Chapter 48. A job with little work and plenty of money, not even a month's salary...

Xu Cuilan wasn't at the hospital; she was lounging at home. She didn't have a terminal illness, but she was just anxious and stressed, getting stuck in a rut, feeling upset, partly because she was suffering, and partly because she was putting on a show for her family.

Song Zhao recounted what happened: "Wei Jun's uncle promised a truckload of appliances to a distributor whose contract was expiring and was not being renewed, and he also received a bribe. When the distributor came to pick up the goods, the sales department did not recognize the delivery slip signed by his uncle. The distributor did not receive the goods and, in anger, sued Wei Jun's uncle."

Nie Qingqing guessed: "Xu Cuilan wanted to get rid of Wei Jun's uncle, so she forced Director Min?"

Song Zhao nodded: "Yes, if Factory Director Min gives the goods to the other party, they won't sue."

Given Song Zhao's personality, how could she possibly accept such a threat?

He specifically spoke with Factory Director Min, asking him how many times he could tolerate those relatives making promises and signing delivery slips for others, which completely disrupted the factory's production schedule.

Factory Director Min made a tough decision, ignoring the issue and leaving distributors without contracts unable to receive their goods. They became stubborn and refused to withdraw their lawsuits, resulting in Jun's uncle being detained.

Xu Cuilan blamed Director Min for her brother's detention, and now Director Min can't go home, leaving Wei Jun caught in the middle.

It's really not Director Min's fault. Nie Qingqing agreed to go and talk to Xu Cuilan.

Song Zhao said, "It's okay if you don't want to go."

Nie Qingqing said, "What's the big deal? When I first started doing mediation work, I encountered much more unreasonable people than this. I still had to mediate every day. I'm doing this for my family, not as a mouthpiece for Director Min. I won't put up with this."

...

The next day at noon, she went to Director Min's house. At the snack shop at the intersection, Song Zhao and Director Min were sitting and waiting for her.

Song Zhao said they would have dinner together, but didn't mention that Director Min would also be coming.

Nie Qingqing sat down and asked with a smile, "Director Min, are you afraid that my family will beat me out?"

Factory Director Min smiled wryly: "If Wei Jun's two aunts were at home, you wouldn't stand a chance if they really fought. Song Zhao wants to make sure you don't suffer any losses. I'm worried, so I came to watch."

Nie Qingqing was speechless: "You two are overthinking it."

She ate a bowl of noodles that Song Zhao had ordered for her, and then went to her house to find Xu Cuilan.

Factory Director Min was somewhat worried: "My wife is stubborn, and your wife may not be able to persuade her."

Song Zhao said, "Qingqing never thought about persuading anyone. She laid things out and explained them clearly to your wife. Look at Zhong Xiujun from the Zhong family. The reasoning was explained so clearly, but she still didn't change. It shows how difficult it is to change a person. She knows this and won't force it."

...

Xu Cuilan had a towel wrapped around her head and said that she had a headache and couldn't get up. She lay on the bed, feeling weak and listless. Her two younger sisters took turns taking care of her, and it was her second younger sister who was there at the moment.

Nie Qingqing was Song Zhao's wife, and they hated Song Zhao along with her, so they didn't give her a kind look.

Xu Cuilan spoke first: "Thank you for coming to see me. I have a headache and can't get up. Please make yourself at home."

Nie Qingqing sat down on the wooden sofa and said, "You lie down. I have a few things I really want to say to you."

Xu Cuilan was eager to hear what was going on: "Go on, tell me."

Nie Qingqing frankly said, "Our relationship is just so-so, so I don't hold back. Song Zhao and Director Min are evenly matched, and Song Zhao has the technology, so he's no weaker than your family. Therefore, I don't need to flatter you. What I'm saying is the truth from my heart."

Xu Cuilan was secretly displeased. Wasn't Nie Qingqing supposed to be very shrewd and charming? She even got along well with Director Song's ex-wife. Why did she speak so rudely?

She hummed in agreement: "Then just tell me directly."

"Alright, then I'll get straight to the point. Director Min will get old and retire. If Wei Jun's character doesn't stand up for itself, and with your indulgence, his uncles and aunts will flock to the factory. At that time, Song Zhao will break up the partnership and find another factory to cooperate with again, or he will start his own business."

Xu Cuilan thought to herself with disdain, "It's better to break up the partnership. If Song Zhao hadn't been nagging me, Lao Min wouldn't have been so heartless."

