As September arrived, the relentless heat persisted, and Qiao Mo felt as though she were trapped in a cauldron of fire and water, her torment growing by the day. Though Manager Li never dared to truly violate her, sharing the same office day after day left her with no escape. His piercing stares and feigned accidental touches were enough to drive her to despair.
Clearly, Qiao Mo wasn't a clever or smooth operator, nor was she bold enough to confront anyone directly, no matter how furious she felt. At most, she'd give someone a cold look before swallowing her anger. Ultimately, lacking any backing, she had no confidence to fight back. She knew her own cowardice, despised it, and deep down, she was waiting for the day she'd finally reach her breaking point.
But before that day arrived, her only outlet was to pour out her troubles.
After entering her senior year of high school, Yi Tongxi often received texts from Qiao Mo, endlessly repeating her helplessness, frustration, and weariness, as if every event and person in her life was deliberately tormenting her. Yi Tongxi didn't know what to do either. She could only share her anger, unleashing a torrent of curses to offer her friend a momentary release.
But over time, even Yi Tongxi grew weary. She simply didn't have the time or energy to handle endless complaints about the same troubles. Eventually, she ran out of fresh words to comfort Qiao Mo.
One evening in early October, during the first self-study period, the teacher was in a meeting. Students worked on practice papers in the classroom. The entire senior class was unusually quiet. Without supervision, everyone still studied and did problems diligently, showing remarkable self-discipline.
Looking around, only Yi Tongxi was doing something else.
She pulled her buzzing phone from her desk drawer, glanced at the caller ID, and frowned involuntarily. After a few seconds of hesitation, she ducked behind a wall of textbooks and pressed the answer button.
"Hello."
"Xi Xi."
"What is it?"
"I really don't want to go to the company anymore," Qiao Mo said in a low voice. "Every day feels like going to prison. It's so painful. At lunch today, Manager Li served me food, and I felt utterly disgusted. But the others were actually laughing and cheering him on..."
For some reason, Yi Tongxi suddenly felt repulsed. She interrupted her sister in a tone bordering on coldness: "Sis, our teacher is coming."
Qiao Mo froze. "But your teacher was in a meeting, right? That's what your text said."
Yi Tongxi lied calmly. "The dean made a surprise inspection. I gotta go."
Qiao Mo fell silent for a moment before uttering a quiet "Oh" and ending the call.
Yi Tongxi exhaled, feeling strangely relieved.
By evening, that feeling had turned to guilt. Thinking about Qiao Mo's situation made her feel a bit bad, but telling the truth was just too exhausting—endless complaining wore her down. She felt useless for overthinking everything like this, convinced this indecisive nature would never let her accomplish anything significant.
Yi Yufei chuckled upon hearing this. "Cut it out. What big things do you think you're capable of? You don't know yourself very well, do you?"
Yi Tongxi's expression turned serious. "Seriously, I wasn't very nice just now. Do you think my sister might be upset?"
"Then let her be upset. You can't please everyone—no one can." He continued, "Sometimes, learning to say no is more important than reading people's faces. Stop playing the doormat. I want you to prioritize your own feelings. As for Qiao Mo, she needs to learn boundaries. No one owes her an emotional dumping ground, especially since complaining solves nothing. She needs to find her own solutions."
He then confiscated Yi Tongxi's phone. "You can't afford distractions until the college entrance exams are over. I'll hold onto this. If Qiao Mo calls, I'll explain the situation to her."
Yitongxi gasped in shock and immediately lunged forward to grab it. "My phone!"
"Not anymore," Yiyufei let her tug at him before pinching her cheek. "Be good. Listen to me."
Like hell I will...
"You're so annoying!"
Alright, she did hate him, but that long speech had eased her guilt somewhat. Still, she couldn't help but worry about Qiao Mo's feelings. So the next evening, she took the initiative to call her, hoping to make up for the previous night's mistake. Qiao Mo didn't say much, but hey, she wasn't stupid. Having sensed the annoyance, she naturally wouldn't keep pestering her with her own trivial matters.
Later, when Yi Tongxi asked Yi Yufei, she learned Qiao Mo had never sent another message or made another call to her phone.
