Chapter 30

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The night passed, filled with pleasant dreams.

Early next morning, Huang Xiaolong got out of bed, carried the two big bags of cash, and headed for the nearest bank.

All the money was deposited into a bank account.

This bank account number belonged to the old village head.

When he was finished, Huang Xiaolong felt a special sense of accomplishment. He squinted as he looked at a bright, sparkling school building that stood in the village.

There was the familiar sound of books being recited, clean classroom windows, school grounds filled with birds singing and flowers blooming, an atmosphere filled with zeal and invigoration…

Ah… how wonderful!

However, Huang Xiaolong knew there was an arduous journey awaiting him. The old folks’ homes, building bridges, repairing the roads… all these things would cost heaps of money!

He must take one step at a time, without being hasty. After he walked one round at Flower Lake Street, it was nearly time for lunch, and Huang Xiaolong hurried toward Su Xiaoman’s fast-food shop.

When he arrived, he saw a BMW 320Li parked in front of Xiaoman’s fast-food restaurant. The trunk of the car was thrown wide open, and the space within was filled with beautiful lush roses. 

Many passersby gathered around, some even took pictures with their phones to post on WeChat.

“The lady boss of this fast-food shop is quite the looker. This person must be here to confess to her.”

“Wow… how romantic! This must be the legendary 999 roses…”

“It’s a BMW! He must be some rich second generation! If someone like that confessed to me, I’d surely die of bliss and agree on the spot…”

“…”

“Confess?” Huang Xiaolong was taken aback. “But Sis Xiaoman is going to be my wife… what’s going on here?”

Huang Xiaolong hurriedly stepped into the shop.

As expected, a man in his thirties stood in the shop, a bouquet of red roses in his hand, talking rapidly to Su Xiaoman.

The man was dressed meticulously, his white shirt ironed without a wrinkle in sight, paired with a flirtatious red tie, and his hair was set stylishly with gel. However, he was rather short and small in stature and, combined with a rosacea nose, his overall appearance was not particularly pleasing to the eye.

In stark contrast to this man was Su Xiaoman, who was beautifully dressed up today.

She was wearing a light-colored office suit, simple yet not too conservative, with her long hair flowing loosely. Her fair and slender neck was adorned with the platinum necklace given by Huang Xiaolong the previous night, and her appearance was both classy and elegant.

A hint of blush on the cheeks could be seen on her carefully made-up face, with just the right amount of powder. All this made the face that was already beautiful become even more radiant and stunning.

The highlight was her pair of beautiful legs clad in black stockings. They exuded a mature, sexy aura, and combined with a pair of silver high heels, the shape of her legs was displayed perfectly.

As he chattered non-stop, the man looked at Su Xiaoman with an unwavering lustful gaze and gulped a mouthful of saliva from time to time.

An impatient expression evident on Su Xiaoman’s face was bordering on disgust.

“Xiaolong, you’re here.” When Huang Xiaolong stepped into the shop, Su Xiaoman’s eyes lit up. She ignored the man and floated like a cloud toward Huang Xiaolong.

“Huh? Sis Xiaoman, you’ve put on makeup today?” Huang Xiaolong looked Su Xiaoman over from head to toe.

Su Xiaoman blushed, making her look even more seductive. “Mm… Xiaolong, I don’t use makeup often. This is the makeup that you gave me yesterday… do I look good?”

As the saying goes, a woman would go all out for someone they fancy. On this day, Su Xiaoman applied her makeup specifically for Huang Xiaolong.

“You look stunning! Sis Xiaoman, you’re truly too beautiful for words! Especially the black stockings—100 points!” Huang Xiaolong praised her enthusiastically, and his tone sounded sincere.

After saying that, Huang Xiaolong’s gaze flickered subconsciously toward the other man in the shop.

Afraid that Huang Xiaolong would be angry, Su Xiaoman started explaining.

As it turned out, the man’s name was Deng Wei, a rather well-off man, and his family ran a few supermarkets. He started his own canned food factory that turned out to be quite profitable, with properties worth a few million under his name. Although he could not hold a candle to the rich elites of Coast City, he was held with a fair amount of reverence by the ordinary folks.

A few months ago, a distant relative of Su Xiaoman introduced Deng Wei to her for a blind date. Su Xiaoman was reluctant, but due to family relations, she had no choice but to meet up with him.

Deng Wei instantly fell head-over-heels for Su Xiaoman’s looks and shapely figure, but the factor of her family situation, plus that good-for-nothing brother of hers, made him not too enthusiastic in pursuing the relationship. 

Su Xiaoman, meanwhile, was even more uninterested.

However, following that, Deng Wei sent a private message to Su Xiaoman, making an offer to buy Su Xiaoman’s virginity for ten thousand bucks. Su Xiaoman was absolutely livid and immediately dialed his number to give him a serious tongue-lashing.

There was no communication between them after that.

On this day, however, Deng Wei must have gotten out of the wrong side of the bed, for he actually came to the shop on his own accord to look for Su Xiaoman, even bringing along a car full of red roses to confess his love for her.

Su Xiaoman was shocked and disgusted, but she was not stupid. After talking to Deng Wei, she deduced the real reason for his visit.

Smoked duck!

Deng Wei accidentally mentioned the smoked duck that Su Xiaoman cooked yesterday!

He was not here without any rhyme or reason!

“Xiaolong, don’t misunderstand. I really have nothing to do with this person. Sigh… I never would have imagined that a smoked duck recipe would attract so much unwanted attention…” Su Xiaoman’s tone was tinged with bitterness as she spoke to Huang Xiaolong. The two of them stood close to each other, her breath that smelled like orchid filling Huang Xiaolong’s nose with its aroma, making him feel extremely comfortable and at ease.

