---
The sun rose gently the next day, casting a golden glow over the quiet city.
She insisted on going to work, despite Ah Yan's concern.
"Yueyue, you should rest. At least go tomorrow."
He tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't budge.
"I can't just sit at home, Ah Yan. I have to work," she said, forcing a smile.
He sighed, knowing she wouldn't change her mind. "Okay then. Let me take you to the bus stop."
He drove her on his scooter, the wind tousling her hair as they rode in silence.
When they arrived, he turned to her. " Take care of yourself, okay ?"
She nodded. "I will. Bye bye."
As the bus pulled up, she waved at him with a soft smile, as he turns riding back to the restaurant.
Arriving at the office, she noticed how busy everyone was, moving around with files, typing rapidly, and whispering in groups.
She greeted them warmly, trying to ignore the way some of them exchanged strange glances although she wondered what was wrong.
What's going on?
When she got to her desk, confusion hit her like a slap.
Someone else was sitting there.
A young woman with fresh makeup and confident eyes.
"Excuse me..."
Lin Yue hesitated, just about to ask what was going on when she heard her leader's cold, authoritative voice from behind.
"Lin Yue, come to my office. Now!!"
She turned and followed him to his office.
The moment she stepped inside, she sensed something was wrong.
He leaned back in his leather chair, legs crossed, arms folded, a sneer on his face.
"You're fired," he said bluntly, tossing an envelope at her like she was some beggar.
The words hit her like a brick to the chest. Her vision blurred.
"W-What? Why?" she stammered.
He leaned forward, that disgusting smirk curling his lips. "Two days. You missed work for two days. That's the rule."
She opened her mouth to explain, to tell him she had taken leave, but then she saw it—the way his eyes roamed over her, dirty, greedy, disgusting.
It clicked.
She understood.
What else did she need to know?
She knew those eyes.
Very well.
She clenched her fists.
"Of course," he said slowly, voice dropping to a whisper, "if you really want to keep the job, you know what I want."
Her blood boiled.
Her stomach turned.
Her vision blurred.
She slowly removed her badge, her pride trembling in her hands. "Dream on," she spat. "I'd rather starve than sell myself to someone like you."
She grabbed the envelope and stormed out, trying to hold back the tears that blurred her vision.
Her friend, Zhizhi, had already packed her belongings, and as she collected them, her friend whispered, "I'm so sorry, Lin Yue."
She nodded stiffly. "Thank you."
---
Outside, the sky was bright and blue, mocking her.
She looked up as tears finally streamed down her cheeks.
She bit her lip, trying not to sob.
She didn't want to cry.
But the pain inside was unbearable.
Why... why does this always happen to me?
Why?
She squatted down on the pavement, arms wrapped around her knees as the tears fell freely.
Her heart ached, and the weight on her chest felt unbearable.
After a while, she stood, wiped her face roughly with her sleeve, and headed to the bus stop like a ghost moving through the world.
---
When she got home, she dropped everything, grabbed her wallet, and walked back out.
She went straight to the nearest store, ignoring the concerned looks of the cashier as she bought nearly ten cans of beer.
Back home, she sat on the floor of the living room, cracked open a can, and gulped it down.
The bitterness burned her throat, but it was nothing compared to the bitterness in her heart.
One drink turned to two.
Two turned to four.
Her cheeks were flushed, tears flowing freely now.
Her memories dragged her into the darkness she'd tried so hard to forget.
To ignore.
---
She was five again, clutching her favorite doll tightly.
Her sister reached for it.
"Give me."
"Give it to her," her mother barked.
"No... it's mine..." she had whispered.
Pain exploded in her thigh.
Her mother had pinched her hard, nails digging in.
"Selfish brat!" her mother hissed.
She'd cried the whole night in pain.
When she was seven, her brother came home after a fight.
Their father was furious.
"You didn't help him? You just stood there?" he shouted.
She tried to explain, but his slap silenced her.
"You're useless. Not even worth the food we feed you."
At ten, she'd forgotten to wash her brother's uniform.
That winter night, they drag her out and made her sleep outside.
No blanket.
Just a t-shirt.
The frost crept into her bones.
She cried, begged to be let in.
"Mama!! Mama!!... Open the door... Mama!!"
No one answered.
"Mama!!... I'm afraid... Mama!!"
She'd gotten sick. Fever. Cough.
But she still had to mop the floors, scrub the dishes.
They never cared.
When she was fourteen, she overheard them arguing.
"We never should have adopted that bastard!"
She froze behind the door.
Adopted.
So that was why.
All her life she had tried.
Cleaned the house.
Cooked meals.
Got good grades.
Smiled.
But it was never enough.
They hated her because she wasn't theirs.
Her neighbor, Mrs. Tang, was the only kind soul in her life.
She used to sneak food to her.
Sometimes a bun.
Sometimes leftover soup.
She'd smile and ruffle Lin Yue's hair.
"You're a good girl, Xiao Yue. One day, things will be better."
But when?
'When will things be better?' she cried to herself now, rocking back and forth on the cold floor.
Her job. Gone.
Her dignity. Threatened.
Her past. Haunting.
She looked around the empty apartment, beer cans surrounding her like broken pieces of herself.
'Why did my real parents abandon me?' she wondered. 'Did they hate me too?'
What did I do wrong?
Her sobs grew louder.
The pain spilled from her lips like poison.
Why was I even born?
The room echoed with her heartbreak, the sky outside growing darker as the sun dipped below the horizon.
She curled up on the floor, empty, broken, aching.
---