Chapter 32

Yangyang and Xia Quan had been getting along for a week, and their compatibility was high, very harmonious.

One day, Xia Tan arrived at the Shiming Guide Dog Base.

“Xiaoni, thank you so much. My brother has been really happy recently.”

“There’s no need to thank me; it’s what I should be doing. I should be thanking you for donating to our base,” Dong Xiaoni replied.

“Not at all. I’m just doing what I can,” Xia Tan said modestly.

The two of them walked out of the office while talking.

When they reached the training area, Xia Tan stopped in his tracks and looked toward a figure playing with the dogs in the distance.

The girl today was wearing a white shirt and light denim jeans, her figure graceful, and her smile radiant. To make it easier to accompany the dogs, she had tied her long hair into a ponytail. As she ran and played, her youthful energy was apparent.

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Now, only the two of them were left standing. Lin Qing Le, tired from running earlier, sat down on a stone bench nearby.

Xia Tan quickly sat down next to her. “Aren’t you a volunteer? Why are you here today?”

Lin Qing Le replied, “Well… I’ve been unemployed recently, so I have a lot of free time. I spend most of my days here.”

“Unemployed? Did you quit your job?”

“Yeah.”

“What did you do before? Oh, is it okay to ask?”

“It’s fine,” Lin Qing Le smiled, “I used to work at Jinnuo Advertising, doing planning.”

“You worked at Jinnuo Advertising? That’s a big company in the domestic advertising industry,” Xia Tan said, his eyes lighting up. “Here, take my business card. If you’re interested later, you can send your resume to our company. We just set up in China and are looking for talent in planning.”

Lin Qing Le took the business card: Aurora Home, Vice General Manager: Xia Tan.

“Aurora Home… is it the popular smart home brand from Europe?”

“You know it? I thought it wasn’t very well-known in China yet.”

Lin Qing Le replied, “I did advertising planning for a domestic home décor company before. They wanted their branding to align with yours, so I learned a little about it back then.”

“I see.”

“Didn’t expect you to be expanding into China.”

“We’ve already expanded. We’ve opened stores in first-tier cities, and our China headquarters is located in this city.”

Lin Qing Le was pleasantly surprised. “That’s great. I’ll have to check it out next time. I really like smart, aesthetic home stores.”

“You’re welcome to visit anytime.”

—

After Xia Tan left, Dong Xiaoni returned.

“How was it?”

Lin Qing Le was confused. “What do you mean, how was it?”

“I mean Xia Tan. He’s only 29, and he’s already a vice general manager at a big company. He’s highly educated, capable, and comes from a wealthy family. And I think his personality is pretty good,” Dong Xiaoni said.

Lin Qing Le teased, “Are you conducting a background check on him?”

“Of course not! When you’re finding a new owner for Yangyang, don’t you need to know everything about them?” Dong Xiaoni laughed. “I just think you two seem well-matched. The age gap of four years is perfect, he’s talented and good-looking, and so are you. So I thought I’d introduce you. What did you two talk about just now?”

“Introduce? Stop overthinking. We just talked about work a little. He asked me to send my resume to his company.”

“That’s it? How boring,” Dong Xiaoni said. “What’s going on with this guy? He’s recruiting and even coming after me to do it?”

Lin Qing Le glanced at her, “Yeah, who told you that this place is full of talented people.”

“Well, of course.”

“Alright, I’ve got some things to do, I’ll head out now.”

“Oh, okay then.”

After returning home, Lin Qing Le took a shower and then sat down at her desk in front of the computer.

It had been three months since she became unemployed, which was quite a long time. Although her savings were still enough, she couldn’t keep relying on them forever.

Lin Qing Le opened a job recruitment website and the messages the headhunter had sent her. After browsing through them, she picked up the business card Xia Tan had given her at the guide dog base.

Aurora Home… It was a powerful, well-established European company. Considering that they had just entered the Chinese market, it seemed there was a lot of room for growth.

---

Xia Tan left the guide dog base and drove back to the office.

After taking the elevator up to the conference room, he found several colleagues chatting excitedly.

“What’s all the fuss about? Aren’t you guys supposed to be working?”

“Mr. Xia, we just had a long meeting and are taking a short break,” one of his colleagues replied.

Xia Tan was friendly and approachable, never putting any distance between himself and his subordinates. He walked in and casually asked, “Who were you talking about? Did our dear Mr. Xu lose his temper again?”

“No, no, no. It’s not that. It’s Miss Zhao, she came again.”

“Zhao Zi’ai?”

“Yes, yes. She came earlier to deliver dinner, but Mr. Xu rejected her again.”

Xia Tan rubbed his chin, “Tsk, how stubborn is this Zhao Zi’ai? Didn’t the last rejection leave a lasting impression?”

