As evening fell, Huo Junyu took Jiang Mianmian's hand and strolled along the beach.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast a golden glow on the sea, seagulls circled in the distance, and a gentle sea breeze carried a moist and cool scent.
Two rows of footprints were left on the beach.
Huo Junyu glanced back every now and then, a slight smile playing on his lips.
When he was little, he would hold Xiaoyouzi's hand and play on the beach like this. At that time, what she left behind was a row of toddler footprints.
"After you disappeared, I often came to this beach."
Jiang Mianmian was taken aback and turned to look at him.
Although the man was smiling, there was a faint sadness in his eyes. Every time he looked at her, every time he hugged her, he used all his strength, as if afraid that she would run away from him again.
“Back then, everyone said you died in that shipwreck,” Huo Junyu said in a low voice. “But I didn’t believe it. I think… you became a mermaid princess.”
Jiang Mianmian laughed, and the two stood still, her little head buried in his chest.
"I heard Uncle Ashan wants you to participate in the film studio project?"
“Yes.” She nodded, looked up at him, and said, “I also think this is a good opportunity for me to put what I’ve learned to good use.”
Huo Junyu frowned. "Did Uncle Ashan arrange for you to go in what capacity?"
“I’m an intern,” Jiang Mianmian chuckled. “To be precise, I’m an intern assistant. After all, I haven’t graduated yet, and I’m just participating in this project to gain practical experience.”
Huo Junyu understood Lu Lishan's intentions.
Since Jiang Mianmian returned, Lu Lishan has not announced her identity to the outside world. Now, he is letting her participate in the project as an intern for two reasons: first, he is afraid that she will attract trouble again by attracting people like Lu Ming; second, he also wants to see how capable his daughter really is.
The name "Jiang Mianmian" is safe. But if it were replaced with "Lu Xiaoyou," no one could guarantee that there wouldn't be another elaborate conspiracy.
Lu Lishan and Lin Yuqing were already extremely nervous; for their daughter's safety, they preferred that she not change her name.
They would rather keep it a secret from the outside world that they have found their daughter.
Huo Junyu rubbed her little face and said with a smile, "It's good to learn more, but I heard that the chief designer, Mr. Sam, is a very strict person. You should be prepared to be tortured!"
“I’m not afraid of hardship,” Jiang Mianmian raised her chin, “I’m just afraid of not doing things well and bringing shame to the Lu family.”
"So now, you're starting to see yourself more and more as a member of the Lu family?"
Jiang Mianmian was taken aback and suddenly didn't know what to say.
“Mianmian,” Huo Junyu said in a deep voice, “some things are engraved in your DNA. Character, courage, boldness, and wisdom are all inherited from your parents.”
Do you remember Aunt Niu from Jiangzhou?
Jiang Mianmian burst out laughing.
How could I not remember? My mom fought with her for half her life, and later even pushed her into the pool and broke her head!
“Back then, Aunt Niu always told me that you weren’t your parents’ biological child,” Huo Junyu said with a smile. “She said how could a free-range chicken give birth to a golden phoenix? Although it was unpleasant to say, it was true.”
"Don't talk about my parents like that!" Jiang Mianmian punched him lightly. "No matter what, no matter which home I go back to, they will always be my mom and dad!"
"I understand, I get it all." Huo Junyu grasped her hand. "That's what Niu Meili said, not me!"
Jiang Mianmian paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, when I think about it, I'm very happy to have two sets of parents who love me."
"Yes, most importantly, they all love you."
"Junyu, am I being too lucky?"
"What...does this mean?"
"If a person has too much good fortune, God will reduce that good fortune in other ways."
Huo Junyu was both amused and exasperated. "What kind of nonsense is this!"
"Don't worry, you're just the right amount of good fortune." He hugged her. "Not only do you have two sets of parents who love you, but you'll have another set in the future."
"Um?"
He lowered his head, and his soft lips gently touched the tip of her nose.
"My mom and dad will love you just like they do!"
*
A few days later, Jiang Mianmian joined the film and television city project as a junior assistant.
Lu Ran also wanted to learn more.
Lu Lishan and Lin Yuqing felt sorry for her background, and since she was a child they had once loved, they let her stay in the Lu family and go to register with Jiang Mianmian.
So the two of them went to the Excellence Building together. The first ten floors of this building were the temporary office space for the film and television city project. Although it was not a landmark building, it was one of the top office buildings in the central city CBD.
The people in the office building are also among the most arrogant.
Jiang Mianmian and Lu Ran were both intern assistants, so none of their colleagues paid them any attention.
All they knew was that the two were college students who had come for internships; they seemed honest and hardworking.
So everyone tacitly agreed to leave many errand-running and miscellaneous tasks to the two of them.
Serving tea and water, cleaning, receiving and sending packages...
There was always copywriting to be done, which would be handed to the two of them without any explanation at the end of each workday.
One day, Jiang Mianmian and Lu Ran overheard several colleagues discussing something in the restroom:
What's the deal with these two new interns?
"What, you want to ask about them?"
"Hey, what's there to ask! You can tell at a glance you're just a poor student with no connections or background! You don't even know how to dress up, and you look kind of clumsy..."
"They probably don't have boyfriends, right?"
After these words, the restroom fell into a brief silence, followed by a burst of laughter.
Jiang Mianmian and Lu Ran listened quietly to everything happening outside from their stall in the restroom.
Jiang Mianmian could recognize the voices of those people.
There's Xiao Dong, who's always bossy; Xiao Xu, who plays games at work and pretends to work when the boss comes; and A Juan, who's always sarcastic and loves to trip people up.
The three of them often formed cliques, bullied the weak and feared the strong, and had a bad reputation in the company.
Jiang Mianmian clenched her fists, and then she heard them say again:
"What blind man would be interested in them?"
"Actually, they're both quite pretty, it's just that their fashion sense is questionable!"
"That's a downside! What man doesn't like a woman who's dressed up beautifully?"
"Yes, yes, you're the best!" the other two teased her. "With such red lipstick, are you going to a bar tonight to pick up some rich kid? Hahaha..."
The laughter and the sound of high heels gradually faded away. Jiang Mianmian and Lu Ran emerged from their respective cubicles, exchanged a glance, and gave each other a helpless smile.
"I can tolerate everything else," Lu Ran gritted her teeth, "How dare you say I don't have a boyfriend?!"
Jiang Mianmian smiled, put one hand on her shoulder, and took out her phone and waved it.
"sister?"
“Every word they said is here.” Jiang Mianmian smiled. “I’ll make a note of this for now and settle it later!”
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