Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed-Chapter 94 - 83: Luring the Treasure Girl Home (Please Subscribe)

In the meeting room, Li Yuan watched Xia Zhijin take meticulous notes and couldn’t help but stroke her head.

She’s truly a serious and well-behaved gem of a girl, looking so captivating even while working.

Xia Zhijin carefully gathered the various interview materials for Li Yuan and shyly asked, "Li Yuan, are we going back to the company now?"

Li Yuan withdrew his wandering hand, shook his head, and chuckled. "We’ve been busy for half the day already. We can go back to work tomorrow. We have important business to attend to today."

A puzzled look appeared on Xia Zhijin’s flawless, jade-like face. "Then, what else are we going to do?"

Li Yuan grinned. "You’ll know in a bit."

Xia Zhijin nodded. "Oh! Li Yuan, should I take these documents back with me?"

Li Yuan shook his head. "No need. Just leave these files at the company for now. We’ll use them tomorrow when we process the probation paperwork."

"Then... are we going back to school now?"

"Not yet. We have to take care of our important business first."

「...」

After leaving the company, Li Yuan led a shy Xia Zhijin straight to the B1 floor of the Longyu Building.

The B1 floor housed a large supermarket.

Since it was the weekend, the place was bustling with shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. Li Yuan held out his hand to Xia Zhijin.

"Zhijin, give me your hand."

Xia Zhijin shyly lowered her head, her pretty face flushing crimson. Her voice, as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, was completely lost in the surrounding din.

"What... what are you doing?"

Li Yuan replied in all seriousness, "There are too many people here. I’m afraid you’ll get lost."

Xia Zhijin fell silent in her bashfulness. She stared at the ground, her small hands, not knowing what to do with themselves, tightly clutching the hem of her clothes.

Seeing this, Li Yuan chuckled inwardly and reached out his right hand, grasping Xia Zhijin’s soft, boneless one.

"This way, you won’t get lost, Zhijin."

Xia Zhijin’s face was beet-red. How could she not see that this was just an excuse Li Yuan had come up with? She might have a poor sense of direction, but she wasn’t an idiot.

With a sideways glance, she peeked at Li Yuan, who maintained a perfectly earnest and calm expression.

Amidst the supermarket crowd, Xia Zhijin grew even shyer as Li Yuan held her hand tightly. She followed closely by his side as they entered the store.

Li Yuan pushed a shopping cart with his left hand while holding Xia Zhijin’s with his right, striding into the supermarket with complete composure.

The slight sweat on his palm betrayed his inner turmoil. This was proof that his relationship with Xia Zhijin had taken another step forward. Now that they were holding hands, how far could they be from taking the next step? He couldn’t help but recall his past life, when he had shared such intimate moments with Bai Weixi. But unlike now, he had been empty-handed back then. Between his wallet and his bank card, he couldn’t even scrounge up three hundred dollars, which made him timid and lacking in courage. Money is a man’s courage, his very backbone. His ability to stand tall, to provide that so-called sense of security to the woman by his side—and to himself—all comes down to the number of digits in his bank account balance. Fortunately, he now had enough confidence to give the gem of a girl beside him a true sense of security. The same scene, but with a different person.

Li Yuan glanced at Xia Zhijin’s blushing face and deliberately changed the subject to distract her. "Zhijin, let’s check out the snack aisle first. What kind of snacks do you like?"

The supermarket was full of customers. Since both Li Yuan and Xia Zhijin had dressed up for the day, they made for a striking couple—a talented man and a beautiful woman, a perfect match—and naturally drew a lot of attention.

Xia Zhijin replied shyly, "I like roasted peanuts."

"Roasted peanuts?" Li Yuan asked, curious.

Xia Zhijin explained softly, "My family grows a lot of peanuts in the fields in front of our house. When it’s harvest time, I dig them up, wash and dry them, and then roast them in a wok with river sand. The peanuts come out incredibly fragrant."

Li Yuan chuckled. "It sounds like your home is full of treasures. Could you take me to visit sometime? I’ve lived this long and have never even been to Shancheng."

"Mm," Xia Zhijin affirmed, lowering her head shyly, her thoughts a mystery.

Li Yuan squeezed her hand tighter. "So it’s a promise then, Zhijin. Sometime in the future, maybe during the Spring Festival or summer vacation, I’ll go with you to see your hometown. By the way, save some peanuts and tangerines for me. The tangerines we get here are all from the south. I’ve never had any from Shancheng. What do they taste like?"

"The tangerines from the mountain behind my house are really sweet." A smile blossomed on Xia Zhijin’s face as she nodded. "My family has 36 tangerine trees in total. When they ripen in the fall, we can never eat them all, so we peel them and make orange juice. It’s so thirst-quenching when we’re out working..." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Then why don’t you sell them? Is it because the roads are bad?"

"Yes. My home is up in the mountains, more than twenty kilometers from the nearest town. There’s only a single, winding mountain path that’s only accessible by motorcycle or on foot. Cars and trucks can’t get through. All the things we grow on the mountain can’t be transported out. Sometimes... they just rot on the trees..."

As she spoke, her eyes began to redden, and a single tear traced a silent path down her cheek.

Li Yuan squeezed her hand and moved closer, whispering in her ear, "Zhijin, don’t worry. The future will definitely get better.

"The sky will grow bluer and the water clearer. The roads will stretch longer, reaching the doorstep of every home in the nation. Every family will have their livelihood secured, with no more poverty or hardship. Every child in the mountains and poor regions will have a roof over their head, food to eat, clothes to wear, and be able to attend school without a single worry..."