Chapter 3: The Family's 800 Mu of Fertile Land Was Requisitioned

"YAWN!" Liu Yiyi let out a yawn.

She had met up with a close friend who knew about her divorce last night. They ended up chatting late into the night without realizing it, and by the time she got home, washed up, and went to bed, it was already 1:00 AM. She arrived at the office right on the dot.

A female colleague she was on good terms with teased, "Sister, did you get a present?"

"What?" Confused, she sat down at her desk and noticed a shoebox.

She opened it. Inside was a pair of pink-and-white collaborative Air Jordans.

Noticing the strange looks from her colleagues nearby, Liu Yiyi feigned composure and said, "Wearing high heels these past few days has made my feet hurt, so I'm keeping a spare pair of shoes in the office. If you guys have time to gossip, you might as well think about your upcoming tasks."

Since they all worked in Human Resources, everyone was naturally good at reading the room. Coupled with the fact that Liu Yiyi was the director, the group quickly scattered.

Liu Yiyi turned on her computer, somewhat absentminded. She had guessed who the shoes were from. The gift was actually chosen perfectly—neither too expensive nor too cheap, yet thoughtful. But the problem was... Forget it! She forced herself into work mode.

At 10:30 AM, after finishing her current tasks, Liu Yiyi finally sent a message to the restless Su Yunzhou.

[Thank you for the gift.]

Another message immediately popped up in the chat box.

[Sister Liu, I wasn't sure about the size. It's the size the clerk recommended. If it doesn't fit, I'll have to trouble you to make a trip to exchange it.]

Seeing this message, she imagined him going to a women's shoe store and asking about sizes. A slight flutter stirred in Liu Yiyi's heart, but as a seasoned HR director, reason told her what she should do next.

[I accept this gift, but only because of what happened yesterday. Do you understand what I mean by this?]

Seeing this message, Su Yunzhou's suspicion became a reality. At the same time, he cursed himself for being foolish and not thinking things through. The mindset of a mature woman was vastly different from that of a young girl. Realizing where the problem lay, he replied:

[Sorry! I know what to do now!]

After this message was sent, Liu Yiyi did not reply. She put down her phone and immersed herself in her work.

As noon approached, she stretched lazily, revealing the firm midriff she had sculpted through long-term yoga practice.

"Sister Liu, what are we having for lunch?"

"What do you guys want to eat?"

Liu Yiyi then noticed a red notification dot on her work email. She clicked it open. It was a resignation letter. The applicant—Su Yunzhou.

A look of surprise appeared on her face; she hadn't expected things to turn out like this.

"Sister Liu, what's wrong?"

"Su Yunzhou from Design Group 3 applied for resignation."

"Huh! Su Yunzhou? The most handsome guy in the design department?"

Qing furrowed her delicate brows. As HR, the last thing they liked dealing with was a sudden resignation.

Liu Yiyi's expression returned to normal. She stood up and said, "Let's go. We'll have lunch first. You can talk to him this afternoon. I heard Su Yunzhou's work performance is quite good, so see if there's a chance to retain him."

"Okay!" Qing nodded.

During the lunch break.

Several urban white-collar workers chatted and laughed while eating their simple meals. Liu Yiyi appeared perfectly normal—joking, socializing, and looking calm on the surface. But in reality, Su Yunzhou's image grew increasingly clear in her mind. Sometimes, the more one suppressed a thought, the more it lingered. However, as an elite professional, hiding her emotions had become instinctual. It was just that time seemed to drag on exceptionally slowly today.

Back in the office, Liu Yiyi closed her eyes to rest. Her fluttering eyelashes were enough to show that her heart wasn't as tranquil as her calm facade suggested.

In the afternoon, she forced herself to start working, but the usually familiar data seemed exceptionally unruly today.

Finally, she managed to endure until Qing walked back in from outside.

"Sister! I'm here to report on Su Yunzhou's situation."

Liu Yiyi's slender, jade-like fingers flew across the keyboard with a CLACK CLACK CLACK. "Hold on a second! I'm almost done."

