As soon as the elevator doors opened, a salesperson was waiting there and politely said, "Miss Shen, you’re here."
The door to the east-facing apartnt was already open. Shen You’an glanced at Zhang Jian and said, "Uncle, this will be our new ho."
Zhang Jian looked at the composed young girl beside him in disbelief. "An’an... You... you..."
Shen You’an pulled Zhang Jian across the threshold. "Uncle, take a look—do you like it?"
The apartnt had a three-bedroom, one-living room layout. The living room was square-shaped, and through the floor-to-ceiling window, one could see the Qingshui River winding through Qingzhou. The sunlight poured generously over the scene, warming the entire space.
The interior was decorated in a minimalist style, with basic furnishings already in place. With just a few additions for daily necessities, the apartnt was ready for imdiate move-in.
The place was incredible—spacious, bright, and boasting an unbeatable river view.
Compared to the old house they lived in before, it was a night-and-day difference.
"An’an, what’s the story behind this apartnt?" Zhang Jian’s face showed no trace of joy, only concern.
Shen You’an walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazed down at the river view below, and said calmly, "I tricked Zhou Qin. I used the one million Lanya High School gave to buy this apartnt."
Zhang Jian sighed in relief. For a mont, he had feared An’an might’ve done sothing illegal.
Imdiately, he chuckled at his own absurdity—An’an wasn’t the type of child to act out of character. How could he have doubted her?
"This place is close to Lanya High School and the bank where you work. From now on, this is our ho."
~
Zhang Jian felt a little uneasy adjusting to life in the new ho.
That evening, he heated a cup of milk and carried it to Shen You’an’s bedroom door. Just as he was about to knock, he faintly heard Shen You’an’s voice from inside.
But she was speaking in English. Zhang Jian strained to listen, but with his interdiate-level vocabulary, he was unable to understand a single word.
Kids these days work so hard! She’s not even in high school yet, and her English is already at this level.
Zhang Jian waited for a while until the room fell silent before he knocked on the door.
The door opened from inside, and Shen You’an stood at the entrance holding a cellphone.
"Uncle."
"It’s late—still working so hard? Drink this milk and get so rest soon."
Shen You’an accepted the milk.
"You, too, should rest early."
As soon as the door closed, Shen You’an was about to sip the milk when the phone in her hand vibrated.
Hidden under her chin-length hair, a Bluetooth earpiece glimred softly with blue light.
Shen You’an connected the call, and a man’s deep, magnetic voice ca over the earpiece.
His English was flawless and impeccable.
Shen You’an furrowed her brows as she listened, slowly pacing toward the balcony and letting the night breeze whip around her. The starry sky seed within arm’s reach.
Not far away, the Qingshui River shimred gently under the moonlight, its ripples glowing faintly silver.
Leaning against the balcony railing, Shen You’an took a sip of milk.
Her lazy voice, like the intoxicating nightti scenery, carried a captivating charm.
"I want this fund to be managed by soone I personally appoint."
~
Early the next morning, Zhang Jian finished preparing Shen You’an’s breakfast, tidied up, and left the house carrying his briefcase.
No need to squeeze onto a crowded bus; the bank was just a ten-minute walk away.
Zhang Jian was an honest and diligent man, earning him a solid reputation among his colleagues over the years.
But after taking a few days off, Zhang Jian noticed sothing odd about the way his coworkers looked at him upon his return.
"Getting cheated on by his wife and still putting up with it—man, I’ve got to respect his tolerance. He’s even better than a ninja turtle."
"He’s broke. Divorced, raising a kid—what woman would be blind enough to marry him? They’re just muddling through life together."
The two female coworkers greeted Zhang Jian with smiles on their faces, but as soon as they turned away, their gossip resud.
Zhang Jian pressed his lips tightly together, his hands clenched at his sides growing stiffer and stiffer.
"Hey, Zhang Jian, your story’s spread across the office. Honestly, bro, I feel bad for you. Why would you hang onto a woman like that? Still not tired of wearing green hats?"
A middle-aged man suddenly clapped Zhang Jian on the shoulder, speaking as if concerned for him, but the mockery in his eyes was unmistakable.
This man was Song Qi, the accounting supervisor. He had joined the company later than Zhang Jian, worked far less diligently, yet had risen to a core managent position thanks to his close connections with the bank manager.
Without a word, Zhang Jian walked away.
Song Qi smirked, crossed his arms over his chest, and said, "Tsk tsk, he’s giving all of us n a bad na. Never be that kind of man."
"Supervisor Song, you’re absolutely right."
"He’s just a small-ti lobby manager without even a formal position. How could he compare to you, Supervisor Song? And don’t even ntion that your wife is the heiress to Yongrui Fund — he’s not even worthy to shine your shoes."
Song Qi soaked up his subordinates’ flattery, looking very pleased with himself. "Alright, alright. You smooth talkers, keep it together; the eting’s about to start."
At the eting, the bank manager sat at the head of the table. When his eyes landed on Zhang Jian seated at the far end, his pupils subtly contracted.
Clearing his throat, he said, "Zhang Jian, if you still have personal matters to deal with at ho, I’m happy to grant you a few more days off to sort things out."
Song Qi’s grin grew wider.
The other attendees exchanged glances with faintly significant expressions.
It was clear the manager wanted Zhang Jian out.
At that mont, while everyone focused on Zhang Jian, no one noticed the genuine sincerity hidden in the manager’s eyes.
The truth wasn’t taken seriously.
Zhang Jian stood up nervously. "Thank you for your concern, Manager. My personal matters have been resolved. To avoid inconveniencing my colleagues, I promise to work even harder moving forward."
The manager quickly waved his hand. "Alright, alright, sit back down."
"Now then, I have an important announcent to share. In order to develop diverse financial tech products, headquarters has decided to partner with Yuanda Group to launch a green industry fund. Our branch will take the lead in this endeavor, and I feel truly privileged about this opportunity. I hope you all share this excitent."
Song Qi’s interest piqued imdiately. Opportunity was knocking—it couldn’t have been better timing.
"Representatives from headquarters and Yuanda will arrive shortly. As for who will oversee this fund, I think..."
All eyes turned toward Song Qi.
Song Qi looked smug.
Opportunities like these typically fell to him, and this ti should be no different.
The manager’s gaze landed on Song Qi. Song Qi was practically ready to rise to his feet when suddenly the manager’s focus shifted past him to sowhere further back.
"Among all the employees here, you have the deepest experience and the most diligent work ethic. Over the past ten-plus years, you’ve carried out your duties conscientiously, without ever making a mistake. In the financial services industry, our core value is earning our clients’ trust. Entrusting this project to you gives great peace of mind."
Song Qi’s face broke into a confident smile, ready to rise as the victor.
However, the manager’s next words froze his smile into an awkward, contorted expression.
"Zhang Jian, do you have any objections?"
In an instant, every gaze locked onto Zhang Jian.
Lost in thought, Zhang Jian barely responded until a colleague nudged him, snapping him into awareness. Stumbling, he stood abruptly.
"Manager, what—what did you say?"
The manager smiled, his tone patient and composed. "I said that our collaboration fund with Yuanda Group will be fully entrusted to you. Do you have any concerns?"
Everyone thought the manager must’ve lost his mind. Trusting Zhang Jian with such a massive project? Either they’d heard wrong, or the manager hadn’t slept well.
No one looked grimr than Song Qi.
Not only did the others doubt their ears—Zhang Jian himself couldn’t believe it either.
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