I Really Didn’t Want to Increase My Favorability!

A few minutes later, Xu Lin noticed that Liu Qinnuan had fallen asleep leaning against him, and Ji Yun came over.

“What’s up, messing around with the little girl again?”

“Hey, I wouldn’t dare mess with her. Don’t be fooled by her age; she’s more mature than you guys, given her background in the entertainment industry.”

“So why’s she leaning on you?”

“She started crying after we talked a bit. Now she’s fallen asleep.”

“She cried… Did you say something weird?”

“Not at all, just some comforting words.”

“Everyone has hidden stories behind their tears. Let me help her to bed.”

“Sure.”

“Sister Ji Yun, what’s up?”

“I saw you were asleep, so I was going to help you over to the bed.”

“No, no, I was just a bit tired earlier, but I’m fine now.”

“Ji Yun, it’s your turn.”

“Coming.” Ji Yun smiled and, seeing that Liu Qinnuan was awake, walked back.

Liu Qinnuan sighed, wiped her eyes, and said, “Sorry, it’s embarrassing. I don’t know why I started crying.”

“It’s better to cry it out than not to cry at all. If you’re tired, you should rest.”

“I’m really fine now. I need to update my mom on my work. I didn’t come here just to rest; I came to handle some business too.”

Liu Qinnuan picked up her phone and chose a photo taken at the villa yesterday, showing the backs of a few people.

She typed, “They’re all girls, so you can relax now.”

Soon, her mom replied, and Xu Lin turned his head away. He didn’t like prying into other people’s privacy.

But a few seconds later, Liu Qinnuan slammed her phone aside and pouted.

“Really, why did I have to get a male assistant? It’s so frustrating!”

“What’s wrong?”

“My mom wanted me to get an assistant, but I didn’t want one. Now she’s found someone, the son of one of her friends.”

“But don’t you have a manager?” Xu Lin thought a manager would serve as an assistant.

“Not quite. This manager isn’t really mine; they’re assigned by the company, so they’re not fully on my side.”

“Well, your mom finding a friend’s son isn’t really on your side either.”

“Exactly. She thinks he’s great, but I suspect it’s because her friend is wealthy, and the son… Ugh!”

Liu Qinnuan, losing her usual fairy-like demeanor, looked like an annoyed neighbor’s younger sister.

“Why don’t you talk to your mom about it, or find someone you think is suitable yourself?”

“Where should I look? Do you know anyone?”

“I don’t know anyone… Hey! Who among you guys want to be Miss Liu Qinnuan’s assistant?”

“I need to go to school,” Ji Yun said with a smile, while Bai Xiaoxiao shook her head.

“I think being a teacher is great. If I ever want to switch jobs, I’d definitely consider it.”

Su Qingwan chimed in, mentioning that she’d thought about changing jobs recently but decided she enjoyed teaching kids too much.

“This job has been my dream since I was little,” Qin Yunhe showed off a small badge she’d received as a reward.

“See, no one can help. Maybe you should consider those two from the Chu family; they might be able to buy your company.”

“…”

Liu Qinnuan sighed and leaned back, saying, “Forget it, I’ll just have a good talk with my mom.”

Everyone then gathered to watch a Stephen Chow comedy. Although they had all seen it before, it was still enjoyable. They laughed heartily, and watching movies together was truly more than just additive; it was multiplicative in terms of fun.

Before his rebirth, Xu Lin, being a self-described introvert and single, had only ever watched TV dramas with his father. Other than that, he enjoyed movies alone.

Watching movies with everyone was a great experience, though it was quite hot, with everyone squeezing together. Fortunately, they were all young women; if it were men squeezing together, it would get sweaty and smelly—no wonder there’s a saying about men being stinky.

When the movie ended, Xu Lin received a call from the store. They informed him that the main construction was nearly complete and asked him to come by to check on the soft furnishings.

“Thanks for your hard work. Are you wrapping things up now? I’ll come by to check, but I’m currently out.”

“Okay, thanks a lot.”

Xu Lin hung up, realizing he had gotten so caught up in this hot spring visit that he had completely forgotten about the store renovation. Fortunately, he had left a contact number with Father Bai last night, and the couple had voluntarily gone to oversee the store.

“What’s up?”

“The main construction of the store is already nearly done; it’s only been a little over a day. It’s a bit outrageous, but since it’s based on a template, a 50-square-meter space isn’t too big.”

“Are you going back?”

“No, Uncle Bai has gone. He’s much more professional than I am. I’ll just check it out in the evening.”

“My dad enjoys overseeing construction. He even went to supervise when our neighbor built a small storage room. He found many issues, and the quality of the final product was much better.”

Bai Xiaoxiao recalled her father’s oversight from when she was in elementary school.

“Later, everyone liked to ask him to supervise. They were all very grateful and would invite him for meals and drinks.”

“When we renovated our old house the following year, we hired a few local craftsmen, and it was the same two companies that he had overseen before.”

“My dad thought of himself as a renovation expert and helped them out, so he didn’t keep track himself.”

“But eventually, there were issues like cutting corners and intentionally extending the timeline… My dad couldn’t do much about it.”

“Since then, he hasn’t supervised anyone else. He realized that doing good deeds doesn’t always mean good outcomes for himself.”

Hearing Bai Xiaoxiao’s story, everyone felt a bit wistful. That’s just the way things are in reality.

“Since Uncle is helping me out this time, I should thank him properly.”

“No need. You could just invite him for some skewers. He often mumbles about wanting to eat them, but he’s very frugal…”

“Okay, next time we gather, we’ll have some skewers.”

“Speaking of skewers… are we still grilling?” Su Qingwan glanced at the electric grill in the room.

“Sure, let’s grill. Even though it’s a bit early for dinner.”

Xu Lin checked the time—it was only a bit past 4, but everyone seemed eager to grill.

“Alright, I’ll have them deliver some ingredients.”

“By the way, the ingredients here shouldn’t be too expensive, right?”

“They shouldn’t be too pricey. If they are, we’ll skip it; no need to spend extra. Let’s save some money for Xu Lin.”

“Okay.”

Xu Lin, listening to the discussion, smiled and said, “I’ll cover it. No need to save, just order whatever you want.”

“But we shouldn’t waste money,” Qin Yunhe added, and the others nodded in agreement.

“Save some money and earn more to prepare a dowry,” Ji Yun chimed in with a motherly tone.

Xu Lin recalled a story he’d read online about a man who went out to dinner with some old classmates. Three men and five women went out, and he was the one treating. He didn’t mind the expense as he was treating everyone.

Two of the women even ordered particularly expensive dishes, while one ordered just a cold dish. When the man went to the restroom, he overheard the women discussing why the one woman hadn’t ordered more. She replied, “We’ve ordered so much already, and he’s just started working; I don’t want to spend too much on him.”

Later, the man and that woman became a couple. He wasn’t concerned about how much he spent; what touched him was that considerate comment from her, which showed she was thinking of him.

Xu Lin couldn’t help but think, “The girls around me are truly amazing!”

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