"That's true. I don't think there's any downside to breaking up the partnership."

Nie Qingqing laughed upon hearing this: "After the partnership breaks up, the electronics factory can indeed survive for two years with its existing production lines and products, but how can it compete if the products aren't updated and iterated? At that time, your younger siblings might be able to make a quick buck, but Weijun will be pitiful. If the electronics factory fails, he'll only be able to work odd jobs, and he might even have to take on debts to support his sister's education, which will be suffocating him. As his own mother, seeing your younger siblings' families living a good life while sucking Weijun's blood, you must think Weijun is very filial. As for whether your son is doing well or not, judging from your current attitude, you don't care."

...

Nie Qingqing's words were indeed heavy; they had to be. Xu Cuilan was already stuck in a rut, and reasoning with her wouldn't work.

Xu Cuilan was indeed unconvinced: "You think too badly of my family. They wouldn't do that."

Nie Qingqing: "You don't need to explain to me. I don't care how your family will live in the future. I just want to make it clear to you that your decision will lead to the appliance factory demolishing your house."

Xu Cuilan's younger sister was furious. Her sister and brother-in-law owned such a large electronics factory, yet the family didn't get any benefit from it. The neighbors all laughed at them.

"Sister, don't listen to her nonsense. She's afraid that once we're in the factory, she won't be able to have complete control."

Nie Qingqing: "Just take it as me talking nonsense. Even if you win the argument, Wei Jun won't get any benefit. There's also the possibility that you won't win the argument."

Xu Cuilan pressed further: "What if you can't win the argument?"

Nie Qingqing: "You've almost exhausted the bond you shared with Factory Director Min through thick and thin. If Factory Director Min is determined to divorce you, given his age, wealth, and factory, he might be able to find someone else."

Xu Cuilan was terrified and quickly denied it: "Old Min would never change his mind!"

Nie Qingqing didn't argue about this. She said, "My good friend Shumei's brother does business in Pengcheng, but he won't let his wife come over. My father-in-law pays his ex-wife's housekeeper fees, but he resolutely refuses to remarry her and doesn't even want to see her because they've both been heartbroken. If you cut off your son and daughter's source of income for the sake of your younger siblings, and ruin a perfectly good factory that they can't inherit, they'll hate you in the future. You're confident that Factory Director Min won't divorce you, but if he becomes a stranger to you, will you be happy?"

...

Nie Qingqing's words ended there. Stubborn people can't be convinced after just one attempt, and her younger brother, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law will not stop trying to brainwash her.

It's alright, as long as things are clear. If Director Min can't control the situation after retirement, then let Song Zhao break up the partnership.

She told Director Min exactly how she had persuaded Xu Cuilan.

Factory Director Min said gratefully, "You've hit the nail on the head. I also have a backup plan. If things really get out of control, I'll sell the factory, keep the house and the money, and give it to Weijun and his sister."

"That's a good idea," Nie Qingqing said. "It's good that you're open-minded. It's better to preserve your wealth than to squander it. At least you won't be in debt or starve."

Factory Director Min wanted to go back with Song Zhao, but Song Zhao looked in the direction of his home and asked, "Aren't you going home to visit your family?"

Factory Director Min said, "Let's give her some time to think it over."

When Director Min returned home that evening, the door was not locked from the inside. The concubine who had been staying with him had already left, and Xu Cuilan got out of bed and made dinner.

It seems that Nie Qingqing's harsh words had some effect, and Factory Director Min was very pleased.

...

Song Zhao admired his wife. That night, when it was just the two of them at home, he coaxed Nie Qingqing to buy a house, praising her: "Qingqing, you always know what to say to whom, which is much better than me. It's not good for us to keep renting. Let's buy a house with a yard like the one in Director Yu's house."

The sentence summed up two things, but the important part comes later: I want to buy a home of my own here.

Nie Qingqing wasn't against buying a house; she wanted to wait until Tangyuan and Xiaoyuan got into university and found jobs before deciding to buy one.

She said, "We in the real estate business can get advance notice and buy at the most opportune time. Let's wait and see. Attorney He bought the house we were renting two years ago. We rent from her, so we never have to worry about moving."

Let's not talk about Song Zhao. During his sleep time, he did things that involved sleeping.

Over the years, Song Zhao's energy level hasn't changed much; in fact, he's even more energetic since Tangyuan and Xiaoyuan started living at school.

