Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The hot pot restaurant was located at the entrance of the food street not far from the School of Finance and Economics, visible as soon as they got out of the car.

During lunchtime, the restaurant was bustling with business. The spicy and fragrant aroma wafted far and wide, warming the entire street.

Ye Zhiqiu pulled down his scarf and smiled as he reported Li Shaojun's name to the front desk, immediately being led to a private room on the second floor.

"As expected, our little Bai is the best. Ah, I love Bai Bai." As soon as the door to the private room opened, Jin Baobao's excited voice came through.

"You two finally showed up," Li Shaojun said coldly. "If you hadn't come, I would have thrown this human noise pollution source out."

"What happened?" Ye Zhiqiu pulled out a chair and sat down, crossing his legs. "I heard you talking about Baiyou from afar, thought he had come with you."

"He doesn't have time; he's been running around for auditions recently," Jin Baobao said, then excitedly held his phone in front of Ye Zhiqiu. "Look."

On the screen were two invitations to the "Burning Heart" celebration banquet.

It was thanks to "Burning Heart" that Meng Qingyan had just won his second Best Actor award.

"Wow." Tang Yue's eyes widened. "How did you get these?"

"I was lucky," Jin Baobao said proudly. "Qingyan's team assistant made a mistake and sent the invitations to Bai Bai. He was going to return them, but I intercepted them."

"Baiyou really spoils you," Tang Yue said, envious.

"Isn't that right?" Jin Baobao beamed, then leaned close to Ye Zhiqiu's ear and whispered, "The first investor of 'Burning Heart' is Q.L. I heard their mysterious head will be there this time."

He blinked his eyes. "Will you go with me?"

Q.L had already extended an olive branch to Ye Zhiqiu. If he could familiarize himself with the company leadership before starting work, it might make things easier in the future.

Ye Zhiqiu knew Jin Baobao had his best interests at heart.

But he still said, "No."

After a pause, he added, "I've already chosen VIA."

Besides, he already had work scheduled for the day of the "Burning Heart" celebration.

"Huh?" Jin Baobao's expression froze, looking somewhat comical.

"Why?" He was puzzled. "Which one is VIA?"

"Weren't we only considering C.H or Q.L if we were to choose a high-end brand?" Li Shaojun frowned. "C.H is a foreign brand, so it makes sense you'd pass on it because of your family, but what about Q.L?"

Li Shaojun and Jin Baobao didn't study fashion, so they knew nothing about small brands like VIA.

But Tang Yue did, and he was equally surprised.

"Why choose VIA?" he asked.

Tang Yue had also participated in the international fashion design competition.

Unfortunately, he hadn't been as lucky as Ye Zhiqiu and didn't even make it to the finals.

He was envious and somewhat jealous of Ye Zhiqiu's talent, skill, and achievements.

However, he also knew that Ye Zhiqiu's career path wouldn't be smooth.

Because Tao Ruoqing would never give him the chance to spread his wings.

He could choose among the offers from various brands, but Tao Ruoqing would have her own countermeasures.

But if he chose VIA, it probably wouldn't be a problem.

Their teacher had mentioned VIA in class before, describing it as a fading brand.

Choosing such a brand undoubtedly meant seeking death, possibly even consuming the glow of his championship in the fashion competition.

But there was a silver lining: he wouldn't need to persuade Ye Zhiqiu to focus on his studies anymore.

"What's the reason?" Ye Zhiqiu smiled casually. "I just liked it, so I chose it."

True, after all, it's Ye Zhiqiu, always impulsive and self-centered, doing whatever comes to mind.

"Listen," Tang Yue didn't say anything more, but Li Shaojun couldn't help but speak up. "Your career isn't a game. You have talent in this field, don't waste it."

"If I could achieve such good results in dance competitions like you, I would definitely choose the best dance troupe," Jin Baobao said. "There's no reason to go for a small brand."

The red broth bubbled in the pot, and Ye Zhiqiu gestured for Li Shaojun to add the ingredients.

"I have my reasons," he said. "Can you trust me a bit?"

"Then let's raise a glass," Tang Yue lifted his cup first. "To Xiao Qiu's bright future."

"Thanks." Ye Zhiqiu's beautiful eyes curved into a gentle arc, but just as his hand touched the cup, his phone rang from the corner of the table.

