PSMD – Chapter 140

Qiu Yang wrote her resignation letter during the lunch break. She used the office printer and bought an envelope from the stationery store downstairs. After putting the papers inside and writing “Resignation Application” on the cover, she slowly exhaled.

She didn’t want to be passive anymore; she wanted to take control.

So she went to see Duan Qingzhu. The moment she placed the resignation letter on Manager Duan’s desk, she saw a flicker of surprise on Manager Duan’s calm face. Still, she composed herself and said, “Manager Duan, this is my resignation letter.”

“Why?” Manager Duan was well aware of Qiu Yang’s work ability and knew that Qiu Yang had no reason to resign.

Resigning less than a week after being promoted? Was that reasonable?

It wasn’t.

So, without waiting for Qiu Yang’s answer, Manager Duan remembered Wen Yuan’s instructions and couldn’t help but frown. “Did another company offer better terms?”

Qiu Yang’s eyelids lifted slightly. “Manager Duan, I don’t think that’s necessary to tell you.”

She straightened her back. “Once the higher-ups confirm it, I will go to the HR department for the handover.”

“…Alright.” Seeing Qiu Yang’s firm attitude, Manager Duan felt a headache coming on. Qiu Yang didn’t resign when Qu Yan was here, so why did she want to resign now that she had arrived?

Manager Duan was momentarily lost in thought, then picked up the resignation letter and went to Wen Yuan’s office.

Wen Yuan looked at the name at the bottom and his eyebrow twitched. He couldn’t quite understand. “Why did she suddenly resign?”

Manager Duan shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Wen Yuan tapped his fingers on the desk repeatedly, his expression unrelaxed. He said to Manager Duan, “You can go down first.”

“Okay.” Manager Duan breathed a sigh of relief.

The office fell silent, but Wen Yuan was unusually nervous, his palms sweating. He stared intently at the envelope on his desk, hesitated for a long time, and finally opened it.

Inside lay a folded piece of paper. He held his breath, took out the paper, and slowly unfolded it.

This was not a resignation letter—

【If President Qiu doesn’t want to see me, I can leave.】

【Qiu Yang.】

Wen Yuan clenched the paper, finally realizing where the problem lay. He had never thought Qiu Yang would guess this, as the probability was so small it could be ignored.

But Qiu Yang had guessed it.

Wen Yuan stood up abruptly. Clenching the paper, he strode out.

He went straight to Qiu Yang’s office, but where was Qiu Yang?

“Department Head Qi.” Wen Yuan remembered that Qi Rong had a good relationship with Qiu Yang, so he asked her directly, “Do you know where Department Head Qiu is?”

“President Wen.”

“Yang… Department Head Qiu said she wasn’t feeling well and went home.”

The paper was crumpled into a ball in Wen Yuan’s hand. Hearing Qi Rong’s words, his lips tightened further. He then thanked Qi Rong and walked out again.

Qi Rong was a bit confused but also relieved. She opened her WeChat chat with Qiu Yang and typed a line: 【Yangyang, President Wen came asking for you. I told him what you instructed.】

【Thank you, Sister Qi.】Qiu Yang replied instantly.

Qi Rong didn’t know what play was being staged, but having been friends with Qiu Yang for so long, she just needed to cooperate. As usual, she opened the anonymous company gossip group and saw someone had posted about the matter.

【Did you hear? Department Head Qiu submitted her resignation application.】

Someone below was confused:

【No way? Department Head Qiu just got promoted, how could she resign!】

【If it’s true, then what happened? She has no reason to resign.】

The person who first posted replied again: 【Who says there’s no reason?】

【Then what’s the reason?】

【Unhappy, maybe.】

Qi Rong looked at these messages and fell into thought.

She hadn’t known about Qiu Yang submitting her resignation application, but she had seen Manager Duan take an envelope out. Now Wen Yuan had come to ask about Qiu Yang’s whereabouts, which almost confirmed that Qiu Yang indeed intended to resign.

But if even she didn’t know about it, how many people would?

Qi Rong didn’t think the poster was Manager Duan, nor did she think it was Qiu Yang, but it definitely had something to do with Qiu Yang.

