At Worst, She Could Ask Him for Support Money

Chu Tianqing slowly stood up. Looking at the anguish on Jiang Lean's face, she suddenly understood a little why Jiang Lean was so conflicted.

She was a good person, a gentle, kindhearted girl. She couldn't bring herself to do bad things, and guilt tormented her, leaving her at a loss for how to free herself.

In other words, if her moral standards had been even a little lower, Shen Xixi wouldn't have tormented her into dropping out of school.

Chu Tianqing's heart ached for her. She suddenly opened her arms, took two steps forward, and hugged Jiang Lean tightly. "Let's both stop hating each other," she said softly. "Can we be friends from now on?"

Jiang Lean stiffened and remained silent in Chu Tianqing's arms. After a long while, she gave a sob, her tears soaking Chu Tianqing's shoulder.

The streetlights came on, the last trace of sunset vanished beyond the horizon, and the temperature dropped. The autumn wind felt cold against their skin.

Afraid Jiang Lean would catch a cold, Chu Tianqing took her back to the place where she was currently living. It was only a ten-minute walk away.

When they arrived at the building, Jiang Lean could hardly believe that this landmark building actually contained luxury residences. Was this the world of the rich?

She passed it every day and had never imagined that people could live inside.

Chu Tianqing brought her in, found her a pair of slippers, and had her sit on the sofa. She even placed the puppy in her arms.

As though it could sense how she felt, the puppy obediently curled up on her lap and fell asleep, its round little belly rising and falling. Jiang Lean melted on the spot.

Chu Tianqing brought her a cup of hot cocoa and said thoughtfully, "Careful, it's hot. There's no rush to drink it. Just smelling it is a pleasure too."

Jiang Lean accepted it and looked up at Chu Tianqing. "I never imagined you were so thoughtful in private," she said wistfully. "So why did you target me back then?"

"Oh, how should I put it?" Chu Tianqing sat on the sofa, cradling her mug in both hands and smelling the hot cocoa as she struggled to come up with an excuse. "There was something wrong with my head back then. I thought bullying people was cool. Now that I've gotten into trouble myself, it's like the cane finally landed on my own back, and I learned how much it hurt. So I changed."

Jiang Lean scoffed. "At least you're honest. How shameless. Why do you get to have the final say in everything? You were the one who bullied people, and now you're the one turning over a new leaf. It makes me look like an idiot for still being hung up on the past."

"But I can see that you're not happy at all. You want things to change." Chu Tianqing patiently comforted her. "Jiang Lean, let's move forward together."

Jiang Lean lowered her head and caught sight of the sleeping puppy. She couldn't help asking, "It's so cute. What's its name?"

"Baogang," Chu Tianqing said proudly.

A muscle twitched in Jiang Lean's forehead. Expressionless, she said, "Don't joke around. That's not funny at all."

Chu Tianqing looked entirely sincere. "I'm not joking. What's so funny about it?"

Jiang Lean frowned deeply, feeling that the world was becoming more and more baffling.

After that little interlude, though, things became much more relaxed between them.

They stopped talking about the past and began discussing their current circumstances.

"I still want to find a job," Chu Tianqing said, pointing at the puppy. "I have a dog to support. It may be tiny, but it costs quite a bit."

Jiang Lean asked curiously, "Doesn't the Shen family give you an allowance?"

"No. I used to just use a credit card, and the Shen family would pay off whatever I spent," Chu Tianqing said frankly. "Now I'm too embarrassed to use the card, so I'm scraping by on a little savings."

Jiang Lean was speechless. "You call living in such a nice place scraping by?"

"This is my brother's place." Chu Tianqing looked around, a feeling stirring in her heart. "I'll have to move out sooner or later, once we've dealt with... all that messy business."

Jiang Lean understood and silently nodded in agreement. "Well, in that case, you really do need a job."

"Finding a job is hard too. I'm always afraid I'll run into someone I know." Chu Tianqing looked troubled, at a bit of a loss. "I've been seriously considering starting some kind of small business myself lately. It'd be better than going out and being at someone else's beck and call."

Jiang Lean lowered her head and drank her hot cocoa. As though she had given it a great deal of thought, she spoke hesitantly. "Would you... like to go into business with me? I'm still a hundred thousand short. If you can bring the money, I'll give you a share."

Chu Tianqing's eyes widened in shock. "You're starting your own business?"

She had seen Jiang Lean working as a server in the afternoons and drinking with customers at night, and had assumed that life had forced her into it and that she was in dire financial straits.

Jiang Lean smiled, looking relieved, two cute little dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth. "What are you so surprised about? Did you think I was living a miserable life? Sorry I couldn't make your wish come true. I'm getting by all right—really getting by."

She drank with customers to make money and worked as a server to gain experience. She wanted to open a restaurant and had made most of the preparations, with only the last bit of investment missing.

Chu Tianqing badly wanted to ask Jiang Lean about it. She remembered that her family had been fairly well-off and could afford to send her to an elite school back then. Why had she gone to drink with customers for money? What had happened all these years?

She hesitated for a moment but held back. Some things were better left until Jiang Lean was ready to talk about them of her own accord. Asking carelessly would hurt her.

Chu Tianqing thought for a moment, then raised her mug. "All right, I'm in. Let's drink to it. Here's to making a fortune."

Of course she knew that starting a business and opening a restaurant were risky, but because it was Jiang Lean, she was willing to give it a try.

As it happened, she could come up with a hundred thousand. Everything seemed to have fallen into place in the best possible way.

If they lost money and she couldn't afford to keep Baogang, then at worst she could go ask her dear big brother for support money.

With the matter settled, Jiang Lean took Chu Tianqing to meet the other partner the next day.

Once Chu Tianqing sat down and took a look, she realized he was someone she knew too. He was the manager on duty at the congee shop when she had first met Jiang Lean, the one who had apologized to her profusely.

His name was Sun Haoyu, and he came from a province known for its huge numbers of college entrance exam candidates. He hadn't even gotten into high school. After graduating from vocational school, he had gone to work, and by now it had been eight years.

After working in the restaurant business long enough, people started thinking about opening a place of their own.

He and Jiang Lean had met four years ago and become friends through a chance encounter. Now they were partners.

Chu Tianqing officially joined their little group that day, and she couldn't have been happier.

After they had been chatting for a while, Sun Haoyu asked curiously, "I thought you two were sworn enemies. How did you suddenly become good friends?"

Jiang Lean smoked a cigarette and said airily, "That's just how we women are. We have rich emotions. You wouldn't understand."

Chu Tianqing chimed in, "Exactly, exactly. That's just how we are."

Sun Haoyu really didn't understand, but he respected it.

They had already chosen a location for the restaurant. As soon as Chu Tianqing's hundred thousand came through, they signed a contract with the landlord and began preparing for renovations.

It was Chu Tianqing's first time starting a business, and she didn't know a thing. She spent her days following Jiang Lean around the building materials market, and her days were fulfilling and happy.

Then she received a call from Shen Heng, and Chu Tianqing tensed up at once. "What did you say?"

"I said, the banquet has been arranged. It's set for this weekend. Remember to attend on time." Shen Heng spoke in a businesslike tone, as though informing her of a meeting.