After school in the afternoon, Cheng Ran walked out of the teaching building and saw from afar an eye-catching figure on the other side of the flower bed with ginkgo trees in front. Jiang Hongshao left the classroom after school, but did not leave. She was standing on the other side of the flower bed. Some people passed by on that road, including Zhu Xu and his group. The tall Zhu Xu was more conspicuous. The two of them were usually quite familiar with each other. After they greeted each other at this time, there was a burst of booing beside Zhu Xu. He shrugged at Jiang Hongshao, made an embarrassed expression, pushed the people around him away, and finally turned around and waved to Jiang Hongshao.
Jiang Hongshao waved her hand politely, and then Zhu Xu saw her wandering aimlessly in the garden. His eyes suddenly focused and moved away from their group of people to look at... Cheng Ran who was walking down the teaching building next.
"Aren't you in a hurry to go home?" Cheng Ran saw Jiang Hongshao, walked up to her and asked.
Jiang Hongshao moved and walked with him naturally. She stretched lazily. She was wearing a thin short-sleeved jacket with her wrists exposed. As she stretched lazily, she crossed her hands above her head. The setting sun outlined her figure in an arc that was hard to look away from. "Recently, my family has asked people they know to pick me up. Maybe they haven't arrived yet. I'll go out and take a look."
When he arrived at the door of the house with green tiles and red doors, Cheng Ran saw a black Passat parked across the street. There were people waving at Jiang Hongshao, a man and a woman. Both of them looked smiling and very capable.
"Who are they?"
"Someone from my mom's friend's company came to give me a ride. Do you want to come along? I'll take you home first."
Cheng Ran understood. It seemed that although Lao Jiang had expressed concern and trust for what happened to him before, she was actually relaxed on the outside but nervous on the inside. Perhaps her family also knew about what happened in front of the gate of No. 10 Middle School, so they had entrusted someone to help take her home safely during this period, and she also planned to take Cheng Ran along as well.
Although Cheng Ran still thought about the situation of two people sitting in the same car, but looking at the man and woman who kept smiling at them, Cheng Ran thought about the situation of four people in the same car and felt it was quite awkward. He could only point at the Santana driven by Chen Wenguang with a little regret and said, "Someone is here to pick me up too."
Jiang Hongshao looked over, nodded, and said, "Okay, I'll give you a chance. I'll leave first."
"Hey, you're not giving me any chances at all..." Cheng Ran said with a smile, and saw her waving to him backwards, then got into the car, and waved goodbye to him through the rolled down window.
Seeing Jiang Hongshao's car driving away, Cheng Ran thought of her standing in the flower bed next to the teaching building. She was actually waiting for him. Although this girl said that she was waiting to see how he would retaliate, she was actually doing nothing. This was her style.
Cheng Ran got into the car and said, "Uncle Chen, you must have been waiting for a long time."
"No, no, I just bought a drink during that time..." Chen Wenguang laughed. Cheng Ran noticed that there was a red cold drink with shaved ice on the cup holder next to him. He was a little embarrassed and said, "I usually like to drink something sweet..."
Cheng Ran said, "This sour plum soup made by Sister Wang is pretty good."
Chen Wenguang nodded immediately as if he had found a soulmate. "Hey, that's really good... It's much better than the one I usually buy outside the company. I thought before that this kind of store must taste good near the school... You don't know that there is also an ice cream shop near Xihua University, with mango jam flavor, so delicious! The old brand over at Kuanzhai Alley is also a must-try. Have you tried it? If not, Uncle Chen will treat you one day..."
Cheng Ran: “…”
Cheng Ran thought of the fierce look on his face when he was training the company's internal security guards. He was not afraid of getting burned by the sun. Now this man, who used to be a scout and still had the marks of military service, with a dark and thin face, was discussing with him where to get the best ice cream...
And the key thing is that I have no say in this matter, which makes me feel a little ashamed.
The car passed by Tianxing Dojo, and Cheng Ran said, "Uncle Chen, stop for a moment. I'll go in for a while. You wait here for me."
Chen Wenguang nodded, parked the car on the side of the road and turned off the engine.
Cheng Ran got out of the car and walked into the store. He saw Qin Qian, who had just changed into her uniform, coming out of the locker room. When she saw him come in, Qin Qian froze in place.