Moreover, Qiu Yang had indeed shown significant emotional changes. She was fine before the business trip, but after returning yesterday, she was like a wilted flower.

But she was right; the idea of spreading the news in such a gossip group was indeed related to Qiu Yang.

Qiu Yang had approached Gu Lan. Although Gu Lan didn’t know the exact reason, she did as Qiu Yang asked. To thank her, Qiu Yang even bought her bubble tea.

Gu Lan immediately said, “Sister Xiao Qiu! You’re too kind! I’m coming to play with Pingzi this week!”

Qiu Yang smiled and agreed. But she was already home by then. She sent Gu Lan a video of Pingzi, then looked up at the time, her brow furrowing slightly.

Wen Yuan still hadn’t called her.

Wen Yuan was anxious about Qiu Yang’s departure. He was currently brainstorming and didn’t stay at the company. He went downstairs, got in his car, and drove straight to where Qiu Yang lived.

She was his sister. He had been observing her secretly for so long, he knew her address; it was in the employee file.

Forty minutes later, the car stopped outside the complex. The security guard found his face somewhat familiar and stopped him. He reported Qiu Yang’s name and apartment number before being allowed in.

As he walked inside, he called Qiu Yan. As soon as she answered, he said, with rare panic, “She knows.”

“She wants to leave.”

“Have you talked to your sister?” Qiu Yan’s voice was slow and leisurely, carrying an inherent elegance.

Wen Yuan arrived downstairs. “Not yet. She submitted her resignation. It turns out she knew about this relationship all along, but the fact that you didn’t see her yesterday hurt her.”

“I know,” Qiu Yan said, pausing. “Go talk to her.”

Wen Yuan was already in the elevator. “Okay.”

After hanging up the phone, his thoughts finally returned to normal. He watched the numbers on the elevator display jump, starting to think about how to begin the conversation later.

But Qiu Yang wasn’t home.

He knocked on the door and rang the doorbell, but it was quiet inside. Finally, a neighbor uncle came out and reminded him, “Young man, the girl who rented here before has already moved out.”

“Moved out?” Wen Yuan’s brow furrowed again.

The uncle nodded. “Yes, it’s been a while.”

“Thank you, Uncle.” Wen Yuan turned around and pressed the down button for the elevator.

After eating an apple, Qiu Yang received a call from Wen Yuan. She didn’t answer immediately. After five or six seconds, she picked up her phone and put it to her ear. “Hello? President Wen.”

“…Jie.”

“Mom didn’t mean she didn’t want to see you. The business trip was arranged by me. She really wanted to see you.”

Wen Yuan no longer hid anything. This “Jie” was louder and more determined than the last time, though the subsequent explanation carried a hint of anxiety.

Qiu Yang pretended not to understand. “President Wen, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Where are you now?” Wen Yuan paused. “I just came to Tianyu Complex. The neighbor said you moved out.”

Qiu Yang glanced out the window. “Don’t trouble yourself. I don’t want to see you, or any of you, right now.”

After saying that, she hung up the phone and let out a weary sigh.

In the afternoon, Shen Ningruo received a message from Qiu Yang. She wasn’t surprised by what Qiu Yang had done, because that was Qiu Yang’s style.

She didn’t care about anything else; she only felt for Qiu Yang.

Qiu Yang hadn’t had an easy life for the past twenty-something years. Even when things got better later, it was all thanks to herself, having nothing to do with her mother or her brother. And now? She knew her mother was living well, but the other party was avoiding seeing her…

Shen Ningruo put herself in Qiu Yang’s shoes and felt suffocated.

This was no different from being abandoned again.

After Shen Ningruo got off work and came home, she hugged Qiu Yang for a long time.

Last night, she had noticed Qiu Yang was down but didn’t know why, so she didn’t say much.

Now that she knew the reason, she felt choked up again, unsure what to say.

She had once wished that Qiu Yang would one day see her mother again, but now it seemed that wish had come true, but the outcome was far from satisfactory.

Qiu Yang’s lips curved up. “It’s okay, don’t worry about me.”

Shen Ningruo stroked her face. “How can I not worry?”

Qiu Yang’s eyes curved into crescents. “But worrying won’t help much. I’ll probably see them tomorrow. I think I’ll be very clear-headed.”

