Chapter 11: Chance Encounter
Inside a shared apartment in a residential complex not far from the Deli Building.
“Little Min, let me tell you, it’s good that you listened to me and broke up with Fan Ren early. Look at him now, reduced to freeloading and waiting to die at a shell company.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, maybe there’s some reason we don’t know about.”
“Hmph, you don’t know, that Xinghai Technology Company, it’s a mess inside, but the online introduction makes it sound impressive, with industry-leading technology and strong financial strength. Pfft, what a waste of my resume.”
In the simply decorated house, Liu Xinyue and Xu Min, who had gone to apply at Xinghai today, were venting their frustrations.
Xu Min listened with her ears, but her mind recalled that Liu Jun had also mentioned Xinghai Technology a few days ago, and now she couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
In her view, with Liu Jun’s identity, how could the company he joined be as bad as Liu Xinyue described.
“Hey? I’ve told you everything, good and bad, don’t you go harboring old feelings and try to help him. That kind of unambitious person, we should just take care of ourselves.”
Seeing Xu Min lost in thought, Liu Xinyue impatiently began to sound the alarm to her best friend.
Xu Min shook her head upon hearing this: “How could I help him? I’m just a receptionist, standing all day and having to smile at everyone.”
“Hmph, that’s Deli Electric Power, a big enterprise. You don’t even have to go through the internship period; you get formal employee salary right away. Don’t you see, among us few in the dormitory, except Cao Bingqian whose family conditions are better and not in a hurry to find work, Yingying and I still have no prospects.”
Toward the end, recalling that she seemed to have run around applying for jobs in vain again today, she suddenly got furious.
“I’m so pissed, to rush to Xinghai, I even took a taxi. Isn’t this wasting my money?”
Xu Min smiled and comforted her: “Alright, alright, I’ll get my salary soon, then I’ll treat you and Zeng Yingying to a big meal!”
At the mention of eating, Liu Xinyue’s little eyes immediately lit up.
“Woo woo, I really envy you. I need to quickly find a boyfriend like Ma Wei too.”
A hint of blush flashed across Xu Min’s face, and she said irritably: “Don’t talk nonsense, there’s nothing between us.”
At the mention of this, Liu Xinyue got even more excited and gossiped: “Where did you two go play today?”
“Just had a meal and watched a movie, don’t guess randomly.”
“No way, the same old thing again? Nothing else?”
Xu Min thought for a moment, blushing as she said: “When he sent me back, he wanted to come up and sit for a while, but I thought since we three are sharing here it’s not convenient, so I refused.”
Liu Xinyue looked at the other like she was an idiot, feeling that her best friend had been turned dumb from being with Fan Ren during university years.
“Let me tell you, if you keep stringing him along like this, don’t end up with nothing, there are plenty of other women outside. You think everyone is like Fan Ren, who wouldn’t even spend money on a hotel room after three years together?”
“Go go, no ivory comes from a dog’s mouth.”
Liu Xinyue suddenly felt speechless; her best friend’s brain really wasn’t working well. Did she really think all men were like Fan Ren, satisfied with just holding hands after three years together?
“Be smarter, you know how good Ma Wei’s family conditions are. If you drag it on, watch out he gets impatient. If you don’t seize the moment, and he gets seduced away by some vixen outside, you’ll have nowhere to cry.”
Hearing this, Xu Min didn’t reply; she wasn’t stupid. After refusing Ma Wei to come up today, she clearly felt he was a bit unhappy.
Seeing her best friend not speaking, Liu Xinyue didn’t want to push too hard, and turned to look at another bedroom.
“Not back yet?”
The one she was asking about in her mouth was Zeng Yingying, who had been coming and going early and late.
Zeng Yingying’s family conditions weren’t good; there was an unmarried older brother above, and a younger brother below studying freshman year at university.
Forget about the family helping her; it was good if they didn’t ask her for money.
Sure enough, during this period without finding a job, she had been doing various part-time jobs outside.
Xu Min nodded slightly, sighed, and said nothing.
At Xinghai, after Fan Ren got off work with the decoration master, he found a restaurant not far from the Science Park and sat down.
He checked the time; it was already past eight in the evening. Not in a hurry, he ordered a few dishes, and while waiting, he took out his laptop to handle the interview matters from the day.
‘Ah!’
Amid the busyness, a miserable scream, accompanied by chaos, rang out in the restaurant kitchen.
“Get out of the way, clumsy fool, can’t even serve a dish properly. Screaming so loud to scare the customers, damn it, have to remake it. Clean up quick!”
“S-sorry, Head Chef, I didn’t mean to.”
“Hmph, today’s university students, can’t do this or that. Can’t even serve a dish properly. Don’t know why the boss keeps her around.”
“Hey, Head Chef, you wouldn’t understand.”
Over there, a young kitchen helper smirked, his eyes wantonly roaming over the girl who was panicking after spilling the dish.
“What’s going on?”
The kitchen curtain was lifted, and a fat body squeezed in, scanning around before his gaze fell on the girl squatting on the ground cleaning up the mess.
“Boss, Little Zeng spilled the finished dish. I’ll make another one right away. Little Cai, quickly go apologize to the customers.”
“I’m not going, it wasn’t me who did it. Let her go herself.”
The Head Chef helplessly explained to the Fat Boss at the door, while the kitchen helper called Little Cai irritably refused the Head Chef.
After figuring out what happened, the Fat Boss felt speechless, but then the corners of his mouth slightly curled up.
“Little Zeng, you okay? Not hurt?”
Saying this, he hurriedly squatted laboriously beside the girl, casually placing his greasy big hands on her slim shoulders.
“N-no. It’s fine, sorry Boss, sorry Head Chef, I’ll go tell the customers.”
Feeling those hands on her shoulder, the girl trembled slightly all over, dodged away, quickly cleaned the floor, kept apologizing nonstop, and ran outside like fleeing.
Little Cai smirked and leaned in, whispering: “The boss’s wife is out front!”
“Go go, do your work. Damn, you’re the idlest one here.”
The Fat Boss narrowed his eyes and rubbed his hands, as if savoring the delicate touch from before. Mentioned the tigress outside by this kid, he suddenly got furious.
Zeng Yingying came to the dining hall; the scene from before lingered in her heart, that humiliating feeling making her eyes involuntarily well up.
After slightly calming her emotions, she roughly wiped the tears about to spill, then came to the corresponding table.
“Hello customer, sorry, due to my work mistake, I accidentally spilled the dish that was already made for you. The kitchen is remaking it, sorry, very sorry.”
Fan Ren looked up; he wasn’t sure before, but now hearing the voice, he guessed the person was Xu Min’s roommate, that low-presence Zeng Yingying.
“Fan Ren!”
Exclaiming in surprise, Zeng Yingying suddenly felt much more relaxed.
Having affected the customer’s meal, she was already prepared to be nitpicked.
Now seeing the person sitting there was Fan Ren, though they hadn’t interacted much, she figured she wouldn’t be nitpicked anymore.
Fan Ren pointed at Zeng Yingying’s hand, pulled a few tissues from the tissue box on the table, and handed them over.
Wipe it, don’t let it get infected later.
‘Ah!’
Only now did Zeng Yingying realize her index finger had been cut by glass shards and was continuously bleeding.
“Holy crap!”
Fan Ren exclaimed, suddenly feeling a soft body fall into his arms.
