Chapter 48

Although the newcomer Xu Mingmei was older, she unexpectedly had a lot of enthusiasm and took the initiative to take on ten work tasks on her first day.

As her supervisor, it was naturally inappropriate to dampen an employee’s enthusiasm. Since Xu Mingmei was so eager to work, Lin Shu decided to give her a chance to see what she was capable of.

However, seeing her confidently volunteer for work suggested she had some confidence behind her. Even though she was older, her experience in dealing with people might not be a burden to the team; in fact, she could potentially be an asset.

The workload she had taken on was likely enough for several days. After a few days, Lin Shu planned to find a time to have a good chat with Xu Mingmei and then, based on her performance, gradually introduce her to the work and teach her step by step.

That afternoon, Lin Shu took Xu Shijia to meet a client. After briefly discussing the company’s situation, Lin Shu decided that Xu Shijia would be the one to provide long-term service to this company.

“Xu Shijia, go print a copy of the engagement contract. It’ll be perfect for signing with President Wang on-site.”

Finalizing the cooperation right away would avoid any potential problems later.

President Wang’s contract was a corporate legal consulting agreement and was also the first long-term consulting contract Lin Shu assigned to Xu Shijia. Having a corporate client meant a stable annual legal fee, predictable related litigation work, and slowly expanding a network of legal contacts—this was a valuable opportunity in the legal profession.

Lin Shu’s willingness to give this to Xu Shijia was undoubtedly a sign of trust and affirmation.

However, to Lin Shu’s surprise, when Xu Shijia returned from the conference room, he was empty-handed.

“Where’s the contract?”

“The printer is broken.”

With that excuse, Lin Shu had no choice but to let President Wang leave first.

Once the client was gone, she turned to Xu Shijia: “Do you not want this business? Do you have concerns about this company? I just researched their operations, and they seem quite legitimate with no significant legal risks…”

The excuse about the printer being broken was something Lin Shu had pointed out to Xu Shijia during the Wei Xue case. Since he used it so readily, there must be a reason behind it.

“No.” Xu Shijia seemed a bit hesitant to speak, quickly glancing at Lin Shu before looking away. “The printer is really broken.”

The printer is broken?

That was a brand new printer, imported and the latest model purchased by Tianhao. It shouldn’t be broken!

“How did it break?”

Xu Shijia hesitated: “You’ll see when you go look…”

It was likely just a paper jam.

Lin Shu pressed her lips together and walked over to the printer, only to find that the situation was completely different from what she imagined.

The printer was indeed broken. Completely. It was billowing thick black smoke from the top…

And next to the printer stood Xu Mingmei, looking completely at a loss.

Upon seeing Lin Shu, she immediately cleared her throat and began to explain, “The printer can emit toxic gases, and if there’s a mist, it can absorb these toxic gases and molecules. So I specifically took out my moisturizing spray and sprayed it at the printer while printing. I don’t know how it broke down.”

Who is this person, so ignorant of the hardships of the world?

Lin Shu felt the veins on her forehead pulsing. Fortunately, Xu Mingmei didn’t seem completely devoid of humanity. Holding her Hermes scarf to her nose, she said, “In this situation, who do I need to talk to about compensation?”

At least she recognized the need for compensation. Fine, it was probably not intentional on her part.

Lin Shu reassured herself. After all, Xu Mingmei was old enough to be her mother and had lived a life of luxury before; it was understandable that she couldn’t adapt to the workplace right away. But at least her work attitude was positive, so as her supervisor, Lin Shu should be accommodating.

Just as Lin Shu was calming her own emotions, she heard Xu Mingmei naturally say, “The law firm didn’t provide a safe working environment. Printing twenty copies of materials—how much harmful gas am I absorbing? I’m going to find time for a physical check-up tomorrow; if any indicators are off, I’ll ask the firm for compensation. Also, I lost a bottle of spray, and the firm should bear that cost too…”

Lin Shu: “…”

Xu Mingmei, without suspicion, said regretfully, “That spray is hard to buy.”

