My minimum living allowance is credited to my account every day with 1000 million yuan

When Qiu Qiaoqiao came out of the lounge, Chen Xiao noticed that her expression was a little off.

"Qiaoqiao, what's wrong? You've learned about interesting things from other countries, so why are you unhappy?"

He shook his head. "I'm not upset. I used to think it was a land of gold, but after hearing what he said, I realized how dangerous it is abroad. That Mr. Qiao was actually attacked and killed by other forces?"

Chen Xiao laughed and said, "You were scared, weren't you? Don't worry, that kind of situation will never happen in China."

"Impossible?" Qiu Qiaoqiao seemed to be muttering to herself. "President Chen, thank you for broadening my horizons. I should go back now."

"It's lunchtime, so let's eat here. After lunch, I'll arrange a car to take you home."

"No need, I don't have much of an appetite. I'll treat you to dinner another day, Mr. Chen—"

Seeing that she was determined to leave, Chen Xiao didn't try to stop her. Zhang Ziqian saw her downstairs and had the driver take her home. Then she came up to Chen Xiao and said, "Qiu Qiaoqiao's emotions seem extremely unstable—"

He nodded; he had noticed too, but since she didn't say anything, he didn't feel comfortable asking.

"She seems quite interested in this guy surnamed Zhang, which doesn't make sense," Zhang Ziqian whispered to her.

"Forget it, let's not pry into other people's business. Everyone has secrets, and Qiu Qiaoqiao is a pitiful person too."

Zhang Ziqian hummed in agreement, then said, "Boss, you must bring me with you whenever you see Qiu Qiaoqiao in the future."

"What's wrong? Are you jealous?" Although he treated Qiu Qiaoqiao well, she was still inferior to Zhang Ziqian. He was attracted to the former because of her looks, while the latter was both beautiful and his personal secretary.

Ma Jian and Luffy exchanged bewildered glances. Was this something they could possibly hear? "Ah, Mr. Chen, we'll be going now."

"Let's eat here. Ziqian has already made all the arrangements." These two are now considered his confidants, and Chen Xiao treats them with the same respect.

The group was having a meal at the restaurant when Ma Jian asked Chen Xiao, "Boss, summer vacation is coming soon. Your uncle and aunt will have time. Are you planning to go back for a visit?"

"I'm not going back. Xiangjun and He Qing are at home with my mother. I won't be welcomed if I go back."

Zhang Ziqian covered her mouth and chuckled. This morning, the old lady had called to interrogate Chen Xiao, scolding him for being heartless and doing so many things that were unfair to Xiangjun.

She also said that after arriving in Jiangzhou, she would see how many women Chen Xiao had messed with outside, and then she would ask He Qing to help her keep a record, and she would slap Chen Xiao for every woman.

Chen Xiao sighed. His mother was probably going to turn against him, even at the cost of his own family. If he had a woman, she'd probably slap him so hard he'd be dead.

"Then I'll arrange a match when they arrive in Jiangzhou."

"You? Forget it, they'll be busy in Jiangzhou, so don't bother joining in."

When Xiangjun returned this time, Shen Yun already knew that she had many daughters-in-law. Now that Chen Tao and Shen Yun have come to Jiangzhou, all these daughters-in-law will definitely come to pay their respects one by one.

The two elderly people planned to spend half a month in Jiangzhou during the summer vacation. The rest of the time, they would travel to see the famous mountains and rivers of China. They would consider it a good day if they could even meet their daughter-in-law during that half-month.

Thinking about her parents coming over, Chen Xiao remembered, "Ziqian, the weather is perfect for going out to sea. Let's go on a cruise in a few days and have a vacation."

Zhang Ziqian noted them all down, "Who are you bringing?"

"You can arrange it yourself. You're the Grand Eunuch; everyone has to report to you—"

"The boss is getting better and better at sweet-talking people."

Ma Jian and Luffy looked at each other, realizing that they really didn't seem to be suitable for this occasion.

Inside the presidential suite of the Bund Grand Hotel in Shanghai

After finishing her work, Han Xue stood up and stretched. Her secretary, Qin Lian, looked at her with admiration. Before joining Junxiao Supermarket, during her interview for the position of general manager's secretary, she had wondered what kind of person Han Xue would be.

At that moment, I pictured many different images of Ms. Han: some were kind-looking women in their fifties, while others were decisive and powerful career women in their forties. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't imagine that Ms. Han was a stunningly beautiful woman who had just graduated from university.

They're both women, but the difference is huge.

Qin Lian is a leading figure in her circle, after all, she is the chairman's secretary of Junxiao Supermarket. If word got out, 99% of people would look at her with envy. But let alone compared to President Han, she only has these things because of the halo that President Han bestowed upon her.

