Although Shen Moran had entered the professional world, her circle consisted primarily of highly educated elites. She rarely encountered someone as brazen as Sun Heng. In the end, unable to withstand the persistent pestering, she begrudgingly allowed Sun Heng to accompany her to pick up her sister, provided they each drove their own cars and Sun Heng did not ride in her passenger seat.
Though Sun Heng found it a pity she could not ride with Shen Moran, she was quite happy to drive behind her, intentionally lagging behind at red lights to make Shen Moran wait for her.
Shen Moran felt inexplicably restless, yet she kept her word, pulling over to wait for Sun Heng at each intersection. By the time they arrived, Su Nian had already been waiting downstairs for a while, clutching her schoolbag and looking down at her phone. The reflection from the screen cast a white light on her face, and from a distance through the car window, Sun Heng noticed that the girl actually resembled Shen Moran quite a bit.
Shen Moran parked by the curb and stepped out. Sun Heng followed closely, parking right behind her and secretly noting the location, intending to pick up Su Nian from school whenever the opportunity arose.
“Sister, why are you only just now arriving?” Upon hearing the sound of the car, Su Nian looked up. No sooner had she finished complaining than she saw Sun Heng walking up behind her sister. Her eyes lit up instantly. She bypassed Shen Moran and threw herself into Sun Heng’s arms, looking up with a smile like a little hamster. “Sister Sun Heng, why did you come too?”
Shen Moran felt nothing but disdain for her turncoat sister. She glanced at her sideways and muttered, “Just passing by.”
“Haha, well, not entirely passing by.” Sun Heng laughed as she patted Su Nian’s head. “Your sister did me a favor today, so I am treating you both to dinner tonight.”
Su Nian looked curiously from Sun Heng to Shen Moran, letting her gaze dart between the two. After a long moment, she flicked her ears and asked, “The two of you when did you become so close? Is this thanks to me?”
Shen Moran turned sideways, refusing to speak. Sun Heng, however, laughed happily. “Yes, yes, it is all thanks to you.”
Sun Heng ruffled Su Nian’s hair again and asked, “What do you want to eat tonight? My treat. Pick anything, no matter how expensive it is.”
“Really?” Su Nian’s eyes began to sparkle. “Then I am going to order!”
Shen Moran turned to her. “Niannian.”
Su Nian cowered, tugging gently on the corner of Sun Heng’s coat while looking up at her with pleading eyes.
“It is fine,” Sun Heng told Shen Moran. “How much could a meal cost? Even if we ate dragon meat, it would not be expensive. I can afford it.”
Shen Moran disagreed, walking over to say sternly, “You will spoil her this way. She already has enough schemes of her own; if you keep doing this, you will have her thinking she can do anything.” She even gave Su Nian a pinch and asked in a low voice, “Have I ever let you go without food or drink?”
Su Nian shivered and burrowed deeper into Sun Heng’s arms.
Her sister was too fierce.
Sister Sun Heng was much better.
“Sister,” Su Nian whispered, looking up. “I want to eat the barbecue wrap.”
The three of them were so close that even though Su Nian spoke quietly, they both heard her. Sun Heng laughed and turned toward the displeased Shen Moran. “Is this acceptable? A barbecue wrap certainly does not count as spoiling a child, does it?”
Shen Moran crossed her arms and pondered for a moment before nodding.
Su Nian was ecstatic. She had been craving it for days, but Shen Moran had been too busy with work and refused to let her order takeout when they got home. She had been dying to have it. Seeing Shen Moran’s approval, she jumped for joy, grabbed Sun Heng’s hand, and swung it. “Sister is so kind! That barbecue wrap shop is just ahead. I eat there every time I get out of school, but it is just a little pricey.”
Sun Heng chuckled, speaking with a hidden meaning. “Fine, from now on, you can eat it whenever you want.”
The three of them walked directly to the barbecue wrap stall. Although it was just a small shop front, the queue stretched from the sidewalk all the way to the street, a testament to its popularity.
Shen Moran was surprised that such a tiny stall had so many customers. She disliked waiting in line, so she said to Su Nian, “There are so many people. Maybe we should eat something else.”
Su Nian was reluctant and looked aggrieved. “It is not that long of a wait. We will definitely get to the front in half an hour.”
Half an hour?
They would not be eating until ten o’clock. Shen Moran did not understand the child’s mindset. In her view, this kind of roadside stall was low-grade; the food could not be that good, and with so many people waiting, it was a waste of time. She would rather go to a quiet restaurant and have a proper meal.
“It is fine.” Sun Heng turned to the two of them. “We do not need to wait in line. Wait for me here; I am going inside to say hello.”
Shen Moran and Su Nian looked up at her, sharing the same perplexed expression, wondering what power Sun Heng had to eat without waiting.
Shen Moran frowned slightly. “You are not planning to cut in line, are you?”
