Outside the office, the receptionist adjusted her uniform before carefully carrying a tray of tea to the door.
She knocked lightly, and only after hearing a voice from inside saying “Co in,” did she push the door open and step inside.
With a gentle smile, she approached Liu Changqing, balancing the teacup in her hands.
But fate was unkind.
Perhaps she hadn’t been standing steadily, or maybe her grip faltered, but just as she neared Liu Changqing, her foot slipped.
The cup flew from her hands, and the tea inside spilled directly onto Liu Changqing’s lap.
“…Ow.”
She landed on the floor with a soft groan, then slowly lifted her head. As if only just realizing the ss she had made, her expression shifted dramatically.
“I—I’m so sorry! I didn’t an to—”
Her face was full of innocent distress, like a harmless little rabbit.
Liu Changqing said nothing, simply observing her worried expression with a polite smile.
“It’s fine, just get up.”
“I’m really clumsy… I’m so sorry…”
Still looking apologetic, she got up, then quickly pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and reached out toward his lap.
“Let wipe it for you~”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Liu Changqing grabbed her wrist, taking a step back.
Then he said calmly, “I’m not drinking tea right now. You can leave.”
“…I’m really sorry.”
Mumbling her apology, she picked up the fallen cup and hurried out of the office.
As the door clicked shut, Liu Changqing finally stood upright, brushing at the damp spot on his leg.
Without looking up, he casually told Chen Dafu, “Fire her. She’s too clumsy—better to avoid trouble later.”
“Good point.”
Chen Dafu nodded in agreent without hesitation.
Just as Liu Changqing had said, every ti he visited, this woman was always up to sothing strange.
She seed a bit… off.
And today, she even managed to trip on flat ground.
Employees who lacked competence weren’t worth keeping.
After discussing future business plans for a while longer, Liu Changqing’s phone suddenly rang, interrupting their conversation.
Seeing the caller ID, he was slightly surprised.
Lan Yixian.
It had been quite so ti since he last saw her.
This was a number he had saved back when she had temporarily stayed at his place.
Now that she had moved out, he had no idea why she was calling.
Pausing only for a mont, he quickly answered.
"Hello?"
[You're not ho?]
Liu Changqing raised an eyebrow.
"My son’s ho. Why are you asking if I’m ho?"
[I just went to the bank and withdrew the money to pay you back… You said Zhiyue’s ho? I knocked for several minutes, but there was no response.]
“…”
Liu Changqing was montarily speechless.
Sixty thousand yuan wasn’t a small sum…
Even if she had been selling scallion pancakes, there was no way she could have saved up that much so quickly, right?
"Liu Changqing?"
“Oh, yeah, I’m listening.”
[Where are you? I’ll bring you the money.]
“Uh… just wait for at my place. I was about to head back anyway.”
[Alright.]
The call ended.
Liu Changqing lowered the phone, his mind montarily clouded with thoughts.
Chen Dafu, watching from the side, couldn’t help but be curious.
“That wasn’t An Yuanyao, was it? I heard a woman’s voice…”
Liu Changqing ignored him and simply said, “We’ll talk about this later. The marketing strategy needs serious work. I’ve got sothing to take care of now.”
Without waiting for a response, he grabbed his umbrella and strode out the door.
The rain had only gotten heavier.
By the ti Liu Changqing arrived ho, he was using his daughter’s tiny umbrella to rush toward the building entrance.
But despite his efforts, he still ended up partially soaked.
Shaking off the excess water at the stairwell, he folded the umbrella and climbed the stairs.
It didn’t take long before he saw Lan Yixian standing at his apartnt door, completely drenched.
Liu Changqing hesitated for a second before continuing up.
Once he reached the top, he got a clearer look at her condition.
Her wet hair clung to her face, her clothes were soaked through, and she was clutching a black plastic bag tightly to her chest.
Pulling out his keys, Liu Changqing unlocked the door.
"You didn’t bring an umbrella when you withdrew the money?"
“I did… but I forgot it on the bus.”
Her voice ca from behind him just as he was about to push the door open.
He paused for a second, then stepped inside, turning back to look at her.
"And you…"
"Achoo!"
A loud sneeze interrupted him.
Lan Yixian lowered her head as she sneezed, then slowly looked back up.
Liu Changqing stared at her.
His once-serious expression gradually shifted into sothing… odd.
Lan Yixian blinked in confusion, unsure why he was looking at her like that.
After a mont, she hesitantly reached up and touched her nose—
Then instantly turned bright red.
"I—I—"
"Uh… just co inside. I’ll get you a tissue."
Sensing her embarrassnt, Liu Changqing turned and walked inside, grabbing a few tissues from the coffee table.
Lan Yixian stepped in as well, carefully closing the door behind her.
She stood still, mortified.
She had just sneezed in front of him and—ugh, she didn’t even want to think about it!
Hugging the bag of money even tighter, she kept her head lowered.
Then, a hand suddenly appeared in her view, holding a few tissues.
“…Thanks.”
She took them quickly and wiped her nose.
Only after she was done did Liu Changqing finally ask, “If you’re sick, take so dicine. A sumr cold can be a real pain… But more importantly, how did you co up with the sixty thousand so fast?”
Lan Yixian lifted her head.
“A few days ago, soone wanted to buy my scallion pancake recipe… So I sold it to them.”
“…”
Liu Changqing froze, as if he had just seen a ghost.
"You… sold it?"
"Yeah… Is sothing wrong?"
"How much did you sell it for?"
"Fifty-five thousand. Plus what I had saved up, it was just enough to make sixty thousand."
“…”
Liu Changqing had no words.
Sure, he had casually suggested the scallion pancakes, but she had been the one to perfect the recipe.
If she had just patented it instead of selling it outright, she could have made way more than sixty thousand in the long run.
But now…
"Do you even know what selling it ans for you?"
"What do you an? He told I can still sell my pancakes… That’s why I agreed."
"It’s not the sa thing. You should know—"
"It doesn’t matter. Paying you back was the most important thing."
Liu Changqing was stunned.
He looked at her, his gaze unreadable.
Her nose was still a little red, her complexion didn’t look great, and with her rain-drenched hair and soaked clothes, she looked utterly miserable.
But even so, she was smiling when she said that.
After a long pause, Liu Changqing sighed.
Reaching out, he took the black plastic bag from her arms and glanced inside.
He didn’t bother counting—just a quick look to confirm.
Then, he casually lifted the bag and t her gaze.
"I’ve received your paynt. From this mont on, our debt is officially settled."
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