Jiang Xiaoguo was already dreaming about the wonderful life she'd have at the company.
"Husband," Zhao Tianhao ruffled Duan Jiabao's hair, responding affectionately.
Duan Jiabao, enjoying Zhao Tianhao's touch, snuggled into his arms, whining, "I missed you so much!"
"We just separated!"
"I don't want to be apart from you for even a moment longer!" Duan Jiabao nestled in Zhao Tianhao's embrace, clinging to his hold.
Jiang Xiaoguo and Luo Yan were dumbfounded. Watching the two of them so oblivious to everyone else, their hearts were churning.
Jiang Xiaoguo cursed, "Damn it!"
She thought it was already unbelievable, ridiculous, that her boss was her best friend's online boyfriend.
But there was something even more ridiculous.
Her boss was another of her best friends' boyfriend.
So, after all that, she'd been eavesdropping for half an hour last night—she'd overheard her boss talking.
"What? Would the boss kill me to cover it up?" Jiang Xiaoguo thought fearfully.
Luo Yan was even more surprised and heartbroken.
She thought she'd found her soulmate.
But it turned out to be her best friend's boyfriend.
This made Luo Yan, who had wanted to find love and take the first step, pull back her foot.
Suppressing her sadness, Luo Yan pretended to be nonchalant and said to Duan Jiabao, "Tell me, how did you two meet? I asked you this morning, but you wouldn't tell me." Duan Jiabao glanced shyly at Zhao Tianhao, and seeing that he didn't seem to care, whispered, "We met yesterday while eating lion's head meatballs."
That's explosive! Eating lion's head meatballs and they went to a hotel together? Dry wood and a raging fire! Jiang Xiaoguo felt her gossipy heart burning brightly; she wanted to find out the truth and uncover her boss's secret. Luo Yan was even more heartbroken.
She had previously assumed Duan Jiabao and Zhao Tianhao were already together.
But it turned out they were together after just meeting yesterday. By that logic, she was actually the one who met Zhao Tianhao first.
Luo Yan deeply regretted not asking Zhao Tianhao out sooner. Duan Jiabao had beaten her to it. Now she felt her previous reserve had backfired.
However, she wasn't jealous. Duan Jiabao was her best friend. She wouldn't do something like stealing her boyfriend.
Wait, Luo Yan suddenly remembered the other woman's lewd moans she'd heard last night. Luo Yan felt like a path had suddenly been illuminated in her otherwise dark future.
She didn't realize she was walking down the path of becoming a mistress, or rather, she knew but chose to pretend not to.
Duan Jiabao didn't have this deeper understanding. She only knew that her man was Luo Yan's brother and Jiang Xiaoguo's boss, and she was very happy.
The food arrived quickly. Zhao Tianhao also tried the food, and could only say it was alright.
For the price, it was indeed very affordable and delicious.
"Boss, try this."
"Brother, you eat this."
"Honey, you eat."
At the same time, the three women, as if they had planned it, all put food on Zhao Tianhao's plate.
Duan Jiabao didn't think anything of it, nor did Jiang Xiaoguo. Although she had feelings for Zhao Tianhao, it hadn't reached the point of love. Luo Yan, on the other hand, saw it as a younger sister's affection for her older brother.
Yes, that's how it was.
Zhao Tianhao wasn't embarrassed at all and accepted everything offered. He ate all the food they put on his plate.
Seeing Zhao Tianhao eat what they had given him, the three women smiled.
Soon, the meal passed in this awkward atmosphere. Zhao Tianhao didn't seem to mind. Only Luo Yan was preoccupied with something, still struggling with her own thoughts.
Jiang Xiaoguo reluctantly paid the bill, now regretting competing with these wealthy people. *Waaah!*
Zhao Tianhao chuckled, watching Jiang Xiaoguo's pained expression. "Alright, look at you, so pathetic. How can a boss take advantage of an employee? Come on, let's go shopping."
Zhao Tianhao ruffled Jiang Xiaoguo's mushroom-shaped hair.
"Okay, hehe, I'm ripping off a big spender!" Jiang Xiaoguo didn't shy away from Zhao Tianhao's affection; in fact, she seemed to enjoy it, as it gave her a sense of fatherly love.
Having grown up in a single-parent family, she had almost never experienced the responsibilities of a father; her mother had raised her alone.
Zhao Tianhao's affection instantly rekindled her fantasies of "fatherly love," which she didn't resist at all. On the contrary, she was very happy.
