Chapter 91
Before the scandal of Li Lulu's "falsified academic credentials" had subsided, news of her being a "bar hostess" and "kept woman" was exposed to the public.
The combination of these several terms caused a huge uproar, sparking a wave of condemnation from everyone.
There is no difference between "leave without pay" and "unemployment".
In recent days, Guan Nan has once again experienced the taste of unemployment, but her biological clock has not yet adjusted, and she unconsciously pays attention to data, traffic fluctuations, and other situations.
That day, he realized something was wrong and Zhang Hong, having learned the news, came to him.
Great Ambitions Achieve: [Sister]
Ambitious Plans: [Are you quitting?]
Guan Nan was somewhat surprised to receive the message; Zhang Hong hadn't been to work for several days, and now he was coming to her.
She asked, but remained polite: "No, dear."
Ambitious Plans: [Then why didn't you come to work?]
It's not appropriate to directly call it a leave of absence without pay, since that's tantamount to being dismissed. What happens next depends on the company's arrangements.
Guan Nan replied: 【I've had a long weekend.】
After sending the message, she scrolled through her friends list and found another contact.
He then promptly sent a friend recommendation.
Guan Nan: [Hi, please keep in touch with Sister May regarding work matters. I will no longer be responsible for your work, so please try not to contact me again.]
Da Zhan Hongtu clearly didn't understand that his relationship with Guan Nan was purely professional, a mentorship, and they hadn't developed any other professional connection. This left him feeling helpless in the face of Guan Nan's cold attitude.
After that, Guan Nan never replied to him again.
They also chose to ignore messages from several people in the studio, simply ignoring them.
Over the next few days, the incident continued to escalate and grow increasingly serious.
So much so that when Guan Nan casually clicked on a post and glanced at it, she overlooked the comment, "Why does this certificate look so much like the one from Green University?" The all-knowing netizens, after hearing this comment, seemed to have a sudden epiphany.
Following this clue, netizens turned on their magnifying glass and somehow brought Guan Nan into the picture.
After a six-month hiatus, "capitalism" and "profiting from human suffering" have made a second comeback, catching Guan Nan off guard with a sudden attack.
Time is a wonderful thing. Even though online memories are easily forgotten, tangible words can never disappear.
As a result, Guan Nan unknowingly faced a new round of cyberbullying.
"Hilarious! They're not satisfied with profiting from human blood, now another scapegoat has appeared."
"No way, no way, this stinking capitalist has transformed into a brilliant woman?"
"Some people are really something else. They can make money standing up, and then make people kneel down to give them money. That's quite admirable."
She didn't receive the message until several days later.
Meanwhile, bloggers who had "suffered" persecution, when faced with questions in the comments section, looked embarrassed but had no choice but to speak up, displaying an attitude of being very afraid of offending people.
Although Guan Nan knew that everyone in the world was driven by profit, and that no matter when or where, there would eventually come a day when "people leave and tea grows cold".
But he was still disheartened by the flattery and sycophancy of the people he had personally mentored.
“She used to be the boss at Green Camp. She ruled the place like a personal fiefdom. We were used to it; offering suggestions was pointless. You know how hard it is to get ahead in this industry, but this industry…” The video blogger trailed off, leaving the audience to ponder, then sighed, “There are plenty of unspoken rules. Besides, the entry barrier is low; all sorts of people come here. And since she's the boss, there's not much we can say…”
Thus, an image of someone who controls an MCN, is hegemonic, brooks no argument, and acts extremely recklessly and arrogantly was established in just a few words.
Guan Nan turned off the video, stood in front of the sink, washed her face, and stared at herself in the mirror.
She never imagined that when she reappeared in the mouths of the people she had personally brought out, she would hear herself in such a way.
As she was thinking, she suddenly burst out laughing. The person in the mirror looked exactly like a wicked old woman.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Guan Nan felt a chill run down her spine, alarm bells blaring in her head, she gripped her phone tightly, and even dialed 110.
She held her breath, her face pale, and peeked through the crack.
Then, the door rang again.
This time someone spoke up: "Guan Nan, open the door, it's me."
At this moment, she had no ability to distinguish voices at all. She was locked in a small corner behind the door, covering her mouth with one hand, afraid to make a sound, lest the other person discover that she was at home.
When the person outside saw that she didn't respond, they called her again.
A moment later, a message came in.
Amidst all the unknown dangers, Jiang Li, who had disappeared for a long time, reappeared before her just in time.
Not sure what to say, so I'll just laugh it off: [Go with him.]
Guan Nan's breath hitched. The next message popped up, each word clearer than the last, calming her panicked heart considerably.
Not sure what to say, so I'll just laugh it off: [Leave the key; someone's coming over soon.]
