Chapter 2: Moral Blackmail? Never!

"Just for that alone, we owe him—not to mention a job, even a life, we’d have to give if he asked!" Ma Yulian invoked a righteous sense of moral debt, attempting to pressure Li Junsheng. Had she not brought this up, things might have been better, but the mention of it only ignited his anger.

In his past life, she had repeatedly used this very reason to cover up her improper relationship with Chen Dazhu!

With a bang, Li Junsheng slammed his wine glass heavily on the table.

The sudden movement startled Ma Yulian.

Li Junsheng’s voice was cold. "You know well enough that it was you Chen Dazhu saved, not me!"

"With such a good job at the machinery factory, why shouldn’t I give it to my own son? Am I out of my mind to hand it over to him for nothing?"

"You speak for Chen Dazhu, always siding with outsiders. Anyone who didn’t know better would think Chen Zhiyuan was your son!"

His words struck to the heart, leaving Ma Yulian speechless, her conscience and her nerves both stung.

"Yulian, Old Li, stop arguing, it’s not such a big deal. Old Li is right—a thousand yuan for such a good job is not a loss at all."

"Let’s not bring up the past. I’ll go get the money for Old Li right now. Let’s settle it and everyone calm down." Chen Dazhu pressed Ma Yulian down by the shoulder, urging her to sit.

Li Junsheng watched Chen Dazhu closely. On the surface, the man seemed agreeable, even handing over a thousand yuan without hesitation.

But in reality, Li Junsheng saw the shifty glint in his eyes—a weasel’s cunning, full of hidden schemes.

Li Junsheng sneered inwardly. No doubt, Chen Dazhu believed that all the money would end up in Ma Yulian’s hands.

The thousand yuan would pass through Li Junsheng, be taken by Ma Yulian, and since she was in league with Chen Dazhu, the money would eventually circle right back to him. In the end, it was no different from him getting the job for free.

That’s exactly how it had played out in the previous life. He had worked at the state-run machinery factory, yet his wages were never enough.

It was because Ma Yulian took most of his income and gave it to Chen Dazhu and his son.

Not this time. Li Junsheng would not be fooled again.

Chen Dazhu tried to smooth things over with a smile, then retreated to his bedroom to fetch the money.

Moments later, he returned with a stack of bills—one thousand yuan, a considerable sum in the 1980s.

Li Junsheng earned only thirty-three yuan a month. Married to Ma Yulian for over twenty years, he’d handed all his wages over to her, and now, as he looked at the thousand yuan in Chen Dazhu’s hands, he wondered how much of it came from his own earnings, siphoned off by Ma Yulian to support Chen Dazhu.

In the end, he was merely reclaiming what was rightfully his—if anything, he was still shortchanged.

But at least he was saving some of his losses.

"Here, Yulian, this is one thousand yuan. Take good care of it," Chen Dazhu said, handing the money directly to Ma Yulian.

It was deliberate—he had no intention of letting Li Junsheng touch the cash.

"Ah… all right," Ma Yulian hesitated, exchanged a glance with Chen Dazhu, and understood his meaning.

As she reached out to take the money, Li Junsheng snatched it away.

That single act immediately displeased Ma Yulian and made Chen Dazhu anxious—the money must not fall into Li Junsheng’s hands.

Ma Yulian’s sharp eyes glared at him, her voice raised. "Li Junsheng, what do you think you’re doing?"

"Obviously, I’m going to the factory to speak to the director," Li Junsheng replied, feigning ignorance.

"I’m asking why you grabbed the money! What if you lose it? You’re so clumsy—you even lost the box of good cigarettes the factory gave you. I should look after the money!"

How convenient for her to bring that up—the good cigarettes from the factory, which she had secretly pocketed for Chen Dazhu to smoke.

Those two parasites had lived off him, bleeding him dry for their own comfort, while he, in his previous life, had lived a life of deprivation.

Li Junsheng’s tone was icy. "I won’t lose it. Besides, this job isn’t something we can just swap at will. Since you two are so eager, I need to go smooth things over."

Chen Dazhu quickly stopped Ma Yulian. "Yes, yes, Old Li is right. You have to spend money to make the right connections, and if Old Li is heading out right away, it shows he’s taking Zhiyuan’s future seriously."

He shot Ma Yulian a look, warning her not to make a scene, and whatever she’d been about to say, she swallowed.

Ma Yulian changed her tone at once. "…Fine! Just don’t waste the money—don’t buy too many things!"

"Do I need you to tell me that?"

Without ceremony, Li Junsheng stuffed the cash into his pocket, stood up, and prepared to leave for the factory.

With alcohol still in his system, standing up made the room spin for a moment.

Now Ma Yulian pretended to be the dutiful wife, hurrying to steady him and escort him right to Chen Dazhu’s door.

"Go and come back soon. I’ll be waiting for good news," she said, clearly impatient.

Li Junsheng didn’t even look back. Feeling the money in his pocket, he sneered inwardly and strode out of Chen Dazhu’s house.

Let them wait.

This was just the beginning.