Chapter 59 059. An unexpected encounter: The two met eyes from afar.
Xia Chan's direct senior colleague, Song Yalin, was Xia Chan's benefactor at the Yahai Group, and could also be considered an indirect mid-level manager. He had just returned from a European training conference organized by the group. Employees who were eligible to attend this training conference were tacitly considered to be in the pre-promotion stage, and he probably wanted to celebrate this moment of glory.
Song Yalin had helped Xia Chan a lot when he was at City University.
At that time, she traveled alone across most of China to study in Shanghai. She was unfamiliar with the place and the climate. It was Song Yalin, who was two years her senior and was serving as the student council president, who helped her in every way.
He is a native of Shanghai, but his father passed away early and his mother raised him single-handedly. He is also very successful, working part-time and always ranking at the top of his class and winning scholarships.
At that time, Xia Chan had to work part-time to make a living, and Song Yalin helped her find all sorts of suitable part-time jobs.
Later, Xia Chan was unemployed after graduation, just in time for a wave of unemployment. It was he who recommended her to Ya Hai.
Although she still harbored some reservations about Ya Hai at the time, she came anyway for the sake of making a living. And regardless of whether she liked or was satisfied with the job, Song Ya Lin was at least a benefactor to her at Ya Hai.
In fact, Xia Chan had long wanted to treat Song Yalin to a proper meal, but the two years after she graduated were Song Yalin's career advancement period, and he was so busy that he didn't find a suitable opportunity.
Later, he finally managed to reduce the store manager's workload, and she became incredibly busy again.
Song Yalin had invited her to dinner several times before, but she had to cancel each time due to work commitments.
Since both of them had managed to find the time, Xia Chan wanted to take the opportunity to thank him. She was thinking of secretly going out to pay the bill in advance as a way of expressing her gratitude.
She accepted Song Yalin's invitation, and Song Yalin chose a time when both of them were free and sent her a restaurant address.
It's a high-end hotel, no less upscale than Asia Ocean Park.
Xia Chan stared at the average cost per person on the review page and couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. But since she owed them something, she felt she had to pay them back, so she sent an "OK" in response.
Three days later, in the afternoon, at the time that Song Yalin and she had agreed to meet, Xia Chan entered the private dining room and immediately saw him. "Senior brother."
"Xia Chan, you're here." Song Yalin immediately stood up to greet her politely. He had been riding high lately, looking quite pleased with himself. The man was impeccably dressed in a suit, handsome and dashing, and even more energetic than when he was last seen. His eyes were brimming with the joy of an impending promotion.
Xia Chan smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with him before presenting him with a gift she had specially prepared for him.
It's a men's fragrance, a very popular high-end brand right now.
Song Yalin was taken aback for a moment, but then handed her a gift box, which contained a high-end European brand of women's perfume.
Xia Chan was also stunned when she saw the perfume, and then she and he laughed together, accepting each other's gifts.
Although Song Yalin was in Europe recently, he had already heard about Xia Chan's recent news in Asia.
The story of saving lives at a birthday party and receiving commendation from the group is no secret among the lower and middle classes of Asia Ocean.
She is now a rising star in the group, and Song Yalin couldn't help but praise her repeatedly.
"Senior brother, you flatter me too much, but congratulations on your upcoming promotion." Xia Chanqian smiled and offered tea as a congratulatory toast.
After ordering, the two chatted casually, and the atmosphere gradually relaxed. Soon, the waiter knocked on the door and brought out the dishes one after another.
Just as all the dishes were about to be served, there was another knock on the door of the private room.
Xia Chan assumed they were still waiters and casually said, "Please come in."
Then a waiter pushed the door open, leading a woman in from outside.
The woman was probably in her fifties, dressed in a silk dress, with a pearl necklace around her neck, her hair styled in elegant curls, and she held a small handbag in her hand. Her expression was inscrutable.
Song Yalin called her, "Mom."
Xia Chan was stunned and couldn't help but stand up as well.
-
In another private room, Chen Zhoudu and Guan Bohan were sitting opposite each other.
Guan Bohan was dressed in a hip-hop style, with big sunglasses, chewing gum, and trendy clothes. At first glance, it looked like he was wearing a jingling rainbow.
There were two huge suitcases next to me, with baggage claim tags still hanging on them.
“You…” Chen Zhoudu glanced at him from head to toe with a complicated expression, his brows furrowing slightly, “How could you suddenly…”
"Surprised? Unexpected? Happy? Excited?" Guan Bohan laughed heartily, "Brother, the first thing I did when I got back was to come see you. I haven't even seen my mom yet. Aren't you touched?"
Dare to move.
He dared to move so much that he wanted to go up and beat him up.
Chen Zhoudu sighed inwardly, picked up his teacup, drank some tea, and simply ordered a few dishes.
