Rebirth: CEO's Sweetheart Reaches the Life Pinnacle!-Chapter 36 - 34 Zhou Rou’s Confession

"Him? Haha, back in school, he used to chase after me. None of you knew about it. It happened around the time my mom tore up my college acceptance letter. I was so furious and heartbroken that I ran away from home, got drunk, and called him to meet me. We ended up being together."

"It was probably my way of getting back at my mom. She always said I was worthless and no one would want me. So I found someone who did. But honestly, I regretted it later. He did have feelings for me, but there was no way he’d ever marry me. His family runs a business, and they would only approve of him being with Wang Man. You guys might not know much about Wang Man’s family, but her father is very well-connected."

Li Siwei felt her pain. He hadn’t known about these details before, but he did recall hearing later on that Zhang Weicheng did end up marrying Wang Man.

The group fell silent for a while. Then Li Siwei asked, "So what are your plans now?" If she intended to go back to the kind of place she’d been working at, he didn’t want to say anything else.

"I’ll just find another job. After today’s mishap with Wang Man, there’s no way I can go back there. I’ve totally embarrassed myself in front of all our classmates. From now on, except for you two, I’m not contacting anyone else!" Zhou Rou said, wiping her tears. She tried to smile, but her failed attempts tugged at their hearts.

Li Siwei thought for a moment. "How about this? I have a friend who owns a restaurant. If you’re willing to work hard, I can help you get in touch and maybe you can work there?"

"Work hard? That’s no problem for me—I can handle it. But how much can I even make at a restaurant? You know my family’s situation; how long will it take to pay off all those debts?" Zhou Rou’s eyes lit up briefly before dimming again.

"The pay at this restaurant is pretty good. As long as you’re willing to put in effort, you’ll likely earn more and more. If you’re interested, I’ll call and ask about it for you!" Li Siwei said, pulling out his phone.

"Alright, go ahead and ask. If it works out, I can start tomorrow." Zhou Rou rubbed her forehead as she responded.

Li Siwei stepped out to call Cui Hao. He explained the situation briefly and arranged for Zhou Rou to start working the next day.

When he came back, Zhou Rou and Bai Shasha looked at him expectantly. "How did it go?"

"Tomorrow, you can go straight to Uncle Bo’s Home Cooking at 37 East Sun Road. Look for Manager Cui there; he’ll arrange an interview and set up your job!"

"That’s great! Thank you, Li Siwei. Once I get my first paycheck, I’ll treat you to dinner!" Zhou Rou said sincerely, gripping Li Siwei’s hand.

"Oh, come on, you’re only treating Li Siwei and not me?" Bai Shasha joked.

"How could I forget you? Of course, it’s all three of us together!" Zhou Rou grabbed her hand as well. The three of them exchanged smiles, briefly transported back to their carefree high school days.

Just then, the phone in Zhou Rou’s bag started ringing. She took it out and saw Zhang Weicheng’s number. With a harsh expression, she ended the call. Moments later, Bai Shasha’s phone, lying on the table, rang as well. She glanced at it—it was Zhang Weicheng. "What do you guys think? Should I pick up?"

"Pick up! Why not? Let’s hear what he has to say!" Li Siwei said, noticing Zhou Rou nodding.

"Hello, what do you want?" Bai Shasha answered impatiently, putting it on speaker. Zhang Weicheng’s anxious voice came through: "Bai Shasha, have you found Zhou Rou? She’s not answering my calls!"

"Whether we’ve found her or not, what’s it to you? What’s wrong with your girlfriend Wang Man? She acted like a mad dog today, biting everyone indiscriminately. Do you think you’re RMB, and everyone craves you?"

"Ahem, let’s not talk about that now. If Zhou Rou is with you, I’ll feel relieved. Bai Shasha, for the sake of our years of being classmates, please help take care of her—and tell her I’m sorry. I, I..." Zhou Rou silently covered her face and cried. Li Siwei gently patted her back.

"Wow, you’re something else. Why should I take care of Zhou Rou for you or apologize on your behalf? Who do you think you are? Who gave you the authority? Listen, Zhang Weicheng, Wang Man’s intentions at the class reunion today were crystal clear. Don’t show up in front of us again, or we’ll curse you out every single time! Bye!" "Wait, listen..." Bai Shasha furiously hung up and tossed the phone onto the table.

"What kind of person does he think he is? A self-proclaimed Casanova? Dream on!"

"Li Siwei, Shasha, thank you both so much for staying with me today. I don’t even know how to put my gratitude into words." Zhou Rou said, wiping away her tears.

"What are you thanking us for? Back in school, we were so close. Don’t be silly and formal!"

"Shasha’s right. Don’t make it awkward. After your interview tomorrow, if everything goes well, focus on the job. If anything comes up, just call us." Li Siwei glanced at the clock—it was already 9 PM.

"By the way, your houses are pretty far from here. Let’s save the reunion for another time. We all have each other’s contact info now, so let’s stay connected!"

"Makes sense. We should head out then. How are you getting home?" Li Siwei vaguely remembered that Zhou Rou lived nearby.

"My place is close by—just a 10-minute walk from here." With that, the three parted ways at the smoothie shop’s entrance. Li Siwei and Bai Shasha took a taxi, while Zhou Rou declined their offer to give her a ride and left on her own.

In the taxi, Bai Shasha couldn’t resist asking, "Siwei, how come I didn’t know you had a friend at Uncle Bo’s restaurant? I didn’t want to pry earlier with Zhou Rou around!"

"Let me tell you this—it’s actually my restaurant. But I don’t manage it; someone else oversees the operations." Li Siwei, being best friends with Bai Shasha, hadn’t planned on hiding anything from her.

"Wow, seriously? You’re rich!" Realizing the taxi driver was sitting up front, she quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "No wonder you seemed so comfortable there the last time we dined—you acted like you owned the place! I can’t believe I’m sitting next to someone wealthy. You better treat me to something fancy!"

"Of course!"

"No, no, just dinner is too cheap for you. You also need to buy me clothes, bags, and... hmm, what else? I need to think about it. If you’re rich, then it’s basically like I’m rich too, isn’t it?" Bai Shasha tapped her forehead, playfully scheming.

"Haha, that’s right. But my bank account doesn’t have much left, so go easy on the spending!" Li Siwei, enjoying her current financial freedom, was in a good mood.

Bai Shasha suddenly remembered something. "Siwei, are you planning to tell Zhou Rou about the restaurant? After all, she’s starting there tomorrow."

"For now, I think we should keep it quiet. You know how her mom knows my second aunt. If her mom finds out through her, then it’s like my aunt would know too, right?" Li Siwei thought it over and answered.

"True. Your second aunt really is a pain." Bai Shasha agreed, feeling secretly pleased—a sign that Li Siwei trusted her more than Zhou Rou.

Just then, Li Siwei’s phone rang urgently. "Who is it?"

"My second aunt." Li Siwei sighed helplessly. "Can’t talk about people during the day, can’t talk about ghosts at night. I’m speechless!"

"Hello?" "Li Siwei, it’s your second aunt. Why didn’t you come to my house for New Year’s today?" Zhang Meihua’s boisterous voice came through the receiver enthusiastically.

"We had a class reunion today." Li Siwei responded coolly.

"Oh, I see. Your little cousin and I were just saying—you’re so lonely on your own, spending the holiday must be depressing. We thought you might come to our place to celebrate! But you didn’t show up. Li Siwei, I’ve heard you have a boyfriend now?"