Chapter 184: Chapter 183: Jealous Zhao Meimei (Part 1)
All things began to fall into place, Shi Yang rented a storefront in the commercial district across the street from the mall as an office location.
The company had to change its project, which required re-registration and filing with the industry and commerce bureau. Shi Yang took the documents and cash, and drove to the bureau.
Just as he got out of the car, he heard someone call him: "Shi Yang!"
Shi Yang turned his head to look and was stunned.
Qian Jinqiu, wearing a bureau uniform and carrying a leather bag, was smiling as she chased him from behind.
Shi Yang casually shut the car door, looking her up and down in her work outfit, his face full of surprise: "You work here?"
Qian Jinqiu had her long hair pinned up at the back, revealing her rosy lips and white teeth on an oval face. Her eyes weren’t large, but when she smiled, her delicate brows and eyes carried a unique charm. She bore no resemblance to her father, the robust and plump Director Qian.
Qian Jinqiu gave Shi Yang a slight smile and nodded.
Her fair face quietly blushed with two patches of red, a young woman of twenty-four or twenty-five, radiating a striking beauty, and her shy smiles and glances made her exceptionally charming.
Yet Shi Yang wasn’t appreciating it at all. He was calculating in his mind whether, through her, he could expedite the process and save some time since he had to return to the company to meet with the principal of Xixiangyang Kindergarten, a major client that needed careful attention.
Qian Jinqiu’s gaze landed on Shi Yang’s face, and she asked, "And you? Here for business?"
Shi Yang handed over the folder he was holding: "The company changed its project, so I want to amend some related content."
Qian Jinqiu’s eyes lit up slightly, and she said without thinking, "Really? I’m in that department!"
Shi Yang laughed: "What a coincidence? That’s great, I was worried about not knowing anyone."
Qian Jinqiu looked at Shi Yang, her admiration clearly revealed in her eyes: "Now you do, don’t you?"
Shi Yang gave a polite smile, subtly avoiding Qian Jinqiu’s intense gaze, then casually locked the car, and the two walked side by side, chatting as they went.
During the conversation, Shi Yang found that Qian Jinqiu wasn’t the typical bookworm; instead, she was quick-witted, poised in demeanor, yet particularly adept at understanding human nature.
After a probing remark earlier, Qian Jinqiu immediately adjusted the tone of their interaction, shifting naturally from vaguely flirtatious to an encounter of old friends.
Throughout the business process, Qian Jinqiu enthusiastically ran around arranging things, but when it came to the final step of needing a superior’s stamp, she discovered that her boss had left unexpectedly.
Shi Yang was anxious to return to entertain the clients, and Qian Jinqiu offered to help without hesitation, suggesting he leave everything with her, and she would notify him once it was all done.
As Shi Yang left, he said courteously, "Thank you so much for today. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime."
Qian Jinqiu gave a small smile: "You better keep your promise."
The feeling of a relationship maintained by voice and yearning is even more unbearable than watching plums to quench one’s thirst.
Zhao Meimei, with her hair in a tangle, crawled out of bed, thinking angrily, at least with plums you can see the actual thing, but for her, it’s all her own imagination at work.
Zhao Meimei informed Xu Xu she had something the next day and indeed went to find Shi Yang the following morning.
After dressing up carefully, she left the house with a small handbag, and as soon as she stepped out of the community gate, she saw Da Bao walking toward her from the bus stop.
Zhao Meimei called out in surprise: "Da Bao!"
Da Bao was walking with his head down. Hearing her voice, he quickly lifted his head, saw it was her, and his face immediately broke into a radiant smile as he waved: "Hey, Meimei!"
The two stood by the community gate, shared an enthusiastic hug, and then chatted closely.
In the six months they hadn’t seen each other, Da Bao had tanned and slimmed down. What used to be a body with three chins had reduced to two layers. As he slimmed, the harshness in his eyes softened slightly. He wore a tank top with the hem pulled up and hooked at his chest, revealing a belly two sizes smaller.
Da Bao smiled broadly: "I was planning to visit you! Didn’t expect to run into you!"
Zhao Meimei had just returned from home and specifically went to see Da Bao, only to find that Da Bao had been sent to the provincial capital by his restaurant boss for training at his own expense.
Zhao Meimei looked at Da Bao’s luggage casually thrown on the ground and asked: "You just got back?"
Da Bao lightly kicked his luggage: "Yeah, just arrived, and you, all dressed up, heading out?"
Zhao Meimei smiled and nodded: "I’m going to see my brother."
Once Da Bao heard she had things to do, he waved her off: "I see, then let’s catch up some other time. I work at Kelaiya on the second street now. Come by when you have time. I’m usually at the shop."
Zhao Meimei agreed: "Sure, no problem!"
After they waved goodbye, Zhao Meimei got on the bus to Shi Yang’s company.
The bus was like a steamer filled with people, and Zhao Meimei was sweating profusely from the heat, feeling miserable, but inwardly she felt joyous.
Shi Yang had just finished checking last week’s inventory with the warehouse keeper when he saw Zhao Meimei and was extremely surprised.
He had always wanted to find time to visit Zhao Meimei, but it wasn’t due to a lack of concern, rather he was too busy to find the time.
Shi Yang quickly stood up, looking at the bangs stuck to her forehead with sweat, and frowned: "You came by bus?"
Zhao Meimei smiled: "Yes."
Shi Yang immediately felt concerned: "It’s the busiest time right now. Why didn’t you take a cab? You must’ve been squeezed?"
Zhao Meimei didn’t mind: "It’s nothing. It’s only a few stops from my house to here, pretty close."
Everyone else at the company was meeting Zhao Meimei for the first time and saw how fondly Shi Yang treated her, asking: "Mr. Shi, is this your sister?"
Shi Yang looked up slightly flustered: "Ah, she’s Master Zhao’s daughter."
Shi Yang inexplicably explained this, and after speaking, he was taken aback.
For years, he had been accustomed to hearing Zhao Meimei call him brother, easily and comfortably in the presence of both families. But now when an outsider suddenly asked, he felt particularly awkward, as if the title of brother and sister added a layer of distance between them, causing him to instinctively refute it.
Fortunately, no one else paid much attention to it, and upon learning Zhao Meimei’s identity, they became even more cordial with her.
Shi Yang held Zhao Meimei’s hand and introduced her to other people in the company, then delegated his work tasks.
When assigning work, Shi Yang’s attitude was very strict and serious, and Zhao Meimei half-understandingly listened to him continuously say new terms, obediently following beside him, cleverly handing him a pen at one moment and a paper at another.