Anan

004 A sword in the chest (2)

However, suddenly, there was an urge to call my sister.

Li Xinyuan has an elder sister named Li Xiaoyi, who is five years older than her. From childhood to adulthood, her sister has always been the kindest and most considerate person to her. Li Xiaoyi didn't attend university; she stayed in their hometown.

Glancing at the time, it was almost ten o'clock. Her sister might already be asleep, busy taking care of her 4-year-old niece at this hour. So Li Xinyuan sent a text message first: "Sis, are you asleep?"

Her sister still hadn't replied.

Feeling frustrated, Li Xinyuan tossed her phone aside. Just then, the food delivery arrived. She ate some hastily, still feeling resentful. At that moment, a colleague called: "Li Xinyuan, have you finished that part of the report? The manager said it must be submitted by tomorrow morning."

Li Xinyuan sat up straight, her tone composed: "Oh, I'm still working on it. I'll send it to you once it's done."

Originally, she had planned to come back to work overtime after dinner with Xie Zhilu, but she forgot about it. Thinking about the possibility of layoffs made her feel restless. She sat down at her desk and immersed herself in work.

Fortunately, the preliminary work was solid. Despite her chaotic thoughts, the report was completed smoothly. By three in the morning, she finally finished. Exhausted, she sent the report to the manager and fell asleep immediately.

Therefore, when her sister Li Xiaoyi replied to her text message past four in the morning, Li Xinyuan had no idea.

"Xinyi, I've made up my mind. I don't want to live like a dog anymore."

---

Early the next morning, the alarm went off three times before Li Xinyuan struggled to get out of bed and hurried to work. As soon as she arrived at work, her phone was flooded with messages from various work groups, including weekly and daily briefings, as well as casual chats among colleagues. Amidst this flurry of messages, her sister's text was pushed to the bottom, and Li Xinyuan still hadn't seen it.

The latest message on her phone was from Supervisor Zhou: "It's not looking good. We need to take serious action."

Pale-faced, Li Xinyuan sat at her desk, feeling dizzy. She thought to herself, "I can't be that unlucky."

It was the end of the year, and as Li Xinyuan absentmindedly entered the crowded conference room, she remembered that today was the annual job performance review day.

Each member of the finance department was required to present their annual performance report to one of the company's deputy general managers. This deputy general manager was in charge of their department and could almost single-handedly decide the fate of each employee.

If Supervisor Zhou had inside information, others might as well. Sitting among a group of people, Li Xinyuan felt that the atmosphere was odd today. Everyone seemed to be wearing masks of varying degrees of tension, as if hiding something.

Each person who took the stage to present their job performance did their best, even the usually reserved ones pulled out all the stops today.

Yet, the deputy general manager remained impassive.

With so many people in the room, from nine in the morning, the presentations continued until the afternoon, and it wasn't Li Xinyuan's turn yet. Listening all day long, either due to the lack of oxygen in the conference room or the lack of sleep last night, her mind became muddled, and she even felt short of breath, struggling to breathe.

Picking up the prepared script, she tried to focus, but her mind couldn't concentrate. When she finally snapped out of it, she realized she had drawn a cartoonish figure of a boy on the script, with a b****y sword piercing through his chest, depicting a gruesome death. And then, she remembered Xie Zhilu's words from yesterday: "The first sword to land ashore, beheads the loved one in your heart..."

At that moment, her name was called, and all eyes turned towards her, including those of the deputy general manager and department manager.

---

Li Xinyuan felt that her presentation had been dreadful.

Staring at the deputy general manager's furrowed brow, Supervisor Zhou's surprised and disappointed expression, and the thoughtful gazes of other colleagues, she didn't want to stay at the company for another moment.

Dejectedly returning home, Li Xinyuan took a shower and ate some takeout haphazardly, trying to console herself: "It's nothing, just one performance review. My previous performances have been seen by the leaders." Tomorrow, she would perform better.

With her mind slightly settled, she looked around and noticed something—

Xie Zhilu had visited during the day.

In the closet, all the few clothes he had left behind were gone. Even his shoes and toiletries in the bathroom were taken. And then there was nothing left.

A key was placed on the desk, with a piece of paper underneath.

Li Xinyuan picked up the paper.

The vigorous handwriting on it was as dignified as the person himself.

Xie Zhilu's tone was much calmer now. First, he informed her that he had taken his things and returned the key.

Then came numerous admonitions, detailed and gentle, reminiscent of the past—reminding Li Xinyuan to live alone, pay attention to gas safety, not stay up late, take care of her health. If she returned late, she should try to take a taxi to the downstairs entrance instead of foolishly opening the door for strangers. He also advised her to be more worldly-wise and diplomatic in the workplace, not just blindly working hard but also nurturing relationships. If there was anything she needed help with, as long as she didn't mind, she could always ask him.

Finally, he said: "It's not that I don't love you, but I'm an ambitious man."

Li Xinyuan put down the letter and stared blankly for a while, even an evil thought surged in her heart: what if she posted this letter and the truth online, or reported it to his workplace? Xie Zhilu's job might be at risk, and his reputation ruined.

That would be the end of him.

Li Xinyuan sighed and tore up the letter, throwing it into the trash can.

That's enough. Mourning over this relationship for a day is sufficient. Tomorrow, she would rise again.

---

Opening her computer to work overtime again, Li Xinyuan's heart was as cold and calm as ice. She thought, "I am indeed an excellent corporate slave. Even if work drains me, it can still heal me."

Busy until midnight, she closed her computer and lay on the bed aimlessly scrolling through her phone. After a while, she finally saw the text message her sister sent last night. Sitting up abruptly, her back was already covered in cold sweat.