***
Her mother still wouldn't let her be, knocking on her door, insisting that she must invite Feng Qinglang to come over for a meal tomorrow so everyone could meet.
This really gave her a headache.
She charged her phone and turned it on.
As soon as she turned on the phone, a message popped up—it was actually from Feng Qinglang.
"Mai Zi, when you get home, reply to my message."
Mai Xiaomai was slightly startled but casually replied, "Just got home and saw the message, what's up?"
The text message alert sounded again soon after.
"Nothing much, just worried about you, a girl coming home so late. It's relieving to know you're safe. I'm going to sleep now, good night."
Seeing this message from Feng Qinglang, Mai Xiaomai's heart warmed.
It had been a long time since someone had shown her such concern, especially someone she had only just met.
"Thanks for your concern, good night."
After replying to the message, she sat for a while, lost in thought, then went to have a shower and went to bed...
*
Since it was the weekend and she didn't have to work, she didn't set an alarm and allowed herself to sleep in.
But unexpectedly, her mother, who usually would never disturb her sleep, knocked on the door. "Xiaomai, get up quickly, someone is looking for you!"
Ever since You Bei had gone abroad, no one had come to visit her.
Could it be Feng Qinglang?
She rubbed her bleary eyes, got up from the bed, checked her phone, and saw that it was already past nine o'clock. She quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face, combed her hair, got dressed, and went out.
Unexpectedly, it wasn't Feng Qinglang who had come, but an unfamiliar middle-aged couple, with several boxes of extremely exquisitely packaged gifts laid out on the table.
However, the middle-aged man seemed somewhat familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before.
The middle-aged couple were dressed with impeccable, classy elegance. From the way they drank their tea and carried themselves, it was clear that they came from a well-off family.
"May I ask who you are?"
Mai Xiaomai asked them with a puzzled look.
"Are you Miss Mai Xiaomai?"
The middle-aged woman elegantly set down her teacup and looked Mai Xiaomai up and down, her gaze peculiar, almost as if Mai Xiaomai were a piece of pork hanging in a butcher's shop, awaiting selection.
"Yes, I'm Mai Xiaomai. May I know your names?"
Mai Xiaomai looked at them with a calm gaze, nodding slightly.
"Hello Miss Mai, I am Qiao Hengyuan. I'm here to thank you for saving my father last night. We are at a loss for how to repay your kindness, so we had no choice but to come and thank you in person. I hope we are not disturbing you," Qiao Hengyuan said politely.
"Qiao Hengyuan? That name sounds familiar?"
Mai's mother looked at Qiao Hengyuan and asked, suddenly exclaiming in surprise, "Aren't you that Qiao Hengyuan from Qiao Corporation?"
"Yes,"
Qiao Hengyuan nodded gently, then introduced the woman beside him, "This is my wife, Zheng Xiuyuan."
"Miss Mai, hello!"
Zheng Xiuyuan, though in her middle years, was exceptionally well-maintained and her demeanor was warm and polite, lacking the arrogant attitude often portrayed by wealthy wives on television.
"Hello!"
Mai Xiaomai responded, gesturing for them to sit down.
The group exchanged simple pleasantries, mostly the Qiao couple expressing their gratitude to Mai Xiaomai for saving Qiao Feng.
Mai Xiaomai wasn't good at interacting with strangers, but the couple was very approachable and good at making conversation, which made her feel less out of place.
"Miss Mai, we have come today firstly to thank you for saving my father, and secondly for another reason, which I hope you won't find too presumptuous," Qiao Hengyuan said with a slight hesitation.
"Okay, go on," Mai Xiaomai looked at him curiously, wanting to know their purpose.
***