At the dinner table, Zeng Yu still seemed in low spirits. He slowly sipped his wine, his gaze drifting, as if his soul was wandering somewhere far away.
As his friends, Lu Yi and the others felt helpless. Matters of the heart were hard for outsiders to comment on, especially with someone like Zeng Yu, who could only rely on himself to work through it. No one else could really help.
“Zeng Yu, are you free tomorrow?” Lu Yi decided to try to do something.
Zeng Yu nodded. “Yeah.”
“That’s good. I rented a yacht and plan to go out to sea tomorrow. Why don’t you come along?” Lu Yi invited, knowing that in the past, Zeng Yu always declined such activities.
But today, something was different. Zeng Yu nodded without hesitation. “Sure.”
Lu Yi was pleased. As long as Zeng Yu wasn’t shutting himself off at home, things might start improving.
“You can bring a date if you want. Need me to set you up with someone?” Xiao Dong joked, laughing.
Zeng Yu hesitated for a moment, thinking of his neighbor, and then shook his head. “I’ll bring my own.”
Everyone was stunned.
“Wait, am I seeing the real Zeng Yu right now?” A Wen asked cautiously.
Lu Yi nodded. “Must be fake. Definitely fake.”
Xiao Dong reached over to pinch Zeng Yu’s cheek. “Let me check if he’s wearing a mask.”
Zeng Yu knocked Xiao Dong’s hand away.
“You’re serious about this?” Lu Yi asked in shock.
Zeng Yu gave him a side-eye. “What, you don’t believe me? Just wait and see.” He pulled out his phone and began scrolling through his contacts, but halfway through, he froze. He didn’t even have Gu Meisheng’s WeChat or QQ number, let alone her phone number.
“She’s the woman living next door to me, probably around twenty-five or twenty-six. A white-collar worker named Gu Meisheng,” Zeng Yu explained, feeling awkward.
Everyone shook their heads. Xiao Dong said, “I believe she exists, but I don’t believe you’ll actually bring her.”
“Heh, just wait and see.” Zeng Yu’s resolve grew firmer. He felt more and more that letting go of the past was the right choice.
“Well, contact her then!” Xiao Dong pressed.
Annoyed, Zeng Yu continued flipping through his contacts and finally found the property management office’s number. He quickly called them.
The property office gave Zeng Yu Gu Meisheng’s number without suspecting anything after he claimed he was borrowing a friend’s phone to call. With her number in hand, Zeng Yu wasted no time in dialing.
At that moment, Gu Meisheng was just about to head out to dinner with friends when her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, her heart leaped with joy. She quickly answered.
“Hello, this is Gu Meisheng.”
She had to pretend not to know it was Zeng Yu. What an effort!
When the call ended, Gu Meisheng felt like she’d just won the lottery. She couldn’t believe what had just happened—Zeng Yu had actually called and invited her to dinner.
Back at the restaurant, Zeng Yu hung up the phone and smiled at everyone.
Lu Yi reached out to touch Zeng Yu’s forehead. Zeng Yu calmly knocked his hand away. “Don’t get handsy.”
Ignoring him, Lu Yi touched his own forehead. “He’s not running a fever.”
“I can’t believe it, this guy’s serious!” Xiao Dong exclaimed, breaking the awkward silence.
“Could she be prettier than Jiang Nan?” A Wen muttered under his breath, still struggling to adjust to Zeng Yu’s sudden change. He instantly regretted mentioning Jiang Nan, thinking he had stepped over the line.
But Zeng Yu didn’t seem to mind. He chuckled, “Looks aren’t everything, you know. Am I right?”
“It’s not that we don’t believe you. We’ve just known you for over two years, and you’ve never brought anyone to our gatherings before. It’s a bit hard to process,” Xiao Dong said, getting to the root of the issue. Everyone had grown accustomed to Zeng Yu always being alone.
Zeng Yu responded calmly, “You’re overthinking it. I just feel like I need to make some changes, that’s all.”