"Mr. Han, you work so hard every day—"

Han Xue turned her head and looked at Qin Lian, as if she were seeing herself when she first became President Gao's assistant.

"You're working even harder than me—"

He mainly handled decision-making; Qin Lian did most of the data collection and organization. Han Xue had worked as a special assistant before, so she knew how much effort was required to excel in that role.

Ah—Qin Lian was flattered: "President Han, I... it's only right that I work a little harder."

Han Xue chuckled and pointed to the sofa: "Take a rest for a while and have some tea."

On the tea tray, the mother tree Da Hong Pao tea has been brewed several times. The tea soup has turned orange-red with the patina of bronzeware, and the light shines through the tea soup to project "rock rhyme patterns".

Han Xue didn't invite her, so Qin Lian didn't dare to drink. It wasn't that she hadn't drunk tea with President Han before, but this tea was too expensive. She had secretly checked and found that a few hundred grams of this quality tea would cost millions.

"Qin Lian, where are you from?" This was the first time they had a private chat outside of work since the assistant was hired.

After drinking a cup of tea, I suddenly tasted the metallic sweetness of the orchid tongue stud in my throat, and even the empty cup retained a mossy musky scent.

Qin Lian smacked her lips subconsciously, then realized what she had done and her face turned bright red.

"Mr. Han, my hometown is Laiwu—"

"Hmm? Laiwu?"

"Mr. Han knows about Laiwu?" Qin Lian was surprised that such a big shot as Mr. Han would know about such a small county as Laiwu.

Han Xue chuckled: "We're in business, we have maps hanging in our offices. The Han River is our base of operations, how could we not know that?"

"So, which junior high school did you attend?"

"Laiwu No.1 Middle School, by the way, I've started working at Junxiao Group, but I haven't told my teacher the good news yet."

"your teacher?"

Qin Lian nodded, then said in a nostalgic tone, "My junior high school homeroom teacher was so good to us. Over the years, I haven't kept in touch with my high school teachers much, but I call Ms. Shen every year."

Teacher Shen? Could it be such a coincidence?
"Back then, we often went to Ms. Shen's house. She had a son who was incredibly handsome, haha. We would often use asking Ms. Shen questions as an excuse to sneak over and peek at her son." I guess there's no escaping it now. "What's her son's name?"

"His name seems to be Chen Xiao—"

Okay, Han Xue suddenly felt that Qin Lian and the others' behavior was understandable. When she met Chen Xiao, it could be considered love at first sight.

"Qin Lian, arrange for a vehicle. We'll head back to Jiangzhou first thing tomorrow morning."

"Ah—Mr. Han, didn't you plan to stay here for a week?"

"Hmm, there have been some changes—" She had already been informed by Xiangjun that she was to visit her mother-in-law; what could be more important than that?

In Chen Jiajun's group chat, Xiangjun had already arranged the time according to everyone's work schedule. Han Xue's time was relatively flexible, so she would accommodate the others.

For people like Lee Ji-eun and Guo Fu who live abroad most of the time, it's not easy for them to come all the way here, so we'll try to schedule their visits for later.

"Qin Lian, let's go to Duoyunxuan later to buy some gifts."

Chen Tao and Shen Yun are both teachers. Han Xue heard from Zhao Xiangjun that Chen Tao likes to write calligraphy, so she plans to go there to find some writing implements as a gift for Chen Tao.

The golden signboard of Duoyunxuan, polished by the sweat of forty generations, reflects the neon lights of the Apple Store across the street in its glass windows, creating a clash of centuries. The teak steps have a 7mm indentation in the middle, with hidden compartments in each step, said to have been used to transport Song Dynasty books during the Republic of China era.

On the Xuan paper rack, a four-foot-long sheet of Jingxian inkstone cascades down like a waterfall, its curled edges turning into glowing mite corpses under the spotlight. A Shexian inkstone master uses a diamond drill to repair the inkstone's surface; the sound of stone chips falling into a custom-made vacuum cleaner echoes like the Ming Dynasty's order to excavate mountains.

When Han Xue led Qin Lian in, the smell of pine soot and ink mixed with the scent of tung oil from Huizhou made people almost forget that they were in a modern metropolis.

The shop was full of customers. There was an elderly collector with white hair using a magnifying glass to count the patterns on Xuan paper; a young woman in a modern Chinese style posing for photos with a brush holder and posting on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform); and some art students touching inkstones to test their water absorption.

As soon as Han Xue entered, she immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Suddenly, a large group of people on the public chat of several content creators who were live streaming shouted: "Look at that beauty, look at that beauty—she's a goddess! I'd gladly light the beacon fires for her!"

