Meng Qi mumbled, "I dated one when I was studying; he's thirty-four or thirty-five."
"Then you're only a few years younger than me," Mr. Yao chuckled and asked, "Do you like children?"
"Not particularly, but not strongly dislike them either." Meng Qi already knew why her father had asked her to come along; this was a setup for a blind date.
As Mr. Yao was about to ask more questions, Meng Qi looked at him directly and spoke first, "Does the project Mr. Yao is collaborating on with our group have anything to do with my personal life?"
"No, no," Mr. Yao hadn't expected Meng Qi to question him so directly and found himself liking her straightforward personality. "Just making conversation."
Meng Qi had no choice but to steer the conversation back to business. "Mr. Yao, when selecting collaborators, you can't just look at who offers the highest investment or is best at marketing; that's too short-sighted. A project involves too many aspects from start to finish. Does Xiangxiang in Lancheng have the strength of our Huangfu Group? Can they navigate all aspects smoothly and help you resolve potential risks in the project?"
"That's very well put," Mr. Yao said, feeling a sense of admiration for her. "No wonder people say the eldest daughter of the Huangfu family is not only beautiful but also very capable. It would be my fortune to marry you."
Meng Qi smiled faintly, unable to respond to that, and excused herself to go to the restroom.
In the restroom, she calmed herself down. She had no intention of returning to the private room and instead sent a text message to her father.
"Dad, Mrs. Lu is urgently looking for me to discuss the project, so I'm leaving."
After leaving the hotel, she didn't return to the group either, walking aimlessly on the streets.
So, her father still didn't recognize her efforts and abilities; he just wanted to marry her off.
In fact, she had already made up her mind to remain unmarried, but in her parents' eyes, a daughter's marriage was far more important than her career.
She stood at the entrance of a small food stall with a long queue and sighed. She really didn't want to get married.
"Are you going to queue or not? Are you buying?" someone behind her urged.
She joined the queue ahead and said, "Yes, I'll buy."
She hadn't eaten much earlier and didn't know what was being sold that required such a long queue, but since it was food, she decided to fill her stomach first.
When it was her turn, she realized it was a shop selling crispy pancakes. "Boss, give me one with braised pork belly flavor."
"Coming right up." The man packing the crispy pancake for her was about her age, wearing a green apron, and expertly wrapped a pancake.
As Meng Qi paid and took the crispy pancake, she found him somewhat familiar and looked at him a couple more times.
The man also looked at her, recognized her instantly, and called out, "Meng Qi, is that you?"
"Ziwei, why are you working here?" Meng Qi also recognized him.
Ren Ziwei, her university classmate. They had dated, and he was the only man who could be considered her boyfriend.
Ren Ziwei smiled and said, "I opened this small shop myself."
"Business looks good," Meng Qi greeted him casually.
At this moment, people in the queue behind them were urging, "You're chatting now, are you going to let us behind you buy or not!"
"Oh, oh." Meng Qi took the pancake and prepared to leave.
Ren Ziwei called out to her, "Wait for me by the leisure chairs for a moment."
Meng Qi nodded and walked to the side. She took a closer look at the small shop. It wasn't really a shop, just a window, with no place to sit and eat.
She remembered Ren Ziwei's family had been quite well-off. After graduation, she went abroad for further studies in business administration, and Ren Ziwei joined his family's company.
They were in different places and both very busy, so over time, they naturally drifted apart.
By all accounts, Ren Ziwei should now be a chairman or general manager. Why was he running such a small food stall?
While waiting, she ate the crispy pancake and found it incredibly delicious, more crispy and flavorful than any she had eaten before.
Before long, Ren Ziwei handed over the shop's duties to an assistant and came to find her, having taken off his apron.
Meng Qi saw that he had gained quite a bit of weight since their university days, and his hair had become thinner. He looked very different from the handsome boy in her memory.
"You're still so young and beautiful, you haven't changed at all," Ren Ziwei praised her sincerely.
Meng Qi smiled with emotion and said, "I've gotten a bit older. How come you're running a shop here? Aren't you managing your family's company?"
Ren Ziwei gave a wry smile. "The family company went bankrupt long ago. I'm just opening this shop to make a living."
"Oh, this crispy pancake is very good. I didn't know you could make pancakes before," Meng Qi said, not wanting to dwell on the topic of his family's company.
"It's delicious, isn't it? This is my grandmother's ancestral secret recipe, which I've slightly improved," Ren Ziwei said with a happy smile.
Meng Qi casually asked, "Is this the only shop you've opened?"
"Yes, just this one. We don't make many per day, and we usually close by three or four in the afternoon."
Meng Qi thought of something and said, "Your small shop seems to be doing well. Why don't you consider opening more branches?"
"Where would I get the funds? Having a shop like this is enough to make ends meet," Ren Ziwei said, seemingly content.
Meng Qi immediately said, "I can invest in it for you..."
"No need," Ren Ziwei refused. "I'm very content now. I don't want to expand too much and take on more worries; it's too tiring. Although my family's company is gone, and we're not as financially well-off, my life is quite comfortable and free."
Meng Qi agreed, "That's true. As long as you're happy, that's what matters."
"How have you been all these years? Still not married?" Ren Ziwei asked.
Meng Qi smiled and shook her head. "I've been busy with work and haven't had time for that. How about you?"
"I'm married, and I have two children," Ren Ziwei showed her his wedding ring.
Meng Qi said with emotion, "That's great. We should get together again at a class reunion sometime."
Ren Ziwei was about to say more when Meng Qi's phone rang.
She answered, "Hello."
"Manager Meng, where are you? Are you coming back to the company this afternoon?" It was Song Jiaping's voice.
She asked, "What is it?"
Song Jiaping said, "Mrs. Lu's side has sent over some details about the project, and you need to review and sign them."
"Okay, I'll be right back." When she hung up, she noticed Ren Ziwei had already walked away. He waved at her and went back to busy himself at the small shop.
She collected herself, finished the remaining crispy pancake in a few bites, and hailed a taxi to the group.
...
Song Jiaping was waiting in her office for her to finish reviewing the collaboration details with Mrs. Lu. He felt she wasn't quite herself.
As she read the documents, she kept getting distracted, and her pace was noticeably slower.
Song Jiaping asked, "Is everything alright?"
Meng Qi looked up at him and said, "I'm fine. Perhaps I'll have my secretary give it to you after I finish."
"Alright. I'll let Mrs. Lu's secretary know, so she doesn't rush for it," Song Jiaping said as he left her office.
After he left, Meng Qi completely lost focus on the documents. She leaned back, thinking about her encounter with Ren Ziwei earlier.
She had originally thought that Ren Ziwei's family bankruptcy would be a tragic affair, but instead, she saw a sense of ease and liberation in Ren Ziwei's eyes that she had never witnessed before.