After sending off Sheng Huasen, Qi Xiuyuan also took the opportunity to excuse himself. When Lu Bosong returned, he saw Wei Xicheng playing with his phone.
“Playing a game?” Lu Bosong poured himself a cup of tea, scanning the cups on the table. He noticed that Sheng Huasen’s cup was completely empty.
What could be so important that it made his friend act so out of character, breaking his usual habits? In the past, he would have complained and not touched it at all.
He glanced at Zhu Xingyuan, who was still engrossed in his mobile game, and felt a twinge of concern, but then he smiled, realizing he was just overthinking due to his age.
Wei Xicheng continued tapping away on his phone and said to Lu Bosong, “I came to school today. You have to talk to my dad about it later, so he doesn’t keep lecturing me.”
“You didn’t come here to attend class,” Lu Bosong said leisurely as he took a sip of tea. “I’ll tell your dad the truth.”
“Grandpa Lu! Ah! I died again.” Wei Xicheng tossed his phone onto the sofa, and with a quick turn of his eyes, picked up the teapot to pour Lu Bosong another cup of tea.
“You tell me, what’s the point of attending class? I haven’t fallen behind in what I need to learn.”
“Haven’t fallen behind? I heard that your professional mentor gave your paper a zero score last time?” Lu Bosong teased, eyeing the attentive Wei Xicheng.
Wei Xicheng picked up his phone. “Say whatever you want.”
“Giving up so quickly? I was counting on you to comfort me.” Lu Bosong shook his head and took another sip of tea.
“Just say it outright.”
“Hahaha, if I say it outright, how can I enjoy the pleasure of indulging in grandchildren? Oh, be gentle, you little brat!”
After leaving the conference room, it was already midday. Wei Xicheng called Meng Tao.
“We’re not taking that match tomorrow.”
It took Meng Tao a while to realize that Wei Xicheng was talking about the car racing competition. “Why not?”
“Does Qi Yiming get to decide whether to race just because he says so?”
To Meng Tao, the voice on the other end carried a strong tone of disdain. He suddenly understood that they didn’t have to accept whatever was thrown at them.
“But won’t they think we’re being cowards?” Meng Tao’s tone was somewhat uncertain. “That scoundrel Qi Yiming would definitely take this opportunity to mock us.”
Wei Xicheng walked down the road, his tone indifferent. “He won’t have that chance.”
“What!” On the other end, Meng Tao seemed to have bumped into something. “What do you plan to do?”
Wei Xicheng smiled, and the previous indifference vanished, his entire aura shifting. “Because I want to study hard and be a good kid, so that everyone changes their opinion of me.”
After saying that, he ignored Meng Tao, who was now baffled, and hung up the phone. He took a few steps forward and knocked on the car window.
The window slowly rolled down, revealing Sheng Huasen’s sharply defined handsome face.
“What’s the matter?”
“Why haven’t you left yet?” Wei Xicheng felt he was being both elegant and reserved.
Maybe… it was just that his lines weren’t very good.
Sheng Huasen looked at the young man’s slightly exposed small canine tooth, raising an eyebrow with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. “Are you eager for me to leave quickly?”
“Of course not!” Wei Xicheng wouldn’t miss any chance to interact with this ma, he could observe him and, to some extent, prevent the Zhu family from declining further, so why not? “I wanted to ask if you could give me a ride?”
After a moment’s contemplation, Sheng Huasen replied calmly, “Get in the car.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the young man hurried around to the other side, opening the door and hopping in, as if afraid he would change his mind at any moment.
Sheng Huasen observed Wei Xicheng’s head, which was constantly looking around, and then glanced at the hand resting on the car seat. He felt a sudden urge to reach out and touch the young man.
This feeling was strange and abrupt, he had just met this person last night, and the next day, simply seeing him had changed his mood and even made him feel greedy.
Sheng Huasen looked deeply at Wei Xicheng.
