"Little Xu, Sister Yuan."
The newcomer was Shao Qingqing, who offered a shy smile upon seeing Su Ding and Xiao Yuan.
Xiao Yuan glanced at Su Ding, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Su Ding hadn't expected to run into her aunt, Shao Qingqing, and nodded in greeting, "Auntie, what a coincidence."
Shao Qingqing felt somewhat flattered to be greeted by Su Ding, considering Su Ding's current status as the head of Ouya Group.
"Um, I'm sorry about yesterday. It was my brothers' fault. Please don't take it to heart. From now on, they won't bother you anymore," she said, a bit embarrassed.
Su Ding smiled, "Okay, I understand. They are them, and you don't need to apologize for them, Auntie."
Shao Qingqing nodded.
For some reason, ever since Little Xu left the Shao family that year, after meeting again, she felt a sense of detachment, a subtle distance between them, as if they weren't truly family.
Even Xiao Yuan seemed closer to them than aunt and niece.
"Little Xu, there's something I wanted to tell you..." Shao Qingqing hesitated, deciding to remind Su Ding about that matter.
Seeing Shao Qingqing's hesitant demeanor, Su Ding felt a bit puzzled.
Shao Qingqing cast a troubled glance at Xiao Yuan, who, being perceptive, smiled and said, "Ding Ding, I'll wait for you over there."
"Excuse me, Sister Yuan," Shao Qingqing said nervously.
In Shao Qingqing's eyes, Xiao Yuan was her superior's superior. Now, she was asking Sister Yuan to leave. If her friends knew, they would surely find it unbelievable.
Su Ding stepped closer, "Auntie, what is it?"
Shao Qingqing whispered, "Little Xu, I don't know what's going on between you and CEO Jin, but yesterday I heard from Little Jun that he saw CEO Jin at a bar with a young girl, and they seemed quite intimate. That's why the family's attitude towards you..."
"Jin Ye went to a bar with a young girl? That's impossible."
Su Ding had indeed heard from Shao Jun that Jin Ye had rejected her, but she hadn't expected it to be something witnessed firsthand.
Shao Qingqing frowned, "I don't know if it's true or not, but Little Jun said he saw the girl himself, and I don't think he would dare lie to his mother... If you still have feelings for CEO Jin, you might need to be more careful."
"Oh... I understand."
Su Ding nodded thoughtfully, "What bar?"
Shao Qingqing recalled, "It seemed to be a small bar on the east side of the city, called Ye Se."
After noting it down, Su Ding thanked Shao Qingqing, "Auntie, thank you."
Regardless of Shao Qingqing's motives for approaching her, they had played together as children. Later, her mother's tragedy wasn't largely Shao Qingqing's fault, so Su Ding didn't harbor much resentment towards her.
After their conversation, Su Ding called Xiao Yuan over.
Shao Qingqing bid them farewell, "Sister Yuan, Little Xu, I'll be going now. Goodbye."
"Bye-bye~"
Su Ding and Xiao Yuan waved goodbye. Watching Shao Qingqing leave, they then walked into the mall together.
"What did your aunt say to you just now? You looked so secretive," Xiao Yuan asked gossipily.
"Just family matters, nothing important."
Su Ding didn't intend to elaborate, simply filing it away in her mind. "Let's go look over there."
Xiao Yuan linked her arm through Su Ding's, and they began to shop.
After about two hours of shopping, they had bought quite a few things, returning laden with bags. Afterward, Xiao Yuan headed back to the company, while Su Ding decided to visit Ding Xia.
While they were shopping, she had received a message from Zhang Xiaoya, saying she was coming to report for duty at Ding Xia.
Half an hour later, Su Ding entered Ding Xia.
Ding Xia was now officially open for business. It was just past the meal rush, so there weren't many customers. Due to its quiet and artistic ambiance, a few young people were working by the windows.
The receptionist was Xiao Ai, whose eyes crinkled into smiles when she saw Su Ding, "Manager, you're here."
"Mm, has Zhang Xiaoya reported for duty today?" Su Ding asked with a smile.
"Yes, Manager Wen has already taken Xiaoya to the kitchen to brief her on a few things. Little Tang is helping Aunt Qin and Uncle Liu wash dishes and tidy up."
Su Ding nodded and headed towards the kitchen.
Half of the kitchen window was transparent, allowing them to see each other before Su Ding even entered.
Zhang Xiaoya looked somewhat shy upon seeing Su Ding again and walked out with Wen Yang.
"Manager, I've already spoken with Xiaoya. She'll be coming in when she doesn't have classes, and she's already quite familiar with the place," Wen Yang said first.
Su Ding nodded with satisfaction and looked at Xiaoya, "How is it? Can you manage?"
Zhang Xiaoya was flattered and quickly replied, "Sis... um, Manager, this place is great. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I'll work hard!"
Su Ding smiled, "Good."
Just then, two familiar faces entered the store.
Su Ding heard the movement and looked over, surprised. The newcomers were Xie Shanshan and Liang Tian.
"Little Xu! What a coincidence, are you eating here too?"
Xie Shanshan greeted her proactively. Her facial injury had healed considerably, though traces were still visible even with makeup.
Liang Tian still had a shy demeanor and nodded at Su Ding.
"Manager, we'll go down and get busy now."
Wen Yang, seeing they were acquaintances, called out and led Xiaoya further inside.
Hearing "Manager," Xie Shanshan looked at Su Ding again, "This store, you opened it?"