Chapter 595 - 625: Qin Jiao, Cold-hearted and Unfeeling?
Chapter 595: Chapter 625: Qin Jiao, Cold-hearted and Unfeeling?
The day Lin Nian suddenly went into labor, they just happened to be nearby. They couldn’t just stand by and do nothing, so of course, they had to help out.
But the two of them weren’t very close to begin with. Plus, Jiang Xiaoyue considered herself to be on Qin Jiao’s side, so she naturally wouldn’t get too friendly with Lin Nian.
She had her own principles and boundaries, after all.
Qin Jiao looked down and said, "Meng Lanlan is looking for you, probably to complain about me."
"What would she have to complain about? Wait, I thought you two were on good terms?" Jiang Xiaoyue was completely surprised.
Qin Jiao said, "My family is restructuring the noodle house. We’re planning to transfer ownership of the shop, open a proper restaurant, and at the same time, bring on two franchisees."
"Oh, right, I remember you mentioning that. I guess from now on, if I want to eat your parents’ delicious cooking, I’ll have to show up at your door for a free meal. So what does this have to do with Meng Lanlan?"
"It doesn’t have anything to do with Meng Lanlan, but it does concern her husband, Lu Jiuan. He tried to lowball me on the price and terms, and then he went and filed an anonymous complaint against me with the authorities. So when he came to me later to talk about franchising, I just told him that we’re only opening three locations in the first batch and aren’t accepting any more applicants."
Jiang Xiaoyue immediately caught the main point. "Holy crap! Who the hell does he think he is? So he was the one who filed that anonymous complaint a while ago! He’s trying to pay as little as possible for the biggest possible return?"
After all the years of experience she’d gained, she was hardly a naive rookie fresh out of school.
Qin Jiao smiled and nodded.
Jiang Xiaoyue was furious. "And Meng Lanlan still has the nerve to bring this up with me? She’ll be lucky if I don’t cuss her out."
"Meng Lanlan probably doesn’t know. After all, it’s not exactly something to be proud of, so Lu Jiuan wouldn’t have told her."
"Oh, fine then. If Meng Lanlan doesn’t bring it up, I’ll let it go. But if she does, I’m going to have to set her straight."
"Right. If she doesn’t mention it, you shouldn’t either. Don’t let it affect your friendship."
Back in high school, after Lin Nian had hurt and disappointed her, Meng Lanlan had gradually grown close to Jiang Xiaoyue.
The next day, Jiang Xiaoyue met Meng Lanlan for a meal at a restaurant. She kept her temper in check and didn’t bring anything up. Even when she saw that Meng Lanlan looked upset, she didn’t take the initiative to ask why.
But it was Meng Lanlan who couldn’t hold it in. She brought it up herself, saying, "I’ve been in a terrible mood these past few days."
"Oh."
"Xiao Yue, you know Qin Jiao better than I do. I just don’t remember her being so cold and heartless."
Jiang Xiaoyue did not like the sound of that.
She put down her chopsticks. "How is Xiao Jiao cold and heartless?"
"It’s about her family’s noodle house franchise! She’d already agreed to give Jiuan a discount, but then she turned around and refused to let him franchise at all! It breaks my heart to see Jiuan so dejected. Tell me, do you think I did something to offend Qin Jiao in the past? Is that why she’s treating us like this?"
Jiang Xiaoyue was utterly exasperated. "Meng Lanlan, how can you say that? Why don’t you go ask your dear Lu Jiuan what he did?"
"Huh? What could Jiuan have possibly done? He’s always so diligent at his job, and he only got into investing so we could have a better future. I just don’t understand why Qin Jiao..."
"Do you want to know why Xiao Jiao won’t let him franchise? It’s because a few days ago, just so he could pay less or squeeze out a better deal, Lu Jiuan wrote an anonymous letter reporting Youjia Noodle House! He claimed there was a problem with their food! You tell me, after something like that, why on earth would Xiao Jiao still want to go into business with him?"
"What? That’s impossible!"