Rebirth and making money first

In the early morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains onto the bed. Zhang Jing rubbed her eyes and sat up. She felt the urge to urinate, so she decided to go to the bathroom. While using the restroom, Zhang Jing suddenly remembered the pregnancy test she had taken the previous night. She picked up the pregnancy test stick nearby and ran another test. However, the result was still two red lines, but they were not obvious. Drawing on her past life experience, Zhang Jing already had the answer in her mind—she was not pregnant.

Relieved, Zhang Jing tossed the pregnancy test stick into the trash and returned to bed. Just then, A-Long's voice rang out, "How did the test go?" Zhang Jing realized he was awake, too, and replied, "Not much, probably a false alarm." Upon hearing this news, A-Long leaped into childlike joy, hugging Zhang Jing tightly, kissing her repeatedly, and attempting to make intimate contact. Zhang Jing could sense his joy and relief.

After enjoying a moment of intimacy, Zhang Jing softly asked, "Are you going home next week?" A-Long answered without hesitation, "Of course I am, but I'm going alone. The bus fare is so expensive, it would be a waste for us to go together. Besides, our family isn't well off—we're poor and run-down. You'll definitely not be able to get used to it." Zhang Jing felt a wave of disappointment when she heard this. She had originally hoped to go home with A-Long and experience the warmth of family. But now it seemed like that was just wishful thinking.

Dejected, Zhang Jing gently pushed A-Long away, quietly stood up, dressed, and went downstairs to practice Guanyin Fist. Her movements were smooth and natural, each punch packed with power. As the boxing technique unfolded, Zhang Jing's mood gradually calmed, and she began to reflect on men's attitudes toward marriage.

She finally realized she was being too persistent. For many men, marriage isn't about genuine desire, but rather pressure or pressure from others. Without these external factors, they might prefer to maintain the status quo and be unwilling to invest the time and energy to pursue a married life. Unless he's the one who benefits the most, like having someone take care of his food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and freeing his mother...

Some men are even willing to make the effort to pursue and marry a woman only when they meet one who truly captures their heart but is otherwise unattainable. Often, this is simply to satisfy their own desires. Thinking of this, Zhang Jing couldn't help but sigh, feeling uncertain about her future married life.

"If a woman has already slept with a man, why should he continue to invest time, energy and money in her? Those constant refrains about women having self-respect, self-love and self-reliance are, to put it bluntly, about not cheapening themselves by being possessed by men."

Zhang Jing knew this all too well. She knew that in A-Long's mind, she was in a very awkward position. She had only two options: get pregnant or find a new man. Pregnancy would allow for smooth marriage, but her life would be in turmoil; finding a new man would allow her to start over.

As Zhang Jing practiced Guanyin Quan in her neighborhood, more and more people began to join her. Every morning, everyone would gather for practice. After each session, many would come forward to share their experiences with Zhang Jing, saying they would continue to practice daily and asking her to join them. By the time Zhang Jing left, she had finally understood the life she wanted: pleasing herself first.

Zhang Jing packed up and got ready for work, while A-Long worked in the afternoon. Since he didn't have to get up early, Zhang Jing told him to just go to the restaurant if he didn't want to. A-Long didn't forget to ask Zhang Jing for a key, but she said she had to change the locks after get off work, so he could just lock the door when he left. No key was necessary.

Zhang Jing had just returned to the office after breakfast when Ye Xiaoyu arrived. She was followed by Supervisor Sun and Director Chen, who had apparently come to the office with something to discuss. Ye Xiaoyu lowered her head and remained silent. Lin Fei boiled some water and then poured it for the boss. "Tell me what's going on with your work?" Director Chen wasn't quite as angry, but the question demanded a serious answer. Everyone knew he was asking about Ye Xiaoyu's argument with the old man.

Being forced to replace someone was embarrassing for Director Chen, and he was going to criticize her. Zhang Jing appreciated Ye Xiaoyu's speech. Putting aside other things, Ye Xiaoyu still had some good points.