Seeing him approach, Qin Qian's face seemed to be frozen with frost, and said, "Cheng Ran, I have something to ask you."
Cheng Ran smiled, "That's great, I have something to tell you too."
Then Cheng Ran found a table at the end and sat down.
Qin Qian followed with a stern face, tucked her knee-length skirt into her hands, and sat down in front of Cheng Ran, staring at him with wide eyes. As he analyzed his expression, she asked softly, "What's the matter? Tell me."
Cheng Ran asked curiously, "Didn't you ask first? Go ahead."
"I can ask any questions at any time. Tell me yours first." Qin Qian said.
Seeing her slightly raised chin, Cheng Ran said, "You came here right after school? Don't you want to have lunch?"
"I usually eat very little in the afternoon, so a loaf of bread is enough. I bought it. I have work to do, so if you have anything to say, please tell me as soon as possible."
Seeing Qin Qian's eyebrows slightly frowned, this impatient expression was quite real.
Cheng Ran nodded and smiled. "Okay, let me guess. I'll answer what you want to ask. My father is Cheng Feiyang. And if you're worried about talking to me and being seen by the store manager, you don't have to worry. This is what I want to make public. I own this store. It was also my idea to let you report to Jiang Zhou."
Then Cheng Ran saw Qin Qian sitting opposite him, her pupils trembling slightly, her eyes gradually widening, staring at him without blinking.
Many details flashed through her mind at once, until the moment Cheng Ran opened up to her, all of which became clear at once. No wonder he often came over after school, sat for a while before leaving. At that time, she always thought that Cheng Ran had ulterior motives and was coming for her.
Now I understand that this cafe is his, so it is only natural for him to come and take a look. Then, is it because of him that Xie Feibai built the second floor here!
"I know your family's situation. Because you helped my dad and his family with their orders, you were retaliated against by Lei Wei and his family. I didn't tell you in advance, nor did I mention that I opened this coffee shop. Do you feel that your self-esteem is hurt?"
In fact, this is what Cheng Ran wanted to be honest with her. When the news that her father was Cheng Feiyang came out, Qin Qian would definitely face a shock. She might not think that he was secretly compensating her, or even... giving her charity. This is likely to be a huge blow to a girl like her. She used to be so outstanding, confident, and surrounded by stars, but now that she has lost her most basic self-esteem in front of a person, who knows how she will react
Would it be possible that all the words that Cheng Ran had said to her before were burned to ashes, and that he would even return to Guo Yi and completely give up on himself? That was why Cheng Ran came to Tianxing Dojo, wanting to know about Qin Qian's current mentality and situation.
Seeing Qin Qian's shocked expression, Cheng Ran calmed down and said, "I heard from Jiang Zhou that you actually did a pretty good job. You also took the initiative to adjust some of the layouts, making the table placement more reasonable, and even brought fresh flowers to put in the flower pots..."
Qin Qian's trembling eyes gradually froze, her face still as cold as frost. After a brief silence, she said, "Our troupe will have a lot of flowers after the performance. We have a lot of them at home, and they will be wasted in the end. It's just a convenience to bring them here..."
Cheng Ran nodded.
Qin Qian continued, "Why do you think my self-esteem would be hurt? Do you think I would think you are giving me charity?"
She raised her head and smiled softly, "No, it's not that if I don't have the corresponding ability, but you put me in that position, it would be charity. And now, I am relying on my own ability to earn money to reduce the burden on my family. So why is it charity? Besides, your father gave you the money for this store, and you are relying on your father... Why are you giving me charity? It's not your own ability."
Cheng Ran was speechless. He was still worried that she would feel that being stripped naked in front of him would strip her of her self-esteem, but in the end, he was mercilessly treated harshly by her.
After the argument, according to the normal plot development, shouldn't they just throw a glass of water over and leave? So Cheng Ran didn't prepare water for the two of them from the beginning. This is called smart.
Qin Qian's icy expression softened, but she was still stern, with her long eyelashes half drooping, "You saw it, and you admit that I did a good job..." Then she opened her eyes wide, looking at him without blinking, but confidently, "I want a raise!"
Cheng Ran was dumbfounded. He had come to talk to her out of consideration for her feelings, but as her boss, he ended up being tricked!