tight schedule, we should spend more time at home with Zhou Qian and Qi Qi."

"Don't change the subject. What's going on at the school?" Qin Feng asked.

"How...how did you know? I didn't tell anyone." Hong Yue asked, puzzled.

Hong Yue was afraid that Qin Feng would find out about her being investigated and kicked out of the house, so she didn't tell anyone, including Li Jing.

That's not the point.

Hong Yue sensed the emotion in Qin Feng's tone and knew that he was angry about this matter, so she could only honestly explain the situation to him.

“The leadership has changed. The new leadership is not very satisfied with me and the school’s work. They are particularly angry about my frequent fundraising from the public and the over-enrollment of disabled children outside the planned enrollment quota. The leadership has repeatedly asked the school to adhere to the political bottom line, strictly follow the plan for assisting the disabled in running the school, and expel the over-enrolled disabled children outside the planned enrollment quota as required. I did not comply, so I completely offended the leadership.”

“A few months ago, the disciplinary committee received an anonymous tip and investigated me and the school. The investigation found no problems with my personal discipline or finances, nor did it find any problems with the school’s funds. However, I was still dismissed from my post for illegally absorbing social funds.”

Hong Yue tried her best to tell Qin Feng about the matter in a calm tone and with an indifferent attitude.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Qin Feng asked.

“I don’t want to trouble you with this. The incident happened here at the same time your incident happened there, and you’re no longer working in Dongyang, and you’ve even left Jiangnan Province,” Hong Yue explained.

"Hong Yue, when you wanted to divorce me, you promised me two conditions. The first was to live your own life well, and the second was that if anything happened, you had to tell me immediately." Qin Feng looked at Hong Yue angrily.

"Actually, it's not a big deal. To me, being a principal or a waitress is just a job; there's no difference between the two," Hong Yue explained.

"No difference? When you were the principal, did people boss you around? Did you have to bow and scrape to people? Did you have to stand like this all day long, and even eating on time was a luxury?"

“Hong Yue, I know what you’re thinking, but you need to know that only when you’re doing well can I do well, and only then can Zhou Qian and Qi Qi do well.” Qin Feng put down his chopsticks again.

Hong Yue didn't refute this time. She understood what Qin Feng meant and agreed with him. She picked up some food and ate her rice in small bites.

"How did you come to work here? I want the truth. You know, since I'm here, it means I know everything. If you're still lying to me now, I'll get really angry." Qin Feng lit a cigarette; he had no appetite to begin with.

“After I was dismissed, a new principal took office, and my sister-in-law was also dismissed from the school. Neither of us had a job, and we were under a lot of financial pressure. My sister-in-law was introduced by a fellow villager to work as a nanny in Guangdong. The salary was quite good, and most importantly, she missed her son. Going there would allow her to visit him in prison every now and then.”

“I tried to find a job, but I couldn’t find a suitable one. My sister-in-law transferred money to me after she got her salary. She was worried that I would have trouble making ends meet. Maybe that’s why she chose to work as a nanny there.” Hong Yue smiled as she said this.

“This restaurant is a chain restaurant. I had contact with entrepreneurs from Dongyang when I was in school. I had a good relationship with this boss. He was a nice person, so I found him. He then asked me to come here as the so-called manager, which was actually just a waiter supervisor.”

"Qin Feng, although I am a waiter, I am really content and satisfied. Service work is like this, being ordered around is normal, and I don't think there is anything shameful about it."

“I know you want me to be happy, but I also want to be happy because of my own efforts, not because I always rely on your protection. I can’t live under your wing forever; what’s the point of my life then?” Hong Yue said.

"How can it be meaningless? Didn't you say that working at the school helped you find your direction in life and discover your own value?"

“Yes, that’s what I thought back then. I thought I had found the meaning of life at school, and that I could find my own value through my own efforts. But after this incident, I realized that without your protection, I am nothing.” Hong Yue shook her head.

Qin Feng frowned: "Why would you think that?"

“You don’t need to comfort me. I’m not stupid; I see things very clearly. Before, I always thought I was capable of running the school well, providing help to more disabled children, giving them warmth, and giving them a home. After this incident, I realized that my so-called ability relied on your support. The achievements I made before were only because you created a greenhouse for me, sheltered from the storms of life. Once that greenhouse is gone, I am nothing,” Hong Yue said again.