Chapter 025: She Cares About Him

This incident caused a huge stir—people in the restaurant turned their heads, whispering among themselves.

The restaurant manager, having heard the news, rushed out of his office in a panic.

The moment he spotted Jiang Junwen standing in the middle of the crowd, his heart sank.

He hurried over and said with surprise,
“Young Master Jiang? What a surprise! You didn’t even let me know you were coming!”

There was a trace of fear in his voice. After all, someone like Jiang Junwen—a young heir from a wealthy family—had a VIP private room reserved exclusively for him.

As a premium member, Jiang Junwen was someone the manager personally looked after. He couldn’t afford to offend such a guest over a misunderstanding.

But when he looked closely at Jiang Junwen, the manager’s face turned pale and cold sweat broke out.

Jiang Junwen’s lip was bruised, his hair and clothes were a mess—it was clear he’d just been in a serious fight.

Who would dare lay a hand on the heir of the Jiang family?!

The manager’s heart raced, and he stammered,
“W-What happened here?”

Panic and worry filled his voice.

He knew very well—Jiang Junwen was Madam Jiang’s precious son. If she found out her son got into a fight here and even got injured, she would absolutely explode.

She might even show up herself, demanding answers.

The middle-aged man was still yelling angrily:
“You’re the manager? Good! I was just eating here, and not only was your server rude to me, but her friend beat me up too! I’m calling the police! I’m suing you!”

The manager frowned and looked at Shen Qingli, who was standing nearby.

Shen Qingli: “…”

Just as she was about to explain, Jiang Junwen stepped in front of her, his eyes dark and cold as he stared at the middle-aged man.
“What does this have to do with the server? I beat you up because your face annoyed me. You want to sue me? Go ahead—try it.”

Yu Zhenghao frowned, pulled out his phone, and said,
“Alright, I’ll call my lawyer right now to handle this. We’re hungry—we’re going to eat.”

The manager knew all too well—these rich young masters were not people to mess with.

He made a quick decision and ordered the security guards to escort the three men to the office in the back of the restaurant.

Then he turned to Shen Qingli and said in a firm tone,
“You—come here. Listen carefully. You must serve Young Master Jiang properly. No mistakes, understand?”

Shen Qingli nodded quickly.
“Yes, Manager.”

Seeing her compliance, the manager let out a small sigh of relief and followed the three bruised men into the office.

He understood clearly—this incident couldn’t be allowed to blow up any further. It could damage the restaurant’s reputation and bring him trouble.

More importantly, he couldn’t afford to offend a family like the Jiangs.

So the best strategy now was to focus on the three beaten customers, negotiate some compensation, and settle things quietly.

Even if they had to pay a hefty price, it was better than offending the Jiangs.

Mortal Smoke and Fire was a members-only restaurant known for its discretion. That’s why many wealthy elites and celebrities preferred to dine and hold meetings here.

A single day’s rental for a private conference room could cost five figures.

Many people came here hoping to network with stars or rich businessmen.

If word got out that a member got beaten in the restaurant, the impact on its reputation would be massive.

Following the manager, the restaurant supervisor asked in a low voice,
“Manager, what should we do about that new intern?”

The manager was feeling extremely irritated. Although the issue was the customer’s fault, the intern had only just started and already caused trouble.

“Forget it. Calculate her pay and tell her not to come back,” he said impatiently.

The supervisor nodded.
“Alright, I’ll handle it.”

He went out to look for Shen Qingli but couldn’t find her. After asking around, he learned that she was acquainted with Young Master Jiang and had been called into his private room.

So he made his way to Jiang Junwen’s private suite and found the door closed. From inside, he could hear Jiang Junwen shouting:

“So what if I hit him? Shen Qingli, you’re blaming me? I was helping you! Or would you have preferred him to pay off your student loans for you? Huh? Is that the kind of person you are?”

Shen Qingli looked at him, speechless. She stayed calm and said,
“Young Master Jiang, I’m not blaming you. It’s just that things got a bit out of hand today. When I go back, Madam will probably question me…”

As soon as she mentioned Madam, Jiang Junwen suddenly slammed the table with a loud bang.

Li Wenyao frowned.
“Junwen, calm down!”

Jiang Junwen let out a cold laugh, glaring at Shen Qingli.
“So you really just listen to whatever my mom says? Whatever she tells you to do, you just do it?”

Seeing how obedient and well-behaved Shen Qingli was made Jiang Junwen furious.

Too bad Shen Qingli hadn’t been reborn. She didn’t know that in her past life, Madam Gao Xianzhen had secretly drugged her with an overdose of birth control pills, leading to her hospitalization and long-term health issues that prevented her from conceiving for years.

If she did know, she’d never follow Madam’s orders again.

Shen Qingli calmly replied,
“I don’t do it because of Madam. I’m just tired. I don’t want her bothering me, that’s all. So I hope you won’t stir up trouble in front of me. Jiang Junwen, I don’t want to know anything about what you’re doing. If you could just stay far away from me, that’d be best.”

Jiang Junwen’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at her.
“You’re just saying that to make me angry. I don’t believe it.”

Shen Qingli had always nagged him—don’t stay up late, don’t smoke, don’t argue with Madam Gao.

She cared about him.

When he got injured in a fight, she cried. When he was hospitalized, she stayed by his side day and night.

She had him in her heart.

She really cared about him.

Jiang Junwen sat there, staring at her intensely.
“You’re saying all this on purpose to upset me, aren’t you?”

Shen Qingli: “…”

Expressionless, she said,
“Think whatever you want, Young Master Jiang. I’m still working. I’ll go back to my duties.”

With that, she opened the door and walked out—only to come face-to-face with the restaurant supervisor in the hallway.

The supervisor awkwardly asked,
“Ali… so you know Young Master Jiang?”

Shen Qingli nodded sheepishly.
“He’s… my classmate.”

The supervisor thought, They sure don’t seem like just classmates…

But he didn’t press. With a troubled expression, he said,
“Ali, things got a little out of hand today, and it’s affected the restaurant quite a bit. Our boss doesn’t know yet, but he’ll definitely be asking questions. You’re just an intern, so this isn’t your fault, but unfortunately… we probably won’t be able to keep you on after this.”

Though his words were gentle, Shen Qingli understood clearly.

After less than two full days on the job, she’d already been fired.

Unexpected—but not surprising.

This was her first part-time job, and she hadn’t expected things to end like this.

Shen Qingli felt a little discouraged.

But she quickly pulled herself together and sincerely apologized to the supervisor.
“I’m really sorry, sir. You were the one who hired me, and now I’ve caused trouble for you.”

The supervisor waved it off.
“No, no. You don’t need to apologize. We all know this wasn’t your fault. But in our line of work, our clients are all powerful people. In the service industry, we just have to take the hit sometimes.”

Some service jobs even have “grievance bonuses” for staff—proof of how much frustration employees face on the job.