After that "high-voltage emotional breakdown performance" witnessed by the entire company, not only was Su Rui not fired—she was granted a full week of leave.
Seven days. Personally approved by the CEO himself.
When HR handed her the signed leave form, she nearly laughed out loud. From her Oscar-worthy breakdown to the perfectly timed paperwork, everything had fallen into place so smoothly, even she had to admit—it was worth the act.
Of course, the price was yet another wave of juicy gossip rippling through the company.
The side effects were obvious—
In the pantry and hallways, rumors were blooming like weeds. No one dared to say anything to her face, but whispers behind her back never stopped.
"Did you hear? Sister Lin got her leave approved—by the CEO himself!"
"For real? I thought she'd get fired for that whole scene!"
"Maybe there's more to her than we thought… what if she used to have something going on with the CEO?"
Su Rui let the rumors wash over her without a flinch. She'd been through worse in the entertainment world—dozens of scandals, some true, most not. This was nothing new.
But amidst the noise, one small detail caught her attention.
While submitting her leave form, she had casually pulled up Lin Yueying's attendance records. That's when she saw it—the last recorded leave was five years ago.
A single entry. Reason: wedding.
Su Rui frowned.
"One leave in five years… and for a wedding?"
"For someone as cautious and routine-driven as Lin Yueying to request time off—it must've been someone very important."
That thought planted itself in her mind like a seed—and began to grow.
She didn't try to pry directly. After all, she was still "Lin Yueying." Saying too much risked revealing herself. And conveniently, because of her sudden rise to "CEO-approved cleaner" status, others had started speculating on her past.
So she changed her strategy.
She listened.
Slowed her steps around break rooms. Lingered by open doors with a mop in hand. Hung around near corners where voices echoed.
And she heard plenty.
"I heard she used to be married to some gang boss. When he got locked up, she went low-profile and started cleaning jobs."
"No way, I heard she was a CEO of a listed company. Got framed, lost everything, and ended up here."
"C'mon, have you seen how she fumbles with her phone? No way she was a CEO!"
Su Rui had to stop herself from rolling her eyes out loud.
The stories got more ridiculous by the day. But in the middle of those absurdities, she could feel something real—something buried deep.
Lin Yueying… wasn't ordinary.
She was quiet. Kept her head down. Didn't talk much, didn't socialize. But somehow, people noticed her. Like a tree growing quietly in a corner—steadily, firmly rooted.
Su Rui sat in the cleaner's break room, flipping through a copy of that old leave form, lost in thought.
"Who is she, really?"
"A woman who even asks for time off with such caution… what is she hiding?"
She had promised to help her fulfill three wishes in exchange for getting her own life back.
But now it seemed—those wishes were tied to a past far more complex than she had imagined.
"A fifty-something woman with dreams of waltzing and youth in her heart… what kind of secrets does she carry?"
—
The bus rumbled along the winding provincial highway. Rice fields and brick houses blurred past the window. Afternoon sunlight slanted through the glass, spilling softly onto her face.
Leaning against the window, Su Rui gazed at the retreating landscape.
She knew this wasn't a vacation.
This was the beginning.
The origin of everything.
She wasn't here to rest.
She was here—for answers.