Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

"Brother, what are you thinking about?" Xiaoya's voice pulled him back to reality.

Yang Fan smiled:

"It's nothing. Zhou Jin's company is registered, and I've transferred the money to him."

"Three million..." Xiaoya stuck out her tongue:

"Brother, you're so generous."

"When it comes to investing, you have to give up something to gain something." Yang Fan ruffled his sister's hair.

"By the way, Zhou Yao didn't come today?"

"She said she had something to do in the afternoon, but would come over to help in the evening," Xiaoya said. "She also said that Zhou Jin is like he's been injected with chicken blood, going to the construction site every day."

"That's a good thing," Yang Fan said with a smile.

Just then, his phone vibrated again.

This time it wasn't a phone call, but a WeChat friend request.

The applicant's profile picture is a girl in a white dress standing in a sea of ​​flowers; it's very artistic and exquisite.

The note only contains three words: Su Wanrou.

Yang Fan stared at the name, stunned for a moment.

Su Wanrou?

Why would she suddenly add me?

Since he refused Su Wanrou's video call on the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, the two have not been in contact.

And he blocked me immediately.

Yang Fan frowned, his finger hovering over the screen for a few seconds.

pass?

Still not approved?

In the past, he would have passed the application immediately, since he was a simp, but now...

Yang Fan chuckled and directly clicked "Reject".

No need.

His life is very fulfilling now, with family, friends, and career, all of which make him feel grounded and satisfied.

It's best to stay away from tea masters like Su Wanrou.

However, less than a minute after I rejected it, another friend request popped up.

It was still Su Wanrou.

This time, the notes have a few more words:

Yang Fan, this is Su Wanrou. I need to talk to you.

Yang Fan raised an eyebrow.

Something?

What could be wrong?

He thought for a moment, then clicked "Approved" this time.

It wasn't that he still had any feelings for Su Wanrou; he was just curious about what tricks this young lady was up to this time.

After I accepted their friend request, they sent me a message almost instantly.

[Su Wanrou]: Yang Fan, you finally added me! [Smile]

[Yang Fan]: What's up?

His reply was brief and carried a sense of detachment.

The dialog box displayed "The other party is typing..." and remained so for quite a while before a message was finally sent.

[Su Wanrou]: I heard you recently opened a hot pot restaurant near the Normal University? Is business good?

Yang Fan narrowed his eyes.

How did she know?

[Yang Fan]: How did you know?

[Su Wanrou]: My cousin studies at the Normal University. She went there to eat a few days ago and posted about it on her WeChat Moments. When I looked at the photo, the auntie helping with the cashier... doesn't that look like your mom? [smile]

It turned out to be the case.

Yang Fan sneered inwardly. It seemed Su Wanrou hadn't been idle lately and was still secretly monitoring his movements.

[Yang Fan]: Yes, it's my mom. Is there something you need?

[Su Wanrou]: Nothing much, just... wanted to ask how you've been lately. It's been a long time since we last contacted each other.

[Su Wanrou]: I messaged you and called you before, but you didn't reply. I thought something had happened to you. [Feeling wronged]

It's the same old tea ceremony rhetoric—first show weakness, then hint at your indifference, and finally throw the problem at you.

In the past, Yang Fan would have quickly explained, "I'm sorry, Wanrou, I've been too busy lately. I didn't mean to not reply to you," and then racked his brains to find topics to make her happy.

but now……

[Yang Fan]: I'm doing fine. If there's nothing else, I'll get back to work.

Decisive and efficient, leaving no room for compromise.

Now it was Su Wanrou's turn to be stunned.

The dialog box then displayed "The other party is typing...", this time for an even longer period.

Finally, the news arrived.

[Su Wanrou]: Yang Fan, are you... are you still angry with me? [Sad]

[Su Wanrou]: I know that what I said to you before the New Year might have hurt you. But that was my family's decision, and I was actually... very sad too.

[Su Wanrou]: Lately, I've been thinking, can we... still be friends? [Pleading]

Yang Fan almost burst out laughing when he saw those few lines of text on the screen.

Be friends?

When did Su Wanrou ever consider him a friend?

When he used to serve her hand and foot, she treated him as free labor, an emotional dumping ground, and a backup ATM.

Now that he seems to be "doing quite well," is he starting to want to "be friends" again?

He was so cunning that you could hear him even in the hot pot restaurant.

[Yang Fan]: There's no need. The past is the past. I'm very busy now and don't have time to make new friends.

[Su Wanrou]: How...how can you talk like that? We've known each other for so many years...

[Yang Fan]: It is precisely because we have known each other for so many years that some things should be made clear.

Yang Fan doesn't type fast, but he types each word heavily.

[Yang Fan]: Su Wanrou, I don't want to talk about the past anymore. From now on, we are strangers. Please don't contact me again, and don't ask about me anymore.

[Yang Fan]: That's it, let's delete each other.

After sending these two messages, he immediately clicked on Su Wanrou's profile picture and selected "Delete Contact".

The movements were clean and swift, without the slightest hesitation.

After deleting it, he casually put his phone on silent and put it back in his pocket.

Looking up, he saw Lin Xiaoyu standing not far away, holding two glasses of water, looking at him with some concern.

"Brother, are you... alright?" the girl asked softly. "You didn't look well just now."

Yang Fan paused for a moment, then smiled: "It's nothing. Just an insignificant person."

He took the water Lin Xiaoyu handed him, took a sip, and found the water temperature to be just right.

"How's the store? Are you managing to keep up?"

"It's alright," Lin Xiaoyu said.

"Mom is getting more and more skilled at making soup bases now, and Aunt Wang and Aunt Li have also figured out the rhythm."

"It's just that... there's a bit of a rush to prepare ingredients in the afternoon, so we plan to start preparing more semi-finished products in the morning starting tomorrow."

"Well, you can arrange these yourselves, do whatever is convenient for you."

Yang Fan said gently, "If you're tired, just say so. Don't push yourself."

"Not tired." Lin Xiaoyu shook her head, a genuine smile on her face:

"It's really not tiring. Seeing so many people in the shop enjoying Mom's cooking makes us especially happy."

Her smile was pure, and her eyes sparkled with a sense of satisfaction and joy that welled up from the bottom of her heart.

Looking at her, Yang Fan felt a sudden surge of annoyance caused by Su Wanrou, which vanished instantly.

This is real life.

Real effort, visible progress, and the warmth and support of family.

Stay as far away from those who are hypocritical and scheming as possible.

"..."

Later, Zhou Yao rushed to the store.

"Auntie! I'm here! I had a lot of classes today, so I'm late!"

As she spoke, she expertly tied on her apron and began helping to clear the table.

"Yaoyao, how's your brother doing?" Yang Fan asked.

"He's completely obsessed!" Zhou Yao said while wiping the table.

"I spent every day at that hotel construction site, living and eating with the renovation workers."

"I went to see him yesterday, and he was discussing the wiring layout with the electrician. He was talking so logically that I was completely dumbfounded."

Although she still spoke with that disdainful tone, a hint of pride lingered in her eyes and brows.

"He said the renovation would take about a month and a half, and the equipment purchase contract was almost finalized. He would place the order when the renovation was halfway complete."

"What else did he make... a Gantt chart?"

"They marked out the timeline for each step, saying that we must open before the May Day holiday to catch the peak season."

Yang Fan nodded: "The progress is well controlled."

"That's right!" Zhou Yao proudly raised her chin.

"He doesn't even know whose brother he is... uh, I mean, with me watching over him, he wouldn't dare slack off!"

Everyone laughed.