"Last night's auction," Liu Mengran suddenly spoke up while tidying up the documents, "was very exciting."
Han Feng paused for a moment. He hadn't expected Liu Mengran to be interested in this kind of thing: "You've heard about it?"
"The chairman of Maple Leaf Investments spent a whopping 100 million yuan on a woman." Liu Mengran's voice remained calm, but a hint of emotion that Han Feng couldn't decipher flashed in her eyes. "It's all over the school forums."
Han Feng felt a rare sense of embarrassment. How could he explain that it was merely a "slap in the face" operation targeting Zhao Mingkai? Should he say it was for the mission reward? Or that it was a system requirement?
"If..." he carefully chose his words, "if you encounter a similar suitor, I wouldn't mind trying again."
He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. What does this sound like? Flirting between a young couple?
Surprisingly, Liu Mengran didn't give her a cold shoulder. She tilted her head slightly, an angle that allowed the sunlight to fall directly on her long, thick eyelashes: "I never imagined my deskmate was the behind-the-scenes boss of Maple Leaf Investment."
Han Feng breathed a sigh of relief and smoothly changed the subject: "Your grades in finance are better than mine." He added half-jokingly, "Want to work at my company? The benefits are amazing."
He expected to receive a disdainful look or be completely ignored, as he had done countless times before. But Liu Mengran stopped tidying up and looked at him seriously:
\"OK.\"
Han Feng nearly knocked over his water glass: "What?"
"I said, 'Okay.'" Liu Mengran's voice was soft, but exceptionally clear. "However, I have one condition."
"What are the conditions?"
"I need decision-making power." Liu Mengran's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Not just those decorative vases on the table, but real decision-making power."
Han Feng narrowed his eyes. This request was too specific and too targeted; it didn't seem like something an ordinary college student would make.
"Why?" he asked directly.
Liu Mengran stuffed the last book into her bag: "I don't know, but I have a feeling you'll agree. You give me a very different feeling." She stood up, looking down at Han Feng, "I don't have class Friday afternoon. See you at the company?"
Before Han Feng could answer, she had already walked towards the classroom door, her back straight as a bamboo shoot. Han Feng remained seated, a smile playing on his lips.
Han Feng was about to pick up Su Wanwan from school when he remembered that Su Wanwan had said she wanted to eat hot pot that night. He then took out his phone and dialed: "Haozi."
It was Wang Hao on the other end of the phone: "What's up, Han Feng? You have time to call me?"
"Come over to my place for hot pot tonight, bring your beer!"
"Okay, I'll be there at 7 o'clock."
After hanging up the phone, Han Feng drove to pick up Su Wanwan and headed straight to the supermarket to buy hot pot ingredients.
Standing in front of the supermarket's refrigerated display case, Han Feng was comparing the production dates of two boxes of sliced beef when his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. The caller ID displayed the word "Mom," which made him pause. Since coming to Kyoto for school, he had indeed rarely contacted his family.
"I'm going to get the vegetables!" Su Wanwan wisely pushed the cart away, her red hair like a dancing flame under the lights of the fresh produce section.
Han Feng answered the phone: "Mom."
"Xiaofeng!" Her mother's voice came through the phone, carrying a familiar, down-to-earth tone. "Have you forgotten you even have a home? You've only called three times since school started!"
The cold air from the freezer formed a cloud of white mist in front of Han Feng. He lowered his head slightly, his sharp features softening unusually: "I've been busy lately; I have military training coming up soon."
"Even when you're busy, you still need to eat and sleep, right?" The mother's nagging was full of concern. "By the way, the supermarket we opened last time made 38,000 yuan this month! And then there was some money from your lottery win, so your dad took it upon himself to buy the shop next door and expand the business."
Han Feng's lips curled up slightly. Three months ago, when he transferred the 4 million yuan he won in the lottery to his parents, he wanted to make their lives a little easier so they wouldn't have to work for someone else's company and potentially suffer mistreatment. His parents did as Han Feng suggested and invested in a 200-square-meter community supermarket in their home.
"That's great," Han Feng said.
"Come home and visit when you have time. Your parents haven't seen you in a long time. Your dad was talking about you yesterday."
Han Feng smiled faintly: "Okay, then I'll go home this weekend."
"Really?" The mother's voice immediately brightened. "Then I'll have your dad get some wild yellow croaker, your favorite! By the way, do you have a girlfriend yet? Bring her home to meet us!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Han Feng saw Su Wanwan sneaking towards them with a bunch of vegetables, and his ears perked up: "...We'll talk about it later. I'm hanging up now."
The phone call had barely ended when Su Wanwan jumped up to her: "Auntie's voice is so lovely!" She pretended to tidy up the groceries in her shopping cart, casually asking, "Does your family own a supermarket?"
"Hmm." Han Feng put the sliced beef into the cart. "Community mini-supermarket."
Su Wanwan blinked, hesitating to speak. She couldn't understand how someone who could casually produce 100 million could have a small supermarket in their family. But Han Feng was shrouded in too many mysteries, and she had long since learned not to ask.
When it came time to pay, Su Wanwan insisted on paying: "You gave me a necklace today, so I'll treat you to dinner!" She pulled out a black card and slapped it on the cashier's counter.
Han Feng raised an eyebrow: "Where did you get the money?"
"It's Old Lin's salary! Every member gets one." Su Wanwan shook her head smugly. "You don't get one, do you?"
After swiping the card, the cashier respectfully handed it back with both hands: "Miss, here's your card. Um... would you like me to help you get your things to your car?"
Before Su Wanwan could refuse, Han Feng had already picked up all the bags: "No need, thank you."
When the two returned home, they found Wang Hao sitting resentfully at the door with a beer in his hand: "Did you two take so long to buy things? I've been waiting for half an hour."
Han Feng and Su Wanwan exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.
The hot pot broth was bubbling away. The three of them opened their beers and began to eat dinner together.
Han Feng said to Wang Hao, "Haozi, I'm going back to Jiang City this week. Do you want to come along?"
“Great! It’s been a while since I’ve been back, so I’ll give my parents a surprise.”
"Then I'll contact someone to book tickets." Han Feng had just taken out his phone to make a call when Su Wanwan interrupted, "Um, how about you guys take me with you when you go back?"
Before Han Feng could answer, Su Wanwan continued, "I'm just curious about where you grew up! I definitely won't bother you while you're with your parents! Yes, I just want to see what it's like there." After saying that, she lowered her head shyly to prepare the dipping sauce.
Wang Hao, tossing a piece of tripe in and out of the spicy hot pot, kept chattering, "Jiang City is great! I heard they just opened a water park there, we can—ooh!"
Han Feng tapped his hand precisely with his chopsticks: "The tripe is too tough."
He then turned to Su Wanwan and said, "Alright, let's go together then."
Wang Hao, looking aggrieved, picked up the tough tripe, then suddenly lowered his voice: "Old Han, I found something..." He glanced furtively at Su Wanwan, who was mixing the dipping sauce, "Su Wanwan's gaze towards you is strange! When you were on the phone just now, she stole glances at you at least ten times!"
Han Feng, expressionless, poured a spoonful of extra-spicy food into his bowl: "Eat yours."
"Hiss—you're trying to murder me!" Wang Hao chugged down most of a glass of ice water, still unconvinced. "It's true! My cousin looks like that when she's chasing after a celebrity! You guys wouldn't..."
This time, Han Feng gave him a sharp rap on the head.
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