Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat-Chapter 299 - 296: Concussion

After sending Master Song Qingping and his disciple away, Mu Jiawen was left with nothing to do. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Since the competition had just ended yesterday, many people were still staying in Beijing today, and the gallery was still packed to capacity, making it unsuitable for a visit.

But Zhong Liangang had already gone to take up his post today, not as a guide but to maintain order.

Bored out of her mind, Mu Jiawen took a cab to the Agricultural University to see if there were any leftover theses available for purchase.

The soup made from the hen she had bought last time was truly delicious, so much so that her second brother secretly packed half a thermos to take to work the next day.

Mu Jiawen hadn’t informed Yang Dan beforehand that she was coming, thinking she would be at the milk tea shop, but when she arrived and entered the shop, Qiao Yuning, on seeing her, was taken aback and blurted out, "Are you here to see Yang Dan?"

Mu Jiawen: ...

Isn’t that obvious?

She glanced over at the counter and asked, "She’s not here?"

Qiao Yuning’s expression was a bit odd, even seeming somewhat unhappy, but still she raised her hand and pointed to the right, "If you go over there, there’s a pizza shop. She’s over there."

Mu Jiawen didn’t ask why Yang Dan would be there, simply nodded her thanks to the other party, and turned to leave the milk tea shop.

The pizza shop was easy to find; it was the only one near the entrance of Agricultural University, with a large sign that read "M.PIZZA". The shopfront wasn’t large but was elegant and clean, with a pair of glass and wood doors that looked quite upscale.

Since it wasn’t mealtime, there were not many people in the shop. Through the open doors, one could see two figures behind the counter.

A man and a woman, both wearing caps, surrounded by somewhat different shades of dark brown aprons, faces covered with masks, one washing fruit, the other tinkering with an oven. They were not very busy and even gave a sense of leisure.

Mu Jiawen stood at the entrance for about a minute, a hint of suspicion flashing in her eyes, before finally stepping inside.

"Welcome... Jiajia?"

Yang Dan looked at her in surprise, "What brings you here?"

"I had nothing else to do today, just came to check on you," Mu Jiawen replied, and casually added, also to buy some theses.

"Why didn’t you call me in advance?" Yang Dan looked at her reproachfully, "What if I wasn’t here? Wouldn’t you have had a wasted trip?"

"Where else could you be if not here?"

Mu Jiawen knew Yang Dan all too well, she wouldn’t easily go out shopping unless absolutely necessary, faithfully abiding by the wise words that staying home meant not spending money.

Moreover, since Mu Chenyan had given her two sets of spring and autumn sweatsuits like Mu Jiawen’s last month, she was even less likely to go out.

"Yang Dan, go talk to your classmate over there."

It was inconvenient to talk across the counter, and upon hearing the conversation, Mu Jiawen turned her head to look at the other person.

Yang Dan introduced her, "This is my boss, his last name is Men, you can call him Mr. Men."

Leaning forward, she came closer to Mu Jiawen’s ear and whispered softly, "He’s from abroad, a bit stylish."

Memberland pretended not to hear her and turned around to pour two glasses of juice for her to carry over.

The two of them sat down at a table by the window, and Mu Jiawen directly asked, "Did you quit working at Qiao Yuning’s place?"

Yang Dan shook her head. "I didn’t quit. I promised to create at least one new beverage for her each month, and I’ve kept my word, but now my involvement is limited to just that. She sells a cup, and I get a commission. That’s the kind of partnership we have now."

As for how she used to eagerly go over there every day to help out, working at least four hours a day and full days on weekends, and setting aside her commission on the new beverages, the most she could get for her labor was three hundred yuan.

It’s not that she now had money and looked down on the three hundred yuan; it was Qiao Yuning’s way of doing things that had chilled her heart.

In the end, it was about not being valued.

She had come to understand a principle: there was no need to try to impress those who didn’t value her.

Mu Jiawen strongly approved of her approach, "You have a contract, and Jiang Yan thought of this when it was signed. If you strictly follow the contract, your relationship with Qiao Yuning is just a partnership, and you don’t have to work for her."

It was also that Yang Dan lacked confidence, always wanting to do extra to make a good impression on others.

"I know, the problem is with me," she said, suddenly smiling. "But I’m really happy with this new job I’ve found. Member is a very open-minded person. The stuff in the shop is expensive, but exquisite and unusual. Whether business is good or bad, the boss never panics; he’s methodical and always speaks reassuringly. Working here is very relaxing for me."

Mu Jiawen turned to glance at Member, who was slicing sausages unhurriedly at the counter. He gave off the impression of having been through a lot, but he looked to be thirty at most.

She quickly looked away and asked Yang Dan, "Do you also come here on weekdays?"

"I come here for an hour after class on Wednesday afternoons, two hours on Fridays, and the rest of the time I don’t need to be here except for the weekends. I get four hundred a month. Isn’t that a lot?"

For a part-time student, this salary was indeed quite good.

After talking a bit more, because Yang Dan was at work, Mu Jiawen didn’t ask her to keep her company on a shopping trip to the school. She had been there before, knew the place, and decided to go alone.

The Agricultural University graduate research base was located behind their teaching building. Leisurely, Mu Jiawen made her way there; just as she rounded a hedge, she heard a voice scream, "Stop it, stop it, hurry, hurry, hurry..."

Before Mu Jiawen had time to think, she saw a black shape hurtling toward her with squealing noises. She reflexively jumped back, grabbed a plank usually used as a door, and held it in front of her. With a "thud," the black shape slammed directly into it.

The force was genuinely strong, numbing the arms holding the plank.

After that collision, the black shape tumbled to the ground with twitching legs and a soft whining noise.

Looking at the small black pig on the ground, Mu Jiawen thought to herself: You ran into this of your own accord, don’t try to play the victim here!

"Oh no, Dazhuang..."

The three young men who had chased after it had caught up, and one, out of breath, crouched down to lift the little black pig, nearly crying with affection, "Why did you run? Did you hurt yourself? Where does it hurt? Tell me..."

Mu Jiawen: ...

She looked down at the plump, belly-out little black pig in the boy’s arms and thought, I’ve never tasted roast suckling pig before; I wonder what it’s like?

"Thanks, junior sister."

Another young man who had come over looked at Mu Jiawen with sparkling eyes and kept thanking her while nudging his companion, still squatting with the black pig, with the tip of his foot, "He doesn’t blame you, he’s just worried about Dazhuang getting hurt and not being able to submit his thesis. But luckily, you stopped it. If it had really run away, we might not have been able to catch it."

So if there’s an accident, you can’t submit it?

Blinking her eyes, Mu Jiawen pointed at the small black pig in the young man’s arms, "With that collision just now, it must have a concussion. I guess it won’t pass inspection if you submit it. How about this? Sell it to me, since I’m partly responsible for its condition now."

The three young men: ...