Back in the office.
Chen Jinzhao noticed Liu Wenyao staring at him with a smile, but he ignored him.
Liu Wenyao walked up to him, put an arm around Chen Jinzhao's shoulders, and said with a laugh, "Brother Chen, you're now General Manager Yu's favorite. You'll be in charge of this office from now on. If you need anything, please look out for us. By the way, a few of us brothers want to treat you to dinner tonight to deepen our bonds."
"And after dinner?" Chen Jinzhao asked with a half-smile.
"Then we'll definitely have to do something meaningful, show off our manly prowess!" Liu Wenyao chuckled, casting a lewd glance at him.
Chen Jinzhao understood.
Was he planning to subdue him with women?
"What a coincidence, I have something tonight. Let's reschedule for another day," Chen Jinzhao said.
Liu Wenyao didn't give up, persistently saying, "No problem, no problem. Whenever you're free, Brother Chen, we can get together again."
Chen Jinzhao nodded and walked past Liu Wenyao to his seat.
Liu Wenyao, with his back to Chen Jinzhao, let his smile fade, his eyes showing a hint of mockery. This dinner invitation was clearly a trap.
In the afternoon.
Chen Jinzhao took leave from the company and even changed into casual clothes.
Not long after Chen Jinzhao left the company, Yu Mengzhi also left. Upon hearing this, Su Jinghui was so angry that he smashed everything in his office.
During working hours, these two were actually going to meet in private?
Relying on his three-generation relationship with the Yu family, Su Jinghui cautiously asked Yu Mengzhi about her relationship with Chen Jinzhao. The answer he received was simple—
They were a real couple.
And what's more.
The elder had already asked Yu Mengzhi to bring Chen Jinzhao home, and if things went well, they might even get married within the year.
This left Su Jinghui completely stunned.
He had always believed that their relationship was just for show.
Now it seemed they were serious, which he found hard to accept.
However, Su Jinghui also knew that he still had a chance; it was far from hopeless. What made him even happier was that Elder Yu was open-minded and seemed unconcerned about his granddaughter's suitor's background, which meant greater opportunities for him. He had been worried earlier that the Su family's background wasn't good enough for Yu Mengzhi.
In short, challenges and opportunities coexisted.
Ninghai Station.
Chen Jinzhao waited for a while before finally spotting Li Qiurong in the crowd. He quickly waved at her and then hurried to meet her.
"Mom, I'm here!"
Li Qiurong looked like an ordinary middle-aged woman, and her eyes crinkled with joy when she saw her son.
"Son, you haven't gained any weight. You look like you've even lost a bit," Li Qiurong said with concern. Chen Jinzhao chuckled, "Mom, I'm not a child. What's so good about gaining weight?"
Li Qiurong rolled her eyes at Chen Jinzhao and then looked around.
Finally.
She looked disappointed.
Her son still hadn't found a girlfriend.
"You're not young anymore, why haven't you found a girlfriend? It's not me being critical, but when I was your age, I had already given birth to you," Li Qiurong said.
She even threatened to help him find a blind date through her colleagues if Chen Jinzhao didn't take the initiative.
Chen Jinzhao's head began to ache.
His mother was wonderful in every way, except for her constant matchmaking.
He could only brace himself and say, "Mom, I actually have a girlfriend already. But our relationship isn't completely stable yet. When the time is right, I'll bring her to meet you."
Li Qiurong was overjoyed.
Heaven had finally opened its eyes and let her son find a girlfriend.
Ding dong.
Chen Jinzhao's phone vibrated.
He picked it up and saw it was a transfer from Yu Mengzhi, a hefty sum of ten thousand yuan.
Before Chen Jinzhao could even ask what it was for.
Yu Mengzhi sent him a message—
"Spend good time with Auntie."
Chen Jinzhao initially didn't plan to accept it, but after thinking about it, he replied, "Consider it a debt I owe you."
Yu Mengzhi didn't reply further.
In the afternoon.
Chen Jinzhao spent most of the day with Li Qiurong in Ninghai City. He noticed new wrinkles on his mother's face and the stark white hairs at her temples.
This made Chen Jinzhao feel guilty.
He even wondered if he was being unfilial. He could clearly give his mother a better life, one where she wouldn't have to toil so hard for a living.
As Chen Jinzhao was lost in thought, Li Qiurong, as if sensing his son's heavy heart, turned her gaze from the shimmering river to his face. "Jinzhao, you're doing pretty well right now. My greatest wish is for you to be healthy and happy; everything else is secondary."
"Don't force yourself for the sake of certain things."
Chen Jinzhao's eyes welled up.
In his memory, his mother had never once blamed him since he was little. No matter what difficulties they faced, she always encouraged him in the simplest ways.
He sniffled. "Mom, I understand."
However, a seed had been planted in Chen Jinzhao's heart, and once it received nourishment, it would grow into a towering tree.
As night fell.
With money in his pocket, Chen Jinzhao did something unprecedented: he took Li Qiurong to a renowned Western restaurant in the city. The average cost per person there was over two thousand yuan. Normally, he would never dine in such a place; even a simple pork knuckle rice would be more substantial.
When it came to his mother, he would spare no expense.
Li Qiurong glanced at the menu and immediately understood the situation. She then looked at her son and saw him staring at a woman at the next table.
"Jinzhao?"
"What's wrong?"
Li Qiurong asked cautiously.
Chen Jinzhao quickly turned his face back, his eyes clearly flustered, which made Li Qiurong instinctively look at the woman at the adjacent table.
This woman was of similar age to Chen Jinzhao, wore exquisite makeup, and her features were far more beautiful than those of other women.
The woman at the next table, upon hearing the name "Jinzhao," also subconsciously turned her head to look at Li Qiurong and Chen Jinzhao.
Chen Jinzhao picked up the menu, using it to shield his face.
As fate would have it.
He ran into Xu Nianqing at a place like this.
After many years, Xu Nianqing was still as beautiful and striking as before. However, compared to the past, she lacked some youthful vibrancy and had gained a more dignified and mature aura.
To be honest.
Chen Jinzhao almost didn't recognize her, which was why he had looked twice.
Li Qiurong glanced at her son, then at Xu Nianqing.
Before she could speak, Xu Nianqing rose from her seat, walked over to Chen Jinzhao's table in her high heels, and took the menu.
"Chen Jinzhao, long time no see." Xu Nianqing's smile was beautiful.
Upon seeing Xu Nianqing, Li Qiurong had already thought of names for them.
Chen Jinzhao had nowhere to hide and could only force a strained smile. "Yes, long time no see. It's been so many years, how have you been?"
Facing his first love, Chen Jinzhao appeared awkward, his smile gradually fading.
When he was with Xu Nianqing, he had planned out their future together. He never expected Xu Nianqing to leave him so heartlessly.
If she hadn't left, many subsequent events would not have happened.
"Girl, you are..." Li Qiurong began, trying to ease the awkwardness for her son.
Xu Nianqing was very polite and casually sat down next to Chen Jinzhao, which stirred an unnamable anger in him. Before he could speak, Xu Nianqing said to Li Qiurong, "Auntie, I am Chen Jinzhao's girlfriend, Xu Nianqing. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Chen Jinzhao's anger was choked in his throat, completely caught off guard by Xu Nianqing's words.
What was this woman up to?