Jiang Mianmian finally finished reading the last document of the morning, stretched, and glanced at the calendar on the table.
The circles and dots on the calendar were all drawn by Huo Junyu.
He planned to ask her for "pocket money" several times during this period, and perhaps he would get some unexpected benefits in addition to the pocket money.
Jiang Mianmian smiled, shut down her computer, and prepared to go home at noon. Just then, her secretary knocked on the door and came in.
"Young Master Lu, look who's here!"
Jiang Mianmian looked up and saw that Lin Yuqing and Su Aiqian had arrived together.
She was both surprised and delighted, completely forgetting about Huo Junyu's allowance, and ran over to take their arms.
The three of them sat down at a hotel near the company.
Jiang Mianmian ordered all of their favorite dishes, and happily watched the two mothers get along like old sisters.
In fact, the two of them did become old friends. Su Aiqian learned to read, appreciate tea, and grow flowers from Lin Yuqing, while Lin Yuqing learned to play mahjong and poker from Su Aiqian.
The two families visited each other frequently. Lin Yuqing let go of her own past mistakes and also made way for another pair of parents who loved her daughter.
Jiang Mianmian served food to the two of them, smiling very happily.
"Why did you two come together today? Is there something you need?"
Su Aiqian and Lin Yuqing exchanged a glance, and Su Aiqian smiled and said to her, "I wanted to come out for a walk. Your mother suggested that we come and see you, and also treat you to lunch!"
“Yes, she’s paying for this meal!” Lin Yuqing laughed. “Little Youzi, you absolutely mustn’t try to save money for her!”
"That won't do!" Jiang Mianmian exclaimed, her eyes widening. "It should be me who pays tribute to you two!"
"I absolutely have to come!" Su Aiqian's eyes narrowed with laughter. "Your brother got a scholarship this semester, the highest one, tens of thousands of yuan! Such great news, shouldn't I treat him to a meal to celebrate?"
Jiang Mianmian was happy for Jiang Xiaowei, and knowing that her mother was rarely so generous, she readily agreed.
After they had almost finished eating, Su Ai went to pay the bill. After watching her walk away, Lin Yuqing whispered to Jiang Mianmian, "I have another matter to discuss with you today."
"What's wrong, Mom?"
"It's about Ranran." Lin Yuqing looked troubled. "It's just... can you think of a way to get her back to work at the company?"
Jiang Mianmian was taken aback. It wouldn't be difficult to arrange for Lu Ran to join the company. Besides, Lin Yuqing and Lu Lishan had given Lu Ran some shares. She was a shareholder of the company and should have been working there.
Why did Lin Yuqing sound so troubled?
"Mom," Jiang Mianmian rolled her eyes, "why are you suddenly saying this? Have you discovered that Ranran has some other problem?"
Lin Yuqing nodded and briefly described what happened that night.
"Sigh, Ranran's mental state is indeed not good at home." She sighed softly. "Cheng Suyue's death was a huge blow to her, which is only natural. After all, she was her mother who depended on her for survival... But this child doesn't understand that if she doesn't open up her heart, she will never be truly happy."
“Like me,” Lin Yuqing looked at her daughter, “I used to hate Su Aiqian and Jiang Youcai. I hated them for not calling the police back then, and for keeping you with them on their own. But then I realized, in these twenty years, you haven’t suffered with them. They loved you even more than their own sons, leaving you all the good things. Even when Su Aiqian was sick, the first thing they thought of was transferring the house and the supermarket to you. And if it weren’t for them back then, you might be dead…”
"So I let it go, and after letting go of all that, I suddenly felt that the whole world was different. Only then did I realize that the suffering in this world can only be overcome by oneself, and no one else can help."
Jiang Mianmian felt somewhat heavy-hearted.
"Mom, do you think Ranran can save herself just by returning to the company?"
“I’m not sure,” Lin Yuqing said softly, “but it’s much better than her locking herself up.”
"Okay, I understand." Jiang Mianmian chuckled. "I'll make arrangements and find time to have a good talk with her."
*
At the same time, Lu Ran appeared outside the Lu Group building. The towering building blocked out the sunlight. She looked up and recalled the times she and Jiang Mianmian had worked overtime together in the office. It felt like a lifetime ago.
If Pei Nian hadn't appeared, perhaps Mom's second personality wouldn't have been triggered...
Lu Ran clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her flesh.
Some people at the Lu family recognized her and respectfully called her Miss Lu. When Secretary Jiang Mianmian saw her arrive, she hurriedly came out to explain, "Madam and Mrs. Jiang are both here today, and Young Master Lu is having lunch with them!"
"What?" Lu Ran exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes," the secretary said with a smile. "It's rare that they're in such a good mood today. Our young Mr. Lu probably won't be back today, Miss Lu, would you like the driver to take you home?"
"No need," Lu Ran said softly. "I'll go upstairs to buy a coffee, and then I'll leave by myself. You don't need to follow me."
The secretary noticed something was off about her expression, but then she thought about it again. The rooftop sunlit coffee bar was open to Lu's employees, and Lu Ran had loved it when she worked there. It wasn't unusual for her to go and buy a cup now.
The secretary nodded respectfully, telling her to make herself at home.
Lu Ran looked dejected as she wandered alone through the building.
She heard that Pei Nian worked here, so she wanted to go and see. Passing by the sales department, she saw Pei Nian following behind Zhou Nan in the distance, like a diligent student.
Zhou Nan seemed quite satisfied with her, and kept giving her instructions.
Lu Ran felt like she was being pricked by tiny thorns, which made her feel very awkward.
Zhou Nan is a veteran of Lu's Group, having been the top salesperson for several consecutive years, and has made indelible contributions to Lu's Group.
Jiang Mianmian letting Pei Nian follow her shows how much she values her...
Lu Ran bit her lip, about to turn and leave, when she suddenly heard a shrill voice behind her: "Hey? Miss Lu! What are you doing here?"
Lu Ran turned around and met Dong Jielin's captivating eyes.
Her lips were painted brightly and boldly, and her wavy hair paired with a red and black suit skirt made her look even more feminine.
"Who are you……"
"Miss Lu, you must have a bad memory!" Dong Jielin stepped forward enthusiastically. "I'm Jaquelin from the sales department, have you forgotten me?"
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