"Alright, let’s not all stand here. It’s too crowded. We should head out," Huang Chunying said, trying to smooth things over.
"Right, right, let’s go. This isn’t the place to talk," Bi Xiaoyun chimed in.
"My friend booked a private room at Yuefu Building. Let’s go eat first." Zhang Zhengyang’s demeanor was composed, not the least bit flustered.
’This guy, Lin Jiang, is a little better-looking, that’s all. He has nothing else going for him. He can’t even compare to Sun Hongfeng.’
’And she claims he’s her boyfriend, but he’s probably just a shield she found to fend us off.’
"I’ve heard of that place. A lot of food vloggers have reviewed it. It’s not cheap at all."
Bi Xiaoyun was playing wingman, putting in a good word for Sun Hongfeng.
’If those two get together, my family will benefit too. We might even become his exclusive partners.’
"My brother booked Xinrong Restaurant," Li Zhiyi said.
Xinrong Restaurant!
Zhang Zhengyang and Sun Hongfeng froze when they heard the name.
"Huh? Xinrong Restaurant?"
Bi Xiaoyun muttered, "What kind of place is that? I’ve never heard of it. It can’t be better than Yuefu Building, right?"
"Xinrong Restaurant has three Michelin stars," Li Zhiyi said casually.
"Three Michelin stars!"
Bi Xiaoyun froze, too, when she learned Xinrong Restaurant had three Michelin stars.
It was one thing not to have heard of Xinrong Restaurant, but it was another thing entirely not to have heard of a three-star Michelin restaurant.
Bi Xiaoyun had never been to a three-star Michelin restaurant, but she knew they all had one thing in common: they were expensive!
Incredibly expensive!
A casual meal would cost over a thousand per person. It was definitely not a place ordinary people could afford.
"Mom, Dad, let’s go eat."
Li Zhiyi paid the others no mind. She linked one arm with Huang Chunying, took Lin Jiang’s hand with the other, and headed for the station exit.
"You saw that man, Sun Hongfeng, right? He’s the one they want to set you up with," Huang Chunying whispered.
"Let them try. I’ll just ignore him. My brother is way better than him," Li Zhiyi said proudly.
"You’re a grown woman. Aren’t you embarrassed to be calling him ’brother’?" Huang Chunying teased.
"Times have changed. That’s what I’ve always called him," she said with a grin.
The remaining four stood frozen, their expressions a mixture of emotions.
"Zhengyang, what did you arrange? How come she has a boyfriend?" Sun Hongfeng asked, displeased.
"I didn’t see this coming either, but something seems fishy. Don’t let it get to you."
"Fishy?"
"My sister-in-law is very headstrong. Every time the family pressures her to get married, she claims to have a boyfriend, but she’s always been single," Zhang Zhengyang said.
"I’m guessing this guy is just someone she found to put on a show for my aunt and uncle. You don’t have to take it seriously."
"So, I still have a chance, right?"
"Definitely," Zhang Zhengyang said with a chuckle. "We’ve known each other for years. You can count on me."
"Okay."
Meanwhile, Huang Chunli and Bi Xiaoyun were whispering to each other.
"That... Xin-something Restaurant... star-something... you mentioned. What is that place?"
"It’s a really high-end restaurant. Costs over a thousand per person."
"What? That expensive?" Huang Chunli said, surprised. "For our whole group to eat there, wouldn’t it cost over ten thousand?"
"Probably."
"He must be loaded! He makes Zhengyang look bad. Zhengyang’s never even taken me to a place that nice."
Bi Xiaoyun’s ears burned at her mother’s words.
’A man’s greatest fear is picking the wrong career; a woman’s, marrying the wrong man.’
’The two of them were around the same age and had been compared to each other since they were little.’
’After all the effort I put into finding a man who was a great catch in every way, I thought I could finally one-up Li Zhiyi. I never imagined she’d find an even richer boyfriend. It left a sour taste in my mouth.’
"You can’t compare them like that. For all we know, he’s spending his life savings on this one meal," Bi Xiaoyun said.
"To know if someone’s really rich, you have to look at their fixed assets, like a house or a car."
"That’s true. We’re just ordinary folks. There are plenty of beautiful women out there; a rich guy probably wouldn’t pick her."
"Exactly. Rich people care about matching social status. They would never go for a girl from an ordinary family," Bi Xiaoyun said.
"If he’s really rich, he’s probably just playing with her. Once he’s had his fun, he’ll toss her aside."
"We should warn her, so she doesn’t get tricked."
As they spoke, the group left the station and arrived at the parking lot.
Zhang Zhengyang nudged Sun Hongfeng, who instantly understood the signal.
BEEP BEEP—
Sun Hongfeng was the first to press his key fob, and the lights of a Lexus 570 flashed on.
"This car is huge! It must cost over a million, right?" Bi Xiaoyun said loudly, for all to hear.
"With all the options, it’s over 1.6 million."
Sun Hongfeng savored the moment. He felt he had finally regained the face he’d lost earlier.
"Auntie, Zhengyang and Brother Sun’s car is over here!" Bi Xiaoyun called out.
"Look at this car, it’s over a million! You all can ride in it."
"My brother drove too, so we won’t be needing a ride in your car."
Lin Jiang casually pressed his own key fob, and the lights of a Maybach flashed.
Li Zhiyi promptly pulled open the car door. "Mom, Dad, let’s get in."
