Chapter 39.3 “I’m already changing you, aren’t I?”

It was wrong of Dai Qin to hide her pregnancy, but did she deserve to be treated like that? Did she have to put up with the cynicism of others? They were not herself and they did not understand her life at all. She wished for both …… to keep this precious child and she was still young enough to have the fervour to fight it out in the workplace. She should not give up on herself, should not belittle herself.

“Because in case, and I mean just in case, if she is able to listen and persevere and be brave in her future, won’t there be one more competent female planner in the workplace?”

On the other side of the screen, Bai Duanduan’s words were like a fire that ignited Dai Qin’s numb heart.

Yes, be brave.

She touched her bulging belly, a single parent with a baby and juggling the workplace politics, life would definitely only get harder in the future. If she couldn’t even be brave at this moment, how would she walk the road in the future?

In that moment, Dai Qin only felt that her chest was filled with emotion and gratitude.

In her opinion, Bai Duanduan was excellent, professional, completely gallant and professional elite in the same category as Li Wanjun. Although she had taken up her case because of her cousin’s request and defended herself because of her cousin, she was afraid that Bai Duanduan did not agree with herself in her heart. She had never expected at all that Bai Duanduan would turn out to have understood herself in that way….

Behind the screen, Ji Lin and Bai Duanduan began to talk about something else. Dai Qin pressed down her emotions and decided not to disturb Bai Duanduan and Ji Lin, but instead sent a text message to tell her that she would be a few minutes late before she turned around and went back to her workstation to tidy up.

_______________

“It’s really shameful. Obviously as soon as she joined, the HR department should have given her a briefing on the company’s pregnancy scheduling system, where everyone is scheduled according to their age, the length of time they have worked in the unit and some other circumstances. The older women who have contributed a lot to the company will be allowed to get pregnant first, and then slowly rotated afterwards, so as to avoid a rush of pregnancies and a lack of succession at work which is very fair and clear. And here she is, reporting with one in her arms! Totally disregarding the system!”

“And because of her, Sister Lin Xi, who was originally scheduled to be able to get pregnant and give birth, could only wait dryly. Sister Lin Xi is not too young. The medical examiner also suggested that she should have a child early on and not to delay any longer. It was not easy to wait until it was her turn, but she was robbed by trash like Dai Qin.”

“That’s right, does she have the attitude of wanting to do well in the company? If we think about it, Yu Qi was just newly married when she accidentally got pregnant once, even though she had already worked here for three years, didn’t she still end up aborting the baby to abide by the company’s pregnancy scheduling system?”

“Why not, look at Yu Qi and then look at her, how dare she have the audacity to prepare to keep coming to work afterwards, it’s disgusting!” ;

…….

Dai Qin knew that several female colleagues in the same department have a lot to say about her but it’s another thing to come back and run straight into them bad-mouthing her behind her back.

Dai Qin was very well aware that this was not the first time Guifeng Communications has a so-called pregnancy scheduling system that requires all married female colleagues who want to give birth to be arranged in this system. Whether it was the first or the second child, they need to be scheduled to give birth. Although breaking the rules does not deduct wages if they get pregnant before they were scheduled to. But this will almost cause attacks from all the remaining female colleagues who abide by the system. Because of this, a few women who got pregnant unexpectedly before their turn, for the sake of the workplace and in order not to be squeezed out and isolated by the rest, chose to have an abortion.

In the past, Dai Qin would probably have had to chew these attacks down inwardly with bitterness, but at that moment, a voice inside her was telling her that she couldn’t go on like this.

She wanted to be brave, to be strong, determined and never back down, just like Bai Duanduan.

This time, instead of pretending that she hadn’t been there at all and thus avoiding embarrassment, Dai Qin turned away and stepped out of the green plant that concealed her body and stood in front of the female colleagues.