Nie Qingqing was a little worried that overexertion would be bad for her body, so she nudged him and said, "I haven't had a chance to try Grandpa Liu's prescription yet, but don't be smug. I use the washing machine and fan sparingly, and since I only have one body, I should use it sparingly too."

Song Zhao laughed: "Let's talk about it in a few years. But hasn't He Shumei asked you for help? Director Yu did mention it recently, saying he's a bit overwhelmed."

Nie Qingqing quickly covered his mouth: "Why are you telling me this?"

Song Zhao moved closer and said, "You brought it up first."

...

Nie Qingqing has been in a great mood these past two days. When she and Song Zhao got married, Tangyuan Xiaoyuan was only in first grade, and now he's in the second year of junior high. Their relationship is even better than before.

She felt that she and Song Zhao were destined to meet in her past life. It wasn't a bad thing that they hadn't met at the beginning; she was happy now.

If life continues like this, her life will likely be uneventful and unremarkable.

But ever since Song Zhao encouraged her to go back to work after marriage, her job has always been a mess, just when she thought she could get by.

Today was the last day of the get off work week before the weekend, and Attorney He called her into his office for a talk.

Attorney He had her own helplessness. She said, "Qingqing, some things have happened that I can't tell you in detail. I'll just talk about the next arrangements. I have to shift my focus back to the law firm. You can come back to the law firm with me, and we can still be together. The salary at the law firm is 500 yuan a month. If you stay at Yuanda, you can only work as a receptionist. But no matter how much Yuanda offers you, I will make up the difference to 1,500 yuan."

That's not right. Since Attorney He is willing to make up the difference, she should be allowed to return to the law firm with her.

But she'll only make up for it if she stays at Yuanda, so what's there to hesitate about? She'll definitely stay at Yuanda.

Attorney He said something happened. Could it be that Mr. Zhong still has undivided assets that need to be redistributed? Otherwise, Attorney He's behavior doesn't make sense.

Nie Qingqing quickly said, "Attorney He, I actually want to go back with you, but I can't refuse 1,500 yuan. Will it be inconvenient for you if I don't go back to the law firm with you?"

Attorney He laughed: "I knew you would choose this option. It won't affect me. It's just a demotion from department manager to front desk. Those people will not only laugh at you behind your back, but they will also embarrass you to your face, because they are afraid you will feel wronged."

What's there to be afraid of? No matter how harsh the words are, they won't be as harsh as the whispers and pointing fingers she received right after her divorce.

Nie Qingqing has a very good attitude: "As long as the money is enough, I won't feel wronged. The front desk is already very good. Even if it's cleaning, I would do it for 1,500 yuan."

...

Nie Qingqing was demoted from purchasing manager and lawyer assistant to Yuanda receptionist, and suddenly had a lot more free time.

Even Attorney He has returned to the law firm. After observing for a while and seeing no sign of Attorney He returning, some of the company's colleagues looked at Nie Qingqing with a variety of emotions on their faces.

Nie Qingqing pretended not to see it. Yuanda was actually quite good. She was demoted to the front desk and still received 500 yuan a month, which was two or three times higher than the normal front desk salary. That was quite generous. On payday, Attorney He would give her an extra 1,000 yuan.

The job is easy and pays well; I haven't had to work overtime in a month. It's very comfortable.

But for some reason, people either pitied or mocked her. Nie Qingqing didn't take it to heart and continued to approach her front desk work with a good mood every day.

Last year, the assistant Luo she hired for Mr. Zhong couldn't stand the sarcastic remarks and came over to reprimand him. Mr. Zhong was still the boss of Yuanda Group, so his assistant's words naturally carried weight.

Nie Qingqing thanked her, saying, "Sister Luo, thank you for speaking up for me."

Luo Xiangqin comforted her, "I think something must have happened to the boss's family. Your current treatment is the best result that Attorney He can get for you. Don't hold a grudge."

Nie Qingqing knew, and thanked her, saying, "As expected, those of us who can hold our positions as assistants all have similar thoughts. Lawyer He has returned to the law firm, but Yuanda has a large sum of money to acquire Zhuoyue. Mr. Zhong and Lawyer He must have made a compromise. With Lawyer He gone, you'll have to work harder and not let Yuanda's reputation collapse."

Luo Xiangqin greatly admired Nie Qingqing's mentality; her husband had been forced to lose his job, and she had almost broken down.

With Nie Qingqing's positive attitude, it's no wonder that Mr. Zhong and Attorney He are willing to hire her.

...

