Chapter 26 [VIP]
Chapter Summary: "Why didn't you mention that your colleague's husband is a rich second-generation?"
The waiter brought out the steamed sea bass with lime. The sea bass, weighing over a pound, was simmering in a bright and tempting broth with lemongrass, cilantro, and lime. It was still bubbling when it was served.
Rong Xiaodan picked up a piece of fish, dipped it in the broth, and said with a smile, "I know your school." Ni Zhenzhen had told her about it, and she remembered it because the name was quite unique, "It has the same name as Milk."
Deng Maolin subtly pursed his lips, inwardly chuckling, "There are schools like this?"
Even a diploma mill will try to sound like a royal or international school when it comes to its name. Xu Tianzhou's school is probably even worse than a diploma mill, since it has the same name as Milk.
Rong Xiaodan continued, "Call it Yili..."
She racked her brains for a while, but just couldn't remember what came next. She'd been like this since she was little; she couldn't get into foreign classics or foreign history, and one of the main reasons was that the titles were too long.
Rong Xiaodan looked at Ni Zhenzhen for help, but Deng Maolin turned around at that moment.
His expression was very strange, perhaps because he couldn't believe it, and his speech became unusually slow, like a scene deliberately slowed down.
Deng Maolin: "University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign?"
"Wow!" Rong Xiaodan clapped her hands excitedly, her eyes filled with admiration. "You actually knew that! You're amazing!"
"..." Deng Maolin was speechless.
If Rong Xiaodan hadn't looked so sincere, he would have suspected she was being sarcastic, because anyone could tell which carried more weight: "read" or "heard." Deng Maolin's face burned as if he'd been slapped.
Rong Xiaodan was completely oblivious and continued excitedly, "Yes, yes, it's Yili..." She suddenly stopped because she had forgotten what came next.
Rong Xiaodan rubbed her forehead with her hand and sighed resignedly, "Whatever, you all know anyway..."
Ni Zhenzhen was amused by Rong Xiaodan's confused look. She turned to Xu Tianzhou, and the two looked at each other and smiled again.
Rong Xiaodan was also smiling. She and Deng Maolin had their first date at this restaurant. They sat near the kitchen and ordered the steamed sea bass with lime. Every bite she took brought back memories of that time.
Of the four, only Deng Maolin had a solemn expression and couldn't smile at all.
While the waiter was serving the food, he once again scrutinized Xu Tianzhou with an almost scrutinizing gaze. Deng Maolin really couldn't understand why Xu Tianzhou, a graduate of a prestigious university, would work in a rice noodle shop.
Once all the dishes were served, Rong Xiaodan served everyone a bowl of Tom Yum soup. Xu Tianzhou took a bite, but Ni Zhenzhen didn't eat much. She ate brown sugar boba with one mouthful and mango cheese with the other, like a tireless little bee eagerly searching for honey among a hundred flowers.
Rong Xiaodan ate all the dishes and smiled contentedly. "It's been a long time since I've eaten so happily. By the way, he will also be working at Huijing Center in the future, so we can get together often."
Xu Tianzhou was peeling shrimp when he heard Rong Xiaodan mention Huijing Center and casually asked, "Which company?"
"Xinda".
Xu Tianzhou's hand suddenly stopped. "Xinda?" Could it be the "Xinda" he knew?
Perhaps disbelieving that such a coincidence could happen, Xu Tianzhou's tone was filled with surprise and astonishment, which sounded rather harsh to Deng Maolin, as if he were unworthy to go to Xinda.
Rong Xiaodan assumed Xu Tianzhou didn't know the company, which was why he asked, so she added, "It's the one that does logistics."
"Oh..." Xu Tianzhou's last remaining doubts vanished, and he finally realized that it really was the "Xinda" he knew.
Rong Xiaodan didn't stop there. She was so eager to prove something that she didn't give Xu Tianzhou a chance to speak, and continued, "It's a listed company, a Fortune 500 company, the most valuable brand..."
Rong Xiaodan recounted each of their achievements, and without exception, they were all praises of Cinda.
The bright red shrimp were still in Xu Tianzhou's hands. He had never heard anyone praise Xinda so highly before, and he felt a little embarrassed.
Xu Tianzhou lowered his eyes and continued peeling shrimp. After Rong Xiaodan finished speaking, he said calmly, "I know Xinda."
No one in the room should know better than him.
Xu Tianzhou's words, "I know Xinda," finally allowed Deng Maolin to save face a little. He unconsciously curled his lips into a smile. So what if he went to a prestigious university? In the end, he was still outdone by him.
However, Deng Maolin's joy didn't last long; in the very next second, his smile vanished.
Xu Tianzhou said, "The benefits at Cinda are quite good."
It was clearly a compliment, but Deng Maolin felt something was off about it. He realized the key was Xu Tianzhou's tone; he had used an affirmative sentence, not a question.
What makes him so certain?
Deng Maolin chuckled lightly, seemingly seeking advice humbly, but actually speaking with a barbed tongue, "You have friends at Cinda?"
"..." Xu Tianzhou didn't know how to answer.
He mentioned this because Su Wenjin had told him that the company's senior management had been discussing how to distribute year-end bonuses these past two days, and if nothing unexpected happened, it should be the largest ever.
