Chapter 149: When Your Hair Reaches Your Waist, Will You Marry Me? (Combined Chapter)

Nighttime.

After evening self-study.

Jiang Ning and Qi Wen walked side by side along the school’s plane tree boulevard.

The May evening breeze was gentle,

like a soft veil brushing past them,

lifting the hair of the young girls.

“Jiang Ning.”

“Mm?”

“Your hair is so nice.”

“It’s alright.”

Jiang Ning suddenly realized that her loose hair had been blown onto Qi Wen’s face.

With a smile, she tucked it behind her ear.

As she casually ran her fingers through it,

she realized—

without even noticing,

her hair now reached her waist.

She suddenly remembered that line from her previous life.

Miss Jiang couldn’t help turning her head to look at Miss Qi, who wore her hair in a ponytail.

“Little Fairy Qi…”

“When your hair reaches your waist, will you marry me?”

“Sure.” Qi Wen smiled like a blossoming flower, her eyes curling into crescent moons.

Seeing how easily Little Qi agreed,

Miss Jiang actually felt no sense of accomplishment and gave a small hum.

“How about you kiss me first?”

“Consider it an engagement ritual?”

As she said that, she leaned her face closer.

But what met her instead was Qi Wen’s hand—and a full face of disdain.

“There are people around, you know.”

“Don’t you feel embarrassed?”

People?

Where—

Miss Jiang instinctively turned her head.

Oh.

They had unknowingly reached the school gate.

And the security guard at the gate was watching them happily.

Old man, this ain’t good for your health.

What the hell are you looking at?

You want to raise your blood pressure?

Miss Jiang snorted through her nose,

grabbed Qi Wen’s hand, and quickly led her into the bike shed.

There were still quite a few people inside the shed.

And when those people saw the two girls entering, their gazes turned… strange.

What?

Jiang Ning looked around in confusion.

No one met her eyes, so she turned to Qi Wen and asked,

“Is something wrong with me?”

“No, you’re beautiful.”

“You sweet talker. But next time, remember to call me handsome.”

“Why—”

Before Qi Wen could finish her laughing question, she seemed to spot something and pointed ahead in surprise.

Jiang Ning followed her gaze instinctively.

And saw—

In the basket of her pink bicycle, someone had placed a bouquet of vibrant red roses.

Under the soft yellow light of the bike shed, the flowers glowed an oddly intense red.

It had been a long time since any boy dared to confess to her so openly.

Jiang Ning thought she had already rejected all the ones she needed to.

She hadn’t expected someone to still play this card.

So—

Jiang Ning calmly stepped forward,

picked up the bouquet from the basket,

and tossed it into the basket of another nearby bike.

Then she fished a gold-embossed card from among the flowers, glanced at it—

and her brows furrowed.

At that moment,

Qi Wen leaned in from behind.

“Who is it?”

Without saying a word, Jiang Ning handed her the card.

Qi Wen took it and glanced down.

“Wow, someone from No. 2 High.”

“Yuan Cheng?”

“Didn’t know anyone still had the surname Yuan.”

“What’s wrong with Yuan? My surname’s Jiao.” Jiang Ning snatched the card back, annoyed.

“Such a boring person.”

Incidents like this—

Miss Jiang had dealt with so many in recent months she’d lost count.

So, she calmly threw away the flowers,

ripped the card,

wheeled out her bike,

said goodbye to Qi Wen,

and rode off toward home.

A while later,

Miss Jiang arrived home.

Seeing the house completely dark,

she flicked on the light in surprise—

and saw a note on the entrance shelf.

[It’s Aunt Chen’s birthday today. Mom will be back late. Be mindful of the water and electricity, don’t stay up too late, go to bed early.]

Reading it,

Jiang Ning understood.

Her mom definitely wouldn’t be back anytime soon.

So she went about her business.

By the time she got into bed, half an hour had passed.

Now—

she gazed at the crescent moon outside.

The stars were sparse.

Leaning back on the bed, she lazily opened her phone.

Messages started popping in.

Jiang Ning ignored the rest and focused on one from Wang Jianguo.

[Today’s sales increased 20% compared to the same time last week. While not yet back to last month’s average, the trend looks good. Two VIP cards were given out during the event—both have been registered.]

Sales at the Times Square store had been cut in half.

Thanks to Jiang Ning’s suggestion of a competitive eating contest,

sales shot up immediately.

It was an instant success.

Whether it could last depended on future results.

If it did work—

Jiang Ning planned to roll the event out at the other stores too.

And if supply could keep up,

a yearly competitive eating event wasn’t out of the question.

They could even make the VIP cards from the event into limited editions—

triggering the urge to collect in some customers.

It would definitely boost their brand.

Jiang Ning still had plenty of tricks up her sleeve.

Dealing with a few professional managers wasn’t hard for her.

[Run the event for a week first to test the results. If it works, implement it at all four stores. Also, give me an update on the factory.]

