"You are?"
Ye Fan was taken aback. He had not expected anyone here to know him.
"Mr. Chu, I am Li Xiao-Hong! I used to be an intern at Hongqi Bank. We met when you came to the bank to withdraw money." Meeting Ye Fan for the second time had clearly made the girl agitated. Just then, she was blushing bright red.
"Oh, so it's you." And Ye Fan suddenly remembered who the ingenuous girl in front of him was. Ye Fan had been humiliated when he went to Hongqi Bank to withdraw money, and this girl was the one who spoke up for him. That was why, when Li Xiao-Hong mentioned Hongqi Bank, Ye Fan could remember who she was.
"Xiao-Hong, what are you doing here? And you are even working as a server?" Ye Fan had a good impression of Li Xiao-Hong. In this materialistic world, it was rare to find girls who were both beautiful and kind like her. But Ye Fan could not help feeling curious. The last time he saw her, Li Xiao-Hong had been working at Hongqi Bank. So why was she working as a server now?
"Did Miss Xu fire you?" Ye Fan asked curiously.
"No, it was nothing like that, Mr. Chu," Li Xiao-Hong explained hurriedly.
As it turned out, Li Xiao-Hong had been working at the bank during the day and doing part-time work at the restaurant during her evenings.
Li Xiao-Hong had just graduated college and was barely making ends meet as an intern. After paying for rent and food, she hardly had anything left. Due to Ye Fan's intervention, Xu Lei had promoted Li Xiao-Hong to become her personal assistant. But Li Xiao-Hong was still too inexperienced, so she had found herself unable to handle the job and ended up making a lot of screw ups. Finally, out of guilt, she had tendered her resignation and returned to her original position at the bank's front counter.
That was why her salary was as meagre as before.
"My mother's birthday is coming soon. So I want to earn a bit more money to buy her a jade bracelet. All these years, my mother has always been providing for my brother and me. This year, I want to give her a huge surprise on her birthday.” As she said this, an inscrutable light flashed in her eyes.
She had been working part-time at this restaurant for nearly three months.
During the day, she had to work at the bank. And during her evenings, she had to serve customers at the restaurant. Her work day was eighteen hours long and Li Xiao-Hong had no time for leisure activities at all.
Was it tiring?
Of course it was.
But Li Xiao-Hong regretted nothing. In her tiredness, she found happiness.
During this year's birthday celebration, as long as she could see a gratified and satisfied smile on her mother's face, then her three-month's worth of hard work would have been worthwhile.
"Mr. Chu, look. Do you think this bracelet is pretty?"
As she was talking to Ye Fan, Li Xiao-Hong carefully brought out a jade bracelet that had been thoroughly wrapped up.
She had just received her salary from the bank today. And together with the money she had saved up from two months of part-time work, she finally had enough money to buy the jade bracelet, which she went out and bought without delay. In a few days time, the restaurant would be paying her the remainder of her salary and she would use that to pay this month's rent and food bill.
Children from poor families had to take up responsibility early in life. So Li Xiao-Hong knew exactly how each cent of her money should be spent.
Ye Fan chuckled and said, "Mm, it's pretty.
But it must be very expensive? Is it worth it to work so hard for a bracelet?"
"No, Mr. Chu, you don't understand. As long as it makes my mother happy, I am willing to endure any hardship."
"I never had a father. My mother was the one who single-handedly brought up my brother and me. She could never bear to spend money on food, clothes and makeup for herself. The only accessory she owns is a two-yuan plastic bracelet she bought from a roadside stall."
"My mother has given too much to my brother and me. Her youth, her best years and her health have all been given to us. Now that I have graduated and am working, I want to earn more money to lessen the burden on my mother."
"This bracelet is my first present to my mother. In future, I will be buying more and better presents for her."
Li Xiao-Hong's eyes reddened as she was speaking. And Ye Fan could clearly see the tears in the corner of her eyes. But she continued to smile and her smile was as bright as a lotus flower in June.
Ye Fan was suddenly taken aback. As he looked at her, he could see a shadow of himself. Both of them had such similar pasts.
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