"Hmm..." Xu Tianzhou turned his gaze and met Ni Zhenzhen's expectant eyes. She was looking up at him, her expression as focused as a student listening to a lecture, her eyelashes thick and long, and her eyes sparkling like stars.
Xu Tianzhou pursed his lips and said slowly, "I do know someone."
"Really?" Deng Maolin's tone suddenly changed, at least it lacked the composure it had before. He eagerly pressed on, "Which department?"
This time, Xu Tianzhou didn't hesitate, "President's Office."
"What?" Before Deng Maolin could say anything, Ni Zhenzhen exclaimed incredulously, grabbing his arm. "When did you meet people from Xinda? I've never heard you mention them before?"
"Tell me quickly!" Ni Zhenzhen said half-jokingly, "Who do you know? Don't tell me it's Su Wenjin."
A chandelier wrapped in white feathers hung in the center of the dining table, making Ni Zhenzhen's smile appear exceptionally radiant and bright.
Xu Tianzhou couldn't help but stare for a while before finally looking away.
“It’s Su Wenjin…” he said, glancing around before finally fixing his gaze on Deng Maolin. When Deng Maolin was too shocked to know what expression to make, Xu Tianzhou slowly uttered the second half of the sentence, “…his secretary.”
Xu Tianzhou explained, "He came to the rice noodle shop a couple of days ago and accidentally left his phone behind. Does that mean we know each other?"
In just a few seconds, Deng Maolin's emotions went through a rollercoaster. He wasn't sure if Xu Tianzhou had done it on purpose, but he had definitely been tricked.
Deng Maolin forced a smile and said awkwardly, "So it was a joke. I thought you really knew me."
Xu Tianzhou smiled and said casually, "How would I know anyone from Xinda? But now that I've met Mr. Deng, I can brag to others about it now."
These words were relatively pleasant to hear, and a sense of superiority welled up within me again, along with a return of my sympathy for Xu Tianzhou.
How should I put it? This might be the closest some people get to working for a top company.
After finishing their meal, the four of them came out of the restaurant. Deng Maolin was in a good mood and asked very warmly, "Where are you staying? I'll give you a ride."
"No need," Xu Tianzhou said. "I drove here."
Deng Maolin was a little surprised, but quickly regained his composure and said, "Let's go down together then."
The four people entered the elevator. Ni Zhenzhen and Rong Xiaodan chatted about things at the bank, while Deng Maolin stood to the side, seemingly calm and expressionless, but in reality, his mind was being torn apart by a question.
The answer will be revealed soon.
The four of them stepped out of the elevator lobby, and almost simultaneously, the headlights of a black Mercedes across the street flashed. Deng Maolin didn't pay much attention at first, but it wasn't until Xu Tianzhou and Ni Zhenzhen walked past one after the other, and until Xu Tianzhou opened the car door and got into the driver's seat, that he had to accept the fact.
At that moment, all the questions in my heart were answered.
"Heh..." Deng Maolin scoffed lightly, "Why didn't you mention that your colleague's husband is a rich second-generation?"
"A rich kid? How did you figure that out? This car?" Rong Xiaodan laughed, "Such an old car..."
"What do you know?" Deng Maolin scolded. He had to admit that Rong Xiaodan was ignorant. "This car was bought by the first group of people who got rich back then. It cost over a million yuan, which could buy half a neighborhood at the time. Because they were attached to it, they wouldn't sell it even if they got a new car. It just sits at home, and their children use it to practice when they're learning to drive. Don't you think about it? People who can study in the US can't come from poor families. The rice noodle shop manager, ha, is probably from a family business. He'll work at the bottom for two years first, and then he'll naturally take over the entire catering company."
"Impossible." Rong Xiaodan had also had her doubts, but one undeniable fact completely dispelled that thought: "If he were truly a rich second-generation, why wouldn't he buy a house?"
Deng Maolin was stumped by the question. Had he guessed wrong?
Just then, the Mercedes pulled up, the window rolled down, and Ni Zhenzhen waved goodbye to the two of them.
Rong Xiaodan, however, had no intention of letting her go. She leaned closer and bent down, asking curiously, "Zhenzhen, when did you buy the car? Why didn't you mention it before?"
The story of this car is quite long, and now is not the time to talk about it. Ni Zhenzhen said vaguely, "It hasn't been long."
"It must have been expensive! How much did it cost?"
"It's a used car, and it doesn't cost much."
“Oh…” Rong Xiaodan glanced at Deng Maolin almost imperceptibly, then waved to Ni Zhenzhen, “Take care on the road, let’s get together again sometime.”
The Mercedes drove away. Deng Maolin stared at the pair of scarlet taillights and sneered. He had money but didn't save it to buy a house. Instead, he insisted on buying a car. He wanted to buy a luxury car but couldn't afford a new one, so he bought a used one.
He concluded, "Your friend is quite vain."
After Deng Maolin finished speaking, he strode towards his car without waiting for Rong Xiaodan to follow.
That was his new car, a brand-new Cadillac. He loved it before he came, but now, nothing about it looked right. Deng Maolin was filled with regret. He should have been more decisive and gone straight for a BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Audi.
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