"What do you mean?"
"You understand criminal law. You know the consequences of assaulting a minor, so I know you definitely wouldn't do something like that."
'I felt a little helpless. It was clearly a matter of my upstanding character, so how did it get twisted into me just being deterred by the law?'
"I'm going to wash up and head to my room."
He retreated to his room to let the girl wash up. Even though she was still a kid, she was a 167-centimeter-tall kid, after all. It was best to be discreet.
The next morning, Yang Hui stretched, got out of bed, and slipped on his slippers, ready to head out of his room when he suddenly remembered what happened last night.
He rubbed his eyes and plopped right back down on the bed.
'Yesterday, on an impulse, his compassion got the better of him and he let Wenren Du'Er stay. But what was he supposed to do today?'
'It wasn't exactly proper for a young girl like her to be staying with him all the time.'
He straightened his clothes and pulled the door open.
He was immediately met with the aroma of rice porridge.
He didn't usually cook, but he had all the basic kitchenware and staples like rice and cooking oil.
He peeked out and saw Wenren Du'Er, who had just spotted him from the kitchen.
"Dad, I made some porridge. Do you want to eat now?"
She'd already gotten used to calling him that. He nodded and went to wash up.
'No wonder so many families want a daughter these days,' he thought. 'They really are thoughtful.' Not only had she made breakfast, but he also saw that she had tidied up the messy living room.
Yang Hui didn't normally cook, so all he had in the kitchen were some pickled mustard greens and eggs.
Breakfast was a simple meal of rice porridge with pickled vegetables and a boiled egg for each of them.
"Du'Er, I'll find some time today to look for a children's home for you."
Wenren Du'Er, who had been eating her porridge, stiffened at his words. She lowered her head and said nothing.
A moment later, he looked over and saw tears trickling down her flawless, delicate cheeks.
'Why do I feel like I'm the one abusing a child here?' he thought.
"Given your situation, wouldn't a children's home be the best option?"
She looked up, her expression full of hurt. "Dad, are you abandoning me, too?"
Seeing her red-rimmed eyes and her thin shoulders trembling, Yang Hui just couldn't bring himself to be firm.
That one word she used—"too"—made his heart wrench.
'How heartless could her parents be, to abandon such a well-behaved daughter?'
"Du'Er, I'm not trying to kick you out. I just don't think it's good for you to be living with me."
"But I am good! This feels like a home. No one hits or yells at me, and someone actually cares about me. This is the warmest place I've ever been."
As she spoke, Yang Hui stared into her eyes and saw that she was being completely sincere. To be so easily satisfied… it was a testament to how much hardship the child must have endured in the past.
He had a weakness: he couldn't stand seeing girls cry. Sometimes he wondered if he was the reincarnation of Bao Yu.
"Alright, how about this? You can stay here for a few more days and think things over. See if you can find a better arrangement. If not, you can just make do here for now. Is that okay?"
"Okay." Her face still streaked with tears, she nodded vigorously.
"You're the best dad."
'I really don't want to be the good guy,' he thought, shaking his head. 'But alas, I'm just too soft-hearted.'
It occurred to him that he knew nothing about her schooling. When he asked, he learned that she was a first-year student at Qingzhou Eighth Middle School.
'So she's only thirteen?'
The school was six or seven kilometers away. She must have been chased by that gang of punks all the way here last night.
He checked the time. "Du'Er, I'll take you to school in a taxi in a bit."
It was already 7:00, and she probably had to be at school before 8:00.
"Dad, it's okay, we can walk. I'm a really fast walker."
"No need. I'm heading to work anyway, so I can drop you off. I'll pick you up after school tonight, too."
He was worried those punks would harass her again. He hadn't expected to fall into the role of a father so quickly.
Wenren Du'Er's face lit up with joy, but then it crumpled into a worried frown. "Dad, won't it make you late for work?"
He shook his head, not telling her that he was already planning to resign.
After breakfast, Wenren Du'Er dutifully cleaned up and washed the dishes, then followed Yang Hui out to catch a taxi.
-----------------
Ruijing Trading Co., Ltd. Work started at 9:00 AM.
Because he had dropped off Wenren Du'Er, Yang Hui arrived at the office at 8:20 AM.
He started organizing his work. He needed to hand off his current projects before he could resign.
He had already made up his mind. No matter what the payout from the "Unemployment Benefits" system was, he had to give it a shot. An opportunity like this wouldn't come again.
As for career advancement, he was still young. There would be other opportunities.
What Zhang Chun had said yesterday also served as a wake-up call. Whether he was at Ruijing Commerce or not, his connections with the higher-ups would still be there. With those connections, he could do a good job at any company.
So, what was there to worry about? He had a way forward and a way out.
He had to submit his resignation as soon as possible.
The "Unemployment Benefits" system required him to be unemployed within seven days.
However, the normal resignation process took a month after submitting the request. He would have to have a good talk with President Zhao about it and hope for his understanding and help.
President Zhao was the regional general manager who was about to retire. He had always looked out for Yang Hui, and he had been the one to strongly encourage him to try for the headquarters interview.
He finished preparing his resignation letter and checked the time: 9:30 AM.
It was strange. Usually by this time, his team members would have started coming in to give reports, and managers from other departments would occasionally stop by to coordinate. Today, it was eerily quiet.
He got up, opened the door, and headed for President Zhao's office.
"Manager Yang."
"Morning, Manager Yang."
'They were greeting him, but why were their expressions so odd?' he wondered. 'It was a look of pity mixed with... anticipation?'
Shaking his head, he arrived at President Zhao's office and found the door ajar.
"Is President Zhao busy?"
President Zhao's assistant had a desk right outside his door.
The assistant replied, "He's on the phone. Should I call you when he's finished?"
He nodded and went back to his own office to wait.
On the way, he ran into the IT department manager. Seeing Yang Hui, the man sneered, "Some people have no self-awareness. They pretend to be so tough, but I wonder how long that will last."
Yang Hui gave him a cool glance. 'Where did he get the nerve to talk to me like that?'
'In a retail company, the IT department is as peripheral as it gets. For him to dare speak to the head of Operations like that... did he have a death wish?'
Yang Hui knew why the man resented him.
He'd heard the man was pursuing Yang Na, but she wasn't interested in him and was always in Yang Hui's office instead. He'd been holding a grudge about it ever since.
'Damn it, I'm the one being wronged here,' he fumed silently. 'Yang Na is my subordinate. Isn't it perfectly normal for her to report to me? Although, she does come by a bit more often than the others...'
"Speaking of which, it's good I ran into you. The store's cash registers have all been lagging lately, and it's seriously affecting checkout efficiency. I'll be sending an email shortly demanding that your department fix all of them today. I'll be CC'ing President Zhao."