Chapter 190: Chapter 48 A Wealthy Tycoon Arrived at Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street_2
Jiang Ziyan also chimed in, "Sister Yiren is right; you go first."
Since both her good sisters were so enthusiastic, she didn’t hold back and picked out her share first.
The remaining gifts were then divided between the two women after some discussion.
"Where’s Brother Sun?" Xiang Yiren then realized that the man of the house was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh, Brother Sun said he had something to do and won’t be back tonight."
Xiang Yiren instantly understood.
However, she didn’t complain much. After all, the man had been staying here for the past few days. If he didn’t go and comfort his other sweeties, something unfortunate might happen.
「...」
She was only half right.
Sun Dasheng had indeed gone to see a "sweetie," but not in the literal sense—his beloved new car had arrived.
He had left the car dealer’s number when he ordered a Bentley at the car show. Later, when he had more money on hand, he felt that a four-million-yuan Bentley wasn’t luxurious enough, so he had ordered a Rolls-Royce Phantom with an extended wheelbase from the same dealer.
The all-in cost came to a neat ten million yuan.
His driver, Da Yong, went with him to pick up the car. Once there, he had Da Yong drive the Bentley back. He, on the other hand, wanted to test-drive the Phantom himself.
In the future, Da Yong would be doing most of the driving, so he wanted to take it for a spin himself while the novelty was still fresh. The dealer had already handled the payment, license plate, and insurance. He drove straight off the lot.
As expected of a top luxury car, it was incredibly stable. He couldn’t feel a single bump inside. Driving along the Huangpu River, he felt a swell of pride rise within him.
Enjoying something alone is not as good as sharing the joy with others.
He turned the car around and headed for the Film and Art Vocational College. He wanted to share this joy with those three girls.
It was half-past six in the afternoon, right when school let out.
He didn’t see the three little ones, so he called them. It turned out they only had two classes that afternoon and had gone to the company afterward.
He started the car again, ready to leave, when he suddenly spotted an old acquaintance through the window.
He rolled down the window to greet her, "Teacher Ding."
Ding Muchen was about to scan a shared bike to ride home. Since her home was close to the school, she didn’t bother driving to and from work. Riding a bike was good exercise, and in traffic-congested Shanghai City, it was even faster than driving.
Hearing someone call her name, she looked up to see an imposing Rolls-Royce Phantom parked not far away. The person calling out to her was somewhat familiar—it was the big boss who had come to the school to scout for talent, Sun Dasheng.
"Mr. Sun, hello!" she said, walking over to greet him.
Although she didn’t know why he was calling her, she still maintained her politeness. For some reason, she found something about this man attractive. It was just that she had been so busy with the new year and the start of school that they hadn’t been in touch for some time.
Sun Dasheng got out and shook hands with her, smiling.
"Teacher Ding, long time no see."
"Indeed. What has Boss Sun been busy with lately?"
His friendly tone seemed to bridge the gap that had formed during their long time apart. As the sense of unfamiliarity faded, their conversation naturally became more casual.
"What else? Just working for a living," Sun Dasheng joked.
Ding Muchen pursed her lips and smiled. "Mr. Sun, you’re joking. If you’re just ’working for a living,’ then people like us would starve."
"Starving? Now that you mention it, I do feel a bit hungry. How about it? Would you do me the honor of joining me for a meal?" Sun Dasheng asked, catching her off guard.
Ding Muchen was momentarily taken aback but then smiled and nodded. "Alright. How can I refuse? A free meal from a big boss is too good to pass up."
Sun Dasheng opened the passenger door for her. "Please!"
"Changed cars again, huh? I remember it was a Bentley last time, and now it’s a Rolls-Royce. So extravagant!" Ding Muchen teased as she sat in the passenger seat.
"In Dahu City, there are plenty of people richer than me. What’s this little bit of money? Anyway, what would you like to eat?" he asked, steering the conversation elsewhere.
"There’s a homestyle restaurant near my place. Let’s eat there," Ding Muchen said casually.
Sun Dasheng turned on the navigation to find the address. "And here I thought you were going to take me to the cleaners, but you just want homestyle food."
