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The smell of smoke hit Qi Xing's nose, causing him to step back in discomfort, glaring while feeling displeased at the person in front of him.
Ye Xingzhou ignored him and casually snuffed out his cigarette on a nearby trash can.
Just as Qi Xing was about to curse, Lin Zhinian came out, causing him to hold back.
"Xingzhou, let's go back," Lin Zhinian said, nodding to Qi Xing before accompanying Ye Xingzhou inside to bid farewell to Mr. Chen, and then the two of them left first.
Qi Xing suppressed the urge to flip Ye Xingzhou off again and went back inside the house. Mr. Chen was sitting in a rocking chair, drinking tea and reading a book. When he saw Qi Xing come in, he gestured to the chair next to him, "Sit, don't jump around like a monkey."
Qi Xing sat down and complained, "Grandpa, did you call me here to watch a show? Isn't there anything meaningful?"
"I think you're quite interested." Mr. Chen teased him, "You seem very interested in that Teacher Lin, don't you?"
Qi Xing curled his lips, "Unfortunately, he's not very interested in me. But do you really appreciate the paintings he does?"
"They're pretty good," Mr. Chen calmly replied, "Since he offered it, I couldn't refuse."
Qi Xing scoffed, "I haven't seen you being so nice to others before."
"Ye's kid is different," Mr. Chen explained with a smile, "At such a young age, he managed to stand out from the black-hearted bunch in the Ye family. His skills and abilities are undoubtedly good. Your father wants you to do something decent, right? Both of you are young, why don't you learn something from that kid?"
"Forget it," Qi Xing immediately refused, "You said his family is all black-hearted, so isn't he just the blackest of them all? Letting me learn from him? I might end up being eaten by him."
Mr. Chen laughed, "You're afraid of things too? I couldn't tell as you were quite good at subtly teasing him just now. Are you really afraid of him?"
"I'm not afraid of him," Qi Xing waved his hand, "I just don't like him."
"It's good to be cautious," Mr. Chen said seriously after laughing enough, "Having a sense of alertness is a good thing, but making more friends won't hurt."
Qi Xing still wasn't interested, "Let's talk about something else."
He had plenty of friends; he didn't need someone like Ye Xingzhou.
They spent most of the afternoon drinking tea and playing chess with Mr. Chen. Before evening, Qi Xing made an excuse to leave. As he drove out of Qingping Garden, he received a call from his mother, Wang Cuilan, asking him to come home for dinner.
Qi Xing was reluctant, "I've made plans with someone..."
"I don't care who you've made plans with," Wang Cuilan interrupted him assertively, "Tomorrow, I'm going on a road trip with your cousins and the others. Can't my own son have a meal with his mother before I leave?"
"I'll come back then," Qi Xing could only turn the car around and head home.
As soon as he entered the house, he smelled the aroma of food filling the room. Qi Ronghua was wearing an old vest and cooking in the kitchen. They didn't have a maid at home; the hourly worker only came during the day to do housework. Whenever Qi Ronghua was at home, he would cook personally. Wang Cuilan was holding her beloved cat in the living room, watching TV. She didn't pay attention to her son coming back.
Qi Xing was a bit speechless. Even when she called him back, she wasn't particularly enthusiastic. But that was how their family was. Over the years, their living conditions had improved. They looked respectable in public, giving off an air of wealthy and sophisticated people but back at home, they were still the same, with Qi Ronghua always busy with culinary experiments and Wang Cuilan enjoying melodramatic romance dramas. Their hobbies might be laughed at by snobbish people but they didn't care.
After finishing an episode of the TV drama, Wang Cuilan finally noticed her son had returned and asked him to help his father in the kitchen.
Qi Xing rolled up his sleeves and went into the kitchen. Qi Ronghua happily cooked, asking him to help wash and prepare vegetables. Qi Xing worked while casually mentioning the lunch at Qingping Garden today.
The relationship between their family and Mr. Chen wasn't too complicated. Qi Xing's grandfather and Mr. Chen's father were childhood friends from the same village. They grew up together and served in the army during war, but Qi Xing's grandfather had a stroke of bad luck and lost a leg in battle, so he returned to their hometown early. Mr. Chen, on the other hand, made a career through military achievements and underwent a class transformation. The two families had actually lost contact for decades.
When Qi Ronghua came to Huaicheng City, he started a small restaurant, which revived some old memories for Mr. Chen when he stumbled in for a taste. That's when they discovered their past connection. Qi Xing was just a few years old at that time and caught Mr. Chen's eye, becoming his adopted grandson. That's how their relationship developed to this day.
Over the years, Qi Ronghua's business grew, not only because of his good luck, sharp vision and decisive actions but also due to Mr. Chen's behind-the-scenes help. However, Qi Ronghua was a person who knew his limits. He never talked about these matters outside and rarely troubled Mr. Chen. Qi Ronghua had reminded Qi Xing many times to be discreet about their relationship with Mr. Chen and not to bother him unnecessarily. So, apart from occasionally having meals at Qingping Garden, Qi Xing never mentioned to anyone that he knew Mr. Chen quite well.
After hearing Qi Xing's story, Qi Ronghua asked worriedly, "Did you visit Mr. Chen? Did you say anything inappropriate in front of others? I heard that you and that kid from the Ye family were a bit at odds at the charity event last time. Don't provoke him for no reason."
"I didn't provoke him," Qi Xing didn't take his father's words seriously, "You all say he's outstanding, is he really that impressive?"
