The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 542 - 541 Fulfilling the Promise

Chapter 542: Chapter 541 Fulfilling the Promise

"What’s wrong, why are you staring at me?"

Jia Yuemei felt uneasy under Shen Xiangnan’s gaze, and quickly took out a small mirror to check if her lipstick was smeared or her eyebrows were out of place.

Shen Xiangnan withdrew his gaze, "It’s nothing, let’s go."

"But where are we going anyway?"

As Jia Yuemei put away her mirror, she followed behind him, prattling nonstop, "You have to tell me what you want me to do, I won’t do it if the salary is low."

Shen Xiangnan did not respond, leading Jia Yuemei into a side street not far away.

They quickly stopped in front of a bun shop called "Good Flavor".

The tiny shop was eerily quiet, without a single customer in sight, cooling Jia Yuemei’s heart halfway.

How much money could such a small shop make?

"Chef Shen, you’re here, come in and sit."

The bun shop owner greeted the couple with a smile.

Although the bun shop was small, there were still four small square tables and stools inside for customers to enjoy some porridge or soy milk.

"Go on in."

Jia Yuemei was extremely reluctant, but seeing Shen Xiangnan walking into the shop, she could only follow him in unwillingly.

Once inside, Jia Yuemei surveyed the surroundings, finding them more and more unsatisfactory the longer she looked.

She did not want to work in such a run-down, small place.

The smiling owner was introducing the place to Shen Xiangnan, "You’ve seen the situation in the shop. The business is passable, enough to make a living."

Shen Xiangnan nodded, "Okay, let’s do it as we’ve previously agreed."

As soon as Jia Yuemei heard this, she became somewhat anxious, "I don’t want this!"

The owner looked at them, smiling slightly awkwardly, "Why don’t you two discuss it over?"

Once they were outside the shop, Jia Yuemei immediately stamped her foot in dissatisfaction, "I don’t want to work here, in such a tiny place, what can I do?"

Shen Xiangnan looked at her, "I didn’t ask you to work here. Boss Qiu wants to return to his hometown and is looking to transfer the bun shop; I’ve taken over the lease, and from now on, you are the lady boss of this shop."

Jia Yuemei was stunned, it took her a long time to come back to her senses.

Shen Xiangnan softened his tone and added, "Yuemei, I promised before to make you a boss lady, and now I’ve kept my promise. From now on, you manage the shop well, and we will live a peaceful life together, okay?"

Jia Yuemei turned to look at the bun shop, then at Shen Xiangnan; her expression gradually shifted from shock to delight.

After signing the agreement and receiving the money, Boss Qiu handed over the keys to Jia Yuemei and led her on a tour inside and outside the shop.

Since he was returning to his hometown, he left everything in the shop, meaning Jia Yuemei could continue the business immediately.

After the handover, Boss Qiu took his personal belongings and left.

Jia Yuemei held the keys, gazing at the small bun shop with fierce pride, her earlier disdain replaced by pure joy.

Yet amidst her jubilation, her eyes slowly began to redden.

"Xiangnan, I won’t argue with you anymore from now on, I will listen to whatever you say, I will definitely manage the shop well."

Jia Yuemei cried tears of joy, smearing her makeup, but Shen Xiangnan didn’t find it unattractive.

He seemed to understand the sense of duty and responsibility a man should bear.

That was to ensure his wife a good life through his own abilities.

...

"Look, Kean, there’s a pretty girl across the street."

Hearing his companion’s teasing, Liang Kean instinctively glanced toward the opposite bus stop, and when he saw the woman in a black floral dress, he was momentarily stunned.

"Hongmei."

Shen Hongmei was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly heard someone calling her name, making her heart skip a beat.

When she turned around and saw it was Liang Kean, her lifted heart suddenly fell back into place.

"What a coincidence, you’re also waiting for the bus?"

Shen Hongmei politely nodded at Liang Kean, her demeanor cool and showing no desire to engage in further conversation.

Liang Kean, as if oblivious to her reticence, continued to chat with her, "How have you been lately?"

"Pretty good."

Liang Kean observed her closely, noticing that she had become much prettier than before, and his heart couldn’t help but flutter.

"Do you, do you have time?"

Seeing Shen Hongmei’s puzzled expression, Liang Kean said, "Xiling caused you trouble before, and I feel really sorry about it. I was hoping to treat you to a meal as an apology."

"No need."

Just then, the bus arrived at the station, and after declining, Shen Hongmei turned and boarded the bus.

"Kean, when did you meet such a beautiful girl? You never mentioned her before, that’s not cool, man."

Hearing his companion’s teasing, Liang Kean watched the bus drive away, "She was my previous blind date."

"Sss, such a good catch and you’re not interested? What are you looking for then?"

Facing his companion’s envy and bewilderment, Liang Kean couldn’t help but make a few veiled remarks about Shen Hongmei’s past.

His companion didn’t mind at all, "What era is it now, and you’re still bothered about that? If you ask me, if it weren’t for her past issues, someone with her qualities wouldn’t even consider you."

Liang Kean had been going on blind dates during this time, but none were to his satisfaction.

Either they didn’t have a job as good as Shen Hongmei’s, or they looked down on his family background.

After comparing, Shen Hongmei seemed like a pretty good candidate.

She was attractive, earned a good income, and could even arrange a job for his sister.

Thinking about this, Liang Kean became lively with thought once again.

...

Back at the factory, after finishing up her work, Shen Hongmei went to Shen Mingzhu’s office.

"President Shen, I’ve made up my mind."

Shen Mingzhu looked up with interest, "Go ahead."

Shen Hongmei pursed her lips, "Zhao and I, we’re not suitable."

"Zhou Hui already misunderstood me and Zhao because of the earring incident. If something actually happened between Zhao and me, what would Zhou Hui think? She would definitely believe that Zhao and I had been involved long ago."

Shen Mingzhu capped her pen and folded her arms as she looked at Shen Hongmei for a while before speaking, "Is the opinion of someone unrelated more important to you than your own happiness?"

Shen Hongmei stammered, "Even without Zhou Hui’s issue, Zhao and I still wouldn’t be suitable. The gap between us is too great."

Shen Mingzhu nodded, "Okay, I understand. Go back to work."

"Then, about Zhao..."

"I will reject Zhao on your behalf, and the reason will be that he’s too old."

Shen Hongmei quickly said, "I didn’t think that at all."

"Then what are your true feelings? Setting aside Zhao’s external conditions, what do you think of him as a person—his appearance, character, principles of conduct? Is there anything about him that you admire?"

Shen Hongmei bit her lip, "Zhao is a good person, very loyal, and doesn’t show off his status. When I was just a low-level employee, he didn’t look down on me and always greeted me with a smile."

Shen Mingzhu told her, "Let me share my thoughts. I’m quite optimistic about you and Zhao. He’s genuinely a decent person, wealthy yet admirably not indulgent in luxury. If you really ended up with Zhao, it would bring our families even closer together."

"Initially, when Zhao wanted to become sworn relatives with us, I didn’t agree because I didn’t like Zhou Hui. But if you had been the woman by Zhao’s side then, I would’ve surely said yes."

"As for the gap you’re talking about, I don’t see that as a problem. You’re still young, and by the time you reach Zhao’s age, you may well be no different from him."

"Hongmei, ask your heart, if you let go of Zhao, are you truly not going to regret it?"