Chapter 1

Gu Xiaoqing's family is not actually poor; they can be considered to be of a moderately well-off status. Her father drives a taxi, owning one vehicle himself while also managing two others that he hires drivers for. Her mother operates a counter in an electronics market, specializing in small electronic products such as MP3 players and digital cameras. The family owns two apartments, living in one and renting out the other. However, Gu Xiaoqing does not share a close relationship with her mother; she has no memories of ever being embraced by her. Throughout her childhood, whether she made mistakes or received praise at school, her mother never displayed any excitement, always looking at her with indifference. Although she was never deprived of food or clothing, it felt as if her mother was merely fulfilling an obligation, as if Gu Xiaoqing were not her own child, maintaining a consistently lukewarm demeanor.

Gu Xiaoqing was no longer interested in the topic and did not pursue it further. She did not know what the Yulong Group was like, nor did she care whether there would be upheavals among the upper management. In her view, they were merely small fry at the bottom of the pyramid; no matter how much turmoil occurred above, as long as they were careful not to be hit by falling stones, that was sufficient.

Sister Zhang leaned closer to her and continued, "The acquirer is Yulong Group. I wonder if it will have any impact on us in the future." As she spoke, her expression became somewhat dejected.

Gu Xiaoqing had always been an average student since childhood. During the high school entrance examination, she was admitted to the Fifth Middle School of the city, which is a rather ordinary school with a low graduation rate. At the beginning of high school, her grades were still at an average level in her class, but in her second year, she became infatuated with comics. She immersed herself daily in manga such as "Slam Dunk" and "Meteor Garden," and eventually began to draw some comic characters herself for entertainment. She devoted all her energy to this, and her academic performance consequently declined.

Sister Zhang pouted and said: "What about the Japanese? Our country has become the largest creditor of the United States. Now that the financial crisis is so severe, the Japanese can't hold on any longer."

Located in the center of the commercial street, the Zhongxing Building is the most luxurious shopping mall in this city of books, where all the luxury brands are gathered. Usually, there are few people shopping here, but today it is even more desolate

Gu Xiaoqing stared at the entrance of the shopping mall, as if trying to discern a flower from it

Gu Xiaoqing thought again of their big boss, a person who could only be observed from a distance during employee meetings. Every time she saw him on the podium, passionately speaking with fervor, she felt it had nothing to do with her. However, the way he looked at them was as if there was a high barrier separating them. Yet today, this very person displayed such a submissive expression in front of that individual, who responded with indifference, offering a polite acknowledgment from a great distance. Even the group of people following him exhibited expressions of arrogance, and even a hint of disdain.

While everyone was staring blankly at this group of people, the big boss of their mall quickly walked past their counter with her secretary. From a distance, she extended her hand and smiled at the man in the center of the hall, saying: "Oh, Mr. Ou, I apologize for the delay in coming down after just receiving the news that you were on your way, I am truly sorry."

Sitting next to her, Sister Zhang was lazily flipping through the newspaper and said to her, "The newspaper says that the temperature in City C this year is the highest it has been in 58 years"

Gu Xiaoqing is a high school graduate this year. She just completed the emotionally charged college entrance examination in June. Unlike other anxious candidates, Gu Xiaoqing approached the exam as if it were merely a task to be completed, merely going through the motions. After leaving the examination hall, she rushed to this shopping mall to apply for a job. She is aware of her academic performance, so she even skipped the visit to her school to check her results

Gu Xiaoqing thought to herself that this scene was truly reminiscent of a television drama, such people could only be seen on TV, and the actors were all made up.

Gu Xiaoqing stood up unconsciously, gazing at the leading man. Sister Zhang put down the newspaper, moved behind her, and whispered, "Who is this? Is he filming a TV drama?"

Gu Xiaoqing realized for the first time that a person can stand very high, which allows for a broader perspective, more freedom, and more choices. It is even possible to have a completely different and potentially more splendid life

Sister Zhang and the others widened their eyes, filled with curiosity. Speaking of their big BOSS, she truly is a big BOSS. Since the day Zhongxing entered City C, she has been the BOSS here. This shopping mall is owned by the Japanese, but there are very few management personnel actually sent from the headquarters in Japan, and those who are here basically do not manage anything. In the retail industry circle of City C, especially in recent years with various large shopping malls continuously emerging, Zhongxing has maintained its leading position for many years, and this BOSS is undoubtedly instrumental in that. Even when the big Japanese boss comes for inspections, he has never been this enthusiastic. Now, almost all the staff are filled with curiosity about the identity of this extraordinary young person.

Having missed a bus and drenched in sweat, Gu Xiaoqing finally dragged her weary body and opened the door to her home. Upon entering, she found her mother in the kitchen preparing a meal

Gu Xiaoqing propped her chin on her hand and absentmindedly replied, "Oh, is that so?"

Gu Xiaoqing stood behind the counter, staring blankly at a pair of shoes on the shelf, deeply contemplating the question of life goals. This was the first time she had considered this issue

I have heard that, but I do not know the identity of that person. However, it is estimated that the upper management is about to face a shake-up

"Were those people just now from the Yulong Group?" Gu Xiaoqing asked her

Gu Xiaoqing returned to her room feeling somewhat dejected, lying down on the bed and letting out a long sigh. She was unsure whether her mother had agreed to this.

Father Gu is a quintessential good man, who goes to work on time every day and returns home punctually. After getting home, he does not go out again, choosing to stay at home to accompany his wife. Throughout their many years of marriage, the couple has never had a quarrel. Everything in the household is decided by Mother Gu, and Father Gu brings back every penny he earns to hand over to her.

