CHAPTER 617: CHAPTER 534 SUCH A COINCIDENCE

"Got it! I’ll let them know first!" Liu Xiaole excitedly picked up her phone and called her mother.

Her mother was obviously thrilled too, as her excited voice boomed through the speaker.

Li Si chuckled softly. Liu Xiaole’s parents were genuinely straightforward people.

After Liu Xiaole hung up, Li Si reminded her, "Finish your work first. Don’t worry about me!"

Liu Xiaole smiled apologetically, "Then please wait for me a little while. I’ll finish this form soon!"

If it weren’t for the urgency of this task, she wouldn’t have let Li Si wait. But fortunately, once she was done, she could leave for the day.

So, she calmed herself and got to work seriously.

"No problem! I’ll just take a look around," Li Si said as she stood up and started exploring the office. Behind her, Liu Xiaole’s fingers flew across the keyboard, the rhythmic tapping filling the room.

Taking advantage of the walk, Li Si organized her thoughts and gave herself a moment to cool down. Coming here earlier had been a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Now, glancing sideways at Liu Xiaole, she noticed she looked much better than she had before the store opening. Her complexion was no longer sallow. After all, she was still young. Having slimmed down, Liu Xiaole’s skin showed no signs of sagging. Perhaps being indoors most of the time and avoiding sun exposure had also helped her maintain her fair skin.

From this angle, Liu Xiaole’s pale, delicate face and focused expression made her look genuinely lovely.

Li Si hesitated, unsure whether to tell Liu Xiaole the things she had just learned.

If Liu Xiaole had truly moved on from her past relationship with An Zhengran and regained her former optimism and cheerfulness, wouldn’t bringing it up again just reopen old wounds?

Was An Zhengran really the kind of man one could depend on?

Liu Xiaole worked quickly, finishing the task and printing it out within half an hour. She took it to the general manager’s office, briefly mentioned leaving early, and then walked out.

Manager Tang, being who he was, already knew that Liu Xiaole was close friends with the CEO’s wife. With the CEO’s wife coming by, how could he dare not let her go?

He hesitated about whether to say a few words himself, but the sound of their distant conversation in the hallway signaled it was too late.

The Mo Si Furniture office was tucked away in a corner on the fifth floor. The two of them took the elevator straight to the first floor.

On the first floor, in Area A—the materials section—Yao Meiling was walking toward the restroom with a look of frustration on her face, phone in hand. Her ex-mother-in-law was on the other end of the call.

She was telling her the child had a high fever and was hospitalized, asking for money.

Sometimes, she did miss her child—it was, after all, flesh and blood she had carried for ten long months.

But every time she thought of her ex-husband, bitterness consumed her.

If it weren’t for him, how could she, a young university student living her best years, have dropped out, gotten pregnant, married, and had a child?

In the end, she was left in that miserable state.

And now, he was conveniently out of the picture, while she was stuck dealing with it all.

"I know! Even if I want to transfer money to you, you’ll have to wait until I’m off work, right? You’re anxious, but who isn’t anxious?"

Hanging up the phone that had soured her mood, Yao Meiling felt a surge of anger, wanting to yell out loud.

She had no desire to return to the store and, feeling a bit hungry, thought about checking the back entrance for some food vendors.

Li Si and Liu Xiaole were walking and laughing together, and they happened to run into Yao Meiling directly.

When Yao Meiling saw Liu Xiaole, she was about to greet her, recognizing her as someone from the HR department. But then she caught sight of Li Si next to her and was so startled that she panicked, hurriedly turning her face away and covering it with a hand.

If she hadn’t reacted that way, Li Si might not have even noticed her, simply mistaking her for a salesperson in uniform.

However, all the abrupt movements made Li Si glance over a few more times as she passed by. Their eyes met when Yao Meiling peeked up nervously to check if the coast was clear.

Li Si exclaimed in surprise, "Yao Meiling?!"

There was no mistaking her. Although Yao Meiling looked a bit worn-out, her short hairstyle was unmistakable—the same one she had at Li Fei’s engagement banquet in their past life. Back then, she had been adorned in a glamorous gown, unlike now, dressed in a branded work t-shirt.

She worked here?

It wasn’t that Li Si was overly suspicious, but she had never been on good terms with Yao Meiling. Their confrontation in the ski lodge’s changing room had escalated into an all-out brawl.

Later, Yao Meiling had even teamed up with Li Fei to orchestrate the school forum post scandal, which Leng Mochen had eventually investigated, delivering retaliatory measures that weren’t light.

Liu Xiaole looked at both of them in surprise and curiously asked, "Sisi, do you know her?"

She seemed to recall this woman as an employee at one of Li Si’s husband’s relatives’ stores. She might not know the person, but the work uniform was familiar enough.

Li Si nodded with a faint smile.

Yao Meiling steadied herself and greeted stiffly, "Oh! Li Si! What a coincidence!"

Her guilty conscience prevented her from meeting Li Si’s gaze directly.

She inwardly cursed her own carelessness. How could she have run into her like this?

Her envy and resentment surged as she took in Li Si’s elegant attire and the effortless aura of wealth she exuded.

Why was Li Si so fortunate? How had she ended up marrying into such a wealthy family, while she was trapped in misery?

It really was her!

Li Si took a long look at her, her lips curving into a mocking smile. "A coincidence, really? You mean to tell me you don’t know who owns this furniture company?"

The suggestion was absurd. Surely she had to know who owned Mo Si Furniture?

There was no way she didn’t.

With her mind racing, Yao Meiling feigned ignorance. "Li Si, what do you mean by that? Who owns it?"

Then, looking down in apparent remorse, she added, "I know I was in the wrong back then and did some things I shouldn’t have. But I’ve paid for my actions, haven’t I? Look at me now—haven’t I suffered enough? My ex-husband is in prison, my child is with his mother-in-law, and even my own family won’t accept me. I’ve had to come out here to work."

Knowing Li Si as she did—soft-hearted and easily persuaded—she figured this act might just earn her forgiveness.

Maybe running into her wasn’t such a bad thing after all. If she could reconcile with Li Si, she could change her approach to certain matters, fulfilling the mission she had been entrusted with.

But Li Si remained silent for a long time, prompting Yao Meiling to glance up curiously. She found Li Si standing there with her arms crossed, staring her down without a word.

Instead, Li Si turned to Liu Xiaole and asked, "Which store does she work at?"

Liu Xiaole took a closer look at the embroidery on the pocket of Yao Meiling’s shirt and confidently said, "It’s the store owned by your husband’s relative. I clearly remember the brand."

Feeling utterly unlucky, Yao Meiling wanted to cry. She cursed herself for foolishly wandering around in her work uniform.

Li Si’s tone turned icy. "Yao Meiling, do you have anything else to say? Want to tell me how ’coincidental’ this all is? Coincidentally working in a company under my family’s business, and coincidentally ending up in my husband’s relative’s store? What exactly are you trying to do? What’s your real motive?"

This was not the same Li Si who could be swayed by a few strategic words.

No amount of pitiful excuses from Yao Meiling could sway her now.

The animosity between the two of them had been brewing for a long time. In her past life, Yao Meiling had done everything she could to kick Li Si when she was down.

Seeing her in such a state now, Li Si felt no sympathy whatsoever.

She conceded that perhaps some of Yao Meiling’s current misfortunes were indirectly caused by her rebirth.

But in the end, everyone walks their own path. Yao Meiling had made her choices, and it was up to her to bear the consequences. She had to pay the price for her actions!

This had nothing to do with Li Si! (To be continued. If you like this story, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations or monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)