Chapter 43

After their conversation, Zhang Minzhi went upstairs.

Li Na and Zheng Yan whispered to each other.

Lu Xiaoqiao asked Li Na, “Are you leaving?” and they reluctantly parted ways.

Li Na said something to her, and Zheng Yan burst into laughter, showing her teeth.  Her expression was so exaggerated that the foundation on her face was about to crack.  You could tell from the back of her head that they were letting loose some serious gas.

Lu Xiaoqiao was wearing Martin boots.  As she squatted down to tie her shoelaces, the old lady, who hadn’t spoken much all night, suddenly spoke.

“Big ambitions, but a fragile life!  Don’t look at your own family’s situation.  Do you think someone who is both beautiful and rich would want you?”

Lu Xiaoqiao had long since come to terms with the old lady’s pointed sarcasm. After the last time she introduced a blind date that didn’t work out, the old lady had been giving her a hard time every other day, repeating the same few phrases.

As they came down from the stairs, they parted ways without a word.

Lu Xiaoqiao was waiting for the bus when she saw Li Na get into a taxi that was parked on the side of the road.  She waited for another fifteen minutes before the bus she was waiting for arrived at the station.

There were fewer passengers on the bus that night, and the driver drove faster than usual.

As she got off the bus, she came across a street vendor selling roasted sweet potatoes.  The rich, sweet aroma mixed with a hint of burnt flavor filled the air.  She took a deep breath, almost intoxicated by the scent.

Especially since she hadn’t eaten enough that night, she wanted to buy one, but she wrestled with her wallet’s balance for a long time.  Finally, she used the excuse of not being able to eat too much at night because she was on a diet to defeat her craving.

She put her hands in her pockets, lowered her head, pretending not to care, and walked past the vendor, who kept calling out, “Roasted sweet potatoes!”

She returned home dejectedly and found Zhao Zhizhi, along with Zhao Jia and Momo, sitting on the couch, cuddling Tuanzi and watching TV.

Tuanzi saw Lu Xiaoqiao and jumped out of Momo’s arms, barking at her twice and pulling at the fabric of her pants with his teeth, dragging her towards the coffee table.

“Did you buy barbecue?”

Lu Xiaoqiao saw a food packaging bag on the coffee table.  Although it wasn’t transparent, she could smell the barbecue aroma.

“Xiaoqiao, look at your Tuanzi. You really are its owner. It wanted to eat earlier, so I gave it a little bit. I was afraid it would get diarrhea if it ate too much.  That’s why it’s coming to you to complain!” Momo stroked Tuanzi and laughed.

Zhao Jia opened the food bag on the coffee table and looked up at Lu Xiaoqiao. “Do you want to eat some more? Zhao Zhizhi and I went out to eat, and we brought some back for you and Momo.”

Lu Xiaoqiao’s eyes lit up when she heard that they had brought it back for her.  She nodded happily and said, “Yes, yes, yes. I didn’t eat enough tonight.”  She took a small stool and sat down by the coffee table.

Zhao Zhizhi pushed the barbecue towards her.

“Then eat quickly. Didn’t you go to your aunt’s house for dinner? Why did you come back hungry?”

Lu Xiaoqiao swallowed the grilled sausage in her mouth and sighed, “Because of the company’s rent issue, my uncle wants to buy the operating rights, and they disagree.”

Zhao Zhizhi was surprised. “Buy the operating rights? Xiaoqiao, let me tell you, you should advise your aunt not to buy it.”

Lu Xiaoqiao was slightly stunned. “Why? My aunt said she wouldn’t buy it because they don’t have the money, but my uncle said they should buy it even if they have to take out a loan, because he’s afraid they won’t be able to buy it next year.”

“Our boss knows the owner of your office building.  He heard that he lost a lot of money in some mining operation.  A few days ago, he told my boss that he wanted to sell the office building.  Why is he now charging three years’ rent in advance and selling the operating rights?  Isn’t he trying to run away with the money?”

Zhao Jia rolled her eyes at Zhao Zhizhi, who was sitting next to her.

“Where did you hear that gossip? Don’t just talk nonsense. If you tell Xiaoqiao this, and one day it turns out to be wrong, what will you do with Xiaoqiao?”

Zhao Zhizhi looked innocent. “I was just being kind!”