After the waiter left, Guan Bohan took off his sunglasses, sat up straight, and said to him very seriously, "Hey, but bro, I really have to thank you for what happened last time. But you went too far... You didn't even tell me you had Qu Yao's podcast that day! Qu Yao is such a fussy guy. But anyway, I still have to thank you for that, you're such a good brother! It's on me today, you can do whatever you want!"
Chen Zhoudu skipped Qu Yao's podcast that day and rushed to the Ya Hai Hotel because he received a call from Guan Bohan, who said that Guan's driver said Xie Mei had suddenly rushed to Tianze Store for some unknown reason.
At that time, Guan Bohan was waiting for a film in Hengdian. Even if he had wings, he couldn't fly back. He could only try to call Chen Zhoudu to ask if he had time to go and check on him.
Little did they know that Chenzhoudu was hosting a live podcast event, and they even skipped the event to rush to the hotel.
From Guan Bohan's perspective, his actions were akin to going to great lengths for his brother, even to the point of self-sacrifice. Having taken two days off to return to Shanghai to shoot an advertisement, the first thing he did was contact him, insisting on treating him to a hearty meal.
Looking at him, Chen Zhoudu felt extremely conflicted. After hesitating several times, he finally spoke, "Bo Han, there's something I want to say..."
He wanted to tell him the truth about what happened between him and Xia Chan.
It's not a good idea to keep this from him forever. Besides, if he and Xia Chan are really together openly, he'll find out sooner or later anyway. So, whatever he thinks, it's better to cut things off quickly than to drag it out.
Before he could finish speaking, Guan Bohan's phone suddenly rang.
He gestured for him to answer the call in a moment, "Hello."
The person on the other end of the phone must have been Guan Bohan's manager. I don't know what they talked about again, but Guan Bohan quickly became impatient again, and almost started arguing with him again.
A moment later, he hung up the phone and threw it on the table, then ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
Chenzhoudu asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, just those same old problems. They might even cause me more trouble..." Guan Bohan sighed. "I won't be able to eat today, I have to go right away."
As he spoke, he packed his luggage, and as he stood up, he couldn't help but ask, "By the way, you just said you had something to tell me, what's up?"
Chen Zhoudu paused for a moment, thinking he should do it another day, then sighed and shook his head. "It's alright, you go ahead."
Guan Bohan smiled mysteriously, "I'm going to Yu Hui anyway, so I can also check on Manager Xia while I'm there!"
A shadow fell over Chen Zhoudu's eyes in an instant.
He interpreted this expression as "dissatisfaction with prioritizing romance over friendship," and his smile widened as he put on his hat and mask, picked up his suitcase, and left.
Not long after Guan Bohan left, all the dishes on the table were finally served. Chen Zhoudu ate a few bites listlessly and then decided to pack up and leave.
The waiter at the door stopped him, "Excuse me, sir, your table hasn't paid yet..."
Chen Zhoudu paused for a moment, then pointed in the direction Guan Bohan had just left, "The person who just left..."
"He... just left."
"..." Guan! Bo! Han!
He sighed resignedly and had no choice but to pay the bill.
-
In Xia Chan's private room, Song's mother quietly looked around the room before finally fixing her gaze on Song Yalin's face, smiling and reaching out her hand, "Yalin."
"Mom." Song Yalin immediately helped her sit down and then explained to Xia Chan, "Xia Chan, I came back this time... because I was short on time, I asked my mom to come over for dinner. I'm really sorry, you... don't mind, do you?"
Xia Chan felt a slight stirring in her heart and vaguely understood something, but on the surface she still politely smiled and shook her head, and took the initiative to greet her with "Hello, Auntie" and pour her tea.
Song's mother's gaze fell on Xia Chan and swept over her carefully. After Xia Chan sat down, she turned to her face and asked in an ambiguous tone with a slight Shanghai accent, "You are Xia Chan?"
Xia Chan raised an eyebrow, glancing at Song Yalin with a puzzled look. Song's mother sipped her tea calmly. "Yalin has mentioned you before. You're quite a pretty girl. I heard you're not from Shanghai? Which city are you from? Which district do you live in now?"
Song Yalin glanced at his mother somewhat uncomfortably. Xia Chan smiled calmly, "I'm from Tongcheng, and I currently live in Yuhui."
"Oh... Tongcheng." Song's mother's gaze became intriguing again as she glanced at her with a half-smile. "Where is that? I haven't heard of it much."
"In Ning Province."
"Oh my! It's so far!" Song's mother exclaimed in surprise. Song Yalin gently tugged at her hem.
Without a word, she pulled him back, glared at him, and said, "It must be very cold there, right? I heard the economy isn't doing well either? You've come all this way to Shanghai to work, are you going to go back there in the future?"
Xia Chan maintained a polite, faint smile and indifferent gaze as she glanced at Song Yalin and replied, "Yes, it's very far and very cold. As for whether we go back or not, we'll see how it goes."