The group let it go and stopped pressing him on the matter. Lu Yi made a quick note to the waiter, “No rush with the food. There’s still one more person who hasn’t arrived.”
After stepping out of the car, Gu Meisheng smartly sent a text message: I’m here.
Zeng Yu replied quickly: Wait downstairs.
Seeing Zeng Yu come down from the stairs, Gu Meisheng greeted him with curiosity. “What’s going on with you today?”
Zeng Yu smiled. “A few friends invited me out on a yacht tomorrow, and they said I needed to bring a date, or they wouldn’t let me join.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll say no?” she teased.
Zeng Yu felt a bit embarrassed but still smiled. “Help me out. I’ve already bragged about it.”
Before he finished speaking, Gu Meisheng had already walked up to him and linked her arm with his. “Let’s go.”
Inside the private room, a lively conversation was going on.
As soon as Zeng Yu left, Lu Yi grinned and said, “Let’s place bets! When Zeng Yu and his date walk in, will they be standing more than one meter apart or less than one meter? The minimum bet is one bottle of noble rot wine.”
A Wen laughed. “Count me in for a bottle. I bet the distance will be less than one meter.”
Xiao Dong shrugged. “Then I guess I’ll bet on more than one meter.”
Lu Yi nodded approvingly. “Alright, all bets are in.”
A Wen held up a hand. “Wait a minute, which side are you on?”
Lu Yi smiled. “If they walk in touching, dinner’s on me tonight. How’s that?”
“Deal!” A Wen and Xiao Dong both said in unison.
Right then, the door opened, and Zeng Yu walked in with a somewhat stiff expression, while Gu Meisheng clung to his arm.
Lu Yi sighed. “Looks like the old tricks don’t work anymore.”
After a round of introductions, everyone took their seats.
Gu Meisheng was keenly aware of fashion, and it didn’t take long for her to notice that all the men in the room were dressed impeccably. Though she was initially nervous, she quickly adapted, quietly listening to their conversation while picking up useful information.
“Zeng Yu, there’s a short-term loan opportunity. Are you in?” A Wen suddenly asked.
Zeng Yu was caught off guard but then smiled. “I’m broke right now. Go find someone else.”
A Wen chuckled. “Don’t miss out. You’ve got a solid reputation in the circle now; everyone knows your name.”
Zeng Yu thought for a moment. “How much?”
“Three million by Monday, for one week. Five percent,” A Wen replied.
“Alright, Monday afternoon then,” Zeng Yu agreed.
Sitting next to him, Gu Meisheng whispered, “Isn’t five percent too little?”
Zeng Yu smiled. “It’s per day, not too bad.”
Gu Meisheng’s eyes widened as she quickly calculated the numbers in her head. Unable to resist, she asked in a low voice, “Is there no chance of anything going wrong?”
This time, A Wen heard her clearly and chimed in. “If something goes wrong, that’d be great. The borrower is a listed company. If they can’t repay, they’ll have to give us shares as collateral.”
Noticing the curious glances from around the table, Gu Meisheng wisely decided to stay quiet.
Zeng Yu raised his glass. “Let’s drink.”
Everyone followed suit, raising their glasses as Lu Yi joked, “I’m hosting today, so apologies for the lack of fine wine. Please bear with it.”
Zeng Yu grinned. “You talk as if you’ve ever brought out good wine. Whenever you have decent stuff, it goes straight into your wine cabinet, never to come out.”
Lu Yi laughed shamelessly. “Unlike you, I can’t compete with your collection. Remember that wine tasting event? You barely drank any of that bottle. After you left, I stashed it in the cabinet. Today, I’m just re-gifting it.”
Zeng Yu sniffed the wine and chuckled. “So it really is.”
A Wen chimed in, “When it comes to wine, we can’t compare with Zeng Yu.”
