In Zhou Shanping’s impression, although Qin Mei had a disagreeable temperament, she was a dignified and traditional woman. However, he believed more firmly that his nephew was absolutely not the type to slander someone just because he did not like them.
The Qin Mei he knew and the Qin Mei described by his nephew had suddenly become two extremes. Zhou Shanping stood there, his expression dazed, his face twisted in indecision.
Just then, three sales clerks, each carrying two large bags, walked past, and Zhou Mikang nudged Zhou Shanping slightly, "Uncle, I have to go to the group this afternoon and must leave first." He said this as he opened the trunk, gesturing for the people to put the bags inside.
"Drive slowly and be safe," Zhou Shanping admonished.
"I know, don’t worry, Uncle," Zhou Mikang waved at him, turned, started the car, and Chuxia’s head poked out from the window, "Goodbye, Uncle."
Zhou Shanping smiled and waved back, "Goodbye." He watched as the car slowly backed out, turned at the corner, sped up, and disappeared. His smile faded, he sighed, turned, and walked back. As he passed Qin Mei, he paused slightly and then hastened his steps, quickly ascending the stairs.
Qin Mei’s expression turned sour. Usually, when Zhou Shanping passed by her, he would smile and greet her. This attitude indicated that he was angry.
That meant those two young people had spoken ill of her!
The sales clerks at the counter naturally noticed the tension between the two, exchanging glances that held barely concealed excitement.
Qin Mei did not need to look to know what expressions everyone had. She sharply turned her gaze to the nearest person with narrow eyes. The individual was sneakily observing her. Startled by her sudden scrutiny, they quickly forced a smile: "Group Leader Qin, work is almost over. Will you be going home for lunch or to the cafeteria?"
Qin Mei looked at her coldly, "What do you want?"
The narrow-eyed person quickly thought, "I’m on duty today, and I brought pork dumplings that my mother-in-law made from home. If you are going to the cafeteria, I thought I could join you."
"No need," Qin Mei glanced at the time; there were five minutes left until the end of the workday. She gathered her things and turned to go upstairs.
"Putting on airs!" As soon as her figure disappeared, the narrow-eyed person muttered and quickly leaned towards a chubby girl nearby, "Looks like her thing with Director Zhou is falling apart."
The chubby girl nodded vigorously, giggling, "Exactly, the group leader position should have been yours. In terms of age and seniority, how can she even compare to you?"
The other clerks also gathered around, flattering the narrow-eyed person. The narrow-eyed person, an old slick, easily discerned their intentions and laughed, waving them off, "We shouldn’t speculate wildly. Group Leader Qin has even put off marriage for her job, I can’t compare with her."
"Sister Huang, you really know how to joke..." The chubby girl giggled, looked around, and continued, "At her age, whenever she sees a handsome young man, she seems desperate to throw herself at him. If we even talk to him, she scowls at us forever. I think she’s truly mentally disturbed; she scares all the men away!"
One of the pretty young girls spoke up with a look of grievance, "Yeah, every time my boyfriend comes to pick me up, she stares at him relentlessly. As a result, my boyfriend refuses to come anymore. He says it freaks him out being stared at by her."
"Who told your boyfriend to be so handsome?" The chubby girl teased the pretty girl, "Every time I see your boyfriend, I feel like snatching him away, let alone her."
"You can have him; I don’t want him anymore."
"That’s what you said, don’t regret it later."
"Alright, cut it out," the narrow-eyed clerk quickly intervened, "If she hears us downstairs, you guys are going to be in trouble. No matter what happens between her and Director Zhou, for now, she’s still the group leader, and we still need to work under her. Be careful; walls have ears."
The group instantly fell silent, looked around, then scattered like birds to find food.
The narrow-eyed person took out a lunch box, soaked the dumplings in hot water, and began eating behind the counter, a smile she couldn’t suppress on her face.
"You enjoy turning them against me, isolating me, don’t you?" Qin Mei approached with a dark expression, abruptly flipped over the lunch box, spilling dumplings and broth all over the narrow-eyed person.
"You..." The narrow-eyed person quickly stood up, flapping the mess off their clothes, glaring angrily at Qin Mei, "Are you insane?!"