Although Xia Chan didn't know how Song Yalin had spoken to Song's mother, she could guess roughly what had happened. Instead of being angry, she suddenly adopted a spectator's attitude.
Even if Song Yalin had helped her a lot, from this moment on, she no longer needed to have any future interactions with him.
In this city and society, many interpersonal interactions are perhaps about weighing interests, and all emotions can be measured on a scale.
She was indifferent to how others judged her. After all, she was unknown and had nothing, but even an inconspicuous weed should not be trampled on by anyone.
Mother Song added, "It's no good for a young girl to have no plans at all, or she'll all go astray. Miss Xia...may I ask how old you are this year?"
I'm 26.
"A girl born in the Year of the Tiger..." Song's mother murmured softly, "A girl born in the Year of the Rat or Tiger isn't so good, she's quite fierce! And she's a bit incompatible with my son Yalin, who's an Ox..."
"Mom!" Song Yalin finally seemed unable to hold back any longer and put a piece of her chopsticks on his plate with a stern face. "Eat your food!"
Song's mother gave him a displeased look and poked him under the table, causing Song Yalin's expression to change slightly.
Xia Chan smiled but said nothing as she picked up her teacup and drank her tea.
Song's mother asked many more questions: Do you own a house? Do you own a car? Where do you plan to buy a house and a car in the future? What do your parents do for a living?
Do they have pension insurance? And will they come to Shanghai to live with her in the future?
Xia Chan answered truthfully with a half-smile, "I don't own a house or a car, and I have no plans to buy one or a car at the moment. I don't have parents; one is deceased and the other is in prison, so they certainly won't come to Shanghai to bother me."
As Song's mother listened, her face grew increasingly pale, and even Song Yalin's expression stiffened. She breathed heavily, seemingly trying to maintain her last shred of dignity. "Miss Xia... I heard she also works at Yahai? And supposedly, my Yalin recommended her there?"
“Yes.” Xia Chan smiled, her eyes shining. “I am so grateful to Senior Brother Song for this job opportunity. I am also very grateful to you, Auntie, for raising such a talented person as Senior Brother Song. Thank you, Senior Brother Song, Auntie, Senior Brother Song.”
She raised her teacup as if to thank her. Sweat beaded on Song Yalin's forehead; he didn't even dare meet her gaze. His face ashen, he said to his mother, "Mom, you should go home now. I'll come find you another day. Xia Chan, how about we..."
"Hey? What are you doing! Don't go!" Song's mother quickly pulled him back from the party, who was about to leave. "I haven't finished asking my questions yet!"
She then turned to Xia Chan, her face hardening. This time, she seemed to have stopped pretending and asked coldly, "Miss Xia, what is your current position? What is your approximate monthly salary?"
Xia Chan also put away her smile and said calmly, "Front office manager, as for the monthly salary, I'm sorry, Auntie, this is internal information of our group and it's not convenient to disclose."
"Just a front office manager!" Song's mother sneered. "My Yalin has been a front office manager before, earning only ten or twenty thousand a month. What's there to hide? Who would care? People who don't know better would think he earns hundreds of thousands, millions, or even hundreds of millions!"
"Mom!" Song Yalin was in a very awkward position. He scratched his head and almost went to cover her mouth, apologizing to Xia Chan, "I'm sorry, Xia Chan... my mom was just being tactless today, it was really..."
"Hey, what are you doing! Don't pull me! And why should I apologize to her?" Song's mother shoved him away, almost struggling with him. "You asked me to come here today so that I could talk things out, right? Fine, then I'll tell you clearly, I don't agree!"
"What did I tell you before? I told you to find someone local! And what did you do? You not only found someone from out of town, but you found this scumbag! And one of his parents is in jail? Song Yalin, have you lost your mind?!"
"I raised you with all my might and supported you to become successful, only to have you end up with a family like this? Are you trying to kill me?! I have only one thing to say: I will never agree to her, no matter what! Unless I die! If you insist on being with her today, I'll jump out of the window right now, you'll see if I dare!"
"Mom! Can you please stop making a scene... I'll explain everything to you later, Mom!"
The two of them were struggling and almost came to blows, making so much noise that even passersby outside could hear it.
Xia Chan had even calmly started sipping tea and watching the play.
A moment later, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside, and a waiter came in to serve the dishes. Upon entering and seeing the scene inside, he couldn't help but pause in surprise. "Hello, this dish..." Should we continue serving it?
Two or three guests were curiously standing outside the private room, but they all left the moment the door opened.
The moment Xia Chan looked up, another figure came into view.
As Shen Zhoudu was being led downstairs by a waiter, he was dressed in all black, complete with a hat and mask, but his figure and demeanor were so outstanding that she immediately recognized him the moment she caught a glimpse of him.
Chenzhoudu had already heard the argument, but only glanced casually at the source of the sound.
Then their eyes met from afar.
They were both taken aback for a moment, and Chenzhoudu stood still.
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