Colorful years

Although the couple were both deep in thought and reflection, neither of them could clearly recognize the root of their mistakes. They were each immersed in their own world, ignoring each other's feelings and needs.

More importantly, they severely lacked genuine, honest, open, and effective communication. As a result, instead of finding the magic key to resolving their conflicts, the couple drifted further and further apart, like two tracks that were already diverging.

Husband Zhang Cong is focused on his career development, which leads him to neglect or even disregard the heavy responsibilities and obligations he should bear as a family member.

He was constantly on the go at work, devoting almost all his time and energy to his career, neglecting the little moments of warmth in his family. He thought that success in his career would bring a better life to his family, but he failed to realize that a family needs more than just material satisfaction; it also needs emotional companionship and support.

In contrast, his wife, Wang Li, devotes too much energy to pursuing personal freedom and indulging in pleasure. She seems unwilling to make even the slightest concession, compromise, or sacrifice.

She longed for her own space and time, pursuing personal happiness and fulfillment, but neglected the mutual support and shared growth between husband and wife.

She thought that by pursuing personal freedom, she could gain inner satisfaction, but she never realized that the essence of marriage is the shared responsibility and commitment of two people.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Zhang Cong has once again arrived at a crucial crossroads in his life.

Logically speaking, given that he held multiple positions, including head of the founding and preparatory work group and office of the Dayong Daily, his achievements were remarkable.

In just five months, not only did they successfully complete the entire process of the inaugural issue, from planning and conception to interviewing, editing, and publication, but they also successfully rented an ideal office space for the newspaper. Furthermore, they carefully selected, conducted on-site inspections, and rationally allocated eight capable staff members.

It was precisely because he adopted this series of decisive and effective actions and strategies that the daily operation of this weekly report was able to get on track so smoothly and gradually move towards a stable and orderly development path.

Undoubtedly, as one of the main founders of Dayong Daily and its newspaper, he naturally became the only choice for the newspaper's first head.

After all, everyone has witnessed the effort and dedication he has put into the birth and growth of this newspaper. And the organization has also given him this opportunity.

Minister Yan even had a very serious and earnest conversation with him: "Xiao Zhang, you currently have two paths to choose from. One path is to go to Dayong Newspaper to serve as the executive vice president and concurrently as the editor-in-chief, taking full responsibility for all daily operations. Moreover, if everything goes smoothly and there are no unexpected events, it will probably only take a short year for you to be promoted to president and editor-in-chief."

From a career perspective, this undoubtedly means you are about to receive a significant promotion, and I personally strongly support your decision to take the position. Alternatively, you could remain in our publicity department as the head of the news and publicity section.

However, the department's division-level leadership positions are currently full, so if you want a promotion, you'll probably have to wait patiently for a while. The good news is, if you choose to stay, you'll be allocated a newly built apartment immediately. As for your final decision, you should go home and think it over carefully first.

When Zhang Cong returned home, he told Wang Li everything about Minister Yan's conversation, hoping to gain his wife's understanding and support, because only in this way could he more firmly move towards working at the newspaper.

However, to his utter surprise, after hearing all this, Wang Li didn't even give him a moment to think before she unhesitatingly voted against his going to work at the newspaper.

Wang Li frowned and said urgently, "I strongly oppose you going to the newspaper! Think about it carefully. The newspaper is practically a blank canvas now. Who knows when they'll build office buildings and staff dormitories? You'll be so busy you won't have time to take care of the family, and you might not even get a place to live. If you really go, how will my precious daughter and I survive!"

To ensure that Zhang Cong's path to working at the newspaper was completely cut off, Wang Li even went to see Minister Yan the next day.

When facing Minister Yan, she made no attempt to hide her family's difficulties and her strong opposition.

In fact, before this, Zhang Cong had been in a dilemma and hesitant about what to do next.

On one hand, there's the newspaper job, full of unknown challenges but potentially offering more opportunities; on the other hand, there's the stable, comfortable job that allows her to balance work and family.

This dilemma was already troubling him, and his wife Wang Li's firm opposition plunged him into deep confusion and bewilderment.

Actually, there's another reason behind this. Just before Minister Yan spoke with him, Xiao Zhou, a young staff member from the News and Publicity Department, had already contacted him privately.

Xiao Zhou bluntly expressed his desire to work at the newspaper. If he had been so adamant about choosing to work at the newspaper, he wouldn't have had the chance.

After all, besides the two of them, there was another staff member in the department, whose seniority was much higher than Xiao Zhou's. Therefore, even if there were a vacant department head position, it would definitely not be Xiao Zhou's turn to take it.

However, if Xiao Zhou could successfully get a job at the newspaper, the situation would be very different! At that time, the newspaper had a total of five departments and sections. No matter what, Xiao Zhou could easily get the position of director of one of the departments.

After this analysis, it's not hard to see that Xiao Zhou's determination to work at the newspaper is somewhat driven by ulterior motives.

Oh well, whatever. My wife is not only strongly against it, she's even taken it to the minister. And Xiao Zhou is so eager and enthusiastic about going to the newspaper.

After much deliberation, Zhang Cong decided that he should compromise and make some sacrifices so that his wife and Xiao Zhou could both get what they wanted.

Zhang Cong's decision was not made lightly. He weighed the pros and cons repeatedly in his mind and ultimately chose a balance between family and responsibility. He understood that marriage is not just a union of two people, but also a manifestation of responsibility and commitment.

He hopes that through his own efforts, he can bring more warmth and happiness to his family, and at the same time create a better future for his wife and daughter.