Chapter 12

Back then in prison, Ling Yiran was alone. If Lianyi had not visited her frequently to encourage her and run around doing things for her, Ling Yiran might not have walked out of prison alive.

It was Lianyi who had been giving her support over the past three tough years.

"The life-saving straw...?" Yi Jinli's eyes glittered. Qin Lianyi seemed to hold a special place in Ling Yiran's heart. Yi Jinli asked, "However, don't you find it funny to treat a person as a life-saving straw? What if the life-saving straw abandons you, won't you feel despair?"

"Lianyi would not do that," Ling Yiran replied confidently, showing her absolute trust in Qin Lianyi.

Yi Jinli had no idea why he felt uneasy. He didn't like the idea of Ling Yiran trusting somebody else. She seemed willing to do anything for that person.

...

Over the next few days, Ling Yiran's workload increased tremendously, as the management staff from Sanitation Service Center would be coming over for inspection. At times, she had to work overtime.

Fortunately, when she went home, Jin would have prepared dinner, waiting for her, and that warmed her heart.

She had told Jin before to go ahead and have his dinner if she were to return home late. However, he insisted on waiting for her to eat dinner together.

At times, she felt that the two of them were living in a small rundown rental apartment, depending on each other. That had to be how one felt when one had a younger brother.

Early in the morning, after cleaning the streets that she was assigned to, Ling Yiran returned to the Sanitation Service Center. After putting away the tools, she stood on the lawn in front of the entrance.

After a while, the inspectors from the Urban Management Bureau arrived. Everyone who was in charge of sweeping the streets stood on the lawn to welcome the inspectors, making it convenient for reporting.

Ling Yiran's skinny body stood out from among the group of middle-aged women.

"Yiran, you're Ling Yiran!" When the inspectors reached the Sanitation Service Center, a woman of about 28 years old shouted out when she saw Ling Yiran.

Ling Yiran lifted her head and saw a woman in a light-blue suit. Her hair was up in a bun, and she had a round face and narrow eyes. She looked ordinary, but her makeup made her look good.

Ling Yiran was stunned for a while before she recognized her high school classmate, Miao Jiayu.

“It's you!" Miao Jiayu looked at Ling Yiran in amazement as she asked, "Why are you here? Are you now... a sanitation worker?"

"Yes, I'm working here," Ling Yiran replied. She didn't look away from Miao Jiayu's gaze. After all, it was unavoidable for one to meet their old friends. No matter how embarrassing that would be, she had to face it.

"Jiayu, do you know each other?" Miao Jiayu's colleague who had come along with her asked.

"That's right. Back then, Yiran was the prettiest girl in the class and our super scholar! She always topped in class. Many guys in our class liked her and wanted to woo her. However, Yiran didn't like any of them," Miao Jiayu told her colleague. She deliberately praised Ling Yiran to the skies.

The more she did that, the more it showed the contrast to the situation that Ling Yiran was currently in.

As expected, the colleague frowned, commenting, "Was she the prettiest girl in the class? You must be kidding!"

Miao Jiayu smiled faintly, feeling pleased. Back then in class, a lot of students were envious of Ling Yiran, as she was like a swan. As Miao Jiayu was an ugly duckling, no one took notice of her.

However, the swan ended up sweeping the streets!

When Ling Yiran's colleagues heard what Miao Jiayu had said, they turned to look at Ling Yiran with different expressions on their faces. Some looked surprised, some looked at her with sympathy, and some were mocking her.

The following day, after Ling Yiran had finished sweeping the streets and went back to return the tools, a girl in the Department of Tools asked her curiously, "Yiran, were you the prettiest girl in the class and super scholar when you were in school?"

Ling Yiran didn't reply. Fang Qianqian, another woman from the Department of Tools, snorted, "What's the use of being the prettiest girl in the class and super scholar? If she's capable, she would have gotten herself another job."

The girl who had asked Ling Yiran the question looked at Ling Yiran with embarrassment, but Ling Yiran merely lowered her head. After she had signed her name on the logistics record book, she turned to leave.

Sister Xu caught up with her and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Don't take Fang Qianqian's words to heart. She's venting her anger on you because she likes Guo from the fleet."

Ling Yiran looked puzzled, as she had no idea who Sister Xu was referring to and what Guo had to do with her.

"Guo is one of our drivers and he seems interested in you. He always greets you," Sister Xu replied. She was truly concerned about Ling Yiran as she said, "Guo is a nice guy, and the Center has plans for him. His parents have also bought him a house for his marriage. You may wish to consider accepting him."

Ling Yiran shook her head as she replied, "No thanks. I have no intention to get into a relationship."

"You're already 27 years old. As a woman gets older, it will become more difficult to find a partner."

"In that case, I shall remain single," Ling Yiran replied. After she came out of prison, she no longer harbored any hope in relationships.

Back then, Xiao Ziqi had made several promises to her. However, in the end, he witnessed her 10 fingernails being pulled out in prison and didn't even bat an eyelid. He merely commented that she had asked for it.

Since then, all the feelings that she had for him were completely gone.

She had dreamt of that particular scene several times and always ended waking up soaked in sweat.

Many a time, whenever she felt the pain in her fingers, she would tell herself that love was cruel.

She no longer had the desire to get into a relationship.

Moreover, she was an ex-convict. It hadn't been easy for her to get a job, let alone a husband! Who wouldn't mind her having a criminal record?

When Ling Yiran made that comment, she suddenly thought of Jin. She could get Jin a mobile phone as soon as she got her salary in a few more days.

"Sigh. You..." Sister Xu sighed and didn't continue.

On payday, Ling Yiran took Yi Jinli to the bazaar to get a mobile phone.

"It's fine that I don't have a mobile phone," Yi Jinli said. He had not expected Ling Yiran to get him one.

"Nowadays, everyone has a mobile phone. It will be more convenient for companies to contact you when you apply for jobs. You can't be distributing leaflets all your life," Ling Yiran said. "Moreover, if you have a mobile phone, it will be more convenient for us to inform each other if we would be home late."

The two of them arrived at a stall in the bazaar that sold mobile phones. There were different models, but Ling Yiran could only afford to pay around 1,500. She had checked on the Internet and selected a few models. Soon, she took the few models that she had selected and asked Yi Jinli to choose the model he liked.

"I can only afford these old models. However, I've checked on these models and found them to be good value for the money. The configurations are good too. Use this first. When I can earn more money, I will..."