Invitation

The dishes they ordered were soon served.

The taste was indeed very good.

"Brother Changsheng, try this."

Ma Qiao kept putting food onto Mu Changsheng's plate.

Mu Changsheng ate with great relish. Ma Qiao was also a bit hungry, but to maintain her composure, she only ate a few bites.

Just as the two were dining, a light laugh was heard, "Vice Minister... you're here too."

Mu Changsheng raised an eyebrow and looked up.

Upon seeing the newcomers, Ma Qiao immediately broke into a smile, "Liu Tianhao, Xia Yan, you guys are here?"

Hearing their names, Mu Changsheng's eyes narrowed.

Mu Changsheng didn't believe this was a coincidence.

Liu Tianhao walked over with his hands in his pockets, sizing up Mu Changsheng for a moment. "Is this... the Vice Minister's new boyfriend? He's quite handsome."

Ma Qiao blushed and remained silent.

"Oh, right, Vice Minister. The day after tomorrow is Saturday, Xia Yan's birthday. You must bring your boyfriend and grace us with your presence."

Liu Tianhao said with a chuckle.

Ma Qiao said with a red face, "I'll have to... ask him."

Mu Changsheng heard this and realized, so this is the trap.

Liu Tianhao chuckled, "Oh, hello, I'm Liu Tianhao, and this is my friend Xia Yan."

"We've both worked with the Vice Minister before, and we were quite familiar with each other. Handsome guy, don't misunderstand, alright?"

"My friend is having a birthday party the day after tomorrow. You should come too, handsome guy. We can become friends then."

Liu Tianhao said, patting his chest.

Mu Changsheng rubbed his chin, "The day after tomorrow... I might be busy."

Hearing this, Liu Tianhao's eyes immediately darkened. You're busy? How can that be? This party is specifically for you.

Liu Tianhao narrowed his eyes and smiled, "May I ask what business you have, brother?"

"Delivering takeout."

Mu Changsheng said calmly.

Those three words almost made Liu Tianhao stumble. Liu Tianhao chuckled awkwardly, "Brother... you're that hardworking."

"How about this? Brother, if you and Ma Qiao come, I'll give you both big red envelopes, how about that?"

Liu Tianhao smiled.

In his heart, he sneered, such a poor guy.

Mu Changsheng put on a thoughtful expression, "Alright, I'll consider it..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Tianhao's expression became incredibly stifled. This jerk...

But Liu Tianhao maintained his smile and stood up, "Haha... alright then, we won't disturb your meal."

Ma Qiao looked at Mu Changsheng and asked softly, "Brother Changsheng... are you really not going with me?"

"Liu Tianhao and Xia Yan come from wealthy families. Going to make friends with them would be very helpful for us."

"Oh?"

Mu Changsheng put on a surprised expression, "Very wealthy?"

Ma Qiao quickly nodded, "Yes, maybe if we're looking for jobs, we can mention it to them, and they might be able to help us."

"They're also good people."

"Then alright... since they've invited us so warmly, I'll accompany you."

Mu Changsheng said with a smile.

Ma Qiao's eyes lit up, "Great!"

Outside, Liu Tianhao unhappily stomped out his cigarette butt with his foot. "What's with all the pretense? Just a poor guy, and you act all high and mighty after being called handsome?"

Xia Yan leaned against the car, "Hey, are you sure your Ma Qiao is reliable?"

"That guy does look good, but don't let Ma Qiao fall for him."

Liu Tianhao shook his head, "Don't worry, I know Ma Qiao. She's just a gold digger."

"Then it's fine."

Xia Yan nodded.

Inside the restaurant, Mu Changsheng sent a message to Xi Chunpeng. Shortly after, Mu Changsheng's phone rang.

Mu Changsheng answered, deliberately putting the call on speakerphone: "Old Mu, hurry up and help me, something's happened."

Mu Changsheng's expression froze, and he said seriously, "What happened?"

"Oh, I can't explain it clearly right now, just come quickly."

The voice on the other end sounded extremely anxious.

Mu Changsheng looked apologetically at Ma Qiao: "Uh, I'm really sorry, my friend..."

Ma Qiao nodded, acting very understanding: "Then you go ahead, after all, it's your friend!"

"Okay, you eat first, I'll be right back."

After saying that, Mu Changsheng hurried out.

Ma Qiao watched Mu Changsheng's retreating back, not thinking much of it.

However, it had been an hour and a half.

Ma Qiao felt her legs go numb sitting there.

"Miss, we're about to close. Could you... have you finished? Would you like to settle the bill?"

The waiter came over then. Ma Qiao's expression shifted slightly as she glanced at the message she had sent...

There was no reply at all.

Ma Qiao felt a bit annoyed. He had no gentlemanly manners at all, not even paying before leaving.

"How much is it?"

Ma Qiao stood up, ready to scan her payment code.

"The total is 129 yuan."

Ma Qiao scanned the code and walked out of the restaurant with a cold expression.

A gust of cold wind blew, making Ma Qiao shiver.

"I still need to get a taxi... I'm really speechless."

Ma Qiao glanced at the time. If she didn't go back soon, they would lock up.

"I've never lost money like this before!"

At the same time, Mu Changsheng was out delivering food. The phone call had naturally been a fabricated story by Xi Chunpeng.

After all, being with Ma Qiao made him very uncomfortable.

Mu Changsheng stretched, looked at the time, and planned to work until midnight before finding a hotel to rest.

But as Mu Changsheng rode his electric scooter past Ruishi Hospital in Tannan City, he saw a familiar face standing there.

Mu Changsheng stopped his scooter and squinted: "Ke Ning...?"

Lin Kenning looked rather sad at that moment... How could 20,000 yuan be used up so quickly?

But her brother's illness couldn't be left untreated.

Lin Kenning was on the verge of a breakdown. The immense pressure was almost making her... unable to breathe.

Just as Lin Kenning was worrying, a soft call made her body tremble.

"Ke Ning?"

Lin Kenning's expression trembled. The familiar voice eased her crumbling heart considerably.

Lin Kenning slowly turned around and saw Mu Changsheng appear behind her.

The moment Lin Kenning saw Mu Changsheng, her eyes inexplicably... blurred, and her eyes gradually turned red.

Mu Changsheng stepped forward, frowning: "What's wrong? What happened?"

Lin Kenning suddenly stepped forward and hugged Mu Changsheng's waist. This startled Mu Changsheng... But seeing the woman in his arms sobbing, Mu Changsheng couldn't help but raise his hand and stroke Lin Kenning's soft hair.

"What happened? Tell me..."

"Perhaps I can help you."