Proud senior schoolgirl was tender and sweet, we fell in love

In the end, the three of them still went to the coffee shop across the street, as it was relatively quieter compared to other places.

Luo Yanran and Kang Hui sat on one side, while Zhou Mianmian sat alone on the other side.

Kang Hui had already introduced himself, and then he started to get straight to the point by inquiring about information related to the unpaid wages.

Luo Yanran, on the other hand, was taking notes of the important points on the side.

The two of them coordinated very well.

Zhou Mianmian was cooperative too.

The communication process went smoothly, and Kang Hui even proposed uniting those who had unpaid wages to jointly sue Boss Zhou.

But Zhou Mianmian just smiled and said, "It's somewhat difficult; most people are afraid. Boss Zhou is a local despot here, and even if we win the lawsuit, as long as we still live here, it's predictable that we'd be troubled."

This was also why many people who were owed wages could only plead softly and were afraid to directly confront Boss Zhou and Cheng Jun in this manner.

Zhou Mianmian was ready to leave anytime, but it was different for Cheng Jun and the others.

Both he and his wife were disabled, and it was already difficult for them to find jobs. Initially, they thought they had met a kind person in Boss Zhou.

What they met instead was a heartless beast unwilling to act like a human.

After hearing this, both Kang Hui and Luo Yanran couldn't help but frown.

Kang Hui tapped his fingers several times and said, "Let me think, there must be a way. Miss Zhou, would you mind leaving your contact information?"

Zhou Mianmian hesitated for a moment but still left her mobile number.

After everything was finished, Luo Yanran said to Kang Hui, "Senior, I have something I want to discuss with this junior of mine."

Kang Hui packed up his stuff and smiled, "Sure, you talk; I'll wait outside for you."

Luo Yanran smiled in thanks.

Zhou Mianmian watched her until Kang Hui had walked far away before saying, "What do we have to talk about?"

"Well, there wasn't really anything, but during the National Day, Xie Xiao and I went back home, and it seems your grandmother is sick," Luo Yanran said softly. "If we hadn't met, it might not matter whether I mentioned it or not, but since we met, I thought I should tell you."

Zhou Mianmian was stunned for a while before she slowly nodded to show she understood.

In fact, since her parents had passed away, she lived with her grandmother more like strangers under one roof.

But it was undeniable that this was now her only remaining family.

Yet she couldn't help but hold some resentment for her past cold-heartedness.

After all that had happened, she had never once come to see her, not even a glance.

Zhou Mianmian had actually returned home before leaving.

But the locks to the house were changed.

She knocked on the door with her injuries, and from the inside, a voice asked, "Who is it?"

At that time, Zhou Mianmian was very scared; she wanted to go home, if only to pick up a few things.

But after she identified herself, there was no more sound from inside.

Even though she called out 'Grandma' many times, no one opened the door, nor was there any response.

Eventually, Zhou Mianmian clenched the three hundred yuan she had secretly saved and turned away.

She never went back after that.

At this moment, Luo Yanran told her that her grandmother was sick.

She felt nothing but a daze, as if even her ability to hate had drained away.

Zhou Mianmian looked at Luo Yanran and said, "Thank you, I know now."

Luo Yanran did not inquire further, as she had no interest in other people's personal affairs.

But the simple way Zhou Mianmian had spoken about her wounds, as if they were nothing, made Luo Yanran feel a touch of pity.

Zhou Mianmian was younger than her, yet at that moment, she seemed much older.

She's just a person striving to live.

None of them are children anymore, and it seems that their past emotional entanglements have become very distant.

She herself is now very happy with Xie Xiao.

So Luo Yanran is not pretending to be a saint, it's just that the things that used to bother her, along with such a person.

With Xie Xiao's gentle company, they seemed to have become a trivial part of the memories.

They no longer cause any substantial upheaval in her heart.

As Luo Yanran finished her last sip of coffee, "No need to thank me, I just happened to see you and thought I'd let you know,"

She paused, "Xie Xiao had gone to a social gathering and bumped into Yan Shi, he even asked Xie Xiao if he had seen you."

Compared to when mentioning her grandmother's illness, Zhou Mianmian had a much bigger reaction when Yan Shi was mentioned.

She even shivered uncontrollably, "He... he's out?"

That was the nightmare she dared not recall.

Luo Yanran hummed in acknowledgment, watching her face stricken with panic, "Don't worry, Xie Xiao didn't tell him he saw you, I just wanted to remind you."

Zhou Mianmian seemed a bit distraught, "Okay, okay, thanks very much."

In the end, Luo Yanran still left her contact information, "You can reach out to me if there's anything, thank you for your cooperation today."

Zhou Mianmian looked at the business card, eventually reaching out to take it.

She whispered, "Thank you."

Luo Yanran walked out of the coffee shop and turned back to glance once more.

Zhou Mianmian was still sitting there, motionless.

Kang Hui followed her gaze and peeked inside, "I wouldn't have guessed she was your junior if you hadn't told me; I thought she was older than you."

Luo Yanran shook her head, "She's been through too much, and she used to, used to be quite pretty."

So pretty that in Xie Xiao's eyes, there was only her, nobody else.

Far away at another company, Xie Xiao sneezed unexpectedly.

Xu Hao glanced at him, "Caught a cold?"

Xie Xiao rubbed his nose, slightly embarrassed, "I shouldn't have."

Maybe my wife is thinking of me.

Thinking of Luo Yanran, Xie Xiao's eyes softened.

Xu Hao nodded and pushed the documents of several companies towards him, "I called you to look at this, you mentioned that the cooperation with President Ge was on hold, I asked Secretary Huang to search for a few other companies, these ones are quite interested in collaborating with us."

He lowered his voice a bit, "I had someone inquire, and President Ge has recently been getting pretty close with some gangs, the other day I mentioned his men looked quite menacing..."

Xie Xiao hadn't expected Yan Shi's warning to actually help him.

But why? Their relationship wasn't good back in their university days because of Zhou Mianmian.

"...Xie Xiao?" Xu Hao's voice carried a hint of confusion.

Xie Xiao snapped back to reality, "Sorry Mr. Xu, I was just surprised that a raw material supply could be linked with gangs."

"Who knows, but indeed, since we stopped interacting with them, they started contacting us more frequently, and they haven't mentioned raising the prices again; however, Luo Yan and I think it's safer to switch suppliers. You're meticulous about these things," Xu Hao praised.

Xie Xiao quickly denied it.

At that moment, the telephone on Xu Hao's desk rang.

He picked it up; it was a call from Secretary Huang.

After listening, Xu Hao sighed, "Let them wait in the reception room."

After hanging up, he looked at Xie Xiao, "See, we're not in a hurry yet they've come to us."

About a week later, Xie Xiao saw Yan Shi again in the company's reception room.