Today was Lin Zirui’s first day of kindergarten orientation.
Lin Qian dressed the little guy in the uniform, slung a small backpack over his shoulders, and hailed a cab to take him to school.
Due to the nature of her work, she couldn’t pick him up from school every day, so Zirui needed to learn the way home by himself.
All the way there, she prattled on, pointing out the route and traffic information to him.
Lin Zirui, unable to endure it any longer, said, "Mommy, chill! You’re the only one who gets lost, not me."
Dismissed by her own son, Lin Qian laughed and ruffled his hair.
"Okay, okay, I know my baby is the smartest and most clever."
The little guy was highly intelligent and independent from an early age; he truly never gave her any cause for concern.
The taxi soon arrived at the school gates.
A string of luxury cars were parked outside, making the cab she arrived in seem out of place.
Unperturbed, Lin Qian walked with Lin Zirui towards the entrance amid the curious stares of others.
"Mommy, brother."
A cheerful and surprised voice came from behind them.
Lin Qian, holding Lin Zirui’s hand, turned around to see Candy with her little backpack, letting go of Yin Moran’s hand and dashing over to them.
"Candy, good morning."
Lin Qian greeted the little one.
What a coincidence, Candy was also attending this prestigious kindergarten.
"Hehe, mommy, now I can see my brother every day, and if I could go home with you in the evening, that would be even better!"
Candy said to Lin Qian, smiling sweetly.
The little one was playing matchmaker again.
Lin Qian pursed her lips and glanced over at the distinguished man emerging from the backlight, recalled his words, and thought of the news from this morning, at a loss for words.
"Mommy, we’re going to be late. I’m in class 2, right? I’m going in first."
Lin Zirui furrowed his brow, tugging on Lin Qian’s hand, waved to her, and ran towards the teacher.
Throughout this, he ignored Candy completely.
"Brother, wait for me, I’m in class 2, too."
Candy, taken aback, swiftly turned around, "Daddy, I’m going in with brother first."
Brother seems upset, he didn’t even acknowledge her?
What’s wrong?
Candy said goodbye to Lin Qian and hurried after Lin Zirui with short, quick steps.
Lin Qian watched the two children go in and curved her lips into a smile.
Turning around, she caught Yin Moran’s deep gaze.
The questions he asked last night flashed through her mind; Lin Qian pursed her lips, nodded slightly to him and strode towards the curb.
He must have been joking with her last night.
Automatic ignore!
Watching Lin Qian leave without a word, Yin Moran raised an eyebrow, deep in thought.
Did he not make himself clear last night?
Or was she now too shy?
Does he need to ask her again?
The phone rang, and Yin Moran shifted his gaze away from Lin Qian, pulled out his phone to see who it was, and cancelled the call to stride towards his car.
The call was from Qiao Xiya.
Such a headache.
...
Lin Qian took a taxi straight to her shop.
After the usual morning meeting ended, everyone started on their work for the new day.
As customers came in one after another, Lin Qian busied herself with arranging the newly arrived merchandise.
"Lin Qian, come here for a second."
Shen Bing, with her hand on her lower abdomen, frowned at Lin Qian.
"What’s up?"
Lin Qian set down what she was doing and walked over to her.
"I have a stomachache; I think it’s that time of the month. There’s a picky customer in the dressing room, cover for me for a bit, I’ll be right back after a trip to the restroom."
Without further explanation, Shen Bing dumped the clothes she was holding into Lin Qian’s arms and turned to leave, hand pressed to her belly.
Lin Qian pursed her lips, glanced at the clothes in her hands, and said nothing more.
She just stood quietly outside the changing room, waiting for the customer’s summons.
She was the manager; whenever staff had problems, it was always up to her to help solve them.
That was one of her responsibilities.
"Hey, Shen, I can’t reach this zipper! Come in and help me."
The customer’s voice came from inside the dressing room.
Lin Qian quickly responded, "Sure thing, I’m coming in."
Upon entering the dressing room, the woman inside looked to be about thirty, made up exquisitely, and sized Lin Qian up and down, "Why isn’t Shen helping me?"
"Hello, the thing is, Shen suddenly felt pain in her stomach, so she asked me to serve you instead. I’m the manager of this store, Lin Qian."
Lin Qian greeted the woman with a smile.
"Oh, so the manager herself is serving me, I’ve hit the jackpot," the woman said with a laugh, turning around, "Come on, help me zip this up."
"You got it."
Lin Qian zipped up the dress for the woman, and after helping her dress, she smiled and complimented her, "You have a great figure, and this cheongsam-style dress is really picky about who wears it, but you look absolutely perfect in it."
"Really? You’re not just a manager, but also quite the sweet talker," the woman said as she stepped out of the dressing room and looked at herself in the mirror, chatting with Lin Qian.
"Not at all, I’m simply stating the facts."
The woman did indeed have a nice figure, and while Lin Qian’s words carried respect, she wasn’t exactly lying through her teeth.
"Alright then, I’ll take this one."
The woman was quite decisive, instantly deciding to buy the dress, along with a handbag and a pair of shoes.
Lin Qian was pleased; she had helped Shen Bing make a sale.
By the time Shen Bing returned, the woman was already leaving with bags in tow.
She glanced over the sales performance, looked at Lin Qian busy at work, and a cold smile played on her lips.
Just wait, someone would soon be in big trouble.
A moment later, the same woman hurried back, looking flustered and anxious.
"Huh, Ms. Liu, why have you come back? Is there something else?"
Shen Bing had been waiting for this moment, feigning concern as she approached.
"Shen, my necklace is missing; have you seen it?"
The woman looked frantically around, grabbing onto Shen Bing’s hand in a rush.
"Your necklace is missing? Ms. Liu, don’t panic, think carefully, could you have left it somewhere?"
Shen Bing deliberately raised her voice, pretending to be anxious.
Hearing the commotion, Lin Qian quickly came from the display cabinet to join them.
"Shen Bing, what’s going on, sister?"
"Lin Qian, Ms. Liu’s necklace is missing; did you see it when you were helping her just now?"
Shen Bing turned to ask Lin Qian.
Lin Qian paused, thought it over carefully, and shook her head, "I don’t think I saw it, but Ms. Liu, I’ll go to the dressing room right away and take a look for you."
A customer losing something was a serious matter.
Somehow, Lin Qian had a bad feeling.
It wasn’t that she was conspiratorial.
After all, Shen Bing had just tricked her not long ago.
And now, what an odd coincidence.
She was tending to a customer, and yet somehow, Shen Bing passed the customer off to her.
And just then, the customer’s necklace went missing.
She truly felt like she was being set up for something unfortunate.
Lin Qian’s thoughts raced as she entered the dressing room and carefully searched, finding no necklace.
Outside the dressing room, Shen Bing stood supporting the woman, seeing Lin Qian come out, she quickly asked, "Well, did you find it?"
Lin Qian shook her head, looking at the woman, "Sister, think carefully once more, is it possible you left the necklace somewhere else?"