Chapter Seventy-Six - The Auction (Part Three)

“My legendary rebirth, no pop-ups”—“Eh? Aren’t you Young Master Zhou?” Chu Qitong heard someone call her from behind and quickly turned her head to look at Zhou Zisheng, her tone laced with a hint of sarcasm. “Why are you sitting at the back? Did you arrive late and are afraid of being noticed? Looks like your watch needs another trip to the store.”

“Heh, yes, Miss Chu, you’re as sharp as ever.” Zhou Zisheng’s voice drifted from the diagonal row, making me feel uneasy all over. “Something came up today, so I arrived a bit late. I didn’t want to sit up front and risk upsetting the officials on stage, so I just found a random seat. I never expected to bump into you here. It’s been a while since we last met, hasn’t it? Truly rare.” Judging by his demeanor, he had taken Chu Qitong’s sarcasm as a friendly greeting—his skin was certainly thick.

“Yes, yes, it’s rare indeed—a fly has emerged again.” Chu Qitong’s expression was clearly displeased. She ignored Zhou Zisheng, lowered her head, turned toward me, and whispered, “That man is Zhou Zisheng, son of Uncle Zhou from Zhou Jewelry Company. Hmph, a typical playboy. I heard he dumped a female business owner a few months ago and even drove her to bankruptcy. Oh right, her name is Zhang Jing—she’s here today, sitting up front. She’s the CEO of Tianlai Real Estate Group. My father told me Zhou Zisheng underestimated her; he didn’t expect the woman he ditched to be so formidable. Not only did she turn her losses into profits, she also founded some enormous Sunshine Group.” She seemed a bit dissatisfied as she continued, “That guy is such a lecher. Last time I attended a banquet with my father, he almost tried to take advantage of me. Hmph, a thorough scoundrel.”

Listening to her whispered explanation, I couldn’t help but inwardly groan. Little girl, if you hadn’t spoken so loudly, you wouldn’t have attracted Zhou Zisheng’s attention. Everything you’re saying, I already know—there’s no need for your introduction. But in front of Chu Qitong, I could only nod silently and deliberately lower my head further to avoid being recognized by Zhou Zisheng.

“Heh, Miss Chu, who’s that beside you? Oh, could he be your boyfriend?” Zhou Zisheng had already noticed me, and my distress deepened. Zhou Zisheng, why must you fly over here out of all places?

The moment Chu Qitong heard the word “boyfriend,” her pretty face flushed crimson. She gave me a quick glance, then glared at Zhou Zisheng. “Young Master Zhou, you seem to be meddling a bit too much, don’t you? Are we really that familiar? Whether he’s my boyfriend or not is none of your concern.”

“Oh, don’t misunderstand, Miss Chu. I just feel your boyfriend looks familiar. Haven’t we met before?” Zhou Zisheng’s tone was full of confusion.

I sighed inwardly, realizing there was no way to avoid this. Since evasion was futile, I might as well step forward openly—after all, I, Xiao Qiang, am not afraid of anyone. So I raised my head, smiled lightly at him, and nodded. “Mr. Zhou, it’s been a while.”

Zhou Zisheng had felt a flicker of familiarity when I turned my head earlier, but as he tried to see more clearly, I had already turned away, and Chu Qitong had been blocking his view. He must have assumed he’d run into an acquaintance, hence his questioning. But now, as I turned and smiled at him, his entire face froze in shock.

“You… you… it’s you!” He exclaimed in surprise, then, realizing a meeting was underway, quickly stifled his shout with his hand, his comical expression nearly making me laugh. I knew he recognized me because that night in the bar, I had made him and Fatty Wang pay an extra hundred thousand for red wine.

“What—Xiao Qiang, you know him?” Now it was Chu Qitong’s turn to be surprised. How could she have imagined I would be acquainted with such a playboy? She had just been speaking ill of Zhou Zisheng. Her cheeks turned rosy—partly out of concern that I might be good friends with Zhou Zisheng, after she’d said so many bad things about him, and partly out of annoyance that I hadn’t told her about this, leading her to explain herself so thoroughly for nothing.

