Those months went by quickly, and I soon realized that my mother and I had very different values and ways of approaching life.
She often used the young women around her as examples: who married a wealthy older man, who married a Hong Kong businessman, or who became a mistress and gained significant property as a result.
In her eyes, money was the most important thing, and one should never go against it, because only sufficient money could ensure survival.
I saw things differently. I believed that if you truly loved someone, it was fortunate if they were wealthy, but choosing someone solely for money was not worthwhile.
Our disagreements escalated, and we lost contact. At that time, I could no longer return to Shanghai, so I had to start over in Shenzhen.
To make a living, I tried various jobs in the first few months: hotel attendant, warehouse manager, and secretary to an idle executive at a state-owned enterprise. The main reason for switching jobs was salary, as I needed to pay rent and cover daily expenses. Back then, the primary criterion for choosing a job was whether the pay was enough. Later, through a friend's recommendation, I joined an international accounting firm, and my life finally got back on track.