She sent off the message.

Then she scrolled through the other messages.

[You’re so ungrateful! I helped you act and you told Yao Yao I was playing games at the internet café!
Don’t you know she’s the yard’s study monitor now? She’s on our backs 24/7 about reading and studying!
One word to my dad and I’m getting whooped again! It’s already happened a few times!] —complaints from Hu Gugu.

To be honest, Miss Jiang had only casually mentioned it to Yao Yao. She had no idea that glutinous rice ball had gained so much power in the compound.

But it wasn’t a bad thing.

At least someone was watching over the boys’ grades.

Just because their families worked in the compound didn’t mean they were safe for life.

If something happened—

if someone got laid off—

the whole family could end up begging.

So Miss Jiang didn’t bother replying to Hu Gugu’s rant.

Just then—

a reply came in from Wang Jianguo.

[Got it, boss. The machines are already in place at the factory. The lead-acid battery line will be assembled in the next couple of days. Testing will take a bit longer.
As for the paperwork, Yu Lingling said it was surprisingly smooth. She’s never handled something in the compound this easily.
Boss, be honest—did Sister Mingyu already get her hooks in you?]

What the hell?!

Shouldn’t it be me getting the hooks in Sister Mingyu?!

This brat needed a lesson!

Miss Jiang jabbed Wang Jianguo’s number and hit call—

But—

“The number you dialed is currently unavailable.”

You little—

You win this round!

Next time I catch you, I’m beating you till you’re calling me Daddy!

Just as Miss Jiang cursed for a good while,

getting ready to power off and sleep,

suddenly—

a message came in.

[Queen, free this Saturday?
Come hang out—Tianyao misses you.]

Queen?

Tianyao?

There was no name saved to the number.

But two familiar figures immediately appeared in Jiang Ning’s mind.

She scratched the bedsheet with her toes.

Wanted to say no—but somehow,

when she thought of Meng Qing’s pitiful face…

Miss Jiang found herself typing two words:

[Alright.]

After sending it,

Jiang Ning turned off her phone.

And sprawled out in bed, limbs splayed wide.

A pair of clear eyes silently gazed at the moon in the sky.

After a long time—

A sigh.

“It’s all damn ill-fated love.”

——————

The “Shi Ning Ji” big eater contest was progressing smoothly.

And as time went on, more and more people heard about it.

Many were curious—just what kind of burger was it

that could defeat hundreds of self-proclaimed heavy eaters?

It even drew the attention of Jiangzhou TV’s food program for an interview.

“Hong-jie, how’s it going? Everything okay?”

“It’s great!”

Chu Yinghong straightened Xia Ling’s collar and gave a thumbs-up.

“You look just like a celebrity.”

“Ugh, Hong-jie, don’t tease me.” Xia Ling blushed for once.

“Me? Looking like a celebrity? More like a comedy star.”

“Who dares say our Manager Xia is a comedy star?” A crisp and gentle voice suddenly cut into their conversation.

The two women turned around.

She smiled like a blooming flower, beauty like a painting.

“Sister Jiang, if you were willing to accept the interview, our ‘Shi Ning Ji’ name would probably be known all over Jiangzhou by tomorrow,” Chu Yinghong said with heartfelt admiration.

At this—

The beautiful girl just smiled without answering.

Then Xia Ling asked, curious, “You don’t have class today?”

“Took the day off. After all, it’s our shop’s first interview.”

“Had to come see the world a little.”

As she spoke, the girl pulled out several cosmetics from her backpack and laid them on the table.

“Bought them at the mall before I came. I wasn’t sure what to get, so I just picked a few kinds.”

Cosmetics?

Although Xia Ling was now the acting store manager, she had still been just a student before this.

So she didn’t know much about cosmetics either.

She turned her gaze toward the mature woman beside her, nearly thirty years old.

“Hong-jie~”

With that call, Chu Yinghong immediately understood what Xia Ling meant.

She smiled, flipped through the cosmetics on the table.

“These are all good stuff.”

Then she picked out a few and began opening them.

“This is face cream…”

“Use it before makeup to moisturize the skin…”

“Next is foundation.”

“This foundation Jiang-girl picked isn’t bad—has a powdery texture, helps with staying power and smooth finish…”

She introduced several kinds in a row.

To the point where Jiang’s head was spinning.

But the effect was obvious.

Not only did Xia Ling’s skin look a shade lighter, her blemishes vanished, and she looked much more spirited overall.

After finishing everything,

Chu Yinghong took on the tone of someone who’d been through it all and said to the two girls:

“Makeup is a tool. Jiang-girl might not need it just yet, but Manager Xia should learn a bit.”

That made sense.

Jiang Ning nodded in agreement.

Because she knew very well—

Mastering the skill of makeup could be terrifying.

It was practically face-changing surgery.