Gu Xiaoqing felt that Sister Zhang's life seemed to have a clear endpoint. She could now immediately envision what Sister Zhang would look like in 10 or 20 years. She knew that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Sister Zhang's current state would be her future state. In the past, she did not think there was anything wrong with this; although it was mundane, at least there were no ups and downs. But now, she suddenly did not think this way anymore. Sister Zhang's current state was indeed her future state, and although she had not previously seen anything wrong with it, she now found herself reconsidering.

The young and handsome man exchanged a few polite words with the big boss before being respectfully escorted out. This left a group of curious individuals whispering among themselves. This was Gu Xiaoqing's first encounter with Ou Linyu; she was eighteen at the time. In her memory, the entire scene was filled with a comic book quality, as if a dazzling light radiated around Ou Linyu. Consequently, in the many years that followed, every time she revisited this memory, she found herself questioning whether she had watched too many comics and had thus embellished this person.

"Hmm?" Gu Xiaoqing came to her senses and looked at her in surprise. "Isn't our mall run by the Japanese?"

During mealtime, Gu Xiaoqing knew without looking that all the dishes on the table were her father's favorites. Her mother served a bowl of soup and set it aside to cool for her father, continuously adding dishes to his bowl, embodying the typical image of a devoted wife. Her father smiled foolishly at her mother while eating. Over the years, Gu Xiaoqing had become accustomed to this and lowered her head to eat her own rice, ignoring the scene.

Gazing at the entrance, Gu Xiaoqing did not spot a flower, but rather a man resembling one. However, this description is not entirely accurate; although this man had a flower-like appearance with his tall and upright stature, exquisite features, and a noble-like pallor, his aura was anything but floral. His gaze was sharp and cold. Upon entering, he stood in the mall's atrium, surveying the surroundings with a commanding presence. His own aura was enough to leave an impression, and coupled with the few individuals accompanying him, all of whom were impeccably dressed and striking in appearance, they drew the attention of everyone present. The group standing there further captivated all eyes.

At 6:30 in the evening, Father Gu returned home on time, washed his face after entering the house, and knocked on Gu Xiaoqing's door, calling her out for dinner

After finishing dinner, Dad Gu went to the kitchen to wash the dishes as usual, while Gu Xiaoqing returned to her room and lay on the bed, continuing to daydream. The sound of Aunt Qiong Yao's classic TV drama "A Dream of a Curtain" echoed in the living room, and the female lead's sharp voice came through the door, causing Gu Xiaoqing to turn over in annoyance. Suddenly, her phone on the table rang; she picked it up to see a text message from Guoguo, which simply read: "Come up."

While Gu Xiaoqing was lost in thought, the results of the discussions and inquiries emerged. Sister Zhang walked back to her counter and whispered mysteriously to Gu Xiaoqing: "Xiaoqing, do you know? Our mall has been acquired"

This summer has been exceptionally hot. In the mere distance of 200 meters from the shopping mall to the bus stop, Gu Xiaoqing was already drenched in sweat. She walked into the shade of the bus stop sign, raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her face, looked up at the sun, and then turned to gaze at the towering buildings of the commercial district nearby. It was the end of the workday, and well-dressed white-collar workers were streaming out of the office buildings, joining the throngs of people leaving work. Normally, she would not pay attention to these scenes, but today she found herself pausing to observe for a long time. Suddenly, she understood a principle: the world does not prohibit you from changing; it simply has its own rules. If you wish to obtain something, the first thing you must learn is to compromise

Sister Zhang glanced at her, ignored her, and turned back to continue reading the newspaper

For Gu Xiaoqing, regardless of how the scene in the afternoon was like a stone dropped into water, creating ripples in her heart, time would still pass as it should, and she would still finish work at the designated time. They worked in three shifts, and today she was on the regular shift, finishing work promptly at 5 PM. As she walked out of the mall's entrance, a wave of heat hit her, and for a moment, she felt dazed as she stepped into the crowd of people leaving work.

In City C in August, at noon, the sun blazed fiercely in the sky, and the entire commercial street was sparsely populated. At this time, most of the shoppers had taken refuge in the malls. The few groups of people on the street all walked along the edge, seeking to avoid the scorching sunlight

Mother Gu turned her head to glance at her, responding with a soft, "Mm."

In Gu Xiaoqing's mind, whether or not to attend university is not a very important matter. After hearing numerous reports over the years about college graduates struggling to find jobs, she feels that being able to find a job to support herself without asking her family for money is not shameful. However, recalling the scene from earlier, she begins to contemplate the differences between people for the first time. She glances at Sister Zhang, who is whispering to someone nearby. Sister Zhang, at 28 years old, is still quite young, has a two-year-old child, and her husband works as a technician in a state-owned factory. Their daily conversations revolve around her husband and child.

Gu Xiaoqing is a sales assistant for a brand of shoes in this shopping mall, and her counter is directly facing the main entrance of the mall. Throughout this morning, hardly anyone has visited their counter. Feeling somewhat bored, she rests her chin on her hand while sitting on the long sofa in the center of the counter, staring blankly at the mall's entrance.

That afternoon, Gu Xiaoqing remained in a daze, her mind wandering. Fortunately, the weather was hot, and there were hardly any customers. A group of salespeople gathered in small clusters, secretly discussing and inquiring about what they had just seen. Thus, no one noticed her condition

Gu Xiaoqing called out, "Mom." Gu's mother glanced at her but did not respond. Gu Xiaoqing had already grown accustomed to this, so she walked into the living room and poured herself a large glass of cold water, feeling somewhat refreshed. After washing her face in the bathroom, she leaned against the kitchen door, watching her mother's busy figure, and with some difficulty, she spoke up, "Mom, I want to repeat a year of study."