The atmosphere in the car grew quiet and strange, Wei Xicheng felt as if Sheng Huasen’s cold gaze upon him was like being stared at by a cold-blooded animal.
This was truly remarkable, he wanted to learn from it.
However, it was still better to pretend he didn’t know anything for now.
The uncomfortable feeling disappeared in an instant, and he knew without thinking that Sheng Huasen had shifted his gaze away.
If Wei Xicheng were to comment, he would say that Sheng Huasen was incredibly unpredictable, and it seemed he still didn’t fully understand the character’s traits, such an important characteristic hadn’t been analyzed.
“Go to Fuluo restaurant.” Sheng Huasen sent a message to his assistant, postponing the upcoming meeting to the afternoon.
“Are you treating me to a meal?” Wei Xicheng tried to avoid looking at Sheng Huasen’s phone screen to prevent catching any business secrets that might cause trouble, so he simply turned his head to enjoy the unchanging scenery outside.
To Sheng Huasen, Wei Xicheng seemed like a stubborn child, still sulking over what happened in the conference room. He felt no impatience, instead, he surprisingly found a hint of pleasure in it.
“Mm.”
He suppressed the feelings welling up inside him and tried to maintain a normal tone. He wouldn’t act out of the ordinary until he figured things out.
“I apologize for the unpleasant experience earlier,” Sheng Huasen said. “Let’s start over, I’m Sheng Huasen.”
When Wei Xicheng turned his head, he saw that long, clean hand extended towards him. This time, he didn’t rush to shake it,instead, he raised an eyebrow at Sheng Huasen before slowly taking his hand.
“Zhu Xingyuan.”
In fact, when Wei Xicheng knocked on Sheng Huasen’s car window, he had a bit of a calculation in mind. If Sheng Huasen didn’t like him in the meeting room, he wouldn’t have taken the initiative to extend his hand.
In an environment without outsiders, Sheng Huasen’s attitude became more genuine. At this moment, his demeanor indeed proved that he didn’t harbor any malice toward Wei Xicheng.
Perhaps there was a shortcut before him that could save him a lot of trouble. Wei Xicheng lowered his gaze, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes. He wasn’t foolish and understood what the most advantageous condition for himself was.
The car cabin fell into silence once more. In the moment of their handshake, Sheng Huasen felt a surge of excitement in his heart. This time, he was prepared and didn’t lose composure.
This inexplicable situation was something Sheng Huasen encountered for the first time in his life. He had no idea what kind of impact it would have on him, so he could only take things one step at a time, slowly seeking the reason and the solution.
A beautiful ringtone echoed, it was Meng Tao calling.
“What’s wrong?” Wei Xicheng kept a smile on his face as he listened to the voice on the other end. “Where do you think I’m going? What can I do about him? You’re overthinking it.”
The voice on the phone was a bit loud, and Sheng Huasen easily overheard the conversation.
“Bro, don’t act impulsively! If you get involved in this, your family won’t be able to protect you.”
“Shut up, I know that already,” Wei Xicheng replied with a laugh.
Only then did Meng Tao feel relieved. “Then just push it to them.”
“Okay.” Wei Xicheng hung up the phone and met Sheng Huasen’s gaze. “What’s up? Do I have something on my face?”
Saying this, he wiped his face and checked his palms.
There was nothing there.
“No,” Sheng Huasen’s voice was a bit hoarse. “What trouble do you have?”
“Pff, what kind of trouble can I not handle?” Wei Xicheng rolled his eyes dismissively and started to put on eye drops. “It’s just a pesky bug, annoying but can’t be squished. That’s how the Qi family is.”
Sheng Huasen nodded knowingly.
“Are you collaborating with the Qi family?” Wei Xicheng casually asked, then quickly waved his hand, looking straightforward. “Don’t misunderstand, it’s just good to inquire about the reputation of the opposing side before cooperating.”
Sheng Huasen could see through this obvious intention at a glance but said nothing, letting out a low laugh. “How about collaborating with you all?”
