Before reading: There are zombies in this story. Please put your brain away safely.
If you question me while carrying your brain, I'll consider you an overlooked survivor and eat you all, then act as if nothing happened.
This is not a gender-swap marriage story. There are slight yuri elements; if you dislike that, stop here.
If you think the parts depicting reality are fake, you're right, because they really happened in real life.
The protagonist is a thirty-five-year-old middle-aged man. People like him have long had their edges worn away by society. If you like decisive killing and ruthless protagonists, stop here.
If you think the girlfriend's characterization is absurd, or that the protagonist knows nothing about the law, the detailed explanation is at the end of Chapter 22.
It was a blazing summer day.
The office air conditioning blew cold enough to make people shiver.
The clatter of keyboards went on without pause.
"Su Jiang!"
A voice, neither loud nor soft, suddenly rang out, making all the coders hammering away at their keyboards stop and secretly glance at the speaker.
Hearing someone call him, Su Jiang looked up in slight confusion.
The office director stood at the door, looking at him with an indifferent expression.
"Come to my office."
Then he turned and left.
Soft murmurs rose throughout the workspace.
"Why is the director suddenly looking for Old Jiang? Is something big happening?"
"I heard the company's profits are bad. They're laying people off..."
"Don't tell me Old Jiang is getting laid off? He's been here so long. Even if he hasn't made great contributions, he's put in plenty of hard work..."
"Heh, so what if he's experienced? Thirty-five is a hurdle for programmers. If you can't get past it, you can only be optimized away..."
Su Jiang stood up calmly, having anticipated the conversation to come.
After all, a friend in HR had informed him last night.
Thirty-five... It really was a hurdle for programmers. If you weren't meant to become management, you could only be structurally optimized away.
The looks his coworkers gave him were filled with pity and the shared sorrow of seeing one of their own fall.
The bald colleague seated at the desk to his right patted Su Jiang on the shoulder.
"It's fine. If you get fired, I'll go set up a stall and sell grilled noodles with you!"
Su Jiang laughed and cursed, "Get lost. Work hard and save more money!"
After receiving the news last night, he had suffered through the entire night. Only after pounding at his keyboard all morning had his mood finally settled.
At his age, Su Jiang was no longer a spirited young man, and there was one fact he had no choice but to accept.
He had worked at this company for ten years. His monthly salary had risen from eight thousand when he first joined to thirty-five thousand now, reaching a height many could only dream of—and making him an old bastard the company wanted to kick out at every moment.
Because his salary could pay for three fresh-faced, energetic recent college graduates.
Besides, in the programming industry, he really was considered old.
This industry demanded brutal overtime. The older you got, the more likely overtime was to make you drop dead, and then the company would have to pay compensation. It was better to fire you early.
To sum it up, he was stuck in the middle—more senior than ordinary employees, but not part of management.
Being structurally optimized away was only a matter of time.
He arrived at the director's office.
"Little Su, you got the notice from HR, right?"
The speaker was Su Jiang's office director, Li Zhinian.
He was a director who had been parachuted in from above.
Su Jiang looked at Li Zhinian's face, younger and fuller than his own, and felt unwilling to accept it.
He merely grunted in response.
"There are two contracts here. One is for dismissal with compensation, and the other is for working at another company. Take a look."
Li Zhinian spoke blandly, tossing the two documents onto the desk before continuing to play the game on his phone.
Double Kill... Triple Kill... Quadra Kill... Ace
Arrogant game sound effects played from his phone.
"Damn it, you fucking gaming companion stole my pentakill! Believe it or not, I won't hire you next time!"
Li Zhinian set down the contract. Having missed his pentakill, the fat on his face trembled as he flew into a rage.
"Sorry, Boss Li, my mistake. I'll play support next round and protect you!" A young voice came through the voice chat, apologetic and humble.
"Get lost. If I wanted a support, why wouldn't I hire a girl to play with me?"
Su Jiang sighed and forced down all his resentment.
He picked up the two contracts on the desk and began reading them.
There was nothing wrong with the dismissal contract. It offered the standard N+1 compensation.
The other contract was for a job as a computer repair technician at a small company under the group.
An eight-thousand-yuan monthly salary.
Speechless.
Eight thousand a month—after paying child support, there would hardly be anything left...
Looking at the contract, Su Jiang felt both furious and helpless.
He had worked tirelessly for the group for ten years, yet he still could not escape a programmer's final fate.
"Director Li, HR notified me that I have to leave within a month. Could you let me think about it first?" Su Jiang considered it for a moment.
Li Zhinian did not even look up. "Fine. Tell me before you leave, and make sure you hand over the work you have on hand."
"Mm."
How should one put it? Li Zhinian had learned next to nothing about computers, somehow earned a worthless master's degree abroad, and came back to become their director directly.
He did not understand programming, but he had connections and knew how to delegate. Even if something went wrong, someone would clean up after him.
Simply put, he knew his own limits.
Whatever the department's work had been like before he arrived, it remained the same after he came.
There was no new official's three fires, nor did an amateur try to direct professionals.
So, even though everyone knew Li Zhinian had been parachuted in and taken Su Jiang's position, no one stepped forward to say anything.
Su Jiang returned to his desk and blankly stared at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling.
A young coworker leaned over.
"Brother Jiang, if you find some path to riches after resigning, don't forget us!"
Su Jiang gave a weary smile. "What path to riches? The future belongs to you young people. An old guy like me is useless now."
The bald colleague said unhappily, "Hmph. Firing you is the company's loss, if you ask me."
After work, Su Jiang followed the noisy crowd to the subway station.
Like a sardine drifting with the current, he could only barely control the direction in which he moved amid the crowd.
This sort of life had lasted for ten years. It was only because he had not worked overtime today and left early that the commute home was even more crowded.
The speeding subway streaked between towering buildings.
Looking at the dazzling city, Su Jiang suddenly felt an indescribable exhaustion and grievance.
"Ah."
He silently sighed.
At that moment, a young girl wearing cosplay clothes pushed through the crowd and came to his side.
Her dark red skirt swayed as she approached with an air of mystery and nobility.
Her face was exquisitely beautiful, as though crafted by heaven itself, flawless in every way.
The exposed skin was delicate and fair.
A slender, soft little hand lightly rested on Su Jiang's hand.
Wine-red eyes looked at him with a faintly amused smile.
A layer of fine sweat instantly formed in the palm of Su Jiang's hand gripping the handrail.
The warmth in the girl's palm seemed ready to melt his entire body.
A single touch made Su Jiang burn all over.
He had been married. Though he was divorced now, this was still the first time he had felt this way. He was even more excited than when he had first gotten married, his heart pounding violently.
For the first time, his blood rushed so fiercely that he wanted nothing more than to grab the girl, tear off her clothes, and take her on the spot!
No. Think about your future. Think about your daughter!
Su Jiang, wake up!
There are so many scam artists these days. Haven't you learned to be afraid yet?!
Su Jiang viciously bit his tongue, and his gaze immediately cleared somewhat.
Then he recalled the harassment cases that often appeared in the news. Fear of the regret chair and being branded a criminal made Su Jiang suppress his desire.
Once he calmed down, his forehead and back were covered in cold sweat.
Too seductive. Even the legendary Daji was probably no more than this.
Su Jiang felt lingering fear at the desire that had nearly burst through the sky.
Such light teasing had stirred such intense desire in him. Could this girl be the reincarnation of a fox demon?
Before you continue