"It's my brother," he put down the cup he had just picked up and smiled. "Let me take this call."

"Do you have time after school? If you do, let's go pick out the car." Ye Zheng spoke directly upon answering the call.

"Aren't you supposed to give me money?" Ye Zhiqiu protested.

"I thought about it, and I'm not comfortable giving you such a large sum," Ye Zheng said. "When have you ever managed to hold onto money?"

Ye Zhiqiu's tone turned cold. "Ha..."

"Let's go pick you up after school." Ye Zheng coaxed him, his tone softening.

"I have plans this afternoon, don't come," Ye Zhiqiu said coldly. "I'll send you the models I've chosen later; you can go and order one yourself."

Without waiting for Ye Zheng to respond, he hung up the call.

"What's wrong?" Jin Baobao asked, puzzled.

"Not that," Ye Zhiqiu said. "I want to buy a car."

"What kind of car? Tell us so we can reference it," Li Shaojun asked.

Ye Zhiqiu directly sent the two models he had selected to the group: "Which one do you think is better?"

"Wow," Jin Baobao said with a beef ball in his mouth. "Have you forgotten about the accident last time? Are you trying to get yourself killed by racing again?"

"If someone hadn't switched cars with you at the last minute last time, it would have been you in that accident," Li Shaojun reminded him.

"Listen," Jin Baobao swallowed the beef ball. "Everything else aside, but you really can't race anymore. It's deadly."

When the accident happened back then, Jin Baobao was also at the scene.

A very skilled racer bet on the spot that he could use Ye Zhiqiu's entry-level racing car to compete against a top-tier racing car to prove that the driver's skill was more important than the car's quality.

Due to this little incident, Ye Zhiqiu, who should have been participating, ended up cheering from the sidelines with Jin Baobao.

Unfortunately, that race didn't determine a winner.

Whether the driver's skill or the car's quality was more important remained a mystery to Ye Zhiqiu even now.

The race did not finish as planned.

During an overtaking maneuver at a bend, Ye Zhiqiu's car suddenly lost control and crashed into the car in front.

The driver of the lead car died on the spot, while the driver of Ye Zhiqiu's car, although surviving, lost a leg and could no longer race.

Back then, the incident was deemed an accident.

But now, revisiting it, Ye Zhiqiu was no longer naive.

Between an accident and intentional sabotage, he preferred to believe it was deliberate.

This time, however, he wasn't planning to race, and with Tang Yue present, there was no need to explain further.

"I'm lucky," he said, raising his eyebrows confidently, and lifted his wine glass. "When my new car debuts in a race, come cheer me on."

"Here's to a victorious start," he said, full of spirit.

Jin Baobao: "..."

Li Shaojun: "..."

Among the three, in terms of family background, the Ye family was far less affluent than the Jin and Li families.

But for some reason, Ye Zhiqiu had a remarkable ability to inspire and rally support.

Whenever he made a decision, they couldn't help but support him.

After a brief silence, Jin Baobao and Li Shaojun reluctantly raised their glasses, mumbling, "Wish you a victorious start."

.

At half past four in the afternoon, Qi Xin arrived early at the entrance of the Fashion Institute to wait.

He waited for nearly an hour and a half until the sky turned dark before Ye Zhiqiu finally emerged from the school gate, leisurely walking out while talking on the phone.

The young man stood tall and straight, making even a simple beige coat look like a model's outfit. Even the casual way he held his backpack while talking on the phone exuded an indescribable charm.

For some reason, Qi Xin started feeling nervous again.

He took a deep breath and quickly got out of the car, rushing over to Ye Zhiqiu. "Xiao Qiu."

Ye Zhiqiu didn't respond, only lifting his eyes to gesture for quiet.

"There will be opportunities for collaboration in the future," Qi Xin heard him say into the phone. "My school isn't far from your place. Occasionally, when passing by, I see the coffee shop downstairs from your company. If we must meet, let's do it there."

In a hurry, Qi Xin hadn't worn a coat, and the cold wind felt like needles piercing his skin.

He rubbed his hands, but Ye Zhiqiu seemed not to notice, pausing to focus on his conversation.

The person on the other end was clearly dragging things out, and Ye Zhiqiu listened with a smile for a while longer. By the time Qi Xin was nearly frozen, he finally heard Ye Zhiqiu softly agree and hang up the call.

