199: Chapter 195: Encounter Again 199: Chapter 195: Encounter Again “Chen Hai, where are we eating?
Have you picked a place yet?”
“No, Brother Dong, this is my first time here and I’m not familiar with the area at all.
Do you have any familiar spots around here?”
“Over by the Boyue Convention and Exhibition Center, I’ve only been a few times myself.
If I have to choose a place, then Fulin Restaurant would be good.
I’ve been there twice before, and the taste is pretty decent!”
“Alright, let’s just go there then.
You know, I sold my talismans for over a million, so don’t be shy with me and don’t try to save money on my account!”
“Of course, when a rich guy like you is treating, who else am I going to rip off but you!”
…
Joking all the way, Chen Hai and Dong Dahai walked out of the center’s main entrance, chatting idly.
At this time, the antique fair inside the Convention and Exhibition Center was about to close.
Most of the girls who had been greeting guests at the entrance, acting as temporary hosts, were part-timers.
Busy until now, it was their time to clock out, and their figures were hardly seen at the entrance anymore.
Chen Hai and Dong Dahai paused only briefly at the entrance of the Exhibition Center, just long enough to decide where to have dinner.
A group of young girls, now out of their formal attire and dressed casually, emerged from the Exhibition Center, laughing and talking.
Yang Xi, Zhong Fang, and Zhao Xiaoyan were among these girls.
As Chen Hai’s gaze fell upon the group of women, they too had already spotted him.
“Chen Hai, you’re still here?
I haven’t seen you around; I thought you had already left!”
“You look like you’ve just come out too.
Don’t tell me you’ve been in the exhibition hall the whole day?”
The one greeting Chen Hai was undoubtedly Yang Xi.
As for Zhong Fang and Zhao Xiaoyan, they had been cold and brief with Chen Hai earlier that morning when they were introduced to him by Yang Xi at the bus stop.
But now, knowing that Chen Hai was also a participant in the antique fair, their gazes toward him had noticeably warmed up.
Meeting Chen Hai at the center’s entrance was a pleasant little surprise for them both.
In fact, upon seeing him, they even nudged Yang Xi on the shoulder to signal that Chen Hai was there.
“Just casually strolling through the exhibition hall, and before I knew it, it was already this late!”
With a hearty laugh, Chen Hai smiled and said, “Yang Xi, have you and the others just finished work?”
“Mm!” Yang Xi nodded.
Following closely, Zhao Xiaoyan added, “Us temporary hosts only make twenty yuan for a day’s work.”
“All this time on our feet, they’re full of blisters.
We’re nothing compared to the big shots inside the hall!”
While saying this, Zhao Xiaoyan’s glances fell meaningfully on Chen Hai and Dong Dahai, though mostly on Dong Dahai.
After all, compared to Chen Hai, a fellow student, Dong Dahai—a man in his forties with a slightly plump figure and a boss-like demeanor—clearly seemed like a successful person in the eyes of ordinary folks.
In Liuyuan County, Chen Hai’s father, Chen Zhonghua, had to slog wheeling a cart selling labor, and earning even ten yuan after an exhausting day was difficult.
Here, Yang Xi, Zhao Xiaoyan, and the others earned twenty yuan for a day’s work as part-time hosts, which really, by all accounts, could be considered a high wage!
“Ladies, let me introduce you.
This is Dong Dahai, Brother Dong!”
“Brother Dong deals in antiques, and it’s thanks to him that I got into the exhibition hall.
Otherwise, with my little arms and legs, I probably wouldn’t have even snagged an invite.”
Noticing Zhong Fang and Zhao Xiaoyan’s glances lingering on Dong Dahai, Chen Hai smiled and made the introductions.
After hearing Chen Hai’s introduction, Yang Xi reacted mildly, but Zhong Fang and Zhao Xiaoyan’s eyes clearly lit up.
Interacting with elite professionals can broaden horizons, increase knowledge, and teach many things that can’t be learned from books.
Yang Xi had said as much in front of Chen Hai that morning.
Her roommates Zhong Fang and Zhao Xiaoyan no doubt shared the same view.
Now, they clearly placed Dong Dahai in the category of a successful and elite professional.
“Brother Dong, my name is Zhong Fang, pleasure to meet you!”
“Brother Dong, I’m Zhao Xiaoyan.
You deal in antiques?
I’ve always been interested in that.
If you have some free time, would you mind teaching me a bit?”
…
Eyes sparkling, the two women were brimming with enthusiasm, hovering around Dong Dahai.
Ordinary conversation, coming from their mouths, had a strangely coquettish undertone.
“Hello, beautiful ladies, hello to all of you!”
“You’ve just finished work, right?
You must not have eaten yet?”
“I was just about to splurge at Chen Hai’s expense and have him treat me to a nice meal.
How about joining us?”
Beaming, Dong Dahai shook hands with each of the girls, making his invitation while probing.
Of course, as he did so, he didn’t forget to shoot Chen Hai an inquiring look to seek his opinion.
“Ladies, it wouldn’t be much fun if just Brother Dong and I dined together as the only guys!”
