Chapter 42

The next day.

Lu Xiaoqiao had been dreaming all night because of Zhou Qizhen’s confession, and she hadn’t slept well. The alarm went off but couldn’t wake her up.  Finally, Zhao Jia knocked on her door and woke her up.

“Xiaoqiao, get up quickly, or you’ll be late.”

After a flurry of activity, they got ready and rushed out but still missed the bus to the subway station.  Seeing that they were running out of time, they gritted their teeth and hailed a taxi.

Even though they only needed to go to the subway station, it still cost them twenty yuan.

Thankfully, they made it to the office just in time for the last punch-in.

Lin Lin, who had arrived earlier than usual, looked at Lu Xiaoqiao, who was panting and breathless as she walked in, and found it strange that she was so late today.  “Xiaoqiao, it’s rare that I’m here before you!”

Lu Xiaoqiao put down her bag and said weakly, “I woke up late and didn’t even have breakfast.”

“Huh? You went home before me yesterday. What time did your uncle drop you off?”

In the past, when the two of them talked and the conversation touched on Zhou Qizhen, Lu Xiaoqiao would chat normally.  But after last night, whenever she heard Lin Lin mention Zhou Qizhen, her heart would race, and even her breathing felt constricted.

She felt a strange sensation, and suddenly didn’t know how to face her best friend.

“He… He just… he sent me home after we went out. I probably drank too much yesterday. I had to get up several times during the night, so I didn’t sleep well.”

Lu Xiaoqiao gave a few evasive answers, hoping she wouldn’t mention her uncle again.

…

Just after nine in the morning.

Zheng Yan walked past Lu Xiaoqiao’s desk with a stack of reports.  She had already walked a few meters away when she suddenly turned around and came back.

She crossed her arms, glanced at Lu Xiaoqiao, and smirked, her tone laced with schadenfreude. “Jin Ling resigned. She told the store manager yesterday that she owed you eight thousand yuan! She said she wanted to deduct it from her salary.  She just left without any notice. How can she just leave and get paid like that? Money has to be accounted for, no matter where it goes.  Don’t you think so, Lu Xiaoqiao?”

“If she doesn’t come to the company to go through the resignation process, she won’t get her salary.  I’m afraid you’re going to lose that eight thousand yuan.”

Lu Xiaoqiao listened to her say all this, knowing that she just didn’t want to pay back the eight thousand yuan. But the money was indeed something she had willingly lent, and the company did have rules and regulations. Now that this had happened, she could only blame herself.

Seeing that Lu Xiaoqiao wasn’t saying anything, Zheng Yan found it boring and ‘humph’ed’ before turning and leaving.

Lin Lin was confused and asked Lu Xiaoqiao about the situation after Zheng Yan left.  She was so angry that she started cursing Jin Ling.

“She’s so bad! You helped her, and she treats you like this. Xiaoqiao, you can’t just let it go.”

Lu Xiaoqiao saw her best friend’s anger and tried to comfort her. “Okay, don’t be angry. I was just as angry as you at first, but then I thought about it. Jin Ling isn’t a bad person. She’s just afraid of not getting her salary, and she did this because she sees our family relationship.”

Lu Xiaoqiao spoke up for Jin Ling, but she didn’t mention that Jin Ling had resigned because she was afraid of being implicated in the bar incident. If she had said that, Lin Lin would have known why Zhou Qizhen had fought, and it would have been more confusing to explain.

Lin Lin listened to Lu Xiaoqiao’s words and didn’t say anything else, but she still felt sorry for her best friend.

“So, your aunt really isn’t going to give you that eight thousand yuan?”

Lu Xiaoqiao shook her head. “I don’t know, but I think it’s only right that she doesn’t give it to me.  Like Zheng Yan said, the company has its rules. It was my own money that I lent, and it has nothing to do with the company.”

“That’s true in terms of the rules, but I think your aunt will give it to you out of kindness.”

“I’m not planning on asking my aunt. I think it’s better to have Jin Ling come back and go through the official resignation process so she can pay me back herself.”

After talking to Lin Lin, Lu Xiaoqiao took out her phone and sent a message to Jin Ling. She sent a few messages, but the other person didn’t reply.  She put down her phone, feeling a little discouraged. She thought to herself that she was probably going to lose that money.

