An Acquaintance

In the city center, inside an exceptionally imposing building, countless workers were bustling about nonstop.

Perhaps they were ordinary here, often having to grovel just to survive, but the moment they stepped out of the building's gates, they would immediately straighten their backs and become high-earners respected by others.

A beautiful woman in a professional uniform sat at her desk. Her makeup was exquisite—a touch of light eyeliner, clear lip gloss, white strappy heeled sandals on her feet, her long legs crossed and closed together, leaning against the chair, sheathed in a thin layer of transparent stockings.

"Knock, knock, knock."

A soft sound of knocking came.

Song Hanshan rested her elbow on the desk, propping her chin on her hand, as if bored and daydreaming, or as if lost in thought.

"Come in."

Another woman in the same professional uniform walked in, her high heels clicking crisply on the floor. She held a folder in her hand and placed it on Song Hanshan's desk.

"Manager, this is the information you wanted. Hey, what are you spacing out about again? You've been like this for days. Got a crush or something?"

Song Hanshan snapped back to reality, but her expression remained unchanged. She didn't blush like a young girl would, just looked calmly at the woman.

"You little rascal, did you finish the plan I asked you to do yesterday? I want to see it today."

"Ah! Didn't you say it was due tomorrow? I haven't finished it yet."

The woman immediately panicked.

Song Hanshan smiled then and said, "Then hurry up and do it. Give it to me early tomorrow. Don't talk back to me, or I'll have your head."

After the woman left, she casually flipped through the documents in front of her, but found she couldn't focus on them at all. She simply gave up and continued propping her chin up, daydreaming.

Recalling the events of that day, a spark gradually lit up in Song Hanshan's eyes, but then she let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"Heh, I never thought the 'hero saves beauty' cliché would happen to me."

"He seems to be called An Yang."

An Yang wasn't particularly tall, nor especially handsome, but he looked sunny and gave off a good vibe.

Especially the clean, decisive way he fought that day, the ruthless impact of fist against flesh—she'd only ever seen that on TV. Maybe her father's bodyguards had that kind of skill too, but no small-time thug would ever dare provoke them.

In the end, An Yang wasn't tall or handsome, but he was still far better than a bodyguard. And what truly set him apart was the way he had hurried off that day, leaving her thinking about him ever since.

The 'hero saves beauty' trope mostly appears on TV, but if it really happens, few can deny its impact on a woman.

Maybe there was also an element of rebellion in it. She had grown up with silk and jewels, yet her entire life seemed predestined. She longed for a love of her own, even more than ordinary people.

"Sigh..."

Song Hanshan let out a sigh, then continued flipping through the documents on her desk, focusing intently on them.

An Yang had helped her once, but asked for nothing in return. A fairy-tale scene like that would linger in any girl's heart for a while.

But she knew all too well that before long, she would probably forget the whole thing entirely, and forget An Yang too. Their paths had crossed only so much.

An Yang, who had endured three months of hardship, naturally wouldn't shortchange himself. Besides, now he not only had over a hundred thousand RMB in his card, but also fifty thousand US dollars left in his Portable Space, so there was even less reason to pinch pennies.

He found a fairly upscale restaurant to eat at, but he was alone. Unlike others who ordered lavish feasts, he only picked a few dishes and finished them cleanly.

Just as he was about to pay the bill, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a middle-aged woman's profile picture light up on the screen. His heart wavered for a moment, but he still swiped to answer the call.

Ji Weiwei had gone back home for a visit. He didn't know if she had told his parents about him quitting his job, but she probably wouldn't have.

"Hey, Mom."

"An Yang, what are you doing right now?"

"I'm eating out."

"You, this kid. When you were home, I told you to learn how to cook, but you wouldn't. Now look—eating out is so expensive."

"Cough, cough... It's not that I can't cook. It's just that what I make doesn't taste good."

"As if I don't know you. Are you doing okay out there? How's work? Going smoothly?"

An Yang's heart skipped a beat. He paused for a moment, then quickly changed the subject.

"Mom, I know how to take care of myself. Don't you worry your old heart about it. Alright, just tell me what you need. I haven't paid the bill yet."

"You little brat. Can't I call you just because I miss you? Do I have to have a reason to call you?"

An Yang curled his lip and said, "Alright, Mom. I'll call you back when I get home. I'm going to settle the bill now."

The voice on the other end grew a bit anxious: "Hey, wait. This kid, what's the rush? If you're done eating, sit a while longer, rest a bit before you head out."

An Yang felt a bit helpless and said, "Go ahead. Tell me what you want."