Director Chen suddenly interrupted Ye Xiaoyu, "I asked you to go to a sister company for an inspection, but you went to stir up trouble instead." Ye Xiaoyu protested, "They were wrong, I just..." Director Chen interrupted her, "You still don't understand where you went wrong? Zhang Jing performed very well. Manager Sun, you have to manage your subordinates well, otherwise there are plenty of people to take over!"

After carefully escorting Director Chen off, Supervisor Sun turned around and turned his face black. "Ye Xiaoyu, you were just there to inspect the other company, not to investigate reforms. You're fighting in your own home, and I'll just turn a blind eye. But you went to the nursing home and argued with the elderly about the rules? You even got people complaining, and you made my face swollen!"

Ye Xiaoyu felt even more aggrieved. "They were the ones who cut in line, why are they all blaming me?" Supervisor Sun laughed in anger. He said that Director Chen was right, he couldn't control her, and he really needed to replace her. "How about you take my seat?" Ye Xiaoyu said, "Supervisor, don't scare me. I'm not cut out for that."

Supervisor Sun said, "You think you're powerful, but what's wrong with your brain? You're talking to the elderly about right and wrong. Is it because society doesn't punish them enough or because they don't read books and newspapers? They have the privilege to be unreasonable, and you really can't do anything about it!"

Jiang Fei persuaded Ye Xiaoyu to give in, saying, "Sometimes you can't be too serious." Zhang Jing also quietly advised Ye Xiaoyu not to argue with her boss, but to admit her mistake quickly and let her boss get over the matter. Otherwise, it would be difficult. Jiang Xiaoyu obeyed this time.

"I'm sorry, Brother Sun, I won't do this again. Please teach me more. Don't be angry with me for being ignorant." Fatty Sun waved his hand and shook his head. "You, you, you've pissed me off so many times! I just hope you can think more before you act in the future, and not be so impulsive and angry, okay?"

Fatty Sun grabbed the report and stormed off. Jiang Fei hurriedly cleaned up and turned on his computer. Zhang Jing saw Ye Xiaoyu flipping through documents in frustration. Knowing she was upset, she didn't bother him. She simply turned on her computer, opened a file, and began thinking about the outline of her novel.

I used to write whatever came to my mind, but now I can't write without an outline. When inspiration strikes, I jot it down quickly; when I'm not, I open it and look at it. I add, subtract, change, and delete things at any time. Zhang Jing feels like a seasoned writer. But she's still far from the prolific prodigy.

Many websites in the market offer training courses, offering a free week of classes followed by a tuition fee for in-depth study. Every assignment she submits is a creative one, but ultimately, nothing is done. Zhang Jing pays a lot of IQ tax.

At noon, Alan was outside basking in the sun. Seeing Zhang Jing, he waved happily. The squad leader and Dazhuang were there, so Zhang Jing went over to greet them and asked Dazhuang, "Is the baby easy to take care of?" Dazhuang explained that his parents had come back to see him and had helped hire two nannies, one to look after the baby and one to take care of his wife. Zhang Jing finally felt relieved. Dazhuang explained that his wife had told him to tell Teacher Zhang to visit him when he had time.

Zhang Jing agreed with a smile. Alan said that her parents wouldn't let her eat the bag of snacks Zhang Jing gave her, calling them "junk food." "The two old people ate it all and said it was a waste to throw it away. I guess they must have never eaten before and were just craving it, so I didn't tell them off!" Alan acted very understanding, which made Zhang Jing laugh.

The squad leader also thanked Zhang Jing on behalf of Grandpa, "Grandpa said you treated us as friends and even invited us to dinner. You didn't look down on us and even gave us snacks. You must be a very good person!"

Zhang Jing received a good person card and gave a few back, saying, "You are all good people too, that's why we can be friends."

The squad leader said one more thing, "Ah Jing, will you marry me?" Zhang Jing was shocked. Alan and Da Zhuang applauded their disapproval, which brought Zhang Jing back to her senses. She was already madly inwardly thinking.