Volume 1 Chapter 41: A Huge Misunderstanding

Jiang Yao watched Lin Chen leave, feeling both angry and anxious. He wanted to seek justice for him, but he feared losing his own job.

He could only sigh and say, "Take your time, then. Don't worry, my salary is high enough that I can still manage to support you."

"Don't worry too much. I'll check with my cousin later to see if there's a way to get you back in."

Lin Chen laughed out loud. "What kind of connections does Yu Feng have? She’s the one who let me go, so let’s not trouble your cousin with this!"

"Alright, I'm off."

At worst, he would just find another job. A company like this wasn't worth staying in anyway! Besides, now he’d have time to cultivate his relationship with his beloved wife.

When Lin Chen went to return his keys to Shen Wei, the manager hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

After a long while, Shen Wei patted him on the shoulder. "Lin Chen, this is my fault. I couldn't protect you. There's nothing I could do; that woman Yu Feng has a close relationship with the Chairman, and I couldn't stop her."

"But don't worry. Go home and rest for a few days. I'll reach out to a friend's company; I’ll definitely be able to arrange a decent job for you."

Shen Wei was calculating furiously in his heart. No matter what, Lin Chen clearly had some connection to the old lady. Now that he had been fired, it was hard to say whether the old lady would step in, but playing the good guy now was a safe bet!

Lin Chen was somewhat touched. "Thank you, Manager Shen. You’ve been really good to me."

Shen Wei smiled and patted his shoulder. "Take care."

Lin Chen's departure did not cause much of a stir in the company. After all, he was just an intern, and even if his treatment had been suspiciously good when he first arrived, no one cared now that he was gone.

Yu Lingyan, however, was waiting for him at the company entrance. Lin Chen didn't even glance at her and walked right past her.

"Don't go!" Yu Lingyan blocked his path, looking exasperated. "Do you regret it?"

Lin Chen stopped and looked at her sideways. "I regret it! So what?"

Yu Lingyan immediately grew smug. "Heh, it’s too late to regret it now! How about you apologize to me right now, say 'Princess, please forgive me,' and agree to be my boyfriend?"

"Then I’ll speak to my aunt and let you stay. How about that?"

"Jobs aren't easy to come by these days..."

"What I regret is that I was too gentle when I scolded you in the office."

"What did you say?!!!"

Lin Chen looked at Yu Lingyan’s face, which had twisted in anger, and repeated it word for word: "I said, what I regret is that I was too gentle when I scolded you at the desk, which is why you still don't realize how insignificant you are."

"An idiot like you only has this much ability, and you're talking about 'Princess, please forgive me'!"

Lin Chen curled his lip. "I think you’re not even as good as a dog kept by a princess, though you certainly have mastered the art of acting fierce on the strength of someone else's power."

"You!" Yu Lingyan burst into tears.

Lin Chen, however, was in a great mood and walked away humming a tune.

Once he left the company, however, he began to worry. Yesterday, he had vowed that his salary was high and that he could earn enough to support the family, telling Xu Mi to just stay home and relax.

And now, in the blink of an eye, he had been fired. Jobs were hard to find, and now that he had no income, how was he going to support his family?

"I should have just swallowed my pride," Lin Chen sighed.

Yet, he knew in his heart that even if he had the chance to do it over, he still wouldn't give Yu Lingyan the time of day. Having Xu Mi, how could he possibly look at another woman?

...

Lin Chen wandered around outside for half a day, eventually deciding not to tell Xu Mi about his unemployment for the time being. After all, Xu Mi was in poor health; telling her would only cause her worry and do no good.

So, he headed to the job market and began looking for work at one company after another.

As it happened, Ye Yun just happened to pass by.

"Isn't that Lin Chen?"

Ye Yun looked through the car window as Lin Chen went inside, frowning in confusion. Even if the company were hiring, they wouldn't need to come to a place like this, and they certainly wouldn't send an intern from the marketing department to handle it.

What was he doing here?

Driven by curiosity, Ye Yun got out of the car and followed him quietly. When she discovered that Lin Chen was looking for a job, she was completely stunned.

Looking for a job?

Ye Yun considered approaching him to ask what was going on, but ultimately changed her mind and called Xu Mi instead.

...

Lin Chen spent the whole day at the job market, waiting until closing time before taking the subway home. Standing at his front door, he took a deep breath and massaged his face, which had gone stiff from smiling all day while job hunting. He then opened the door and said, "Honey, I'm home!"

His voice was incredibly light; one couldn't tell at all that he was unemployed.

Xu Mi was sitting on the sofa reading a book. When she saw him return, she put the book down and asked tentatively, "Why are you home so late today?"

"Is it late?" Lin Chen feigned confusion. "Isn't this the usual time? I only get off work at six!"

"Honey, let me tell you, I almost made a fool of myself at work today!"

As he changed his shoes, he racked his brain to make up a story, trying his hardest to act as if everything was normal.

Xu Mi had been suspicious at first, but she quickly realized what was happening. Lin Chen didn't want her to worry! He had been fired, yet he was pretending nothing had happened, secretly going out to look for work, trying to shoulder everything on his own...

Xu Mi felt a sting in her nose, but she felt even more touched. And angry.

This time, Yu Feng had gone too far!

At night, Lin Chen soaked and massaged Xu Mi's feet as usual and coaxed her to sleep. He himself, however, found it hard to drift off, only falling into a deep sleep in the early hours of the morning.

Once he was fast asleep, Xu Mi opened her eyes. In the darkness, she reached out and gently traced the contours of Lin Chen’s face. Even in his sleep, his brows were tightly knit.

Clearly, he was worried about his job.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here," Xu Mi whispered to herself. "I won't let you be wronged ever again."

The night passed in silence.

The next morning, after breakfast, Lin Chen put on a facade of being full of energy. "Honey, I'm off to work!"

"Hmm, be careful on the way. I'll be waiting for you to come home," Xu Mi said with a smile, waving at him.

As soon as Lin Chen stepped out the door, his face fell. He had to go back to the job market and play the lowly job seeker again. But no matter what, for his wife, he would push through!

The morning job market was packed with people looking for work, bustling with activity. Lin Chen joined the crowd, handing out resumes everywhere, so busy that he didn't even notice his phone ringing several times.

At Honey Biotech Group:

"Why isn't he answering the phone?!" Yu Feng looked at her phone, feeling exasperated.

She had thought that since he was just an intern, firing him was no big deal. She hadn't expected to receive a call from the Chairman first thing in the morning.

The usually mild-mannered Chairman had been uncharacteristically furious this time, ordering her to find him and bring him back no matter what. Although the Chairman hadn't mentioned the consequences of failing to find him, she could feel the weight of his rage.

Yu Feng had tried to probe into Lin Chen’s identity, but all she got in return was a demand to go find him immediately before the phone was hung up.

Helpless, she kept trying to call Lin Chen, but the phone never went through.

The more she thought about it, the more agitated she became. She slammed her hand on the table and yelled to the person nearby, "Go! Get me that person from the marketing department named Jiang Yao!"