"This kid... Your sister finished her college entrance exams a few days ago, right? She said she wanted to come to the provincial capital with her classmates to have some fun and relax. She was supposed to arrive yesterday. I figured you were in Jinguan City, so I told her to call you. Did you get her call?"

"Uh... Maybe she hasn't called me yet, or maybe my phone was off."

An Yang let out a bitter laugh. He did have a younger sister, named An You.

But An You was pretty, got good grades, and came first in everything. Relatives, friends, teachers, classmates—everyone doted on her. She had a very proud personality. He, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Aside from getting into a prestigious university, he had basically accomplished nothing. An You had never gotten along with him since childhood, and as she grew older, she looked down on him even more.

With a relationship like that, why would An You call him? She had probably just agreed to it on the spot as a casual brush-off.

An Yang's mother was named Xie Yunqing.

Xie Yunqing sighed and said, "Sigh, your sister's about to start college, and she's still so immature. But you've been working for a year now—you can't be as clueless as her."

An Yang said helplessly, "Alright, I'll call her in a bit."

Xie Yunqing nodded on the other end of the line and said, "I don't mean anything else. She's just graduated high school and is about to head off to university. I want you to take your sister out to buy a few decent outfits, and while you're at it, build some sibling bonding. You've lived under the same roof for over a decade, yet you're so distant—it's embarrassing if others find out."

An Yang was silent for a moment, then said, "In this day and age, you can buy decent clothes anywhere. Our Yancheng City isn't so bad either."

Xie Yunqing's tone grew firm. "It's settled. I'll transfer the money to you later. How can a girl not have a few nice sets of clothes?"

"No need to send the money. Buying clothes for my sister is only natural—I have my own cash."

"Keep that salary of yours for yourself. Whether it's for a house or a car, just hurry up and find me and your dad a girlfriend."

"Mom, really, it's fine."

Before An Yang could finish, the call had already ended.

A while later, as he was on his way to the bank, a notification popped up on his phone—a text from the bank.

Even though he'd thrown away his old Shenzhou SIM card, he was used to it by now. This time-travel phone intercepted everything related to that old number, like texts and calls.

Staring at the five thousand yuan that had just arrived, he shook his head with a wry smile.

His parents sure were generous this time. When he was a kid, they'd never bought him clothes this expensive. Even cutting off a zero would still be pricier than the most expensive outfit he'd had back in school.

Arriving at the bank, An Yang planned to exchange the remaining US dollars for RMB. A total of fifty thousand dollars, which came to over three hundred thousand yuan. He'd checked online—foreign currency exchange had been heavily restricted before, but recently many policies had loosened up, and controls weren't as strict anymore.

As soon as he stepped into the bank, he ran into an acquaintance and froze for a moment.

A gaunt, bespectacled man walked in almost at the same time as him. He looked a bit older than An Yang, probably close to thirty, with a faint scar on his face. Beside him was a woman in a sexy office lady uniform, with a deep cleavage on display.

This nearly thirty-year-old man was Fu Jianming, his former direct superior. He lacked skill but wielded plenty of power, loved to meddle in areas he knew nothing about, and was petty and vindictive.

The flashy woman was Wang Qin, once notorious across the whole company for her promiscuity. Rumors said she'd slept her way up to become a manager in the finance department—the specifics, he didn't know.

When Fu Jianming was in a bad mood, he'd throw his weight around the office. Back then, An Yang had only been out of school for a year, his edges not yet worn smooth. They'd had a clash, and from then on, Fu Jianming held a grudge against him.

In any company, technical staff were in high demand. According to the rules at An Yang's former workplace, Fu Jianming, as the head of the tech department, didn't have the authority to fire his subordinates. So for the past year, he'd been nitpicking at An Yang every few days, until recently he finally found an opening and forced An Yang to resign.

It wasn't easy for a fresh graduate to land such a high salary. An Yang had swallowed his pride for that eight-thousand-a-month paycheck, until the moment he quit and couldn't hold back anymore. The scar on Fu Jianming's face was his handiwork, and his previous phone had been smashed right then.

Seeing An Yang, Fu Jianming's face instantly darkened. "An Yang, what are you doing here?"

An Yang's gaze turned cold. Glancing at the two security guards nearby, he said contemptuously, "Is the Bank of China your family's business? If you can come, why can't I?"

Fu Jianming caught the look in his eyes and knew what he was thinking. A flicker of fear crossed his mind—after all, he was nowhere near An Yang's height or build. This wasn't the office, and he was alone, so he had to swallow his pride.

"You... fine. Don't think quitting means it's over. I won't forget you hitting me. This isn't finished!"