“I will never have an abortion because my child is more important than any of these psycho-like pregnancy scheduling systems. Are you proud of your compliance with this system? Are you happy to follow the rules? Are you even justified in submitting to such a system and going on to abort and murder your own children?”

With all eyes falling on her, there was some nervousness within Dai Qin, yet she persevered and finished what she wanted to say, what she had been trying to express for so long.

“Don’t you guys think it’s ridiculous? Since when do the company and the leaders get to dictate your private lives, one might even say your married life? I thought that as women we at least had the freedom to reproduce but then I learned for the first time that I had to get approval from the company and my colleagues’ leaders as to when to get pregnant and when to have a baby.”

Faced with Dai Qin’s sudden change of personality, one of the slightly older female colleagues retorted, “It’s not compulsory to get approval from the company and colleague leaders at all, and the company has not linked this to a performance appraisal……”

“Yes, the company doesn’t deduct wages and bonuses for whether or not you comply with this system, nor does it actually make any disciplinary action for queue jumping, nor does it force you to have an abortion. It sounds completely non compulsory and not illegal, but the company completely uses everyone’s habitual compliance, in a subtle way to maintain the system, have you ever thought about it? The system itself is simply unreasonable!”

“I did make a mistake in concealing my pregnancy to join the team, and I admit it and take responsibility for the negative consequences of that, including your disapproval, but I ……” Dai Qin steadied herself and said firmly, word for word, “I am not going to abide by this ridiculous pregnancy schedule, and I don’t think you should either. If you have the energy to huddle and attack me behind my back just to defend this stupid system, then you might as well unite and get the union’s help to outlaw this vicious system.”

After finishing her speech, Dai Qin collected the remaining papers on her desk, ignored the female colleagues whose faces looked awkward and unpleasant, turned around and walked out of the office area.

Such words had used up all her courage and strength, and it was not until she left that she felt her whole body shaking with all nervousness. Her footsteps were weak from excessive disengagement, and her hands clenched into tight fists. Only then did she give herself the energy to go on as she had just said.

For the first time in her life, she found it possible to be in such a free state.

All this time, in order to get a firm foothold in the company, Dai Qin has been very careful to please her colleagues around her, but now it seems that she will never be liked by everyone. Could the hostility of the company, the ostracism and misunderstanding of her colleagues be reversed if she just kept quiet and endured? No, not at all.

There was just a lot of time ahead, and Dai Qin was confident that she would persevere, that she would show everyone how hard she had worked, that she would make everyone truly recognise her, and that she would turn all prejudices around with her actions. But if she can’t, that’s fine, she doesn’t live by the likes of others, she just has to live with a clear conscience.

No one’s life is easy, and if one chooses their own path, then they have to walk it on their feet.

The author has something to say:

The pregnancy scheduling system mentioned in the chapter really does exist in reality. In my friend’s primary school, a female teacher got pregnant accidentally and because she didn’t follow this schedule, she eventually had to have an abortion. To be honest, the workplace for females is quite cruel and tragic. I hope that every angel reading this story will have a great working environment in the future~

And, some readers may have missed it. Bai Duanduan is Lin Hui’s ex-girlfriend. This rumor was told to Ji Lin by our Rong Sheng hahahaha, not Partner Ji’s own imagination.…

[Small Theater]

After marriage,

Ji Lin: I have added new benefits for pregnant employees in the firm.

Bai Duanduan: Oh? That’s great!

Ji Lin: The plan is very much comprehensive. There is paid leave, and reimbursement at various rates, and I will also give some leverage on the caseload when they come to work after their postnatal leave……

Bai Duanduan: Oh!

Ji Lin: I think you can arrange to get pregnant, there’s absolutely no worries.

Bai Duanduan: …

Translator’s note: Hi my lovely readers, I hope you all are doing good in your life. The thing is I have a very important exam this week and many other important events to attend in the upcoming next week so I need to take a break for few weeks. Till then keep reading and stay healthy and happy. Thanks again for being such an amazing lot of readers. Love and gratitude ????