Chapter 73

But Huo Youqiao didn’t call him stupid; instead, he empathized with his feelings. He truly felt tired, exhausted, and occasionally, he felt like he couldn’t go on anymore.

“Family ties shouldn’t be shackles. You need to look at the relationship between you and your family correctly. You’re not your mother’s possession; you’re an independent individual.” Huo Youqiao’s finger finally landed on the scar on Ye Zhi’s forehead, but he just gently pressed it, without rubbing or any other ambiguous gestures. “If you want to live a lighter life, you need to learn to refuse, refuse anything unreasonable.”

Cracks appeared in the psychological shackles. Ye Zhi closed his eyes and said softly, “I will try…”

Huo Youqiao smiled and withdrew his hand, sitting back in his chair.

This time, Ye Zhi finally dared to face him, no longer hunched over with his shoulders tense.

“So, have you made your decision? Do you want to return to your old company?” Huo Youqiao looked at him with a gentle tone. “If you’re not willing, I can introduce you to similar large companies, not to help you use any backdoor, just to make a referral for you. They will also conduct formal interviews, and if you meet their requirements, they will hire you. But you can rest assured, I believe in your abilities to handle any job in the same industry.”

Ye Zhi looked at him, gathering courage. “Can I work for you?”

“Aren’t you still looking for someone to take care of Ranran? I think I can handle this job. I want to take care of Ranran, and… take care of you too.” Ye Zhi’s eyes sparkled, his expression much more animated than usual. “Can you give me a chance?”

Huo Youqiao looked at him for a while before slowly saying, “Don’t let Ranran’s words influence you. She’s still young and doesn’t understand. You don’t have to take her words to heart.”

“I won’t,” Ye Zhi shook his head firmly. “I really want to do this.”

Although Ye Zhi knew that Huo Youqiao was helping him with his departure from the company, he didn’t expect to actually receive the severance pay.

A full twelve months’ salary, even if it was just the base salary, without considering various allowances, was still a considerable sum for Ye Zhi. In addition, he received an apology call from his former supervisor.

“I’m sorry, we made a hasty decision without proper investigation, and misunderstood you. I’m really sorry.”

Although the former supervisor joined the company after Ye Zhi, his attitude towards him had always been somewhat condescending. It was the first time he had spoken to him with such a humble tone. Ye Zhi was a bit flustered and quickly said, “It’s okay, I… I don’t mind.”

The other party said a few more words of apology, and finally asked very amiably, “Are you really unwilling to come back to work? The boss said he’s willing to give you a raise.”

“A raise” was tempting for Ye Zhi, as he was in need of money. But this time, he was firm and didn’t hesitate at all. “Sorry, I’ve found a new job.”

Shen Feiyu also apologized to him. He came in person, arranging to meet Ye Zhi at a nearby dessert shop. He looked like he wasn’t in good shape, with dark circles under his eyes, and a pale complexion, as if he had been ill. When he saw Ye Zhi, he immediately stood up and bowed ninety degrees, startling Ye Zhi, who quickly moved aside.

“Brother Xiao Ye, I’m sorry.” Shen Feiyu’s eyes were red, his voice hoarse. “I regretted it that day, regretted my shameless behavior. These days, I couldn’t sleep because of it, thinking every day that I should confess. So when you re-applied, I didn’t feel afraid at all, but rather felt relieved.”

“I’ve already handed in my resignation letter. I’ve decided to go back to my hometown first, help with the farm work, and temper myself. If I have the chance in the future, I’ll come back to the big city to seek opportunities.”

“But it’s also possible that I’ll never come back again. I don’t know if we’ll have the chance to meet again in the future, but I’ll always remember that when I first went far away, when I was in trouble in a strange place, it was Brother Xiao Ye who helped me, shared half of his food with me, and kept me from starving.”

“I’m really grateful, and I’m really sorry.”

“I won’t do such despicable things again in the future.”

“I feel he was sincere” . After returning, Ye Zhi told Huo Youqiao about his conversation with Shen Feiyu. Although he initially felt heavy-hearted when meeting Shen Feiyu because he didn’t know how to face him, after the conversation, the heavy stone in his heart disappeared, and he felt much lighter.

This feeling of lightness was completely different from the feeling of convincing oneself to “forget about it, it’s all in the past”. The latter was just pretending not to care, but in fact, the shadow still lingered in a corner of the heart.

But now, he really let it go.

Huo Youqiao glanced at him, noticing the slight upward curve of his mouth, and couldn’t help but smile, saying, “Since you feel he was sincere, then he was indeed sincere.”

Ye Zhi was a little excited. This feeling was so unfamiliar; he didn’t expect his heart to still be so buoyant. “And I received the severance pay, a whole year’s salary, I didn’t even imagine it.”