Chapter 356: Silly Lily - Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

**Chapter 356: Silly Lily** Subsequently, Pan Lin brought the Purchasing Department to inspect the products, confirming their excellent quality. As a result, she signed a contract to manufacture parts specifically for Zhengshi Company. As for the workers, despite not receiving wages for six months and the former factory manager disappearing, their trust in the factory was understandably low. However, with Lin Zhengran's involvement and Zhengshi Company's intervention, once the workers received their wages, they believed that the current Factory Manager Jiang, Uncle Jiang, had strong backing from Zhengshi Company. Consequently, none of them left; instead, everyone remained and worked with even greater motivation. It's fair to say that Lin Zhengran's timely intervention completely saved the Jiang family. Downstairs from the office, the workers received their wages and returned to the factory smiling, while Aunt Jiang, observing this crisis being overcome, reflected on the unpredictability of life. After receiving a call from her husband and learning that the contract with Zhengshi Company was signed, she was so thrilled that she was lost for words. This meant the factory would have subsequent orders. After hanging up, Jiang Xueli asked, "Mom, after completing this batch, how much will the factory be able to repay to Zhengran?" Aunt Jiang calculated, "This time, Ranran gave us over 13 million to pay the workers and buy materials. After this batch, excluding costs, we'll earn about three million. We'll save the cost for the next batch and repay Ranran nearly two million." Jiang Xueli thought about how long it would take to repay the over 10 million. She reminded, "Understood. But once the factory makes money, we must prioritize repaying Zhengran and not keep owing him!" Aunt Jiang nodded, "Of course, Ranran is our family's savior. This debt cannot linger. But I'm curious, how did such a young man become the owner of Zhengshi Company?" "This is a long story, and I don’t know all the details. I just know that he invested with Sister Jiang, and it took years to develop to this scale." "Yes, Zhengshi Company is indeed a new company these past few years, but this Sister Jiang you mentioned..." "She's the current Deputy General Manager of Zhengshi Company," Jiang Xueli explained. "Oh, has this Manager Jiang married? I assume she has a boyfriend by now?" Jiang Xueli understood her mother's implication—she feared Zhengran might be interested in someone else. But that seemed improbable; at most, he could be flirtatious. She chuckled: "Mom, don’t worry about such matters. Zhengran has a mind of his own, and most can't guess his thoughts or interfere." Aunt Jiang agreed: "Ranran truly is the most talented in our town. I once thought he'd stand out simply because he was a great student. Now I see he's far more accomplished than I imagined. "But... Lily, I hope you don't mind me saying this. I used to think our families were on par, but now... can we still match up to Ranran?" Witnessing her mother's concern, Jiang Xueli sighed softly. At that moment, Lin Zhengran came downstairs with Uncle Jiang. The mother and daughter quickly went to greet him. Lin Zhengran, chatting and laughing with Uncle Jiang, said, "Uncle, I'll leave the matters here to you. I plan to head home since I'm visiting the town." Uncle Jiang readily agreed, "Of course, take care of your tasks; everything here is under control!" Aunt Jiang chimed in, "Ranran, you're leaving? Well... come over for a meal someday." Lin Zhengran smiled, "Sure, I'll make a point to visit when there's time." Aunt Jiang felt relieved, "Let us know in advance when you do. We'll make proper preparations." During their conversation, Lin Zhengran looked at Jiang Xueli, "Lily, stay here to accompany your parents. I'll visit home and come back for you in the evening." Jiang Xueli, feeling inexplicably emotional, gazed at Lin Zhengran, her eyes conveying a sense of indebtedness. Aunt Jiang nudged her daughter, "Lily doesn’t need to stay here; accompany Ranran back to see Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin. Buy something for the elders." Jiang Xueli glanced at