Seeing Lin Jiang’s Maybach, Zhang Zhengyang and Bi Xiaoyun stood rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded.
Sun Hongfeng’s face fell. He never imagined the guy would show up in a Maybach!
And a GLS 600, no less!
’His one car is worth two of mine!’
Sun Hongfeng was already starting to regret coming here.
He’d prepared so much, thinking he would be the star of the show today.
He never thought the guy could turn him into a background character without saying a single word.
"Zhiyi, is this Maybach your friend’s?" Zhang Zhengyang asked, his expression sour.
"He’s not my friend."
"Oh, so it’s borrowed."
Bi Xiaoyun and Zhang Zhengyang breathed a sigh of relief, and Sun Hongfeng’s heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled. ’There’s nothing to feel inferior about, then.’
"He’s not my friend, he’s my boyfriend. And the car isn’t borrowed. My brother bought it from me."
In that moment, Sun Hongfeng’s hope was utterly crushed.
’It was bad enough being ground into the dirt, but then he got stomped on and spat on for good measure.’
’Sun Hongfeng felt lower than a flattened cigarette butt on the pavement.’
"Zhengyang, maybe I should just leave. I don’t think I belong here."
"Well..."
Zhang Zhengyang wanted to say something to convince him to stay, but he was at a loss for words.
’He’s right. We’ve been completely and utterly crushed. We have nothing left to show for ourselves.’
"Brother Sun, you can head home for now if you want. But don’t worry, there’s definitely something shady going on here that we don’t know about. I’ll help you win her over."
"After all this, how could there still be something fishy going on?"
"You can’t believe a word she says. It’s all a mix of truths and lies," Zhang Zhengyang said.
"Besides, if he’s really some rich heir, why would he be interested in a girl from an ordinary family?"
"Well, you try talking some sense into her. A guy like that really doesn’t seem trustworthy."
"Don’t worry. Just wait for my call."
"Alright."
Sun Hongfeng left. Zhang Zhengyang, driving a borrowed car, followed Lin Jiang’s Maybach toward Xinrong Restaurant.
Inside the car, Li Zhiyi was inwardly cheering when she saw Sun Hongfeng’s car turn onto a different road.
"Brother, that Sun Hongfeng guy is gone. Looks like he knew when he was beat and gave up."
"I didn’t even do anything and he’s already gone. There’s no sense of accomplishment," Lin Jiang said with a laugh.
’But I haven’t received a system notification yet. This guy probably hasn’t completely given up.’
"He’s not even worthy of being compared to you. Don’t give him a second thought," Li Zhiyi said, beaming.
"If I’d known you really had a boyfriend, I never would have let them arrange this," Huang Chunying said.
"I told you, but you didn’t believe me."
"You say that every single time. It’s like the boy who cried wolf. After a while, nobody believes you."
"Well, you should believe me now. So you can stop pressuring me from now on."
"Why would I pressure you now? Just focus on your relationship."
"Okay, okay."
Huang Chunying was happy, but not as overjoyed as one might expect. She kept glancing at Li Jianshu, and he knew exactly what was on her mind.
’This young man drives such a nice car. You can tell at a glance that he comes from a very wealthy family.’
’We’re just an ordinary family. We’re not even in the same league.’
’What if he’s just playing around with her?’
Lin Jiang drove them to Xinrong Restaurant.
A polite server led the group into a private dining room.
The room was exquisitely decorated. Even Zhang Zhengyang was left breathless. He seemed very stiff and formal after taking his seat.
"Here are the menus, sir," the pretty waitress said.
Lin Jiang gestured for the waitress to give the menus to Li Jianshu and Huang Chunying.
"Xiaojiang, you should order. I’ve never been to a place like this," Li Jianshu said.
Bi Xiaoyun was eager. ’This might be one of the only times in my life I get to come to a place this nice. I have to at least see the menu, take a picture, and post it online.’
"Let me see..."
Bi Xiaoyun didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Li Zhiyi cut her off.
"Brother, none of us have ever been here, so we don’t know what’s good. Why don’t you order for us?"
Bi Xiaoyun looked awkward but was too embarrassed to say anything.
It was Lin Jiang’s first time in a place like this, too, but he wasn’t the least bit intimidated.
’Money can be like a steel plate for your spine; it helps you stand up straight.’
"We’ll have the 1688 set menu."
"Very good. Right away, sir."
As the waitress left with a smile, Bi Xiaoyun remarked:
"I thought three-star Michelin restaurants were supposed to be expensive. For a group our size, a 1688 set menu doesn’t seem that pricey."
’There must be more expensive options,’ Bi Xiaoyun thought. ’Lin Jiang was probably just being cheap and ordered the inexpensive one.’
"That’s only a little over 200 per person. I eat at restaurants of this caliber in Beijing all the time," Bi Xiaoyun said.
"That’s enough. Keep your voice down," Zhang Zhengyang whispered.
"We’re all family here. It’s just casual conversation."
Bi Xiaoyun’s tone was dripping with passive-aggressive sarcasm aimed at Lin Jiang. "I think this place probably isn’t as good as Yuefu Building. It’s just more famous, that’s all."
"I remember the restaurant Zhengyang took me to on our first date. I think it was over 2000 for four people. That comes out to more than 500 per person," Huang Chunli chimed in.
Zhang Zhengyang covered his face. He was too ashamed to even listen.
"Auntie, Cousin, the 1688 is the price per person," Li Zhiyi reminded them with a gentle smile.

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