“Alright, Sis Xiaoman, let’s ignore him then. Let’s go out for lunch.” Huang Xiaolong decided not to consider Deng Wei as a love rival—he was not worthy!

“Cough, cough… Xiaoman, who might this be?” Since Huang Xiaolong did not pay him any heed, Deng Wei took the initiative and walked over, shooting Huang Xiaolong a snide glare.

Huang Xiaolong’s attire practically screamed that he came from the village. Deng Wei’s mouth turned up at the corners and an expression of disdain flashed across his face. ‘Heh, Su Xiaoman’s parents died young, her poor family had a mountain of debts, amounting to tens of thousands. No one is willing to take up those debts on her behalf, so she is reduced to turning to a country bumpkin like this… What a joke, a farmer boy whose shoes are still caked with mud, and he’s trying to pick up a chick in the city? That’s enough, just wait until I get Su Xiaoman and have her reveal the smoked duck recipe first…’

“Who am I?” Huang Xiaolong did not answer the question directly, but simply grabbed Su Xiaoman’s slim little hands. “Now, is it clear to you what my relationship with Sis Xiaoman is?”

When her hands were grasped by Huang Xiaolong, Su Xiaoman’s heartbeat went crazy, her cheeks flushed pink, and her eyes went dewy as though tears would start dripping at any moment. 

Needless to say, anyone would be able to guess what her relationship with Huang Xiaolong was.

“You! Xiaoman, you’re… you’re already like this?” Deng Wei’s expression stiffened, and he felt both jealous and furious. He did not expect that the woman he had set his eyes on was already taken by a dowdy little farmer!

Furthermore, in this situation, the smoked duck recipe that he was scheming for would be a lost cause!

Deng Wei gave Huang Xiaolong a vehement look, his brains going into overdrive, trying his best to control the volcanic fury building inside him.

“Xiaoman, I heard that he was bringing you out for lunch…” Deng Wei said.

“That’s right, we’re going out for lunch together. Do you have a problem with that?” Huang Xiaolong cut across him.

“Hehe…” Deng Wei laughed coldly, his eyes glinting with sarcasm, and he adopted a superior preaching tone when he spoke, “Farm boy, it appears that you’ve just arrived in the city? Xiaoman, we’ve known each other for quite a while, so I must tell you this. Farm boy here has pretty decent looks, but a man can’t only be relying on his looks, right? What’s the point of being good looking? Beautiful on the outside but rotten on the inside! Can you feed yourself with good looks? We live in a materialistic society, where money speaks loudest! Only money can grant you a life that’s free from worries. Money will determine the quality of your life! Without it, you’ll struggle in the bottomless swamp of society, leading a difficult life, treated like a joke, and live without any dignity. Moreover, a woman needs to take care of herself. Without money, you’ll age quickly, finally turning into an old hag detested by everyone…”

The more Deng Wei spoke, the more motivated he became, and the more elevated he felt. He was using the advantage of his financial status to oppress Huang Xiaolong, trying to gain Su Xiaoman’s favor in the process. “For instance, your farmer boyfriend wants to take you out for lunch, but what can he afford? Food from the roadside stalls? Haha… the standard is too low! Farm boy, listen up, for a beautiful girl like Xiaoman, only a place that is both high in class and quality can be worthy of her looks and elegance! If you have the capability, bring her to the Emperor Hotel for lunch! Do you dare? Hahaha… not that I am trying to scare you, but with the way you are dressed, even the bellhop would throw you out!”

“What? The Emperor Hotel?” Huang Xiaolong gave a start as if he suddenly thought of something.

“Xiaolong, don’t listen to him. This person is too full of himself, looking down on everyone just because he’s got a bit of money. The Emperor Hotel he mentioned is a five-star hotel. The restaurant there is said to be among the top ten most expensive restaurants in Coast City. They have the most expensive Japanese cuisine, the most expensive steak, the most expensive Italian pasta… I’ve also heard a meal there would cost on average about ten thousand bucks per person …” Su Xiaoman pulled at Huang Xiaolong’s sleeve. “Xiaolong, just ignore him. Besides, those places are just flashy and lack substance, aimed at rich people. Let’s just look for a unique diner for a simple meal…”

“No, Sis Xiaoman, why don’t we go to the Emperor Hotel for lunch!” Huang Xiaolong said earnestly. “I won’t get thrown out. Even if the boss of this hotel saw me personally, they would treat me with the utmost courtesy.”

“Pfft… Hahahaha… I’m dying of laughter here! Hahaha!” Deng Wei was hysterical. “Xiaoman, from what I can see, this farmer boyfriend of yours is not only poor, but he’s also a braggart! The boss of the hotel would be polite and courteous to him? Does he even know who the boss is? Boss Hong is a multi-millionaire, even a club member like me who spends a few hundred thousand a year at the Emperor Hotel doesn’t enjoy the privilege of making his acquaintance. And you? A farmer from the village, the lowest level in society? Forget Boss Hong, even a waiter from the hotel could make you grovel on your knees! Hahaha… your IQ is questionable indeed!”

“Tsk… Hong Quantao, is it? What’s so great about him? I’ll go there and have a meal for free!” Huang Xiaolong mumbled before he said to Su Xiaoman in a determined tone, “Sis Xiaoman, I’ll treat you to good food today! Let’s go, we’ll drive there. We’ll eat at the Emperor Hotel!”