Chapter 263 - 179: Your Money, Could It Be from a Legitimate Source?
Qin Youyou was too embarrassed to say anything the whole time.
But she was thrilled on the inside.
"Alright, stop eating. Go with your Brother Jiang. It’s better to be early than late when picking someone up."
Jiang Rongmin was decisive and had already made all the arrangements herself.
"Got it."
Qin Youyou wiped her mouth, and Lin Jiang didn’t stand on ceremony over such a small matter.
But the look in Qin Yangyang’s eyes could kill.
’It’s not like I wanted this!’
Watching the two of them leave the noodle shop, Qin Yangyang lost her appetite.
Lin Jiang felt a pair of eyes on his back. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Qin Yangyang staring at him through the glass as if she wanted to eat him alive.
’I don’t want this either, but my future mother-in-law is always playing wingman. What can I do!’
The two got in the car, with Lin Jiang driving on the way there.
After getting in the car, Qin Youyou started touching up her makeup, spending a good half an hour on it.
"Brother Jiang, what do you think of my outfit? I won’t embarrass you in front of your childhood friend, will I?"
Qin Youyou’s style had changed significantly. She was no longer all about sportswear and had started to adopt a more mature, feminine look.
A form-fitting gray top and skinny jeans added a great deal to her femininity.
Combined with her figure, this mature style really suited her.
"Forget about meeting that country bumpkin, you could enter a beauty pageant."
"Really? You’re not just saying that, are you?"
"Why would I lie? Just try to rein in your Charm a bit later, or that hick might start drooling."
"Oh, stop exaggerating."
Qin Youyou was delighted by his words, but the main reason she was so happy was that Lin Jiang was willing to bring her along to pick up his childhood friend.
’If a guy is willing to bring a girl to meet his best friend, that has to mean something, right?’
"Brother Jiang, have you booked a place to eat?" Qin Youyou asked.
"Not yet." Lin Jiang thought for a moment and said,
"How about Xinrong Restaurant? He’s bringing his girlfriend back, so we have to go all out and show some face."
"Huh? Your childhood friend is bringing his girlfriend too?" Qin Youyou’s voice rose. "What if she outshines me? You’ll lose face."
"You’re overestimating that hick. He doesn’t have it in him. Just relax."
"I’ll book the restaurant first, then touch up my makeup again."
"Hold on."
Lin Jiang interrupted Qin Youyou. "Let’s not book Xinrong Restaurant. It’s high-class, but it’s not great for drinking and chatting."
"What about Crab Mansion, then? The class and atmosphere are good too, and they have private rooms. We can do whatever we want."
"Sounds good. Crab Mansion it is."
"Mhm."
Around three o’clock, Lin Jiang drove to the airport. Qin Youyou spent the entire trip touching up and adjusting her makeup, worried she would embarrass Lin Jiang.
Once at the airport, Lin Jiang sent Zhou Jingliang a message, telling him he was waiting at the arrivals gate.
Qin Youyou put on her cardigan. It was fine to show a little in front of Brother Jiang, but at other times, it was better to be a bit more covered up.
After waiting for ten or so minutes, he got a call from Zhou Jingliang.
"Holy shit, bro, you’re a true friend! Dropping your business just to pick me up. I’ll go easy on you today, let you off with two fewer bottles."
"You’re already talking shit and you haven’t even had a drink yet. Get a grip."
"Haha, wait for me, I’m coming out now."
After hanging up, Lin Jiang scrolled through his phone while waiting for Zhou Jingliang.
The day was almost over, and Ma Hongbo still hadn’t sent a message. He probably hadn’t made up his mind yet.
That meant he had two days left. If he wanted to keep dragging things out, Lin Jiang would just ignore him from now on.
Yong’an’s momentum was too strong. If he didn’t sell soon, it would end up worthless in his hands. By then, he wouldn’t even get 10 million for it. If Lin Jiang bought out someone else, it would be too late for regrets.
After another ten minutes or so, he saw Zhou Jingliang walk out, carrying his luggage with a long-haired woman by his side.
’Is there something wrong with this woman? How did she end up with him?’
During their previous chats, Zhou Jingliang had mentioned that his girlfriend’s name was Zhang Jingjing.
