amaotonovel Chapter 1580 Barrier
Chapter 1580 Barrier
The next few days were incredibly agonizing for Sun Yumei.
Every day, she would rush to the office in Zhongguancun, standing at the entrance of that gray-white office building, watching the crowds coming and going, hoping to catch a glimpse of that familiar figure. But each time, she would only return disappointed.
The young woman at the front desk already knew her, and every time she saw her come in, she had a hint of impatience on her face.
"Ms. Sun, I've said it many times, Mr. Qin is not available to receive guests right now. Please leave."
"I just want to see Qin Hao. Could you please pass on a message for me? Tell him I have something urgent to discuss with him," Sun Yumei pleaded.
The receptionist shook her head coldly: "President Qin instructed that we're not seeing anyone for a while. If you continue to bother us, I'll have to call security."
Sun Yumei bit her lip, her eyes reddening, but she could only turn away helplessly.
She had lost count of how many times she had been turned away.
Since the day she argued with Qin Hao, he hasn't contacted her at all. He doesn't answer her calls, doesn't reply to her pages, and she can't even be seen in person.
If this continues, she's really going to go crazy.
Sun Yumei knew that the only way to break this deadlock was to find Liu Yuan. Liu Yuan was the only person she knew who could speak to Qin Hao. If Liu Yuan was willing to help mediate, Qin Hao might give her a chance.
The problem is, she has no idea how to contact Liu Yuan.
After much deliberation, Sun Yumei had no choice but to bite the bullet and approach Chen Qiming.
Chen Qiming had always had a good impression of her, showing her great care and attention, but Sun Yumei never reciprocated his feelings. This time, she had no choice but to ask him for help.
When Chen Qiming saw Sun Yumei, his face lit up with undisguised excitement: "Sun Yumei, what brings you here?"
"Qiming, I need your help with something." Sun Yumei tried to make her voice sound as natural as possible.
"Help? What is it? Tell me, as long as it's within my power, no problem!" Chen Qiming immediately patted his chest and assured him.
"It's like this, could you help me find out Liu Yuan's contact information? I need his help with something."
Chen Qiming's expression visibly darkened: "Why did you suddenly think of finding Liu Yuan?"
Sun Yumei hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth: "I had a little conflict with Qin Hao, and I'd like to ask Liu Yuan to help mediate."
Chen Qiming felt as if his heart had been squeezed tightly.
He thought Sun Yumei had finally come to her senses and was willing to give him a chance, but it turned out she was doing it for another man.
"Is it really him you can't live without?" Chen Qiming forced a bitter smile, his voice tinged with resentment.
Sun Yumei was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Yes, I can't live without him."
These words were like a sharp knife, piercing deeply into Chen Qiming's heart.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the anger rising within him: "Why? He treated you like that, and you still had to beg him so humbly? I've been so good to you..."
"Just because he's rich?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Chen Qiming regretted them. He knew he shouldn't have said such things, but he just couldn't help himself.
Sun Yumei's face immediately darkened: "If you don't want to help, fine, but there's no need to insult me like this."
Chen Qiming quickly explained, "I don't... I just don't understand."
"Originally, I didn't want to hurt you, after all, you've been really good to me, but since you've been holding a grudge, I'll tell you anyway."
Sun Yumei's voice carried a hint of impatience, but also a touch of determination.
"In terms of looks, height, and temperament, how can you compare to Qin Hao? All my friends envy me for finding a boyfriend like him."
"As for money and social status, needless to say, at most you can take me out for hot pot once a month, while he can take me to Old Moscow for steak every day..."
Chen Qiming unconsciously tightened his grip on the phone.
He instinctively lowered his head, as if he had been slapped hard in the face.
Yes, what does he have to compare with Qin Hao?
Appearance? Qin Hao is 1.85 meters tall with handsome features, always the center of attention in a crowd. As for him, he's 1.72 meters tall, with an average appearance, easily lost in a throng.
Future prospects? Qin Hao went into business and made a name for himself in just a few months. Meanwhile, he toiled away at his company for several years, only managing to become a junior clerk with a monthly salary of a little over three hundred yuan. He even had to carefully budget his money to treat Sun Yumei to a nice meal.
Sun Yumei didn't continue speaking; some things are best left unsaid.
"Forget it, let's leave it at that. I'll try to find someone else to help."
Just as Sun Yumei was about to leave, Chen Qiming suddenly spoke up.
"Liu Yuan called me a couple of days ago. He went back to his hometown, and I have his hometown's phone number."
