Chapter 2 Eavesdropping

Lu Xiaoping did what he said. The next day, he went to recharge his gym membership card with tens of thousands of yuan. Two days later, he found the purchasing manager under his godmother and placed a large order with Han Que, which made her sales performance in the quarter ranked among the top three.

Xu Tao and Guo Peng called him a cheapskate.

He simply said confidently: "A good man should be a little humble."

In half a month it will be Lu Xiaoping's 25th birthday.

He learned his lesson and solemnly told Han Que a week in advance: "You must attend this birthday party no matter what. This birthday party is very important to me."

Han softened his heart and agreed to his request, and even switched shifts with someone else.

It was early spring in March, with willow buds turning green and red plum blossoms in full bloom. The "Spring Day" teahouse, nestled deep in the plum forest, presented a delightful scene.

Outside the glass window, there are crowds of people enjoying the spring weekend, and the sunshine makes people feel lazy and sleepy.

Han Que and his high school best friend Zhou Wenwen sat by the window, each holding a teacup and chatting about random topics.

Zhou Wenwen was a little curious, "What's going on between you and Lu Xiaoping? Are you planning to have a real relationship with him?"

Han looked at the lemon slice in the glass and shook his head, his expression unchanged. "I don't have any plans. I'll just take it one day at a time."

Zhou Wenwen disagreed: "Then why don't you agree to let him meet his friend? Isn't that redundant?"

Han frowned helplessly: "As the saying goes, one should be grateful for what one has received. He has spent a lot of money on me this month. If I don't go, it will be unreasonable."

Zhou Wenwen looked at her with a half-smile, "This is not your style."

"I don't have any style." Han said calmly, rolled his eyes, and smiled faintly, "Then you should blame your brother for setting such high standards for me."

Zhou Hongbin, the owner of the "Hong" club, is Zhou Wenwen's cousin. Because of this relationship, Han Que can work as a part-time coach, on the condition that the customers find them themselves and cannot occupy the resources of other people in the club.

"That's because you're now the backbone of my brother's company, the sales champion. The fundamentals of the business depend on you. My brother said that if you just stand there and say a few words with a smile, all those guys, young and old, will pay for a credit card and top up their account."

Han had been there for more than half a year and had achieved very good results, which gave Zhou Wenwen enough face.

Han continued to laugh and said, "Then I have to talk to your brother someday. At least you have to give me some shares. I can't always be the one selling my body while your brother gets the benefits."

Zhou Wenwen: "As for the shares, just ask for them. Don't worry about me. But don't say such harsh words. It was Lu Xiaoping who took the initiative to pursue you, and you didn't seduce him. Don't say such harsh words."

Han laughed and sighed, "That's true, but the balance on his spending card is enough for him to use for five years. I can't bear to see him do that."

Zhou Wenwen stared at her for several times and smiled, "It seems that you still have some real feelings for this guy. You have softened your heart."

Han was stunned for a moment, then shrugged. "What kind of relationship are we talking about? Lu Xiaoping is just a half-grown child, unstable. After a few days, the novelty will wear off and it will be over. I can't take it seriously. I'm just waiting for him to get impatient and say goodbye to me one day."

She paused and frowned, "But he's weird this time. He's been going on for almost half a year, and the heat hasn't worn off yet."

"That's because you, Han, are so charming."

"Charm?" Han snorted. "I don't have any charm. I only have lessons learned through blood and tears."

Zhou Wenwen was silent for a moment, knowing the reason, and didn't dare to respond. After taking a sip of water, she changed the subject and said, "You said that Lu Xiaoping is 25 years old this year and still a child. You are only three years older than him. Such an old-fashioned tone doesn't match your youthful face."

Han, however, spat at her: "You think I'm still a fresh little white lotus." Then he stretched and said in a pompous tone, "I feel that I'm very old. This heart is not suitable for love."