At that moment—

Yang Mingliang’s voice rang from outside the office.

“Manager!”

“TV crew’s here!”

“They’re here!”

Xia Ling called out, then looked back at Jiang Ning.

Getting an encouraging nod in return,

She took a deep breath,

Stood up,

And walked out of the office.

As she came downstairs,

She saw in the main dining hall that a few people with long-boom cameras were standing with their backs to the restaurant, seemingly filming something simple.

She walked over.

At the reporter’s gesture, she joined the interview.

Meanwhile—

Jiang Ning also stepped out of the office.

She leaned against the second-floor glass railing,

Looking down at the interview below.

Her eyes lingered on the chic, professional reporter.

And her thoughts couldn’t help drifting to her past life.

Back when college graduation was approaching, she had a heartfelt chat with her dorm bro.

“Old Jiang, what are you doing after graduation?”

“I’ll look for something related to my major first. You?”

“Be a reporter.”

“Really?”

“Come on, Your bro Mao has grand ambitions.”

And indeed,

In her past life, her buddy surnamed Mao really did become a reporter.

He married a journalist.

And played interview games with a microphone at home every day.

Thinking back, it was kind of exciting.

Too bad—

“Jiang-girl, you don’t have class today?”

A sudden voice interrupted Jiang Ning’s train of thought.

She turned.

It was Yang Mingliang.

“Took the morning off.”

She smiled and turned back again, looking downstairs.

Actually, Jiang Ning had only taken off the last math class of the morning.

There was no choice.

Among all the teachers, only the math teacher was easygoing.

Even the Leader Yang Mei didn’t compare.

“I heard from Old Zhu that he’s working at a company called ‘Mingsheng Tech’ now?”

“And that you got him in?”

Mingsheng Tech was, of course, the electric bike factory under Jiang Ning’s name.

“Yeah, it’s a family-run factory. I helped with recruiting.”

“Happened to match Zhu-ge’s major, so I brought him in.”

Jiang Ning knew that Yang Mingliang and Zhu Le were close roommates.

So she wasn’t planning to hide it.

Hearing that,

Yang Mingliang nodded.

Then looked around and whispered:

“Jiang-girl, do you know when the next reserve manager recruitment exam is?”

Jiang-girl?

Jiang Ning didn’t usually care about nicknames—

But this one still gave her a chill of awkwardness.

“You want to compete for reserve manager?”

“Of course!” Yang Mingliang glanced at Xia Ling, who was being interviewed downstairs, his tone slightly envious.

“I really believe in ‘Shi Ning Ji’s’ future.”

“Seems like expansion is coming soon.”

“So I want to go for reserve manager, maybe try being a store manager.”

The guy was pretty honest.

Too bad the boss was standing right in front of him.

Jiang Ning tucked some hair behind her ear and smiled sweetly.

“You’re not afraid I’ll tell and someone will sabotage you?”

“Afraid of what!” Yang Mingliang held his head high, full of confidence.

“A man—”

“When it’s time to go, you go!”

“It’s just a little setback!”

“Never back down!”

——————

The “Shi Ning Ji” interview went perfectly.

Even the lady reporter couldn’t help but praise Xia Ling’s performance.

Which made Manager Xia very happy.

On the other side—

Fellow store manager Cai Mingchun was far less pleased.

He held a report in hand, face gloomy, and came to the manager’s office.

He knocked on the door.

After hearing a “come in,”

He gently pushed the door open.

Inside—

Manager Yang Xia was sitting in her chair, holding a flyer and looking at something.

Cai Mingchun walked over.

Looking down,

It was a flyer for “Shi Ning Ji’s” big eater challenge.

Seeing this,

Cai Mingchun was full of complaints.

“Manager, that store isn’t playing by the rules.”

“They even got the TV station to do ads.”

Hearing this,

Yang Xia put down the flyer.

“They didn’t get them—the TV station contacted them first.”

“But…”

Yang Xia knew what he was about to say and shook her head.

“Alright, that just proves their marketing worked really well this time.”

“If we lose, we accept it.”

“Just win next time.”

“Give me the report.”

Muttering unhappily, Cai Mingchun handed the report over.

After a moment of reviewing it,

Yang Xia suddenly asked:

“I told you to look into who planned that event this morning.”

“Any results?”

“Found out—it was that Manager Tian’s idea, apparently.”

“Is there a chance we can poach them?”

With that one sentence, Cai Mingchun instantly understood what Manager Yang was thinking.

Poaching talent!

Well, losing once in business isn’t a big deal.

But I can steal away the people who actually know how to do business.

No matter how high the salary is at your ‘Shi Ning Ji’—

Can it compete with the benefits offered by a Fortune 500 company?

Once I poach all your talents away,

Let’s see how you plan to keep running your store!

In that moment,

Cai Mingchun’s mood blossomed like spring. Everything suddenly seemed brighter.

(End of this chapter)