Reencountering Song Hanshan

So he called Xiao Xueer again. Her attitude was much better than An You's, and she quickly told him the address, leaving him torn between laughter and tears.

"Mingyang Group? Those two girls are really ambitious. They went looking for a summer job and ended up at Mingyang Group."

Mingyang Group was one of the top enterprises in Jinguan City. It had started out producing electronic products and had gone overseas several years ago. Now, it was a large international corporation.

By the time he reached Mingyang Group, An You and Xiao Xueer had already gone in for their interviews. Although he really couldn't understand why Mingyang Group would recruit summer workers, a large company like Mingyang Group wouldn't take advantage of two young girls, so he wasn't worried at all as he waited outside.

It wasn't until lunchtime that the two youthful beauties finally came out.

An You wore the white Chanel dress they had bought just two days ago. Her slender arms and fair, smooth legs were exposed, and with her delicate features and flowing hair, she looked like a princess.

Xiao Xueer wore a pure-white shirt with a sky-blue tie, along with a blue pleated skirt. She looked incredibly pure and full of youthful energy, with a distinctly Japanese schoolgirl style, as though she had stepped out of a manga. Her figure was no less impressive, with a full chest, pert buttocks, and a pair of long, fair legs on display. She was extremely alluring.

Watching from a distance, An Yang could understand why those two hooligans had lost control two days ago. This was the combination of purity and hotness, of a devil and an angel. She was clearly still a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl, at an age when she was tender and beautiful, yet her figure was already so stunning.

The two walked side by side, drawing countless eyes, but their faces were tinged with worry. It seemed their attempt to find summer jobs had failed again.

An You spotted him from far away and came over. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she seemed rather awkward, but she still kept a straight face and said, "Why did you come? Didn't I tell you not to?"

An Yang took one casual look and immediately understood why An You had stubbornly refused to let him come. She was making that expression again now that they had met. The girl had been fiercely competitive since childhood and looked down on him deeply, always striving to do everything better than he did. Now that she was wearing clothes he had bought while applying for a job, she was naturally embarrassed to be seen by him.

Faced with An You's attitude, An Yang simply ignored her. Although this was his duty, he couldn't be bothered to offer warmth to someone who was being cold. He smiled at Xiao Xueer and said, "How did it go? How was the interview?"

Xiao Xueer sweetly called out, "Brother An Yang." For some reason, her face was also a little red. Lowering her head, she said, "It probably didn't work out. They asked if we were willing to work at the front desk for two months, but we were afraid we couldn't handle it, so we turned them down. Then they had us fill out a form and told us to wait for further notice..."

An Yang nodded. These two pretty girls' only real advantage was probably their looks. If he were in charge, he would only use them as front-desk receptionists as well. However, front-desk receptionists were often subjected to teasing, especially pretty girls. Those with thin skins or proud tempers usually couldn't stick with the job.

"Wait for further notice" was essentially equivalent to a rejection.

"It's fine. You can keep looking."

"...But we've already been rejected so many times."

"Uh..." An Yang glanced at the four bold, powerful characters reading Mingyang Building behind them. "I think you should try somewhere else if you're looking for a summer job. International companies like this generally don't hire summer workers unless you're related to someone in management."

An You, who was listening beside them, froze, and her face immediately darkened.

Xiao Xueer turned to look at An You and said blankly, "Really? But Xiao You said the wages at large companies would be higher..."

An You awkwardly turned around, her expression becoming even more unpleasant. She seemed too embarrassed to face An Yang.

This was so humiliating!

An Yang also turned to glance at An You and said with a smile, "That's true..."

An You let out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness!

An Yang continued, "But you have to be able to get in first!"

An You took a deep breath. It was the first time in her life that An Yang, whom she had looked down on, had lectured her. Though he had done it indirectly and tactfully, she still needed to calm her severely wounded feelings and adjust her mindset, pretending she hadn't heard anything.

Just then, An Yang heard an uncertain call from behind him. The voice was rather unfamiliar.

"An Yang?"

An Yang turned around and saw a professionally dressed woman. She had a great figure and was very beautiful. She looked somewhat familiar and was walking quickly toward him with an excited expression.

"An Yang, it really is you! I never thought we'd run into each other here. What a coincidence."

Only then did An Yang remember that this seemed to be the woman whose bag had been snatched a few days ago, after which he had taken it back for her. What was her name again...?

Before he could remember, Song Hanshan had already come closer. A pair of white strappy high-heeled sandals adorned her feet, making crisp sounds against the tiled floor.

"Hello, you're called..."

Song Hanshan paused, looking somewhat embarrassed, then said, "My name is Song Hanshan. Song, as in Tang poetry and Song lyrics; Han, as in cultivation; Shan, as in coral. Thank you for helping me last time."

An Yang shook his head and said, "It was nothing. Don't mention it."

An You and Xiao Xueer were utterly confused beside them, as if they were listening to a riddle.

