Although there is a non-compete agreement, which prohibits him from engaging in related work within three years of resigning, Han Zibin is the young master of Fu Shunlai. He can completely stop working and directly use Shen Ji's strengths to make up for Fu Shunlai's weaknesses. They have no way to use the agreement to restrict Han Zibin.

Facing Julie's worries, Shen Mingzhu smiled calmly: "Don't worry, I dare to keep him, so I have thought about the consequences."

If Han Zibin can do what he says and be a loyal person, then she doesn't mind cultivating him and using him for her own benefit.

But if Han Zibin was really a spy sent by Fu Shunlai, she would definitely retaliate and stab Fu Shunlai to the point of being heartbroken.

She doesn’t claim that she can replicate Fu Shunlai’s signature dishes 100%, but she can certainly replicate 80% or 90% of them.

…

The restaurant was about to open, and Shen Mingzhu also did not neglect her self-study exams.

During the lunch break and in the evening, she would study with Shen Hongmei.

Studying together is more motivated, and Shen Hongmei can also ask her if there are any knowledge points she doesn't understand.

Shen Hongmei was obviously not in good shape today. She sat there for several minutes without turning a single page of the book.

"Are you under too much pressure lately? If you really can't concentrate on studying, just take a nap. There's no need to force yourself."

Shen Hongmei quickly came to her senses and said, "No."

"So something happened?"

Shen Hongmei showed some distress on her face, "Ma Chao called me this morning."

Shen Mingzhu raised her eyebrows, "Why would he even bother looking for you? He's a married man now, you'd better keep your distance from him to avoid getting into trouble."

"His father-in-law had connections to help him get a permanent position as a teacher, but he needed money to do it. He asked me to borrow money."

"How much?"

"If he asked me to meet him, it would probably cost at least a thousand yuan. There's no need for him to ask me for three or five hundred yuan."

Shen Mingzhu looked at her, "What do you think?"

"I don't know. He's quite pitiful. He's a grown man, but his monthly salary is only over 30 yuan. He can't even support his family."

Shen Mingzhu sneered, "Even if he goes begging, it's not your turn to give him charity. This is the path he chose. To put it bluntly, this is the retribution that the scumbag deserves."

"If he hadn't abandoned you because he didn't like being rich, you might be a college student now."

Shen Hongmei was speechless.

If she and Ma Chao had not broken up, she would definitely have allowed Ma Chao to repeat his senior year.

"If you are prepared to lose money after lending it, you can lend it."

Shen Hongmei subconsciously defended Ma Chao: "He will pay it back."

Shen Mingzhu sneered: "Has he paid you back for the money you spent on him before?"

Shen Hongmei hesitated: "He doesn't have the ability to pay me back yet."

"Even if he can't pay it back now, has he ever given you a promise to settle the previous accounts and write you an IOU?"

"Even if he is willing to admit this old debt in front of your family, even if he can't pay it back until his death, I will still consider him a man!"

Shen Hongmei was speechless again.

The weather was getting hotter, and Shen Mingzhu was getting angrier and angrier. She picked up the cup to drink some water, only to find it was empty.

Shen Hongmei was very attentive and went to get the kettle and poured it for her.

The kettle is filled with warm jasmine tea, which you can drink right away.

The pleasant fragrance of jasmine tea reduced Shen Mingzhu's anger a lot.

"Do you want to test a man's character?"

"How to test?"

Shen Mingzhu smiled and told the method, and Shen Hongmei seemed to be thinking about something.

…

When Shen Hongmei arrived at the restaurant, Ma Chao was already there. He had ordered some dishes, one meat, one vegetable and one soup. Although they were a bit simple, they were all Shen Hongmei's favorite flavors.

Shen Hongmei repeatedly recalled Shen Mingzhu's warning in her mind: When it comes to men, don't look at what they say, look at what they do.

"…This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. An old teacher is going to retire early due to health reasons, leaving a vacant position. Several substitute teachers like me are trying to grab the position, but my father-in-law helped me find some connections. As long as the money is in place, I'll have the job."

"Hongmei, you know my family's situation. I haven't paid off the debt from my previous marriage, so I really can't come up with the money. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you. I don't have the face to come to you."

But you still found it.

Shen Hongmei looked at the man in front of her and found that he looked more aged than she had imagined. He had a light blue stubble on his chin, thin cheekbones, and his eyes were no longer as pure and sincere as when he was a teenager. Instead, they were filled with ambition and desire.

He had changed, and so had she.

She had not been able to see these things before. Her love had gilded him with a golden glow, making him dazzling and shining among the crowd.

But now, she felt that he was so ordinary and mundane.

Seeing Shen Hongmei staring at him without blinking, Ma Chao instinctively thought that she still had feelings for him, and he couldn't help but feel secretly happy in his heart.

This work is organized and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

He attentively put a piece of braised pork in Shen Hongmei's bowl with his chopsticks, "Hongmei, eat more. You used to like this the most."

Shen Hongmei really liked eating braised pork slices, but she had no appetite at this moment.

"Ma Chao."

"What's wrong?"

"When you were in high school, there were a few times when you couldn't afford the tuition, so I paid for you. I also gave you some extra living expenses every semester. I calculated that it added up to more than 200 yuan. Let's call it 200 yuan. When do you think it would be convenient for you to give me this money?"

Ma Chao was stunned.

Shen Hongmei smiled and said, "If we succeed, the money will definitely not matter, but if we fail, I have no obligation to spend money on you, right?"

Ma Chao finally came to his senses and nodded, "Yes, I will return it to you later."

Shen Hongmei still smiled, "It's okay, I'm not in a hurry."

Hearing her say this, Ma Chao heaved a sigh of relief, but the next second he heard -

"Write me an IOU and write a due date of two years. Two hundred dollars isn't a lot, so you should be able to pay it back in two years, right?"

Ma Chao was stunned again and looked at Shen Hongmei for a long time without saying a word.

Shen Hongmei took out a notebook and pen from her bag, "Here, write on this."

After realizing that Shen Hongmei was serious, Ma Chao's face turned a little ugly.

Two hundred yuan is not a small amount for him.

"Hongmei, I have to go back and discuss this with my wife first. After all, I have a family now. If I write an IOU privately, I won't be able to explain it to my father-in-law."

"Well, I'll go back and tell my wife that I'm leaving now."

After saying that, he stood up and left in a hurry.

Looking at Ma Chao's back as if there was a ghost chasing him, Shen Hongmei laughed at herself and had no appetite to eat anymore. She picked up her bag and prepared to leave, but was stopped by the boss and asked to pay the bill.

Although it was not much money, Shen Hongmei was still very unhappy. After paying the bill, she asked the boss to pack up all the leftovers.

After leaving the restaurant, Shen Hongmei walked towards the station. After she had taken a few steps, a horn suddenly sounded behind her, which scared her.

Looking back, it was Zhao Dafa.

"Hongmei, we're going back home. Do you want a ride?"

Although Zhao Dafa was easy-going and enthusiastic, Zhou Hui's visit to find fault left a big shadow on Shen Hongmei.

"No need, Brother Zhao, I still want to go shopping."

Zhao Dafa nodded and drove away.

After watching the Santana disappear on the street, Shen Hongmei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Dafa in the car started to have doubts. (End of this chapter)