Zhou Wenwen looked at her pretentiousness and chuckled, blurting out, "If you don't want to be in a relationship, then just get married. Didn't that guy swear to marry you? Everything will be settled after marriage."

"Get married?" Han Que was drinking from his teacup when he choked on a mouthful of tea. After coughing a few times, he patted his chest and wiped his mouth with a tissue. He looked at Zhou Wenwen speechlessly, as if he had heard a joke. "You mean Lu Xiaoping? He always uses his father's secondary card for his purchases. How can he get married? Is he qualified to get married?"

"But..." Zhou Wenwen moved her lips, wanting to say something but not daring to.

"Is that the reason?" Han said, "He has bad habits, but he's not a bad person. Besides, who wouldn't want to find someone to fill the vacancy after such a long time?"

"Well, he's not bad looking. At first glance, he really does look a bit like he did back then..." Looking at Han Que's half-smiling eyes, Zhou Wenwen realized her mistake and shut up.

"You guessed right. He does look a bit like Jiang Jin in high school." Han clapped silently and continued, "That's exactly what your sister likes."

"She's just like you." Zhou Wenwen concluded.

Han clicked his tongue, made an expression as if he was terrified, and turned to look out the window.

A gentle breeze blew through the plum forest, petals fell lightly, and the laughter of tourists could be heard.

Zhou Wenwen ignored her and picked up the phone on the table to check the time. "Why hasn't Fang Jiayan come yet?"

We agreed to have a party of three, but only two showed up.

Han Que: "He didn't reply to messages and didn't answer calls. He must be in the operating room."

Zhou Wenwen complained, "Being a doctor is so tiring. I don't have any time for myself."

The WeChat notification sound on the phone kept ringing, but Han picked up the phone and looked at it, slowly frowning, "No, I have to go, I can't wait for Fang Jiayan. Please tell her for me."

Zhou Wenwen said, "Huh?" "What's wrong? We agreed to go out and play together."

Han pointed to his phone and said, "My mom..."

She sighed, "The old man was stewing soup and forgot to turn off the fire. He almost set the kitchen on fire. I have to go back and check."

"Aunt Liu?" Zhou Wenwen frowned. "What about now? Is everything okay now?"

"Well, it's nothing serious now. It's a good thing the neighbor found it early." Han picked up the phone on the table and put it in his bag. "But I still have to go back and check it out, otherwise I will always be worried."

Zhou Wenwen suddenly felt lost. She had made an appointment with three people, one of whom didn't show up because he was working overtime, and one of whom was about to leave. She sighed and put the teacup on the table.

Han, however, stroked her hair apologetically and said, "Be good, I'll treat you next time."

"Forget it, I'll go back too and tell Fang Jiayan not to come over." Zhou Wenwen pouted disappointedly and threw the items on the table into her bag.

Zhou Wenwen pouted to show her resistance. It was so hard to get together with her best friends, but one of them didn't come and the other wanted to leave.

"Then I'll go to the bathroom and come back to stay with you for ten minutes, okay?" Han stood up, stroked her shoulder, and walked sideways past the sofa.

Passing by the small courtyard with white walls and black tiles, a moon-shaped archway, and a deep private room covered by blue curtains, faint sounds of argument could be heard from inside.

"President Gu said it wasn't that he didn't want to invest, but he felt there wasn't much point in investing in this small company right now. The biological field requires high R&D investment and a long payback period, which doesn't align well with the group's strategy."

"Group strategy? It's already this late, and he's still clinging to that real estate development idea. Does he ignore the news, or does he just listen to the flattery?" Another young voice said bluntly, "I see he's only in his sixties. He's not even old yet, yet he's so clueless."

"Ning Wei, you can't say that about Director Gu. He's your father." "He also knows it's my father..." Someone chuckled, "Uncle Lin, my father didn't talk to me himself, and asked you to come forward. It shows that he is guilty."

"Hey, that's not what he meant. He didn't want to confront you head-on. After all, you just had an argument."