“That sounds great!” Wei Xicheng hurriedly agreed, as if realizing he was too eager. He cleared his throat and spoke slowly, “You should discuss it with my dad, I’m not very interested.”
“What are you interested in?” Sheng Huasen’s voice was low and enticing.
“Me?” Wei Xicheng tilted his head nonchalantly and smacked his lips. “I like whatever is off the beaten path. That’s what my dad says.”
“You don’t like your major?”
Wei Xicheng silently gave a thumbs up to Sheng Huasen, who immediately caught the crux of the matter.
“Well, it’s okay, not annoying,” Wei Xicheng turned to Sheng Huasen and said, “Actually, my grades in my major aren’t particularly bad.”
“The kind with zero points in the thesis?”
“You, tsk tsk.” Wei Xicheng pouted, “The emotional intelligence can’t be saved.”
Sheng Huasen suddenly felt an urge to tease this little leopard, whom he met for the first time yesterday. He was about to say something to remedy it, but the car stopped.
“Boss, here we are.” The driver is afraid that if he doesn’t stop, he will be shocked by the little brother behind him and get a heart attack.
In this short drive today, he had witnessed his boss show an unusual side several times. What was even more unbelievable was to be told that he had low emotional intelligence.
He dares to guarantee with his ten-year salary. If his boss had low emotional intelligence, Shengshi would have gone bankrupt long ago.
“Okay, let’s get out.”
The two got out of the car one after the other. Wei Xicheng watched the man in front of him. He hadn’t paid much attention before, but now that he saw, Sheng Huasen truly deserved to be compared to “the true destined child, Qi Yilin.”
Broad shoulders, strong waist, long legs—perfect beyond perfection.
Taking advantage of this moment, Wei Xicheng went over the Q&A from the car again in his mind. Yes, none of the necessary questions were left out, none of the telltale signs were missed, and the emotions were applied just right.
Even more perfect.
Zhu Xingyuan wasn’t someone who could hide his thoughts. If he was too scheming, it would raise suspicion, so it was better to lay out his thoughts clearly and achieve better results.
Wei Xicheng noticed he had unconsciously walked next to Sheng Huasen.
“Let’s go quickly, I’m starving.” After saying that, Wei Xicheng no longer paid attention to the president who was deliberately slowing down to wait for him and quickened his pace into the private room, leaving only his back to Sheng Huasen and the lobby manager.
Sheng Huasen, who fell behind, smiled and followed him in.
The lobby manager looked at the two, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead. Being a manager these days wasn’t easy, especially facing a powerful figure and an unruly young master.
“Is this your restaurant?” Wei Xicheng looked around the private room. “Not bad. You’ll be in the news in a few days?”
“Pretty much. The Shengshi branch has already moved here, just waiting for the announcement. The menu.”
“You order, it’s impressive that you could manage such a big business.” Wei Xicheng leaned his arms on the table, trying to boost his likability, resting his chin in his hand and gazing earnestly yet exaggeratedly, complimenting him sincerely.
“I’ll teach you next week.” Sheng Huasen handed the menu to the manager. “For drinks… give him a cup of yogurt, and I’ll have the usual.”
“I’m of age! Get some wine!”
Sheng Huasen gestured to the manager that he could leave. He then looked at the agitated little leopard, who had raised his chin high.
Zhu Xingyuan’s appearance actually looked very youthful; if he went outside, people would believe he was only sixteen or seventeen years old.
“Where’s your sincerity in apologizing?!”
“Health is more important,” Sheng Huasen said slowly, completely unfazed by Wei Xicheng’s influence. “There’s a chef here who is very good at making Sichuan cuisine.”
Wei Xicheng’s heart skipped a beat. The original owner loved spicy food, but he couldn’t handle spicy dishes.
Yogurt wasn’t just a coincidence. This person knew he loved drinking yogurt. He truly knew everything, Wei Xicheng gritted his teeth and said, “Mr. Sheng is really impressive, you even know what dishes I like.”
“This is my sincerity.”