Seemingly feeling uneasy, the other party stopped replying with text and instead sent a voice message.
Guan Nan lightly moved her fingers, opened the voice message, and held it to her ear.
His voice was low and gentle, as if to reassure: "Go with him first, and give him the house key too. Don't worry, he won't touch anything."
The voice rang in her ears, and Guan Nan's eyes became dry, her heart churning with emotion.
She tilted her head back, took a deep breath, and calmed herself down: "Okay."
After that, Guan Nan stood up and opened the door.
The newcomer was Hei Zi, followed by a large, muscular man with a buzz cut and a fierce look in his eyes; he was clearly a trained fighter.
Guan Nan, who was still nervous, remembered that the other party was Jiang Li's friend, and her nervousness subsided. Hei Zi also told her that she needed to hurry up.
Upon hearing this, Guan Nan nodded and walked into the house.
I set up my computer, grabbed my clothes, and slung my canvas bag over my shoulder.
Once she stepped out of the house, she couldn't help but look back inside again, and once again, she couldn't stay.
No one was sure how long this turmoil would last. Guan Nan felt a deep sense of reluctance, as if no matter how many years passed in her life, nothing could be held onto.
Seeing that time was running out, Kuroko looked down from the corridor and said, "Let's go."
Guan Nan regained her composure and followed behind him without looking back.
After getting in the car, it drove out of the park. As it passed the clock tower and circled around the gate, we saw a group of people asking questions at the security booth. The security guard waved his hand to indicate that he did not know anything. When he saw the car drive away, he gave a few more perfunctory words.
They remained silent the whole way until the car entered Yu Garden, where Hei Zi helped her carry her things inside.
Hei Zi laughed and said, "You two are talking again, aren't you?"
"Again?" Guan Nan followed him out of the elevator after seeing him swipe his card. She glanced at the one-apartment-per-floor layout and was still a little confused when she heard his words.
Hei Zi opened the door, scratched his head, and said with a smile, "Yeah, again. Didn't you two make up? Ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend, isn't that right again? Sigh, you broke up for so long, but the feelings are still there. It's good that you made up. I'm not saying this, but Jiang Li, even though he's the kind of person who seems to have no feelings at all..."
Guan Nan was still stuck on the terms "ex-boyfriend" and "ex-girlfriend," and nodded haphazardly as she listened to his words.
Hei Zi: "That's not true at all. Jiang Li is the most loyal person, but he's a bit too reserved. He does everything without saying a word, and he won't ask for credit even if he gets it."
Guan Nan stood in the entryway, staring at the pair of women's slippers on the floor that still had their tags on.
A few seconds later, she still didn't put it on and went in barefoot.
Guan Nan: "Why do you say that?"
“Take Rongshuli for example, you know it,” Hei Zi said. “Rongshuli was opened by one of my junior high school classmates. It’s been open for several years, but to be honest, business isn’t great. If it weren’t for the decent food that kept a lot of customers, he really wouldn’t be able to keep going. In the beginning, Jiang Li kept giving him money and investing in him. Later, after he helped Hecangyuan get back in business, he started bringing customers to Rongshuli. He even subtly mentioned it in a video a while ago.”
Guan Nan looked at him blankly: "He Cangyuan is... him..."
She entered the island counter with practiced ease, opened the refrigerator and took out two bottles of water. Hei Zi handed her one: "Yeah, didn't you know? That commercial street was his idea. He dealt with the community office countless times. Later, when the investment promotion department brought in investment, he invested money in it. At the time, we didn't know what he was after. He poured all the money he earned into it."
Guan Nan opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.
"And then there's the idea of opening a teahouse, running a guesthouse, and selling local specialties. He was the one who suggested it all at first. Nobody believed him then, but he single-handedly made a video of himself cutting hair and managed to revive the previously obscure Hecangyuan. Later, I don't know how he got Qiyang involved, and then extricated himself, giving all the credit to Qiyang. I don't know what he was thinking, what he was after." At this point, Heizi felt sorry for him and couldn't help but sigh.
Guan Nan's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she recalled the first time they added each other on WeChat, when he sent her photos of Fuling specialties.
It turns out that everything has a traceable origin. If she had been more attentive, if she had paid more attention, things might not have turned out this way.
"He," Guan Nan wanted to ask something, but couldn't help herself and asked softly, "did he do all of this?"
"Yeah." Hei Zi thought of something else and gave her a strange look. "That's just how he is, he does things but won't say anything. By the way, you went to Green Camphor University, right? I heard that the medical resources there are among the best in the country. Did you two break up because of the distance?"
If you never talked, how can you say you broke up?
Besides, she wasn't studying medicine at Green Camphor Tree.