Sun Yumei's eyes lit up instantly: "Really? Thank you so much!"
Chen Qiming gave a wry smile, took out a pen and paper, wrote down a phone number, and handed it to Sun Yumei.
Seeing Sun Yumei's delighted expression, the fire in his heart burned even brighter.
He knew perfectly well that doing so would only push him further away, but he still couldn't help wanting to help her.
This is the tragedy of liking someone.
Back in his office, Chen Qiming sat there for a long time.
The sunlight outside the window was bright, but he felt no warmth as it shone on him.
He thought that his kindness towards Sun Yumei would at least earn him a little bit of her gratitude. But the reality was that she was willing to hurt herself without hesitation for another man.
Chen Qiming chuckled self-deprecatingly, got up, straightened his clothes, and prepared to go to the archives.
As a result, he bumped into the department head as soon as he stepped out of the office.
The section chief was a middle-aged man in his fifties who always had a smiling face, but Chen Qiming knew that this man was full of bad intentions.
"Xiao Chen, where's the work summary I asked you to revise?" the section chief asked with a forced smile.
Chen Qiming's heart sank. A few days ago, his department head asked him to write a work summary. He thought he had finally gained the leader's appreciation, so he wrote several pages, including his work achievements and thoughts.
Unexpectedly, this summary became the trigger for the section chief to target him.
The section chief felt that he was too ambitious and might threaten his position, so he began to make things difficult for him in every way.
Chen Qiming had no choice but to hand over the revised work summary to the other party.
"Let me see what this is!" The section chief's voice suddenly rose: "You're just a lowly clerk, what kind of reform proposals are you writing? Who do you think you are? Huh?"
Chen Qiming's face turned grim: "Director, I just feel—"
"You think? You think you know more than the boss, huh?" In front of the entire department, the section chief pointed at Chen Qiming's nose and started yelling, "It's good that young people are ambitious, but they should also know their own limitations! Look at this mess you've written, it's utter nonsense, and you call yourself a college student!"
The surrounding colleagues all lowered their heads, pretending to be busy with their own things, and no one dared to make a sound.
Chen Qiming was already feeling aggrieved, and being scolded by the section chief made his anger rise even higher.
He's endured this for so long, he's really had enough.
"Director, if you find any problems with this work summary, please point them out. There's no need to humiliate me in public like this."
The section chief's face instantly turned ashen: "You...you dare to talk back?"
"I'm just stating the facts," Chen Qiming said, his neck stiff. "I respect that you are my leader, but you can't be so unreasonable."
"Fine! Fine! You've got guts!" the section chief roared in exasperation. "You wait, I'm going to discipline you!"
Chen Qiming sneered and slammed his hand on the table: "Don't bother with any punishment, I quit!"
After saying that, he turned around and slammed the door shut as he left.
The office fell silent; everyone was stunned.
The section chief was trembling with anger, pointing in the direction Chen Qiming had left, speechless for a long time.
……
At the same time, Sun Yumei had already dialed the phone number Chen Qiming had given her.
The phone rang for a long time before being answered, and an elderly voice came through: "Hello? Who is it?"
"Hello, is this Liu Yuan's house?"
"What do you want with him?"
"I'm looking for Liu Yuan. I'm his classmate, and my name is Sun Yumei."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then a frail voice asked, "Are you looking for Xiao Yuan? They just got a new phone; please call this number..."
Sun Yumei quickly wrote down the new number, thanked her, and hung up the phone.
She took a deep breath and dialed Liu Yuan's home number.
"Hello? Who is it?" Liu Yuan's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"It's me, Sun Yumei."
Liu Yuan asked, somewhat puzzled, "How did you know about our newly installed phone?"
"Don't worry about that, Liu Yuan. For the sake of our classmates, please do me a favor." Sun Yumei's tone was somewhat urgent.
Liu Yuan was completely confused: "What kind of help?"
"I had a fight with Qin Hao, and he's refusing to see me. Could you please pass on a few words to him for me? Tell him I know I was wrong, that I'll never interfere with him again, and beg him to give me a chance to make amends."
Sun Yumei's voice carried an almost pleading tone.
As Liu Yuan listened, he had only one thought in his mind: admiration!
Both are dating, so why is it that Qin Hao has Sun Yumei completely under his control, while he pursued Han Ling for four years only to be dumped by her?
How can the difference between people be so great?
