As the head of the prestigious Lu Group, who would dare to lay a hand on him like this under normal circumstances, or even appraise his genuine equipment as if it were fake? If this got out, he would probably become a laughing stock in the business world.

Qiu Mang shook her head helplessly at the appalling scene before her. She just didn't want Lu Yanting's identity to be exposed, but she didn't expect that Lu Yanting's current image would be that of a working-class man dressed in counterfeit goods.

Although it was somewhat comical, she dared not laugh out loud for fear of angering Lu Yanting, so she could only suppress her laughter, her cheeks turning slightly red.

Lu Yanting finally managed to break free from Ji Lun's grasp, coughed lightly, and regained some of his usual composure. "Oh, those were all bought with the help of friends. I'm not quite sure of the specific places. I'll ask them later."

He gave a perfunctory reply, just wanting to end this awkward topic as soon as possible.

Ji Lun, however, seemed oblivious to his perfunctory tone and said with a grateful expression, "Thank you so much, Mr. Lu. Please be sure to tell me once you've found out."

Seeing this, Qiu Mang quickly changed the subject, "Senior, have you been busy with work lately?"

She hoped to divert Ji Lun's attention away from Lu Yanting.

"It's alright. I've recently taken on a few big projects. Although I'm busy, I feel quite accomplished." Ji Lun spoke enthusiastically about his work, no longer dwelling on Lu Yanting.

The atmosphere at the dinner table finally eased a little, and Qiu Mang was secretly relieved. But when she looked up, she saw Lu Yanting looking at her with a half-smile, his eyes seeming to say, "I'll settle the score with you later for the trouble you caused."

Qiu Mang felt a chill run down her spine and lowered her head to eat silently.

During this meal, the relationship between Ji Lun and Lu Yanting quietly underwent a subtle change.

When Ji Lun first saw Lu Yanting, he only thought that the man in front of him was dressed in expensive clothes and had an extraordinary demeanor, so he must be a wealthy tycoon. Therefore, he spoke to him respectfully and dared not be negligent in any way.

But when Ji Lun heard that he was just a wage earner who had just earned a little over 10,000 yuan a month, he thought, "Clothes really do make the man. This guy is even better at putting on an act than I am!"

However, he didn't look down on such vain people. On the contrary, he felt a sense of joy in finding a kindred spirit. He even greatly admired Lu Yanting's aesthetic sense and his channels for finding good deals.

Lu Yanting's original intention was to prevent Ji Lun from spending time alone with Qiu Mang. Unexpectedly, Ji Lun stopped bothering Qiu Mang and instead clung to him. This left Lu Yanting both amused and exasperated, unsure whether to be relieved or helpless.

After finishing their meal, Ji Lun was still not satisfied. He grabbed Lu Yanting and insisted on seeing his Taobao shopping cart, planning to "copy his homework" first and then buy himself a few high-end replicas of designer brands during the big sales.

Lu Yanting frowned slightly. His daily necessities were always delivered to his door by a personal shopper, so he didn't have a shopping cart. Faced with Ji Lun's expectant gaze, Lu Yanting looked to Qiu Mang for help for the first time.

Qiu Mang immediately understood and quickly smoothed things over: "Senior, your style is completely different from Mr. Lu's. You might not be able to pull off his style. How about this, now that you've gotten to know each other and Mr. Lu has a general understanding of your clothing preferences, we can ask him to keep an eye out for suitable options next time. If he sees something suitable, he can recommend it to you. What do you think?"

Ji Lun thought about it and felt that Qiu Mang made a lot of sense, so he nodded and said, "Okay! Then Mr. Lu must remember that!"

This topic has finally come to an end.

The group went downstairs together and saw Ji Lun off.

The streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow. Qiu Mang turned slightly to the side and looked at Lu Yanting: "So? Do you still think you like me, senior?"

Lu Yanting's lips curled into a slightly self-deprecating smile, and he let out a soft hum: "Hmph, I don't think so anymore. I'm actually a little worried that he might try to cling to me."

Qiu Mang smiled slightly and said softly, "That's just how my senior is. He's warm-hearted and very genuine. We were in similar circumstances; neither of us came from a wealthy family. Back in school, when it was time to eat, all the other students would go to the cafeteria, but the two of us would often hide in a corner and eat steamed buns."

I remember it clearly. Back when I first entered university, I bought a steamed bun and was quietly eating it alone in a corner of the corridor outside the cafeteria. Coincidentally, an upperclassman was there that day too.

Lu Yanting gazed at the flashing neon lights in the distance, his expression slightly grave, and asked slowly, "And then? What happened?"

Qiu Mang's smile deepened, her eyes sparkling like tiny stars: "Later, we chatted for a bit, and I found out that the inconspicuous corner had always been where my senior secretly ate. He even jokingly said that it was his 'private restaurant'."

I was a freshman then, and he was a sophomore. He said he'd been eating steamed buns there for a year and had finally met someone like him. Seeing that I wasn't eating much, he was worried I wasn't getting enough, so he specially broke off half of his bun and handed it to me.

Lu Yanting took a deep breath, the hostility he had shown towards Ji Lun had completely vanished, and his tone was much gentler: "So, that's when your friendship was formed?"

Qiu Mang nodded slightly, then burst out laughing as if she had suddenly remembered something happy.

"Yes, but then we discovered that the bakery behind the school had a buy-one-get-one-free promotion at 9 p.m. So we gained a new identity—'group buying buddies'."

Later on, we would share everything we bought, any coupons we had, or any deals we found with each other.

So don't blame him. People who are used to being frugal always want to ask for a link to anything of good quality.

As the girl spoke, she glanced at Lu Yanting's bespoke suit.

Lu Yanting turned to look at Qiu Mang, feeling a pang of sympathy for her. She had recounted such a tragic experience as if it were a joke.

"Will you keep in touch after graduation?" Lu Yanting asked.

Qiu Mang shrugged. "You know, as soon as I graduated, my mom said there was too much work to do at home and I couldn't manage it all. My younger sister is also very young and needs someone to take care of her, so I had no choice but to go back and help."

My senior is different from me. He stayed in Guangcheng and worked hard to earn money so that the girl he liked could have a better life. So, I didn't dare to bother him.

"He has a girl he likes? Why didn't you say so sooner?" Lu Yanting asked in surprise, his voice unconsciously rising a few decibels.

Qiu Mang sighed, "Because I've never met that girl either, and even if I had told you earlier, given your personality, would you have believed me?"