Xu Wan smiled and said, “Don’t be so formal, Mrs. Jin. We’re about the same age, but I’m a few months younger than you. Just call me Xiao Xu.”

Jin Yaotiao was born later, and though their children were of different ages, they were about the same age themselves.

In all of Linjiang, as Mrs. Jin knew, no one in their social circle would dare address someone in such a casual way, especially since Xu Wan came from a prestigious family.

Her maternal family had some standing in the past.

But after what they had just gone through together, the two women had become friends, and Mrs. Jin didn’t stand on ceremony.

She quickly said, “Alright, Xiao Xu, you can call me Zhang Jie (Sister Zhang).”

Mrs. Jin’s full name was Zhang Ruoru.

The two women clasped hands and smiled.

There was an unspoken bond between them.

Mrs. Jin felt a strange sense of fate. Xu Wan was often aloof in social circles.

Though polite, many people found her hard to approach.

Mrs. Jin had always felt like they were from different worlds, but now, after their children had broken off their engagements, they unexpectedly became closer.

She tried to comfort Xu Wan, saying, “If we were to address each other like this in front of others, their eyes would fall out of their sockets.”

Xu Wan replied, “Zhang Jie, don’t say that. I really admire you. Your family is happy, and your children are so thoughtful. Unlike me, my life has been a mess.”

Mrs. Jin gently touched her glossy black hair and reassured her, “How can you say your life has been a mess? You’re still young. Look at you—your appearance is well-maintained and you’re beautiful. If you told someone you were thirty, no one would doubt it.”

Xu Wan smiled at the compliment.

Mrs. Jin glanced at her daughter coming over and greeted, “Yaotiao, didn’t I say it? Your Aunt Xu is so beautiful. It’s not an exaggeration for you to call her ‘sister.’”

Jin Yaotiao glanced at Xu Wan and finally smiled. “Indeed, should I start calling you ‘sister’ from now on?”

Xu Wan: “…”

Shen Qiming, who had been called by Mr. Jin to join them, stood silently: “…”

Mr. Jin: “…”

Mrs. Jin clapped her hands, “Haha, I was right! Xiao Xu, you’re still young, so let Yaotiao call you ‘sister’!”

Shen Qiming: “…”

Xu Wan opened her mouth, glanced at her son following behind, and her voice became dry, “No, it’s not necessary. We’re not at that point yet.”

Mrs. Jin: “Why not? You take such good care of yourself.”

Xu Wan: “No, no, it’s not like that.”

Mrs. Jin: “Yes, it is!”

Xu Wan: “Really, it’s not.”

Mrs. Jin: “?”

Mr. Jin, unable to stand it, pulled his wife away. “Ahem, enough. Xiao Xu just had a rough time, let her rest.”

Mrs. Jin said, “Right.”

Then she asked, “By the way, Xiao Xu, what’s next for you? Are you just going to fight the lawsuit? What will happen after that?”

Xu Wan had been so flustered that she hadn’t thought about her next steps.

Now that the topic was back to business, she felt a bit lost. “I haven’t really thought it through. All these years, I’ve just been attending meetings, socializing, and dealing with the media. I haven’t formally worked.”

Furthermore, she had grown up in a wealthy family, and her maternal family had power when she was young.

After marriage, her husband was rich and influential, so there was never a job that could pull her away from her socialite life.

As she was thinking, the noise outside suddenly grew louder. Xu Wan instinctively glanced toward the door, and Jin Yaotiao opened the door to look outside.

She realized, “It’s nothing, it’s just lunchtime.”

In a short time, Mingde’s company culture had been established, and one famous feature was the zombie-like crowds from various departments pouring out during meal times.

Xu Wan didn’t understand this, but Jin Yaotiao looked at the time and suggested, “Why don’t we go eat too? It seems like everyone hasn’t eaten yet.”

Mr. and Mrs. Jin both nodded, but Xu Wan and Shen Qiming were both a bit uncomfortable.

Does this mean they’re taking them to the company canteen?

To be honest, neither of them had ever eaten at the company canteen.

Shen Qiming didn’t like crowds.

Xu Wan, due to her social circle, instinctively avoided places like canteens.

However, since Mingde was a catering business, no one in the Jin family, including Jin Yaotiao, thought eating in the canteen was odd, especially after Jin Yaotiao had made improvements to the canteen, which received great feedback from employees.

The canteen often served new dishes that the R&D department had been working on, allowing employees to taste-test. If the dishes received good reviews, they would be introduced to the company’s restaurants.

Since then, Mingde’s canteen had become busier by the day, and now even top executives didn’t want to eat outside or order takeout.

Why would they when their own canteen was better?

As Xu Wan stepped out, she immediately felt a distinct difference between this place and the companies she was used to.

The employees were all smiling. Though they tensed a bit when they saw Jin Yaotiao and Mr. Jin, after greeting them, they couldn’t hide their excitement.

Before entering the elevator, she overheard a few employees talking.

“Today’s got three-cup chicken and celery beef pot stickers!”

“Oh my god, you think I don’t know that? I’ve been craving the celery beef pot stickers since last week’s menu came out. They made pot stickers for breakfast a while ago. I woke up before 6 AM every day to come to work just for them. And those were vegetarian ones! Today’s beef ones must be even better.”

“Who’s saying no? Ever since the company started offering breakfast, I’ve been more excited to punch in than to punch out. If there’s overtime food in the future, I’d be happy to work two extra hours without pay. I won’t leave until 8 PM!”