However, Song Zhao had a problem. After listening to Nie Qingqing's explanation and analysis, he understood everything, but he couldn't bear to see her being mistreated.

“I’m not going to take this lying down. Either I go back to the law firm, or I quit my job and take a break. I can support my family.”

Nie Qingqing disagreed: "I'm not wronged at all. Think about it, the front desk job is so easy, and you can earn 1,500 a month. Where else can you find such a good job? Don't ruin my plans."

But how long can Attorney He keep supplementing his treatment like this?

Suddenly remembering something, Song Zhao asked, "How long will it take for Yuanda to acquire Zhuoyue?"

In the company's break room, Nie Qingqing overheard Assistant Luo, who was so busy he was practically drinking water, mention once, "No matter what, the audit, the acquisition, and the accounting must be completed before New Year's Day."

Song Zhao had a general idea of ​​what was going on; he guessed that Qingqing, the receptionist, had worked her way up to that point.

He stopped mentioning it and changed his tune: "Okay, as long as you're happy at work, then let's continue. Since you've taken on the role of receptionist, you should take your job seriously."

...

Of course! With such a high salary as a receptionist, she was determined to do her best. She greeted visitors and assisted at meetings, working harder than anyone else without needing to be told what to do.

When she encountered familiar colleagues, especially Supervisor Lu and others, who came to the company, she would busy herself pouring tea, and Supervisor Lu and the others would treat her with the same respect as before.

"Manager Nie, don't be like this. You're just experiencing a temporary setback. Things will get better in the future."

Nie Qingqing laughed and said, "Drink your tea. If I'm not here anymore, you'll have to come to my house to drink tea."

There were also those who were sarcastic and unfriendly; those people were not important to her, and she didn't care about them at all.

If you do your job as a receptionist well, there aren't many things that people can use against you. She's been enjoying a lot of leisure time these past few months and her mental state has been excellent.

...

Xiaoyin found out in the second month. She called back, her voice urgent: "Aunt Qingqing, why didn't you tell me about your job transfer? Xiaoyuan let it slip, that's how I found out. If you're unhappy at work, come home. I'll sell this house to support you!"

Nie Qingqing quickly reassured her, "I work for the money. If I were really unhappy, your father would have stopped me from doing it a long time ago. Just focus on your studies."

Xiaoyin called to check on her, and Nie Qingqing was overjoyed. She boasted to Song Zhao, "Xiaoyin was so anxious; she really cares about me."

Song Zhao was gratified that the children had been rewarded and remembered Qingqing's kindness to them.

...

With New Year's Day approaching, Yuanda's acquisition of Zhuoyue was completed ahead of schedule. Nie Qingqing suddenly received an invitation from Mr. Zhong, inviting her to a family dinner at his home.

She was completely confused. What was she supposed to do at Mr. Zhong's family dinner? She was quite surprised.

At the family dinner, Zhong Xiujun looked very unwell. Nie Qingqing was just there to make up the numbers, so of course she didn't say anything.

With Zhuoyue acquired, Gao Zhuofan was in high spirits. He suddenly stood up and went to toast Nie Qingqing in front of everyone.

Nie Qingqing was startled. Why was he offering her a toast?

Seeing Nie Qingqing's expression, Gao Zhuofan was overjoyed to confirm that no one had given her any information and began to speak.

“Manager Nie, I don’t know what my mother was thinking. She said that as long as you work as a receptionist and can stick it out until the end of the year without complaining, she will make a fair and satisfactory will for me. The matter of making a will in my family has caused Manager Nie so much suffering. I owe you a favor.”

Nie Qingqing was incredulous; this was too childish. She looked at Aunt Zhong as if she were looking at a willful old child.

"You're betting my job status? What are you thinking? I'm just an outsider. If you include me in the conditions of my will, your younger son will be satisfied, but your older son will hate me. Why do you want to make me hated?"

...

What she said made sense, but Zhong Xiujun had already done it. She told Mr. Zhong that if Nie Qingqing complained, then the will should tell the youngest son not to question it; if Nie Qingqing really had the good attitude they said she had, then the will should give Gao Zhuofan the fairness he wanted.

It was truly baffling. Upon reflection, Nie Qingqing realized that Zhong Xiujun was too arrogant, believing that no one would not complain about being demoted to the front desk.

Zhong Xiujun said, "For four months, you were in the company, surrounded by people coming and going, being bossed around, and you didn't complain once, not even in private. I admire you."

