Gao Caisheng paused mid-sip of wine and sighed, "This is my entire monthly salary! I've worked so hard!" He then tossed the crumpled bills onto the table. "Caisheng! How could it be so little? Is this really true?" Miao Hanfu counted them—adding up the crumpled cash, she found only 300 yuan. "Now the minimum wage is 600 yuan—this simply can't be!" Gao Ruolan clearly didn't believe it. "It is 600. Yesterday, I was unlucky—I was cleaning a car and the customer complained it wasn't clean enough. My boss took away half my monthly salary!" Gao Caisheng sighed, his face full of weariness. "Dad! There must be some truly heartless bosses out there. Let's go confront him!" Gao Ruolan was deeply indignant. "Well, well, we can't fight the tide. We've accepted the appointment, and the boss didn't insist—we only agreed to take the job voluntarily because we couldn't find anything else!" Gao Caisheng looked as if he were carrying a bitter gourd. "Dad, Mom, I'm full now Gao Ruan set down her chopsticks and plates and went back to her room. She read for a while, then got down to doing her homework. With her daughter away, Gao Cai-sheng gestured to Miao Han-fu and said, "Ruan's mother! How come the sun is rising from the west today, serving such delicious meals?" "Today I've met two fortunate people!" Miao Han-fu said with delight. "Oh, Ruan's mother! Please tell me more!" Gao Cai-sheng pleaded. Miao Han-fu was in high spirits today and recounted in full detail all the events that had unfolded along the Shunke Long commercial street. Gao Cai-sheng was so amazed that he couldn't believe his ears—he doubted whether he had heard correctly. When he confirmed it was true, he jumped up from his chair and danced and sang to Miao Han-fu, "Our family is truly blessed! That person who's appeared on TV, Gao Liang—he's the son of Gao Zhongming, the chairman of Lianchuang Group!" "Lianchuang Group, Lianchuang Group—no way!" That's a leading company in the computer industry—And Lan even said she went to school with him! Our And Lan...!" Mei Hanfu was equally astonished. "As long as our And Lan transforms from a humble sparrow into a phoenix, securing a prestigious match, we'll be well off, with comfort and prosperity guaranteed!" Gao Caisheng laughed heartily. "Caisheng, how have you treated our And Lan? One should stand on one's own feet in life!" Mei Hanfu was a resilient woman in her daily life. "Dad! What are you talking about now?" And Lan's voice came through, startling both Gao Caisheng and Mei Hanfu, who hadn't realized she had heard every word through the door just moments ago. Yet Gao Caisheng's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "You and Mom have only one precious daughter—my hope is that you make good matches soon, like this high-achieving student, Gao Liang. Not only is he wealthy and handsome, but he's also a true benefactor to us..." "Dad! Dad! Please stop!" Gao Ruo Lan quickly interjected, her face slightly flushed with a touch of bash as she spoke in front of her parents. At that moment, the family phone rang. Gao Caisheng noticed the unfamiliar number, hesitated a moment, then answered. As soon as he picked up the phone, however, he jumped up with childlike excitement and spoke in a respectful tone: "Mr. Ouyang, this is Luo Lan's father. Please tell me what you need!" "Good, good! Mr. Ouyang, please come to my home whenever you have time! Goodbye, Mr. Ouyang!" Gao Caisheng kept calling "Mr. Ouyang" — first one, then another — which made Miao Hanyu and Gao Ruo Lan blink in surprise, unsure what had brought the call. "Dad! What does Mr. Ouyang want from me?" Gao Ruo Lan asked, unable to hold back. "Well, well... well, well..." Gao Caisheng deliberately kept it vague, watching his daughter's face. "Really, really urgent! Dad, just tell me! Just tell me!" "Gao Ruolan's voice was soft and delicate, and Gao Cai-sheng smiled warmly. After sipping the freshly brewed clear tea and clearing his throat, he said, 'Starting tomorrow, Ruolan will officially be dating Mr. Ouyang! Ruolan, Dad's cheering for you!' 'Hmph! Who are you fooling? We're just ordinary classmates—nothing more!' Gao Ruolan shook her head and said, 'He must have something else in mind for me, right?' 