A middle-aged man in a suit walked over and paused beside An You and Xiao Xueer. Xiao Xueer and An You immediately called out sweetly, "Hello, Manager Zhao!"

Manager Zhao nodded, then paid no further attention to An You and Xiao Xueer. He glanced at Song Hanshan and said, "General Manager, aren't you going to lunch? What are you doing here?"

An You and Xiao Xueer froze. After their surprise passed, the way they looked at Song Hanshan immediately changed.

This... she was so young, yet she was actually the general manager!

Song Hanshan greeted him and said, "I happened to run into a friend, so I stopped to chat for a while."

As soon as she said this, even An You's gaze toward An Yang became strange.

A friend... How could An Yang know such an impressive friend, the general manager of Mingyang Group? With a friend like that, would he still have lost his job?

After Manager Zhao left, Song Hanshan asked, "Mr. An Yang, what brings you here?"

An Yang said, "I have two younger sisters who came to Jinguan City to look for summer jobs. I was a little worried, so I came to check on them."

Song Hanshan was surprised. Only then did she notice An You and Xiao Xueer beside him. She glanced back at the Mingyang Group building, then shifted her gaze to An Yang. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Mr. An Yang, please rest assured. I've been wondering how to repay you anyway, so leave this matter to me."

An Yang was stunned for a moment, but he didn't refuse. He nodded and said, "Then thank you."

If they could work summer jobs at Mingyang Group, setting aside how much experience they would gain, the two girls would have a much easier time. It would also save him a great deal of trouble in the future.

Song Hanshan's cheeks flushed slightly as she said, "You're welcome. By the way, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I know a good restaurant nearby. You helped me so much last time, so why don't I treat you all to a meal?"

An Yang looked at her in surprise. Could this woman have taken a fancy to me? Is this the legendary protagonist's halo?

After hesitating for a moment, he said, "It really was nothing, so there's no need to thank me. Besides, Manager Song just helped my sisters today. I'll pay for this meal. How about it?"

Song Hanshan smiled, beautiful and captivating, and said, "Okay!"

The four of them had a meal together, with An Yang paying the bill. An You and Xiao Xueer naturally thanked him repeatedly.

Song Hanshan still had to return to work. Before leaving, she gave An Yang a business card. Apparently still somewhat uneasy, she also asked for his phone number before finally departing.

When Song Hanshan returned to her office, she found An Yang very strange. He looked ordinary, aside from being tall and composed. There was a tough quality to him that resembled the demobilized special forces soldiers she had met, yet he wasn't quite the same.

Even so, he could only be described as an ordinary man. Aside from the fact that she had seen him fight, she could hardly see anything extraordinary about him. No, she couldn't even tell that he was good at fighting. Yet there was something about him that set him apart from everyone else, perhaps related to that air of composure. If she had to use one word to describe it, she would choose—detachment!

It was like a paying player facing an ordinary player, like a level-ten player who had cleared dungeons, gained experience, and obtained equipment facing a newcomer who had just created a character, or like an ordinary player facing an NPC. The superiority in one's heart manifested externally as a sense of detachment from the people around them, an extraordinary quality that came from within.

An You's feelings were complicated.

She had always looked down on An Yang, believing herself to be more outstanding than him. It had been that way from childhood. Their relatives and parents had always favored her more. She had always been the pride of the family, while An Yang was merely an insignificant supporting character around her, or perhaps simply a foil used for comparison. Yet today, things seemed a little different.

An Yang had become the center of attention, while she had become an accessory to him.

No, it wasn't just today. It had been this way since the day before yesterday!

She could see the admiration for An Yang in Xiao Xueer's eyes. Although she kept telling herself again and again, So what if he stepped forward and saved her once? It's nothing special.

She could feel that, in Xiao Xueer's eyes, An Yang was more capable than she was!

"Just because he knows a general manager? When I grow up, I'll be able to do it too. Just wait. Time will prove that I'm the most outstanding!"

At that moment, she and Xiao Xueer were walking side by side. Each held a cup of iced milk tea and slurped away, while An Yang followed behind them with a bottle of mineral water in his hand.

The weather was very hot. By the time he escorted them to the hotel, they were already sweating profusely. An Yang yearned for the day he could learn magic from an immortal hero movie, though he had no idea when that would be.

He didn't ask for immortality. He only wanted warm winters and cool summers.

Xiao Xueer sat on the bed, her long, fair legs exposed beneath her pleated skirt. She raised her head to look at him. Her features were still delicate, but her former aloofness was gone. "Brother An Yang, I'll treat you to a meal when I get paid. You have to come, okay?"

An Yang nodded and said with a smile, "Of course."

An You also kept a straight face and said, "To repay you, I'll treat you to a meal too."

With Song Hanshan's guarantee, their summer jobs at an international commercial group were as good as settled.

An Yang couldn't stay there much longer. When he returned to the rented apartment, Ji Weiwei still hadn't come back from work.