Void Jigsaw Puzzle

Through the bright and transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, Guo Ling can have a panoramic view of the People's Square below.

The sunlight, no longer harsh, gently shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, falling on his body, his feet, and his face.

Under the unreserved sunlight, the fine lines and faint spots on his face, as well as the few strands of gray in his hair, all honestly tell of his age.

His face was thin, his features were three-dimensional, and his thin lips were tightly closed, so it was impossible to tell whether he was smiling or not.

And his eyes were full of gold.

This seems to be just an ordinary day, but it is given a lot of meaning.

Today is his twelfth wedding anniversary and his wife's 36th birthday.

And tomorrow will be his eleventh year in the company.

Therefore, Guo Ling currently has this corner office with an excellent view, and he has always been looking forward to the day when he will be arranged to move into the larger office upstairs.

He wouldn't have to wait long for this day.

Thinking of this, the corners of Guo Ling's mouth unconsciously curved upwards.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door behind me, and a woman's voice was heard at the same time.

"Mr. Guo..."

Guo Ling suppressed his smile and turned around, only to see a middle-aged woman in professional attire walking in through the half-open door of the office.

"...Pengju always asks you to come over."

Guo Ling was shocked.

Zhang Pengju is the deputy general manager of the entire group company in charge of government and enterprise business, and also serves as the general manager of the government and enterprise business division. He is both his boss's boss and his current direct work reporting object.

The woman in front of him was called Du Yiying. She was the chief human resources officer of the group company and was in charge of personnel affairs.

Whether it is Zhang Pengju or Du Yiying, they are both people he cannot ignore in his work.

Just before getting off work, Zhang Pengju called him over, not through his secretary, but through Du Yiying. What does this mean?

"Could it be..."

Guo Ling felt his heartbeat begin to quicken. He tried to see some clues from Du Yiying's eyes and expression, but this woman controlled her emotions very well.

So, Guo Ling nodded friendly to Du Yiying, grabbed the mobile phone on the desk with one hand, and followed her to the elevator.

His eyes occasionally glanced at the twisting waist not far ahead. Guo Ling couldn't help but move closer behind Du Yiying and whispered, "Boss Du, what's going on?"

"Pengju wants to see you. I don't know what it is, but it must be something important."

Du Yiying smiled faintly, just slightly turned her face to the side, without looking at Guo Ling behind her, nor did she slow down her pace.

Guo Ling shut his mouth, gave up the idea of ​​getting information from the HR manager, and his brain was working rapidly.

He started from the grassroots level and worked his way up step by step until today, when he is the vice president of operations for the entire government, enterprise and public institution department. During this process, he experienced several difficult times for the company, but he managed to get through them all. The benefits of loyalty do exist. Not only did he get opportunities for promotion, he also saw his income rising steadily, and he was able to give his family a better life.

Last year, due to the departure of his direct supervisor, the general manager of the government and enterprise division, the company has not found a successor. Instead, the group's deputy general manager in charge, Zhang Pengju, took on the position concurrently. Zhang Pengju also seemed to hint to him on several informal occasions that the position was intentionally reserved for him.

On the one hand, he felt extremely excited, but on the other hand, he forced himself to remain calm. After all, he didn't know how many people were eyeing this important position.

Without expectation, there would be no disappointment, but it seems that today's sunset will completely break his composure?

What a good day today is!

Thirty minutes later, Guo Ling discovered that the thought he had just had was a complete false illusion.

In Zhang Pengju's spacious top-floor office with an unparalleled view of the city, the company terminated his labor contract with him.

Yes, he was cut.

And today is the last day.

"You don't have to come tomorrow. We will email all the documents to you for signing."

Du Yiying said lightly.

Zhang Pengju remained silent.

Guo Ling no longer remembered how he walked out of Zhang Pengju's office.

His mind was empty and his whole body was numb. He dragged his legs, which no longer belonged to him, back to his office, completely ignoring the surprised looks of his colleagues along the way. He turned around to close the door, then leaned against it and did not move for a long time.

The scene outside the French window hadn't changed much, except that as the sun sank further west, the entire world dimmed, making the neon lights appear even brighter. The previously transparent window now began to reflect light, slowly turning into a mirror, and he could vaguely see the decadence within.

I also have to celebrate my wife's birthday, wedding anniversary, open champagne, and...