"I can only pass on your message, but I can't guarantee whether Lao Qin will forgive you. You know I rely on him for my livelihood now," Liu Yuan said truthfully.
Sun Yumei breathed a sigh of relief: "Just help me pass on the message, thank you, Liu Yuan."
"Hey, we're classmates, it was just a small favor."
Just as Liu Yuan was about to hang up, Sun Yumei suddenly asked, "Looks like you've made quite a bit of money with Qin Hao; you even have a telephone at home."
In 1992, installing a telephone for a private individual was no small expense. The initial installation fee alone was five thousand yuan, which, in the countryside, would have been enough to build several large brick houses.
Liu Yuan's voice carried a hint of smugness: "Old Qin really takes good care of me, but compared to him, the money I earn is nothing."
When he returned home this time, he slammed his bank deposit slip on the table, stunning his parents. The very next morning, the elderly couple went to the sales office to look at apartments, something they would never have dared to dream of before.
Sun Yumei became even more curious: "You've only been in Shenzhen for a few months, right? How did you find a way to make money so quickly?"
"That's right, when have you ever seen Lao Qin do anything he wasn't sure about?" Liu Yuan became more and more excited as he spoke: "You know about stock subscription certificates, right?"
"Is it the stock subscription certificate from '810'? It was on the news, of course we know about it."
"Hehe, Old Qin made millions just from reselling stock subscription certificates!"
Sun Yumei was completely stunned.
He made millions just selling stock warrants?
She made up her mind instantly: even if it meant kneeling and kowtowing to Qin Hao, she would make him forgive her.
The line went dead; Sun Yumei had already hung up.
Liu Yuan seemed reluctant to stop talking; he still had a lot more to say. If Sun Yumei knew that Qin Hao had made tens of millions in the stock market, she would be utterly shocked.
But to be fair, Lao Qin is indeed impressive.
I've been working with Lao Qin for a few months now, and the money I've earned is something I never dared to dream of before.
Liu Yuan shook his head and dialed Qin Hao's number again.
"Hey, Lao Qin, guess who just called me?" Liu Yuan's voice carried a hint of teasing.
Qin Hao laughed and scolded, "Speak up if you have something to say, or shut up if you have something to say."
"Hehe, it's Sun Yumei. What happened to her? She's crying and begging me to pass on a message to you."
Then Liu Yuan repeated Sun Yumei's words verbatim.
After listening, Qin Hao said casually, "It's nothing. I just deliberately left her hanging. This woman likes to take advantage of others; she needs to be taught a lesson."
Liu Yuan smiled bitterly: "Unfortunately, even if I earned as much money as you, Han Ling wouldn't come back."
"If Han Ling came back to you for money, would you still like her?" Qin Hao asked rhetorically.
Liu Yuan paused for a moment, then chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Yeah, people can be just so sentimental sometimes."
"Alright, don't worry about Sun Yumei. Enjoy your two-week vacation back home. You'll be busy when you get back."
Liu Yuan immediately perked up: "Old Qin, you've found a new project again?"
"It's not exactly a new project, and it's hard to explain over the phone. You'll understand once construction begins."
After saying that, Qin Hao hung up the phone.
Liu Yuan put down the phone, looked out the window at the sky, and felt a mix of emotions.
……
A week later, in a state of near despair, Sun Yumei finally received a call from Qin Hao.
"Hello?" Sun Yumei's voice trembled slightly.
"The ballet costumes you ordered have arrived. Should I have them delivered to you, or will you come and pick them up yourselves?"
Qin Hao's voice remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
Sun Yumei had no heart to care about the ballet costume anymore. She almost cried as she said, "Qin Hao, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have interfered with your decision, I shouldn't have acted on my own. Can you please stop ignoring me...?"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
Qin Hao sighed, "Alright, stop crying. I never said I didn't want you anymore."
"Can you see me?"
"Let's have dinner together tomorrow night, at the usual place."
Sun Yumei burst into tears of joy, finally feeling relieved.
She secretly warned herself that she must never take Qin Hao for granted in the future; she couldn't afford to lose a man like him.
……
The next day, the girls in the dance troupe all changed into brand new ballet costumes.
"Wow, this ballet costume is better than the ones that cost four or five hundred before!" a girl exclaimed excitedly. "These heartless bastards, how much money have they made off us?"
"You can't say that. When it comes to business, everyone wants to make more money. It's all thanks to Sun Yumei's boyfriend that she was able to get such cheap goods," another girl chimed in.
"Yes, it saved us half the money."
