Chapter 101 The Intern

Li Yanhe heard Lin Miaomiao’s words and once again confirmed with her, “You didn’t cut the watermelon for me; you left my watermelon in the kitchen.”

Lin Miaomiao, hearing Li Yanhe unnecessarily repeat what she had just said, rolled her eyes—not too elegantly—and replied, “Exactly! You had time to chit-chat with Jiang Luohan, but no time to cut the watermelon and eat it.”

Summer’s heat weighed on Lin Miaomiao, and on top of that, Li Yanhe and Jiang Luohan’s conversation moments earlier had left her only half understanding. She had already botched her desserts several times this summer because of the oppressive heat, and Lin Miaomiao felt that if she failed one more time, she might give up on pastries altogether.

With a heavy sigh, Lin Miaomiao turned to Li Yanhe and asked, “Li Yanhe, if there’s something you truly, deeply want to do, but you keep failing at it, would you still persist?”

Li Yanhe considered for a moment before responding, “I think I’d keep trying, but I might choose to step back for a while—to figure out where I went wrong.”

Hearing this, Lin Miaomiao placed the watermelon she had been holding straight into Li Yanhe’s hands and said, “You eat the watermelon first, I need to think about what you just said.”

With that, she returned to her study. Li Yanhe, claiming fatigue, cradled the half watermelon and slowly followed Lin Miaomiao into the study.

He watched as Lin Miaomiao sat there, carefully writing something. Seeing her so absorbed, he sighed, feeling as though he might have said something he shouldn’t have.

Li Yanhe looked up and said sternly to Lin Miaomiao, “You don’t really need to take some things so seriously. Sometimes, things are just not that complicated.”

Lin Miaomiao nodded and replied, “I know! Honestly, I’m not taking it that seriously. I just want to figure out where exactly I went wrong.”

Glancing at her scribbling and sketching on the paper, Li Yanhe sighed again and took his watermelon out to the lounge chair, settling in to enjoy the summer breeze.

After a long while of Lin Miaomiao writing and drawing, all at once Li Yanhe heard the sound of a pen being slammed down in frustration, followed by paper balls falling to the floor. He sighed, shaking his head helplessly. “As expected, she’s failed again, and now the girl is angry.”

“Well! Even when she’s flustered, she looks lovely. I just wish I knew what she was working on—there’s nothing I can do to help.”

The next morning, when Lin Miaomiao got up, she found Lin Langluan and Lin Langze pestering Jiang Luohan. She glanced at the two brothers.

Ever since Lin Langze had taken her advice, he aspired to become a physician—a carefree one at that.

Lin Miaomiao felt that everyone has their own path. If you choose your own way, you should be prepared to shoulder whatever comes.

Jiang Luohan glanced at Lin Miaomiao, who shot him a look and said, “If you want to take them, take them. If you don’t, forget it. Why are you looking at me?”

Lin Langluan looked at Jiang Luohan and, in a tone far too mature for his age, said, “Then I’ll leave my brother in your care. I’m going with my sister to learn about business.”

Hearing this, Lin Miaomiao’s lips twitched as she replied, “Then let’s go!”

Setting out by carriage had become a staple of Lin Miaomiao’s daily routine. Lin Langluan had already mastered the basics of the Four Books and Five Classics. In ancient times, those were really the only texts worth reading, so Lin Miaomiao no longer forced them to study.

Sitting in the carriage beside her, Lin Langluan followed Lin Miaomiao to the sales office. Her real estate business was thriving, and thanks to the pleasant environment she had created, her properties were loved by the wealthy.

Lin Miaomiao had opened a commercial street nearby, offering everything people might need or want. The affluent residents of her development were more than satisfied.

Da’ankou’s weather was not ideal, but summer was still cool enough that people treated it like a vacation spot.

Catching sight of Yang Zhi, busily talking up clients, Lin Miaomiao brought Lin Langluan over and said, “Today, I’ve brought you an intern.”

Yang Zhi, not quite getting what she meant, looked up in confusion. “Boss, what’s an intern?”

Lin Miaomiao patted his shoulder and explained, “An intern is someone you mentor as they learn the ropes from you.”

Yang Zhi, glancing at Lin Langluan standing behind Lin Miaomiao, promised, “Don’t worry, Boss! I’ll make sure to teach him everything.”

Lin Langluan’s face immediately fell. Turning to Lin Miaomiao, he protested, “Sister, I want to follow you, not him.”

Lin Miaomiao replied, “You don’t have the skills yet. Following me won’t teach you much. Yang Zhi is a newcomer, and so are you. Both of you will be responsible for this commercial district. Your goal is to make it profitable as soon as possible.”

“I’ll pay you both, and your salaries will be much higher than ordinary workers. But if you can’t show results, my only thought will be to fire you.”

She patted Lin Langluan on the shoulder. “Good luck. I hope you won’t be the first employee I let go.”

With that, Lin Miaomiao climbed back into the carriage. Watching her leave, Lin Langluan suddenly felt as if his own sister had abandoned him.

Yang Zhi shot a look at this privileged young master and sighed inwardly, “From now on, my days are only going to get harder.”

On his very first day at work, Lin Langluan had to handle all sorts of tasks, including petty disputes between customers and staff. He hadn’t expected the customers to be so unreasonable. Whenever he lost his temper and was about to snap at the guests, Yang Zhi would step in with a smile and placate them.

Yang Zhi reminded him, “Boss just said in yesterday’s meeting—attitude toward customers must be good. If not, you’ll be fired on the spot.”

Lin Langluan never imagined that his first day would be so challenging. Suddenly, doing business didn’t seem so simple after all.

At the end of his first day, Yang Zhi handed him an employee handbook. Looking at all the rules and regulations, Lin Langluan suddenly realized that his sister’s job was actually quite tough.