After the system went mad, Qiao Xia and her family of three remained quiet for a few days.
The registration period for this year's design competition has already passed, and Tang Xining still has a year to prepare the materials, so she is not in a hurry.
Since Tang Xining's employer was away on a business trip, she didn't have a suitable opportunity to resign, so Qiao Xia simply stayed with her in the small county town for two more days.
On the third day, Qiao Xia paid off all the huge debts she owed. Two billion yuan arrived in her account along with a transfer of 110,000 yuan.
Qiao Xia stepped into the familiar KTV once again, and sure enough, she saw Jiang Xiaomian there.
The boy was wearing tight-fitting work clothes, with a cross earring in his left ear. His short black hair was dyed a gradient silver-gray that covered his eyebrows and eyes, making him very eye-catching as he stood at the busy workbench.
Qiao Xia frowned and looked at the time. "It's Friday today. Why aren't you at school?"
Jiang Xiaomian turned her back, wiping the cup with her hands, and said, "I'm not going to read anymore."
Qiao Xia laughed in exasperation, "Are you just being stubborn with me?"
“I didn’t,” Jiang Xiaomian said calmly.
He took a deep breath, raised his head to reveal his delicate features, and said, "Miss Qiao, you have helped me a lot. If it weren't for you, my mother might not have made it to the day of the surgery. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that that day."
Jiang Xiaomian raised the corners of her lips bitterly, her spirits low, and said, "Three hundred thousand is too much for me. I don't know how long it will take to pay it off."
Qiao Xia's anger subsided considerably. She patted his head and said, "You're still a child. I don't lack money. After you finish college, there will be plenty of jobs waiting for you. You can pay me back slowly when you earn money."
Jiang Xiaomian stiffened, her eyes welling up with tears as she shook her head. "That's not it, I can't read."
As soon as she said it, Jiang Xiaomian deflated like a punctured balloon, blurting out, "My grades are terrible, I can't get into any good university, and even if I do graduate, I won't be able to find a good job."
"I only have one face that's a little good-looking, so I might as well take advantage of my youth and earn money to pay for my mother's medical expenses as soon as possible."
Jiang Xiaomian lowered her head, awaiting Qiao Xia's judgment.
After a while, he still hadn't heard her voice, so he carefully raised his head.
Qiao Xia stroked her chin thoughtfully and asked, "Do you want to enter the entertainment industry?"
"Huh?" Jiang Xiaomian was a little taken aback.
Qiao Xia spread her hands and said matter-of-factly, "Good looks, no education, and money—isn't the entertainment industry the perfect choice for you?"
Qiao Xia thought about it and it made more and more sense. She loved looking at handsome men and beautiful women, so how could she miss out on the entertainment industry, a place where beauties gathered?
Before the Qiao family went bankrupt, she ran her own entertainment company, which was quite profitable. However, after the Qiao family declared bankruptcy, artists switched companies one after another, the cash flow collapsed, and the company went bankrupt along with the Qiao family.
Based on her years of experience, it would be quite easy for someone like Jiang Xiaomian to become famous. Once he pays back the money, things won't be so complicated anymore.
Qiao Xia decided to go all the way and solemnly warned, "Go back to school immediately this afternoon. The entertainment industry still values education. I'll enroll you in classes so you can get into an arts school. If you're lucky, you'll be able to pay back all the money you owe me in less than a year."
“But…” Jiang Xiaomian hesitated.
"No buts." Qiao Xia pulled him out directly. "I forgot last time. Let's go terminate the contract with the live streaming company today."
Stepping into the familiar office building again after a week, Qiao Xia felt somewhat unfamiliar.
"Qiao Xia!" A plump figure wiped the sweat from his brow and shouted, throwing the broom in his hand at her. "I told you young people shouldn't be all talk and no action. Look, she still has to come back and beg me!"
The supervisor awkwardly sat down on the stool and bluntly ordered, "Go, clean this floor thoroughly, apologize to me properly, and I'll put in a good word for you and let you come back to work here."
Qiao Xia twitched her lips and threw the broom at him. "I'm not here to look for a job. Even if I were, I wouldn't want to find one that doesn't pay me."
"Hey?" The supervisor forcefully shoved the broom into her hand, his fleshy face full of disbelief. "You're back now, what are you still being stubborn about? If you keep this up, even if you beg me, I won't give you this job."
Qiao Xia smiled dismissively and said, "You should keep it."
After saying that, he led Jiang Xiaomian inside on his own.
The office building was packed with dozens of companies of all sizes, with people discussing contracts here and making phone calls there.
Jiang Xiaomian's contracted livestreaming team, including himself, only consisted of five people. When the boss learned that he wanted to terminate his contract, his face immediately turned very ugly.
"Xiao Mian, you were the first streamer our company signed. All the company's resources are focused on you. If you do well, you'll become a company veteran and get a share of the shares. Why do you suddenly want to terminate your contract?"
Jiang Xiaomian's boss is nearly thirty years old but looks very young. He is starting a business with several recent college graduates and has a good way of speaking.
When Jiang Xiaomian heard him say that, she did indeed show some guilt on her face. The boss then seized the opportunity to try to dissuade him from terminating the contract.
Qiao Xia flipped through the contract page by page, and just as Jiang Xiaomian was about to burst into tears from her boss's onslaught, she promptly interrupted their conversation.
“Jiang Xiaomian is still a student, and his main task right now is to study. He cannot continue live streaming.”
The boss pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light. "And this is..."
Jiang Xiaomian: "She..."
"She's our company's cleaner, her name is Qiao Xia." The supervisor, who had been eavesdropping at the door, immediately showed himself.
The boss frowned at first, then a fake smile appeared on his face. "Miss Qiao, since you are not Jiang Xiaomian's relative, I'm afraid you can't make the decision for him, right?"
Qiao Xia said bluntly, "Tell me, how much money will it take for you to let him go?"
The supervisor curled his lip, "You talk as if you can afford it."
The boss sighed, feigning difficulty, and said, "Since Xiaomian is willing to leave, then we'll just pay her five million in breach of contract damages according to the agreed-upon contract."
"How is that possible?" Jiang Xiaomian stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "You didn't say that when we signed the contract."
The boss shook his head. "Xiao Mian, I'm really hurt by what you're saying. You signed this contract yourself; it's clearly written in black and white. Why are you denying it?"
The supervisor, never one to miss a chance to stir up trouble, shouted, "I knew you couldn't afford to pay. You're all dressed up, I thought you'd really struck it rich!"
"Why pretend to be a big shot when you have no money? You're just a janitor, how dare you act like a big sister and stand up for others?"
The boss breathed a sigh of relief and gave his supervisor an approving look.
“Miss Qiao…” Jiang Xiaomian’s hands were trembling with nervousness. He really didn’t know it would turn out like this. He had specifically read the breach of contract clause when he signed the contract.
They clearly agreed that only half of the tips would be refunded, and never mentioned anything about five million.
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