Lin Qi Arrives
Tongyue Restaurant doesn’t have private rooms; instead, there are semi-open, semi-private booths, each enclosed on three sides by lattice walls, with the fourth side facing the hallway. The lattices are decorated with bright, multi-colored artificial flowers and greenery, lending an aesthetic charm that delights the eye.
Inside one such booth, Luo Yingying and her three close friends had all arrived—Su Su, Yan Yan, and Zhen Zhen. All four women were strikingly attractive, dressed in fashionable, vibrant styles, making them a dazzling sight within the restaurant.
The moment they met, chatter erupted. Luo Yingying, without drawing attention, placed her Mercedes car key on the table.
“Yingying, you got a new car?” Yan Yan exclaimed, as if discovering a new continent.
“No, my boyfriend gave it to me…” Luo Yingying beamed, her smile blossoming like a flower.
“Let me tell you, Yingying’s new boyfriend owns a company, and he’s only in his twenties. He’s even more handsome than Peng Yuyan, and he’s incredibly generous to Yingying. They’d only known each other a month, and he gifted her a Mercedes SUV…” Su Su hurried to introduce.
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
“Yingying, you must seize this chance!”
“Yingying, get married soon—we’re waiting for your wedding candies!”
“Definitely, definitely…” Luo Yingying smiled, appearing immersed in happiness, though inwardly she was weary. She’d changed boyfriends often, but none satisfied her. She’d nearly married Young Master Tong once, but that ended in chaos.
Afterward, only a few men in their fifties or sixties came knocking, whom she couldn’t possibly accept.
Thankfully, she was beautiful—there would surely be another chance!
Luo Yingying silently clenched her fist.
She must not marry worse than her friends!
“Yingying, what happened to your ex-husband?” Su Su suddenly asked.
“What could he be doing? Still delivering food, useless as ever…” Luo Yingying snorted, her gaze full of disdain.
“At the time, among us, Yingying was the first to marry. Back then, Lin Qi was a manager at Longyue Group—we all thought Yingying had found a good man, but who would’ve guessed…”
“Exactly! He could have stayed a manager, but chose to become a food delivery guy. Something’s wrong with him…”
“Thankfully, Yingying divorced him. That was the right move!”
Her friends all knew about Lin Qi and Tang Long, and agreed Lin Qi was short-sighted—such a good opportunity wasted, leaving Yingying’s youth and time squandered for three years.
Soon, the conversation devolved into a critique session, with the women lambasting Lin Qi as worse than an animal, utterly foolish.
“Lin Qi!” Su Su suddenly called out.
The group turned to look.
At the stairway, Lin Qi was indeed coming up, accompanied by a beautiful woman, seemingly in her early twenties, dressed in an elegant black gown, a dazzling diamond necklace around her neck, her makeup exquisite and her bearing extraordinary.
Crucially, Lin Qi himself looked impressive as well. Having shed his delivery uniform for a tailored suit, he appeared refined and graceful.
The two walked and chatted.
“President Song, I plan to eat to my heart’s content today—you’d better have your wallet ready!”
“Eat as much as you like. Do you really think you could bankrupt me?”
They laughed, and, guided by the waiter, entered another booth.
Neither noticed Luo Yingying and her friends.
Meanwhile, at Luo Yingying’s table, excitement bubbled over.
“Oh my God, is that Song Qingzhu, President of Jinyang Group?”
“That’s right, I’ve seen her on TV!”
“In Haitong City’s business world, she’s on par with Tang Long!”
“How is Lin Qi with her?”
Though the girls had married well, compared to Song Qingzhu, they fell short by miles—she was in another league entirely, someone they wouldn’t even dare approach.
Lin Qi was dining with such a person!
“He once delivered food and happened upon Song Qingzhu suffering from gastroenteritis, so he took her to the hospital,” Luo Yingying explained, recalling what Luo Feifei had told her.
“So that’s how it happened!”
“Lin Qi sure has luck—first he rescued Tang Long, now Song Qingzhu. Maybe he’s about to rise up…”
“Indeed, if he seizes the opportunity, the sky’s the limit.”
“Sky’s the limit?” Luo Yingying scoffed. “With his brain? He gave up being a manager to become a deliveryman. Do you really expect him to ask Song Qingzhu for anything? I bet having a meal with her is his request.”
“No way! Is Lin Qi that foolish?”
“If all he gets is a meal, he really is brainless!”
The girls were astonished.
“Just wait and see. Song Qingzhu will leave right after eating, and won’t even glance at him!” Luo Yingying spoke with resentment, though she was puzzled as well—how could Lin Qi be with Song Qingzhu? She already had the Mercedes, so they shouldn’t be in contact anymore!
Little did she know, she was absolutely right.
Lin Qi’s only request to Song Qingzhu was to have a meal together!