Shen Siyuan took a taxi home, only to see Old Man Lu still lingering downstairs.
Upon seeing Shen Siyuan return, he gave a slight bow but didn't approach.
'Is he trying to play the Persistence Card, the Emotional Card?' Shen Siyuan wondered.
In truth, Shen Siyuan had already decided to help him.
Of course, it wasn't because he had a Saintly Heart and felt sorry for the elderly.
Rather, he wanted to test if helping someone like Old Man Lu fulfill his wish would also grant him Merit.
After all, there weren't many with a Pure Soul like Doudou, and most of them were children.
Just as Old Man Lu had said, most people in this world were like him, having faced countless temptations in their lives, making it nearly impossible to have a completely clear conscience.
If you have faults, you correct them. Many people only learn to grow through experience; it doesn't mean they are bad people.
Old Man Lu was just like that. He had done many foolish things in his youth, but as he grew older, his thinking matured, and he slowly became the kind and benevolent Grandpa Lu in everyone's eyes.
Nothing happens overnight; everything is a process. Some people stray from the path and can never return, while others turn back and become better versions of themselves.
You can't call him a bad person just because he took a wrong turn.
Who in this world is absolutely perfect?
That's why Shen Siyuan wanted to try helping Old Man Lu, to see if the Heavenly Dao would approve.
But he decided to let him wait a few more days first.
The next morning, Shen Siyuan arrived at the Bus Stop early and found Lin Manzhi already waiting for him, straddling her e-bike while eating breakfast.
"I saw it was still early, so I bought some breakfast on the way. I got one for you too.
You eat Rice Balls, right?" Lin Manzhi said gracefully.
She was wearing a light blue short-sleeved shirt and slim-fit jeans that accentuated her long legs.
Her hair was tied up high, making her look full of energy.
They say the two most captivating types of women are young wives with a girlish charm and young girls with a mature allure.
And Lin Manzhi was the first type, attracting countless gazes from passersby.
"I'm not picky."
Shen Siyuan accepted the Rice Ball from her without hesitation.
"I know you guys like meat, so I had them add a Sausage for you," Lin Manzhi said with a hint of pride.
"That's so thoughtful, Sister Manzhi. If you keep this up, I might just fall in love with you," Shen Siyuan said with a smile.
He then hung the breakfast on his e-bike without eating it right away, motioning for Lin Manzhi to get on so they could leave.
Lin Manzhi got on the back.
Since she was wearing jeans, she chose to straddle the seat.
"Plenty of people love me.
What's one more?"
"You're really confident, Sister Manzhi," Shen Siyuan said, speechless.
"Can't help it.
A natural beauty is hard to hide." After saying this, she let out a hearty laugh.
Just then, a car next to them, seemingly unable to stand the sight of a handsome couple laughing so early in the morning, suddenly accelerated and cut them off, forcing Shen Siyuan to slam on the brakes.
Lin Manzhi, sitting behind him, was thrown forward by the inertia and bumped her head against Shen Siyuan's broad back.
Shen Siyuan stopped the e-bike, wanting to curse a few times, but the other car had already sped off.
"Sister Manzhi, are you okay?" Shen Siyuan asked, looking back.
"I'm fine, but I got your shirt dirty." Lin Manzhi reached out and started gently patting his back.
The sudden stop had made Lin Manzhi bump into his back, and since she was eating breakfast, the oil from her mouth got smeared all over his shirt.
As for the "foul play with assets" trope, that was completely out of the question.
Her "lack of ambition" was her only flaw, so to speak.
"It's fine…" Shen Siyuan started moving again.
Then Lin Manzhi used a tissue to help wipe his back for the rest of the ride.
"So, what have you decided about the thing I mentioned?" Lin Manzhi suddenly asked.
"What thing?"
"The blind date I wanted to set you up on."
"Didn't we agree to drop it?"
"It won't kill you to just meet her."
"Sigh, why are you all so keen on setting people up?"
"Because we're all in the fiery pit, so we want to drag all of you in with us," Lin Manzhi said with a laugh.
"You're really direct, Sister Manzhi. You don't actually think that, do you?"
"Of course I do.
Is there a problem?"
"No problem. Whatever you say, Sister Manzhi.
So, I'll meet her?"
