24: Chapter 24 Unexplained Hostility!
She simply instructed Shen Zhou not to stay out too late in the evening and to be safe on the way home, and that was that.
When Shen Zhou left the office with Hao Meng and boarded the elevator to the ground floor...
...that chatterbox Hao Meng, as expected, started whispering in Shen Zhou's ear.
"Something's not right, Shen Zhou! Did you notice? The Iron Lady's behavior today is so strange!"
"I've never seen her be this gentle before!"
"When she was talking to you today, why did I feel like her tone had changed?"
"She actually told you to be safe! Since when did a career woman like her learn to show concern for her subordinates? It's weird! Really weird!"
Hao Meng reached up to rub his round chin, then struck a pose like The Thinker.
"Are you going to look at cars or not? If you are, stop with the gossip on the way!"
Facing Hao Meng's innate sharp insight, Shen Zhou could only respond with annoyance.
"Fine, fine, fine. Team Leader Shen is so magnanimous for accompanying his brother to look at cars. I'll stop, I'll stop, okay?"
Hao Meng's mouth was basically a sieve.
Although he said he wouldn't talk nonsense anymore, he didn't stay quiet for a second on the way.
He kept chattering away like an annoying sparrow, making wild guesses beside Shen Zhou.
Of course, Hao Meng's analytical results were outrageously off-base, much to Shen Zhou's surprise.
He came up with all sorts of things, from the loneliness of a divorced woman to the yearning of someone who hadn't been loved in a long time.
If the trip from the company to the Dealership hadn't been so short—they only took the subway for two stops—...
...Hao Meng would have easily come up with dozens of other possibilities.
After getting off the subway, Hao Meng pointed toward the subway station exit.
"Brother Shen, my girlfriend! You know her!"
Gao Xiaomin, Hao Meng's girlfriend, whom Shen Zhou had met a few times back when she was at the company.
One time was when they ran into each other while Hao Meng was moving to a new rental apartment.
That time, Shen Zhou, as a new employee, had gone to help another new employee move.
The other time was when the previous project was completed, and Shen Zhou treated the project team members to dinner.
Gao Xiaomin was there, too.
To be honest, Shen Zhou never really liked this girlfriend of Hao Meng's.
The reason was simple: the woman seemed a bit of a snob.
The first time they met, this colleague's girlfriend had asked about Shen Zhou's income and whether he owned a house or a car in Shanghai.
And the second time they met, Gao Xiaomin kept scolding Hao Meng in front of everyone, saying he wasn't ambitious enough at work and lacked a competitive spirit.
Because of these impressions, Shen Zhou had never had a good opinion of Gao Xiaomin.
Unfortunately, since she was Hao Meng's girlfriend, Shen Zhou just had to let it be. After all, Hao Meng was his brother, and it wasn't his place to interfere with his choices.
Another girl had come with Gao Xiaomin.
Shen Zhou hadn't met her before, but his first impression of her was completely different.
She looked very quiet and gentle, just like the demure young ladies often portrayed on television.
Her delicate features were at least a 90/100 on the beauty scale, but the vibe she gave off was worlds apart from Lin Lan, who was also a 90/100.
"Xiaomin, who is this? Why don't you introduce her to Brother Shen?"
As soon as they met up, Hao Meng spoke up immediately.
"This is Mu Shanshan, my best friend. She told me about the event at the Dealership today."
"She even helped me contact her classmate."
"Her classmate is a staff member at the Dealership."
"She said if we book a car today, we can get a discount!"
Gao Xiaomin said excitedly, but after only a few words, her gaze fell back onto Hao Meng.
"Hey, Hao Meng, seriously, couldn't you have come earlier?"
"Did you bring your ID? What about your bank card? I'm sick of squeezing onto the subway and bus to get to work. If we don't book a car today, don't blame me for being harsh."
I don't know if you've ever met this kind of person in your life—someone who, no matter who is present or what the occasion is...
...as soon as they appear, they immediately make you understand what a refined snob truly is.
Yes, Gao Xiaomin was that kind of person, and a very typical one at that.
And right after Gao Xiaomin finished her short and obviously rather harsh opening remarks...
...the happy expression that had been on the face of Shen Zhou's good brother, Hao Meng, when he arrived finally vanished.
"Alright, Xiaomin, can you not say these things in front of so many people?"
"I brought it, I brought it, I brought everything. Could I not do what you asked?"
Being scolded by his girlfriend in front of others, Hao Meng naturally felt a bit embarrassed.
But because he was a laid-back person, he didn't argue back. He just pulled his prepared ID and bank card out of the briefcase at his waist and showed them directly to Gao Xiaomin.
"Xiaomin, don't talk to Hao Meng like that. Let's go look at the cars; my classmate's shift ends in two hours."
To Shen Zhou's surprise, just when Hao Meng was clearly feeling awkward after being scolded by Gao Xiaomin...
...Gao Xiaomin's friend, Mu Shanshan, spoke up.
This only increased the favorable impression Shen Zhou already had of the young girl, who was around his age—in her early twenties—following his initial positive impression.
After all, in the past, he, Shen Zhou, was usually the one who had to smooth things over.
It was an interesting experience to have a young girl steal his job for once.
What happened next was simple—so simple that after Hao Meng casually introduced the situation to both sides...
...the four of them walked toward the Dealership together.
A few minutes later, the four of them arrived at the store Hao Meng had mentioned earlier.
"Shanshan, you're finally here! Are these your friends? Which one of you is looking to buy a car?"
Just as they reached the entrance, they saw a tall, thin man in a suit, his hair slicked back with grease.
Without a doubt, this must be the classmate Mu Shanshan had mentioned.
"Zhang Shuai, it's my best friend's boyfriend who wants to buy a car! Can you give him some advice?"
After a brief exchange, Mu Shanshan introduced the others to him.
However, during the introductions, what made Shen Zhou clearly feel uncomfortable was that Mu Shanshan's friend seemed to have developed hostility toward him the moment he laid eyes on him, making Shen Zhou feel inexplicably uneasy.