With calm precision, Xie Dingyuan subtly blocked Nie Chen’s view and placed Jiang Fuyue behind him.
“How long do you plan to stay in Linhuai, Elder Nie?”
Nie Guotao looked at the tall, striking young man before him, brows furrowed slightly in confusion. “And you are…?”
He looked kind of familiar.
Xie Dingyuan: “My father is Xie Zhendong.”
“Oh? You’re Old Xie’s youngest!” Recognition lit up his face. “Of course—Xie Dingyuan, the famous scientist. No wonder you looked familiar.”
“Wow, can’t believe you’ve grown so much. Last time I saw you, you were barely a month old! Just this tiny thing, bawling your head off in Wanxiu’s arms…”
The corner of Xie Dingyuan’s eye twitched.
From Jiang Fuyue’s angle, his side profile had gone stiff, his lashes fluttered slightly faster, and his eyes wandered—restless, unfocused.
Yeah, he was clearly not built for social events.
Which, given his personality, wasn’t surprising. The man was a total social black hole.
So then… why was he even bothering with small talk?
Jiang Fuyue looked thoughtful.
Nie Guotao squinted. “You look different in person than you do on TV. Took me a second to recognize you… How are your parents doing?”
“They’re well.”
“As expected. Your dad’s always been healthy…”
Xie Dingyuan offered politely, “If you have time, I can arrange a tour of Linhuai for you.”
A clear gesture of hospitality.
“No need, no need. I’ve already booked my flight—heading back to the capital tonight.”
Only then did Nie Guotao remember what he even came to Linhuai for.
Nie Chen also snapped back to reality.
Their eyes drifted toward the one person who had been ignored the whole time—an awkward employee from the Cao Ji branch.
Worst case scenario: Sudden silence.
Bracing himself, the staff stepped forward. “E-Elder Nie, can we head over now? It’s just next door.”
“Oh, right…” The old man coughed, rubbed his nose to hide his awkwardness, and said, “Let’s go.”
The staff lit up.
But suddenly, Nie Guotao turned back again and whispered to Jiang Fuyue, “Can you save me a seat? I’ll swing by for dinner after I’m done.”
“Sure.”
The old man shot her a you’re sharp, I like that look, then strode off.
But… he came back again just two steps later.
Jiang Fuyue: “?”
“Uh… you’ve got some strength.” That tug she gave him earlier? He definitely felt it.
“Oh.”
“How’d you train?” he asked, blinking his old eyes.
Jiang Fuyue smiled: “Ever heard of women’s shot put?”
This time, Nie Guotao really left. Nie Chen walked beside him, trying to support him.
But the old man waved him off. “No need, no need. I’m sturdy! I don’t topple like some breeze-blown twig.”
Nie Chen: “…”
Jiang Fuyue withdrew her gaze and turned to the three men left standing: “Are you full?”
Translation: If so, time to leave.
Ling Qingzhou’s eyes gleamed: “I could eat a little more.”
Yi Hansheng looked pitiful: “I barely touched the dishes!”
Xie Dingyuan: “I only had one bowl of soup.”
Jiang Fuyue: “Then… shall we return to the private room?”
The three men nodded in unison. “Yes.”
“……”
Under Cao Dou’s increasingly stunned stare—despite already being somewhat used to it—the four of them re-entered the private dining room.
The door shut, cutting off his curious gaze.
Cao Dou clicked his tongue in amazement.
Meanwhile, at the Cao Ji branch next door, reporters swarmed the three CEOs like bees to honey.
At first, there was a buzz of questions, but eventually, even interviews run dry.
They were just about to pack up and start drafting when Liu Shanhua stubbornly stopped them:
“Really, Elder Nie will be here any minute! This time, I promise he won’t flake!”
The reporters exchanged looks—most of them no longer buying it.
“Chief Liu, we’ve already got enough material for a great article. Even if Elder Nie doesn’t show, it’s fine.”
Fine?! No, it was not fine.
Yu Shangmei had gone to great lengths and burned through personal favors to get this man here.
If the article didn’t even mention him, what was the point?
“Please, just wait a bit longer. Treat it like—”
Right then, a staff came running over, panting: “Ch—Chief Liu! E-Elder Nie… he’s here!”
Liu Shanhua’s eyes lit up.
The reporters perked up instantly. No one even thought about leaving anymore.
Sure, the three CEOs were impressive, but they were still businessmen. Not quite household names.
If they had a chance to interview Elder Nie, they were absolutely taking it.
Sure enough, the old man entered the store soon after, accompanied by a young man.
Liu Shanhua rushed to greet him: “Elder Nie, welcome!”
The reporters hung back, unsure if they should step forward.
“No need for all the fuss. Just here for a meal, not a parade,” said Elder Nie coolly.
Liu Shanhua’s heart sank a little. Looked like the old man really wanted to be treated like an ordinary diner.
He signaled his assistant with a subtle glance.
The assistant got the message and quickly motioned the reporters to step up.
The reporters, thinking Elder Nie had agreed, happily raised their mics and gathered around.
But in the next second—
The old man’s face turned cold, voice frosty: “Did I say I agreed to an interview?”
Liu Shanhua’s smile froze. He hadn’t expected Elder Nie to be this blunt.
The reporters were all stunned, then slowly turned accusing eyes toward Liu Shanhua—
Wasn’t it you who told us to approach?!
Liu Shanhua felt his scalp tingle.
Nie Chen, standing off to the side, twitched violently at the corner of his mouth. Grandpa… you weren’t like this at Jiang Ji earlier.
King of Double Standards. 😄
Xie99: I’m doing this just to shift the attention away. Don’t make me regret it.
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