Picking Up Fragments

Jiang Siming came here not to understand these things, but to find someone—a former high school classmate.

"Hello, sir. Are you looking for stocks, funds, securities, or...?"

As soon as he entered, the staff greeted Jiang Siming with great enthusiasm.

Last night, he had gone to Zhao Xuan's house, and unexpectedly, Zhao Xuan had ordered several sets of men's clothes for him, all top-tier brands, handcrafted by foreign designers.

Luckily, he had brought Zhao Xuan a big pile of LV and Chanel items, otherwise Jiang Siming would have felt like a kept man...

The staff at the securities exchange immediately recognized Jiang Siming's high-end attire, which is why they were so attentive.

"Is anyone still daring to buy stocks and securities these days?" Jiang Siming asked in return.

"Of course, sir. You must be joking. Although the market isn't doing well, it's precisely in a bearish market that the greatest opportunities to make money arise. After all, scarcity creates value, doesn't it?"

The people here were all quick with their words; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to stay in this business.

Jiang Siming thought that if he debated with the man, he would surely win, but he didn't have time for that.

"I'm here to find someone."

"Someone from our securities exchange?"

"Yes, I'm looking for Li Yingzi. Is she here?"

"You're looking for Manager Li? Do you have an appointment? If not, I'm afraid I can't take you to see her."

When the staff heard that Jiang Siming was just here to find someone, their attitude instantly cooled.

Jiang Siming wasn't annoyed; people like this were everywhere, and he was used to it.

"I'm her high school classmate. Could you please let her know that I'm Jiang Siming?" Jiang Siming took out a pack of Panda cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to the staff member.

Just to pass along a message, and getting a 100-yuan pack of cigarettes—it seemed like a pretty good deal.

"Alright, I'll pass the message along for you. But whether she sees you or not has nothing to do with me. A lot of guys try to chase her using this kind of excuse, even claiming to be her kindergarten classmates. They all get thrown out, so you'd better be prepared, bro."

With a knowing tone, the staff member turned and headed to the office area.

Not long after, a well-dressed woman in business attire walked out of the office.

The previous staff member brought her over to Jiang Siming.

"Alright, Xiao Liu, you can get back to work."

"Okay, Manager Li."

Now, only Jiang Siming and the woman remained.

The woman looked Jiang Siming up and down several times before daring to confirm.

"Are you really... Jiang Siming? Jiang Siming from Class 1 at Nantian High School?" Li Yingzi still couldn't quite believe it.

Jiang Siming had changed so much that she hardly recognized him.

Back in high school, Jiang Siming had been handsome but more on the delicate side, like a bookish nerd.

But now, Jiang Siming was so strikingly handsome that he could make many young male celebrities feel inadequate.

In high school, Jiang Siming had only been about 1.7 meters tall. Now, suddenly standing at over 1.85 meters, how could she believe it was him?

"Come on, class president, don't tell me you really don't recognize an old classmate," Jiang Siming said in their hometown dialect.

Li Yingzi finally relaxed, smiling as she playfully punched him with her fist. "What have you been up to all these years? You never show up at our class reunions. Everyone thought you had disappeared."

"I've just been busy. Plus, I haven't been doing well, so I was too embarrassed to meet everyone." Jiang Siming's words were genuine; like his father, he had a very strong sense of pride.

Back in school, his grades were always near the top of the class, just a bit behind Li Yingzi. After they parted ways, Jiang Siming didn't do well and felt too ashamed to face his classmates at reunions.

Looking back now, Jiang Siming realized how stubborn and childish he had been.

"So, does that mean you're doing really well now?" Li Yingzi asked with a smile.

"Come on, class president, don't try to trap me. It's been so long, and now you're so shrewd," Jiang Siming said, scratching his nose.

"Hehe, in this society, how can you survive without being a little shrewd? But from the way you're dressed today, I believe you've definitely made it."

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As she spoke, Li Yingzi cheerfully grabbed Jiang Siming's arm and said, "Come on, the class president will treat you to coffee! Let's go to the Starbucks across the street—it's close to my office, and we can catch up."

"I gladly follow the class president's command."

"Haha, Xiao Mingzi is still so well-behaved."

Hahaha...

The two of them laughed together, as if they were back at Nantian High School, reliving those carefree days in the classroom from years ago.

In the past, Li Yingzi wasn't just the class president; she often referred to herself as "Class President Ma'am." However, only Jiang Siming was willing to humor her by calling her that.

Just as the two were about to leave, a tall and slim man in a suit walked out of the general manager's office.

Upon seeing Li Yingzi, he put on a standard "nice guy" smile, but when he noticed her holding Jiang Siming's arm, his smile froze instantly, replaced with jealousy and gloom.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

However, he quickly changed his expression again, putting on a beaming smile as he called out to Li Yingzi, "Yingzi!"

Both Li Yingzi and Jiang Siming turned to look.

When Li Yingzi saw who it was, her expression was a bit resigned. "Manager Liao," she said.

Liao Fan walked over, smiling and saying, "Yingzi, where are you heading? I was just about to ask you to join me for lunch."

While Liao Fan spoke, he didn't even glance at Jiang Siming, as if he were invisible.

"We're going for coffee. Is there a problem?" Li Yingzi replied simply, showing no interest in accepting Liao Fan's lunch invitation.

"Of course, no problem. But aren't you going to introduce us? This young man looks like a rising star—you can't keep me in the dark, can you?"

Just a moment ago, Liao Fan hadn't even looked at Jiang Siming, but now he was trying to flatter him.

Li Yingzi didn't catch on to his tone and politely introduced, "This is my high school classmate, my close male friend and confidant. Manager Liao, you're not planning to persuade my classmate to buy stocks and funds, are you?"

"Haha, of course not! I was just curious. You two go ahead, I'll head off to lunch," Liao Fan said, though clearly uncomfortable with the terms "close male friend" and "confidant." Still, he tried to act magnanimous and walked away.

"Let's go, Xiao Mingzi," Li Yingzi said with a bright smile, linking her arm with Jiang Siming's again as she affectionately pulled him along.

As Jiang Siming turned to leave, he easily noticed that Liao Fan's gaze was far from as generous as he pretended to be.

But this was Li Yingzi's matter, and Jiang Siming didn't plan to ask more.

Following Li Yingzi to a nearby Starbucks, he couldn't help but feel a little amused—this particular café happened to be one of his own businesses.

It was his first time visiting, though the manager wasn't there, and the staff didn't recognize him.

After ordering two cups of coffee, the two of them found a quiet spot to sit down.