“Well, you could say we know each other, but we’ve only met once.” I shrugged helplessly. Now that Zhou Zisheng had recognized me, I might as well go along with it and see how things unfold.

“Xiao Qiang? Xiao Qiang! You… you’re Xiao Qiang?!” Zhou Zisheng stared at me in shock, his eyes darting as if searching his mind for something. After a while, his expression recovered, and a wicked smile appeared. “So it’s Mr. Xiao—what a hidden talent. What’s this? With such a beautiful girl as Zhang Jing, you still pretend to be a student to woo Secretary Su’s daughter, Su Xin? Ah, now I see you’ve landed yet another one. Not bad, three birds with one stone, tsk tsk…”

His words made me frown, but I quickly brushed it off. Since he’s colluding with Xia Fugui, it’s impossible he doesn’t know about Xia Jianren. The Su Xin affair must have been relayed by Xia Jianren to Zhou Zisheng, and Chu Qitong was right here—someone like him couldn’t help but jump to conclusions.

“Mr. Zhou, you can eat carelessly, but you shouldn’t speak carelessly. Miss Zhang and I are good friends, and so is Miss Chu. I’m just a student—don’t make me out to be a playboy like you, chasing after women.”

“Well, well, what a student… carrying a wallet full of gold cards, spending tens of thousands without blinking—now that’s the kind of student I’d like to be.” Zhou Zisheng sneered. “What’s this? Zhang Jing is here today, isn’t she? Yet you’re flirting with another woman right in front of her—won’t she be upset? Or was she always just your mistress, and perhaps you’re the true boss behind Tianlai Group?”

A cold sweat broke out across my back. Indeed, someone like Zhou Zisheng might appear to be a simple-minded, wealthy fool, but in reality, the more money they have, the deeper their schemes. That he could piece all this together meant he’d investigated me thoroughly. I never expected that, as an ordinary high school student, I’d arouse such curiosity—should I feel honored or troubled?

“What’s he saying, Xiao Qiang? You… you know Zhang Jing? That female CEO? Oh my god…” Chu Qitong suddenly realized that the Xiao Qiang before her was someone she didn’t truly know. From her eyes, I could see everything, so I explained, “Qitong, I’ll tell you all about this later. Just trust me—that’s enough.”

“Oh.” Originally brimming with curiosity, Chu Qitong quieted immediately upon hearing me. After all, I had saved her life; though the current revelations surprised her, she would undoubtedly trust me.

“Mr. Zhou, you didn’t come here just to speculate, did you? If I were really the president of Tianlai Group, do you think Zhang Jing could win this old city redevelopment project?” I smiled, showing not the slightest sign of agitation at his probing.

“What do you mean by that?” Zhou Zisheng fixed me with a cold stare, then laughed. “Victory? Of course you’ll win. Compared to you, Xia Fugui is no match. Without you, how could Zhang Jing turn the tables? Don’t forget how formidable Xia Fugui is—he’s not someone to be trifled with.” He spoke with conviction. I knew he’d seen the gold and diamond cards in my wallet, which was why he spoke so confidently. In this era, it’s rare for anyone to casually carry so many cards—though Xia Fugui’s assets are in the billions, they’re tied up in real estate, unlike the liquid funds I had on my cards.

“I know how formidable Xia Fugui is, so I regret to inform you—I am not the president of Tianlai Group. Zhang Jing’s success has nothing to do with me. In fact, I’d very much like to be that president myself. The old city redevelopment is a juicy opportunity.” I answered with a smile.

“Impossible! How could you not be? I refuse to believe Zhang Jing will lose—you must be working together!” Zhou Zisheng seemed convinced of his own logic. I could only shake my head. “I told you, Miss Zhang and I are just ordinary friends. Last time in the bar, we happened to meet and I just helped her out of a tight spot. If you don’t believe me, the auction results will give you your answer.” With that, I took Chu Qitong’s hand and led her to the seats up front, unwilling to waste another word on Zhou Zisheng.

“How can it be? There’s no reason! With so much money, how could Xiao Qiang not be the boss behind Tianlai?” Zhou Zisheng muttered to himself, his inner world shaken, as he watched my retreating figure.