Li Man and the other girl were both shocked.
"I can’t believe Qin Jiao is so shameless!"
Lin Nian gave a cryptic smile and lowered her voice. "Hey, please don’t tell her I’m the one who said this. Things are already so hard for me after I missed the college entrance exam... Sigh, I really envy you guys."
Between hearing gossip about Qin Jiao and now being the object of envy, Li Man and the other girl felt their vanity swell. They immediately warmed up to Lin Nian.
Li Man said, "Don’t worry. We’re not on good terms with Qin Jiao anyway, so we won’t tell her."
"Oh, has she gotten on your bad side, too?" Lin Nian asked deliberately.
Li Man was too embarrassed to speak, but her friend spoke up instead. "We’ve known for a long time that Qin Jiao loves to lead guys on. She already has a boyfriend, yet she still hit on Xu Zhengyang! If it weren’t for her, Xu Zhengyang and Manman would have gotten together long ago!"
Li Man actually knew that even without Qin Jiao, Xu Zhengyang might not have ended up with her.
But her vanity got the better of her, and she didn’t stop her friend.
Lin Nian caught on. She said mockingly, "So she still can’t behave herself in college, always trying to attract every guy she sees. I guess having Shen Yi just isn’t enough for her."
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
As the three of them bad-mouthed Qin Jiao, their bond surprisingly grew stronger.
Qin Jiao knew nothing about any of this.
’But when it came to Lin Nian, she had never been one to go easy. If Lin Nian dared to cause trouble for her again, she definitely wouldn’t let her get away with it.’
Qin Jiao went to Rose District first to check on the renovation progress. The construction team had already begun work, and the plumbing and electrical were nearly finished. The next major tasks were the kitchen and bathroom.
These two areas required waterproofing. Furthermore, both Qin Jiao and Shen Yi had very forward-thinking ideas, so some of the workers didn’t fully grasp their designs.
So Qin Jiao had to be on-site to provide direction.
One of the workers was astonished. "You want to turn this section of the dropped ceiling into an arch? Won’t that block the light?"
Qin Jiao said confidently, "It won’t. Just go ahead and build it with confidence!"
The worker thought for a moment and nodded.
’This young lady may look young, but she speaks with such conviction. When you talk to her, you find yourself unconsciously going along with her and trusting her completely.’
’Her attitude is great, but her eyes are so sharp you wouldn’t even think about cutting corners.’
In any case, the pay was generous, so the construction crew didn’t really mind Qin Jiao and Shen Yi’s "demanding" requirements.
After supervising the renovation at Rose District, Qin Jiao headed to the noodle shop.
The noodle shop’s renovation was much simpler. It involved knocking down the wall between two rooms, then sectioning off the kitchen with a glass partition and a counter. This allowed customers to watch the noodle-making process and see for themselves that the equipment was clean and tidy.
This method would later be adopted by many, but back then, most people subscribed to the old saying, "A little dirt never hurt anyone."
But that was just self-comfort.
’But if you could watch it being prepared cleanly, and it tasted fantastic as well, wouldn’t you eat with greater peace of mind?’
’The number of repeat customers would naturally increase.’
When Qin Jiao shared this idea with her parents, Qin Zhonghui and Su Yun were shocked at first. But on second thought, they realized it was a brilliant idea.
Qin Jiao explained with a smile that the customers in the area would be mostly university students, who were quick to embrace new things. A restaurant’s business, she argued, is built on repeat customers, and students would spread the word.
Once they built a good reputation, they wouldn’t have to worry about business.
After hearing their daughter’s explanation, Qin Zhonghui and Su Yun felt even more confident about making the noodle shop a success.
Moreover, working for themselves gave them a greater sense of purpose. It felt much more secure than their previous jobs working for other people.