SAG -Chapter 45 Zhang Siyan’s Concern

“Xiao Qian, Xiao Zhang, look! That’s the one who beat him up. I have to say, the young man is quite handsome,” Sister Liu suddenly said.

Qian Li and Zhang Siyan looked up and saw Zhang Ran and Meng Mingxuan walking toward them.

Once they drew closer, Qian Li finally got a clear look at Zhang Ran’s face and seemed to guess his identity.

Zhang Ran stopped at the entrance of their shop and looked up at the Kanshilan signboard, momentarily lost in thought.

This cosmetics brand had been something he bought years ago as a gift for Yu Qingwan.

It had only been temporarily registered under his name.

After proposing, he had planned to transfer the ninety-five percent of shares to Yu Qingwan.

At that time, Zhang Ran would also tell her everything about himself—except for the time travel and his special ability.

He wanted her to know that the man she liked wasn’t just someone who loved imagining the future, nor merely the “king of bragging” in her eyes.

He truly had ability.

But he never expected that wait to last twenty-eight years.

By the time he returned, everything had changed.

Zhang Ran had given five percent of the shares to Huo Zhiyuan partly as a brother’s gift to a younger sister.

But there was another reason.

He knew Yu Qingwan wasn’t suited for business.

And that seemingly timid, self-conscious young girl—Huo Zhiyuan—had an incredibly strong will hidden deep inside.

After what her family had done to her, Zhang Ran believed Huo Zhiyuan’s loyalty would be far more reliable than many of the people around him back then.

So at the time, Huo Zhiyuan had been the professional manager Zhang Ran chose to help Yu Qingwan run the company.

Meng Mingxuan didn’t stand there spacing out with Zhang Ran.

He walked into the shop and greeted her with a smile.

“Sister Siyan.”

“You know each other?” Sister Liu asked.

Zhang Siyan replied, “He’s a friend.”

Sister Liu seemed to realize they had something to discuss, so she didn’t continue interrupting.

Before leaving, however, she gave Meng Mingxuan a thumbs-up.

“Young man, you fought pretty well just now. Your moves were quite sharp.”

“Haha, thank you, Sister.”

Meng Mingxuan grinned.

“I still need to keep improving.”

“This boy sure knows how to talk.”

Sister Liu beamed.

“Next time you come to my shop to buy clothes, I’ll give you a ninety percent discount.”

After Sister Liu left, Zhang Ran finally entered the store.

The reason he had stared at the sign for so long was partly because of old memories.

But partly, it was also because he worried that if he came in too quickly, Zhang Siyan wouldn’t know how to introduce him and would feel awkward.

“Uncle Zhang?”

Qian Li was quite similar to Meng Mingxuan—naturally familiar and outgoing.

“You must be Uncle Zhang, right?”

Seeing Zhang Ran’s appearance and Zhang Siyan’s complicated gaze, how could Qian Li not guess his identity?

Zhang Ran smiled at her.

“You must be Qian Li. Thank you for taking care of our Siyan all these years.”

“Oh, Uncle Zhang, don’t say that.”

Qian Li waved it off.

“Siyan and I are best friends. That’s what I should do.”

Then she asked, “By the way, Uncle Zhang, do you know him?”

She pointed at Meng Mingxuan.

After seeing Zhang Ran nod, Qian Li seemed to understand.

“Was it you who told him to beat up that Sun Gaixin just now?”

At this moment, Zhang Siyan also spoke.

“Please don’t do something like that again.”

“Things are different now.”

“These days, fighting can get you taken to the police station.”

She said it instinctively.

She wasn’t sure whether this counted as concern for Zhang Ran.

But seeing him stand up for her had stirred something inside her.

Zhang Ran could hear the concern in her words, and his face immediately blossomed with a smile.

“Hahaha, don’t worry. I know.”

“That was a conflict between the two of them. What does it have to do with me?”

“Besides, I wasn’t the one who hit anyone.”

“If someone gets arrested, it’ll be Meng Mingxuan.”

Meng Mingxuan immediately pulled a bitter face.

“Uncle Zhang, you can’t do me dirty like that.”

“You’re abandoning the donkey the moment it finishes grinding the grain!”

His complaint instantly made the atmosphere much more relaxed.

“How’s business here?”

Zhang Ran asked while looking around.

Qian Li smiled.

“Business has been pretty good.”

“And you wouldn’t believe it—just now, Yanyan and I were selected by Kanshilan as candidates for a distributor program.”

“If we pass, we’ll be able to make real money in the future.”

Seeing Qian Li’s delighted expression, Zhang Ran paused slightly.

Just then, Zhao Jingyu hurried back.

The moment she reached the entrance, she said, “Miss Qian, Miss Zhang, remember to bring your ID cards tomorrow. We’ll need to process your access passes.”

As she spoke, she suddenly stopped.

Her eyes landed on a face that felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

She had long since become familiar with Zhang Ran’s face from the photograph Huo Zhiyuan so often stared at in a daze.

Aside from that brief glimpse at the stadium, this was the first time she had seen his face up close.

Zhao Jingyu had forgotten to mention the ID cards earlier because of Tian Ya and what she’d overheard about Zhang Siyan and Sun Gaixin.

She had only remembered halfway back and hurriedly returned.

“Alright, we’ll definitely bring them tomorrow,” Qian Li immediately said.

But then Meng Mingxuan spoke.

“Assistant Zhao? What’s going on here?”

Zhao Jingyu had been slightly nervous upon seeing Zhang Ran.

Strictly speaking, this man was the true hidden owner of their company.

And judging by Huo Zhiyuan’s intentions, the company was clearly going to be returned to him.

Hearing Meng Mingxuan speak helped her regain her composure.

She explained, “It’s a company arrangement.”

“The company is preparing to replace some distributors and train its own distributor network.”

“Miss Qian and Miss Zhang were selected after company evaluation.”

She said so much not for Meng Mingxuan’s sake, but for Zhang Ran.

Based on what she knew, Zhang Ran still didn’t know Huo Zhiyuan’s intentions.

He also didn’t know Huo Zhiyuan was already preparing to return the company’s shares.

Zhao Jingyu wasn’t sure what Zhang Ran would think.

But if this had happened to her, she would likely assume the worst.

After all, this wasn’t a small amount of money.

Zhao Jingyu knew exactly how Huo Zhiyuan felt about Zhang Ran.

That was why she worried Zhang Ran might misunderstand Huo Zhiyuan’s intentions.

Still, she didn’t dare say too much.

If her loose tongue made things awkward, she wouldn’t know what to do.

Zhang Ran nodded thoughtfully but said nothing.

After finishing her explanation, Zhao Jingyu quickly left.

Watching Zhao Jingyu’s departing figure, Zhang Siyan frowned slightly.

Why did it feel like Assistant Zhao was fleeing?