“If you’re willing to join us, I’d be more than happy to welcome you with open arms.”
“See that Fulin Restaurant over there?
It’s just a few steps away from here; we are about to head over!”
Following close behind Dong Dahai, Chen Hai pointed to the huge signboard of Fulin Restaurant, clearly visible two or three hundred meters away, and waved at Yang Xi and the other girls with a smile.
The girls looked at each other and whispered among themselves for a bit before quickly coming to a consensus.
Yang Xi and Chen Hai were already acquainted, and Zhao Xiaoyan and Zhong Fang were interested in having dinner with a successful person like Brother Dong.
“Brother Dong, Fulin Restaurant isn’t low-end by any means.
If you’re inviting us to dine there, we couldn’t be happier and definitely have no objections!”
Zhao Xiaoyan covered her mouth, giggling, as she responded first.
“Chen Hai, are you treating us to this meal?
I didn’t realize you were so wealthy.
This morning, you were even fooling us—be careful later, or we might eat you out of house and home…”
With an expression of playful resentment, and a glance at Chen Hai, Yang Xi joked as well.
She remembered that morning when Chen Hai told them he could barely afford rice porridge and steamed buns!
Chen Hai just smiled without saying a word, but Dong Dahai kindly explained on his behalf, “At the convention, Chen Hai’s little trinkets sold for over a million.”
“At Fulin Restaurant, don’t be shy with him; rest assured, even if you order all the delicacies and use shark fin soup to rinse your mouths, you definitely can’t bankrupt him!”
His words, though factual, clearly shocked the girls when they heard them.
“What?
Over a million…”
“Chen Hai, is everything Brother Dong said true?
Are you really that amazing?”
“You’re Yang Xi’s junior, so that means you’re probably a freshman who just started at our university, right?
You definitely don’t have a girlfriend yet.
How about I chase after you, then…”
After being tongue-tied for a moment from the shock, the girls finally came around.
Their gazes converged on Chen Hai as they joked with him, half in jest, half in earnest.
“Didn’t I tell you this morning at the bus stop that I was so poor I almost couldn’t afford food and was out looking for ways to make some money?”
“Brother Dong brought me to the convention to make money.
Luckily, I had a bit of good fortune and made a small fortune!”
“But these kinds of things don’t happen every day, unlike Brother Dong who has his own business.
Even without this convention, he’s making money every day!”
Without confirming or denying, Chen Hai just smiled and explained.
There was nothing shameful about making honest money.
In a few sentences, he kicked the ball back to Dong Dahai’s court.
“You guy, always fooling people.
This morning you said you had no money for food, and then in the afternoon, you ‘accidentally’ make a few hundred thousand?”
“You expect me to believe that?
Even ghosts wouldn’t be fooled!”
“I remember you told me you have a girlfriend who treats you very well.
Confess, were you just fooling me with that too?”
Pouting, Yang Xi rolled her eyes at Chen Hai and said.
“I, Chen Hai, am clean and upright.
Whatever comes out of my mouth is naturally without any falsehood.”
“The matter with my girlfriend is certainly true.
If you don’t believe it, just hang around the school gate around four or five this afternoon.”
“My girlfriend often waits for me at the school gate to go back with me when she’s free!”
“If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll get to witness that scene.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Chen Hai chuckled.
Hearing him say this, Yang Xi fell silent for a moment.
“Brother Dong, at the convention, even Chen Hai, who is an outsider, made a big profit.
What about you?
As a professional antiques dealer, can you tell us how much you made today?”
Zhao Xiaoyan and Zhong Fang both, full of curiosity, circled around Dong Dahai, inquiring about this issue.
“My two beautiful ladies, this is a trade secret that can’t just be shared with outsiders!” Dong Dahai chuckled.
He had completed two or three deals throughout the day, earning about two thousand yuan.
With Chen Hai’s dazzling performance, his modest earnings were something he naturally was shy to mention in front of the girls.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Brother Dong!
You might not compare to Chen Hai, but after a day’s work, you should still have made tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, right?”
“That’s right.
We’ve been working all day and our wages are only ten yuan, but it’s not embarrassing to just say it out loud!”
“Brother Dong, will you be coming back to this convention tomorrow?”
…
A woman’s curiosity could kill a cat, and the more Dong Dahai played coy, the more curious they became.
Zhao Xiaoyan and Zhong Fang, one on each side, followed Dong Dahai like curious babies, incessantly asking questions.
Thankfully, Dong Dahai’s patience was always good in front of such young girls.
Apart from business secrets about his income, which he kept to himself, he generally provided satisfactory answers to any other questions they had, as long as he knew the answers.
As Chen Hai and Yang Xi led the way, Dong Dahai and Zhao Xiaoyan followed behind, gradually lagging a dozen steps behind without realizing it.
Fulin Restaurant wasn’t too far from the Boyue Convention and Exhibition Center.
In less than a few minutes, the group had entered the lobby of the restaurant, and under the guidance of the staff, they headed towards the second-floor private rooms.