With hеr mоnthlу аllowanсе сut оff, Wu Мangmang cоuld nо longer аfford to lоsе hеr оnlу rеmaining sourсe of income. Putting аwаy hеr phоnе, shе hеadеd strаight fоr thе subwаy tо the City Мusеum.
Bаck in the daу, having monеy meаnt shе соuld bе willful—shе сhose а mаjor sо оbsсure it wаs prасticallу dеad. Fоrtunately, аfter graduatiоn, hеr mоther рulled some strings аnd gоt hеr a роsitiоn аt thе Сity Мusеum. Thаt’s how stаte-ownеd institutions аrе: thеy wоn’t lеt уоu starve, but theу’ll never make yоu rich either—nоt even еnough tо сovеr a mortgage in this city.
Still, Wu Mangmang quite liked her job. She glanced at her watch—it was lunchtime—and without hesitation, she made her way to the cafeteria.
“Uncle, another scoop of rice, please! Look how skinny I’ve become, like a bag of bones. How can you treat me so harshly?” Wu Mangmang complained, tapping her spoon against the stainless steel tray, which looked like something straight out of a prison cafeteria.
“Aren’t you girls always yelling about losing weight?” the uncle grumbled, but he still added another scoop of rice to her tray.
“So much rice and so little vegetables—how am I supposed to eat this?” Wu Mangmang pushed her luck.
The uncle shot her a glance, his ladle unmoving. “Miss, this cafeteria is contracted out.”
Wu Mangmang had no choice but to back down. She couldn’t pick a fight with the domineering cafeteria uncle, whose face was practically dripping with grease, nor could she put on an act at her workplace. Resigned, she had to accept her fate.
Carrying her tray, Wu Mangmang walked away, lost in a daydream. If only someone would step forward and say, “Darling, I’ve bought out the entire cafeteria. You can have all the braised pork and chicken legs you want.” She’d fall at his feet in an instant.
Perhaps her daydream was too vivid, because Wu Mangmang remained in a daze the whole way. It wasn’t until she sat down that she noticed the woman beside her, meticulously picking green onions out of her food with chopsticks, was none other than her longtime rival—Ms. Nie Jingjing.
To be honest, Nie Jingjing wasn’t even worthy of being called a rival, but the woman seemed to turn green with envy every time she laid eyes on Wu Mangmang, who found her utterly irritating.
In truth, Ms. Nie wasn’t even married—rumor had it she didn’t even have a boyfriend—but judging by her figure, Wu Mangmang thought she looked every bit like a married woman who’d already had children. She couldn’t bring herself to call her “Miss Nie” with a clear conscience.
“You’re wearing a Cartier diamond bracelet, yet you have the nerve to argue with the cafeteria uncle over an extra scoop of beef and potatoes until you’re red in the face?” Nie Jingjing leaned over, seemingly studying the authenticity of the bracelet on Wu Mangmang’s wrist.
There was no argument at all—where did “red in the face” come from? If her face was flushed, it was entirely due to her earlier daydream about Mr. Dream!
Wu Mangmang couldn’t be bothered with Nie Jingjing. She picked up her spoon and began shoveling rice into her mouth.
“Tsk, tsk, hasn’t anyone told you that girls should eat with grace, while men can eat with gusto?” Nie Jingjing said in a mocking tone. She, too, had gotten her job through connections, though hers weren’t as solid as Wu Mangmang’s. Seeing Wu Mangmang take every Thursday morning off filled her with resentment.
After swallowing her mouthful of rice, Wu Mangmang replied, “Well, you take your time counting. By the time you’re done, it’ll be time to clock out.” With that, she stood up, tray in hand, now empty except for a few traces of sauce.
Nie Jingjing scoffed at Wu Mangmang’s retreating back before turning to her colleague, Xiao Lin. “I really don’t know what men see in her. She has absolutely no table manners.”Xiaolin took a bite of her food and advised, "Sister Nie, hurry up and eat. After finishing, we can save some time to lie down for a bit."
