Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The two walked around campus for a while, and by around eleven, Xu Meng said she had to go.

Han Jiming glanced at her: "Not grabbing lunch together?"

Xu Meng thought for a moment: "Is there a restaurant strip outside the school? Could you take me there? My friend runs a place out there."

"Sure." Han Jiming smirked slightly, his smile meaningful. "Meeting up with that friend for lunch?"

Oddly, they had a surprising amount to talk about.

Xu Meng asked him curiously: "So you’re working on that Qinghai highway project? Isn’t that area permafrost? Doesn’t that make construction difficult? Since your company handles such projects, do you often have to work in remote areas? Is it dangerous? I’ve heard it’s cold there even in summer—winter must be even worse."

In her past life, she had heard about that road. Due to hundreds of kilometers of permafrost and saline-alkali land, construction was extremely challenging. Within just a few years of operation, the road had become riddled with potholes, turning into a "washboard road." Later, it was Han Jiming’s company that developed new technology specifically for maintaining such permafrost sections. The project lasted many years, and some in the industry speculated he was just keeping it going to secure government subsidies.

For years, he endured criticism and was called a greedy businessman, but in the end, the road was successfully repaired.

Even in Xu Meng’s latest memories, that national highway was considered a feat of engineering.

She just hadn’t expected him to start researching it so early.

Han Jiming hadn’t anticipated her bombarding him with so many questions at once and was momentarily unsure which to answer first. After a pause, he said, "You know a lot for someone your age. You even know about Qinghai? It’s a pretty remote place—you’ve never been there, have you?"

Xu Meng shook her head: "No."

There were still so many places she hadn’t been to, unlike Han Jiming.

Even while walking with him, quite a few guys seemed eager to approach and ask for her contact information.

Naturally, there were also plenty of girls who wanted Han Jiming’s contact details along the way. He even teased her: "Are the guys at your school like this too?"

Xu Meng shook her head honestly: "High school keeps us too busy—who has time for this kind of thing?"

The implication being that college kids are the ones who have time for dating.

She pressed eagerly: "There must be a lot of people who like you, right?"

Then added firmly: "Just now, a bunch of girls asked for your number—I bet it happens all the time."

Han Jiming chuckled and shook his head.

Zhang Mingqing’s shop was just outside the school, and Han Jiming happened to know the place. He planned to walk her over, but Xu Meng didn’t go straight to Zhang Mingqing. Instead, she first checked out the location of Xiangxiang Stir-Fry Restaurant. By the time she arrived at eleven, the place was already packed. A round-faced manager was at the door, greeting customers with a smile.

The restaurant’s prices weren’t set too high, and the portions were generous—just right for students.

The plump manager beamed as his eyes swept over the two of them: "Here for lunch? We still have seats available. I’ll get you two a good table!"

Han Jiming stayed silent.

Xu Meng shook her head and headed across the street.

The manager watched them go and grumbled, "What’s wrong with them?"

After their talk, Han Jiming had figured out why Xu Meng came, so he didn’t ask further.

Compared to the stir-fry place, Zhang Mingqing’s shop was much larger and better located, right across from the school gate, well-lit and roomy. But at the moment, there wasn’t a single customer inside. The staff were busy cleaning, mopping the floor over and over, while Zhang Mingqing was punching numbers into a calculator.

Han Jiming paused at the door: "That’s your friend?"

Is she really fond of befriending older people?

Xu Meng pursed her lips, looking serious: "Don't criticize how I choose friends."

Han Jiming smiled: "Alright then, you'll be okay by yourself?"

Xu Meng nodded: "I'll stay for a while and then head back."

Han Jiming was silent for a few seconds: "Let me see you home later."

Xu Meng, who hated being a bother, was about to refuse when Han Jiming continued: "I'm going that way anyway. I'm heading back, so it's no trouble. Plus, that reference book you mentioned earlier—I happen to have it at home. Want to come by and check it out? If not, I can bring it to you next time."

Better to get it herself.

Xu Meng said: "I'll go back with you."

She blushed again.

Han Jiming didn't seem bothered at all. After confirming the time with her, he went out to meet his roommates for lunch.

Xu Meng, however, gazed after him distractedly for a moment, only snapping out of it when Zhang Mingqing called her name several times. Even after entering the shop, she remained distracted.

Zhang Mingqing teased, grinning: "Are you in love?"

Xu Meng quickly shook her head. With Han Jiming’s family background and status, who could possibly be a match for him?

Zhang Mingqing, though, gazed thoughtfully at Han Jiming’s departing figure: "If you’re going to date someone, a handsome one isn’t bad—at least it’s pleasing to the eye. Take it from my experience, guys like that are rare. There are far fewer good-looking men than women out there."