If asked about her greatest regrets in life, this would surely rank among them. At her sister's most helpless moment, she had abandoned her. So much so that years later, when Qiao Mo returned to Wangjiang unrecognizable, Yi Tongxi asked herself: Had she been an accomplice, pushing her down this thorny path?
After all, some seemingly sudden changes had already shown signs long before they happened.
***
Around the Double Ninth Festival, the weather gradually turned cooler. It was during these days that Yi Tongxi heard news from Bai Lihua: Qiao Mo had been transferred from the Sales Department to work in the Purchasing Department.
That evening, her aunt called to complain: "Sales was the most promising path—full of learning opportunities and high pay. Top performers could earn eight or nine thousand a month. Now she's in procurement with no commissions, scraping by on just over three thousand. What was she thinking? Such a failure, wasting all my efforts."
Ever since Qiao Mo followed her south to Shenzhen, Auntie San had periodically vented to Bai Lihua, constantly complaining that Qiao Mo was socially inept, always quiet and reserved. Compared to the articulate girls in the company, she seemed like a lowly maid. There was no hope for her to rise up.
"As long as she's happy, why put so much pressure on her?" Bai Lihua countered. "Qiao Mo's personality just isn't suited for sales. You can't force someone into something they're not cut out for. Stop imposing your own expectations on her."
"How is that imposing? Should I just do nothing like her parents and let her waste her life away? If she ever gets her act together, she'll be grateful to me." "Auntie sighed. "How can one family have such different personalities? Qiao Mo really can't compare to Xixi in this regard. Girls should be more cheerful and know how to speak nicely to be likable."
Bai Lihua immediately warned, "Don't say these things in front of MoMo. It'll upset her."
Auntie replied, "Honest advice is hard to swallow. If she gets upset, there's nothing I can do about it."
Bai Lihua frowned. "Your mouth... Forget it. Last time you mentioned Mr. Feng—the boss at MoMo's company—seemed interested in her. What's the latest?"
"What else could happen? She got transferred to the purchasing department without consulting me. Clearly she got the boss to pull strings."
Bai Lihua stammered, "But... but isn't Mr. Feng married?"
Auntie San paused. "Sis, how can you still be so naive? Every wealthy man I know has a girlfriend on the side. Their wives turn a blind eye as long as it doesn't become public. Besides, Mr. Feng just likes chatting with Qiao Mo. They're just friends. Don't make such a fuss."
"What does Qiao Mo herself think about it?"
"Her? I've already talked it over with her. Honestly, she has no education, no experience, and her work skills are mediocre. Sure, she's pretty, but there are plenty of pretty girls out there. She's no goddess. Can she really make a living off her looks? She'd be better off seizing this opportunity to gain some real benefits for herself. Besides, Mr. Feng is my friend. He won't treat her unfairly. Otherwise, without even a high school diploma, what future does she have? But it seems that girl isn't completely thick-headed after all. She finally got the hint."
"You... you..." Bai Lihua was so furious she couldn't speak.
How could you teach her to become a mistress? A mistress?!
Good heavens, she nearly blurted out, but fearing she might step on Bai Lifen's landmine and spark another argument, she forced herself to hold back. The pent-up frustration choked her, and a wave of dizziness washed over her.
It was Yi Tongxi who had overheard most of the conversation. Deeply concerned, she quietly called Qiao Mo late at night to check on her.
Qiao Mo had already fallen asleep when the call came through. She stirred groggily, her voice cool but clear and composed: "I just wanted to get away from those disgusting people in the business department. Now I have. I don't want to say much else. I'm tired, Xixi."
"Sis," she asked cautiously, "are you happy now?"
"It's okay. Happier than before. The work is easy, the people are straightforward, and Mr. Feng pays me extra. He rescued me from hell, and I'm grateful. Auntie San always looked down on me, but I don't need her approval anymore."
After that night, a period of calm followed. Yi Tongxi didn't call Qiao Mo again, and Qiao Mo didn't contact anyone from her family. Life went on as usual.
Until the Spring Festival arrived.