Chapter 60: President Chen is Not Ordinary
Chapter 60: Chapter 60: President Chen is Not Ordinary
When Zhao Xiangjun was with Chen Xiao, she had never considered such things.
Back when their feelings for each other were just starting to deepen, she still thought he was a poor kid and even helped support him, encouraging him to work hard.
She wasn’t a materialistic person. If it were anyone else who had suddenly come into millions—and a sustainable income at that—’why would they still go to work? Why would they still wear clothes bought online? Wouldn’t they be a regular at all the luxury brand stores already?’
She’d never had such thoughts. When it came to worldly possessions, her philosophy was simple: if she liked something, it was good. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t chase after it, no matter how extravagant or luxurious it was.
But Zhao Hui had a point. When men were trying to woo a girl, they could promise the world, but when it was actually time to give something, most of them would play dumb.
Even with all his money, Chen Xiao had secretly bought her a house and shares in Yino Company. He had done it with the best intentions, back when their relationship wasn’t even official and they hadn’t been intimate.
She understood that he treated her with all his heart. That was why she, a normally conservative girl, had given him her all without reservation.
Money isn’t the measure of affection, but it can be a revealing glimpse that shows whether or not a man is truly sincere.
She didn’t explain that she didn’t just own half the house, but that it was all hers. There was no point.
Chen Xiao didn’t know Zhao Xiangjun’s parents had come to Bihu Twin Seals. Eating alone was boring, so he called a few people to play Guandan and eat some homestyle food.
His current social circle wasn’t large; he only knew a few people he actually enjoyed talking to. He didn’t even consider his old classmates. From now on, he’d just be superficially polite to people like Meng Jianshu and Tao Yong. They were on completely different paths and had nothing in common.
That afternoon, he sent messages to Li Guoqiang and Cha Lan, asking if they were free for a small get-together that evening.
It was the first time he had invited the two of them. They quickly replied that they could make it.
Cha Lan even specifically asked if he should bring a girl. Chen Xiao knew Cha Lan thought he had a thing for Xu Wu, and that was why he was so helpful in getting her orders.
He didn’t want to explain too much. He couldn’t just say he was doing it for the system’s karmic reward bonus, could he? Besides, he did have a good impression of Xu Wu. She was independent, had a strong personality, and was a very career-driven professional. And unlike many social butterflies, she had her own distinct character.
He politely declined Cha Lan’s idea of bringing Xu Wu. He was also thinking to himself, ’If Xu Wu wasn’t willing, Cha Lan probably couldn’t force her anyway, and that would just be awkward!’
Li Guoqiang was bringing Yang Ming. On one hand, they needed someone to handle things; on the other, Guandan required four players, and they were short one.
Li Guoqiang helped book the location for dinner. It was a homestyle restaurant in a very hidden spot—so hidden you could walk right past the front door and not even realize it was a restaurant.
It had no decor, not even a proper storefront sign, just a small plaque the size of an A4 sheet of paper that read: Old Jia Restaurant.
It was Chen Xiao’s first time here. He heard from Li Guoqiang that the restaurant only served four tables a day—two for lunch and two for dinner. There was no menu; you ate whatever the owner cooked.
The restaurant’s main feature was the freshness of its ingredients. The owner personally selected them every morning, then returned to cook everything himself over a small stove.
It had the authentic, delicious taste of home cooking, and the price was only about 300 yuan per person.
With Chen Xiao’s financial status, there was probably no place he couldn’t afford to eat. But for him, eating out was about comfort, not blindly chasing expensive restaurants.
He found that many of the so-called gourmet delicacies at high-end restaurants were only good for a one-time try; he’d have no interest in going back a second time. Instead, unique specialty restaurants were more to his taste.
Since he was the one who had arranged the gathering, he arrived early. He moved a case of Maotai to the side and sent messages to Cha Lan and Li Guoqiang to let them know he was there.
Zhao Xiangjun was having dinner with her parents, so Chen Xiao didn’t bother her with too many messages. He just told her: "Since Uncle and Auntie are here today, you should buy them some clothes or something. If it’s on your way, you can stop by the house and grab two cases of liquor for them to take. You’ll have to buy the cigarettes yourself."
Because Chen Xiao didn’t smoke, he didn’t keep cigarettes at home. As for liquor, he needed it for business entertainment, and buying it individually was too much trouble, so he had bought 20 cases at once and had them delivered to Bihu Twin Seals.
When Li Guoqiang and Cha Lan learned that Chen Xiao had arrived, they both presumably dropped what they were doing and rushed over immediately, entering Old Jia Restaurant at almost the same time.
The two knew each other. After all, they had discussed business collaborations before, but they weren’t close—it was just a professional acquaintance.
After running into each other outside, they exchanged a few pleasantries and went to the private room Chen Xiao had booked.
"President Li, President Cha, you both got here so fast!" Chen Xiao said with a smile as he stood up.
"When President Chen invites, you have to be quick! I actually had a reception this afternoon, but I pushed it to tomorrow," Li Guoqiang said with a laugh.
Cha Lan had previously secured two orders from Inspection Equipment through Chen Xiao, so he knew Chen Xiao had a strong connection to the company. However, he had always assumed Chen Xiao was just leveraging a connection he had climbed his way into.
But Li Guoqiang’s behavior tonight suggested otherwise. The level of importance Li Guoqiang placed on Chen Xiao wasn’t how one would treat a client; it was as if he considered Chen Xiao’s status to be even higher than his own!
Cha Lan quickly chimed in, "President Li is right! Brother, for a dinner you’re hosting, I’d even ditch my girlfriend to be here!"
His comment made everyone burst into laughter.
The "girlfriend" he mentioned was, of course, his mistress. Bringing her up showed, on one hand, that he considered them all close enough not to be outsiders. On the other, it highlighted the importance of Chen Xiao’s invitation—he was willing to risk her anger to attend.
’I never knew Cha Lan had it in him,’ Chen Xiao thought. ’Looking like that, he could still get a girlfriend? He probably paved the way with money.’
The group sat down to play Guandan. Chen Xiao partnered with Li Guoqiang, sitting opposite each other, while Cha Lan played with Yang Ming.
As the Vice President of Sales for Inspection Equipment, Yang Ming was someone Cha Lan would normally treat with courtesy. Today, however, he was acting like a server. This was partly because his boss, Li Guoqiang, was present, but also, his attitude toward Chen Xiao was one of extreme obsequiousness.
Cha Lan thought to himself, ’Looks like I’ve underestimated Chen Xiao’s power.’
After one round, Cha Lan and Yang Ming hadn’t won a single game. Li Guoqiang laughed and said, "Xiao Yang, don’t play the ’corporate’ game. I don’t like it, and neither does President Chen!"
Yang Ming gave an awkward laugh. "Not at all. It’s mainly because you and President Chen are too skilled. I’m the one who dragged President Cha down!"
Cha Lan also acted humbly. After a round of cards, everyone had warmed up to each other and started chatting more freely.
Cha Lan found an opportune moment to say, "Business is tough these days. We’ve really been relying on your support, President Li, President Chen. Otherwise, the pressure on us would be immense!"
Li Guoqiang was very socially adept. He smiled and said, "President Cha, you only need to thank President Chen. To be honest, for those two orders of yours, a higher-up had already made a call for someone else. But President Chen requested they go to you, so I could only choose to make my own leader unhappy!"