Nie Qingqing felt so guilty. She had accepted the money. No wonder Attorney He had secretly paid her back wages.

Nie Qingqing asked guiltily, "You trust everyone so much, but no one here has told me anything?"

"How could that be? I made a bet with my brother. Zhuo Fan only found out a few days ago. Shunyi's return to the law firm was arranged by my brother. He wanted to test Xianzong's personal abilities. Would he tell you?"

"No, that's no, this is a big deal for your family." Nie Qingqing smiled and lowered her head to eat her food.

It's really complicated in wealthy families; even making a will involves so much trouble.

...

Mr. Zhong didn't want Nie Qingqing to suffer in vain. He gave her a large envelope filled with money and said, "You've been wronged these past few months. I'll make up the difference in your salary between the receptionist and manager positions."

Nie Qingqing was stunned. She had already received her full salary. Yuanda paid the receptionist 500 yuan, which was double the salary for this position. Lawyer He also gave her an extra 1,000 yuan. Why did Mr. Zhong want to give her extra money now?

When Aunt Zhong saw that Nie Qingqing wouldn't take it, she said with a stern face, "A bet is a bet. Take it if I give it to you. What? You're angry but have nowhere to vent your anger? You don't even want the money?"

Attorney He, standing to the side, looked completely innocent, putting on a convincing act. When they met eyes, he even advised, "Qingqing, you're magnanimous, just accept it. Actually, this money is what your aunt lost to your father."

Nie Qingqing understood. Zhong Xiujun didn't know that Attorney He had made up for the lost wages, but Mr. Zhong might know.

She quickly took the envelope containing the money and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony. With this compensation, I won't feel wronged anymore."

Zhong Xiujun looked down on him: "That's why I always say that children from poor families, even if they are successful, lack a broad perspective. They can be bought off with such a small amount of money."

It doesn't matter, we've already got the money. Let her say a few words; she lost the bet and is upset.

Nie Qingqing was happy to receive the money and could even say something nice: "It's such a small thing, and you're giving me so much money. I don't mind if I suffer a little more grievances. As long as you give me money, I'll endure it."

Zhong Xiujun was speechless and refused to speak to Nie Qingqing anymore.

...

After the family dinner, Attorney He gave Nie Qingqing the car keys that she had returned earlier, and winked at her, saying, "Take them. If you don't, you're angry with me."

Mr. Zhong smiled smugly to himself. Nie Qingqing had guessed correctly again. Mr. Zhong knew, but Aunt Zhong did not.

She took it and counted the money in the envelope in the car. She had worked as a receptionist for four months, and Mr. Zhong had given her an extra eight thousand yuan, double the amount, which was essentially a free bonus of eight thousand yuan.

She had easily finished her front desk job in four months and earned so much money. What incredible luck she had! She was so happy that Nie Qingqing hummed a cheerful tune as she went home.

...

Tomorrow is the weekend and we're off work. Tonight, the whole family was supposed to go out for dinner, but Mom was called away by her boss. Tangyuan and Xiaoyuan stayed home and ate noodles with Dad.

Mom came home early, beaming with joy, holding her car keys and pulling a thick envelope out of her bag; I knew something good was coming.

"Mom, you've been given an important position again?"

"No, but Attorney He and Mr. Zhong received Mr. Zhong's approval and redistributed the remaining assets. Yuanda received a large sum of money and became financially strong again."

Tangyuan pulled out the money from the envelope and counted it, exclaiming in astonishment: "Eight thousand yuan, is this your bonus? That's more than I earn in a year, so generous."

Nie Qingqing smiled; she was generous when she had money.

"Such a good thing, let's share it with you, five hundred yuan each."

Song Zhao knew that after paying Qingqing, she would have to do the work. He asked, "Are you going to be busy again? It's already December. If there's anything, you can take it next year."

Nie Qingqing said, "I didn't even think of this until you mentioned it. With Attorney He back, I guess my position will be changed again."

She counted out five hundred yuan and gave it to Song Zhao, very happy: "Here's five hundred for you too, keep it as your private stash."

Song Zhao laughed: "I don't want any secret stash of money, you can keep it for me."

Tangyuan advised, "Dad, keep it. You can use this money if you have friends visiting and don't want Mom to know. A man needs to have some money."

What kind of twisted logic is this? Nie Qingqing gave him a good whack on the head.

Song Zhao accepted the reward and helped Tangyuan change the subject, jokingly saying, "You're happier receiving this reward of several thousand yuan than you are receiving a year-end bonus."

