Who paid for the meals?

It was all paid for by Yu Li.

How else could bosses manage without capable secretaries? When bosses overlook things, secretaries fill in the gaps.

They hadn’t eaten anything extravagant – just small expenses that Young Yu settled quietly without fuss. Even so, those architecture professionals whom Du Zhaoji had labeled as “looking poor” felt embarrassed.

Ah, hadn’t they come just to help? How did they end up sharing meals?

Accepting favors made one hesitant to speak up. As Xia Xiaolan awakened from her trance-like state – though no one knew if this clarity would be brief – someone quickly seized the opportunity to ask:

“Have you got any ideas? No need to rush inspiration – if not, we can keep looking around.”

Xia Xiaolan didn’t recognize the man speaking. These days, she hadn’t been completely unaware of everything happening around her – she knew what was happening, just didn’t engage deeply, like watching a movie through a veil.

He must be from the Yunan Provincial Design Institute.

Xia Xiaolan nodded with a smile, “I have some ideas, I just need to organize them.”

How wonderful that she already had ideas.

It seemed both quick and somehow natural.

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t unfamiliar with Shangdu. Though she hadn’t been a local in her previous life, she’d been roaming the city since she started selling clothes in the provincial capital, setting up stalls everywhere.

She had to keep moving – otherwise, she’d get caught.

She’d just immersed herself more deeply now, connecting more intimately with the city.

No rush – though she had ideas, she needed time to think about how to organize and combine them.

Frank felt somewhat lost – continuing to eat and drink had been so nice.

No longer in a trance, Xia Xiaolan returned to her lodging with light steps.

Grandmother Yu’s home was her base, serving as her Shangdu workshop.

Since Grandmother Yu had reunited with Xu Zhongyi and his son, the house hadn’t been rented to anyone else. Xu Zhongyi had it renovated – though the layout hadn’t changed much, it was now more modern and comfortable.

As for Frank and the others, they could only be sent to stay at guesthouses.

While Xia Xiaolan was in her trance state, leading a group wandering through Shangdu, Xia Hongxia waited anxiously.

Xia Hongxia was worried. Although she’d temporarily left the small restaurant to her parents’ management, using the daily earnings as bait to keep those two lazy donkeys in line, she still had concerns.

That business she’d built with such hard work couldn’t just fall apart.

The unique taste of her restaurant meant she wasn’t worried about a few days of less-than-perfect flavor affecting business.

She feared Wang Jingui and Xia Hongbing would be unreliable and poison some customers – that would be truly disastrous!

Finally able to contact Xia Xiaolan, Xia Hongxia hurriedly explained everything:

“She wants us to get Xia Junbao. How can I do that? No, no, Xia Ziyu never shows kindness without reason. Giving twenty thousand at once – she must be planning to ruin me…”

See? She’d been right – Xia Hongxia had become smarter!

Society teaches people to grow – it wasn’t surprising. In a backward village, Xia Hongxia’s information came from village gossip, all meaningless chatter about neighbors. After leaving the village, though Xia Hongxia had stumbled along, one couldn’t always be unlucky – she’d learned from her losses and made some progress. Running a restaurant at People’s Bridge Small Goods Market, dealing with various small business owners daily, Xia Hongxia had probably been influenced by them.

Though seemingly hot-tempered, she now thought like a small business owner.

Look at how she was testing Xia Xiaolan now.

Xia Xiaolan couldn’t help but smile, “Take him if you should and keep the money too. Now that Sister Ziyu has struck it rich, money comes easily to her. Giving you a few ten thousand is just what she’d spend on bags and clothes, but it’s different for you – she’s shortened your time needed to accumulate initial capital.”

Was Xia Hongxia cut out for business?

Xia Xiaolan couldn’t entirely predict her future.

In small businesses, besides being able to endure hardship, what you did with the money you earned was crucial. Among those who became individual business owners in the 1980s, some would expand their business after making money, or blindly invest in houses and storefronts. Their wealth gradually increased – though they might never connect with big business or become major entrepreneurs, they lived comfortably with substantial assets.

Others would get carried away after making big money, and become careless with spending, gradually depleting their wealth until any setback would leave them unable to recover.

From what she could see now, Xia Hongxia was at least capable of running a small business.

Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t compete with Xia Ziyu’s approach – she wouldn’t offer thirty thousand just because Xia Ziyu offered twenty thousand, trying to buy Xia Hongxia’s loyalty… Helping Xia Ziyu bring Xia Junbao to Pengcheng or sending him to Hong Kong wasn’t doing anything wrong. What did adults’ grudges have to do with a teenager?

“You can take Xia Junbao and care for him – that’s not doing anything wrong. But you should understand what kind of person Xia Ziyu is. Every penny she gives you will demand repayment. She’s not asking you to do bad things now, but when she does, will you be able to refuse? Draw your bottom line – know what you’re willing to do for her and what you’re not. If you think you can maintain those boundaries, then you can associate with her.”

Xia Hongxia was extremely surprised.

She’d thought Xia Xiaolan would ask her to be a “spy,” but instead, Xia Xiaolan was seriously analyzing the pros and cons with her.

“Aren’t you afraid she’ll ask me to—”

Wasn’t she afraid Xia Ziyu would ask her to do bad things?

She was terrified.

What bottom line? Right now, with twenty thousand yuan, though it felt like holding hot coal, she still wanted the money – why else would she be testing Xia Xiaolan?

She wanted Xia Xiaolan to decide for her, but Xia Xiaolan was saying she was free to decide for herself.

But what should be the bottom line?

Xia Hongxia was confused.

Xia Xiaolan didn’t rush her, letting her think it through.

Xia Xiaolan had no intention of buying Xia Hongxia’s loyalty – what decisive role could Xia Hongxia play?

The confrontation with Xia Ziyu didn’t depend on Xia Hongxia at all.

But both times, Xia Hongxia had shown an inclination to side with her. If Xia Hongxia didn’t try to play both sides against her, though Xia Xiaolan couldn’t give her money, she could offer some direction. One shouldn’t underestimate the value of guidance – people would pay astronomical prices just to have dinner with Bill Gates or Buffett. Those willing to pay such amounts for a meal with moguls weren’t hoping to establish connections over one dinner, but rather to extract valuable insights from what these leaders said.

Xia Xiaolan was far from these moguls’ level.

But to Xia Hongxia, she was more useful than them.

Ask Bill Gates how to expand from running a small restaurant. Gates would be stumped – he’d never seen such a small business!

Xia Hongxia still had many things she couldn’t figure out, but one thing was certain: Xia Xiaolan approved of her taking charge of Xia Junbao.

Xia Xiaolan seemed unconcerned about these matters.

Her attitude toward Xia Ziyu had also changed.

Last time when Xia Ziyu had people inquire about Liu Fen, Xia Xiaolan had been quite angry… why?

Of course, Xia Hongxia couldn’t understand – Xia Xiaolan’s change in attitude was because she’d learned that Xia Ziyu was also a “reborn soul.” Once Xia Xiaolan knew her opponent’s trump card, many of Xia Ziyu’s strange actions made sense.

Xia Hongxia finally dared to go to the address to get Xia Junbao.

The address had been difficult to obtain – Fan Yusheng, fearing Xia Hongxia’s family would take advantage, had taken a stance of wanting to cut ties with them completely.