Chapter 35:
“Bella, that diamond ring is beautiful!”
The female employees all noticed the ring on my hand.
“Oh, I just bought it yesterday afternoon. I was in a rush and didn’t have time to pick it out!”
I could feel my smile was particularly fake, but I had to keep up the act. I couldn’t let the negative gossip affect my daily life.
“This diamond ring must be worth tens of thousands of dollars, right?”
One of the female employees stepped forward and grabbed my hand. I was afraid she would see through me, so I quickly pulled my hand away and said, “It’s only 10,000. It’s not as big as yours. Your diamond ring is several times larger than mine!”
Upon hearing this, the female employee didn’t press further. She just returned to her seat.
That’s how it was in the office—whether men or women, everyone was always comparing themselves to others.
If they were a little better, they’d feel proud. If they were a little worse, they’d be jealous.
I’d been working here for a year, so I was very familiar with these dynamics.
“Bella, what does your husband do?”
The gossipy female colleague asked again.
Even in an era focused on women’s rights, there was still a sense of comparison when it came to choosing a partner.
And it always seemed to lead to questions like this.
“He’s just a small employee,” I said immediately.
“Why do you have to buy a house and a car to get married?”
Everyone joked.
I immediately put on a worried look.
“My husband’s family isn’t very well off, and now the house prices are so high. For now, I can only rent a house.”
I could clearly sense the change in the way people around me were looking at me.
It wasn’t as contemptuous as before; instead, there seemed to be sympathy in their eyes.
Yes, sympathy.
Then I heard someone whispering.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t be as brave as Bella. I wouldn’t marry a small employee without a car or a house.”
“Me neither. I hope my future husband has better conditions.”
“This could be true love.”
“Yes, true love. She doesn’t care about material things, just like that person. I hope he’s really good to her.”
The discussions continued, most of which were about me being a poor woman.
Although sympathy wasn’t the best emotion to receive, I was still pleased to see the shift from contempt to something more understanding.
My personal reputation crisis seemed to have passed, and my mood lifted significantly.