'Cai-sheng, don't keep us hanging—just tell us! If you don't, the fish maw will go to someone else!' Miao Han-fu's words truly came true—Gao Cai-sheng immediately brightened and repeated exactly what Gao Liang had said: 'We'll meet at the place where we first met!' 'Meet at the place where we first met?' Miao Han-fu and Gao Ruolan said in unison. 'Just that?' 'Just that!' Gao Cai-sheng affirmed. 'Ah-ha!' Both Miao Han-fu and Gao Ruolan burst into laughter. 'Daughter, you're our family's hope "Have we met somewhere? Where exactly have I met Gao Liang?" In the morning of the second day, Gao Ruolan was riding her beloved electric bike, thinking about it. Then, suddenly, her eyes lit up—she immediately remembered a place. At the largest book and audio-visual center in Hanhai City, Gao Ruolan searched every corner but couldn't find Gao Liang. When she turned around, however, the familiar row of bookshelves caught her attention. "Yes! It's a taekwondo DVD! A new arrival, isn't it?" Gao Ruolan excitedly pointed to the side of the DVD. She hurried to the checkout counter to pay. The cashier glanced at it, then, after verifying Gao Ruolan's ID, politely said, "Miss, someone has already paid for this for you—just sign here!" "What? Already paid?" Gao Ruolan's eyes widened. The cashier nodded respectfully, and Gao Ruolan signed happily and left. She immediately thought of another place. Gao Ruolan rode her bike to the spot where Gao Liang's taxi and her own bicycle had once collided. Gao Liang wasn't there, and she felt a bit disappointed when she arrived. Then, an elderly lady came over and said, "Are you Ms. Gao Ruolan?" Gao Ruolan nodded. "Ms. Gao Ruolan, I've been waiting for you for over an hour! I have something to give you—please take it." With that, the elderly lady presented a beautifully packaged bag and placed it gently in Gao Ruolan's hands. "Huh! What is it?" Gao Ruolan carefully opened the package under the kind smile of the elderly lady. "Wow! Is this real? Did I missee something?" Gao Ruolan exclaimed in surprise. It turned out to be a pink dress exactly like the one that had been torn here before—precisely the one Gao Ruolan had always loved. Gao Liang truly had a thoughtful heart, and he had given her a wonderful surprise. "Wear it!" The old lady smiled warmly, her expression bright and comforting. Gao Ruolan, like a cheerful magpie dressed in a fresh outfit, looked especially delighted. The style and color of the dress fit her perfectly, enhancing her youthful charm and grace. At the third location, Room One of the Business Management Department at Saint Dorothy Mary Business School. Gao Ruolan walked in with a light, cheerful step, exclaiming, "Wow! That's so stylish!" Her remark drew a collective gasp from the students studying in class. Qiu Xin Yue looked slightly disappointed and said, "Gao Ruolan, didn't you just take a day off yesterday? Why are you here again?" Gao Ruolan thought for a moment and replied, "Ah, yes! I actually forgot to bring one of the books I was studying at home." She went to her desk drawer and pulled out a business book, only to find three fresh, brand-new student notebooks tucked between the pages. Qiu Xingyue noticed it immediately. She snatched the assignment books from her hands and said, "These are specially issued for our college—only the most outstanding students are entitled to receive three at a time. Tell me, where did you get these?" "It has nothing to do with Gao Ruolan. I placed these books in her desk drawer to encourage her to study harder!" At some point, Song Si'an appeared in the classroom, speaking with great grace. Qiu Xingyue couldn't argue further and returned the books to Gao Ruolan, who then walked over to Song Si'an and said, "Thank you, Teacher!" before leaving. "I'm the most outstanding student—I haven't even managed to collect three books at once yet!" Qiu Xingyue clearly felt jealous. Her intuition suggested that someone might be involved, but it didn't matter much—after all, that person had already been expelled from the school, and whether or not they'd return was still uncertain. These three locations are spread across different directions in Gao Jiazhuang, so it took a great deal of effort to finally reach them—yet Gao Rulan still didn't see Gao Liang. She began to complain inwardly: Hmph! Gao Liang, I've searched every place we've visited, and still, I haven't seen a single trace of you. What game are you playing with me? I'm truly tired now.