Hao Jian withdrew a stack of money from the ATM, then walked back smoking a cigarette, but the look on his face was covered with gloom.
Because he was an orphan, he didn't want to see Yuan Shanshan become one as well!
"Parents, huh." Hao Jian muttered to himself, then burst into hearty laughter.
Passersby on the road thought they had seen a madman and kept their distance.
Hao Jian went to find Yuan Shanshan after she got off work because he was worried that if he barged into her department and gave her money, it might lead to misunderstandings among her colleagues.
So he deliberately waited until everyone had left before entering the department.
From afar, Hao Jian could see Yuan Shanshan busying herself, her expression focused and serious!
As the saying goes, a man who strives is the most charming, but this also applies equally to women.
Hao Jian placed the milk tea he bought in front of Yuan Shanshan, which finally snapped her out of her concentration.
"You're here?" Yuan Shanshan said somewhat shyly; she naturally knew why Hao Jian was there.
"Tired from working? Have something to drink first." Hao Jian placed the milk tea in front of Yuan Shanshan.
Yuan Shanshan glanced at the milk tea and couldn't help but swallow salivatingly.
Because of her family's poverty, Yuan Shanshan had seldom drunk such things since she was little, mainly because she couldn't bear the expense. There was a time when every cent had to be carefully accounted for.
Seeing Yuan Shanshan , Hao Jian also gave a bitter smile, realizing that she must have suffered quite a bit in her childhood.
When Yuan Shanshan saw Hao Jian looking at her, her face grew a bit flushed.
"Drink it while it's still cold." Hao Jian changed the subject.
"Okay." Yuan Shanshan obediently responded, then picked up the milk tea and began drinking.
At that moment, Hao Jian also placed the already prepared banknotes in front of Yuan Shanshan.
"Eight thousand? Why is there so much more?"
Yuan Shanshan looked at Hao Jian in astonishment. When she checked the thickness of the money, she realized it was not right and counted it, discovering an extra three thousand.
"If I'm not mistaken, you don't have much money left on you, right?"
Hao Jian could tell at a glance. He guessed that perhaps Yuan Shanshan had only taken enough for medical expenses and had not kept much for herself, so he had thoughtfully prepared an extra three thousand yuan.
"I, I still have some." Yuan Shanshan quickly counted the three thousand yuan and tried to give it back.
"All right then, show me your wallet." Hao Jian said with a smile.
"What?" Yuan Shanshan hadn't expected Hao Jian to make such a request. If she really took her wallet out, wouldn't it give her away?
"Take it; you can pay me back when you get your salary. How can a girl have no money on her?" Hao Jian said with a smile; surely enough, Yuan Shanshan was out of cash.
Yuan Shanshan was filled with both gratitude and anxiety about Hao Jian's caring gesture, and so she hesitated.
"Stop dithering, will you? I'm not giving it to you; it's a loan, you have to pay it back." Hao Jian said impatiently.
"Alright, I will definitely pay you back." Yuan Shanshan nodded earnestly.
"What are you working on?" Hao Jian asked curiously; he had seen Yuan Shanshan frowning before he came in.
"The company asked me to design a ring and demanded an answer within a week, but right now, I don't have any ideas at all." Yuan Shanshan said, troubled.
Since she was a new designer, the company needed to test her skills.
Shu Ya's company was a national chain with centuries of historical heritage, specializing in crafting luxurious diamond jewelry—one of the top brands in China with significant influence.
"What do you think?" Hao Jian wanted to offer Yuan Shanshan advice, but he first wanted to hear her thoughts.
"I was thinking of designing a pair of couple rings, but there are just too many of them out there. If I design couple rings, too, I might just be following a cliché. Besides, I've never been in a relationship, I lack experience, and naturally, inspiration. So now, I can only start with designing men's and women's rings separately," Shanshan replied, sharing her idea to design a single ring.
"That's a good idea, but you need to be clear about your concept and elements," Hao Jian said.
"Concept and elements?" Upon hearing this, Shanshan bowed her head somewhat dejectedly:
"Right now, I don't even know what concept and elements I want."
"Inspiration comes from life, don't you know?" Hao Jian said with a playful smile:
"Seeing how you take care of your mother, it's clear you're very filial. Have you considered designing a ring for your own mother?"
That one sentence suddenly made Yuan Shanshan freeze. She indeed hadn't thought about designing a ring for her mother.
Shanshan thought to herself: Right, why haven't I considered designing a ring for Mom?
It could be said that Hao Jian's words gave Yuan Shanshan tremendous inspiration.
"Hao Jian, who would have thought that although you're a driver, you have quite a talent. Maybe you should switch careers and become a designer," said Yuan Shanshan, who had completely revised her opinion of him. This guy was definitely not ordinary.
After all, Hao Jian had experience abroad and was well-travelled, so his perspective was naturally different. He spotted the key point at a glance.
"Don't tease me. I'm just a rough person. Giving suggestions is one thing, but I really couldn't do the hands-on work," he said, waving his hand to signal his limitations, and then continued to offer advice to Yuan Shanshan:
"Since it's a ring for a mother, it must break the mold; you can't use diamonds or anything flashy and impractical. The older generation doesn't fancy that."
"Then what should I use?" Yuan Shanshan was stumped.
"Gold, of course. Do you even have to ask?" Hao Jian said with a look of feigned disappointment.
Yuan Shanshan slapped her forehead in realization. Right, the elderly loved to wear gold. They tended to be indifferent to diamonds.
"But if I use gold, wouldn't that be too tacky? I'm worried the company won't approve it," Yuan Shanshan said, her concerns surfacing again.
Her company crafted top-tier jewelry, and "gold" was something that just didn't make the cut there. She was worried it wouldn't pass.
"To the company, it certainly might seem tacky. But to the customers, that's not necessarily the case, especially when your target market is mothers. To them, receiving anything from their children is satisfying—they care more about the sentiment than the appearance."
"Besides, because everyone else is afraid to do it and you do it, that's innovation. Or are you saying you're afraid to challenge yourself?"
"Okay, let's do it!" Yuan Shanshan said excitedly, immediately grabbing her pen and prepared to start.
Just at that moment, a small head peeked into the office door!
"Xiaoxiao, what are you doing here?" Yuan Shanshan was surprised to see her close friend Che Xiaoxiao enter.
"Ah! Uncle, so you're here too!"
Che Xiaoxiao hopped in and, with a look of playful reproach on her face, said to Yuan Shanshan:
"That's all your fault, you know. You just called me out of the blue, then hung up in such a hurry. I wondered if something had happened to you, so I came to check on you at your company."
Che Xiaoxiao complained, but upon seeing Yuan Shanshan's happy expression, she felt relieved.