By the time Ye Muqing saw Tao Qian, she had already composed her expression and state of mind.
The one who had died of embarrassment ten minutes ago was Ye Muqing. What did that have to do with her now?
Taking the milk tea Tao Qian handed her, Ye Muqing asked curiously, “You barely had any news for the past few years. Did you go to Africa to mine coal?”
Tao Qian was speechless. “Could you at least wish me well?”
“Then what else could it be?”
“Couldn’t I have gone to contribute bricks and tiles to the construction of the motherland?”
Ye Muqing pretended to ponder it, then said solemnly, “The organization is very pleased that you have this ideological awareness, but the organization has some doubts about your abilities.”
Tao Qian immediately made a show of rolling up her sleeves. “Ye Muqing, are you looking for a fight?”
“I’m wrong, I’m wrong.” Ye Muqing surrendered at lightning speed.
Although they had not been in contact for four or five years, the two of them grew close again within a few exchanges, finding the feeling they had shared back then. They each began talking about what they had experienced over the years.
When Ye Muqing heard that Tao Qian had spent two years conducting a closed experiment with her mentor, she could not help sighing. “So you really did go contribute bricks and tiles to the construction of the motherland?”
“Otherwise? Why would I lie to you?”
“The organization is gratified.”
Tao Qian turned to look at her. “What about you? Did you really get rich?”
Ye Muqing smiled mysteriously. “I won the grand prize in the lottery.”
“Wow, then I’ll have to latch on to a rich woman.”
“You can latch on to me.”
As they chatted and laughed, they had already entered Ningjiang City’s largest shopping center.
Ye Muqing glanced at the advertising board beside her. It was only when she saw the promotional image on it that she remembered the secondhand computer she had bought during college had completely given up the ghost two days ago.
Since she was already here, she might as well buy a brand-new one to take home. She might not necessarily have any use for it, but money could not buy the pleasure of doing what she wanted.
However, the moment she entered the store, Ye Muqing muttered, “What rotten luck.”
To run into a former colleague and former supervisor with whom she had had conflicts, hand in hand, shopping on a workday—if that was not rotten luck, what was?
Ye Muqing planned to finish things quickly. She found a staff member and asked them to bring out the latest model of phone and the computer with the best configuration.
Several customers in the store could not help looking toward her, including Ye Muqing’s former colleague and former supervisor.
The moment the former colleague saw that the person speaking was Ye Muqing, she immediately rolled her eyes and said sarcastically with her arms crossed, “You should be careful when making grand claims. Don’t embarrass yourself when they bring the things out and you can’t pay.”
Ye Muqing looked over at her strangely, sizing her up from head to toe.
The woman seemed to have been triggered and snapped, “Why are you looking at me? Wasn’t I right?”
“If you weren’t looking at me, how did you know I was looking at you?” Ye Muqing retorted.
“Ye Muqing!”
“This is a public place. Keep your voice down a little and don’t disturb everyone else,” Ye Muqing reminded her with a beaming smile.
The woman was so enraged by Ye Muqing’s two remarks that she nearly jumped. She no longer wanted to buy the phone she had been looking at and instead prepared to see whether Ye Muqing actually had the ability to pay.
But when she saw Ye Muqing pay with ease, her face filled with disbelief again.
“How could you possibly afford these things?!”
Ye Muqing looked at her as though she were a lunatic. “Lady, why are you so possessive of other people’s wallets? We’re only former colleagues, not a former mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Why do you care?”
The woman’s eyes were full of malice as she looked at Ye Muqing. “Who knows where your money came from?”
“Don’t judge others by yourself. Don’t assume other people are like you.” As Ye Muqing said this, she deliberately glanced at the former supervisor, who had remained silent behind the woman.
With a single sentence and a single glance, the situation instantly reversed.
The woman’s expression changed drastically. She immediately looked around guiltily. Without Ye Muqing needing to say anything else, she had directly confirmed the very suspicion implied by her own words.
The former supervisor looked at Ye Muqing ominously, a warning in his eyes.
Ye Muqing was not intimidated in the slightest and glared right back.
Did he not understand what “former supervisor” meant? Who was afraid of him?
“Right.” Ye Muqing seemed to remember something and spoke with a light laugh. “As for the labor arbitration, I’ll entrust the entire matter to a lawyer. I hope your company will cooperate.”
The former supervisor gave a cold snort, left them with an “I’ll be waiting,” and turned to stride away.
The woman was unwilling to let it go, but all she could do was glare viciously at Ye Muqing before hurrying after him.
In the face of the other party’s malicious rumor-mongering, Ye Muqing had avoided falling into the trap of trying to prove her innocence and achieved a complete victory.
Tao Qian gave her a thumbs-up. “You’re still the same as before.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“But you’re still not very good at handling interpersonal relationships.”
Ye Muqing threw the packaging from her new phone into the trash can beside her. Her hands did not stop moving as she inserted the SIM card. “There’s no need. I never planned to spare them any dignity. They have guilty consciences, anyway. Besides, they’re former colleagues and a former supervisor.”
Tao Qian thought about it, then nodded. That was true.
“You mentioned labor arbitration. Do you need help? I have a friend who’s a lawyer.”
Ye Muqing pressed the new phone twice. At her words, she immediately smiled. “That’s wonderful. It saves me the trouble of looking for one myself.”
But when Ye Muqing followed Tao Qian to the office building where her friend’s law firm was located, the two somewhat familiar figures made her pupils contract slightly.
While Ye Muqing silently repeated, It shouldn’t be him, it shouldn’t be him. I must have guessed wrong, Tao Qian had already waved at that “strange man.” “Lu Huaining, over here.”
Ye Muqing stood expressionlessly beside Tao Qian. All she could do now was pray that Yu Songjin had not passed along the description “strange man” to his friend. Otherwise, she would die of embarrassment.
See you again—and sure enough, she had turned around and seen him again.
Yu Songjin looked at her in surprise, then a faint smile flickered through his eyes.
The four of them took their seats in the reception room of Lu Huaining’s law firm. On the surface, Ye Muqing appeared calm and unruffled, but in reality, her soul had already left her body for quite some time.
Why was the embarrassment still chasing her?!
Yu Songjin took the initiative to pour tea for the women. When he placed the teacup in front of Ye Muqing, he gave a low laugh.
“Don’t worry. Although he is indeed a little strange, his professional abilities are quite good. You can trust him.”
Ye Muqing’s expression did not change, but she let out a wail inside. Big brother, could we please stop bringing up the word “strange”? Let her off!
Yu Songjin’s tone was far too natural, prompting both Tao Qian and Lu Huaining to look at him.
“You two know each other?”
Ye Muqing calmly nodded. “Neighbors.”
The other person involved, Yu Songjin, also nodded with a faint smile. “Yes, neighbors.”
Ye Muqing did not mention the three-million-yuan antique. For one thing, it would be difficult to explain; for another, it could easily cause trouble.
She glanced at Yu Songjin, who happened to be looking at her as well. Their gazes met: one carrying a trace of investigation, the other with amusement in his eyes.
A moment later, they both looked away.
As though nothing had happened, Ye Muqing took out her old phone and pulled up the termination contract for Lu Huaining to examine.
“They unilaterally terminated the contract and dismissed me without providing any compensation.”