Xu Wan: “???”

Shen Qiming, as a boss, couldn’t help but feel puzzled when he heard this.

Before the elevator door closed, he looked at the employees.

He ran the giant Jingmao company, which had employees everywhere, and he prided himself on his management skills.

But this was the first time he had heard of employees voluntarily working overtime without pay.

Jingmao did have some who worked overtime, but that was to finish projects and earn more than their regular salaries.

Jin Yaotiao also overheard the conversation, but she didn’t find anything strange about it. Instead, she thoughtfully said to her father, “I think it’s a good idea. Overtime can speed up the progress of various departments at Mingde. What do you think, Dad?”

“You can decide,” Mr. Jin had stopped interfering with his daughter’s decisions.

After a moment, he added, “But the number of people working overtime shouldn’t be too high.

Each department should limit the number, or else the whole company will end up staying late, and that wouldn’t be good.”

Xu Wan: “???”

Shen Qiming: “…”

The moment the elevator doors opened, the noise and the fragrance from outside rushed in.

Laughter and chatter filled the air, a mix of voices pouring into the ears.

The appearance of Jin Yaotiao and her group was not out of place because several senior executives, who were clearly of a high rank, were loitering near the entrance to the cafeteria.

They wore expensive, well-tailored suits and carried trays as they queued up.

Upon seeing Jin’s father and Jin Yaotiao, they greeted them warmly, as they were of higher status and thus seemed closer than usual employees: “Mr. Jin, Miss Jin, Madam, what brings you both to the company today? And these people… Mr. Shen, Mrs. Shen?”

As executives, they were more knowledgeable and immediately recognized Shen Qiming and Xu Wan, which surprised them.

Over the years, Xu Wan had frequently appeared in media coverage accompanying Shen’s retirement and public appearances.

Additionally, Jingmao was a large company, and its headquarters was located in Linjiang, where the city government liked to promote local businesses, especially related to overseas branches.

Local media often highlighted these stories, presenting them as a source of pride for domestic enterprises.

As a result, there were likely more people who recognized Xu Wan than recognized Shen Qiming, as Shen rarely appeared in public.

Jin’s father chuckled and waved it off: “We just happened to run into them and decided to eat together.”

Saying that, he mimicked the executives and grabbed a few trays to distribute to the guests.

The trays were spotless, and Xu Wan took one, glancing at it briefly. It felt unfamiliar.

Shen Qiming appeared even more out of place. When the lady at the counter asked him what he wanted, he was momentarily stunned by the large ladle.

The counter displayed a variety of dishes, many showing the marks of large pot cooking.

The food was far from the level of fine dining, let alone anything refined in presentation, but the aroma was just as strong.

Jin Yaotiao looked at the dishes and remarked, “The stir-fried shrimp is pretty good, it’s quite popular, isn’t it?”

It had only been a short time since they began eating, and the dishes were almost empty.

“Ah, it’s Director Jin!” The ladies behind the counter immediately greeted Jin Yaotiao from behind their masks. “Of course, the chefs trained by you are top-notch.

Today, the stir-fried shrimp is exceptional. It’s crispy on the outside and tender inside. Would you like a scoop?”

Jin Yaotiao smiled. “Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble at all, Director Jin, you’re too polite,” the lady said, scooping a large serving of golden stir-fried shrimp onto her tray.

The crispy sound of the shrimp shell as it moved told of how crunchy it was.

The shrimp was coated with pepper and salt, oozing with oil and perfectly curled, looking stunning.

The lady served Jin Yaotiao, then asked Shen Qiming who was next in line, “Young man, what would you like to eat?”

Shen Qiming hesitated, still unfamiliar with the situation. He stood silent for a moment and finally replied, “I’ll have the same.”

The lady asked, “Oh, the stir-fried shrimp is almost out, there are just a few left. Is that alright?”

Shen Qiming nodded. “It’s fine.”

The lady looked at him, slightly puzzled. She had been smiling warmly at this unfamiliar young man, but now, after he stared at the shrimp for a moment, she slapped the counter and said, “What are you waiting for? Hand me the tray!”

This new kid from the department, it seemed.

Shen Qiming: “?”

Had he just been scolded by the cafeteria lady?

Xu Wan, too, was a little slow to react.

Only after being reminded did she take the tray and go to collect the food.

Behind her, a Mingde employee was asking the lady to serve a few more potstickers, and Xu Wan glanced at the potstickers she had just picked up.

The potstickers were long and neatly packed together, freshly cooked and still steaming.

The bottom was crisp and golden, while the top was tightly folded like dumplings, with very thin skin that became almost transparent once cooked.

The aroma was enticing, with a subtle taste of the meat filling.

The cafeteria was crowded, and since Jin’s father didn’t come to eat here often, there were no exclusive seats for him. Like the other executives, he casually picked an empty table and motioned for his guests to sit: “Please, sit.”

There were many employees passing by, and Shen Qiming, not quite used to such a lively atmosphere, felt inclined to avoid contact.

As a result, he wasn’t very skilled at carrying his tray, and when he sat down, the shrimp in his tray slipped out.

Four of the five stir-fried shrimp fell off, leaving just one, which was missing part of its body, only the sharp head remaining.

The other plate of three-cup chicken, which matched Jin Yaotiao’s order, also ended up with the chicken pieces scattered, leaving only a plate of garlic cloves.

Shen Qiming: “…”