"Where shall we eat?" Qi Xin managed to maintain a smile, pointing to his Porsche parked nearby. "Get in the car first."

Ye Zhiqiu glanced at the car with amusement.

It was clearly rented, yet in his previous life, Qi Xin told him he had sold the car to develop Qi Yun, seeking sympathy.

Truly killing two birds with one stone.

"No need," Ye Zhiqiu looked at him, without the haughty attitude from the club that day, his tone surprisingly gentle. "We'll eat right across the street."

As he spoke, he started walking forward.

Qi Xin hesitated for a moment, wanting to fetch a coat from the car, but Ye Zhiqiu didn't give him the chance. The green light flashed, and Ye Zhiqiu was already halfway across the street.

With no choice, Qi Xin hurried to catch up.

Turning a few corners, Ye Zhiqiu led him through a narrow alley opposite the school.

The alley was even colder than outside, and Ye Zhiqiu pulled his scarf up, covering his mouth and nose.

Qi Xin shivered so hard his teeth were chattering, and he couldn’t get a single word out of the prepared speech.

After walking for quite a while, Ye Zhiqiu finally stopped in front of a storefront.

The place was small, with only four or five tables inside, but it was very clean.

Qi Xin looked up and saw the fiery red characters above the door: Manjianghong.

It was a Hunanese restaurant.

Qi Xin: “…”

Tao Ruoqing’s list mentioned that Ye Zhiqiu indeed loved spicy food, but he also enjoyed bread and milk, as well as Western dishes like pasta.

For their first meeting, Qi Xin had expected someone like him to choose a more upscale venue. He never imagined being brought to such a humble eatery.

Heaven knows, he couldn’t handle spicy food at all.

Resigned, Qi Xin followed Ye Zhiqiu into the restaurant, sneezing from the pungent aroma in the air.

“Hey,” Ye Zhiqiu raised an eyebrow, seemingly noticing Qi Xin wasn’t wearing a coat, “isn’t this outfit a bit disrespectful to winter?”

The elderly couple who owned the restaurant chuckled, “Ah, to be young again.”

Then they addressed Ye Zhiqiu, “The dishes you ordered are ready. Do you mind sharing a table with others or would you prefer to wait a bit?”

“Share a table,” said Ye Zhiqiu.

Qi Xin: “…”

How could he share private words with others around?

The owner went to a table where only one girl was seated, leaned down to whisper something to her, then gestured to Qi Xin, “Young man, come over and warm up.”

Qi Xin: “…”

“Hurry up? Is it right to keep the elderly waiting?” Ye Zhiqiu glanced at him, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes, “Your nose is about to run.”

Qi Xin: “…”

The carefully chosen clothes, the meticulously groomed appearance, the painstakingly prepared words…

All shattered into bubbles at this moment, leaving Qi Xin feeling like a clown.

Dazed, he sat down and watched as dish after dish was placed on the table.

Chopped pepper fish head, chopped pepper and fermented bean curd steamed ribs, tiger skin green peppers, spicy stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured pork, and even the beef with green peppers. The soup was sour and spicy too.

After looking back and forth several times, Qi Xin couldn’t bring himself to pick up his chopsticks.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Zhiqiu looked at him while eating.

His expression was gentle, his rosy lips slightly greasy, giving them a glossy look like lip balm.

But his words were piercing.

“I love spicy food. If you can’t handle chili, you might as well go back now,” he said, “I don’t want to compromise myself for anyone.”

“I can, I can eat it.” Qi Xin had no choice but to say, picking up a piece of bamboo shoot and swallowing it with rice.

“Cough, cough cough…” A loud coughing fit erupted, causing the girl sharing their table to pull her plate away in disgust.

“Sorry,” Qi Xin’s eyes were filled with tears, unable to see clearly, but he heard Ye Zhiqiu apologizing to the girl, “To make amends, I’ll cover your bill. If you want anything else, it’s on me.”

“No need, I’m done anyway.” The girl said, followed by the sound of her chair moving.

Thinking she had left, her voice came again moments later.

“It was an honor to share a table with you, Senior,” she said timidly to Ye Zhiqiu, “May I add you on WeChat?”

Qi Xin: “…”

Didn’t anyone see he was about to choke to death?