"Last time we were talking about family matters, this time we're talking about business. I won't be like him and confuse public and private matters."

…

Han was not interested in the rich people's family affairs and turned to leave.

The person in the private room said, "Hey, Mr. Gu said that the group has already made investments in the medical field, so they will be more cautious about further investment and will focus on whether the investment can bring relatively large contribution value. Li Zhekai's company is too small and not worth it."

Li Zhekai? The name sounded familiar, but Han hesitated and slowed down. This was the name of her old company's boss. Was he selling his shares?

If it really was Li Zhekai from their company, it would be a matter of livelihood. She thought about it, tiptoed to the door, and listened carefully.

"A small scale indicates growth potential," the person inside continued. "Zhe Kai may be my friend, but don't doubt my judgment because of that." A silence followed, followed by a resigned chuckle. "Forget it, if he doesn't want to invest, then forget it. I'll invest personally. This way, it won't affect the group, and you won't have to worry about it."

As he was speaking, there was a rustling sound, and the door curtain was lifted. A young man came out. He saw Han Que standing at the door, and his brows suddenly frowned and his eyes were sharp.

Han was caught off guard and immediately raised his head, pretending to look at the blooming cinnabar plum in the yard.

The young man stood at the door of the private room and looked at her suspiciously.

Han suddenly turned around, her hair fluttering in the plum blossoms. She reached out, holding the phone between her fingers, and handed it to the other person, "Could you please take a few pictures for me?"

She pointed at the plum blossoms, smiling brightly, and explained, "This plum blossom is so beautiful. People say that the cinnabar plum blossoms are the most beautiful in spring..." She chuckled and looked up at the other person.

The man's eyes fell on her drooping hair, his eyelashes trembling slightly. His expression gradually relaxed, and his eyes softened. He nodded, took her phone, and brushed her with his cold fingertips.

The two looked at each other and were both stunned.

The man took a few steps back, directed her to position herself, and adjusted the composition.

Han obediently followed his instructions and stood under the blooming plum tree. The bright red flowers hung down from the branches, half covering her fair forehead. Her eyes, dark and shining, looked between the gaps between the plum blossoms, as if she wanted to speak.

She smiled at the camera, brighter than a blooming flower.

The man's breathing stagnated slightly, and after a pause, he bent down slightly and looked intently at the girl in the camera, his fingers magnified unconsciously. She had a slim figure, a beautiful and sweet smile, clear and innocent eyes, and a red mole the size of a red bean under her white earlobe. At first glance, it looked like a flower petal.

The phone card rang several times.

"Okay, just take a few pictures. Thank you, thank you." Han Que put away her smile and walked over. The man handed the phone back to her. Han Que's eyes fell on his hand and paused. His fingers were slender, with distinct joints and as white as jade.

She paused, looked up and smiled, "Thank you for taking up your precious time."

The man lowered his eyes and looked at her, his eyes narrowed, he nodded indifferently, and turned away.

Han looked at his back, pursed his lips, and fell into deep thought.

Zhou Wenwen was sitting there and saw Han with his head down. He walked slowly towards her, absentmindedly wiping his fingers with a tissue. He still looked distracted until he reached his seat.

Zhou Wenwen asked: "Wait for the toilet queue?"

Han was startled and shook his head confusedly, "No."

"You've been gone for ages..." Zhou Wenwen pouted, stood up, rubbed her stomach, and muttered to herself, "I think I drank too much water too."

Han sat down and tilted his chin at her, "Go ahead. I'll wait here for you to come back before leaving."

As she spoke, she picked up the teacup and sipped the tea, thinking thoughtfully about her worries.

Not long after, Zhou Wenwen came back, shook off the water droplets on her hands, stood opposite her, and said with a smile: "No wonder, I know why you were gone for so long."

"What?" Han raised his eyebrows.

"I just met a handsome man at the bathroom door." Zhou Wenwen smiled. "Did you see him too?"

Han shook his head absentmindedly, "I didn't notice."