She knew this woman might lack deep moral principles, but cutting in line was something even elementary students avoided. A grown adult surely would not do that.
Sun Heng laughed. “It is cutting in line, but not the way you think.” She pointed to the shop front. “Because this is my shop.”
Shen Moran: “?”
Su Nian: “!”
The shop front was narrow, and the entrance was only half the width of a normal door. One could barely squeeze through it alone. The employees busy inside looked up and greeted Sun Heng upon seeing her. “Boss.”
“Mm.” Sun Heng nodded slightly. “Is there anyone upstairs?”
“No,” a store manager wearing an apron and mask replied. “The break room table is a bit messy. Would you like me to tidy it up for you?”
“No need.” Sun Heng turned to Su Nian. “Tell the manager what you want to eat, and she will bring it up to us shortly.”
The shop was separated from the outside by two layers of glass. Having eaten there so many times, this was Su Nian’s first time inside. She peered around curiously, noting how clean the small shop was, and could not help but exclaim, “Sister Sun Heng, you are so amazing to have opened so many shops.”
“It is nothing.” Sun Heng waved it off, directed Su Nian to order, and said to Shen Moran, “Come, let us head upstairs.”
Shen Moran glanced back at the people still waiting in line. For some reason, she felt a trace of discomfort. While she understood that privilege existed in many aspects of life, she had always looked down on those who exercised it. She never expected to be the one benefiting from it today.
Though, it was only the privilege of a barbecue wrap.
Su Nian was delighted. Knowing that her favorite snack belonged to Sun Heng and recalling her cooking skills, she felt Sun Heng was incredibly capable, just as capable as her lawyer sister.
After ordering and going upstairs, Sun Heng had already tidied the staff break room. It was not large, with cabinets on one side and large freezers covering the other three walls filled with frozen goods. In the center was a square table with four chairs.
Small, but very clean.
“I thought the kitchens of these kinds of shops would be very messy,” Su Nian said excitedly as she pulled out a chair. “It is so clean.”
Shen Moran shared the same sentiment.
Sun Heng explained earnestly, “We are a business with a conscience. With so many customers every day, if the hygiene is poor and someone gets a stomachache, we will not be able to continue. Besides, the health department checks in every few days. We conduct at least three disinfection procedures a day; a single missed session results in a fine.”
Sun Heng spoke gravely, but her eyes betrayed her pride. Shen Moran glanced at her for a moment and then lowered her eyes, while Su Nian chatted enthusiastically with Sun Heng.
Sun Heng added, “From now on, whenever you come here, just mention my name and you will not have to pay. I have already told the manager.”
Su Nian’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Shen Moran immediately said, “No.”
She turned to Sun Heng. “Paying for a meal is only right. Do not always spoil her like this; it will ruin her.”
Sun Heng was slightly taken aback by the rebuke but explained softly, “I am not spoiling her. It is my own business. Niannian can eat whatever she wants; even if she brought classmates along, it would not cost much.”
“It is not about the money.” Shen Moran looked at her with displeasure. “She is still young, and you are teaching her to take advantage of others. Without proper values, she will become arrogant and overbearing. What will happen if she makes a mistake later?”
Sun Heng scratched her head. “It is just a barbecue wrap. It is not as serious as you say, is it?”
Shen Moran: “When I am disciplining my child, could you please not interfere?”
As the two bickered, mostly Shen Moran delivering sharp rebukes and Sun Heng smiling and coaxing her, Su Nian blinked curiously. Watching them go back and forth about her upbringing, she could not help but feel something was off.
“Sister, Sister.”
Su Nian interrupted the conversation, asking with a puzzled look, “Do you not feel like a married couple managing a child together?”
Shen Moran: “…”
Sun Heng laughed and asked, “Is it really that similar?”
Su Nian nodded.
It was exactly like those memes where one parent disciplines the child while the other begs for leniency, ultimately ending with both of them kneeling on the balcony.
Before Su Nian could elaborate, the store manager personally brought their meal upstairs.
“Boss, here is your order.” The manager placed three wraps in front of them and retrieved drinks from the cabinet, handing one to each person. Su Nian whispered to the manager, “Manager Sister, I want a cola.”
The manager then swapped her drink for a cola.
Although it was just a barbecue wrap, the combination of lettuce, meat, and tortilla with a sweet and spicy sauce tasted excellent. Shen Moran had not intended to eat, but she was indeed hungry, so she joined the other two.
Su Nian had not eaten this specific wrap for a while and was enjoying it immensely.
“This is really good.” Su Nian’s cheeks were puffed out as she said to Sun Heng, “Sister, how many more shops do you have? Just tell me directly; maybe there are other things I like.”
Sun Heng laughed. Just as she was about to tell Su Nian about her other shops, she felt someone kick her under the table.
Turning back, she saw Shen Moran glaring at Su Nian, and when her sister did not react, she kicked Sun Heng again.
Sun Heng: “…”
The kick from her “wife” really did hurt a bit.