When Zhao Zi’ai’s name came up, everyone knew who she was. She was the daughter of the Zhao Group, and a classmate of Mr. Xu from his time studying abroad.

This Miss Zhao was really bold when it came to Mr. Xu. At their celebration banquet after successfully entering the Chinese market, she had shown up outside with flowers to congratulate and confess her feelings.

What should have been a romantic gesture turned awkward because Mr. Xu had absolutely no interest in her.

Miss Zhao, however, was persistent. When Mr. Xu refused to go out to meet her, she refused to leave. Eventually, after a downpour, she even staged a dramatic confession in the rain, like something out of an idol drama.

But Mr. Xu remained indifferent, and in the end, she stormed inside, angrily yelling at everyone. Of course, as the daughter of a wealthy family, she had no qualms about throwing a tantrum in front of everyone.

Mr. Xu, however, just watched coldly and finally said a single word: “Leave.”

That incident was still the talk of the office.

Although Miss Zhao was spoiled and stubborn, she was good-looking, rich, and a high-quality woman. But unfortunately, she had crossed paths with their aloof Mr. Xu.

Despite being young, Mr. Xu was a rare genius. Not only was he the sole heir of Aurora Group, but he was also incredibly smart.

With someone like him, none of them had ever seen him take any woman seriously.

“Hey, Xu Tingbai, what’s going on? Did Zhao Zi’ai come again?” Xia Tan walked into Xu Tingbai’s office and sat down on his couch.

Xu Tingbai was sitting at his desk, reading some documents, and glanced up briefly. “I don’t know.”

“Tsk, at least show some compassion for the poor girl.”

“If you want, you can go yourself.”

“Hey, you—” Xia Tan shook his head. “Fine, fine, I won’t try to change your mind.”

Xia Tan poured himself a glass of water and said, “Oh, by the way, we’re going to Max tonight.”

“For what?”

“Chen Ke’s birthday. He invited a bunch of people, and told me to make sure to bring you.”

Chen Ke was a friend they had known back when they were abroad. After returning to China, he had helped them out a lot.

Although Xu Tingbai wasn’t fond of going to bars, he didn’t reject the idea when he heard it was Chen Ke’s birthday.

“What time?”

“Ten in the evening. It’ll be fine to go then.”

---

The nightlife in the capital was extravagant and indulgent, but some people completely stayed out of it, like Lin Qing Le.

It was just past 11 p.m., and she had already finished getting ready for bed. But today, as soon as she lay down, her phone rang.

“Hello, Tingting?”

“Qingle! Are you at home?”

“I am, what’s up?”

“Please, please help me! I need a favor!”

Lin Qing Le sat up, “What happened?”

“Huang Chengxu got into trouble at the bar, and the other party is demanding compensation. He doesn’t have the money on him right now, and I… Ugh,” Yu Tingting said urgently. “I’m out of town on a business trip and can’t get back. Can you go to the bar and check on him? He has such a hot temper, I can’t stop him! If you find out how much he needs to pay, can you help me pay for it first? I’ll pay you back as soon as I get my salary this month!”

Lin Qing Le was already getting out of bed and changing clothes. “It’s not about the money right now. The problem is that he can’t keep causing trouble… Don’t worry, I’ll go and check.”

“Okay, okay, thank you so much, really, really grateful!”

“No need. Just treat me to a meal when you’re back,” Lin Qing Le said. “But seriously, you need to have a good talk with your boyfriend.”

“Yeah, I’ll talk to him when I get back!”

“Alright, I’ll hang up now. I need to change and head out.”

“Okay, okay.”

Lin Qing Le quickly changed clothes and went out to catch a cab to the address Yu Tingting had sent.

She didn’t often go to bars, but once inside, she asked for directions and headed up to the second floor.

Compared to the loud dance floor downstairs, the second floor was much quieter. As Lin Qing Le arrived, she saw a group of people sitting at the furthest right booth.

A bit closer, she noticed Yu Tingting’s boyfriend standing nearby, accompanied by two others—one was the bar manager, and the other was likely the person who had caused the trouble.

Lin Qing Le furrowed her brows and quickly jogged over.

“What’s going on? Your girlfriend’s here, right?” The man wearing a hat standing in front of Huang Chengxu glanced at Lin Qing Le.

Huang Chengxu turned around and froze when he saw her, muttering, “What are you doing here… Where’s Tingting?”

“She’s on a business trip. She asked me to come and check on you,” Lin Qing Le replied.

Huang Chengxu sighed, “Check on what… It’s nothing.”

Lin Qing Le pressed, “What happened?”

