Lin Wanzhao spent five years as a full-time mother. When she returned to the workforce, the world had changed beyond recognition.
She sent out more than a hundred resumes, only to hear nothing back or face interviewers scrutinizing the five-year gap on her resume and asking pointedly, “Your child is still young. Can you handle both work and family?”
Her colleagues discussed the latest industry news and online memes right in front of her. She felt like someone left behind in another era, unable to fit in.
Even worse was her family life.
Her husband said he “supported” her, but never lifted a finger to help with the housework. All he did was come home late from business dinners and complain, “It’s hard for me, too. I work all day to earn money.”
Her mother-in-law took every opportunity to chime in. “Why do women have to be so ambitious? Looking after the child is what really matters.”
Even her beloved baby clung to her leg and cried, “Mommy, don’t go!” whenever she was about to leave for work.
Then one day, faced with a failed project everyone had given up on and a boss deliberately making things difficult for her, Lin Wanzhao finally smiled.
She shed the disguise of the “gentle mom” and became the “workaholic” who had once ruled the CBD.
The former top salesperson, the queen of the negotiating table, was back!
She could stay up all night working on a proposal and outlast anyone. She always found a way through a client’s impossible demands. She used her exceptional people skills to resolve friction within the team with ease.
When she landed a major deal worth tens of millions and stepped onto the awards stage under the gaze of the entire company, everyone was stunned.
And the man who had once only ever said, “You’ve worked hard,” began clumsily learning to cook and attending parent-teacher meetings. With red-rimmed eyes, he said to her, “Honey,”
