62: Giving gifts to Chen Qiu

At dinner.

Luo Jinglan was inquiring about the blind date today.

"Hmm, it was so-so. She wasn't very grounded and was a bit unrealistic!"

Chen Qiu gave his assessment of the coffee shop manager.

"I knew it. That girl calls herself a 'manager' just for running a shop. It's so pretentious!"

Luo Jinglan nodded in agreement.

She hadn't been optimistic about this blind date from the very beginning.

The only reason she had added Wan Lingfei to the shortlist was because of her good educational background and the fact that her parents were both retired from state-owned enterprises.

At this moment, Chen Zhide, who was silently eating his rice, chimed in.

"I thought that civil servant from before was quite good."

"She was quiet and had a refined air about her. Why didn't you keep talking to her?"

Shao Shushuang's figure appeared in Chen Qiu's mind.

That scholarly aura cultivated by her teacher parents was very much to Chen Zhide's liking; she looked like a virtuous and steady girl.

It was actually in stark contrast to her overly ambitious mindset.

As a partner, Shao Shushuang was a stress-inducing freak; she wasn't suitable.

But as a subordinate, she would be a capable asset!

Chen Qiu remembered that she had been determined to treat him to a meal later on to continue apologizing.

"She was probably being targeted by that Director He at her workplace..."

Shao Shushuang didn't have any grudges or conflicts with him, and her abilities were decent. If she was obedient, Chen Qiu would be willing to give her a hand.

"We are still in contact. We even met up last time."

Chen Qiu replied casually.

Luo Jinglan nodded with satisfaction.

She was just afraid that her son's standards had become too high, looking down on others, especially since he already had two beautiful secretaries attending to him...

Thinking of the secretaries, she suddenly became curious again.

"Hey, that tall secretary from earlier..."

"Mom, she's a few years older than me and has already been divorced once."

Before Luo Jinglan could finish her sentence, Chen Qiu knew what she wanted to ask and interrupted her directly.

"She's already over thirty? I couldn't tell at all!"

She looked surprised.

Although Song Xiangtong gave her a somewhat mature feeling, her face looked like it was only twenty-five or twenty-six.

"But if she's divorced, then never mind!"

A divorced woman is worthless... of course, that was in the past.

As for now...

"Divorced women are in high demand now. Look at the son of the guy from Shangpo, didn't he marry a divorcee? He still had to pay a bride price of 200,000!"

Chen Zhide clicked his tongue in wonder.

"That's why there are so many bachelors now. I heard..."

Luo Jinglan also began to share gossip she had heard from who knows where.

Chen Qiu listened with great interest for a while, while taking out his phone to send a message to Xu Jia.

"Manager Xu, do you know how to manage shops?"

He prepared to chat with Xu Jia first, to let her be prepared.

...

Yan Baiwei returned home.

"Mom, why aren't we eating at the company today?"

Yan Baiwei bent down to grab the heel of her boots, sliding her small feet, wrapped in white socks, out of them. While changing into cotton slippers, she turned her head to ask Tao Xia.

Ever since she started running her self-media, Lianyu Decoration had become increasingly busy. Most of the time, to accommodate her schedule, Tao Xia would cook at the company.

"The company was blocked by debt collectors today..."

Hearing Tao Xia's words, Yan Baiwei's expression darkened, and her mood suddenly became much heavier.

This wasn't the first time this had happened!

She had even witnessed the struggle between her father and the debt collectors last time.

Although, Yan Li always comforted her by saying that these people were just trying to scare them and wouldn't dare to do anything.

But, as a girl, Yan Baiwei couldn't help but feel scared about it.

"Mom, let's rent a different place after the New Year..."

Yan Baiwei said, but suddenly noticed that her mother, who was cooking in the kitchen, not only didn't have a look of worry on her face but actually seemed somewhat relaxed?

She was stunned.

You know, the last time they encountered something like this, her mother had almost washed her face with tears and was terrified for several days!

What's going on today...

She suddenly remembered that her mother had said she wanted to talk to her about something in the evening.

Could it be related to this?

"Baiwei, take the dishes out first!"

"Where's Dad?"

"I just called him, he should be back very soon."

Not long after she finished speaking, the front door was pushed open again.

Yan Li returned, looking travel-worn, carrying two large bags of gifts.

Several cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes, several boxes of tea, and two bottles of liquor!

Seeing this scene, Yan Baiwei suddenly felt a bit dazed, as if she had returned to ten years ago!

Back then, the real estate market was booming, and her father was infinitely glorious, often bringing home gifts given by others.

But now, it would be good if people didn't come to his door to hack him.

"Dad, these are..."

"To give to your classmate in a couple of days."

"Give to my classmate?"

Hearing this, Yan Baiwei's red lips parted slightly, her face full of confusion.

Seeing her daughter's expression, Yan Li also realized.

"Wife, you haven't explained things clearly to Baiwei yet?"

Yan Baiwei turned to look at her mother again, her beautiful eyes even more bewildered.

"What thing?"

Tao Xia brought up the last dish, shredded potatoes.

"What's the rush? Baiwei just got back."

After the family of three sat down, Yan Baiwei's eyes fell on her parents.

Yan Li rubbed his hands, then spoke up.

"Baiwei, you should know about the Cultural Industry Park project, right?"

Yan Baiwei nodded.

Although she hadn't interfered in her father's affairs, she could hear about some of Yan Li's actions on a daily basis.

Sometimes, she would even pay attention to industry trends!

The Cultural Industry Park was undoubtedly one of the city's major moves, and a group had even been specifically created for it.

Whether it was the size of the project or the full-capital settlement, as long as her father could participate in it, not only would the family's debt pressure be largely relieved, but with money, the previously stalled projects could also start moving again!

"Recently, a president was parachuted into the group specifically responsible for the Cultural Industry Park."

"It's that high school classmate of yours!"

High school classmate?

"Which one?"

"Chen Qiu!"

Hearing the familiar name spill from her father's mouth, Yan Baiwei's pupils widened slightly, and that somewhat surprised expression of inquiry froze on her cold, beautiful face.

Immediately, that frozen expression gradually turned into shock, her red lips slightly parted.

Chen Qiu?

How could it be Chen Qiu?

"Dad, is it the Chen Qiu whose house I'm helping to renovate?"

"Who else could it be?"

"I only recognized him after seeing the photo Old Zhao posted on his Moments today!"

Hearing her father's words, Yan Baiwei remained in a daze.

She hadn't inquired about Chen Qiu's current situation.

It wasn't that she wasn't curious, but she was restraining herself as much as possible!

Since Chen Qiu still called her Class Monitor, she also wanted to preserve the purity of their high school days!

Instead of acting like vulgar adults, inquiring about each other's income and then weighing the benefits that could be exchanged.

Yan Baiwei certainly knew that Chen Qiu, who could afford houses in Binjiang No. 1 and Boyue Mansion, and could casually pull out millions for renovations, must have grown into a towering tree.

But she didn't expect that this towering tree was standing right in front of her!

All she had to do was look up, and she could look up to him.

Looking at the gifts placed on the coffee table, Yan Baiwei finally understood the meaning of what her father said about giving gifts to her classmate...