In Lin Jiang’s opinion, Zhang Jingjing’s looks and figure were both excellent.
She wore a pink dress and wasn’t much shorter than Zhou Jingliang. Her long hair was styled in waves, giving her a very mature, queenly vibe.
Although she couldn’t compare to his NPC and pet, among ordinary people, she was still a knockout.
’So the question is, how did an ugly bastard like Zhou Jingliang manage to get her?’
Men and women have completely different standards of beauty. You could say Zhou Jingliang wasn’t handsome, but you couldn’t call him ugly.
Even though he wasn’t as tall as Lin Jiang, he was still 180cm. Finding a girlfriend with decent looks and a good figure shouldn’t have been that difficult.
It’s just that Lin Jiang had known him for so many years that he simply thought of him as an ugly bastard.
For women, on the other hand, it was the complete opposite.
As long as they weren’t missing any facial features, they were considered at least a little cute.
If their skin wasn’t dark, it was a "natural fairy complexion."
If they weighed under 330 pounds, they were just "pleasantly plump."
Studying for the civil service exam was equivalent to a man being a department director.
Even if a Snorlax went out on the street to forage for food, they’d still think it was cute as hell.
After seeing Zhang Jingjing, Qin Youyou also relaxed a bit. Not to mention looks, her figure probably wasn’t as good as her own. A small victory.
"Over here, over here!"
Spotting Lin Jiang, Zhou Jingliang craned his neck, pulling his suitcase with one hand and his girlfriend with the other as he hurried out.
"Not bad, you dressed up pretty sharp."
Seeing Lin Jiang’s outfit, Zhou Jingliang paid him a compliment, a wide grin never leaving his face.
As he spoke, Zhou Jingliang’s gaze shifted to Qin Youyou, and a look of stunned admiration appeared on his face.
"Is this your new girlfriend?"
"Mhm, Qin Youyou," Lin Jiang nodded.
’If I didn’t admit it now, it would be a classic sign of terminal idiocy.’
Qin Youyou’s heart raced!
’Brother Jiang actually admitted I’m his girlfriend!’
"Hi, I’m Qin Youyou."
"Zhou Jingliang. Your boyfriend’s childhood friend. We grew up together," Zhou Jingliang said.
"Let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Zhang Jingjing."
"This is my best bro, Lin Jiang. We’ve been friends since we were kids. He started a business in Zhonghai, opened a noodle shop. The food is amazing. We’ll be working in Zhonghai from now on, so I’ll take you to his place to eat sometime."
Lin Jiang nodded, considering it a greeting.
Qin Youyou also took the initiative to wave. "Hello."
"Hello to you too."
Zhang Jingjing was very quiet, simply smiling and nodding.
After the simple introductions, they were no longer strangers.
"Let’s go. Get in the car first. I’ve booked a place. We can eat and chat."
The four of them walked to the parking lot, and Lin Jiang pressed the key fob.
"Holy fuck, you’re really giving me face, bro! You actually got a Maybach! This is some serious flex. Awesome, awesome!" Zhou Jingliang exclaimed.
"My prodigal son has returned, so the welcome has to be top-notch."
"The flex is on point, but it’s a bit much. There’s no need for this between us. It’s not like we’re strangers," Zhou Jingliang said, looking at the car. "This is all a debt of favor. You’ll have to pay it back later."
"I bought this car. It has nothing to do with favors."
"Holy shit! You bought it? Did you strike it rich running a noodle shop?"
"You actually guessed right."
"Son of a bitch! How could you get rich? We promised to be poor together! You’re already driving a Maybach, what am I supposed to do?"
Seeing the two-tone Maybach, Zhou Jingliang dropped his luggage and let go of his girlfriend’s hand. He walked a full circle around the car, and by the time he came back, he was grinding his molars to dust.
"You get a little money and you just have to show off. Buying such a nice car... couldn’t you have saved it? Why’d you have to let me know?"
"Aren’t you happy that I’m rich?"
"But you can’t be *this* rich! This is a Maybach! And..." Zhou Jingliang said,
"A while ago you had nothing! How much time has passed, and you’ve already bought a Maybach? Let’s be real, is your money even clean?"
"I can let you drive this car back home."
"Godfather!"