…

It was Monday, and as usual, Lu Xiaoqiao and Li Na rode in Liu Ye’s car back to their aunt’s house for dinner after work.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was a bit tense. Before dinner, Zhang Minzhi and Liu Zhengqiang had argued in their room.

It was all because the rent notice for the end of the year had arrived, and it had increased by double compared to last year, and they had to pay for three years in advance.

Zhang Minzhi put down her barely touched bowl of rice and said to Liu Ye, “Did you go upstairs today and hear what other companies said? Did they all agree?”

Liu Ye replied, “Everyone didn’t say much about the rent increase. They all know it will increase this year after Jiang Heng moved in, but they have different opinions about paying for three years in advance.”

Zhang Minzhi sighed, “Yeah, I wouldn’t say anything about the rent doubling, but to pay for three years in advance, how is that fair? Your dad insists on buying the operating rights, saying that way we’ll pay half the rent. But the operating rights cost so much, what if we lose them in the future? What will we do with all that money?”

After hearing this, Liu Zhengqiang slammed his chopsticks on the table, frowning and speaking in an unhappy tone, “You’re a woman, what do you know? I heard that the land behind this area was also bought by Jiang Heng Group, and they’re starting construction on a technology exhibition hall next year. This is just after Jiang Heng moved in.  Next time we pay rent, the operating rights won’t be something you can buy just because you want to.”

“Buy it? You make it sound so easy.  The factory spent so much money on new equipment this year. Even if we wanted to buy it, what would we use to buy it?”

“There will always be a way. If all else fails, we can mortgage the house.”

“Liu Zhengqiang, you’re amazing! You’re talking about mortgaging the house. Why don’t you just say sell the house and buy some operating rights that don’t even have any certificates?”

No one enjoyed the meal, and no one was in the mood to eat. Even Zheng Yan, who usually liked to show off at the dinner table, quietly nibbled on her food.

After dinner, Lu Xiaoqiao suggested that it was getting dark early and they should go home first. Li Na surprisingly agreed with her.

Just as they reached the door, Zhang Minzhi called out to Lu Xiaoqiao, who was about to change her shoes.

The two of them sat down at the table next to the balcony in the living room. Zhang Minzhi looked at Lu Xiaoqiao.  Of all the children, this niece was the most beautiful.  She had been brought to Hangzhou by her aunt when she was a teenager because her brother was sick.

“Your uncle’s friend has a son, about your age…”

“Auntie, stop it. Don’t say it. I don’t want to go on any more blind dates.” Lu Xiaoqiao knew what her aunt was going to say as soon as she heard the beginning of the sentence.

She thought her aunt had found out about Jin Ling and was going to scold her.  She would have accepted it, at least there was a chance of getting the money back. But she was opening her mouth to set her up on another blind date.

“You kid, I haven’t finished speaking yet. You’ve met that boy.  He came to the company looking for Liu Ye a few days ago, and you helped him find his way. I think he’s a good kid. Although he’s not very handsome, his family is well-off.  When a woman gets married, you can’t just look at her appearance. You’ll understand when you get married.”

Lu Xiaoqiao lowered her head and mumbled, “Auntie, I really don’t have any feelings for him.”

Who would have thought that just helping someone find their way would lead to being set up on a blind date?

Zhang Minzhi smiled, “Why do you need to have feelings now? You can just get to know him first. If it doesn’t work out, then say it doesn’t work out.”

Those words sounded so familiar. Oh, someone else had said the same thing to her.

“No, how can you get to know someone if you don’t have any feelings?”

“Feelings develop slowly. You’re just a kid, what do you know.”

Lu Xiaoqiao grinned and said, “Hee hee, Auntie, you said I’m still a kid, so I’m not in a hurry to date.”

She knew that once she made up her mind about something, nothing could change it, especially when it came to matters of the heart.  And her age was still young, so she wasn’t in a hurry.

“I don’t know what kind of person you like.  You’ve been on a few blind dates, but none of them have worked out.  If you have someone you like, you have to tell your aunt, okay?”

“Okay!”