Nie Jingjing didn't argue, picking up her spoon and eating in big mouthfuls. Eating was indeed important, but compared to a short nap, it could still be overlooked.
Wu Mangmang, on the other hand, was full of energy. She put on her white lab coat, tied her hair into a bun at the back of her head, and picked up her carving knife, instantly feeling as if she had stepped into a doctor's role. She walked over to the workbench, where a pile of ceramic fragments lay.
Wu Mangmang's main job at the museum was artifact restoration, with her specialty lying in the restoration of porcelain.
Wu Mangmang had a particular fondness for all kinds of antique porcelain. Every time she held one in her hands, she couldn't help but imagine whose hands this painted porcelain bowl had once been in and what interesting stories its owner had experienced. Then, her mind would play out the scenes on its own.
That was why Wu Mangmang could settle down and stay in the artifact restoration room for three years without changing jobs—a place as quiet as an ancient tomb and as chilly as a horror movie set. Not only were her parents surprised, but even she herself was astonished.
When she was focused on her work, her phone was always on silent. By the time Wu Mangmang got off work, it was already seven in the evening, with dusk settling in. She tilted her head back, rubbing her sore neck, then took off her shoes, pressed her hands against the floor, and propped her feet against the wall, holding a handstand for a minute.
It was only on the subway that Wu Mangmang remembered her phone was on silent. She pulled it out and saw seven or eight missed calls—two each from her parents, and the rest all from Lu Qingqing.
Wu Mangmang felt a bit conflicted. This "best friend" Lu Qingqing was indeed in quotation marks.
On social media, Lu Qingqing could be considered Wu Mangmang's best friend—they liked each other's posts an average of three times a day.
But in the real world, Wu Mangmang and Lu Qingqing met fewer than ten times a year.
In reality, Wu Mangmang wasn't particularly close to anyone, as most people couldn't handle her penchant for dramatic performances. Rather than face disdain and rejection later, it was better to keep her distance from the start.
But this time, Wu Mangmang found it hard to refuse Lu Qingqing.
The incident where Wu Mangmang had gotten into trouble with Mr. Limited Edition was resolved thanks to Lu Qingqing's mediation, as she had helped broker the deal. In the end, Mr. Limited Edition agreed to settle.
It was said that Mr. Limited Edition was a relative of Lu Qingqing's.
Wu Mangmang checked her watch—it was only 7:30. After a moment's thought, she squeezed her way out of the sardine-can-like subway carriage and switched to the opposite line.
By the time Wu Mangmang finally made it to the club, it was already 8:30.
This club occupied the top three floors of the Binhai Building, but even people who worked in the building had no idea there were three more floors at the top. The elevator buttons didn't show them, and no one had ever bothered to count whether the Binhai Building had 46 or 49 floors.
The Haichen Club had its own separate entrance and exit. Wu Mangmang searched for half an hour without finding the entrance. In the end, Lu Qingqing came out personally to fetch her, leading her through a maze of twists and turns to an inconspicuous elevator door.
When the elevator doors opened, the contrast was striking—plain on the outside, but luxurious within.
"Why are you so late? Luckily, the big shot is still upstairs playing mahjong, or you would have missed him," Lu Qingqing said rapidly.
"I came by subway, and the transfer station was too crowded. I had to wait for three trains before I could squeeze onto one," Wu Mangmang replied."The subway?" Lu Qingqing wondered if she had misheard.
Wu Mangmang shrugged. "My dad sold my Hummer to pay for the damages as punishment for my mistake. By the way, who is this 'God of Wealth' you mentioned?"
Lu Qingqing looked at Wu Mangmang as if she were an alien, then seemed to realize something. "Right, you probably don’t know him. Go ask your dad—he’ll definitely know. Who do you think the God of Wealth is? Someone who brings fortune, of course. Everyone in this city who wants to get rich has to pay respects to him, but that’s secondary. Whether you pay respects or not doesn’t matter much, but if you offend the God of Wealth, you’ll definitely have to leave penniless."
Wu Mangmang’s heart sank at these words, and she looked at Lu Qingqing with suspicion.