Someone below replied, "Get lost, do you have a feudal lord in your family?"

Some even asked, "Can your family afford a beacon tower?"

The two went straight up to the second floor, where there were some top-quality examples of the Four Treasures of the Study.

A livestreamer on the second floor also saw the fans' petition on the public screen, demanding that the camera be focused on that beautiful woman. As a content creator, how could he go against the wishes of his fans?

"Alright, sirs, I've satisfied your expectations. Now, adjust the camera—oh my god—"

"Everyone, the broadcast is temporarily suspended."

The content creator walked over in a few steps, saying, "Han Xue."

"Li Han?" It was unexpected to run into a college classmate.

"Han Xue, why didn't you let us know you were coming to Shanghai in our classmate group? I would have driven to the station to pick you up."

Qin Lian glanced at the overly friendly handsome man and thought he was hilarious. Did President Han really need you to pick him up?
Han Xue smiled and said, "Thank you, I drove here."

Li Han was taken aback. He had been doing live streaming since his school days and was now a big influencer with over 50 followers, with a strong monetization ability. Therefore, not long after graduating, he bought a house in Jiangzhou and made the down payment. At the same time, he also bought a T500 tank and began his happy life as a travel blogger.

When people have money, they become more confident. Back in school, Han Xue always seemed aloof and cold. Aside from studying, she was always out working part-time to earn money; you never really saw her socializing.

Back then, there was a rather outstanding senior named Huang Lei who was pursuing Han Xue, and even some rich kids, but they all failed. Li Han simply didn't have the confidence to pursue her.

Things are different now. Li Han is about to become a self-made millionaire. He can earn more than 50 yuan a year right after graduation. He is confident that he has beaten 99.99% of people.

"You, you're here to check in?"

Many people come here and take a picture, and he thought Han Xue was doing the same.

She shook her head. "No, I want to pick out a few gifts to take with me."

Li Han was excited and blurted out, "Let me take you!"

Qin Lian almost burst out laughing. This guy is ridiculous! You're giving President Han a gift? Can you even afford it? Besides, would President Han accept your gift?
"No need," Han Xue said lightly, then turned and walked towards the counter to the side, with Qin Lian quickly following behind.

Li Han realized that Han Xue wasn't alone. Not only was the pretty young woman beside her following closely, but two short-haired girls with extremely sharp eyes were also following her. He guessed that they must be her colleagues.

Seeing Han Xue walk towards the counter, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Han Xue, Han Xue, this is not the place for us to shop. We should go to the first floor."

I turned my head and glanced at him. What did that mean? Was this not for sale?
Then Li Han said, "These are all collector's items, they're too expensive."

Han Xue didn't speak, but continued looking at the items in the display case. "I want this 'Galloping Horse' silk tapestry hanging screen!"

Li Han was startled and quickly stepped forward to whisper, "Han Xue, how can we come here without asking the price? We can't afford this."

Han Xue didn't react, but the sales clerk overheard and, assuming the beautiful woman genuinely couldn't afford it, explained, "This piece took an embroiderer three years and 12,000 meters of gold thread to complete. See how the horsehair subtly incorporates the characters 'Bei Hong'? This work is priced at 4 million—"

Li Han looked at Han Xue, as if to say, "You know now, this is something we can't touch."

To his surprise, Han Xue's expression didn't change at all. She simply nodded to indicate that she understood, then pointed to the side and said, "I want this blue and white porcelain brush washer too—"

"Damn it," Li Han said, rubbing his forehead. "Han Xue, this isn't a place for us to shop. Are you kidding me? The one you picked is even more expensive."

Qin Lian couldn't help but turn around and ask, "Hey, why are you talking so much?"

Li Hanhao explained, "No, we should go to the first floor. Even if a billionaire came, he would have to ask the price of the items on the second floor. Many of them are extremely expensive."

The sales clerk explained further: "This is from the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln during the Chenghua period. It once soaked Dong Qichang's brush. The price is 920 million."

That's about enough, isn't it? Now you should realize this isn't a place for us, right? Li Han stared at Han Xue, hoping she would "come to her senses—"

At this moment, Han Xue calmly said, "Then these two will do." Turning to the short-haired girl behind her, she said, "Thirteen, pay—"

Pay...pay? Li Han's eyes widened. What kind of international joke was this?

The girl, whom Han Xue called thirteen, didn't waste a second, paid for the gift, wrapped it up, and took it away.
Li Han watched Han Xue's retreating figure and murmured to himself, "I've grown up so fast, why is the distance between us still so far?" (End of Chapter)