A reborn mother longs for her daughter's happiness.

Chapter 145 Zhang Chen's Determination to Respect and Change

Li Shiqing stepped into Li Yuan's subsidiary. The morning sunlight streamed through the huge glass curtain wall, illuminating the spacious and bright office area. She stood tall and straight, her eyes revealing a hint of determination, her neat short hair swaying slightly with her steps. Her colleagues cast glances at her, some curious, some speculating. After all, as the chairman's daughter, her choice to start from the bottom in business operations had sparked considerable discussion within the company.

In the business department office, Zhang Chen was focused on organizing documents when he heard a noise at the door and subconsciously looked up. His eyes flashed with surprise the moment they met Li Shiqing's. He was about to greet her when he noticed that Li Shiqing only nodded politely before heading straight to her workstation, lacking her usual warm greeting. Zhang Chen's smile froze, a strange sense of disappointment welling up inside him. He scratched his head, wondering to himself, "What's wrong with Shiqing today?"

For the next few days, Li Shiqing maintained a distance from Zhang Chen. During group discussions, she deliberately sat the furthest away from him, and when reporting on her work, she was only businesslike, her tone flat, and her eyes darting away. Zhang Chen was completely bewildered; he couldn't understand what he had done wrong, and this inexplicable alienation was causing him immense torment.

Finally, on a sunny midday, colleagues began heading to the cafeteria for lunch. Zhang Chen saw Li Shiqing get up alone, hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed. The cafeteria was bustling with people, the noise of voices and the clinking of utensils mingling together. Zhang Chen, carrying his tray, sat down opposite Li Shiqing. He took a deep breath and mustered his courage to ask, "Shiqing, have you been deliberately avoiding me these past few days? I feel like you're intentionally keeping your distance. Did I do something wrong to make you unhappy?"

Li Shiqing's hand, which was about to pick up some food, froze in mid-air. She slowly raised her head, looking at Zhang Chen's eyes, which were filled with doubt and concern, and felt a pang of inner turmoil. After hesitating for a moment, she put down her chopsticks, her eyes becoming somewhat complicated, and said softly, "Zhang Chen, I... I want to tell you something. Actually, the reason I've been like this these past few days is because of my mother."

Zhang Chen frowned slightly, looking puzzled: "Your mother? What does this have to do with your aunt?"

Li Shiqing took a deep breath, as if she had made a great decision: "Yesterday I was chatting with my mother, and she mentioned my previous life." She paused here, observing Zhang Chen's reaction.

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Chen's eyes, but more so, curiosity: "The previous life? What did Auntie say?"

Li Shiqing bit her lip and continued, "My mother said that in your previous life, after you married my... no, after you married my mother's daughter, Wang Shiqing, you treated her badly and made her suffer a lot." Her voice grew softer and softer, as if it took all her strength to say these words.

Zhang Chen was stunned by these words. His chopsticks slipped from his hand and fell onto the plate with a "clatter." He never expected that Li Shiqing's reason for distancing herself from him was this. He felt a mix of emotions: surprise at Li Shiqing's mother's opinion, resentment at this inexplicable "accusation," and, most of all, worry about Li Shiqing's attitude.

After a long silence, Zhang Chen slowly spoke: "I didn't expect Auntie to have such a opinion about me. But Shi Qing, that was in the past life. Can't you feel my feelings for you in this life? I really like you. From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were the one." His eyes were full of sincerity and determination as he stared intently at Li Shi Qing, trying to find a response in her eyes.

Li Shiqing avoided his gaze, lowered her head, and said in a trembling voice, "I know you're good to me, and maybe you're different in this life than in the last. But my mother's words are like a thorn stuck in my heart, and I can't pretend I didn't hear them. Every time I see you, I think of what my mother said, and I really don't know how to face you."

Zhang Chen clenched his fists and placed them on the table, trying to calm himself down: "Shi Qing, I understand how you feel right now. But I hope you can give me a chance to prove to you that I will treat you with all my heart in this life and will never let you suffer any injustice. The past cannot be changed, but we can create a future together."

Li Shiqing looked up, tears welling in her eyes: "Zhang Chen, I want to believe you too, but I'm really scared. I'm afraid of repeating the mistakes of my past life, afraid of getting hurt. I need time, let me think it over, okay?"

Looking at Li Shiqing's pitiful appearance, Zhang Chen felt a pang of pain in his heart. He nodded and said softly, "Okay, I respect your decision. No matter how long you need it, I will wait for you. I just hope you won't give up on our relationship so easily, okay?"

Li Shiqing nodded slightly without speaking. By this time, the cafeteria was gradually emptying out, and the two remained silent, the atmosphere somewhat tense. After a while, Li Shiqing stood up, picked up her tray, and said softly, "I'm finished eating, I'll go back now." With that, she turned and left.

Watching Li Shiqing's departing figure, Zhang Chen silently vowed in his heart: In this life, I will definitely make you happy and prove it to you and Auntie.

In the days that followed, Zhang Chen still saw Li Shiqing at the company every day, but their relationship became subtle and complicated. Li Shiqing maintained her distance from him, while Zhang Chen worked hard and silently observed her every move. He would secretly order her a coffee when she worked overtime; he would anonymously offer solutions in the work group when she encountered work problems.

One day, the company received an important project that required the entire business department to work overtime to complete. Li Shiqing's section encountered a tricky problem. She consulted numerous resources and sought advice from many colleagues, but still couldn't find a solution. As the deadline drew ever closer, Li Shiqing became increasingly anxious, and a growing sense of unease crept into her heart.

Zhang Chen saw this and was anxious. He used his spare time to search for information everywhere and consulted experts in the industry, and finally found a feasible solution. He compiled the solution into a detailed document and anonymously placed it on Li Shiqing's desk.

The next morning, Li Shiqing arrived at the office and was pleasantly surprised to see the document on her desk. She read it carefully and found that the solution not only perfectly solved her problem but was also clearly structured and detailed in its steps. A warm feeling welled up inside her. Although she didn't know who had helped her, she had a vague guess that it was likely Zhang Chen who had done it.

Li Shiqing looked up at Zhang Chen's workstation and found him asleep, exhausted, slumped over his desk. His hair was slightly disheveled, and his face showed signs of fatigue. Li Shiqing felt a pang of pain in her heart. She gently walked to Zhang Chen's side, intending to wake him.

Zhang Chen seemed to sense someone approaching. He slowly raised his head and saw Li Shiqing standing in front of him. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by some nervousness: "Shiqing, what's wrong?"

Looking into Zhang Chen's bloodshot eyes, Li Shiqing asked softly, "You made this plan, didn't you?"

Zhang Chen hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "I saw you looking worried about this problem, so I wanted to help you out."

Li Shiqing was deeply moved, her eyes slightly reddening: "Thank you, Zhang Chen. You've done so much for me, yet I..."

Zhang Chen interrupted her, "Don't say that, Shi Qing. I just don't want to see you so troubled by work. I'm willing to do anything to help you."

Looking into Zhang Chen's sincere eyes, Li Shiqing's defenses began to crumble little by little. She remembered Zhang Chen's silent sacrifices for her during this time, and his usual care and concern for her. Perhaps, in this life, he really is different from the one in the previous life.