This isn’t just a matter of being hard to buy; it’s hard to evaluate!

Fortunately, Xu Shijia was quite considerate. He almost immediately poured Lin Shu a cup of tea: “Forget it, calm down, have some tea.”

At least there was a thoughtful subordinate in the team.

But before Lin Shu could take a sip, she heard Xu Shijia continue, “I’ll take responsibility for the printer’s compensation.”

Lin Shu glanced at him.

This printer wouldn’t be less than a few tens of thousands.

Wasn’t he still struggling financially?

Could it be that not only was he poor, but he also had a faulty brain?

Under Lin Shu’s probing gaze, Xu Shijia cleared his throat and said awkwardly, “Mingmei… Sister Mingmei is part of our team after all. We’re like family, and if family makes a mistake, we should help her through it as much as we can.”

Xu Mingmei had only been there for one day and had already caused such a mess. Lin Shu’s acceptance of her didn’t mean she would tolerate her unconditionally, especially given her completely unrepentant attitude after making a mistake; it needed to be addressed properly.

But the chance to give her a lesson was interrupted by Xu Shijia stepping up at the wrong time to defend her.

Having a sense of justice is good, but being overly nice is foolish.

Lin Shu felt very dissatisfied. She looked at Xu Shijia and said coldly, “Do you have money now? What can you afford? Aren’t you still waiting for the refund on the hundred-thousand loan you took out to buy your first love a bracelet? That means you’re still in debt, and now you want to add more debt for the printer?”

Xu Shijia seemed to care a lot about his image in front of this new colleague. He looked like he wanted to cover Lin Shu’s mouth, displaying a look of despair on his face, and he avoided Lin Shu’s gaze, sneaking a glance at Xu Mingmei instead.

Xu Mingmei also looked meaningfully at Xu Shijia. When she heard that Xu Shijia would take the compensation, she immediately stood up with righteous indignation: “Hey, then I won’t ask for compensation. Forget it, Xu Shijia is right. We’re all part of the same team, we’re family. Even if there are indeed safety issues in the working environment, it’s not right to ask family for compensation.”

So you two are working together on this “forget it” agreement, huh?

Making Lin Shu look like the bully.

Actually, since this new colleague joined the team, Lin Shu had noticed Xu Shijia’s distraction. During meetings, he had kept glancing at Xu Mingmei, and several times when Lin Shu passed by the break room, she saw the two of them huddled together, talking about who knows what, looking very close. Now Xu Shijia had even started showing excessive sympathy and getting involved in others’ affairs.

When did he become friends with a woman so quickly?

Putting his first love first was one thing, but now that a new colleague had arrived, he completely disregarded his debt to Lin Shu and put this person ahead?

Even creditors observe the order of precedence!

As a creditor, Lin Shu felt she had every reason to be unhappy.

And she really wasn’t happy.

But now that it had come to this, there wasn’t much to say.

Lin Shu’s face darkened. “Xu Shijia, since you’re voluntarily taking on the compensation for the printer, then do it.”

**

Lin Shu, the money-grubbing boss, turned to leave, but Xu Mingmei’s mood remained unsettled for a long time!

It wasn’t because of the printer, nor was it because of Lin Shu, but because—her Xiao Bao actually had an unforgettable first love! And he had borrowed over a hundred thousand online to buy a jade bracelet for this first love!

“Xiao Bao, why didn’t you tell Mom earlier that you needed money to pay off your online loan for that jade bracelet? What’s this first love of yours? Who is it?”

Unfortunately, in contrast to her enthusiasm, Xu Shijia remained silent, merely pursing his lips as he walked ahead.

The more he acted this way, the more Xu Mingmei cared.

Xu Mingmei chased after Xu Shijia, relentlessly probing—

“What does she look like?”

“How old is she? Where is she from?”

