A reborn mother longs for her daughter's happiness.

Chapter 176 Li Shiqing's Jealousy

Early morning sunlight streamed softly through the gaps in the blinds, bathing the office area of ​​the Li Group subsidiary in gentle light. Li Shiqing, the marketing manager, hummed a tune as she walked briskly into the company. She wore a smart yet stylish business suit, her confident smile seemingly dispelling any gloom. Just as she was preparing to start her energetic day, a glance out of the corner of her eye caught sight of Zhang Chen—the sales manager, and also her handsome and considerate boyfriend—not far away.

"Zhang Chen, good morning!" Li Shiqing waved her hand and greeted him loudly, her eyes full of sweetness.

However, before Zhang Chen could respond, a petite girl dressed sweetly rushed over like a gust of wind, hugged Zhang Chen tightly without saying a word, and said in a sweet voice, "Brother Zhang Chen, I've finally found you!"

This sudden turn of events left Li Shiqing frozen in place, her smile turning to ashes. Her eyes widened in disbelief, as if she had witnessed something incredible.

Zhang Chen was clearly caught off guard by the sudden attack. He struggled to break free from the girl's embrace and hurriedly explained, "Shi Qing, let me explain. This is my neighbor's sister, Chen Meili. She just came from her hometown and is probably a little too excited."

Chen Meili then let go of Zhang Chen, tilted her head to look at Li Shiqing, her eyes revealing a hint of innocence: "You must be the Shiqing sister that Brother Zhang Chen often mentions, right? You are even prettier in person than in the photos!"

Li Shiqing forced a slightly stiff smile, but her heart was a jumble of emotions, a mix of feelings welling up inside her. She said "hello," but her tone betrayed an undisguised jealousy.

"Brother Zhang Chen, please take me to visit your company! I'm so curious about it!" Chen Meili, completely oblivious to the subtle atmosphere in the air, grabbed Zhang Chen's arm and started to act coquettishly.

Zhang Chen looked helplessly at Li Shiqing, his eyes full of pleading. Li Shiqing turned her head away and snorted coldly, "You guys go ahead, I still have work to do." After saying that, she turned around and strode towards her office, the sound of her high heels hitting the ground seemed to carry anger.

"Shi Qing, wait a minute..." Zhang Chen tried to catch up, but Chen Meili held him tightly.

"Brother Zhang Chen, please stay with me first!" Chen Meili persisted.

Zhang Chen sighed, thinking that he could only appease this "little troublemaker" first before going to explain to Li Shiqing.

For the rest of the day, Chen Meili followed Zhang Chen around like a little shadow, running all over the company. She would pester him to show her around the different departments, and then bombard him with questions, completely disregarding the pile of work he had to do. Zhang Chen, though thinking about Li Shiqing, felt awkward being too cold to his childhood neighbor, so he could only force a smile and appease her.

During the lunch break, Zhang Chen finally managed to find an excuse to get away from Chen Meili and hurriedly went to Li Shiqing's office. At this time, Li Shiqing was sitting at her desk, staring blankly at the computer screen, barely touching her lunch.

"Shi Qing, don't be angry anymore, okay?" Zhang Chen walked to her side and said cautiously, "Chen Meili is just an immature girl, she didn't mean anything by it."

Li Shiqing rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "Hmph, clueless? I think she's clearly doing it on purpose. The way she's hugging you so affectionately, anyone who didn't know better would think she's your girlfriend!"

"How could that be!" Zhang Chen quickly explained, "You're the only one in my heart, don't you know that? Chen Meili has grown up with me since we were little, she's always treated me like a brother, she really doesn't have any other thoughts."

"Then why is she so disrespectful to you? Hugging and acting all cute, it makes me so angry!" Li Shiqing became more and more agitated as she spoke, her eyes even turning slightly red.

Zhang Chen held her hand tenderly, saying, "I know it's my fault for not handling this matter properly and causing you to suffer. I promise that this will never happen again. I will find an opportunity to have a good talk with Chen Meili and tell her to be more mindful of her behavior."

Li Shiqing withdrew her hand and turned her head away: "You make it sound so easy. What if she doesn't listen to you?"

“If she doesn’t listen, I’ll… I’ll cut off all contact with her!” Zhang Chen said with a serious expression.

"You dare!" Li Shiqing turned around abruptly, glaring at Zhang Chen. "She's your neighbor's sister. If you really do this, people will think I'm a vicious woman!"

Zhang Chen was both amused and exasperated: "Then what do you suggest? I'll do whatever you say."

Li Shiqing thought for a moment and said, "How about this, after you get off work today, invite her out, and the three of us will have dinner together. I want to see what kind of person she really is."

"Okay, no problem! I'll do whatever you say." Zhang Chen nodded in agreement.

"Brother Zhang Chen!" A clear, slightly coquettish shout broke the office's silence. Zhang Chen looked up in surprise and saw a girl with a high ponytail and wearing a pink dress standing in the doorway, waving excitedly at him. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Chen Meili, his neighbor's younger sister whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Beautiful? What brings you here?" Zhang Chen put down the documents in his hand, stood up and went to greet her.

Chen Meili skipped over to Zhang Chen like a happy little deer, affectionately took his arm, and said, "Brother Zhang Chen, I'm back from my hometown! This time, my parents asked me to come work here, saying that I should learn more from you so that we can look after each other in the future."

Zhang Chen scratched his head, a troubled look on his face: "It's a good thing to work here, but why didn't you tell me beforehand? Besides, our company's recruitment process is quite strict; it's not like you can just get in whenever you want."

Chen Meili pouted, gently shook Zhang Chen's arm, and said coquettishly, "Brother Zhang Chen, please help me. I finally convinced my parents to let me come to the city to develop my career. It would be so embarrassing if I couldn't even find a job. You must know a lot of people in the company. Could you help me get in through some connections?"

Before Zhang Chen could answer, she saw Li Shiqing walk out of the break room with a cup of coffee. From afar, she saw Chen Meili holding Zhang Chen's arm, and the intimate way they looked made her heart skip a beat, and her bright smile vanished instantly.

Over the next few days, Chen Meili frequently appeared at the company, ostensibly to learn about its operations, but in reality, she was trying every means to get close to Zhang Chen. She would bring him snacks while he was working, or deliver documents to him during meetings, and she would often find various excuses to have meals with him. Li Shiqing saw all of this, and her jealousy flared up completely.

One day at noon, Li Shiqing pulled Zhang Chen to the company's rooftop and said angrily, "Zhang Chen, you've been getting way too close to that Chen Meili lately! She's always hanging around you, haven't you noticed anything wrong with her?"

Zhang Chen said innocently, "Shi Qing, don't overthink it. Meili is just a simple girl. She's new to the city and doesn't know anyone. As her neighbor and older brother, it's only right that I take care of her."

"Innocent? I think she has ulterior motives!" Li Shiqing said coldly, arms crossed. "Her parents made her work here and even let her get close to you. Who knows what her purpose is?"

Zhang Chen smiled helplessly: "Shi Qing, your imagination is too rich. What could Meili possibly want? She just wants to find a good job in the city and develop her career."

Li Shiqing stomped her feet angrily: "You just keep protecting her! You'll regret it when she steals you away one day!" With that, she turned to leave.

Zhang Chen quickly grabbed her hand: "Shi Qing, don't go. I know you care about me, but please don't misunderstand Meili. How about this, I'll find some time to have a good talk with her and tell her to be more mindful of her behavior, okay?"

Li Shiqing stopped and turned to look at Zhang Chen: "You said it yourself. If you don't handle this properly, I'm not done with you!"