Picking Up Fragments

"By the way, are you dating anyone now?"

"I am. What about you?" Jiang Siming answered honestly.

"Me? No." Li Yingzi sighed, suddenly feeling a bit down.

"You're just too picky. That guy who called you at the stock exchange earlier seemed like he was pursuing you."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Li Yingzi rubbed her forehead helplessly and said, "He was my classmate in university and has been chasing me ever since. It's been over three years since we graduated, and he's even become my boss."

"Then why don't you say yes?"

"I just don't have feelings for him, and besides, I always feel like he's not sincere," Li Yingzi replied.

Jiang Siming gave her a thumbs up and said, "Class President, you really have sharp eyes."

"Let's not talk about him. First, show me what your girlfriend looks like. I want to see who managed to snag you, such a great guy." Li Yingzi reached out, asking for a photo.

Jiang Siming didn't hide anything and pulled out some photos he had taken with Wang Xinyi to show her.

As soon as Li Yingzi saw them, she exclaimed, "Wow! Xiao Mingzi, you really have good taste! You found such a beautiful flower for yourself!"

A dark cloud seemed to form over Jiang Siming's forehead, and he said wryly, "Class President, just a moment ago you called me a great guy."

"Did I say that? You must have misheard."

Li Yingzi took another look at the photo and handed the phone back to Jiang Siming, sincerely praising, "Your girlfriend is much prettier than me. Well done, Xiao Mingzi, you've made our Nantian Town proud."

"You should step up too, Class President. There are plenty of good men out there. Don't let them pass you by," Jiang Siming encouraged her.

He genuinely only saw Li Yingzi as his best friend, nothing more, since they were so close that he had no other thoughts about her.

"Let's drop this topic. I'm hungry. Let's go eat something!" Li Yingzi seemed like she didn't want to talk about it any further.

"Sure, is there a good snack stall nearby?"

"Yes, I know a place. They have the best and most authentic crayfish."

"Alright, let's go."

"Let's go. I'll grab the car, and you can pay the bill."

They both stood up and left. Li Yingzi went ahead to get the car, while Jiang Siming took the opportunity to chat briefly with the store manager to get a sense of how the business was doing.

It turned out to be quite good. This Starbucks made about 300,000 yuan in profit each month. While it might not seem like much, it was just a franchise café after all.

Three hundred thousand yuan was already considered high for a small food establishment.

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After giving the manager a few words of advice and taking a lifetime membership card, Jiang Siming left the store.

Just as he stepped outside, Li Yingzi pulled up in her car—a Volkswagen CC—which really suited her style as both a workaholic and a top student.

Jiang Siming got into the car and handed the card to Li Yingzi.

"What's this?"

"A Starbucks membership card. The first twenty drinks are free, and after that, all drinks are 30% off."

"Wow! There's such a good card? How come I've never heard of it?" Li Yingzi asked in surprise.

"I know the owner of the store. It's an internal card."

"Didn't expect it! Xiao Mingzi, you've got connections everywhere. Not bad, not bad. I'll gladly accept this card. I love the caramel macchiato and mocha milk cap at this place—they make them really well."

Just as they were about to leave, Li Yingzi's phone suddenly rang.

After answering it, her expression became a bit annoyed.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Siming asked, puzzled.

"Liao Fan, that guy from the stock exchange, says there's an urgent matter, and he wants me to go back."

"Then just go. I'll wait for you at your office, no problem." Jiang Siming didn't mind at all.

"He's asking for last year's stock report. Where am I supposed to find that now? I'll have to make a new one, and it'll take at least two hours."

The more Li Yingzi thought about it, the more annoyed she became. "That guy must be out of his mind, asking for last year's report so late at night. It's completely useless—he clearly just doesn't want me to rest!"

"It's okay, maybe he really needs it. Just head back. I've got time to wait anyway," Jiang Siming reassured her.

"I feel so bad, Xiao Mingzi. How about you go home first? I'll treat you tomorrow," Li Yingzi apologized.

"No need. I wouldn't feel right letting you work overtime alone. Go on, I'll wait."

"But... what about your girlfriend?" For some reason, Li Yingzi suddenly brought that up again.

"I can spend time with my girlfriend any time. It's not every day I get to hang out with the Class President."

Jiang Siming's words made Li Yingzi feel especially warm inside.

"Won't your girlfriend get jealous if she finds out?"

"Good point. Guess I'll head out now, Class President." With that, Jiang Siming opened the car door and pretended to run away.

"Get back here, you brat! Now you're even daring to mess with me!" Li Yingzi laughed and playfully grabbed Jiang Siming to pull him back.

Jiang Siming laughed heartily as the two of them returned to the stock exchange.

"The securities office had already closed, but Liao Fan was still standing at the entrance.

Seeing Jiang Siming still there, a flicker of anger flashed in Liao Fan's eyes, though he hid it well.

'Yingzi, I'm really sorry. My client suddenly wanted to see last year's securities report. If I don't show him, he'll get upset. I had no choice but to disturb you while you were hanging out with your classmate. Bro, sorry about that.'

Liao Fan put on a sincere face and even apologized to Jiang Siming.

'It's nothing, work is work, I understand,' Jiang Siming replied with a forced smile.

'Thank you for understanding,' Liao Fan said, looking 'moved.'

'What kind of client would need last year's report? Different years' reports can't be used for comparison anyway,' Li Yingzi asked suspiciously.

'I thought the same, but you know how these clients are — always paranoid. They won't invest unless you show them something,' Liao Fan said, shrugging.

'What a hassle. Xiao Ming, come to the office with me. There's no place to sit here. Once I finish, we'll go eat crayfish, and maybe hit a karaoke bar after. I haven't sung in ages,' Li Yingzi suggested.

Hearing this, Liao Fan felt even more uneasy. His plan was to get Li Yingzi away from Jiang Siming, but now it had backfired — they were planning to go karaoke late at night.

'Yingzi, it's so late. You're still planning to go karaoke? Don't you have work tomorrow?' Liao Fan said with a smile, trying to dissuade her.

Then, as if thoughtfully, he turned to Jiang Siming and added, 'Bro, don't take her too seriously. That's just how she is, friendly with everyone. But she has work tomorrow, don't keep her out too late.'

Jiang Siming ignored him, lighting a cigarette and taking a slow puff, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

'Xiao Ming, since when did you, the model student, learn to smoke? But you look pretty cool doing it, kind of like my idol Takeshi Kaneshiro,' Li Yingzi said as she walked into the office, motioning for Jiang Siming to follow.

Jiang Siming obligingly followed her, both of them casually ignoring Liao Fan.

Standing at the door, Liao Fan clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, but he finally swallowed his anger and followed them into Li Yingzi's office.

Jiang Siming and Li Yingzi seemed to have anticipated his presence and didn't pay him any mind.

While Li Yingzi worked on the report, Jiang Siming lounged on the small sofa where Li Yingzi usually rested, playing *Honor of Kings*. Though a Silver III rank, he fancied himself a skilled player, skillfully feeding with Diao Chan..."