“What does she do for a living?”

But Xu Shijia remained tight-lipped and wouldn’t say anything.

Xu Mingmei felt a bit deflated but refused to give up. “Do I know her?”

This time, Xu Shijia finally lifted his gaze and answered, “You do.”

I know her? Is she the daughter of the neighbor? Or is she the daughter of my best friend? Or a classmate who attended a hobby class with Xu Shijia? Or…

In an instant, many faces flashed through Xu Mingmei’s mind. She wished she could make a list of all the women Xu Shijia had interacted with from childhood to now.

She pressed on, “Mom doesn’t care about anything else; I just want to know what her personality is like.”

“She’s quite nice.”

“Is she good to you?”

“She’s okay, I guess.”

“How long have you known her?”

“Since high school.”

Upon hearing this response, Xu Mingmei couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy and let out a sigh of relief.

A good personality, treating Xu Shijia well, and knowing him since high school—it definitely wasn’t Lin Shu!

To be honest, the moment Xu Mingmei saw Lin Shu’s appearance, she had felt a flicker of worry, fearing her son was being led astray by this woman and falling for her because of her looks while working tirelessly at the law firm.

However, before the situation was clear, she hadn’t dared to probe.

Now that she knew her son’s first love was in this situation, Xu Mingmei felt the heavy stone in her heart lift.

“Xiao Bao, did you give her the jade bracelet?”

As soon as this was mentioned, Xu Shijia’s expression turned slightly grim. “No. She didn’t want it, and I want to return it. That thing was just a scam created by the tour guide and the vendor, specifically designed to trap ordinary tourists. It’s not worth a hundred thousand.”

“Then why did you buy it impulsively back then?”

“People get caught up in their pride. Whenever she’s involved, I just can’t stay calm,” Xu Shijia turned his face away, feeling somewhat awkward. “And I wanted to wait until I could stand on my own, earn my own money, and then buy her something truly worth a hundred thousand.”

“That bracelet isn’t actually worth a hundred thousand; I don’t think it’s a good gift.”

Xu Mingmei pounded her chest in frustration: “You bought something not worth a hundred thousand? You’ve been around me since childhood collecting jade; you shouldn’t be so foolish! You don’t need to buy to file a complaint about the consumer loan! Returning it is such a hassle!”

Xu Shijia lowered his gaze, finding it difficult to speak: “I was impulsive back then.”

“I bought it as a form of entrapment, thinking that reporting it as a victim would carry more weight, but I didn’t expect the refund process to be so complicated.”

Regretting the past was useless now. Xu Mingmei thought for a moment and said honestly, “Even if that jade bracelet were worth a hundred thousand, it’s still not very presentable. You can pick any of the ones in my collection! Take it to give to her! As for the money for that consumer loan, do you want me to lend it to you? After all, it’ll take time to refund the bracelet; what if you find yourself in a bind? I can lend you money, and you can buy her something else.”

Unfortunately, Xu Shijia was very stubborn: “I don’t want it. I want to buy it for her with my own money. Don’t give me money; I have hands, feet, a job, and my own income.”

At this point, Xu Mingmei finally began to understand.

No wonder her son, no matter how targeted by Lin Shu and how much he was working himself to the bone, didn’t just walk away in anger but instead accepted and endured everything, working like a mule every day. It turned out he wanted to grow quickly in that harsh, high-pressure work environment, to become a mature, stable, charming, and career-oriented man in order to win his love!

Xiao Bao is working hard for love!

Xu Mingmei’s gaze was filled with renewed pride: “I knew it! You’re my son; how could you fall for Lin Shu’s tricks? That’s just leftovers from someone else!”

However, upon hearing this, Xu Shijia looked a bit uncomfortable.

He furrowed his brow, seizing the opportunity to change the subject: “Mom, you’re not cut out for the workplace; you should go home. I’ll wrap up the document printing; don’t continue; if you do, you’ll just anger Lin Shu even more.”