But……
Guan Nan shook her head and said in a low voice, "No."
"Isn't that right?" Hei Zi said with some doubt. "I heard him say that his ex-girlfriend was studying medicine at Green Camp. Later, whenever there was a band at Green Camp, he would go there. Even if he didn't have time, he would squeeze in. He would go there whenever he had nothing to do, and he would stay at the school for a few days. He would leave early and return late."
"I remember one Christmas, it was snowing heavily, and he skipped class to go to Green Camphor Tree. Nobody knew what he was after. All the rooms were full, but he just sat in an internet cafe near Green Camphor Tree all night."
Ex-girlfriend.
Christmas.
Upon hearing this, Guan Nan seemed to have thought of something and murmured, "2018."
In 2018, Green Camphor experienced its biggest snowstorm in history, and the school was placed under lockdown that night.
The measures were so strict that even second- and third-year students had to have their dorm rooms checked to ensure the safety of student numbers.
"What?" Perhaps her voice was too soft, or perhaps Kuroko was too engrossed in talking, but she didn't notice what she said at all.
Upon hearing this, Guan Nan shook his head and continued listening to him.
"To be honest, his family didn't support him starting a band, so he didn't spend much of their money in college. He relied entirely on writing songs for others, and the band initially funded everything out of their own pockets, and still does. They're currently in a lawsuit with his former company over some songs. If he weren't tied up, he would have come here himself, but the place is too far away, and his former company is too shady." Hei Zi said, getting angry, tightening the bottle cap and frowning. "The company is in Beijing, and he's in Fuling, so far away from the authorities. And the lawsuit is being held in a Shanghai court..."
After that, Guan Nan could no longer hear his words; her mind went blank.
It turns out he hadn't disappeared without a trace these past few days. It turns out he had driven all night from Shanghai back home that night. It turns out he had been busy with a lawsuit all this time.
Suddenly, Guan Nan recalled the day she went to the coffee shop to find Jiang Li, and the restlessness between his brows was impossible to hide.
Adding to the frustration caused by Qi Yangchuan's words, which made Jiang Li, who was already troubled by the lawsuit, even more unhappy, it's no wonder that his bad mood was visibly obvious that day.
Suddenly, that sentence popped into my mind.
"So, you've been bullying me all these years, one by one, just because you think you can?"
Guan Nan suddenly felt as if, at some point, he had joined outsiders in bullying him.
She was the culprit who made him sad and heartbroken.
"Are you alright?" Hei Zi noticed that her face was pale and quickly stopped talking. He realized that he had said too much and didn't dare to continue. He was also worried that Jiang Li would not give him a good look if she found out.
Guan Nan pursed her lips and shook her head. "It's nothing."
"Alright, if you need anything, tell Jiang Li," Hei Zi didn't stay any longer. After giving a few brief instructions, "I'll be leaving now."
When the person left, she even forgot to ask whose place she had stayed at.
The house was empty and deserted, seemingly uninhabited. Although it lacked any sense of warmth or liveliness, it didn't give the impression of a show flat. Perhaps it was because the homeowner was too individualistic and had a unique aesthetic sense.
All the words went through her mind, arranged and rearranged over and over again, as if she couldn't recognize a single one. Guan Nan hugged her knees, lost in thought on the sofa.
It was completely dark outside, and I don't know how much time had passed.
Guan Nan stood up and suddenly realized that Hei Zi hadn't told her where she could go and where she couldn't go.
So she stopped at the entrance of the corridor and sent a message to Jiang the hairdresser.
Guan Nan first said politely, "Thank you, I've arrived."
The other party replied quickly: "Okay."
Does the word "好" mean "I understand"?
Guan Nan hesitated for two seconds, then carefully typed in the input box, asking, "Whose house is this?"
Not sure what to say, so I'll just laugh it off: [What's wrong?]
Guan Nan: [Nothing much]
After sending the message, Guan Nan added: "[I just wanted to know if there's anything I should be particularly careful about if I'm staying here?]"
I don't know what to say, so I'll just laugh it off :【==】
"······"
Wait again.
Guan Nan stared at the two double-eyelid eyes for a long time.
After a moment, she offered: "For example, which rooms are off-limits, which things are off-limits, and the areas where we can move around are restricted to a certain direction."
After typing, Guan Nan checked it again to make sure that her question was correct.
Asking questions proactively shows that you are showing respect to the host and maintaining a certain level of decorum.
The next second, Jiang Li sent a voice message with an echo: "I was parking and couldn't reply to you right away. As for any special precautions, no. Do as you please."
After listening to the voice message, Guan Nan frowned slightly, feeling that it would be impolite to raise her head.
Guan Nan: [Isn't this inappropriate?]
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