Shen Siyuan decided to just agree for now, otherwise Lin Manzhi would never give up on setting him up.
"Don't act like you're the one making a sacrifice here.
I'm only doing this for you. Have you ever seen me set up anyone else in our department?"
"Then I really have to thank you."
"You're welcome."
Shen Siyuan: …
"Okay, joking aside, I'm serious. I think you're a good guy, that's why I'm introducing you."
"And here I thought it was because I'm the most handsome."
Hearing this, Lin Manzhi laughingly slapped him on the back.
"You're quite narcissistic yourself. You're just the best of a bad bunch.
Out of the guys in the Operations Department, Tian Yunrui is too fat, Wang Chao is too narrow-minded, Zhou Chuan is already married, and Li Kang isn't very bright…"
"Uh… You've summed it up perfectly, Sister Manzhi…"
"Of course. I have great judgment. You're the only one who's easy on the eyes."
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, sister."
"So it's settled then. I'll talk to my Best Friend today."
"Alright."
Since he had already agreed to meet her, Shen Siyuan didn't act coy anymore.
When they reached the Company entrance, Shen Siyuan let Lin Manzhi go in first while he went to park.
After parking, he was walking into the company munching on his Rice Ball when he ran into Ding Youguang from the Channel Department.
"Bro, good morning."
Ding Youguang was very enthusiastic, a brilliant smile on his face.
It wasn't that he was only enthusiastic with Shen Siyuan; he was like this with everyone—a classic Social Bandit.
He had worked in the Internet Operations Department for a while, so Shen Siyuan knew him well.
"Don't smile like that, it's a little scary."Ding Youguang leaned in and whispered, "Are you free this Friday night? I'll treat you to dinner."
"Such uncalled-for kindness means you're up to no good.
What do you want?" Shen Siyuan looked at him suspiciously.
"Heh heh, there's something I want to discuss with you," Ding Youguang said with a shameless grin.
"Something good?"
"Of course, it's a good thing."
"Since when do good things happen to me?"
"What kind of talk is that? We're brothers, would I screw you over?" Ding Youguang said righteously.
"It's exactly because we're brothers that I'm afraid you'll stab me in the kidney."
The two of them joked as they got on the Elevator, then went to their separate departments.
But just as Ding Youguang was turning to leave, Shen Siyuan called out to him.
"What's up?"
"Stop calling me 'bro.' You're older than me."
"It's fine, it's just a title.
Don't take it to heart. If I met a dog on the street, I'd call it 'Dog Bro' too."
"Fuck…"
Shen Siyuan shot him the middle finger.
When he got back to the Operations Department, there were only a few people there, since most everyone clocked in right on time.
The farther away you lived, the earlier you arrived, and the closer you were, the later you came in.
Li Wenjuan was wiping a desk with a Rag. Seeing Shen Siyuan come in, she immediately asked, "Need a rag to wipe your desk?"
"No, my desk isn't dirty."
Li Wenjuan's gaze fell on his dust-covered computer screen, which was especially visible now that the Computer was off.
"You don't get it. You can't use a rag on a screen; it'll damage the computer."
"I think you're just lazy."
Li Wenjuan walked over with the rag and gave Shen Siyuan's desk a couple of wipes.
Shen Siyuan sat in his chair, eating his breakfast and watching her.
She was a nice girl, with long, flowing hair and a slim figure.
Her only imperfection was a faint blue birthmark on her left cheek. A big reason she kept her hair long was to cover it.
A very cheerful young woman, she wasn't self-conscious about it at all.
She had quite a few pursuers at the company, but her standards were high, and she didn't like any of them.
Just then, Lin Manzhi, who had been engrossed in her Mobile Phone ever since Shen Siyuan came in, stood up excitedly.
"Shen Siyuan, I've already arranged it for you.
How about this Saturday?"
"That was fast. But I can't do this Saturday or Sunday. I have to go back to my Hometown."
Lin Manzhi thought for a moment and said, "Then what about this Friday night?"
Hearing this, Shen Siyuan remembered Ding Youguang's invitation and immediately nodded.
"Friday is good. I'm free on Friday."
"Okay then, it's a date. This Friday."
Lin Manzhi looked down and continued contacting her friend on her phone.
Shen Siyuan turned his head, only to see the dirty rag left on his desk. Li Wenjuan was already back at her own seat.