Han Ling was very satisfied with her new ballet costume. It was her lead dancer outfit, a little more expensive than the backup dancers', but only cost 260 yuan. Although not cheap, she could manage it if she gritted her teeth, so she wouldn't have to ask Xiao Ran for money anymore.
Since getting together with Xiao Ran, she has tried her best not to spend his money. She didn't want to be a burden to him.
Sun Yumei stood aside, comparing the outfit with Han Ling's, and felt somewhat displeased.
In the past, she would definitely have made a sarcastic remark. But Qin Hao's warning was still ringing in her ears, and she no longer had the desire to compete with Han Ling.
"Sister Yumei, why hasn't your boyfriend come lately? How are we going to give him the money?" a girl asked.
Sun Yumei's expression was somewhat unnatural: "Oh, he's been quite busy lately. Give me the money, I'll give it to him later."
"it is good."
"Here, this is mine."
The girls took out their money and handed it to Sun Yumei.
Seeing that her other colleagues had all taken out their wallets, Han Ling could only awkwardly say to Sun Yumei, "I was in a bit of a rush today and forgot my wallet. I'll give it to you tomorrow."
Sun Yumei glanced at her and nodded: "Yes, it's nothing."
Han Ling was somewhat surprised that Sun Yumei didn't take the opportunity to mock her.
This is truly like the sun rising in the west.
However, she didn't think much of it, packed her things, and left work.
……
After get off work, Han Ling excitedly went to the school to find Xiao Ran.
Xiao Ran had just finished get off work, and the two walked hand in hand on campus, chatting as they went.
As the sun set, golden sunlight bathed the two of them, casting long shadows.
After walking for a while, the two found a pavilion and sat down.
Han Ling proudly displayed her ballet costume: "Look, isn't this the lead dancer's costume for this arts performance beautiful?"
Xiao Ran's gaze fell on the dance costume, and his expression changed slightly: "Where did you get so much money?"
Han Ling didn't notice the strangeness in Xiao Ran's tone and was still thinking about sharing her joy with him.
"These are goods that Lao Qin got from a wholesaler in Shenzhen. Each one is more than 200 yuan cheaper than before. Mine is only 260 yuan. Isn't that a good deal?"
However, the next second, Xiao Ran snatched the dance costume away and pretended to tear it.
Han Ling was horrified and grabbed Xiao Ran's arm tightly: "Xiao Ran, are you crazy?"
Xiao Ran, her eyes red, yelled at Han Ling, "Why is Qin Hao treating you to a buffet and buying you dance costumes for no reason? He's like someone who's eating what's in his bowl while eyeing what's in the pot!"
Han Ling looked at Xiao Ran in disbelief: "What nonsense are you talking about? Old Qin isn't that kind of person. He and Sun Yumei have a very good relationship. You can't make malicious assumptions about others just to protect your own pride!"
This really hit Xiao Ran where it hurts.
He was an orphan who grew up in an orphanage. The word "poverty" had been with him since he could remember.
But he was also very smart, and with the help of a small grant from the orphanage, he managed to get into university. Once in university, his grades were consistently excellent.
This upbringing shaped his sensitive and suspicious personality.
In his view, any act of kindness towards others without sufficient reason is purposeful.
Why is Qin Hao so good to Han Ling?
Treating them to a buffet, buying them dance costumes—none of these things cost money.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. What is Qin Hao after?
The answer is obvious.
“Give the clothes back to Qin Hao, and I’ll try to buy you new ones,” Xiao Ran said in a deep voice.
Han Ling was completely baffled: "I've already bought the clothes, and I've even worn them, how can I return them?"
“Don’t worry about this, I’ll talk to Qin Hao,” Xiao Ran said stubbornly.
Han Ling, unusually angry, said, "Xiao Ran, can you please stop being so sensitive? It'll be so awkward when you see your classmates like this!"
"Anyway, we've already graduated, and we won't see each other much more often, so there's nothing awkward about it."
"No, give it back to me!"
The two started pulling at each other in the pavilion.
Han Ling clung tightly to the corner of her dance costume, but Xiao Ran refused to let go.
With a "ripping" sound, the dance costume was torn open.
Han Ling was stunned. Looking at the torn dance costume, her eyes instantly reddened.
She dropped her clothes, turned and ran away.
Xiao Ran tried to chase after her, but Han Ling pushed him away.
"Don't touch me!"
Surrounded by students, Xiao Ran was worried about the negative impact, so he didn't pursue the matter further. (End of Chapter)