Chapter 8

A few minutes later, the car arrived at Zhuangyuan Academy.

Parking by the roadside, Chen Feng turned his head and said, "Get out. Try not to go out alone at night in the future. It's not safe for a girl, you know?"

This time, Qin Xiaorou didn't retort. She just said, "Since you're worried about my safety, why don't you come and play with me? I usually go to the arcade when I go out alone, not anywhere else."

Chen Feng thought to himself, "I'm not your dad. I just said that out of concern for you, as a senior to a junior."

So, Chen Feng said straightforwardly, "I don't have the time. Get out of the car. Take care of yourself in the future."

Qin Xiaorou pouted and said, "Hypocrite," then took out her phone and opened WeChat, saying, "Scan me."

Chen Feng hesitated for a moment but still took out his new phone and scanned her. The friend request was quickly accepted. Chen Feng noted her as "Wild Girl," and Qin Xiaorou noted him as "Uncle."

"Uncle, will you come out to play with me if I call you in the future?" Qin Xiaorou suddenly asked in a pitifully small voice.

Chen Feng wasn't going to be fooled by her tricks. This wild girl was very mischievous. However, he couldn't outright refuse her, or she might not let it go.

So, Chen Feng said evasively, "We'll see. I might not have the time."

"Are you rejecting me?" Qin Xiaorou tilted her head, glaring at him, and pouted, looking a bit cute.

Chen Feng smiled and said, "I said I might not have the time. I have a job, a wife, and kids. It's rare for me to have free time."

"You're lying." Qin Xiaorou said with a look of disdain, "We played games all night, and no one called you. You're just a bachelor, aren't you? What wife and kids?"

Chen Feng was speechless. Are kids these days so perceptive?

After being exposed, Chen Feng didn't want to continue lying. It was pointless.

"Alright, alright. I'm a bachelor, okay? If we have the chance, we'll meet again. Now, get out of the car and go home."

"Hmph! I'll get out if I want to."

Qin Xiaorou seemed to be pouting, and she opened the car door and got out.

Chen Feng didn't leave immediately. He watched her storm off toward the gate of Zhuangyuan Academy, swinging the large plastic bag in her hand as if to vent her anger. He couldn't help but find it a bit amusing.

This girl, though a bit unruly, was actually quite cute. If he had a daughter like her, he would definitely take good care of her. Unfortunately, that was unlikely to happen in his life.

Thinking about this, Chen Feng suddenly felt a bit resentful toward Qin Xiaorou's parents.

It was late at night, and their daughter was out playing, yet they didn't seem to care. That was a serious lack of responsibility.

He watched Qin Xiaorou walk into the gate of Zhuangyuan Academy before starting the car and leaving.

What he didn't know was that as he drove away, Qin Xiaorou, who had not looked back, turned around and stood there, watching his car drive away with a reluctant gaze.

Back at the rental apartment, he took a shower and then lay down to sleep. Suddenly, Chen Feng realized that he hadn't experienced any nausea, vomiting, or headaches in the past two days.

Chen Feng thought carefully and realized it seemed to have started after the divorce.

Before the divorce, even when they were processing the divorce at the Civil Affairs Bureau, he still had a slight headache.

After getting the divorce certificate, the headache seemed to disappear, and he had been having a string of good luck ever since.

The past two days had been nothing short of magical.

Chen Feng was very confused by his good luck. It was so unreasonable and even a bit eerie.

However, since he believed he only had a few months to live, he was quite open-minded about it and wasn't afraid. Good luck was better than bad luck. If it weren't for his terminal illness, he might be dreaming with a smile on his face.

Relaxing, he had a good night's sleep. Compared to his frequent insomnia in the past, his sleep quality had been exceptionally good these past two days. It was surprisingly good.

He woke up around 7 in the morning, which was his biological clock.

Usually, he would rush to get up, wash up, and then hurry to work, as his work started at 8, and it took about 20 minutes to ride his bike there.

His ex-wife, Shen Lin, had it much easier. She worked for a public institution, officially starting at 9, but it wasn't considered late if she arrived at 9:30. Her job was easy, and the benefits were very good. Besides the standard five insurances and one fund, the unit often distributed welfare, including food and other necessities, and there was a large bonus at the end of the year.

Chen Feng, the hardworking office worker, could only envy and resent her. More importantly, he often faced difficulties at work, which led to his constant frustration and a rather depressed state over the past two years.

It was no wonder that the relationship between him and Shen Lin had become increasingly strained.

Initially, she had been attracted to Chen Feng because he was very handsome, standing at 1.78 meters tall, a basketball enthusiast, and could do 100 push-ups a day. He was considered a campus heartthrob in college and maintained a good physique.

Don't say that women don't care about a man's appearance; that's only true when there's no choice or if the man is very wealthy. Otherwise, it's just nonsense.

Men and women are both visual creatures. Men are attracted to beautiful women, and women are equally attracted to handsome men.

Chen Feng was a handsome man back then, even though he had no money or property. However, his job wasn't bad, earning him about 7,000 to 8,000 yuan a month, and he was favored by his superiors, with a quick promotion and raise in salary.

Shen Lin was attracted to him because of these combined factors. After two years of dating, she ignored her family's opposition and insisted on marrying him.

However, soon after their marriage, Chen Feng suffered a significant setback in his career. The leader who had favored him fell seriously ill and resigned. The new leader, who was a bitter rival, began to marginalize and oppress Chen Feng.

First, they seized on a minor mistake in his work, demoted him from deputy manager to a regular employee, and then assigned him the most challenging cases in the company. Naturally, he couldn't handle them, and he was reprimanded.

At this point, Chen Feng couldn't take it anymore and prepared to resign. However, his resignation was approved, but he had to pay a breach of contract fee. The reason was that he had signed a five-year contract with the company and had only been there for three years.

According to the contract, if Chen Feng resigned early, he had to pay the company 100,000 yuan for the training expenses they had incurred.

When he joined the company, they had sent him to a professional training institution for two months, but the 100,000 yuan fee was exaggerated.

This so-called training fee was just a pretext; it was actually a breach of contract fee, a way to circumvent relevant laws.

However, those who were sent for training by the company were all highly regarded and key talents. Therefore, such a clause in the contract was normal. Otherwise, if the company trained you and you resigned shortly after, it would benefit other companies.

Moreover, the clause was mutual. If the company terminated an employee within the five-year period, they also had to pay a 50,000 yuan breach of contract fee.

Although it was somewhat unequal, such contracts were still considered fair in the current labor market. All those who were sent for training signed the contract without exception.

Chen Feng, of course, couldn't afford to pay the 100,000 yuan breach of contract fee, so he had to stay at the company, where he was quickly marginalized. Over the next few months, he rapidly became depressed, and his weight increased, turning him into the fat man he is now.