“I was laid off.”

All expectations were ruthlessly cut short by these few words.

He could have gone back to the top-floor office in a rage, shouting slogans, to argue with Zhang Pengju, or sent a group email in the company's internal email system, copying the chairman and general manager, accusing the company of unfair treatment and even threatening to take the company to court.

But his remaining rationality told him that no matter what he did, he could not change the situation.

In all these years at the company, has there ever been a single layoff that resulted in arbitration or litigation and ultimately ended with the employees' victory?

Precious time and energy are wasted in vain, narrow-mindedness and hostility are filled in the chest, and eventually backfire on oneself.

He is no longer in the age of passion.

No matter how ruthless a company is, it is still an immovable and sturdy windmill.

No matter how hard I try, I am just a flesh and blood body, and I may not have the same configuration as Don Quixote. That lonely knight at least has a servant.

What's more, the company's compensation is acceptable.

However, that number is fixed and will not increase automatically.

But he is not alone. He has to take care of seven people at home, including the elderly and the children.

Guo Ling adjusted his breathing, which had been a little difficult, and finally stood up, no longer slumped against the office door. He took a few steps before stumbling again, and hurried forward, supporting himself on the desk with both hands.

After calming himself down again, Guo Ling suddenly thought of something and immediately called his wife Hou Chang.

He has to pack his things in the next hour, so he will definitely be late for the candlelight dinner - even if it is not cancelled.

While waiting for the call to be connected for a second or two, Guo Ling quickly thought of an excuse.

He certainly couldn't tell his wife on the phone that he had been laid off.

The call is connected.

He also took a deep breath.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard a strange sound coming from the microphone of his mobile phone.

The wife didn't speak, but the voice on the microphone was undoubtedly hers.

It seemed like he was sobbing, and also seemed like he was moaning.

At the same time, he seemed to be suppressing his emotions.

A man's voice could be heard faintly in the background.

Guo Ling's eyes widened, and a surge of blood instantly rushed up, filling his entire head.

He yelled into the phone: "Hey! Hey! Wife! Speak up! What's going on?"

The voice on the other end of the phone remained, as if the person on the other end hadn't heard him at all or simply ignored him, and the only thing he did was to connect the call.

Guo Ling gave up shouting and closed his lips tightly, his two thin lips almost forming a line.

Beneath his furrowed brows were his wide-open eyes, filled with confusion.

Vaguely, he thought of the possibility of shame, but quickly shook his head.

"Impossible! She couldn't possibly do such a thing!"

However, the voice coming from the phone was increasingly pointing in that direction.

Guo Ling hung up the phone and called again.

It's still exactly the same situation.

His wife Hou Chang's voice came clearly into his ears, mixed with an unclear male voice.

Guo Ling felt as if he were hit on the head, and the scene in front of him began to distort. He used all his strength to support his body and looked out the window, but saw a distraught middle-aged man in the reflection of the glass.

In his last moments at the company, he didn't remember how he finished packing, or how he suppressed his grief and said goodbye to his colleagues in a relaxed manner. Until the car drove out of the company's underground parking lot and merged into Jianguo Road next to the People's Square, Guo Ling finally couldn't help but burst into tears in the driver's seat.

His vision instantly became blurred, and tears flowed down his cheeks and dripped onto his chest.

He raised his hand and wiped it, and his entire forearm was wet.

Guo Ling tried hard to keep his hands steady on the steering wheel, but his whole body was shaking slightly.

In the congestion, he slowly calmed himself down, called the restaurant, and when he learned that no one had arrived, he canceled the order without hesitation.

If Hou Chang wasn't in the restaurant, where would she be?

Guo Ling drove home without hesitation. When he arrived at the residential complex, parked the car, and stepped out of the driver's seat, his heart began to beat violently again.

Because he looked up and saw that the lights in the house were on.

The pale yellow light was obviously coming from the living room window, a scene he was already very familiar with.

In the past, every time he came home from a business trip or worked overtime, he would see the lights in the house and know that someone was waiting for him.

But at this moment, the pale yellow light did not have any warm meaning, but instead seemed a little weird.

The son is on summer vacation and has been sent back to his parents' hometown in another city. If the lights are on in the house, it means that Hou Chang is the only one at home.

But Hou Chang just kept moaning and didn't answer his phone.

