Comrade Min Xiaoju wasn’t just a big eater – despite her simple appearance, she had remarkably keen eyes.

Liu Fen learned about it, and soon Xia Xiaolan knew too.

So it turned out Comrade Tang had such a secret admirer. Sheng Xuan’s infatuation was common knowledge – she had fallen in love with Comrade Tang at first sight and openly declared she would marry no one but Tang Hongen.

“Mom, people like that are usually obsessive. You should stay away from her!”

The declaration of marrying no one else sounded like coercion, and it immediately gave Xia Xiaolan a headache.

Liu Fen, however, was recalling Sheng Xuan’s appearance.

As a businesswoman, she needed to remember her regular customers well. Sheng Xuan had visited four times in a short period, and Liu Fen had served her each time. She was beautiful too – if Liu Fen couldn’t remember such a customer, her clothing store would have closed long ago.

With Min Xiaoju and Grandmother Yu absent, the mother and daughter chatted freely. Liu Fen didn’t hide her thoughts:

“Your Uncle Tang never mentioned this person.”

Xia Xiaolan wanted to roll her eyes. Tang was cunning as a fox – why would he randomly bring up a woman who insisted on marrying him? That would just create unnecessary obstacles. Was this the Song family interference that Huo Chenzhou mentioned?

Looking at it carefully, Sheng Xuan wasn’t even part of the Song family.

Min Xiaoju had said Sheng Xuan came with Second Madam Song, who was indeed part of the Song family.

So it wasn’t just Huo Chenzhou – the Song family’s second branch also wanted to meddle in Tang Hongen’s affairs. Xia Xiaolan found it troublesome. If Second Madam Song had plans, they could simply reject them… Would the Songs dare to escalate this to Old Master Song?

“Uncle Tang definitely wouldn’t mention her. Shouldn’t he handle his admirers?”

Liu Fen frowned. “Are you suggesting I should complain to your Uncle Tang, continue hiding behind him, and let him handle everything?”

Liu Fen showed little anxiety.

Perhaps when she decided to make her relationship with Tang Hongen public, she already knew what she would face.

Being with Mayor Tang meant dealing with both flattery and schemes.

Without waiting for her daughter’s response, Liu Fen shook her head: “Your Uncle Tang didn’t mention this person not because he feared I would misunderstand, but because he saw no reason to mention Sheng Xuan. Someone else’s feelings for him don’t matter when he doesn’t reciprocate – he probably barely thinks about her.”

Why would anyone constantly think about someone unimportant?

Sheng Xuan worked in Beijing while Tang Hongen was in the Special Zone, so far apart that Tang Hongen probably wouldn’t see her even once a year.

Xia Xiaolan had an uneasy feeling. “So what do you plan to do?”

Liu Fen had made her decision.

“Min Xiaoju recognized the Song family member, but I didn’t. If Sheng Xuan wants to pretend to be a customer, I’ll treat her like any other customer. You often talk about running a business – when customers come in, I sell to them!”

Though Liu Fen might not express grand philosophies, her approach embodied the principle of “responding to change with steadiness.” After some thought, Xia Xiaolan decided to support her mother.

“Then let’s do as you suggest!”

Xia Xiaolan would handle it the same way, though she got overly worried when it involved her mother.

If someone wanted to pretend to be a customer to buy clothes, would Xia Xiaolan refuse to sell?

If women who liked Zhou Cheng came to buy clothes, Xia Xiaolan would recommend the most expensive items.

Make them spend big each time – it would be foolish not to take their money, and her love rivals probably wouldn’t dare haggle!

If not Sheng Xuan, there would be Zhang Xuan or Li Xuan – these were things her mother would inevitably face being with Mayor Tang… Why panic? They could all stay calm together. Xia Xiaolan worried about Liu Fen’s acting skills, but when Sheng Xuan came again three days later, Liu Fen showed no signs of discomfort. It wasn’t superb acting – Liu Fen was naturally a quiet person.

