After distributing everyone's wages, Liu Yutong prepared a separate red envelope containing roughly 500 yuan and handed it to Yu Xin.
"This is for you."
Yu Xin naturally refused, shaking her head quickly. "Sister Yutong, I can't accept this. I really shouldn't take this money."
After all, she wasn't part of their group—how could she possibly accept it?
Liu Yutong smiled. "This is my personal gift to you. Consider it an early congratulatory gift for getting into university."
Yu Xin still hesitated. "The college entrance exams just ended, and the results haven’t even been released yet..."
Liu Yutong cut her off. "You’ll definitely get accepted. I believe in you."
In her past life, Yu Xin had drowned herself in the river before even taking the exams, but based on her previous academic performance, getting into a decent university shouldn’t have been an issue.
Touched, Yu Xin stood up and bowed deeply to Liu Yutong. "Thank you, Sister Yutong!"
Then, gathering her courage, she did something that took Liu Yutong completely by surprise.
"Sister Yutong, I want to join you all."
Liu Yutong was stunned. She had never expected Yu Xin to choose to follow her.
She had invited Yu Xin to this gathering simply because they had a good relationship. Knowing Yu Xin’s family was struggling and unlikely to afford a celebration for her college admission, Liu Yutong had wanted to give her a proper send-off before she returned to her hometown.
The banquet hall was decorated with two banners.
One read: "Congratulations to Yu Xin on her university admission!"
The other, of course, was for Liu Yutong.
Liu Yutong looked at Yu Xin seriously. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"
Yu Xin nodded. "I know I’m slow and inexperienced, but I’ll work hard to earn your approval—and everyone else’s."
Liu Yutong replied, "Alright, I accept."
"But you have to promise me one thing—study hard in university. Only by excelling can you truly help me and our future company."
It wasn’t like she was running a gang, after all. Taking Yu Xin under her wing wouldn’t hurt.
Yu Xin was a good person—introverted and timid, yes, but kind-hearted and exceptionally filial.
She lived with her grandmother, and no matter how much hardship she faced at school, she always lit up with genuine joy whenever she could visit her on weekends.
Despite the heavy workload in high school, she had still found time to knit her grandmother a scarf and a hat as gifts.
Liu Yutong had seen the hat—adorable, with two little red flowers on either side.
It was Yu Xin’s character that made Liu Yutong willing to accept her.
Besides, Yu Xin’s family was poor, and her grandmother would struggle to support her through university alone. If Yu Xin wanted to work part-time to pay her tuition, Liu Yutong was happy to provide the opportunity.
For anyone else, Liu Yutong would’ve refused outright.
She generally disliked bringing close friends into her team or future company.
Overjoyed, Yu Xin immediately poured herself a glass of wine and raised it to Liu Yutong. "Thank you, my lady! I toast to you!"
Everyone else addressed Liu Yutong as "my lady," and now that Yu Xin had joined, she followed suit.
This was exactly what Liu Yutong dreaded.
Not only did she worry that close friends might abuse their connections within the team, but she also disliked how their relationships would inevitably change.
But now...
Well, there was no point overthinking it.
Liu Yutong sighed. "Just call me by my name like before. This feels weird."
Yu Xin hesitated. "Then... I’ll stick with 'Sister Yutong.'"
She couldn’t bring herself to address Liu Yutong so casually just yet.
"Fine." Liu Yutong relented with a resigned nod.
Seizing the moment, Ma Da raised his glass. "Let’s all welcome Sister Yutong’s classmate, Yu Xin, to our group! Cheers!"
The others stood in unison, glasses raised. "Welcome!"
Liu Yutong also rose, smiling. "Welcome, Yu Xin."
Tears welled up in Yu Xin’s eyes as she looked around. "Thank you, Sister Yutong. Thank you, everyone!"
At that moment, she felt an overwhelming sense of security—something she’d never expected among people she once feared as troublemakers.
Liu Yutong, unaware of Yu Xin’s emotional shift, signaled Ma Da to have the servers bring out the dishes.
Ma Da called out to the staff, and soon, waiters entered with trays of lavish dishes.
Each table’s spread was worth 1,000 yuan—chicken, duck, fish, beef, lamb—all exquisitely prepared and aromatic.
Two packs of premium Huazi cigarettes were placed on each table, and beer flowed freely.
The sight of such a feast, paired with top-tier cigarettes, brought grins to everyone’s faces.
My lady was truly generous.
Compared to the modest banquets in their rural hometowns, this was a whole different league.
Back home, the cigarettes were cheap—10-yuan or even 5-yuan packs—and each table only got two, barely enough to go around.
But today? Two whole Huazi packs per table meant each person could walk away with at least two.
Imagine the swagger of slapping a Huazi pack on the desk at an internet café—pure dominance.
Smoking Huazi while gaming? That was next-level flexing.
Close friends wouldn’t even get a puff without calling you "godfather" first!
Despite the abundance of cigarettes, no one lit up in the hall.
Since my lady didn’t smoke, they made sure to step outside if they needed a smoke, avoiding it in her presence.
Just as everyone dug into the feast, Ma Da’s phone rang.
He answered, and his expression darkened instantly. Slamming his hands on the table, he stood up.
"Who the hell dares do this? Are they tired of living?!"
"Hold them back—don’t let them get away!"
Liu Yutong frowned. "What’s wrong?"
Ma Da’s voice was grim. "My lady, some thugs are causing trouble at our restaurant. They’ve smashed dishes and scared off customers."
"And this is the second time!"
Liu Yutong’s face turned cold. "Do we know who’s behind it?"
Ma Da shook his head. "No leads yet, but it’s definitely connected to that classmate of yours—Zhao Zhu."
Liu Yutong narrowed her eyes. "You mean Deng Zheyan?"
Ma Da nodded. "Right. The ringleader is Deng Zheyan, Zhao Zhu’s cousin. My guess? Zhao Zhu’s family is pulling the strings."
"After all, we took over their restaurant, and Zhao Zhu’s still going to jail. They’re probably bitter."
Logically, Zhao Zhu’s family shouldn’t have any reason to target Liu Yutong.
She had kept her word, signing the leniency agreement that got Zhao Zhu released.
But Zhao Zhu’s second arrest had nothing to do with Liu Yutong—it was Yu Xin who called the police.
If Zhao Zhu hadn’t pushed Yu Xin into the river, would any of this have happened?
Still, as the one who benefited from the situation, Liu Yutong was an easy target for resentment.
After all, not everyone in this world played fair.
Their logic was simple: "We gave up our restaurant, yet Zhao Zhu still ends up behind bars. How is that fair?"
Liu Yutong frowned slightly and asked, "Are they gone yet?"
Ma Da replied, "They should still be here."
"Let's go. Time to meet them."
Neither Ma Da nor the others noticed the faint glint of coldness in Liu Yutong's eyes.