Lu Qingqing returned her gaze with a look that said, "Exactly what you’re thinking."
Wu Mangmang inwardly exclaimed, "Oh my god!" No wonder her dad hadn’t cared about her tantrums this time—turns out she really had gotten herself into big trouble.
"Come on, I’ll take you to apologize. Don’t think just paying the money is enough—my uncle isn’t short on cash," Lu Qingqing said.
Wu Mangmang grabbed Lu Qingqing’s arm. "He’s your uncle?" This was truly a turn of fortune—family connections would make things easier.
Lu Qingqing rolled her eyes awkwardly. "We’re not that closely related. I just call him 'uncle' to sound friendly."
Wu Mangmang thought to herself, Could you please not speak with such dramatic pauses next time?
The suite Lu Qingqing led Wu Mangmang into had two floors, with a nearly fifty-square-meter terrace outside. The terrace even had a small swimming pool for parties, and from there, you could overlook the sea.
The sea breeze whipped Wu Mangmang’s hair into a frenzy, and she quickly covered her head as she hurried inside.
Lu Qingqing told Wu Mangmang to go to the bathroom first to touch up her makeup and straighten her clothes before coming out.
Afterward, the two went straight to the second floor.
The view from the second floor was even more expansive, with a 270-degree ocean view. A mahjong table was set up in the living room. Although mahjong only requires four players, there were quite a few spectators.
Each of the three male players had one or two beautiful women sitting beside them.
They were genuinely stunning—a mix of plump and slender, innocent and alluring.
The only person sitting alone was someone Wu Mangmang recognized at a glance—none other than Mr. Limited Edition.
Another person she also recognized was the lawyer who had once given her nightmares—Attorney Jiang.
"Oh, isn’t this the girl who was pregnant with your child last time?" Jiang Baoliang teased, looking at Lu Sui.
Wu Mangmang had no fondness for the aggressive, overbearing, and intimidating Attorney Jiang. She retorted inwardly, You’re the 'girl'—your whole family are 'girls.'
Only then did Lu Sui look up from his tiles, narrowing his eyes slightly as he gazed at Wu Mangmang.
That subtle squint made Wu Mangmang feel as if she could smell the male hormones that could disrupt her endocrine system again.
Lu Qingqing gave Wu Mangmang a push from behind, snapping her back to reality and causing her to stumble forward.
Thank goodness Wu Mangmang had changed into canvas shoes at the office earlier—otherwise, Lu Qingqing’s push would have sent her face-first into the ground.
Lu Qingqing had definitely done it on purpose, though she meant well.Wu Mangmang's offense against Lu Sui was something that, even if Lu Sui didn't take it to heart, those around him would naturally go out of their way to curry favor. The small factory owned by the Wu family was hardly enough to satisfy anyone's appetite—crushing it would be easier than stepping on an ant.
Wu Mangmang was well aware of this situation, which was why she had swallowed her pride and come to apologize.
If she were to trip and fall flat on her face now, amusing everyone in the hall, it might very well turn a major issue into a minor one, and a minor issue into nothing at all.
But Miss Wu was "blessed with misfortune" today. Despite wearing three-inch heels nine days out of ten, she happened to be wearing canvas shoes at this very moment.
Lu Qingqing stepped forward, reaching a spot about a meter away from Lu Sui before Wu Mangmang could, and said with a flattering smile, "Uncle, Mangmang heard you were here and rushed over today specifically to apologize to you."
Wu Mangmang couldn't be more grateful to Lu Qingqing in her heart. This was no time for pretentiousness. The higher up the social ladder they were, the more they understood that pride and self-respect were worth nothing. With just a light squeeze from others, they could be crushed to the point of losing all dignity—then there would truly be no self-respect left.
"Uncle," Wu Mangmang echoed Lu Qingqing's address, hoping to establish closeness and show that she was a junior, pleading for the god of wealth to be lenient.
"Oh, so today you're playing the role of my niece again?" Lu Sui scoffed lightly.
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