chapter 2
"She's already this age, got fired from her job, and still can't find a new one. Might as well get married early."
I looked at the owner of the voice, Fiona, but her lips were tightly closed, and she said nothing.
"My $8,000 monthly pension isn't even enough for my son to spend. She must have savings, and she needs to bring it out."
I was startled, realizing that this voice was actually Fiona's inner thoughts.
I thought, "How can I hear her inner thoughts? And wasn't her pension $4,000? When did it become $8,000?"
All along, she kept complaining to me about being broke, saying her pension was all spent by Alex, leaving her without even grocery money. Feeling sorry for her, I transferred her several thousand dollars every month.
Now it seems she was lying to me.
"Jane is just resting at home for a few days, what are you talking about? Apologize to her right now," Fiona said to Alex.
Alex seemed to hear her inner thoughts too and obediently lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Jane. I'm just worried about you. What if you still can't find a job?"
Fiona comforted me, "Don't listen to him. Even if you can't find a job, the family will support you. I'm heading to buy groceries now. The supermarket has discounts at this time. Though I have to compete with a bunch of old folks, it's worth it for the deals."
If it were before, hearing this would have softened my heart, and I would have transferred money to her right away. But now, I want to test her a bit more.
So, I nodded. "Then hurry up, or the groceries will be gone soon."
Fiona's inner voice sounded again, "What's wrong with this girl today? It's so hot, I really don't want to go out."
I pretended not to hear and went back to my room.
Now I can be sure, in my past life, it was her inner voice that spread rumors about me, causing me to lose my job and even my life.
But this time, I can hear her inner voice too.
At dinner, Fiona asked again if there were any new job offers contacting me. I nodded. "I just got an email, I can start work tomorrow."
Fiona said, "So soon? Didn't you say there was no news this afternoon?"
I said, "I was going to tell you, but I got interrupted."
Ivan nodded with satisfaction. "That's good. Work hard at the new company, get along with your boss and colleagues, and don't get fired again."
In my previous job, I was harassed by a partner during a business dinner. I angrily scolded that creepy guy on the spot, but the company demanded I apologize. I refused, so I was fired.
I told them what happened, but they only cared about what I would do after losing my job, not whether I was hurt or felt wronged.
Fiona's inner voice sounded again, "Ah, what should I do? Jane has low education and lacks skills. How could she find a job so quickly? She probably used improper means."
"After all, at her last company, she was fired by the boss for fooling around."
Sure enough, the next second, Alex and Ivan's expressions turned a bit strange.
"What kind of company is that? I heard it's really hard to find a job nowadays. You found one so quickly, are you sure you weren't scammed?" Alex asked.
I clicked my tongue impatiently. "When I didn't have a job, you complained about me staying home all the time. Now that I found a job, you're saying I got scammed? What exactly do you want me to do?"
Ivan said, "I also think it's not very reliable. You should reconsider and find another one."
Although he said I should reconsider, he actually meant he didn't want me to go.
Luckily, I was prepared and directly took out the materials I had ready.
I said, "This is my new company's information. See for yourselves, they even collaborate on several national-level projects. Such a great opportunity, once missed, it's gone."
"And Dad, don't you always talk about your friend's kid working in a public institution? My company is way better than that."
Ivan took the materials and carefully flipped through them, his frown gradually easing. What he cares about most is his pride, and now that I've joined the new company, he can show off to his friends.
He finally nodded. "Hmm, not bad. Do your best."
He glared at Fiona. She lowered her head, not daring to speak.
I pretended not to notice, smiled, and said, "Definitely, this time I definitely won't get fired."