She sounded quite experienced.

But then she realized it wasn’t appropriate to discuss such things with Xu Meng, who was cramming for her college entrance exams and shouldn't be distracted.

If she was going to be distracted, it was better to focus on making hot pot ingredients—nothing else.

Zhang Mingqing smiled and ushered her inside, changing the subject: "I saw you checking out the neighborhood earlier. You must’ve noticed the pros and cons. There are plenty of students around, so I’m not worried about customers. Plus, there aren’t any hot pot places nearby. I did some serious scouting today—there are a few Sichuan-style hot pot restaurants within ten kilometers, but they’re all high-end. The format you mentioned, though, I haven’t seen anywhere."

Just then, a waitress in her thirties came over and served Xu Meng a cup of hot tea.

Xu Meng perked up: "So you think a spicy skewer hot pot could work?"

Zhang Mingqing grinned: "We won’t call it ‘spicy skewers’—let’s go with ‘Chuanwei Skewer Hot Pot.’ ‘Spicy skewers’ sounds too low-rent, like some street cart. I’ve already worked out the pricing. What do you think?"

She valued Xu Meng’s opinion highly—to her, Xu Meng was insightful and full of ideas.

Xu Meng reviewed the plan and couldn't find much wrong with it, only suggesting a tweak to the payment process: "Tally up the skewers first, pay, then dig in. Also, launch a grand opening promotion—the bigger, the better. Hand out flyers on campus beforehand to generate buzz. The promotions don’t have to be rigid—like waiving the base fee for those with flyers or giving out free noodles. Make the deals tempting but not money-losers."

Zhang Mingqing’s eyes sparkled: "Waiving the base fee is a great idea."

She circled the grand opening plans with gusto.

As soon as Xu Meng left, Feng Yanwen beckoned to the waitress from earlier: "Song Xia, you’re the sharpest and quickest here. I’m putting you in charge of the new store. Do well, and I’ll promote you to manager. Fail, and you’re out. You up for it?"

This shop couldn't be run single-handedly.

If they could train up competition, so could she.

————

Song Xia’s eyes brimmed with tears. She had graduated from vocational school and was assigned to work as a sales clerk at a department store. At first, she did well, and the benefits were decent—if things had worked out, she could’ve stayed there till retirement.

But the problem was their unit's procurement director was a chronic harasser, constantly harassing younger staff like Song Xia. Most endured it quietly, but Song Xia had a short fuse and directly confronted him.

Seizing the opportunity, the man sent his wife to cause a disturbance at the workplace.

"Since when is a man's lust considered a big deal?"

In the end, unable to bear the gossip, it was Song Xia who ended up leaving.

Once she left, her stable government job was gone. After offending the procurement director, finding a job became difficult. The unit's leaders labeled her as troublesome and even warned other affiliated workplaces not to hire her. Song Xia was forced to take work as a shop assistant for small private businesses until she met Zhang Mingqing.

Coincidentally, Zhang Mingqing also had an unyielding personality, and the two clicked right away.

So as soon as Zhang Mingqing opened her shop, she brought Song Xia on board.

Song Xia was always being trained to manage the shop—a well-known fact. Plus, she ran things smoothly, earning everyone’s respect. The only thing missing was the right opportunity to formally assess and promote her.

Zhang Mingqing said, "I’ve thought it over—we can’t run a Chinese restaurant anymore. I don’t know what connections that shop across the street has, but they’re determined to put me out of business. I’m not the type to let people walk all over me. Once or twice is fine, but even if it's just a mosquito, I’ll swat it dead."

Xu Meng had lunch with Zhang Mingqing. Around 2 p.m., Han Jiming, having finished his meal, rode his motorcycle over and waited outside.

After about ten minutes, Xu Meng finally emerged from the shop.

Han Jiming handed her a helmet. "Is this shop run by your friend?"

Xu Meng countered, "Have you eaten here before?"

"Pretty much every shop near our school," Han Jiming said with implication. "Is her husband surnamed Li?"

Tuan Tuan’s surname was Li. Xu Meng immediately grew wary. "You know her husband?"

Han Jiming scoffed. "That kind of trash isn’t worth mentioning—just some new money. If your friend can become financially independent, breaking away from that family sooner would be smart."

The man’s business dealings weren’t clean. He was no longer just a businessman but more like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

But Han Jiming wouldn’t spell it out too bluntly. First, he wasn’t sure how close Xu Meng was to her friend. Second, given his background, he always acted cautiously, hinting at things rather than stating them outright.

