Love and choices across time and space

The morning sun shone through the dusty windows of the shabby rental house, casting a shadow on Li Yifeng's tired face. He rubbed his eyes, sat up from the creaking hard bed, took a deep breath, and prepared to face another day of job hunting challenges.

Li Yifeng finished washing up, put on his only reasonably neat suit, and adjusted his tie in front of the mirror. Although the suit was a bit worn, he still tried his best to look fresh. He picked up his carefully prepared resume and walked out of the rental house.

Arriving at the job market, it was bustling with people and noisy. Li Yifeng squeezed in the crowd, eagerly searching the various recruitment booths for suitable positions.

He saw a company recruiting marketing specialists, so he walked up and handed in his resume.

"Hello, I'm very interested in this position. Here's my resume." Li Yifeng tried his best to make his voice sound confident.

The recruiter took the resume, took a look at it, and his expression instantly turned cold.

"Li Yifeng? Sorry, our company doesn't need people like you." The recruiter rejected him mercilessly.

Li Yifeng's face turned pale, but he still suppressed his disappointment and asked, "Can you please tell me the reason?"

"Your reputation in the industry is not very good. We don't want to take the risk of hiring someone with a bad record." The recruiter said, then ignored him and turned to receive the next job applicant.

Li Yifeng walked away helplessly, his heart filled with bitterness. He went to another recruitment booth, this time a small business was recruiting a sales manager.

"Hello, I have rich sales experience and hope to have the opportunity to join your company." Li Yifeng said expectantly.

However, after hearing his name, the other party also showed an expression of rejection.

"Li Yifeng? I've heard about you. We can't use you."

Such rejections happened again and again, and Li Yifeng's heart became heavier and heavier.

Around noon, the number of people in the job market gradually decreased. Li Yifeng found a corner to sit down, took out a piece of dry bread, and ate it with mineral water. His eyes were full of confusion and helplessness.

"Do I really have no chance?" he said to himself.

In the afternoon, Li Yifeng went to several companies for interviews. In a company's conference room, the interviewers looked at him seriously.

"Li Yifeng, your resume looks good, but your past worries us. Can you explain it?" an interviewer asked.

Li Yifeng took a deep breath and said sincerely, "I know I've made many mistakes, but I've reflected deeply and worked hard to change. I hope I can have a chance to start over."

The interviewers exchanged glances and shook their heads.

"I'm sorry, but we can't take that risk."

When Li Yifeng walked out of the company, the sky outside was already gloomy, as if it was going to rain. His mood was just like the weather, extremely gloomy.

After returning to the rental house, Li Yifeng fell exhaustedly on the bed. Thinking about what happened that day, he couldn't help but shed tears.

"Why doesn't anyone want to believe me?" he asked himself painfully.

In the days that followed, Li Yifeng continued to rush around various recruitment sites every day. He submitted countless resumes online, but most of them fell into the sea. Occasionally, a few companies invited him for interviews, but the result was the same rejection.

Once, he went to a large company for an interview. After several rounds of screening, he finally entered the final interview stage.

"Li Yifeng, we recognize your abilities, but your past is really hard to accept," said the interviewer.

"I have really changed, and I will prove myself with my actions." Li Yifeng said eagerly.

"However, we can't trust you based on just a few words. Besides, the company also needs to consider its image and reputation." The interviewer's tone was firm.

Li Yifeng knew that there was no hope this time.

After being rejected again, Li Yifeng was walking on the street, feeling extremely depressed. Suddenly, it started to rain heavily. He did not hide and let the rain hit him.

"Is this God's punishment for me?" he shouted to the sky.

Back at the rental house, Li Yifeng had a high fever from being caught in the rain. He lay in bed, feeling weak, but he didn't even have money to buy medicine.

"It's all my fault," he said dazedly.

Just when he felt desperate, his neighbor next door heard his groans, came over to buy him medicine, and cooked him a bowl of hot porridge.

"Young man, don't give up, there will always be a chance." Li Yifeng was deeply moved by his neighbor's concern.

After recovering from his illness, Li Yifeng continued his job search. He began to lower his standards and no longer focused on high-paying positions. As long as there was a job opportunity, he was willing to try.

One day, he saw a small restaurant recruiting waiters. Although this was far from his previous career experience, he decided to give it a try.

"Boss, I want to apply for the waiter position." Li Yifeng said.

The boss looked him up and down and said, "You don't look like someone who can be a waiter."

"Boss, I really need this job. I will try my best to do it well." Li Yifeng said sincerely.

Perhaps moved by his sincerity, the boss hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed to let him try.

Li Yifeng cherished this hard-earned opportunity and worked incredibly hard. He arrived at the restaurant early every day to clean, set up tables and chairs, and greet customers. Despite the hard work, he never complained.

However, the good times didn't last long. One day, a customer recognized him.

"Isn't this the Li Yifeng with a bad reputation? Why is he working as a waiter here?" The customer's voice was so loud that it attracted the attention of other guests.

When the boss heard this, his face turned ugly.

"Li Yifeng, please leave. My small restaurant can't withstand such a storm." The boss said helplessly.

Li Yifeng lost his job again and felt extremely desperate.

"Is there really no way out for me?" he asked himself.

But he knew he couldn't just give up, so he started taking various training courses to improve his skills, while also constantly reflecting on his past and striving to become a better person.

During a career training course, Li Yifeng met a mentor who listened to his experience and gave him some advice.

"You must learn to draw lessons from your failures and use practical actions to prove your changes. Don't be impatient for success. As long as you persevere, there will always be opportunities." The mentor's words rekindled Li Yifeng's hope.

Li Yifeng continued to work hard. He believed that one day he would find a job that truly belonged to him and start his life again.