Xiao Dong added, “You’re not wrong. I heard there’s a hotel in Switzerland that has a bottle of wine priced at 9,999 Swiss francs per glass. I bet if Zeng Yu showed up, they’d have to open it.”
Zeng Yu burst out laughing. “Come on, it’s not that exaggerated, is it?”
Suddenly, the table fell silent as everyone pondered this.
“I think Xiao Dong’s right!” Lu Yi said thoughtfully.
A Wen nodded in agreement. “I second that.”
Zeng Yu was speechless. “So now you’re saying I should go there and have a glass of that wine, huh? Liquid gold! If I don’t drink it, will you guys think less of me?”
“Wait, how much is that in yuan?” Gu Meisheng couldn’t hold back her curiosity and raised her hand to ask.
“About sixty-five thousand,” Xiao Dong calculated.
“Zeng Yu, would you really drink it if you got the chance?” Gu Meisheng asked, her heart fluttering. The price of just one glass of wine was staggering.
Zeng Yu thought for a moment. “Yeah, I probably would. I’ve heard about that wine before. It’s over a hundred years old. I’d really like to try it.”
Once again, the room fell into silence.
“Beast!” Lu Yi exclaimed, unable to hold back.
Zeng Yu laughed heartily. “Wine is meant to be drunk, isn’t it? No matter how good the wine is, if it’s not opened and enjoyed, it has no value.”
The meal continued in high spirits. Although Gu Meisheng maintained her ladylike demeanor, she couldn’t help but feel a strong urge to capture the moment. Resisting the temptation to post on social media, she gently nudged Zeng Yu. “Shall we add each other on WeChat? I’d love to check out your Moments sometime.”
Zeng Yu paused for a second before pulling out his phone. “You can scan mine. I haven’t had much time for Moments before, but I’ve got time now.”
Gu Meisheng quickly added his WeChat and then added the rest of the group as well, tactfully avoiding asking for phone numbers.
When the meal was over, Gu Meisheng stood up. “I have something to do this afternoon, so I’ll head out first.”
Zeng Yu also stood. “I’ll walk you out.” After exchanging goodbyes with everyone, the two of them left.
Back in the private room, the remaining three exchanged glances. Lu Yi shook his head. “She’s no match for Jiang Nan. The difference is like a fishing boat compared to an aircraft carrier.”
Xiao Dong chuckled. “She’s not even his girlfriend yet. Didn’t you notice how Zeng Yu was trying to hide his awkwardness the whole time?”
A Wen remarked, “I think this isn’t a bad thing. Zeng Yu should’ve started meeting more women ages ago.”
“Did you drive here?” Gu Meisheng asked, surprised to see Zeng Yu pulling out his phone to call a car.
Zeng Yu shook his head. “I used to drive company cars. Hold on, I’ll still send you off.” He put his phone away and called Lu Yi instead. “Lu Yi, mind if I borrow your car for a bit?”
Lu Yi quickly came down from upstairs and handed Zeng Yu the keys. “Go ahead. Return it whenever.”
Zeng Yu immediately became suspicious. “What’s that supposed to mean? Explain, or I won’t take it.”
Lu Yi clicked his tongue, exasperated. “You’re something else, aren’t you?”
Zeng Yu remained firm. “I want to hear it clearly.”
Lu Yi shrugged. “Fine, you win. I got a new car, and this one’s been sitting in the club’s garage for a while. I was hoping to trick you into drinking a bottle of wine with me, but you caught on. I’ve had this car for two years. Take it if you don’t mind.”
Zeng Yu nodded, satisfied. “That’s better. Next time, dinner’s on me.”
Lu Yi shook his head with a smile. “You can be so annoying sometimes, always keeping things so clear-cut. We’ve known each other for years. I’ve made enough money from your deals to buy several Cayennes by now. If you want to be all proper about it, think about how you made some previously unknown brands famous. I should be thanking you.”
Zeng Yu took the car keys, waved, and headed to the garage with Gu Meisheng.
Lu Yi watched them go, smiling as he turned to leave.
