Qiu Mang is no longer as resistant to drinking as she used to be. She had just secretly taken two hangover pills and was still fairly sober.

"Alright! Mr. He, we toast you!" Qiu Mang quickly took out two glasses, poured wine into them, pushed one glass in front of Zhou Haitao, and picked up the other glass for himself.

"Miss Qiu, we're all drinking baijiu (Chinese liquor), your red wine is really not enough, is it?" At this moment, Mr. He changed his tune, and his sarcasm was all too obvious.

Zhou Haitao glanced at President He, then at Qiu Mang, knowing this was just the first hurdle to overcome. He pretended to stop him, saying, "President He, Qiu can't hold his liquor. Let's drink together!"

Mr. He's face darkened, and his tone became even harsher, "You said you wanted to cooperate with our Heguang Group, what? Is this all the sincerity you have? You won't even drink a glass of wine!"

Zhou Haitao gently nudged Qiu Mang, "Why don't you drink it, Xiao Qiu?"

Although Qiu Mang has improved his alcohol tolerance recently, he is still unsure when faced with high-proof liquor.

Moreover, she had already felt dizzy in the private room earlier, and she knew that once she felt dizzy, it was almost the limit of her body.

At that moment, someone moved so quickly that they replaced the two glasses of red wine with white wine in front of them.

Qiu Mang gazed at her wine glass, feeling the gazes upon her. She pursed her lips and slowly extended a hand. Just as she was about to touch the rim of the glass, two people walked in from outside.

"Oh my, isn't this Miss Qiu? I didn't notice you earlier, it's you! We all had a great time last time, when can we get together again?" Hua Xiao said, one hand in his pocket, with his usual faint smile on his face.

Everyone was shocked to hear this; this little girl actually knew Hua Xiao?

The people who were just moments ago so aggressive instantly put on a friendly mask.

"So Miss Qiu is a friend of President Hua. My apologies! I was rude just now. Since Miss Qiu can't hold her liquor, why don't you have some juice? Juice is good for a girl's skin." The moment the two entered, President He's straight back unconsciously bent slightly, and his smile became brighter.

"Miss Qiu, please sit down!"

Looking at the group of people's changing expressions, Qiu Mang couldn't help but admire their ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

She never expected that what was originally a thorny issue for her, something that she would have to compromise on no matter what, would be completely resolved by Hua Xiao's words.

At this moment, she seemed to have gained a new understanding of society. The knowledge in textbooks used to teach people to obey etiquette and reason, but only today did she realize that sometimes absolute power and status are the true voice in this world.

She glanced up at Hua Xiao and Lu Yanting again. Hua Xiao raised an eyebrow at her, his posture relaxed and casual, and Qiu Mang returned a grateful look. Her gaze swept over Lu Yanting, but he still maintained an indifferent and aloof attitude.

Qiu Mang actually knew that she and Hua Xiao were not familiar with each other, and the other party had no reason to help her. It must be Lu Yanting's intention.

She felt that she owed Lu Yanting more and more.

After the dinner, everyone's attitude towards her changed completely, and Zhou Haitao successfully secured a large order from Heguang Group.

Because of Hua Xiao's words, Zhou Haitao became even more polite to her after they returned.

Qiu Mang is no longer so stubborn about getting things done. With the repayment date fast approaching, and while Zhou Haitao still saw her as useful, she asked him for an advance on three months' salary, which he naturally agreed to.

Time flies, and the repayment date arrived in the blink of an eye. Qiu Mang repaid the platform's loan, leaving her with 20,000 yuan. Without hesitation, she transferred the money directly to Lu Yanting.

In the afternoon, Qiu Dao called Qiu Mang.

When Qiu Mang saw the words "elder sister" on the caller ID, she felt a surge of excitement. This was the first time her family had contacted her since she left home a month ago.

Although it was a little late, she was still full of anticipation. Perhaps she was too excited, her hand holding the phone trembled slightly. After a while, she swiped to answer the call.

I thought my older sister would care about my life outside and ask if I was tired, but as soon as the call connected, I heard my older sister's voice deliberately lowered.

"Amang, I heard from Shi Nan that you're in Guangcheng now. Have you found a job yet?"

As soon as Qiu Mang heard her older sister's hushed voice, she knew that this phone call was more than just a simple greeting.

"Big sister, just say what's on your mind."

Qiu Dao was clearly taken aback for a moment, then sighed, his voice filled with exhaustion.

“Amang, I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have asked if I hadn’t been desperate. But…” Qiu Dao said, sobbing softly.

Qiu Mang didn't say anything, waiting for her to finish crying.

After a while, Qiu Dao sniffed and said cautiously, "When I got married, my parents asked your brother-in-law for a dowry of 200,000 yuan, you know? That dowry was all borrowed by him. I only found out when they came to our door asking for the money back. But we don't have enough money at all. Just now, a few strong men came to our house and took your brother-in-law away, saying they would only let him go after he paid back the money."

Qiu Mang quickly asked, "How much more money do we need?"

"One hundred thousand!" Qiu Dao's voice was utterly powerless.

"Amang, I've heard that salaries are very high in big cities. Do you have any way to help me?"

Qiu Mang felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He had just finished paying off this month's debts, and now new problems were coming one after another.

Qiu Mang thought for a moment, "Have you told your parents about this?"

Qiu Dao cried even harder, "I told them, but they said it was the bride price we agreed on back then, and now that we're married, there's no reason to return it. Besides, even if I borrowed from them, they don't have any extra money to lend me, and they told me to figure it out myself. I really had no other choice but to call you."

Just as Qiu Dao finished speaking, the sound of a child crying suddenly came from the other end of the phone. His little nephew had just learned to walk this year and had accidentally fallen down, crying his eyes out.

Qiu Dao rushed over and hugged her son, feeling even more distressed. In the end, both mother and son had tears in their eyes.

As Qiu Mang listened to her nephew crying on the phone, even though her own life was already difficult, she couldn't bring herself to say no.

She knew her sister's suffering and could understand her hardships.

If she had accepted her family's arrangement to marry and have children early, she would probably be living the same life as her sister. Qiu Mang felt that her sister was another version of herself in a parallel world, so she couldn't remain indifferent.

Qiu Mang bit her lip, "I'll think of something!"

She only said that one sentence before hanging up the phone in frustration.

Qiu Mang thought for a long time at his workstation before finally knocking on Zhou Haitao's office door again.

She took a deep breath and asked Zhou Haitao to lend her 100,000 yuan. But Zhou Haitao had already given her three months' salary in advance and couldn't keep indulging her like that.

Zhou Haitao picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and said unhurriedly, "Xiao Qiu, as you know, the company is small, doesn't have enough working capital, and still has a lot of outstanding payments. The company is having a tough time. If you're really short of money, you can borrow from President Hua. This amount is just a drop in the ocean for President Hua. Anyway, we're friends, and I'm sure he'll help you."