"Of course," Nie Qingqing said. "This is unexpected wealth, a pleasant surprise. You'll definitely be even happier. Spend it however you like, don't worry about it. I'll send Xiaoyin five hundred tomorrow as well."

...

Nie Qingqing's house was bustling with activity, and Lawyer He's house was also filled with joy.

After putting the child to sleep, Mr. Zhong actually started to whine to Attorney He, "Honey, I've been exhausted these past few months. Haven't I done a good job? Don't I deserve to take annual leave?"

Afraid of waking the child, Attorney He lowered his voice and said, "Yes, you can take a day off tomorrow."

Mr. Zhong immediately perked up and continued to make small requests: "Then go to Yuanda tomorrow and transfer my assistant to another department. She is very talented, and it would be a waste of her talent to have her as my assistant."

Attorney He saw right through his little scheme: "No, you only look like a hardworking boss when Assistant Luo is around."

Mr. Zhong was dissatisfied. He had already won against his older brother once, so why couldn't he be more at ease? Why was he suffering even more than the employees? What was he after?

"I don't want to be a hardworking boss. I want to be a boss who does nothing and doesn't care about anything. That's better for everyone."

Attorney He ignored his unreasonable demands: "Go talk to your assistant. She's not Qingqing, she won't get angry no matter what you say. You can handle your assistant yourself."

...

The next day at work, Nie Qingqing's job changed. She didn't return to the purchasing department but was assigned to a new project department.

The Zhuoyue Guanhaiyuan project was packaged and bought by Yuanda at an extremely low price. The money used to buy the project was Mr. Zhong's assets redistributed. Mr. Zhong received a considerable profit this time, and the funds for the new project are plentiful.

The annual salary for Nie Qingqing in charge of the project has been agreed upon. As long as the money is in place, she will do her job well.

The name of Guanhaiyuan has been changed to Hai Shang Hua. Several meetings have been held to finalize the details of the upgrade. The project is currently in the design revision stage and construction is not expected to start until the end of February or the beginning of March next year.

In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, whenever she had free time, she would spend time with her family and visit Song Zhao at the electronics factory every few days for lunch.

That noon, Nie Qingqing was waiting for Song Zhao in the factory director's office.

With all this commotion at Director Min's house, he'll be able to have a peaceful New Year this year. In a good mood, he envies Director Song and his wife's newlywed relationship. He's about to call Song Zhao when he says, "Wait a moment, I'll go to the workshop and call them over for you."

Nie Qingqing quickly said, "I didn't come here to cause you any trouble. You don't need to call me. I'll just wait."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I was just about to go to the workshop to talk to Weijun about something."

As Director Min walked outside, the office phone rang. If Director Min were in, she definitely wouldn't have answered it. But since Director Min was out and she was alone, she answered it to avoid interrupting the person on the other end of the line.

When Tangyuan and Xiaoyuan called the school, the teacher immediately said, "Hello, please find Jiang Chengzong's parents."

This doesn't make sense. Nie Qingqing left her home phone number and her work phone number at school, and she had never received a call from the school. She was relieved that Tangyuan was a sensible child who didn't cause trouble at school. So why did the call go to Song Zhao's factory? When did she leave that number?

She immediately became respectful: "Hello teacher, I am Jiang Chengzong's mother. What can I do for you?"

The teacher didn't dare delay and stated concisely: "Tangyuan has been absent from class and hasn't returned to school yet. We can't hide it and must inform the parents immediately. The school has arranged for people to look for her, and we also ask you parents to go home and check if your child has returned."

Nie Qingqing panicked. Tangyuan had always used his spare time to do business before, and this was the first time he had skipped class.

She was worried; could something have happened? She hurriedly asked, "Teacher, is Song Jiayuan at school?"

“He’s here. He told me that Jiang Chengzong would be back soon, but several classes have already passed. I’m very worried. Do you think we should call the police?”

Ha, Xiao Yuan is so certain, it seems he's an accomplice. Nie Qingqing's worries turned into rising anger.

She quickly tried to evade the issue with the teacher: "Please don't call the police yet. The child might really be near home. I'll go back and check."

If they're not there when I get back, it'll be a wasted trip. Asking Xiaoyuan is the fastest way.

The phone call could reach the factory, so Song Zhao must have agreed to some small request from Tang Yuan to help her keep it a secret. In a fit of anger, she didn't wait for Song Zhao and went straight to the school.