Chapter 5

Jiang Caifu stared at the text message for a long time, racking her brain but unable to decipher Qiao Yumin’s motive.

Was he really just being kind and sharing some food spots with her?

She held her phone, torn for a long time, until Lu Jianlan urged her to hurry and eat the hot pot before the meat overcooked. Finally, she followed the instructions in the text, copied the food recommendations into her phone’s notes, and then deleted the message.

Out of sight, out of mind.

---

Monday.

During lunch break, while eating takeout, Jiang Caifu overheard her coworker Qi Miaona say, “Our company is relocating.”

She leaned over. “Wasn’t that decided at the beginning of the year? It’s almost the end of the year now.”

“It’s happening for real,” Qi Miaona said with a shrug. “Xiao Yang from the finance department told me she’s handling the business license changes. We’re moving to Wenxin District.”

Jiang Caifu clicked her tongue. “That’s kind of far. Sure, I’ve gotten sick of all the takeout options here, but the current commute is so convenient.”

She currently lived in a family-owned, rent-free apartment. If the company moved far away, she couldn’t justify renting another place, especially one less spacious than her current home. Spending her hard-earned money on unnecessary housing costs wasn’t something she was willing to do.

But this was beyond her control. That evening, after a meeting, the manager officially announced that the relocation was finalized.

Once the news spread, the office buzzed with discussions for the entire week.

Coworkers debated which residential areas near the new office had the best value, whether the takeout options there would be better, and if the surrounding facilities were more complete than here.

Meanwhile, Jiang Caifu spent her time researching electric scooters on various platforms, planning to buy one for commuting.

After all, during rush-hour subway crowding, how could she possibly squeeze onto a train?

After a few days of indecision about which scooter to get, she put it aside and visited her parents over the weekend.

Meng Xueping, her mother, had prepared soup a few hours in advance, so it was ready when Jiang Caifu walked through the door.

“What’s this?”

As soon as she sat down, her mother brought over a large bowl, leaving Jiang Caifu a bit puzzled.

“You said recently you’ve been feeling weak and needed to replenish yourself,” Meng Xueping explained, placing the bowl in front of her. She pointed out the ingredients as she spoke.

“In addition to black chicken and ginseng, I added barley, longan, and red dates. You stay up late a lot and have a cold constitution. This is really good for you.”

“Oh, wow,” Jiang Caifu chuckled, scratching her nose. “I’m worried this will make me nosebleed after drinking it.”

“Don’t be silly,” Meng Xueping chided. “I didn’t use that much.”

She poured herself a bowl as well, picking out the red dates to eat.

Jiang Caifu blew on her soup to cool it, then sighed, a little melancholic. “I’m at the age where I need to drink nourishing soup now, huh?” She glanced around. “By the way, where’s Dad? Did he go to the supermarket?”

Her father ran a supermarket on the street across from her high school. Back in the day, she would often stop by after class to grab snacks before heading to tutoring sessions.

Meng Xueping shook her head. “The tenant in the Tongsheng Community apartment moved out. Your dad went to sign a new lease. He’ll be back soon.”

“Oh,” Jiang Caifu replied. She was about to bring up her company’s relocation when her mom suddenly asked, “Have you thought about dating anyone lately?”

She straightened up instantly, her expression alarmed. “Nope, not interested. Why? Is one of your friends planning to introduce someone to me?”

Meng Xueping gave her a disdainful look. “Two new male teachers joined our school recently. They’re young, good-looking, and single. I thought I’d ask if you were interested.”

“No, no, no,” Jiang Caifu quickly waved her hands, looking as if she couldn’t handle the idea. “I’m scared of teachers. I can’t communicate with them. Please don’t introduce them to me.”

Meng Xueping was taken aback. “I’m a teacher too.”

Jiang Caifu replied bluntly, “That’s why I’m scared of you!”

Meng Xueping: “…”

For a moment, she was too speechless to respond. After a while, she asked again, “Does anyone at your company pursue you?”

“No,” Jiang Caifu answered.

“Impossible!” Meng Xueping looked incredulous.

She still remembered when Jiang Caifu was in high school. Despite everyone knowing she was the class advisor’s daughter, plenty of bold boys openly or secretly expressed interest in her. Some even wrote her love letters.

If her daughter was pursued even under strict school rules, how could she not be popular in the workplace?

“Well, a few colleagues from other departments have said they like me and want to date,” Jiang Caifu sighed, looking helpless. “But it’s all talk! Words alone don’t count as pursuing someone. They haven’t done a single thing. How is that chasing me?”

Meng Xueping clicked her tongue, unwilling to give up. “Do you have any coworkers you like?”

Jiang Caifu’s face darkened. “I equally dislike all my colleagues. I’d be thrilled if I never had to see them again after work.”

Meng Xueping: “…”

She silently finished most of her soup, then looked at Jiang Caifu and let out a heavy sigh. “Ah!”

“Don’t sigh,” Jiang Caifu said, picking up a ginseng root and inspecting it before chewing on it. The bitterness made her stick out her tongue.

“Actually, I’m not completely against blind dates. If you know someone with good qualifications, you can introduce them. But teachers? Definitely not.”

Meng Xueping rubbed her temples. “Fine, I’ll keep an eye out. You’re still young; if you want to enjoy life a bit longer, that’s fine too…”

Jiang Caifu couldn’t help but laugh. “As long as you’ve made peace with it.”

Hearing this, Meng Xueping gave her an exasperated glare and snorted. “What else can I do? Teaching a graduating class is already exhausting. Just wait until after this year’s college entrance exams. I’ll have all the time in the world to deal with you.”

Jiang Caifu shrank her neck playfully, letting out a dramatic sigh. “Oh no, I’m so scared—”

“Stop pretending and drink your soup!”