"What’s wrong with homestyle food? It’s much tastier than all those exotic delicacies," Ding Muchen said, glancing at him before turning to look at the various pedestrians outside the window. "Look, don’t they all look happy eating homestyle meals after work?"
"Is that so?" Sun Dasheng was noncommittal.
Perhaps they’re just too exhausted from their hard work to have a choice? Coming home late at night, just having a hot meal is already a blessing.
It was a typical Sichuan restaurant.
"So, your ancestors are from Sichuan?" Sun Dasheng asked, looking at the table full of fiery red chili peppers. He could already feel his behind starting to burn. They ate spicy food in his hometown, but only a little. The spiciness of Sichuan cuisine was a bit too aggressive for him.
"Yes, my great-grandfather was from Sichuan." Although three generations of her family had lived in Shanghai City, the heat of Sichuan food was still a piece of cake for her. It was in her genes.
While they were chatting and laughing, a couple in their forties or fifties passed by the restaurant entrance. The woman, who had sharp eyes, seemed to notice something and grabbed the man’s arm.
"What’s wrong?" the man asked.
"Look, isn’t that your daughter?" the woman said, pointing inside through the glass door.
The man adjusted his glasses and peered closer. His expression changed dramatically.
He was about to rush in but was pulled back by the woman, who grabbed his clothes.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"That’s my question for you. What do you think you’re doing?" the woman retorted.
"I’m going to teach that punk a lesson," the man said excitedly.
The woman sneered. "Do you still think your daughter is in school? Back when she was studying, any boy who got close to our daughter would have his parents called in by you, her homeroom teacher. What about now? She graduated with her master’s degree years ago and is a teacher herself, but you’re still acting like this. Do you want her to be single forever?"
His wife’s words made him back down, but he still said stubbornly, "That man inside looks like a pretty boy. I’m afraid she’s being deceived."
"You’re not wrong there. That young man is really handsome, much better than you were in your youth. I think you’re just jealous," the woman said, not sparing him at all. On the contrary, she observed the man with their daughter with an appreciative gaze.
"Humph! Jealous of him? That’s ridiculous. I was the school heartthrob back in the day. You were the one who chased me, remember?" How could a man admit he was inferior to someone else? Especially when that someone was suspected of dating his daughter. No father-in-law ever sees eye to eye with his son-in-law. You only hear about mothers-in-law growing fonder of their sons-in-law.
"Fine, fine! You were the heartthrob. At your age, why are you getting jealous of a young man? Don’t you actually want your daughter to find a good partner?"
This sentence struck a nerve, and he didn’t reply.
"Let’s go. We should head back before they notice us," the woman said, pulling away the man who was still trying to get a better look. "If you have any questions, you can just ask your daughter when we get home."
After they left, Sun Dasheng glanced outside. He vaguely sensed that someone had been staring at him, but because it was a restaurant with many people coming and going, and the old couple had been hiding behind a poster, he failed to spot them.
After dinner, he took the initiative to offer her a ride home. Ding Muchen didn’t object.
This community was not far from the one where Sun Dasheng had bought an apartment when he got married, so he was relatively familiar with the area. It was older resettlement housing with a slightly lower price than the surrounding communities, but it was still not cheap.
"Your community has been around for a while," Sun Dasheng remarked as they stood in the somewhat old elevator.
"Yes, it’s resettlement housing from around 2000. My family has lived here for over twenty years," Ding Muchen replied.
"Oh, so your family was part of the resettlement? Sounds like you’re not short on money," Sun Dasheng teased.
"We were lucky to catch the benefits of the era. Our family received a few apartments from the demolition and resettlement, so while you could say we have some assets, the cash in our pockets is actually less than that of the newcomers who come to Shanghai City to make their fortune."
DING!
The elevator arrived. After walking her to her door, Sun Dasheng waved goodbye and left.
Ding Muchen stared at his retreating figure for a moment. Then, the door to her apartment opened from the inside, and she heard her mother’s voice.
"Muchen, has he left yet?"
"Huh? Who do you mean has left?" Ding Muchen played dumb.