Two minutes later, Liu Yiyi looked up. "How did it go?"

"We can't keep him!" Qing shook her head. "He's very satisfied with the company. The resignation is purely for personal reasons."

Liu Yiyi gave a slight nod. "Oh?"

A gleam of amusement flashed in Qing's eyes. "I don't know if it's true or false, but he said that eight hundred acres of his family's prime farmland were expropriated by the government. He can support himself without having to work."

Liu Yiyi frowned. She thought, "His ex-girlfriend left him for a guy whose property was demolished and compensated. Now he's claiming the same thing happened to him. What on earth is he thinking?"

But Qing's next words caused her expression to change. Raising her voice slightly, Qing wore a gossipy look on her face.

"Sister, he also gave a second reason. You'll never guess!

"He said the company doesn't allow office romances, and since he just broke up and has no social life outside of work, so..."

Liu Yiyi didn't hear the rest of the sentence. She took a deep breath, suppressing her turbulent thoughts, and said deeply, "If we can't keep him... then forget it. Get back to work!"

In Design Group 3.

The news of Su Yunzhou's resignation was naturally known to the entire office. Everyone was especially interested in the "eight hundred acres of prime farmland" after learning the reason.

The team leader looked a bit regretful. Su Yunzhou's work ability was very strong, and as a young man, he was very receptive to advice. "Su, what are your plans next?"

Su Yunzhou smiled and replied, "The world is so big; I want to go out and see it."

Another colleague joked, "Brother Su, then you have to treat us to a big feast before you leave."

"No problem. Once the procedures are done and the time is set, I'll treat the department to a nice meal!"

"Awesome!"

"Brother Su is so generous!"

At this moment, a female colleague who had a secret crush on Su Yunzhou took advantage of the lively atmosphere to ask carefully, "Brother Su, did you really break up?"

Su Yunzhou admitted it openly, "Yeah! It's a pity she didn't wait until my family's prime farmland was expropriated."

The crowd had initially been a bit tense, feeling that the young woman had misspoken. But hearing Su Yunzhou's response, they immediately joined in on the joke.

"What a shame! If she knew, she would definitely be green with regret!"

"Yeah! That's what you call a truly missed opportunity!"

Amid everyone's banter, it was soon time to get off work. Su Yunzhou had a full meal and returned home. It wasn't until 9:00 PM that he finally received a WeChat message from Liu Yiyi. Before he could even reply, the message was immediately recalled.

"TSK, TSK, TSK!" He smacked his lips and pondered for a moment. Instead of replying on WeChat, he opened Little Blue Book and posted a moment.

[The world is so big; I want to go out and see it.]

The attached image was a photo of his office cubicle. Afterward, he put down his phone and leisurely drifted off to sleep.

At Yujing Bay.

Liu Yiyi lay on her stomach on the wide, soft bed. Her fair arms propped up her delicate chin, and her large, phoenix-like eyes occasionally glanced at the phone in front of her.

She was wearing a white silk nightgown. The fabric was soft, delicate, and incredibly comfortable. However, the hem was a bit short, just barely covering her plump and rounded rear. Her long, pale legs were fully exposed, looking so alluring that if anyone saw her, they would likely suffer a nosebleed.

After waiting for a long time, she still hadn't received a reply from a certain someone. There wasn't even a "typing..." indicator.

"He's not playing by the rules," she murmured.

She rolled over, revealing a magnificent view that no one was there to appreciate. She opened Little Blue Book. There were quite a few comments in the notification tab. Although she didn't reply, she would always take a quick look.

Among her new followers was an account named "A Leaf-like Boat." Looking at the profile picture, it seemed this person had also sent a private message. After clicking to view the user's post, she froze for a moment. She silently read the text twice. Staring at the familiar photo of the office cubicle, a profound smile curled the corners of her lips.

She found the private message and replied:

[Keep it up! Living well in the present is the best farewell to the past.]

After sending the message, she set down her phone. Clamping a plush toy between her long, beautiful legs, she finally felt a trace of drowsiness.