Xu Meng, however, had already pieced together a lot. Zhang Mingqing’s urgency to establish her shop was likely driven by her desire to sever ties with that family as soon as possible.

Previously, her in-laws had coaxed her into returning, even lying that the other woman had aborted the child after receiving a large sum of money. Only later did she learn that the woman had already given birth to a son, whose household registration was even registered under the mother’s name. Zhang Mingqing sensed something was off—given the Li family’s calculating nature, how could they allow their son to remain outside?

The most plausible explanation was that she and Tuan Tuan were merely fronts, set up by the Li family to bear the brunt.

At this realization, Zhang Mingqing first felt rage, then calmed down. Besides reclaiming what was rightfully hers, she was also planning for the future. She used the money she took to buy commercial properties, all under Tuan Tuan’s name, while secretly accumulating untraceable assets and businesses of her own.

This was precisely why she was so determined to make the restaurant succeed.

Partly because she genuinely needed a career, but also because the restaurant could provide her with a steady, off-the-books income—money her in-laws couldn’t track. It would be her and Tuan Tuan’s security. If that family could plot against her, she could fight back too.

Han Jiming took Xu Meng to the Han residence.

After nodding to the guards at the gate, he led her to the sitting room in the backyard.

"Where’s Lingling?"

"Ah, she didn’t know you were coming. She went skating with her classmates this morning and won’t be back until she’s done having fun." Han Jiming checked the time, confirming Han Lingling wouldn’t return anytime soon, then turned on the TV for Xu Meng. "Just watch TV for now. I’ll go find what you need."

Xu Meng nodded. She was already quite familiar with the Han household.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been watching TV when footsteps sounded outside. Thinking it was Han Jiming returning, she sat up straight. But when the door opened, it wasn't him.

"Sun Miao?"

"Why are you here?" Sun Miao frowned, adopting the demeanor of the lady of the house.

Xu Meng was equally puzzled. She had heard from Han Lingling that Sun Miao’s parents had retired under a cloud, so how could she still be seen in this compound?

This person was truly baffling, like an un-killable roach—always popping up, weirdly tenacious.

Sun Miao shot Xu Meng an impatient glance.

Her attire was completely different from before, like she was trying way too hard.

Sun Miao knew exactly what she used to be like—wearing hand-me-down school uniforms in elementary school until they rode up her wrists. How could someone like that even catch Han Lingling’s eye and become her friend? Han Lingling had such an eccentric personality. Despite all the effort Sun Miao had put in, she never managed to get close to her, while Xu Meng, with her sneaky charm, had always known how to win Han Lingling’s favor.

The thought infuriated her. Wasn’t it that plate of Yundou Roll, meant for her, that caused her mother to lose her job?

She had eaten it without issue, yet in the end, it got both her parents fired.

Without the shelter of the Han family, Sun Miao’s life had gone straight downhill.

The rented apartment outside was cramped, with neighbors packed tightly together, their trashy arguments and children’s cries echoing day and night. Her parents’ skimpy retirement checks barely covered daily expenses, and the rest had to be repaid to the Han family in installments.

Otherwise, Jiang Huiqi was threatening to call the cops!

Auntie Li still had a serious gambling addiction and occasionally sneaked out to bet. Now, Sun Dafu could do nothing but stay home to keep an eye on his wife. Amidst all the family troubles, Auntie Li had even advised her to just latch onto Han Cheng. Even if he wasn’t the Han patriarch’s biological son, his status as a cousin and the fact they’d raised him meant the Hans wouldn’t abandon him.

And as long as Han Cheng spoke up, the family would take care of his future wife too.

Sun Miao was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She was already a sophomore, with just a year left before job assignments. But her school was nothing special, and the companies registering at the personnel office each year were total crap. Back in the Han family, she could’ve begged the old man for a way out.

The more she thought about it, the more desperate she felt. Lately, she had held her nose and started dating Han Cheng.

Today, Han Cheng had invited her over, saying the family would gather for the weekend. Hearing this, she guessed Han Jiming would return—and sure enough, she spotted his motorcycle at the gate. But then she overheard the family gossiping that Han Jiming had brought his girlfriend home.

The new staff didn’t recognize Xu Meng, but they knew Han Jiming was acting all couple-y with a girl, likely his partner.

The more Sun Miao dwelled on it, the more unsettled she became, deciding to see for herself.

No wonder she was so shocked. So, befriending Han Lingling was just a ploy to latch onto Han Jiming, huh?

Of course. What real benefits could friendship offer? With her lowly background, if not for that vixen look, would Han Jiming even give her the time of day?

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Xu Meng shot back.