"Hello, Director Zhang, you said that if I ever wanted to return to the workplace, I should give you a call."

"Is that promise still valid today?"

After a brief silence on the other end, a man's excited voice suddenly came through.

"You... Are you Shen Lin?"

"Yes, it's me. Are you available now? Can we talk?"

"Sure, you can come to the 3rd floor, office 301 at the World Trade Building on Wenhu Road. Mention my name at the front desk, and they will let you in."

I was secretly surprised because this address was right below where my husband, Li Ming, worked.

...

As I stepped into the elevator in high heels, I bumped into my husband who was flirting with his secretary.

I looked at them with a smile that wasn't a smile, meeting Jiang Xinyue's inquisitive gaze without fear.

Jiang Xinyue was actually my junior in school, and it was through this connection that she managed to enter Li Ming's company.

Upon closer inspection, I realized that Jiang Xinyue bore some resemblance to how I looked when I was younger.

The woman coyly held onto Li Ming's shoulder, her sweet voice charming him.

"Manager Li, I love seafood. Did you ask your sister-in-law to prepare more seafood for us tonight?"

Li Ming hesitated slightly, nodding as if he had thought of something unpleasant, his expression turning somewhat grim.

But he forced himself to say, "Of course, my sister-in-law always listens to me. How could she not follow my instructions?"

"Haha—" I couldn't help but burst into laughter.

With my laughter, it was only then that my husband, Li Ming, finally recognized who I was.

His eyes widened in disbelief, staring at me as if he had seen an alien.

After a while, he incredulously asked, "Shen Lin? How did you suddenly become like this?"

"What's it to you?!" I retorted with disgust, looking at the couple with disdain.

Li Ming nervously withdrew his hand from Jiang Xinyue's arm, his eyes filled with amazement:

"Assistant Jiang and I are just ordinary colleagues, don't misunderstand, honey."

I looked at his oily face as he tried to please me, feeling a bit nauseated, so I simply ignored him.

Just then, the elevator doors opened. I walked out without looking back, choosing to ignore the disgruntled noise from Jiang Xinyue behind me.

The afternoon meeting was pleasant. Director Zhang was my former project manager, and when I was the top salesperson in the company, he had tried hard to retain me when I left the workplace, hoping I would stay and continue to build the business with him.

Now, that small company had grown to become a leader in the industry.

I thought Director Zhang might offer me an internship at most, but he directly assigned me a new project.

"Shen Lin, you were the most trusted and promising person I had back then. Over the years, no one under me has performed better than you. I believe in your abilities. If you do well on this project, the position of deputy manager in the company will be yours!"

"Director Zhang, I... I haven't worked in seven or eight years." I was somewhat incredulous, my palms sweating nervously.

He smiled mysteriously, "Don't worry, I've got your back."

I was so touched that I didn't know what to say. For the past decade, I had been constantly exploited by my husband and daughter at home. This was the first time someone had said to me, "Shen Lin, I believe in you. You can do it!"

Tears welled up uncontrollably in my eyes, and all I could do was bow repeatedly and say thank you.

Director Zhang also seemed emotional. Before leaving, he patted my shoulder and said, "You haven't been living well these years, right? Don't rush to deny it. You followed me for five years right after graduation. How could I not know your temperament? Your fiery temper has been tempered into what it is now. You've suffered a lot, haven't you, child?"

I lowered my head, feeling a warm sensation spreading in my heart.

Yes, even a leader I hadn't seen in years could see the exhaustion and hardships on me. I had given so much, yet my family still wanted to continue exploiting me.

Family?

No, they were clearly blood-sucking parasites clinging to me!