Volume 1, Chapter 38: Song Qingxin’s Ex-Husband?

Lin Manru’s mind kept drifting back to the nagging words Chen Xiuhong had spoken as she was leaving the house.

She had said that the blood relationship between their family and Lin Xiaoxu’s family was just distant enough—beyond the traditional five degrees of kinship—that if she and Lin Xiaoxu were to get together, it would be a perfect union, keeping the "fertile water" within their own fields.

A faint blush spread across Lin Manru’s face before she even realized it. Her hands, resting on her knees, lightly kneaded the fabric of her jeans as she lowered her head, too shy and flustered to look at him.

Lin Xiaoxu was tall, handsome, kind-hearted, and skilled in medicine. He was hundreds of times more generous than that century-class scumbag, Cao Wanjin. He was truly a good man worth entrusting one's life to. She just wasn't sure if Lin Xiaoxu actually liked her back.

Regardless, it didn't stop her from quietly planting a seed of love deep within her heart.

The two had agreed that Lin Manru would head to the job market first, while Lin Xiaoxu would deliver guavas to the Qinxin Fruit Shop, then meet up with her at Jishitang to purchase the medicinal ingredients on his list, and finally head to the dealership to buy a scooter.

***

He Lianhua, who was sitting at the cash register, caught a glimpse of a tall figure walking into the fruit shop out of the corner of her eye. She subconsciously called out, "Mr. Lin!"

But as she turned her head, she realized she had mistaken him for someone else.

"Is that Mr. Lin, the bumpkin boyfriend Song Qinxin just found?"

The man looked decent enough, tall and broad-shouldered with a slight paunch. He appeared to be around thirty-five and was dressed in designer labels. Upon closer inspection, He Lianhua felt he looked somewhat familiar.

"Hmph!" The man snorted coldly and, without a word, strolled arrogantly toward the office on the second floor.

After staring at his retreating back for a long time, He Lianhua suddenly realized who it was. "He... he’s the boss's ex-husband, I think his name is Luo Kui."

Luo Kui hadn't visited the fruit shop often, and he hadn't been back at all in over a year, which was why she hadn't recognized him immediately. For some reason, He Lianhua felt an inexplicable sense of worry for Song Qinxin’s well-being. She shook her head, chiding herself for letting her imagination run wild. Even though Luo Kui and Song Qinxin were divorced, they were still linked by their child; as long as the child was a minor, that bond could never be completely severed.

Just then, a tall figure appeared in her peripheral vision once again.

"Mr. Lin, you’re finally here!"

The moment she saw Lin Xiaoxu, He Lianhua was so overjoyed that words could hardly describe it. Lin Xiaoxu, seeing her bouncing toward him with such delight, was left completely baffled. Had he suddenly become even more handsome?

"Mr. Lin, you wouldn't believe it! Our Taoyuan Divine Fruit guavas have already raked in over seventy thousand yuan in pre-orders this morning alone. If you hadn't shown up, I think our customers might have kicked our sign right off the storefront!"

"Seventy thousand in pre-orders in just one morning?" Lin Xiaoxu was genuinely surprised. These customers were actually willing to spend hundreds of yuan on locally grown guavas, especially considering the average salary in Jinchang County was less than 2,500 yuan.

He Lianhua instructed the staff to unload the guavas from Lin Xiaoxu’s tricycle. "Mr. Lin, you brought 1,188 catties this time. Boss Song is in the second-floor office right now." She gestured toward the stairs. "However, her ex-husband, Luo Kui, is in there with her."

Song Qinxin’s ex-husband? Her former man?

Lin Xiaoxu looked toward the second floor with great anticipation; he was suddenly very interested in this Luo Kui who had divorced Song Qinxin. Although Lin Xiaoxu had never pried into Song Qinxin’s private marital affairs, to most men, a woman was a resource. Even if a man had a gentle mistress outside and a fierce wife at home, he was rarely willing to divorce. Divorce meant splitting assets, breaking up the family for the children, and losing the care of the woman for the kids and the elderly.

Furthermore, Song Qinxin was beautiful, had a great figure, possessed an elegant temperament, and was quite gentle. Most importantly, she was a successful businesswoman who knew how to make money! Who would willingly let go of such a rare, exquisite woman? Men always dreamt of the imperial lifestyle—the red flag at home never falling, while the colorful flags fluttered outside. Because women were tied to their children, they would generally endure any problem in a marriage; a divorce only happened if the man was absolutely determined to end it.

This led Lin Xiaoxu to suspect that in this marriage, it was Luo Kui who had initiated the divorce. Could it be… that the child wasn't his?

Lin Xiaoxu’s intense interest in Luo Kui vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He was still a young man, after all; it wasn't worth his energy to focus on Song Qinxin’s ex-husband.

Lin Xiaoxu obtained Song Qinxin’s WeChat ID from He Lianhua, intending to have her transfer the payment for the goods. After waiting in place for seven or eight minutes and seeing that she still hadn't accepted his friend request—heaven knows how much longer she and her ex would be talking—he lost his patience and decided to leave.

***

At the job market, Lin Manru had walked a full circle and found that several hotels and restaurants were hiring for service and management positions. The offer from the Tianhao Hotel seemed the most attractive.

Lin Manru’s first job had been at the Xilaifu Restaurant, where she started as a server, then became a team leader, and eventually a shift supervisor. She had worked there for four years. A restaurant and a hotel were only different by one character; they were both in the service industry, so the nuances should be similar.

However, the words Cao Wanjin had said that night suddenly echoed in her mind, causing her confidence to deflate like a punctured balloon.

‘I specifically went to beg my cousin to get you that supervisor position!’

When she worked at Xilaifu, she had always been hardworking and diligent. She had once thought she was promoted because the general manager valued her abilities; who would have guessed it was all because of a word from Cao Wanjin?

"Beautiful, are you here to apply for a position at the Tianhao Hotel?"

A man’s voice suddenly rang out, instantly drawing Lin Manru’s attention. She looked up and saw a man in his early thirties. He was wearing a suit and tie, looking refined, cultured, and impeccably dressed.