“I know.” Shen Ningruo simply cupped Qiu Yang’s face and rested her forehead against Qiu Yang’s, saying nothing more.

Qiu Yang was right. The next morning, Wen Yuan called her again, asking if she would be willing to have lunch together.

Of course, it wouldn’t just be the two siblings; their mother, Qiu Yan, would also be there.

Qiu Yang didn’t hesitate. “Okay.”

She didn’t go to work that morning, taking leave directly with Manager Duan. Anyway, she was leaving soon, so it didn’t matter if she was a little willful.

The restaurant was the same one Wen Yuan had booked last time. Since there were only three of them, he booked a relatively large private room.

It was a round table, already set with dishes that looked very appetizing.

Qiu Yang was the last to arrive. The waiter led her to the private room door, pushed it open, and closed it after she walked in.

Wen Yuan turned his head when he heard the movement. He was a little nervous, showing Qiu Yang a smile, and said again, “Jie.”

“President Wen, I’ve only ever had one cousin since I was little. Although he’s a piece of work, I don’t have any other brothers.” Qiu Yang chose to sit across from them.

Wen Yuan’s face stiffened, and then he heard his mother speak from beside him. “He is your brother.”

“Then did you ever treat me as your daughter?” Qiu Yang’s lips twitched.

Qiu Yan was in her late forties, almost fifty, but due to good maintenance, she looked much younger than her actual age. Even so, Qiu Yang still saw the faint fine lines around her eyes.

But that wasn’t the main point; it was her strong demeanor.

Qiu Yang knew this powerful aura came from Qiu Yan having built her career for so many years.

“Naturally, I did,” Qiu Yan replied, her expression unchanged.

Qiu Yang chuckled. “If you didn’t say that, I would have thought you forgot about me.”

“Although it’s pretty much the same as forgetting me.”

Her words were barbed, and anyone present who wasn’t deaf could hear them clearly.

Qiu Yan sighed softly. “Yang…”

“President Qiu.” Qiu Yang interrupted her, took a card from her bag, and placed it on the lazy Susan. “I know you don’t lack this bit of money, but please accept this card.”

Wen Yuan was a little confused. “Jie, what are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious what I’m doing?” Qiu Yang looked at her mother’s condescending posture, her lips curving up a little more, but the smile was full of bitterness. “I think I’ve made myself very clear.”

Wen Yuan wasn’t stupid. “Jie… I only found out you were my sister recently. I really want to acknowledge you as my sister. Mom, she…”

“She’s too busy, but she also really wants to see you.”

Wen Yuan’s face flushed slightly. He only felt powerless now.

He had few friends growing up, and coming home meant facing empty, spacious rooms. But it turned out he had a sister, and his desire to connect with her was very strong.

Qiu Yan watched the card on the lazy Susan. It had passed in front of her eyes and was now turning back towards Qiu Yang.

Qiu Yang tried hard to pinch her thigh to keep herself clear-headed.

She looked at the eyebrows of Qiu Yan and Wen Yuan, which bore some resemblance, and let out a soft laugh.

“President Qiu, I don’t know how much money you gave me back then, because most of it went into my uncle and aunt’s pockets. But let’s calculate it at ten thousand a year.”

“I started working part-time in high school and haven’t taken a single cent from my uncle and aunt since, but I can include that too.”

“I’ll be 25 in a few months. I’ve rounded it up for you. There’s 250,000 in this card. I know you have a lot of money and look down on this mere 250,000, but I hope President Qiu can accept it and give me back the status of not having a mother, okay? I’ll just pretend you never appeared before me.”

“Yangyang.” Qiu Yan’s eyes were slightly red. “You started working part-time in high school?”

Qiu Yang scoffed. “What else?”

“I thought you were doing well.”

Qiu Yang was so angered by her words that she laughed. She couldn’t maintain her composure anymore, and her expression lost its control. “You thought…? Did I hear that right, President Qiu?”

“If you knew how many times I was beaten and bled, you wouldn’t say such a thing.”

“Thanks to your brother and sister-in-law—no, now including you—I don’t even want to have the surname ‘Qiu’ anymore.”