People with money-wielding abilities are always particularly likable, like Tao Xue. She doesn't have to pay for meals, which is enough to make He Li envious.
After they finished eating, the doorman drove the car to the entrance and handed the car keys to He Li before turning back to his post.
However, just as the doorman turned away, He Li spotted a familiar face.
At a window seat in the restaurant, Zhang Qiling was engaged in a lively conversation with a middle-aged man. Only appetizers were on the table, indicating they had arrived not long ago.
"He Li, let's go," Tao Xue called out to him, lowering her car window.
"Oh, okay," He Li replied. He walked around the front of the car, got into the driver's seat, glanced back at Zhang Qiling one last time, and then drove away.
Inside the restaurant, Zhang Qiling tasted an appetizer, then put down her cutlery and smiled at the man opposite her. "Mr. Mo Lin, what do you think of this restaurant?"
Mature, gentle middle-aged men possess a special charm. They are elegant and witty in conversation, humble and polite, attracting not only mature women but also many young girls.
Mo Lin was such a man, with a confident, faint smile on his lips, deep eyes, and impeccable manners.
"Thank you for bringing me here to dine, Miss Qiling. The food is excellent, and the environment is pleasant. But what I admire even more is that Miss Qiling, at such a young age, is already involved in the family business and is willing to dine with a middle-aged client like myself."
Zhang Qiling smiled slightly. "Age doesn't prove anything. I've been involved in my family's business for a long time. To be honest, I was collecting rent at a vegetable market just a few days ago."
Zhang Qiling felt that Mo Lin looked down on her because of her age, so her words carried a hint of defiance.
"Of course," Mo Lin said, looking at Zhang Qiling and smiling. "Age can only prove a person's height, not their depth."
"With rich experience and innate talent, I believe Miss Qiling is more than capable of being the person in charge of business between our two companies."
Zhang Qiling's lips curved upward slightly, a flicker of joy in her heart, but she maintained a professional smile. She raised her wine glass. "Thank you for your affirmation, Mr. Mo Lin. You've also taught me a philosophical saying."
Mo Lin also raised his wine glass, gently clinked it with Zhang Qiling's, took a sip, and as he put down the glass, he looked out the window at the SUV disappearing around the corner. "Miss Qiling, do you know the person who just left? I saw you looking at the young man driving just now. Is he your boyfriend?"
"Mr. Mo Lin, you're mistaken. He's not my boyfriend. He's a high school classmate..." Zhang Qiling paused, then continued, "and also a university classmate, and a very good friend. I just didn't expect him to be dining here coincidentally. I was a bit surprised."
"Surprised?" Mo Lin chuckled. "Miss Qiling used the word 'surprised.' It seems his presence here caught you off guard. Are you surprised by the coincidence, or by him being here?"
Zhang Qiling pondered for a moment, then glanced towards the street corner. "Well... it's because he's dining here. You know, the food here isn't cheap."
"Indeed. If Miss Qiling hadn't invited me here, I don't think I would have come."
"Mr. Mo Lin, you jest."
"A young man of similar age, handsome, and a good match for Miss Qiling."
"Ah? Mr. Mo Lin, please don't joke. How should I put it? He's not exactly reclusive, but I can clearly feel that he's very arrogant, an arrogance that looks down on everyone, with a 'disdainful' attitude towards everything. Honestly, I'm a little afraid of him. Not afraid, perhaps, but a kind of respect from the bottom of my heart? Whenever I stand with him, I feel like I'm looking up at him."
"Heh heh..." Mo Lin chuckled and didn't reply, but inwardly he sneered, "Standing with a god, and you think you're worthy?"
...
Having joined the ranks of car owners, He Li now had new worries, often sighing to himself.
Min Liang saw He Li staring blankly on the sofa and poured two cups of coffee before walking over. "Little He, what's bothering you? Tell your Brother Liang."
He Li looked up at Min Liang. "I do have some worries, but Brother Liang, you can't solve them."
"Oh?" Min Liang's interest was piqued. He Li, who could instantly kill a level five demon and confront a level two demon head-on, must be troubled by... love.
"Alas..." Min Liang sighed, looking at He Li with the world-weary eyes of someone who had been through it all. He sighed again, "He Li, actually, I have similar troubles. Whenever it's late at night and I'm alone, an indescribable sorrow fills my heart."
He Li blinked. "Brother Liang can't afford gas either?"
"What?" Min Liang was stunned, staring blankly at He Li.
He Li explained, "Gas prices are too high now. Eighteen or nineteen liters per hundred kilometers. I feel like I can't afford to drive it. Do we have any benefits for gas cards? Hey? Liang Ge, don't go, tell me about it. And wasn't that cup of coffee for me?"
"Bang!" Min Liang, with a cold expression, carried the two cups of coffee into the monitoring room, kicked his foot to close the door with a bang. Wasted effort. I had it all prepared to talk about love, and you're talking about... gas prices. What a lunatic!
He Li pouted sulkily. People who buy cars without checking fuel consumption are truly enviable.
"Our little darling has reached an age where he worries?"
The sudden voice startled He Li. He turned sideways and looked at the young man half-reclining in his chair, dressed in flashy casual wear, and even more handsome than He Li.
He Li sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "Yan Ping, why are you here?"
Yan Ping looked at He Li with a half-smile, then his figure flickered, and he stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the Binjiang scenery. He turned back and said to He Li, "Isn't it time for my entrance?"
He Li asked, puzzled, "Is it time for your entrance?"
"Shouldn't it be?" Yan Ping walked towards He Li, sat opposite him, and said with a smile, "Our little darling has reached an age where he worries about love, so of course I have to show up. Who understands love better than I do? Jin Fang the assassin? Chen Sui the madman? Xiao Yue the frigid one? Or the aloof He Jun? Li Qin, that greasy middle-aged man, is out of the question. Do you expect little He Xi to give you any guidance?"
He Li hesitated. "It's not love that's troubling me."
"Then what is it? Besides love, what else could be troubling you now?" Yan Ping asked.
"Gas prices. Yan Ping, I have a car now, but I can't afford to fill it up. Although I have over a million now, I have to use it sparingly. We still need to buy a house, and the housing prices in Binjiang... Yan Ping, don't go, come out and chat with me for a bit."
...