No, she answered the phone but didn't speak.

If she happened to be at home at this time, what was the man's voice in the background?

Guo Ling shook his head to calm himself down, then clenched his fists and walked quickly towards the building where his home was.

He was the only one in the elevator going upstairs. He swallowed, rolled up his sleeves unconsciously, and stared nervously at the constantly jumping floor numbers.

When the number turned to "15", the elevator door opened with a "ding".

Guo Ling stood in the elevator for a second. Not hearing any movement outside, he walked out quickly and tiptoed to his door.

He quickly unlocked the door with his fingerprint, and the moment he opened the door, he shouted, "I'm back!"

The sound echoed in the corridor for a while, but there was no movement in the house.

The lights in the living room were indeed on, but no one was there.

Guo Ling felt something hit his chest hard and his head started to hurt.

He quickly rushed into the living room and quickly scanned every room.

Indeed, there is no one.

However, just as he was about to leave the master bedroom, he noticed something was wrong.

He turned his head and saw that the wall facing the master bedroom door was smooth and bright white, but it was a bit too monotonous.

"No! Where are the wedding photos hanging on the wall?"

"The photo on the bedside table is gone!"

After taking the wedding photos, both of them felt that it was a complete waste. Apart from those displayed at the wedding and a few lucky ones that they kept in the master bedroom, most of the photos had been piled up in the corner of the storage room, gathering dust year by year and no longer attracting any attention.

But now, if the remaining achievements are gone, then there will be a big problem.

The key point is that in his memory, these photos were clearly still there yesterday.

Guo Ling called Hou Chang's cell phone again.

The call was connected after a short wait, but still no one answered.

But the moans coming from the microphone seemed clearer.

Guo Ling looked at the time of this call and saw that forty minutes had passed since the last call.

"What a dog..."

He cursed in his heart in frustration.

At this time, an email reminder popped up on the phone.

"Mr. Guo, please sign the attached documents tonight. Electronic signatures are fine, and then reply to me. The IT department has closed all accounts except your email, and your email will be closed at 12:00 tonight. Therefore, please complete it as soon as possible, otherwise it will affect the time it takes to receive your compensation..."

"Damn it!" Guo Ling threw his cell phone hard on the large and soft bed in the master bedroom, and then sat down on the carpet beside the bed.

Guo Ling didn't know how long he sat on the carpet in a daze, but his stomach started to growl.

He twitched his lips and laughed at himself: "Originally, I should have been enjoying a candlelight dinner at this time, but what's the reality? I'm about to run out of money to pay the bill, and the person who was supposed to be sitting across from me at the table is nowhere to be found..."

Suddenly, he found it difficult to breathe, and he was afraid that he would suffocate if he stayed in this house any longer.

Guo Ling reached out and grabbed the phone from the bed, gritted his teeth and stood up, walked around the room again, and after confirming that no one was at home, he turned off the lights in the living room and walked out of the house.

In the community, Guo Ling felt no less anxious as he watched the elderly around him actively preparing for square dancing and the children chasing and playing in groups of three or two.

The excitement belongs to others, he has nothing.

However, he thought of his son and his parents who were spending their summer vacation away from home.

"Listen to their voices..."

But I called three times in a row and no one answered.

A huge question mark emerged in Guo Ling's mind, constantly expanding, almost making his head explode.

He stared at the night sky with wide eyes, trying to understand what had happened to him today.

But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't find an explanation that satisfied him.

The depression after being laid off has now been completely replaced by a more absurd and weird thought, which is completely controlling me.

Before he knew it, Guo Ling had walked out of the community.

The community is called Shanshui Impression, so the road at the entrance of the community is called Shanshui Road.

Guo Ling walked along the mountain road for a few hundred meters and turned right onto the river bank road that was perpendicular to it.

On one side of Riverside Road is the river that runs through the city.

Under the cover of night, the water in the river appears pitch black and nothing can be seen, but from the sound one can tell that the water is flowing quite fast, which may be related to the fact that it is summer vacation and the water volume is relatively abundant.

Guo Ling's eyes became blurred, as if he ignored everything around him. He walked all the way to the edge of the river bank. Half of his front feet were even hanging in the air, but he had no intention of stopping.

"I was laid off, I was cheated on, no one cares about me, no one..."

Muttering to himself, Guo Ling jumped down.