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“What kind of brain-dead logic is that?”
Even though Qin Zhiwei had never been in a relationship, he still couldn’t tolerate such an unreasonable argument. He stood up, ready to leave.
Gu Mengyao suddenly stood up as well and said, “Qin Zhiwei, can you not tell Xu Ye that you saw me this afternoon?”
“Relax, I’m not the gossiping type.”
Liu Qian jumped in emotionally, “Who are you calling out?”
Qin Zhiwei looked at her, speechless. “Come on, I wasn’t even talking about you. Why are you so worked up?”
Gu Mengyao pulled Liu Qian back and added, “Then can you tell me where Xu Ye is working his summer job?”
“Yu Jian Music Bar.”
With that, Qin Zhiwei walked straight out of the milk tea shop.
The moment he stepped outside, he regretted it immensely.
Damn it, went out and didn’t get a single thing out of it—ended up paying for two milk teas instead.
These two are something else. Called me out just to have me pay for the drinks while they didn’t even bother ordering for themselves. Clearly had it planned from the start.
Qin Zhiwei, seriously, if you let this happen again, you’re a damn fool!
After Qin Zhiwei left—
Inside the milk tea shop—
“Mengyao, you’re not thinking of going to find Xu Ye, are you?”
Gu Mengyao gently shook her head. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“If you ask me, if he doesn’t reach out to you, then forget him. We’ve already graduated anyway. There’ll be way better guys in university. You’re so pretty—you’ll definitely find someone better.”
Gu Mengyao said calmly, “I just want to understand why Xu Ye suddenly became so cold toward me. I’ve been thinking about it for days, and I still can’t figure it out.”
“Aiya, stop overthinking it. The news keeps saying there are way more guys than girls nowadays. From now on, it’s us choosing them, not the other way around. Just wait and see—Xu Ye is going to regret this.”
…
Around 4 p.m., Old Xu came back from work.
As a seasoned veteran at his office, he usually finished his daily tasks in about two hours. The rest of his day was spent loafing around and coasting.
That’s how it is in the public sector—if you’re not aiming for promotion, life’s actually pretty comfortable.
“Dad, you’re back?”
Seeing his son still at home, Xu Ye’s father looked surprised. “Why are you still here today?”
“I’ve got something to discuss with you.”
“Then it’s definitely not anything good.”
Xu Ye pulled his father over to sit on the couch and grinned. “I’ve gone through all the Driving Test Part One questions. I want to go register at a driving school tomorrow.”
Old Xu leisurely fished a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it up slowly, then said, “If it’s about money, talk to your mother. You know full well who really runs this house.”
“Mom doesn’t come home at noon, and she gets off work later than you in the evening. Why don’t you cover it first?”
Old Xu stood his ground. “I don’t have any money!”
“Dad, what about the stash you’ve got hidden in the bathroom ceiling? And the one under the TV cabinet? You’ve been hoarding quite a bit of cash.”
Old Xu instantly froze, nearly dropping his cigarette in shock. “How did you find out?”
“Come on, is there anything in this house I don’t know?”
“Don’t tell your mother—I’ve been saving that stash for over half a year.”
Xu Ye just smiled without saying a word.
Old Xu caught a hint of threat in his son’s grin. He snorted and said, “You little punk, trying to blackmail me now? Fine, I’ll talk to your mother tonight about the driving school. If we agree, we’ll leave the money on the living room table before we head to work tomorrow morning.”
Xu Ye patted Old Xu on the shoulder and said with a smile, “Old Xu, you’re the best. That’s a deal then—I’m off to work.”
“Watch your tone, kid.”
…
Jiang Meilin had been completely exhausted these past couple of days.
After finishing her work yesterday, she rushed back from a neighboring province overnight just to celebrate her daughter’s birthday.
Before dawn the next morning, she got back on the road again, worked through the whole day, and didn’t even return to the hotel afterward. Instead, she had her assistant buy her a train ticket straight back to Jiangzhou City.
Stepping out of the train station, Jiang Meilin opened WeChat and sent a message to Wang Ruxue: “Ruxue, is Qingqing home today?”
Wang Ruxue: “She’s home.”
Jiang Meilin asked again, “Just to confirm, the bar you mentioned—is it called ‘Encounter Music Bar’?”