Huang Chengxu stammered, lowering his voice reluctantly, “I accidentally spilled wine on him when I was changing bottles… I apologized, but he kept yelling at me. He was shouting insults, so I… I hit him.”

“You hit him?” Lin Qing Le raised an eyebrow.

“He hit me too!” Huang Chengxu retorted.

Lin Qing Le was speechless, but remembering Yu Tingting’s plea, she held back her frustration. “If you’re working as a bartender, you should be prepared for this. People drink too much here and sometimes they act impulsively…”

“Are you saying I should just stand there and take the abuse?” Huang Chengxu interrupted.

“I’m not saying that,” Lin Qing Le sighed, “But your temper… never mind.” She just wanted to resolve the situation quickly. She turned to the man in the hat. “I’m really sorry. It wasn’t intentional. How much do you need for compensation? I’ll pay right away.”

The man with the hat replied, “This guy not only spilled wine on me, but my friend got caught up in it too. And it’s not just about money, alright? He hit me, look at my face! I have no choice but to call the police.”

Huang Chengxu looked up, surprised. “I apologized—”

“Apologized? So that makes it okay for you to hit me?” The man’s voice rose.

“Well, I…”

“Enough, don’t say anything more.” Lin Qing Le shot him a glare and turned back to the man with the hat. “I’m really sorry about all this. Can we settle this privately? Please don’t call the police.”

A group of men sitting at a nearby booth were still talking business.

“Is this going to end anytime soon?” one of them glanced toward Huang Chengxu. “Hey, the girlfriend he mentioned is here? Tsk, what’s the deal? A girlfriend like that, and she’s so pretty?”

After hearing this, the others also looked over.

“Wow, this guy’s lucky. His girlfriend’s got a great body, those legs are my type.”

“Right?”

Xia Tan, who had been discussing matters with Xu Tingbai, noticed that everyone had shifted their attention to the group by the booth and followed their gaze. He stared for a moment, stunned.

“Wait, is it her…?”

Xu Tingbai, noticing Xia Tan’s sudden interest, glanced up.

The bar wasn’t very well lit, but the woman standing there stood out, even in the dim light. Her pale skin and striking features were hard to miss. She was talking to Chen Ke, looking somewhat troubled, her brows furrowed.

“Do you know her?” Xu Tingbai asked, looking away.

Xia Tan stared blankly at the scene, his voice filled with disbelief. “She’s the one I told you about, the girl from the guide dog center… She—she has a boyfriend now!!!”

Xu Tingbai merely responded with a brief “Hmm,” clearly uninterested.

A moment ago, his pants had been splashed with wine by a waitress, leaving him feeling uncomfortable.

“It’s getting late, I’ll head out now,” Xu Tingbai said, preparing to leave.

“Huh?” Xia Tan replied.

“I’m going back. You guys can stay,” Xu Tingbai said, standing up.

He had been there for an hour, long enough to wish Chen Ke a happy birthday.

He stood up and walked toward the stairs, which meant he had to pass by Chen Ke’s group. Chen Ke, who had been talking to Lin Qing Le, noticed him approaching and immediately said, “Let’s do this—ask my friend. He got splashed too. If he says no to calling the police, I’ll let it go.”

As Xu Tingbai approached, he overheard this and frowned, glancing at Chen Ke.

What did it have to do with him?

Lin Qing Le had been focused on Chen Ke, but when she heard what he said, she turned toward the man Chen Ke had pointed to.

When she saw him, she froze.

She had never expected to meet him again, and had long given up on that possibility.

But there he was, standing right in front of her.

It wasn’t the sixteen-year-old Xu Tingbai she remembered.

He had grown taller, his posture even more upright, and the youthful awkwardness had completely faded. He was now a handsome, mature man.

He had changed so much—everything about him was unfamiliar, yet she recognized his eyes instantly. No matter how much time had passed, she could always recognize them.

His eyes, a cool and slightly indifferent shade, were just as they had been.

No, wait… something was different.

It seemed like… he could see.

Lin Qing Le stood there, staring at him, unable to speak, frozen in place. She didn’t know how to react.

The others around her didn’t notice her stunned state.

Chen Ke pulled Xu Tingbai over, saying, “Buddy, what do you think we should do?”

Xu Tingbai’s patience was running thin. He replied flatly, “Do what needs to be done. If there’s a problem, call the police. If not, let it go.”

“There is a problem! My face hurts so much!” Chen Ke grumbled. “Alright, if you say so, I’ll call the police.”

Xu Tingbai shrugged him off and walked away, uninterested in dealing with the situation any further.

“Can you not call the police?” Lin Qing Le suddenly turned around, watching Xu Tingbai’s retreating figure. She forced the words out, “Please, don’t call the police.”