her mother. Her parents were subtly encouraging her. Uncle Jiang added, "Don't worry about us, Lily. Go back with Ranran and rest." Curious, Lin Zhengran asked, "What's up, Lily? Why the daze?" Jiang Xueli shifted her gaze back to Lin Zhengran, smiling slightly, "Nothing. Well then, I'll head back with Zhengran. Call me if you need anything." She asked Lin Zhengran, "May I join you?" Seeing Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang now more at ease, Lin Zhengran nodded, "Sure, it's good to have you along." And so, after bidding farewell to her parents, Lin Zhengran drove Jiang Xueli back to the Lin family home. As they left the factory entrance, Uncle and Aunt Jiang waved until the car was out of sight. Aunt Jiang frowned, "Lily seemed to feel indebted to Ranran. If it weren’t for his help, we couldn't have crossed this hurdle." Uncle Jiang sighed, "Over 10 million... Ranran is truly impressive now, and we may never repay this kindness fully. If Lily and Ranran do work out, we'd be truly blessed." Aunt Jiang nodded in agreement. "Let's return to the factory and ensure this batch gets done." On a taxi ride through their small town, Lin Zhengran and Jiang Xueli sat in the back seat. Noticing Jiang Xueli's somewhat guilty expression, Lin Zhengran gently tousled her hair with a smile. "What are you thinking about? The problem is solved, isn't it?" Jiang Xueli, full of energy, locked eyes with Lin Zhengran. The taxi soon arrived at the Lin family home; it was a little past one, and the house was empty since Lin Yingjun and his wife were still at work. Familiar with the surroundings, Lin Zhengran swapped to slippers, washed his face, and sat on the sofa to enjoy some fruit. He offered an apple to Lily, but she slowly approached after washing her hands. Gone was her usual liveliness, replaced by a more serious demeanor. She stood straight, arms at her sides, head bowed, "Zhengran, thank you so much for your help this time. This over 13 million, we'll definitely repay you. We can't just use your money without a reason." Lin Zhengran laughed, "What are you saying, being so serious?" Jiang Xueli, clenching her fists, raised her head in distress: "This is over 13 million! Enough to buy multiple houses here! I've made some money from singing, but at most only a few million, and together with 2 million from this order, it won't be enough to repay you. I can't fathom how long it'll take to repay such an amount." With tears in her eyes, she continued anxiously, "I don't even know if saying this is right or wrong. I just don’t like using your money like this. I’m already not as capable as you, and avoiding being a burden is quite good. If my family uses so much of your money, it feels like a burden, and it seems like I'm undeserving of you." Curiously, Lin Zhengran peered at Lily, a hint of a playful smile on his face. "Undeserving of me?" Jiang Xueli retorted with pride, "Why are you laughing? Isn’t it true?" "Here, take this apple I've been holding for you." "Oh." Jiang Xueli accepted the apple from Lin Zhengran's hand. Lin Zhengran prompted, "Holding it? Take a bite and try it." Jiang Xueli pouted, "I’m trying to discuss something important." "Take a bite first and then talk." Resigned, Jiang Xueli took a bite of the apple and found it sweet, "I had some, it's tasty." Lin Zhengran remarked, "There you go. So, is your point that I'm undeserving of you, and you want to break up with me? Find someone else?" "Of course not! Why would we break up?!" Jiang Xueli quickly clarified with a blush, "I mean that I'll definitely repay you, and then... then, oh!" She hugged her knees and squatted down, exclaiming, "I don't even know what exactly I want to say. It's just..." She sniffled, tears welling up, "I feel like we dragged you down this time, and I'm so sorry." Lin Zhengran gently rubbed her head, mimicking her phrase, affectionately noting: "Silly, Lily, you're my girlfriend. What's wrong with me helping you? If you really feel indebted, bring home a win from this year's competition. Then this amount won't matter, right? Silly Lily?" Jiang Xueli gazed at Lin Zhengran, seemingly even more moved to tears, "Silly Zhengran, why are you always so good to me, you big dummy." (End of chapter)