“You should think before you speak kindly.”

Seeing that they were about to start fighting, Lu Xiaoqiao quickly intervened. “Sister Jia, don’t argue about this anymore. Even if I heard this, it wouldn’t matter. My aunt and uncle, how could they listen to a freshly graduated kid like me?”

After a while, Zhao Zhizhi said mysteriously, “Actually, there’s someone who definitely knows the truth.”

“Who?”

The remaining three people in the room asked at the same time.

Zhao Zhizhi stared at Lu Xiaoqiao and said with a smile, “Zhou.”

Lu Xiaoqiao felt that Zhao Zhizhi was being deliberate.

“How would he know the truth? It’s not his building.”

“It’s not his building now, but you can’t say for sure in the future, because I heard that day that Jiang Heng wanted to buy it.”

Lu Xiaoqiao said in a dejected tone, “Then we’re finished. If Jiang Heng really buys it, won’t we all have to move?”

“Didn’t I tell you to ask Zhou?”

Not to mention that she was embarrassed to contact him because of what happened a few days ago, even if it hadn’t happened, she wouldn’t be able to ask such a question about the company’s future plans.

“We’ll talk about it later. It’s still a while away. Maybe my uncle-in-law will change his mind and not buy it. Then I won’t have to ask.”

…

Two days later, while preparing to have lunch with Lin Lin, Lu Xiaoqiao received a WeChat message from Tang Qian.

Tang Qian: [My friend is free this afternoon. I’ll take her to discuss the design. Get ready on your side.]

Seeing this message, Lu Xiaoqiao wished she could run to a temple and burn incense to the Buddha. This year was truly her lucky year. She had previously heard Tang Qian say that this company was quite large, and if she could sign it, her commission would be very substantial.

She happily replied to the message, and the two of them confirmed the time.

The friend Tang Qian brought was a woman who looked very intellectual. Her inner temperament and conversation were both refined, making her seem like a charming woman.

Looking at the two of them interacting, their relationship seemed very close.

It was hard to imagine how he, with his personality, could have such a seemingly serious friend. It was a strange feeling.

Tang Qian briefly introduced the two of them and then got down to business. Everything went smoothly.

Although they didn’t want a custom design, she chose a new type of fabric, with a very considerable price. After confirming the image, there was a problem when it came to viewing the sample.

A few days ago, Li Na’s client also liked this new type of fabric. The staff in the sample room told her to ask Li Na for it.

Li Na saw that Lu Xiaoqiao had another order to work on, and she was already feeling uncomfortable. Now, she wouldn’t cooperate at all.

“You can talk to me, but I can’t do anything about it. My client is on a business trip and hasn’t seen it yet. If you ask me to get it back now, what if my client comes back at the same time? How can I explain it to them?”

Finally, there was no way out, so she called the manufacturer and asked them to mail another piece of fabric sample.

They said it would take several days to mail, but luckily, Tang Qian’s friend said they could wait a few days, so Lu Xiaoqiao was relieved.

After everything was settled, Tang Qian insisted on treating Lu Xiaoqiao to dinner, but she once again refused with a few words, saying that after this order was finished, she would treat him to dinner.

Tang Qian looked at Lu Xiaoqiao, who was a little cunning, and felt like he was punching a cotton ball. He had tried to invite her out several times, but he couldn’t find a reason to pick on her.

On the way back, the intellectual beauty beside Tang Qian joked with a smile, “What’s this? Did Ah Qian take a liking to that little girl? She’s quite pretty, but you can also see that she doesn’t have that kind of feeling for you.”

Tang Qian shrugged and said with a playful smile, “She doesn’t like me now, but it doesn’t mean she won’t like me in the future. Sister Mei, what kind of man do you think she likes?”

Shu Mei glanced at his entire outfit. Today, he was wearing a sky blue workwear-style outfit.

Shu Mei and Tang Ci were close friends, having grown up together, so they naturally regarded Tang Qian as a younger brother. Now, she took the opportunity to persuade him.

“Little girls definitely like boys who dress neatly, are hardworking and ambitious. Ah Qian, if you wear a suit, you’ll definitely look good. If you work hard, wouldn’t you be even more charming?”

“Sister Mei, I feel like you were sent by my sister.”

“We’re just looking out for you.”

…