The three of them were chatting so enthusiastically that they realized there was no one around when they finally reacted.

Li Li looked down at her watch and realized it was getting late, so she looked up and said, "I have to go back to feed Lele. What about you guys? Are you going back today?"

Since having little Qi Le, Li Li basically goes home for lunch. After all, the child is still young and needs to be fed.

The Qi family is well-off. After having little Qi Le, Li Li has a separate meal, which is more nutritious than the one in the company cafeteria.

However, I had an appointment with Jianshu's Pan Ning to have lunch together at noon today, so I went back late.

After Li Li got married, her status changed and she had her own family, but she did not alienate Jian Shu and Pan Ning because of various reasons after marriage.

Although having children will inevitably lead to spending more time with them, the three of them always make plans to have dinner and chat every week.

"I'm not going back. I'll go to the office to rest later." Jianshu replied.

Her hands were not convenient enough to ride a bike, so she had to walk back. It was getting late, and the round trip was too time-consuming.

"I'm not going back either." Pan Ning also shook his head.

"Okay, I'll be leaving first." Li Li said goodbye and left after knowing where the two were going.

She had to go back early. Although there was milk powder at home and Lele would not go hungry, as a mother she was still a little worried.

Watching Li Li hurriedly get on her bike and leave, Pan Ning followed her and shouted, "Lili, go slowly and be careful not to fall."

"I know—I know—" Li Li didn't turn around, but her words were still carried by the wind.

"This Lily, I thought she was more stable before, but now she is so impetuous, riding her bike so fast, not even afraid of falling on the road." Pan Ning complained to Jianshu.

Jianshu found it a little funny. Pan Ning was still the same. She always treated Li Li like a child and couldn't help but worry about everything she did, just like a mother.

"Okay, don't worry about it. Lily knows what's going on. Besides, aren't you happy that her personality hasn't changed?" Jian Shu asked back.

Pan Ning thought about it and agreed. If Li Li’s personality changed, she should be more worried.

"What you said makes sense. But tell me, her personality hasn't changed, right? I hope she can be more stable, but if she really changes, I'll be very worried. Why am I so conflicted?" Pan Ning asked helplessly.

Jian Shu was immediately amused when he heard this, and joked, "Oh, you know it too, I've seen it all over the past few years. You're like an old hen protecting her chicks, you can't wait to protect them tightly.

Now that the child has grown up and is about to strike out on her own, you're constantly worrying about this and that, always thinking she's still a child. You should worry less, Lily is married with children now, she's not a child anymore."

"From the first day I met her, I started to worry about her. I was either worried that her parents would beat her again, or that she would go hungry.

Later, I started to worry about her not being able to continue her studies. I still remember that after graduating from junior high school, if we hadn't been lucky enough to encounter a job opening at the department store and pass the exam, Lily would have been taken home by her parents to get married.

In the following years, I began to worry that her parents would accept a high bride price and marry her off casually; after she got married, I worried that Qi Jianan would not treat her well and that she would not get along with her in-laws.

"It's been so many years, and I've been worrying about this for over a decade. It's time for me to change this bad habit." Pan Ning reminisced about the past years and chatted with Jianshu.

Jian Shu looked at Pan Ning gently and listened to her quietly.

Maybe at the beginning I was just protecting this poor classmate out of sympathy, but as time went by, it gradually became a habit.

After returning to the department store, Jian Shu said goodbye to Pan Ning and climbed the stairs alone to the Finance Department.

From a distance, I could see the door to the Finance Department was open. Why was there someone inside at this hour? Who was it?

I walked to the door with doubts and looked inside, and saw a familiar figure.

"Sister, it's you. I was wondering why there were still people in the office at this late hour. Didn't you go home at noon?" Jian Shu walked into the office and asked curiously.

The people in the Finance Department don’t live far away, so they usually go back home to eat and rest at noon.

Sister Liu looked up and saw that it was Jianshu. She smiled and said, "It's Shushu. I didn't go home today because I had something to do. How about you? Why didn't you go home to rest?"

Even if Jianshu eats in the cafeteria at noon, he will go back to take a nap, after all, it is close.

"I just finished my meal. It's getting late. I won't be able to rest for long if I walk back and forth, so I decided not to go back." Jianshu put the lunch box away and said while sitting on the chair.

"That's right. We got off work late today, so we don't have enough time." Sister Liu nodded and said.

The two chatted idly like this. Jianshu's hand was a little sore and she couldn't sleep, but fortunately there was Sister Liu who could chat with her to relieve her boredom.

Being a bit bored, Sister Liu read Jianshu and couldn't help but start a conversation, chatting with Jianshu about the latest gossip in the department store.

"Shushu, do you know that a few days ago..."

As the gossip boss of the department store, Sister Liu has a strong desire to gossip and talk. Since Jianshu sat next to her, she has heard countless gossips.

"Ah, is there such a thing?" Jian Shu concentrated on being the supporting actor and asked in surprise.

At the same time, he took out some melon seeds and gave half to Sister Liu.

Sister Liu didn't hesitate. She picked up some melon seeds and said, "That's right, and let me tell you..."

Seeing Jianshu's surprised expression and his eagerness for knowledge, Sister Liu couldn't help but start a conversation and told him everything she knew.

The reason why she likes to chat about gossip with Jianshu is probably because of the expectant expression on her face and the appropriate reply every time she listens to gossip.

Talking about gossip also depends on the person. If someone has a blank expression and doesn't respond to anything you say, who would still be in the mood to chat with her?

That’s why Sister Liu likes to talk about these things with Jianshu the most, and Jianshu always responds at the critical moment.

It proves that she really listened carefully and took it in, rather than being superficially interested but actually just perfunctory.

Moreover, Jianshu's satisfied look every time after listening to it also made Sister Liu feel particularly satisfied, and she wished she could tell her a few more stories.

Jianshu is very clear about Sister Liu's mentality. After all, she is also a gossipy person, and she knows how disappointing and frustrating it is to tell others a piece of gossip with enthusiasm, but only get perfunctory responses and no response.

Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you.