She truly treated Sheng Xuan as just another customer.

With Sheng Xuan showing up like this, Xia Xiaolan thoroughly investigated her in return.

This woman wasn’t just beautiful – truthfully speaking, she was also very accomplished. She had studied abroad, and at age 30 was working at the head office. Manager Wu had heard of Sheng Xuan’s reputation – she was a key young cadre being groomed by the bank.

Xia Xiaolan swore she detected a hint of resignation when Manager Wu mentioned “key training” and “young cadre.”

After working half his life, Manager Wu had been caught up to by Sheng Xuan in just a few years – he couldn’t help feeling resigned.

Xia Xiaolan repaid her bank loan and bought 20,000 yuan in government bonds to console Manager Wu. In return, he helped her discover something: Sheng Xuan had applied for a transfer to the Special Zone.

Xia Xiaolan was puzzled. If Comrade Sheng Xuan wanted to follow in Mayor Tang’s footsteps, why hadn’t she done it earlier? Her infatuation was common knowledge, yet she showed no initiative.

If she hadn’t acted earlier, why act now?

Why choose this moment to transfer to Shenzhen – was she planning to actively pursue Tang Hongen?

When Xia Xiaolan received this news, Sheng Xuan was meeting with Liu Fen.

This was her eighth visit to the store, initially every other day, then daily.

Unlike Xia Xiaolan’s approach of recommending expensive items, Liu Fen handled things differently. The mother and daughter had distinct personalities – Xia Xiaolan was delicate-looking but aggressive, while Liu Fen was honest and ran an honest business, only recommending clothes that suited Sheng Xuan.

After making her eighth purchase, Sheng Xuan bid farewell to Liu Fen:

“I’m being transferred to work elsewhere. I’ve enjoyed shopping here these past few times. I probably won’t have many chances to visit in the future – I’ll miss it!”

Sheng Xuan was genuinely happy.

So this was the kind of woman Tang Hongen liked.

Liu Fen and Ji Ya were complete opposites. Ji Ya was spoiled by her family and an extremely selfish person.

Liu Fen was a modest woman who always considered others.

It was impossible for Sheng Xuan to completely emulate Liu Fen – Liu Fen had already set the standard, and Sheng Xuan couldn’t surpass her. Besides, Sheng Xuan didn’t want to live her entire life imitating someone else, but she had gained many insights from Liu Fen.

Going to work elsewhere?

How strange – Liu Fen had expected Sheng Xuan to reveal her identity, but surprisingly, she never mentioned it even in farewell.

If Min Xiaoju hadn’t been sent by Tang Hongen, Liu Fen would have doubted whether Min Xiaoju had identified the wrong person.

Liu Fen could only express regret, “Transferred elsewhere? Then you won’t be able to visit anymore – we don’t have branches in other places yet.”

Sheng Xuan waved goodbye, “I hope the owner expands her business soon. You never know about fate between people – I feel we’ll meet again!”

When Liu Fen told this story at home, Xia Xiaolan was also bewildered.

“Why did she keep appearing in front of you then? I was preparing for her to cause trouble! But she’s telling the truth – Manager Wu said she applied for a transfer to the Special Zone… Looks like she’s planning to focus her efforts on Uncle Tang.”

This was more normal.

Without any foundation, even if she eliminated her mother, Tang Hongen wouldn’t choose Sheng Xuan.

Xia Xiaolan felt Sheng Xuan was much more clear-headed than most confused people – she knew a man’s feelings were most important, so she quickly arranged a job transfer to increase her chances of contact with Tang Hongen. Compared to her, Jiang Yan wasn’t smart at all – without first winning Zhou Cheng’s affection, she spent all day badmouthing Xia Xiaolan in front of him. How could Zhou Cheng possibly listen?

“This Comrade Sheng is quite interesting. Mom, what do you plan to do?”