Chapter 200: Meeting an Old Flame at a Cocktail Party

The WeChat message was from Meng Ze: Ruoruo, I've returned to Beishi. I'm at my old house, just cooked dinner, come over and eat together.

Bai Shuruo paused, then said to the driver: I'm going to XX Alley.

……

Bai Shuruo had the driver park the car on the road outside, then she got out and walked in herself.

The alley was still the same as before; it looked very desolate in winter, with the faint sounds of children crying and fussing coming from both sides, and clothes hanging to dry in front of individual doorways—compared to the streets outside, it was like two different worlds.

It was already dark, and the streetlights weren't bright enough, stretching her silhouette out very long.

After walking for a while, Bai Shuruo arrived at Meng Ze's home.

The door was open, and the smell of food wafted from the simple courtyard.

When they were in Dali, it was often Meng Ze who cooked; he liked to use a lot of oil when stir-frying and would sear the chili in the pan, so the "wok hei" was very strong.

So, this was a familiar scent; this scent seemed to pull her back to the time in Dali, to those days of relying on each other with Meng Ze.

Bai Shuruo walked inside and saw the dilapidation of this courtyard.

It was just like their current situation: living in the middle of a bustling city, but actually very down-and-out.

Meng Ze didn't know how it was, but even though Bai Shuruo hadn't made a sound when she came in, and even her footsteps were very light, he was still able to accurately judge that she had arrived.

He came out from the kitchen side and looked at Bai Shuruo: "You came at just the right time, I just finished cooking, come in and eat quickly."

Bai Shuruo smiled, then followed Meng Ze inside.

Meng Ze had made a spicy stir-fried cabbage, a stir-fried garlic sprout with preserved meat, and a seaweed egg drop soup—more than enough for two people to eat.

He served two bowls of rice and handed one to Bai Shuruo: "Eat first, drink the soup after you finish the meal."

Bai Shuruo said: "Scientists say it's best to drink the soup first, then eat the rice."

"That's aimed at people trying to lose weight; you need to gain weight now. Look at you, you've gotten much thinner."

Bai Shuruo asked: "Have I?"

"Haven't you weighed yourself recently? Your face is clearly much smaller."

"It's true that I haven't weighed myself in a long time," Bai Shuruo said. On her hand, she wore a cheap bracelet she had bought just after arriving in Dali, and it was now clearly much looser.

She hadn't really eaten freely at the Han Family these past two days, but now, eating the dishes Meng Ze made, she let herself go, eating with gusto, one bite of rice and one bite of vegetables.

Seeing her eat like this, Meng Ze didn't speak, wanting to let her eat her fill first.

Bai Shuruo, as if she had been hungry for a long time, ate two bowls of rice and drank a bowl of soup, only then putting down her bowl and chopsticks, rubbing her stomach and saying: "Full."

"I can see you were truly hungry; I've never seen you eat two bowls of rice before."

Bai Shuruo sat there in a daze, then said: "My stomach is stuffed, but my brain is empty."

Meng Ze paused and asked her: "You just came back from the Han Family, right? Is Xiaofeng okay?"

Bai Shuruo said: "She's good, better than we could have taken care of her. She's gained weight and looks more elegant."

Meng Ze said: "That's the power of money; having money really can make people happy."

Bai Shuruo glanced at Meng Ze, then asked: "Did you transfer the guesthouse in Dali?"

"Transferred it, and I got the deposit back too. I'll give it to you in a bit."

"I don't need it, you keep it yourself."

Meng Ze asked her: "What are your plans in Beishi?"

"I'll just do customer service for now, taking it one day at a time. Xiaofeng has a rich dad now, so I don't need to plan anything for her."

Bai Shuruo thought that after her state of mind stabilized in a while, she might take on some design work, but she didn't tell Meng Ze; there was no point in talking too much about things that hadn't taken shape.

"What about you? What are your plans for the future?" Bai Shuruo asked him.

Meng Ze glanced at the old house he had lived in since he was a child and said: "Of course, I'm thinking of ways to make money, then buy a new one. My grandfather squandered thirty million last year and wanted to sell this place, but I didn't come back, and the household registration couldn't be transferred out, so he didn't manage to sell it. You know, those who are willing to buy these old courtyards are all after the household registration."

Bai Shuruo nodded, indicating she understood.

She said: "Are you finished eating? If you are, I'll help you wash the dishes, and then I have to go back to the dormitory."

"No need for you to wash them, I can wash them myself," Meng Ze said.

"Then I'll leave the hard work to you," Bai Shuruo said.

She seemed very exhausted now.

As she dragged her tired body out the door, Meng Ze called out to her: "Ruoruo."

Bai Shuruo turned back: "Is there anything else?"

Meng Ze paused, shedding his usual cynical demeanor, and said: "Ruoruo, at the very least, you still have me."

Bai Shuruo looked at him for a moment; under the dim light, his face was bright, like the stars in the night.

She smiled at him, then left the courtyard.

……

At the Manor, the driver called to report to Han Yangting: "Mr. Han, the Young Mistress did not let me take her back to the dormitory; she later changed her destination to XX Alley."

Han Yangting's brow suddenly turned cold.

But after a moment, he relaxed again: "Alright, as long as she was delivered, you go about your business."

"Understood, Mr. Han."

Han Yangting was accompanying Xiaofeng in playing with building blocks, seeing who could build higher.

Seeing the driver leave, Xiaofeng asked Han Yangting: "Daddy, why do they call Mommy 'Young Mistress'?"

Han Yangting was building with the blocks; the blocks in front of him were already very high, but they were still stacked very steadily, with no sign of falling at all.

He said while stacking: "Because she is your mommy, nothing more than that."

Xiaofeng said "Oh," it was Mommy, that was correct, but why add "nothing more than that"?

"Xiaofeng, focus on the blocks, otherwise yours will fall down," Han Yangting said.

Xiaofeng immediately said: "Okay, Daddy."

……

North America.

Bai Shunan finally resolved the issues with the company over here.

It was mainly because there was a misunderstanding when the salesperson communicated with the client, failing to fully grasp the client's requirements, which led to a batch of cars needing rework; fortunately, the rework process was not difficult, and Bai Shunan proactively conceded a lot of profit, plus she was sincere and her apology was heartfelt, so the client still forgave her.

The client was named Frank, and after the problem was solved, Frank was very appreciative of Bai Shunan's work attitude.

He invited Bai Shunan to visit his company and mentioned that they had a business cocktail party in two days, asking if she would like to attend.

Bai Shunan was naturally eager to do so.

Getting to know more people would be very helpful for expanding her market in North America.

……

Bai Shunan was invited as a guest, so she did not have the chamber of commerce's list, and she had not expected this cocktail party to be of such a high caliber, with all the business magnates of this continent in attendance; fortunately, she had experienced many such occasions and was thorough in all situations, so she quickly obtained the attendee list from the staff and precisely locked onto the people she needed to get to know.

She used her phone to look these people up first, roughly grasping their information, before taking the initiative to chat with them.

Today, she was wearing a cheongsam-style evening gown, draped in a white fur shawl, standing among a group of blond-haired and blue-eyed foreigners; her oriental temperament was particularly distinct and carried a sense of mystery, like a beauty who had walked out of the Republican era, drawing much attention.

Such an image allowed her to be in her element while chatting; they were very interested in her, and upon learning that she was actually in the new energy vehicle business, they felt there was a kind of contrasting charm about her. It was as if they had met an exquisite Barbie doll, yet this Barbie doll's profession was blacksmithing.

As Bai Shunan chatted, she felt a burning gaze behind her.