Wang Ruxue: “That’s right. Want me to send you the address?”
Jiang Meilin: “Yes. I’m heading straight there now. If Qingqing decides to go out, let me know in advance. I don’t want her to know I’m meeting Xu Ye.”
Wang Ruxue: “Understood.”
Soon, Wang Ruxue sent over the address.
Jiang Meilin glanced at it, then handed her phone to the driver. “Xiao Wu, take me here.”
“Yes, Madam Jiang.”
The car drove from the train station straight to the bar.
It wasn’t completely dark yet. Having just finished cleaning, Xu Ye was sitting idly on a chair outside, bored and waiting for customers.
“Madam Jiang, we’ve arrived.”
“Wait for me in the car.”
“Understood.”
As the car door opened, a long, smooth, shapely leg stepped out first, followed by a pair of red-soled high heels. Jiang Meilin wore a blouse and a tailored women’s blazer on top, paired with a fitted pencil skirt. Her short hair was cut to just above her ears. She wore no jewelry except for an expensive women’s wristwatch on her right hand. The overall look was crisp and professional.
After getting out of the car, she didn’t head straight for the bar. Instead, she walked to the trunk, pulled out a pair of flat sandals, changed into them, and only then stepped toward the bar.
“Hello, welcome. What would you like to drink?”
The bar was completely empty at this hour, and Xu Ye was the only guy in the place. Besides, Jiang Meilin had seen his photo before—she recognized him immediately.
“You’re Xu Ye.”
“That’s me.” Xu Ye looked puzzled. “Do you know me?”
Jiang Meilin pulled out a chair and sat down, her expression unreadable. “I’m Chen Qingqing’s mother. May I have a word with you?”
Xu Ye was stunned, but he managed to keep a calm exterior.
He pulled out a chair and sat down, waiting for Jiang Meilin to speak.
Truth be told, he had already mentally prepared himself—he just hadn’t expected Jiang Meilin to show up this soon.
Pei Youwei, seeing Jiang Meilin’s demeanor, could immediately tell she was “not here for pleasantries.” And judging by her aura, she was clearly no ordinary female executive. Pei Youwei had already guessed that Jiang Meilin must be the boss of her old middle school classmate, Wang Ruxue.
So when Zhang Xiaonuan and Zhou Ying tried to edge closer and eavesdrop, Pei Youwei swiftly pulled them back.
“Let’s start with this—how did you and my daughter Qingqing meet?”
Xu Ye answered truthfully.
After listening, Jiang Meilin calmly asked, “So how many times have you two met so far?”
“Three times.”
“The first time by the lake, the second here, the third at the bank—and then the mall afterward.”
Jiang Meilin maintained firm control of the conversation. “Regarding you and Qingqing, is there anything you’d like to explain to me?”
“Auntie, I don’t think that’s something you should be asking me. You should understand your own daughter. Do you really believe someone with her personality would start dating a guy after only seeing him three times?”
Jiang Meilin hadn’t expected the young man sitting across from her to meet her gaze so directly throughout the entire conversation. In her company, even department heads never dared to look her in the eye like this.
“It’s not impossible,” Jiang Meilin said. “My ex-husband and I had a flash marriage. Back then, everyone around me said I was blinded by love.”
Xu Ye suppressed a chuckle. “Then Auntie, you can rest assured—your daughter definitely isn’t the type to get blinded by love.”
Jiang Meilin shifted the topic. “How old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
“Just finished the college entrance exam?”
“Yeah.”
“Have a target university in mind?”
Xu Ye replied, “Shanghai Finance and Economics University.”
Jiang Meilin raised an eyebrow. “I know that university. In Shanghai, it’s considered a second-tier institution, but from our city, you need scores above the first-tier cutoff to get in. If you can get accepted there, you actually have access to better options.”
“With my college entrance exam score, if I want to go to Shanghai, my choices are pretty limited.”
“So your primary consideration is location?”
“Yeah.”
“As an elder, I should remind you—studying finance isn’t exactly a rational choice for ordinary people.”
Xu Ye smiled. “I’m going to become rich.”
Jiang Meilin had no idea where Xu Ye’s confidence came from, but seeing the certainty in his expression, she was momentarily moved.
In terms of hard conditions, Xu Ye was quite outstanding—his height, looks, temperament…
If he truly had ambition, then maybe…