Qi Ronghua said, "Anyway, you and him are not on the same level. Just don't provoke him."
Qi Xing casually replied, "Okay."
At the dinner table, Qi Ronghua mentioned receiving an invitation, "The Ye family is having a wedding next weekend, inviting us to their wedding banquet."
Qi Xing asked, "Who's getting married? Ye Xingzhou?"
"It seems to be his third brother," Qi Ronghua said, shaking his head. "Who's getting married doesn't matter; Ye Xingzhou just came into power and needs this occasion to let more people know him."
Wang Cuilan immediately said, "I'm not going. It's boring to put on a fake smile at such events. Besides, I'll be out playing for at least half a month, don't bother me."
Qi Ronghua said, "The invitations have all been sent out; so I have to go. It's important to maintain a good image in the business world."
Qi Xing's eyes lit up, raising his hand, "Dad, I'll go with you."
After dinner, Qi Xing received a call from Yang Kaiming and others, inviting him to go out and have fun.
As he left the house, Qi Xing was scolded as usual by Qi Ronghua and Wang Cuilan. He nodded along, promising to be back before midnight then quickly put on his shoes and ran out.
He breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped into the elevator, thinking he needed to find an excuse to move out and live alone. Being in his twenties and still having curfew every day and even often getting heartfelt greetings from his mom while drinking, so it couldn't be helped that he will be laughed at by Yang Kaiming and his gang.
While waiting at a red light on the road, Qi Xing noticed a flower shop on the street corner. He tapped his finger on the steering wheel, hesitated for two seconds and then open the car door and got out.
If he wanted to pursue someone, he had to take some real action. Compared to the incomprehensible Ye Xingzhou, he felt he was more suitable for Lin Zhiyan.
————
After leaving Qingping Garden in the afternoon, Ye Xingzhou first had the driver drop Lin Zhinian off at the art gallery.
There was silence throughout the journey. When they got off the car, Lin Zhinian hesitated for a moment and turned to ask Ye Xingzhou, "Xingzhou, are you free tonight? Can we have dinner together? Just the two of us."
Ye Xingzhou looked at him, his face expressionless, and didn't immediately respond. Lin Zhinian, unwilling to give up, asked again, "Is it not possible?"
Ye Xingzhou's gaze lingered on his face for a couple of seconds more before he replied, "I have a prior engagement tonight."
Lin Zhinian said, "What about tomorrow? It's the weekend, you should be free, right? Whether it's lunch or dinner, when are you available? I just want to have a meal with you alone. I've been back in the country for so long, and we haven't had a chance to catch up properly."
Ye Xingzhou replied, "I have to go to the company during the day tomorrow as there are things I need to take care of."
"In that case, how about dinner the day after tomorrow?" Lin Zhinian persisted, "I did you a small favor today. Can't we have dinner together?”
Ye Xingzhou turned his gaze away and calmly said, "I'll pick you up here tomorrow evening."
Lin Zhinian breathed a sigh of relief and agreed, "Okay, it's a deal then."
Ye Xingzhou's car quickly drove away and Lin Zhinian stood on the roadside for a moment longer, collecting his thoughts before turning to enter the building.
The next afternoon, Ye Xingzhou's car appeared again at the entrance of the art gallery.
Today, he came in his own car and didn't get out after parking. He picked up his phone, dialed Lin Zhiyan's number, let it ring once and hung up without waiting for an answer. Then he threw his phone aside, rolled down half of the car window, lit a cigarette, and patiently waited for Lin Zhiyan to come out.
Five minutes later, a delivery rider arrived holding a bouquet of flowers while standing at the entrance of the art gallery and looking around.
"Excuse me, sir, do you know if Lin Zhinian's oil painting exhibition is being held here?" the delivery rider asked hesitantly, probably because of the strong presence of the car and the person inside. If he hadn't been in a hurry to deliver the order, he probably wouldn't have asked.
Ye Xingzhou glanced at the flowers in the rider's hand and casually lifted his chin, "Are these for him?"
"Yes," the rider replied quickly, "the recipient is Mr. Lin Zhinian but the phone number left seems to be wrong, it's an empty number.”
Ye Xingzhou said, "He's my friend, you can give me the flowers."
The delivery rider thought that such a wealthy customer wouldn't mind him taking a bouquet of flowers. Since he was in a hurry to deliver the next order, after hesitating for a while, he handed over the flowers in the end.
It was a large bunch of flashy champagne roses, their overpowering fragrance slightly displeased Ye Xingzhou. With a cigarette in his mouth, he opened the card tucked among the flowers.
To Teacher Lin,
I Hope the exhibition goes smoothly. Regarding our dinner arrangement, the previous one at Qingping Garden doesn't count. Next time, when I make another appointment, please honor me, Teacher Lin.
Qi Xing
The bold and flashy font matched the personality of the person who wrote those words.
Ye Xingzhou stared at the lines for a moment, narrowing his eyes.
Suddenly, his mind recalled yesterday at Qingping Garden when Qi Xing had relaxed his guard and approached him with that face.
Bold, dazzling, and vivid.
Unfortunately, he's an idiot.
The cigarette ash shook off onto the card, covering the two words "Qi Xing." Ye Xingzhou chuckled, then casually threw the flowers out of the car window.
With a sound, the bouquet landed accurately in the nearby trash can.
Translator:
Yes, You indeed have many friends but you don't have a husband so…you still need Ye Xingzhou 😏