Shanghai, Zhonghai Mingyuan.

After a long while, Zhou Qiong composed herself, put on some ordinary clothes, and left the house.

As she walked out of the residential compound, Brother Liu saw her and saluted: "Happy Chinese New Year, Miss Zhou."

"Happy New Year, Brother Liu," Zhou Qiong replied with a smile.

After living here for half a year, she has lost much of her initial shyness.

Brother Liu said, "Miss Zhou, where are you going? I'll help you call a taxi."

"No need, no need," Zhou Qiong waved her hand. "I'll just browse around by myself. Thank you for your kindness."

Zhou Qiong slowly left, walking along the famous river. The riverbank was lined with bustling buildings and high-rises, where prices were exorbitant, which made her gasp in astonishment.

With the Spring Festival approaching, Shanghai remains bustling, with streets crowded with tourists and pedestrians.

Zhou Qiong walked slowly, wandering from shop to shop, craning her neck to look, but without exception, she left disappointed.

I walked into a milk tea shop, and there was a sign at the entrance advertising for employees.

A smile appeared on her face, and she went inside.

The waiter greeted us, "Hello, what would you like to drink?"

Zhou Qiong replied, "I'm here to apply for a job."

Upon hearing this, the waiter remained enthusiastic and led Zhou Qiong to the office, where the milk tea shop manager was sitting. Upon seeing her, he began the interview.

"Don't be nervous," the store manager said softly.

"I...I...I'm not nervous." Zhou Qiong sat very formally, her back straight, her hands on her knees.

The shop manager smiled, stood up, poured her a glass of water, and gestured for her to take a small sip. Once Zhou Qiong's tension eased slightly, he immediately said, "You must be very young, right?"

"Senior year of high school."

"Then why don't you go to school?"

"It's the holidays." Zhou Qiong's mood had calmed down a lot. "I'm bored at home, so I want to find something to do."

Although Chu Fang had made it clear that he would cover Zhou Qiong's expenses for high school and even university, Zhou Qiong still wanted to take part-time jobs in her spare time to earn some money and ease Chu Fang's burden (even though it was unnecessary).

Upon hearing this, the store manager nodded: "There are very few people like you nowadays. My daughter is older than you, and she stays at home playing during her holidays."

After a pause, he continued, "Our store is currently hiring temporary staff. The original employees all went home for the Chinese New Year and will be coming back after the holiday. You will also be going back to school after the holiday, so the two schedules are different, which is perfect!"

Zhou Qiong looked up, her voice filled with surprise: "Manager, you're going to take me on?"

“Of course,” the manager said. “Where are you staying now? We don’t provide accommodation.”

Zhou Qiong stood up, walked to the window, and pointed outside: "I live there, I don't need the staff dormitory."

The store manager looked in the direction indicated, his mouth agape in astonishment: "Zhonghai Mingyuan?"

“Yes.” Zhou Qiong nodded, sensing the shop manager’s complicated thoughts. She quickly explained, “That house isn’t mine, it belongs to my brother. He’s not my brother, but he’s more than a brother to me. He’s my benefactor for life. I’m living there because of his kindness…”

Zhou Qiong didn't know how to explain it.

She wanted to clarify her relationship with Chu Fang, but she also wanted to express it in a more tactful way.

He stammered on and on, but never got to the point.

The store manager turned around, looked at the shy little girl in front of him, and said slowly, "I was just asking casually, no need to explain. During the Chinese New Year, the store will be very busy and the workload will be very heavy. Can you handle it?"

“I will try my best,” Zhou Qiong said. “I used to work in an electronics factory, so I have work experience.”

The store manager raised an eyebrow.

Unexpectedly, this girl who looks like a rich young lady has worked in a factory before, and her life experience seems to be quite rich.

They didn't take Zhou Qiong's current status into account and treated her as a normal job seeker.

The store manager then informed them of the store's salary, working hours, and work rules...

Hearing that she would be working ten hours a day, Zhou Qiong wasn't surprised, but when she heard the hourly wage, her eyes lit up: "Fifty?"

"right."

It's Chinese New Year now, so the hourly wage is very high, plus triple pay and no accommodation provided.

Working ten hours a day means earning five hundred yuan a day, five thousand yuan in ten days, fifty thousand yuan in one hundred days, and so on... ...then I'll never get rich, Zhou Qiong thought to herself.

"Is there a problem?" the store manager asked.

Zhou Qiong nodded her head rapidly: "No problem, no problem, I can start work right now."

She couldn't wait.

The store manager immediately took Zhou Qiong to work, training her on relevant knowledge, such as how to make milk tea and how to flavor it...

They worked until late at night.

At this moment, the number of tourists on the Bund is decreasing, and the staff of the milk tea shop are cleaning up and preparing to close.

The store manager used the remaining ingredients to make several cups of milk tea and distributed them to the employees. When he got to Zhou Qiong, he gave her the two remaining cups and said, "They're all for you. I'm on a diet right now, and you young girls all love milk tea."

"Thank you, store manager." Zhou Qiong felt embarrassed.

"I'm very tired today, everyone can go home."

Immediately afterwards, everyone closed the door and left work.

Zhou Qiong said goodbye to them and headed home.

"Tsk, this little girl is really capable. She has persevered through continuous high-intensity work without uttering a single complaint."

"Yes, I would be so grateful if my son had even half her attitude."

The store manager slowly withdrew his gaze and said softly, "This girl has really suffered. Please take good care of her and don't bully her."

... ...

As night deepens and all is quiet, the bustling metropolis of Shanghai is on full display, with its dazzling lights dispelling the darkness.

Zhou Qiong walked alone on the street, drinking milk tea. The sweet taste made all her fatigue disappear.

Today's work was tiring, but also very enjoyable.

She encountered a kind store manager and a group of enthusiastic colleagues who took care of her throughout her work.

She encountered many hardships in her life, but she also met many kind-hearted people, such as the store manager, colleagues, friends, Chu Yi, and Chu Fang. It was because of these people that she was able to have hope for survival.

Under the moonlight, Zhou Qiong's shadow stretched very long.

Walking back to the residential area, Brother Liu was still on duty and smiled at her.

Zhou Qiong handed the extra cup of milk tea to the other person: "Brother Liu, this is for you."

"You drink it," Brother Liu shook his head.

"You drink it." Zhou Qiong placed the cup of milk tea on the table and headed into the residential area.

Watching Zhou Qiong's retreating figure, Brother Liu smiled gently.

... ...

Chengdu Town.

night.

Chu Fang looked at the message Liu Ge sent him and sighed: "Such a well-behaved girl, so well-behaved that it breaks my heart."

Chu Fang didn't interfere with Zhou Qiong's work-study program, nor did he ask any questions. The younger sister had her own ideas, and he let her do whatever she wanted.

Only then will she feel at ease.

... ...