Not mentioning Lin Shu would have been better, but as soon as he did, Xu Mingmei recalled something: “Why did you borrow money from her? Is she using her status as a creditor to threaten you into working?”

“That’s not true.” Xu Shijia remembered how he had been economically sanctioned and said angrily, “No one gave me money back then; she was the only one who voluntarily lent it to me and told me to feel at ease working here. She was a lifesaver; she was the only one who cared about me!”

Xu Mingmei was stunned: “Xiao Bao! The one who plotted against you was this woman! Didn’t you know? It was her ruthless suggestion to have your dad not give you a single cent! Then she turned around and lent you money to play the good guy and win your gratitude from start to finish! This woman is too vicious! She doesn’t care about you; she’s the one who enslaved you from the start!”

Xu Shijia clearly had no idea about this; after listening, he was dumbfounded: “She suggested that to Dad?”

“Of course! Your dad, like me, loves you. How could he come up with such a malicious tactic to deal with his own child? He must have been misled by bad people into making a wrong move!”

Although it was a good thing that her son was working hard for love and wanting to stand on his own, Xu Mingmei couldn’t stand the sight of Lin Shu. Now that the truth was out, Lin Shu would find it much harder to manipulate her Xiao Bao in the future! Xu Mingmei felt immensely satisfied; she finally exposed Lin Shu’s true colors in front of her Xiao Bao! Did she still want to continue deceiving him? Not a chance!

However, contrary to Xu Mingmei’s expectations that Xu Shijia would join her in denouncing Lin Shu and vow revenge, that scene didn’t occur.

After a moment of shock, Xu Shijia suddenly smiled: “That does sound like something she would do.”

After saying this, Xu Shijia appeared remarkably calm, even with a hint of excitement on his face that he was trying but failing to suppress.

Xu Mingmei saw him pretending to cough: “In any case, let’s just forget about this matter. At least I’ve reignited my passion for work. A man should have a career. Mom, don’t target Lin Shu.”

Target Lin Shu?! What do you mean, I’m targeting Lin Shu?! What’s wrong with my Xiao Bao? Why is he deflecting blame? It’s clearly Lin Shu who is targeting me!

Just as Xu Mingmei was about to shout her grievances, she heard Xu Shijia continue: “The fact that she can come up with such a plan just shows she’s capable and intelligent, right? Moreover, you see, she specifically targeted me and devised this entire plan; doesn’t that show she cares about me? Think about how much time and effort Lin Shu has spent on me. What does that say? It means she really cares.”

Xu Shijia sounded quite righteous: “Of course, her method is a bit ruthless, but she’s always looked after me since I was economically sanctioned. My life hasn’t been too bad; I’ve even learned to live better. I discovered group buying and that bank cards actually have points programs. I’ve even overcome my allergies and can take the subway now. I think it’s all good. I’ve become poorer, but I’ve also become stronger!”

Xu Mingmei reasonably suspected that Xu Shijia had fallen under Lin Shu’s spell. Were these skills that one must learn? Their family had no use for such survival skills!

Fortunately, Xiao Bao still had some clarity of mind; he didn’t like Lin Shu, his first love was from the same high school.

Who would dare to pursue someone like Lin Shu? Xiao Bao wasn’t entirely wrong; anyone who got involved with her would end up like a donkey on a production team!

Just then, Xu Shijia’s phone chimed with a message notification. He looked down at it, and a smile instantly appeared on his face.

“What’s going on?” Xu Mingmei asked sharply. “Is it your first love? What does she want?”

“Lin Shu asked me to urgently draft a legal opinion.”

After Xu Shijia said this, he walked off looking as if he was in high spirits, as if good news had uplifted him.

Xu Mingmei was left dumbfounded. Does working require such excitement?

No wonder there’s a term called “labor reform.” Just look at how much labor had transformed her Xiao Bao!