C9 I Almost Got Late!!

As Miaojie approached the parking lot, she spotted her bright pink car from a distance, standing out since most of the other spaces were nearly empty. When she reached her car, she noticed a white note tucked between the windshield and the wiper. The note, written in a messy scrawl, read:

"Hello, this spot is reserved for company executives. Please park elsewhere."

Miaojie was taken aback by the note's untidy handwriting. It must have been left by Shuoyi's driver earlier that morning. She took the note, opened the car door, and settled into the driver's seat.

"The company has executive parking spots? How come I've never heard about this? Guess I'll have to start coming to work earlier," she mused, starting the engine and driving out of the lot.

The streets were clear, the rush hour long over, and Miaojie quickly made her way home. She parked next to the gazebo in her yard, walked to the door, and pulled out her keys. As she pushed the door open and stepped inside, a loud pop startled her, causing her to step back.

"Surprise!" came a cheerful shout.

Confetti rained down from above, some strands landing in her soft hair. With an innocent expression, Miaojie looked into the room, where everyone was grinning.

"Congratulations on your first day at work, Miaojie!" Xiaofu exclaimed, holding a spent confetti popper.

"Come on in, why are you just standing there?" her grandmother beckoned. Miaojie seemed momentarily stunned. After a busy day at work, she had just let her guard down, only to be surprised at the door. Anyone would need a moment to recover.

"Huh? Oh, right," Miaojie finally responded, stepping fully inside and closing the door.

"Miaojie, how was work? Was it tiring?" Mrs. Lee from next door, invited by her grandmother, approached Miaojie warmly, linking arms with her and asking kindly.

"Thankfully, our company is pretty understanding. Mrs. Lee, I'm really sorry for being late and making you wait so long. Let's eat!" Miaojie slipped on her slippers and led Mrs. Lee toward the dining table.

"Yes, yes, let's eat! Ms. Yang and Mrs. Lee made a lot of dishes today, and they'll get cold soon," her father said, having been seated at the table for quite a while.

Everyone gathered around the table, their glasses filled with fresh fruit juice. Miaojie raised her glass: "Thank you, everyone, for all of this today. I really appreciate it!"

Her grandmother and the others raised their glasses too, clinking them together before picking up their chopsticks to start the meal.

Halfway through eating, Miaojie remembered something and asked, "Oh, Xiaofu, how did your audition go today?"

Xiaofu paused, setting down her chopsticks, and playfully replied, "Take a guess!"

"Judging by your happy face, did you nail it?" Miaojie teased.

"Is it that obvious? Is my expression that big?" Xiaofu quickly tried to hide her smile.

"Not obvious at all! You should check the mirror; you're grinning ear to ear!"

"Really? Well, I did make it! I thought I had no chance because there were so many talented people ahead of me."

"That's awesome! But which role did you get?" Miaojie felt much more at ease knowing Xiaofu had passed the audition and picked up some food from the plate in front of her.

"The lead role! The main female character!" Xiaofu boasted to Miaojie.

"Really? Oh my gosh! The lead role!" Miaojie's eyes widened in surprise.

Xiaofu nodded enthusiastically: "When I finished my audition and was waiting outside for the results, there were so many experienced people there. I had almost given up hope. Then an assistant director came out and called the first name—it was mine, for the lead role! I couldn't believe it, so I asked him again and checked the list. It was really me!" Xiaofu animatedly recounted her rollercoaster of an afternoon to everyone.

"That's great! Your first role right after graduation is the lead," her father said.

"Yeah, they gave me the contract today. I need to see a lawyer about it tomorrow," Lin Xiaofu replied.

"That theater's been around for a century. The distributor has worked with our amusement park before. I'll take you to a lawyer I know tomorrow to review the contract," her father said while eating.

"Thanks, Uncle Tong," Lin Xiaofu smiled.

The family sat together, enjoying a happy dinner. Afterward, Tong Miaojie and Lin Xiaofu helped with the dishes, while Mrs. Lee and Grandma went for a walk in the small park.

Back in her room, Tong Miaojie stared at childhood photos on the wall, touching the image of her younger self. Lin Xiaofu came in with two cups of milk tea, handing one to her.

"I just made this. Give it a try."

"You're becoming quite the domestic goddess, Xiaofu. You've been making all sorts of delicious things lately, and now milk tea," Tong Miaojie teased.

"Hey, I'm giving you something nice, and you tease me?" Lin Xiaofu pretended to frown.

"Alright, alright, you're the best," Tong Miaojie laughed.

Lin Xiaofu let out a playful sigh. "By the way, how's work going? Everything smooth? Are the bosses giving you a hard time?"

"Not really. I'm still working on the comic series, but the company gave me two assistants. It's a bit better than before," Tong Miaojie said.

"Yeah, you were so busy in school, drawing until two or three in the morning. No wonder you're doing so well now," Lin Xiaofu nudged her gently with her shoulder.

"I'm not doing that well, just have a stable job. It's the same routine every day," she said, taking a sip of her milk tea.

"Isn't that great? Maybe if you work hard, you'll end up as the big boss."

"This milk tea tastes pretty good," Tong Miaojie changed the subject.

"Of course it tastes great; I followed the recipe to a T."

"I got a note at work today."

"A note? Was it a love letter?" Xiaofu asked curiously.

"A love letter! What are you thinking? Someone left a note on my car asking me to change parking spots," Miaojie replied, looking at her with disdain.

"Change parking spots?"

"Yeah, they said I parked in a spot reserved for upper management, but I never heard anything about specific spots for them."

"Oh, I've heard some high-end companies have those kinds of sections. It's no big deal; just find another spot."

"That's what I thought too, so I'm planning to go in early tomorrow to grab a different spot. There were no spaces left when I got to work today, so I had no choice."

"Alright, sounds good."

"I need to sketch out some designs now; I have to send them out tomorrow."

"Okay, you go ahead. I'm heading upstairs."

"Alright, bye!"