Gao Mingyuan pondered for a moment before suddenly standing up. "I'm going to Hongyuan Construction Company."
'Meiqiu' rose, "Shall I go with you?"
Gao Mingyuan didn't refuse, and soon the two of them went to Hongyuan Construction Company together.
After Gu Xingdong escorted Zou Liang to the entrance of the newspaper office, he went to the Jiangpan Garden construction site. Therefore, only Gu Xingye was in the company at the moment.
Seeing Gao Mingyuan and 'Meiqiu' arrive, although he didn't know why they were here, he still asked someone to have them sit down.
Gao Mingyuan's face was ashen. "Is your President Gu not here?"
Gu Xingye replied, "He should be at the site. I don't know what President Gao needs him for. Perhaps you could wait for him to return, and I can help relay your message."
These words, in Gao Mingyuan's ears, were nothing more than a brush-off.
"Alright, then please relay this to him: although our company is called Pengcheng Construction Company, we are actually affiliated with Dongsheng. If you don't want any problems with the Jiangpan Garden project, please know when to stop."
He and Zhu Shasha had already bet all their assets on the City West project, and he absolutely would not tolerate any mishaps.
Gu Xingye's expression also turned grim. "I don't understand what President Gao means by that."
'Meiqiu' stepped forward. "It's okay if you don't understand, as long as Gu Xingdong can understand. You can go ask around about my reputation as 'Meiqiu.' If you don't want to suffer, it's best to keep your tails between your legs. I'm laying my cards on the table today: for the City West project, anyone who dares to take it besides our company, I'll make them regret it."
Gu Xingye stood up straight without fear. "If you are here to cause trouble, our company does not welcome you. Please leave."
"You just need to relay my words to Gu Xingdong. He'll know what to do," Gao Mingyuan said, leaving with 'Meiqiu.'
"This matter cannot have any more mishaps. Just in case, go find that kid who took the photos," Gao Mingyuan instructed on the way back.
However, before they could find the person, news about Pengcheng Construction Company's withholding of compensation and forced demolition leading to death splashed across the front page of the Provincial City Daily the next day.
Yu Guofeng had a habit of reading the newspaper before breakfast. As soon as he opened the newspaper and read for a few minutes, he slammed the table in anger.
"Who gave Pengcheng Construction Company the audacity and the authority to withhold compensation, threaten forced demolition, and even cause someone's death!"
As Yu Guofeng spoke, his face turned increasingly grim.
His secretary, Xiao Li, came to pick him up. Without even eating breakfast, he grabbed his briefcase and went downstairs.
"Xu Ning, no classes today. Want to go shopping?" In the dormitory, a girl suddenly asked.
"Xiao Yu, aren't you asking the obvious? When has she ever participated in any of the dorm's spending activities? Xu Ning isn't like us; the little money she earns from working not only has to pay for tuition, but also to subsidize her mother's medical expenses," another girl chimed in, peeking from her upper bunk.
Xu Ning's face instantly felt a little hot. She looked up at her roommate, Xiao Yu, and said with some embarrassment, "I've already promised to visit a friend, so I won't be going."
The girl on the upper bunk pouted and continued, "I knew it, your question was redundant."
Xiao Yu tugged at Xu Ning's hand and whispered, "Don't take it to heart. She's just jealous that you're better than her. She's upset because Professor He praised you a few more times."
"It's fine," Xu Ning pursed her lips and shook her head. Then, she picked up her shoulder bag from the bedside. "Xiao Yu, I'm leaving now."
After walking out of the dormitory door, Xu Ning's eyes darkened considerably.
Her mother's illness had been well-controlled, but it had recently relapsed.
The morning sun was not scorching, but it seemed to bear an unbearable weight on her slender shoulders.
Taking the bus cost only a few cents, but it could buy a steamed bun, enough for her lunch. Therefore, Xu Ning did not take the bus; she walked to Chen Lishu's house.
"Xu Ning is here," Li Xiulan said with a smile as she saw her enter.
"Auntie," Xu Ning greeted, her gaze falling on the two babies in the playpen on the floor.
A quilt was spread on the floor, and with the playpen, their activity space was larger. Little Cheng and Little Bai were crawling around. Seeing someone enter, they plopped down and looked back at Xu Ning with their innocent eyes.
Xu Ning couldn't help but crouch down and smile, "Little Cheng, Little Bai, hello, I'm Aunt Xu Ning."
Little Cheng ignored her, turning his butt and crawling away to get a rattle. Little Bai, however, grinned at Xu Ning, revealing a faint dimple on one side of his cheek.
Chen Lishu came down from upstairs, carrying a large bag of things.
"There are fifty short-sleeved shirts in total. They're leftovers from inventory. They were going to be cleared out anyway. You can sell them as you see fit for one yuan each. You can pay me after they're all sold."
Chen Lishu said, placing the bag by the sofa.
The short-sleeved shirts she mentioned were the leftovers from the exhibition. Although she was helping someone, she also had to consider the other person's feelings. Chen Lishu didn't want it to seem like charity, so she still needed to collect the money.
Xu Ning looked at her, her lips moving slightly. "Lishu, thank you."
Chen Lishu was nonchalant. "What are you thanking me for? I should be thanking you for helping me clear out inventory. Your school has many students; selling them for three or five yuan each should be easy. If they sell out, I still have sixty or seventy pieces, and you can come pick them up anytime."
As they were talking,賀子豫 (He Ziyu) suddenly arrived.
"I thought you might not be here at this hour," He Ziyu said, lifting the bag in his hand. "These are freshly picked strawberries from the greenhouse. Rui Rui said he liked them last time, so I picked some up since I had free time today."
"Professor He?" Seeing He Ziyu, Xu Ning was first taken aback but quickly stood up to greet him.
He Ziyu turned his head and saw a girl in front of him, thin and small, with unremarkable features, but with bright eyes.
Although he didn't remember who she was, based on her address, he could guess that she was probably a medical university student.
Nodding at her, He Ziyu went to sit on the opposite sofa. "Rui Rui isn't coming back for lunch?"
Chen Lishu replied, "The school is quite far away. He usually brings his lunch."
Expecting to see the child, He Ziyu asked curiously, "Why not find a closer school?"
Chen Lishu explained, "He was enrolled in a nearby school when he first started. We moved later, and I asked for his opinion. However, Rui Rui is quite sentimental and has made good friends with his classmates, so he didn't transfer."
As they conversed, Xu Ning sat aside, unable to interject. Just as she was thinking of finding an excuse to leave, she suddenly saw He Ziyu turn his head to look at her.
"You don't have classes today?"
Under his gaze, Xu Ning's face suddenly flushed, and her posture involuntarily straightened. "Replying to Professor He, no, I don't have classes today."