“Actually, I’m getting full…”

The soup, filled with a lovingly prepared chicken drumstick, was too rich for Jiang Caifu. She felt a bit overwhelmed after a few bites but didn’t dare leave it unfinished. Slowly and reluctantly, she alternated between bites of the drumstick and sips of soup.

Just as she finished, her father, Jiang Chengming, walked in carrying a bag of crabs.

“You’re back, Dad,” Jiang Caifu said, putting down her bowl and letting out a muffled burp.

“Yeah, we’re having crabs tonight,” her father replied. He peered into the bowls on the table and, seeing that Jiang Caifu had finished her soup, happily went to the kitchen to scoop up the leftovers.

When the three of them finally gathered at the dining table, Jiang Caifu cleared her throat and solemnly announced, “I’m thinking of buying a vehicle.”

Her father immediately frowned. “It’s going to take ages to get a license plate, isn’t it? How about using my car for now?”

“No, I mean an electric scooter,” Jiang Caifu clarified. “Our company is relocating, and it’s pretty far from where I live.”

“That’s easy,” her father said, setting down his bowl and pulling out his phone. “Which one do you like? I’ll buy it for you.”

Before Jiang Caifu could protest, he deftly transferred 10,000 yuan to her via Alipay.

The sound of the transfer notification was so crisp and delightful that Jiang Caifu immediately flashed a sheepish smile, prompting her mother to shake her head repeatedly in disapproval.

“You’ve been working for two years and still can’t afford an electric scooter? And you dare talk about letting us enjoy a carefree retirement in the future? Shameless!”

Jiang Caifu covered her face in embarrassment. Her fragile self-esteem prompted her to mumble, “I can afford it, Dad. You don’t have to give me money.”

Her father, unconcerned, pocketed his phone and waved dismissively. “Take it. With the peanuts you’re earning every month…”

Their family business—a well-run supermarket—combined with rental properties meant the couple had a solid financial foundation. They had never expected Jiang Caifu to make a fortune. Even if she quit her job and stayed home, they could easily support her as their only child.

Feeling the sting of her father’s disdain for her modest salary, Jiang Caifu smiled wryly. “Actually, my pay is decent compared to others my age.”

Turning to her mother, she shamelessly added, “By the way, Mom, didn’t the beauty salon give you a complimentary hair treatment last time you renewed your membership? Those freebies aren’t usually that great, right? Why don’t you let me use it instead?”

Meng Xueping: “?”

She stared at Jiang Caifu, unsure whether to label her as stingy or sharp. “You’ve really outdone yourself.”

Jiang Caifu sighed dramatically, rubbing her forehead. “Running a household makes you realize how expensive everything is.”

Her current life motto was to save wherever she could.

Unless she suddenly inherited billions—which was unlikely—she planned to live by this principle for the rest of her life.

---

The company’s new office park was located in a bustling area.

Unlike the relaxed, slow-paced old district where Jiang Caifu lived, the new location was filled with hurried office workers rushing about. It made her unconsciously quicken her own pace.

On moving day, stepping into the lobby of the new building, Jiang Caifu was surprised to find it decorated with a plant installation. Common greenery like fiddle-leaf figs and monstera plants were arranged in varying heights to create a layered visual effect.

While most people brushed past it in a hurry to swipe their work badges, Jiang Caifu, entering for the first time, took her time walking around it curiously.

The security and property management staff in the lobby were also diligent. After she lingered for a bit, someone politely approached to ask if she needed assistance.

The whole building was far more upscale than the old office. Thinking about working here in the future, she couldn’t help but feel like her own value had somehow increased.

But the illusion shattered the moment she looked at her paycheck and saw the depressing numbers.

What was the point of moving to such a fancy office building?

Her salary hadn’t increased, and now she’d have to spend more on transportation.

The thought filled her with frustration.

Just how crowded could the subway be during A City’s morning rush hour?

Previously, she had only seen such topics on social media and laughed at the comments. Now, the tables had turned, and she had become part of the joke.

Waking up an hour earlier didn’t help—she still ended up queuing outside the station during peak hours.

Even when she managed to squeeze onto a train, she sometimes couldn’t push her way out before the doors closed. Today, she missed her stop again and had to take the train in the opposite direction to backtrack.

At first, she anxiously worried about being a few minutes late. But when she realized she was already half an hour past clock-in time, she gave up and filed for an hour’s leave on the company’s system.

Leisurely exiting the subway station, she stopped at a convenience store to buy a sandwich and a latte.

Going to work on an empty stomach after braving the subway chaos was pure torture.

Sipping her coffee, Jiang Caifu silently moved “buy an electric scooter” to the top of her to-do list.

By now, the usual morning rush at the office had passed, and the lobby was nearly empty except for property management staff.

She swiped her badge and headed for the elevator, just as one was coming up from the basement.

The doors slowly opened, revealing a tall, slender young man leaning casually inside.

Despite the cold, he wore only a Prussian blue Italian suit, which made him look somewhat frail. Seeing Jiang Caifu standing outside, his expression turned slightly surprised and confused.

His gaze was sharp.

The warm orange light above him fell down, not casting a soft glow but instead making him appear cold and pale, almost inhuman.

Jiang Caifu abruptly stopped in her tracks.

She had always thought A City was vast—so much so that it would take half a day just to visit her parents on the weekend. But now, she felt that A City was actually quite small, small enough that in just one week, she could run into her unpredictable ex-boyfriend twice.

No one else was entering, and the elevator doors began to close automatically.

Qiao Yu-Mian casually raised his hand to stop the door, tilting his head slightly as he gave her a half-self-mocking, half-challenging smile.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

“Am I some kind of disaster?”