Luo Yan, oblivious, was still lost in her own thoughts.
Duan Jiabao saw it, but she didn't care. She had even accepted Liang Shuang, with whom she had only a casual relationship, so she could accept Jiang Xiaoguo, her best friend, even more easily.
She secretly hoped Zhao Tianhao would fall for her best friend, so they could be together forever.
A very silly and naive thought.
Duan Jiabao clung to Zhao Tianhao's arm, chattering excitedly to Jiang Xiaoguo about the interesting things she'd seen online.
The usual spot was right next to the school. So the biggest shopping mall nearby was Haotian Mall, next to Junyue Mansion.
When they arrived at the clothing section, all three girls became excited. Shopping is definitely a woman's nature.
Even Luo Yan suppressed her inner turmoil and happily tried on clothes, frequently asking Zhao Tianhao for his opinion.
"Brother, how about this one?"
"Very pretty."
"Brother, what about this one?"
"Not bad, this one can be wrapped up."
"And this one?"
"It looks good, I'll take this one too."
Every time Zhao Tianhao complimented a piece, he said to wrap it up. The sales assistant next to him couldn't help but show her delight.
Beautiful people look good in anything, especially when a girl brings clothes to you and asks what you think of them. She must have spent some time choosing them, or at least subconsciously she's very satisfied.
Of course, you want to show your best side to someone you like.
Since she liked them, and Zhao Tianhao wasn't short of money, he naturally bought them all. "Brother, isn't this a bit extravagant?"
When paying, Luo Yan said, her face flushed. She alone had four tops, three pairs of pants, five skirts, and other accessories.
This was for herself, along with Duan Jiabao and Jiang Xiaoguo.
The clothes the three girls wore together almost equaled the store's sales for half a month.
"Deliver to this address," Zhao Tianhao wrote down the address and told them to deliver to the dormitory. The mall offered delivery service.
"Let's go, next store," Zhao Tianhao said indulgently, looking at the three happy girls.
"Hooray! Boss!" Jiang Xiaoguo smiled the most happily.
Looking at Jiang Xiaoguo's happy smile, Zhao Tianhao knew she wasn't happy about buying so many clothes, but about the process of him buying them for her. It was like a father taking his daughter shopping; what he bought wasn't important, but the time spent together.
Although Jiang Xiaoguo was poor, she had never accepted gifts from any man. Zhao Tianhao was the exception.
Thinking back to their first meeting, Zhao Tianhao had helped her out of an awkward situation.
He helped her get her 300 yuan back.
The second time was the job interview, which got her a job at the company.
And now he was buying her clothes.
No wonder Jiang Xiaoguo was so close to Zhao Tianhao.
"Brother Hao, come here quickly, this cotton candy is so delicious!" Jiang Xiaoguo happily called out to Zhao Tianhao, holding out a cotton candy.
"Okay," Zhao Tianhao quickly walked over. Jiang Xiaoguo handed him the cotton candy, and Zhao Tianhao took a bite.
"How is it?" Jiang Xiaoguo asked.
"It's quite sweet," Zhao Tianhao said earnestly.
Jiang Xiaoguo's face turned red. Looking at the spot Zhao Tianhao had bitten, she misunderstood his meaning.
She thought Zhao Tianhao was saying Jiang Xiaoguo had a sweet tongue. Jiang Xiaoguo didn't say anything, pretending not to understand what Zhao Tianhao was saying, and ran off to chase after Duan Jiabao and the others with the cotton candy.
Zhao Tianhao looked completely bewildered.
Zhao Tianhao and his friends went on a shopping spree, buying everything from the first floor to the fifth floor. They saw an arcade and went inside to play games.
Seeing this, Luo Yan got excited. She grabbed Zhao Tianhao's hand and started trying out each game. It was as if—no, not just as if—it was practically Luo Yan's territory.
The entire afternoon, Zhao Tianhao and the others spent their time at the arcade in the mall.
That evening, while having dinner, Duan Jiabao passed her interview for the same company, Meimei Entertainment from the drama.
However, Duan Jiabao didn't want to go anymore; she wanted to work at Zhao Tianhao's company. She wanted to be with Zhao Tianhao.
Zhao Tianhao naturally agreed, letting her and Jiang Xiaoguo start work together on Monday.
After dinner, he took Duan Jiabao and the others back to their dorm. As he was about to drive back to Junyue Mansion, Zhao Tianhao suddenly saw Zhong Xiaoqin sitting alone on a roadside bench.