Jiang Jianhuan is at the very bottom of the office food chain, a designer's assistant.
It was already a huge stroke of luck that Jiang Jianhuan was able to help Su Mo with the design this time. Normally, this level of work should be handled by the lead designer. Although Jiang Jianhuan did a great job, it still couldn't change the fact that she was just an assistant.
In essence, this only indirectly proves that she has considerable ability; whether she can be promoted still depends on Jiang Yuan's arrangements.
Jiang Jianhuan dreams of becoming an independent designer, even if she is just one of the ordinary people.
At least that way she could draw her own blueprints, make her own designs, and have her name signed on every corner of her work.
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Because of this collaboration with Su Mo, Jiang Jianhuan received a considerable bonus. After paying off her monthly debts, she still had some savings.
The weather has gotten colder recently. Jiang Jianhuan recalled that when she last went home, Jiang Xin and Yi Qingxue were still wearing old clothes from a few years ago. Jiang Xin had lost a lot of weight and was no longer the slightly chubby person he used to be. His down jacket looked empty and desolate on him.
Taking advantage of the weekend, she went to a relatively large shopping mall in the city center to buy suitable winter clothes for the two of them.
With New Year's Day approaching, the shopping mall was bustling with activity, and many stores were having promotions. Jiang Jianhuan browsed around and spotted a high-quality down jacket that was discounted because it was last year's model.
She was looking at the price tag and mentally calculating the discounted amount when two stylishly dressed girls suddenly walked towards her, holding hands intimately.
Their eyes met, and they were both taken aback.
"Jiang Jianhuan...?"
"Long time no see, Zhu Jing, Sun Jun." Jiang Jianhuan was the first to react, smiling and nodding to greet the two, her expression as usual.
"You're back in China?" Both of them looked surprised, their eyes widening slightly with disbelief.
"Yes, I came back a while ago."
"I really didn't expect this. None of our classmates knew this." The two of them adjusted their mood, looked her over a few times, and resumed their normal attitude, like old classmates exchanging routine greetings after not seeing each other for a long time.
“We’ve basically lost contact.” Jiang Jianhuan’s expression remained unchanged, still carrying a faint smile. A strange glint flashed in their eyes as they eagerly began to gossip.
"What about Su Mo? Has he lost contact with you? He's a big star now, and lots of people around me like him."
Jiang Jianhuan smiled but didn't say anything, which seemed more like tacit agreement, and they continued talking.
"You don't know, Chi Lan has now entered the entertainment industry. She was very popular a while ago, and there were TV commercials featuring her everywhere."
"She seems to be getting quite close to Su Mo now; they even made the news last time..."
"You probably won't see these messages in China, right?" The two chatted back and forth, then tentatively looked at Jiang Jianhuan and asked, their feigned concern masking a look of anticipation.
The two girls were Jiang Jianhuan's college roommates, but because she and Chi Lan had been good friends since high school and were inseparable in college, their dormitory was gradually divided into two distinct factions.
At first, everyone's relationship was quite harmonious. Jiang Jianhuan was busy chasing after Su Mo every day, so she didn't have much energy to pay attention to these things. She usually shared and confided in Chi Lan about her worries.
I usually go to class and eat with her, and we're basically together all the time. I'm not as close to other people.
But ever since she caught up with Su Mo, the atmosphere has become a bit strange.
Although she chased after Su Mo every day, no one actually thought she could actually win him over.
Who is Su Mo? He's the number one heartthrob at C University. His guitar performance at the freshman welcome party captivated countless girls. He gets approached by at least eight or ten girls every day, but he's basically ignored.
The most widely circulated story is that the music department's most beautiful girl deliberately bumped into him in the classroom every morning for a week to greet him. When she finally mustered up the courage to ask him for a pen, Su Mo frowned, looked her over for a few seconds, and then said coldly.
"You're not a student in this class, are you? I've never seen you before."
A critical hit of 10,000 points.
The girl's heart was instantly shattered.
Many people gave up, but there were also those like Jiang Jianhuan who relentlessly pursued him, and in the end, nothing came of it. It was as if there was a vacuum around Su Mo, and no one could get close to him.
So when the news that Su Mo had a girlfriend came out, it was almost explosive news. When it was learned that his girlfriend was Jiang Jianhuan, the news exploded again.
For a moment, I felt a mix of emotions.
There are quite a few people who are resentful, envious, jealous, or even hateful.
This included his roommates, especially since they watched Jiang Jianhuan happily dating and going on dates every day.
With so many hidden thoughts, the already distant relationship was pulled further apart. By the time Jiang Jianhuan, immersed in love, realized this, it was already beyond repair. At that time, she comforted herself, thinking that at least Chi Lan was there, which offered her some small consolation.
Until the day I broke up with Su Mo.
Chapter 11
After the insincere greetings and reminiscing with her roommates, Jiang Jianhuan was a little tired and lost the desire to continue shopping. She quickly bought the down jacket and prepared to take the bus home.
Leaning against the bus window, I watched as a bus stop came by, displaying a huge beverage advertisement. The spokesperson was Chi Lan, whose bright smile contrasted sharply with the gloomy sky outside, creating a sense of disorientation.
Actually, they said something wrong.
Jiang Jianhuan is not unaware of domestic news even when she is abroad.
Ironically, just as Su Mo and Chi Lan were being reported by gossip media, an unknown channel was playing on the hospital's public television.
Their news came to Jiang Jianhuan's eyes unexpectedly.
The sight of two familiar faces side by side made her feel utterly unfamiliar with them, and she even hesitated to recognize them.
Later, while receiving an IV drip, she browsed domestic social media apps and finally read the news thoroughly over and over again.
It was an awards ceremony, and the two happened to be sitting together. Chi Lan said something, and a smile that was uniquely girlish appeared on her face, a smile that was innocent, cute, and coquettish without her even realizing it.