I update my girlfriend's financial power every month.

Chapter 28 Good men are not readily available in the market.

Why didn't you date him?

Michelle replied casually, "Because we're too close. We're so close that being good buddies would be super comfortable, but if we were dating—I'm afraid I'd burst out laughing when we're kissing."

"Huh?" Tian Wei was stunned, while Shen Wanrou on the other side burst out laughing.

Michelle nudged Tian Wei's shoulder and asked mischievously, "Little Weiwei, can you imagine what it would feel like to kiss your college roommate or your best friend?"

Tian Wei: ……

"Pure friendship is rare between men and women, but it really existed among the first generation of colleagues."

Michelle smiled and looked at Zhou Lang, winking at him: "I still remember, the first time I met Zhou Lang."

"That was my first day at work. It was past 11 p.m. when I realized I had left my phone charger at the company, so I drove back to get it."

"At a corner of the park road, as I was turning, Zhou Lang suddenly walked out from the roadside. I braked and didn't hit him, but he fell into the green belt while trying to avoid me."

"I went down to check on him and found that he had several cuts on his hands and arms, and his knees were also scraped."

Michelle sighed, "But, Director Zhou was lying there, laughing out loud, laughing like Madara Uchiha... Do you know how creepy that is late at night...?"

"I was thinking, this guy is so strange, did I hurt his head?"

Zhou Lang recalled the scene from three years ago vividly: "That's because if you suffer a minor injury, you can reasonably ask for a few days off and finally get a proper rest."

Tian Wei: ……

Shen Wanrou's expression darkened. She leaned closer to him and whispered, "I'm sorry..."

The culprit behind Zhou Lang's unreasonable overtime work and almost non-stop work year after year was her ex-husband.

"Sister-in-law, I've already said that you and him are two different things. He doesn't deserve your apology on his behalf."

Michelle continued, "After getting to know him, I found that Zhou Lang is a really nice person."

"I had only been at the company for a few days when Wu Dagou... uh, Xiao Weiwei's father, forcibly ordered me to fetch water for his office to make tea."

"I was so shy back then, I wanted to refuse but I didn't dare. Luckily, Zhou Lang gave me some advice - he told me to apply lots and lots of hand cream every day."

"In this way, the tea your father drinks every day will smell like a lethal dose of hand cream."

Within a week, he no longer needed me and sent me back to my original post, haha~

Shen Shunan listened quietly from the side, and when she heard this, she smiled knowingly.

"Whenever you go to our office area, Zhou Lang is always the one who closes the door the most gently; in the summer, he will try to get small fans for male colleagues and air-conditioning blankets for female colleagues—well, there are many similar little things, too many to list."

"In an environment where many people flatter and fawn over their leaders, Zhou Lang seems to have no interest in trying to please his superiors. Instead, he focuses on working well with his colleagues."

"Normally people don't say it out loud, but that's how reputation is built up little by little."

"Enough talk, come on."

Zhou Lang raised his glass: "To the friendship of childhood sweethearts in the workplace, cheers!"

"Cheers~"×4

……

After lunch, I passed by a temporary hand-drawn notebook and jewelry market on the first floor of the mall, where girls were bustling around.

The four girls around Zhou Lang couldn't resist the attraction of these little items either, and immediately started shopping and picking and choosing.

Shen Wanrou pulled her younger sister, Shen Shunan, to a planner stall and asked in a low voice, "You met a new friend today. What do you think of this older brother?"

She deliberately asked her younger sister to buy the gift and deliver it to Zhou Lang at the restaurant first.

Create a simple environment for the two of you to meet alone.

Shen Shunan didn't think much of it and nodded, "My brother is a good person."

"Pretty good?" Shen Wanrou knew her younger sister well. For Shen Shunan, who was not good with words, these three words were already a very high compliment.

"You've only met once and barely spoken a few words, yet you already think she's great?" Shen Wanrou teased.

Shen Shunan replied earnestly, "I overheard Tian Wei and that Sister Mi talking about it."

"If a person receives only negative feedback at work but can still control their emotions and treat those around them well, then they must be a person with great inner strength."

Shen Shunan's voice was a little softer: "I couldn't do that, so I really admire people like that..."

Shen Wanrou casually flipped through a few notebooks. Her younger sister and Zhou Lang... perhaps there's something unexpected going on?

Her original idea was simply to get the two of them to meet and see how things went.

However, seeing her sister's current reaction, Shen Wanrou, who should have been happy, felt inexplicably annoyed...

……

The jewelry market on the other side.

"Little Weiwei, do you have a bit of a crush on Zhou Lang?"

Michelle's sudden question startled Tian Wei, who was fiddling with her hairpins.

"what?"

A flicker of panic crossed Tian Wei's eyes, but she feigned composure in her voice: "No way, the age difference is too big... I'm eight years younger than him..."

"That means you like them."

Michelle nodded firmly.

"N-no, Sister Mi..."

"Because, Xiao Weiwei, the first thing you said wasn't 'I don't like it,' but rather that you were struggling with the age difference."

Michelle smiled and stared at the young girl whose thoughts were written all over her face: "So, if the age difference isn't too big, you'll go after him, right?"

Tian Wei didn't know how to answer, or rather, she hadn't thought of a reply yet, so she lowered her head and continued fiddling with the jewelry in her hands.

Michelle patted Tian Wei on the back, encouragingly reminding her, "There's one thing you must remember, Weiwei—good men don't come easily."

"Hmm...hmm?" Tian Wei looked up blankly.

"You have to act quickly, otherwise other girls will beat you to it, and you can only bet that you can bear the regret and remorse."

Michelle continued to explain: "Many reliable guys don't usually take the initiative to approach girls;

Conversely, those witty guys who spend all their time surrounded by women are likely the product of repeated relationships and breakups.

That's why it's said that "bad boys" are more likely to attract women's attention, have many girlfriends, and change them one after another at will.

"A reliable guy will usually be won over quickly once he meets a girl who appreciates him."

This leads many women to feel they can never meet a good man, and that the men they encounter "on the market" are mostly playboys who toy with women's feelings.

Tian Wei seemed to be deep in thought, and secretly glanced at Zhou Lang in the distance.

Michelle had a knowing look on her face that said, "You know what I mean."

"Your brother Zhou Lang, what a coincidence, is currently in an extremely rare circulation stage."

Michelle said, "Before, he was busy making a living, doing a huge amount of work for a meager salary, and had no chance to meet other girls."

"But recently, it seems he's achieved unexpected great success with his previous investments and startups with others, I'm guessing—"

Therefore, once he achieved success in his career, it became easy for other girls to notice him.

His hidden excellence, outstanding personality and abilities, and inner brilliance were completely overlooked by everyone in his repetitive and mechanical work.

However, once they enter the "market," these advantages are immediately amplified under the halo of wealth.

Michelle was also a little conflicted, but she still reminded him, "If he's still just an ordinary, struggling working-class man like before, the eight-year age gap will definitely be hard for your mother to accept."

"Now that I'm rich and live a free life, the age difference can be bridged by material conditions—but I also have to be prepared that men will turn bad when they get rich... Sigh, all I can say is, Xiao Weiwei, open your eyes wide and make your own decisions."