Chapter 41: Everything Comes Down to Money!

Jingge Hot Pot.

When He Chen and his group arrived, they ran into Qiao Yingzi at the entrance. She greeted them with a look of surprise, "Ruan Liuzheng, He Chen, what a coincidence! Are you here to eat too?"

"That’s right, Qiao Yingzi. Are you here by yourself?" Ruan Liuzheng asked with a smile.

"My dad is already inside waiting for me," Qiao Yingzi said, gesturing toward the restaurant. In truth, she had already realized that everyone was likely there to celebrate getting into the elite sprint class.

Ruan Liuzheng and Qiao Yingzi walked in side by side, with He Chen and Ruan Lu following behind.

As soon as they stepped inside, they heard a very distinctive call: "Yingzi, over here! Over here!"

Everyone looked up to see Qiao Yingzi's father, "Old Bai" Qiao Weidong, sitting there, smiling and waving at his daughter.

"Dad!" Qiao Yingzi hurried over with a smile, but her expression stiffened the moment she saw a beautiful woman sitting across from him.

It wasn't that she didn't know her. It was her father's young girlfriend.

"Your Auntie Xiao Meng said she hasn't seen you in a while, so she came along," Qiao Weidong said, gesturing for his daughter to sit beside him. He offered a casual explanation to let them exchange pleasantries, but his gaze was soon drawn to the three people being led in by the waiter.

"Hey, you kid is here too!"

"Did your heart skip a beat?" He Chen teased.

"You rascal!" Qiao Weidong couldn't help but glance at his precious daughter. He hadn't felt a skip before, but after hearing He Chen’s remark, his heart really did skip a beat involuntarily.

"Professor Ruan!"

"Teacher Xiao Meng."

Qiao Weidong’s young girlfriend, Xiao Meng, stood up to greet Ruan Lu.

"You two know each other?" Qiao Weidong asked, surprised.

Xiao Meng quickly explained that they were acquaintances from a yoga class—one was the instructor, and the other was a student.

"Why don't we join tables?" Qiao Weidong suggested with a smile.

"No need!" Ruan Lu waved her hand. "We shouldn't interrupt your family dinner. Waiter, could you find us another table?"

"Don't be like that!" Qiao Weidong insisted. "It won't be an interruption! You're here to celebrate the kids' exam success, right? So are we!"

"Ruan Liuzheng ranked 21st in the grade, and He Chen ranked 28th. They both qualified for the sprint class, but He Chen didn't want to go and stayed in his original class!" Qiao Yingzi quickly jumped in, providing her father with more topics to keep He Chen and the others there.

It wasn't that she wanted to dine with He Chen. If her father's girlfriend wasn't there, she would have preferred a private meal with just her dad to share her true feelings, and everyone else could go wherever they pleased. But now that there was an eyesore already present, she felt awkward herself and naturally welcomed more "light bulbs" to keep her from having to watch her father and Auntie Xiao Meng show affection.

"You did that well?" Qiao Weidong looked at He Chen in surprise. "But why didn't you want to go to the sprint class?"

After Qiao Yingzi gave a vivid description of the situation, he sighed that "you really are who you are," finding it entirely unsurprising that He Chen would do something like that.

Eventually, with Qiao Yingzi’s intentional push, Qiao Weidong’s greeting turned into genuine warmth. He Chen and his group sat at the empty table next to them and began ordering.

Watching his precious daughter look at the menu, Qiao Weidong couldn't help but laugh. "Yingzi, since you made it into the sprint class and your birthday is coming up, it’s a double celebration! Dad has prepared a super surprise for you!"

Under Qiao Yingzi’s curious gaze, Qiao Weidong picked up his phone and sent a voice message to his personal driver waiting outside. Soon, the driver entered carrying a large box.

"Whoa! Oh my god!" Qiao Yingzi exclaimed in delight as she saw it. "This is incredible, Dad! This is my favorite Star Wars set! Dad, I love you so much!"

Qiao Yingzi happily hugged her father’s head and kissed his forehead. While playing with the box, she couldn't help but exclaim, "This must have been so expensive!"

This was the most famous 8499 set!

"It's not expensive! As long as my daughter is happy, Dad would give you anything!" Qiao Weidong’s doting gaze made Ruan Liuzheng feel envious, while his girlfriend, Xiao Meng, who sat across from him, turned visibly sour.

"Old Qiao, you're really getting carried away. You call an eight-thousand-yuan toy 'not expensive'? That's enough for me to buy a handbag."

He Chen nearly laughed out loud upon hearing this.

Qiao Weidong, glancing at his daughter, happened to catch He Chen’s expression. He glared at him, a silent warning not to speak out of turn. It was clear he saw the amusement in He Chen’s eyes.

In the eyes of his girlfriend Xiao Meng, a LEGO set was just a toy. But to men like Qiao Weidong and He Chen, LEGOs helped develop manual dexterity, focus, and imagination. Buying bags that cost eight thousand or more was, in their view, the truly meaningless expense.

"I have enough bags... besides, is this a toy? This is Yingzi’s learning equipment. If Yingzi realizes her aerospace dream in the future, this will be her rocket booster!"

Amidst Qiao Weidong’s elaborate display of fatherly love, everyone ate hot pot with their own thoughts. Ruan Liuzheng and Xiao Meng felt envy and jealousy; Qiao Yingzi felt a mix of happiness and melancholy; Ruan Lu remained completely unmoved; and He Chen spent the whole time eating and watching the spectacle, giving "Old Bai" plenty of face while secretly amused, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Midway through, Qiao Weidong went to the restroom, and being in high spirits, he followed He Chen in. He tilted his head, squinting with drunken eyes as he looked at He Chen. "What exactly were you thinking? Fang Yifan provoked you, so why did you turn around and have his father, Fang Yuan, sent in?"

"Reporting illegal activities is everyone's duty, Uncle Qiao. You aren't the 'Saint of Thieves' Bai Yutang anymore!" He Chen, while urinating, felt no discomfort at all from being watched.

The one who should feel uncomfortable and inferior is always someone else!

"..." Qiao Weidong paused, catching the implication. As a businessman, he didn't like hearing about thieves or legality, so he quickly changed the subject. "The point is, the weekly singing and dining sessions I had with Fang Yuan were ruined by you."

"You don't have to thank me, Uncle Qiao!" He Chen smiled. Seeing Qiao Weidong’s wide-eyed, uncomprehending expression, he explained, "You're definitely the one paying when you guys hang out, right? Once a week, and at your level, an average consumption of 1,000 per person is standard, isn't it? If he's inside for a month, you save 8,000. With that money, you could buy another rocket booster for Qiao Yingzi or get your girlfriend a proper bag. Isn't that better?"

"It's not about the money..." Qiao Weidong shook his head.

"Everything is about money!" He Chen interrupted. "You wouldn't say you're worried about him losing his job or his life falling apart because he's in for a month, would you? That's even simpler! You're a big boss with a personal driver; if you're really worried, just hire him to work at your company. Hiring anyone is just hiring someone, right? You aren't short on that kind of money!"

Qiao Weidong: "..."