050 New Reward [A Small Supermarket]!

Zhao Shumin’s heart ached with profound grief.

Afterward, she forced herself into a state of numb labor.

At this moment, Zhao Shumin knew that today's birthday was destined to be spent in complete solitude and misery.

……

After leaving the snack bar, Li Zhiyan, having eaten and drank his fill, headed straight to a cake shop.

"Make a cake."

"Nineteen inches. I’ll come to pick it up tonight."

Knowing that today was Zhao Shumin's birthday, Li Zhiyan naturally wanted to make some preparations.

Though this woman was an absolute shrew.

After their relationship improved later on, Li Zhiyan discovered that this shrew was actually a very kind-hearted woman.

She made breakfast for him every single morning.

Furthermore, when that tattooed tenant tried to push his way in, she had stood in front of him with a rolling pin to protect him.

Although she wasn't as wealthy or well-connected as Aunt Lai.

She was genuinely good to him, making getting her a cake well worth the effort.

There was also another reason: Li Zhiyan truly craved her.

Upon arriving at the company, Li Zhiyan punched in.

Lai Feifei had granted him leave for the morning.

After clocking in, Li Zhiyan walked over to the sales department. As soon as he sat down, he could distinctly sense that his colleagues were somewhat distant from him.

However, Wang Ya still approached him.

"Xiaoyan."

"The sales department has assigned you to cleaning duties now."

"You're almost finished with your KPI for this month, and you'll definitely pass your probation soon."

"So just bear with it for now."

"A job like this is hard to come by."

Having experienced the harsh realities of society, Wang Ya offered her advice from the perspective of someone who had been through it all.

Deep down, Wang Ya genuinely hoped that Li Zhiyan would do well.

"I know, Sister Ya."

After brushing her off with a perfunctory reply, Li Zhiyan began his preparatory work.

Before long, Liu Yichen and Liu Jinxin arrived, having plotted beforehand to bully Li Zhiyan today.

Liu Yichen felt extremely annoyed by the fact that Li Zhiyan had ignored his orders last time.

"Li Zhiyan!"

"What is wrong with you!"

"You never do the cleaning for the sales department when you're told to, and you never change the water either!"

"Get over there and clean right now!"

"And the restroom in our sales department is assigned to you as well!"

Liu Yichen spoke to Li Zhiyan in an overbearing, arrogant manner, acting as if Li Zhiyan were his personal servant.

"Not doing it."

"Get away from me!" Li Zhiyan cursed.

Liu Jinxin felt a surge of wild joy inside. What an absolute idiot, picking a hard fight with the son of the branch company's supreme boss—wasn't that pure mental illness?

It looked like he was going to be fired immediately.

"Li Zhiyan, your emotional intelligence is truly rock-bottom."

"Go to hell, you creepy crossdresser, I curse your entire family!"

Li Zhiyan spoke from the bottom of his heart, his tone genuinely and utterly sincere.

"Get lost!"

Li Zhiyan shouted, frightening the two workplace bullies so badly that they hastily stepped aside to clear a path.

After Li Zhiyan left, Liu Yichen walked into the CEO's office without a word.

At this moment, Catherine was standing by the office window, gazing at the scenery outside. The statuesque, black-silk-clad long legs of this foreign beauty were exceptionally eye-catching.

"Mom!"

"I told that Li Zhiyan to clean, and he refused!"

"Fire him right now!"

Catherine’s expression turned somewhat unnatural.

"Son, regarding the matter of firing Li Zhiyan..."

"Mom might not be able to do it just yet."

"The internal pressure within the company is very high."

Liu Yichen clenched his fists. Ever since the beginning of his life, everything had been smooth sailing—a wealthy and powerful father, a gorgeous supermodel mother.

Back in university, he had ruled the campus like a king, and even the university president showed him respect.

He had tasted every luxury life had to offer, yet trying to deal with a mere Li Zhiyan kept running into obstacles.

"How is that possible? Does Li Zhiyan have some kind of backing?"

"It's fine, son."

Catherine’s blue eyes were brimming with absolute confidence.

"Keep him in the company; there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with him later. Don't worry, Mom will definitely make you satisfied."

Only then did Liu Yichen stop asking further questions.

Exiting the office, he was met by Liu Jinxin, who eagerly asked, "President, has Li Zhiyan been fired already?"

"That punk has somewhat stubborn backing; even my mom finds it tricky to fire him."

"However, keeping him in the company gives us even more chances to deal with him."

Liu Jinxin was momentarily stunned. This broke-ass loser actually had backing like that?

……

Throughout the afternoon, Li Zhiyan killed time by browsing while studying.

The system also issued a new task!

[New task issued.]

[Zhao Shumin will have a conflict with her company colleagues.]

[Please go downstairs to her company to pick her up.]

[Task reward: A small supermarket automatically operated by the system.]

[Monthly profits will be settled based on monthly performance.]

[Note: The minimum profit guarantee is 1 yuan.]

"A supermarket that never loses money!"

This task made Li Zhiyan feel as though he were dreaming.

Was he about to become a small business owner?

And the kind of small business owner who didn't even need to worry about managing it!

That evening, after picking up the cake he had prepared for Zhao Shumin and returning home, Li Zhiyan set off for Zhao Shumin's company.

At 11:30, a dispute broke out inside Zhao Shumin's office.

A young female employee in her early twenties had gotten into a heated argument with Zhao Shumin over some work-related conflicts.

Zhao Shumin felt an overwhelming sense of grievance, because she truly was not to blame for the dispute.

Yet at the company, Zhao Shumin didn't dare to throw a tantrum or tear anyone's clothes.

If she went too far, the boss would seize upon it as an excuse to dock her wages.

Besides, she knew that old pervert had already made improper advances toward her more than once.

"You are so annoying!"

"No wonder nobody wants you, nobody loves you!"

That single sentence completely blurred Zhao Shumin's vision with tears.

She turned her head and forced herself back to work, choosing not to continue arguing with the girl.

It wasn't until closing time, after everyone else had completely cleared out, that Zhao Shumin, with her eyes red and swollen, became the last person to leave the office.

The weather was scorching hot, yet as Zhao Shumin stepped out of the office building, her heart felt utterly ice-cold.

Her own biological son was not even willing to spend a single birthday with her.

And that colleague's parting remark had frozen her heart to the absolute extreme.

In this world, truly no one loved her anymore.

Just as her tears began to well up and spin in her eyes once more.

Li Zhiyan’s voice rang out.

"Aunt Zhao."

The moment Zhao Shumin, who was about to leave, turned around.

She saw Li Zhiyan standing right behind her.

"Aunt Zhao, wait for me."

Stepping forward, Li Zhiyan walked up to Zhao Shumin's side.

"Aunt Zhao, why are you crying?"

If Li Zhiyan hadn't asked, Zhao Shumin probably could have held it in.

But the moment Li Zhiyan uttered those words, the dam of Zhao Shumin's tears completely broke.

She was utterly powerless to control her emotions.