Wealth and beauty know no bounds

  The door was opened by a woman in her forties, who looked at Zhang Yang with surprise and smiled: "Miss Hong, you're back."

  Hong Yaqin introduced: "Aunt Wang, this is my friend."

  Zhang Yang stretched out his hand and said: "Hello Aunt Wang."

  Wang Yi and Zhang Yang shook hands and said: "Come on in, Master and Madam have been waiting for a long time."

  Hong Yaqin nodded and said, "Let's go!"

  Two people walked in, and Wang Ayi closed the door behind them. She took a look at the car parked in the yard and felt a bit puzzled. Having been a nanny for the Hong family for so many years, she had never seen such an ordinary car before. The worst one she had seen previously was an Audi. Shaking her head with emotion, she thought that this young man's prospects were not very promising.

  As he walked into the living room, Zhang Yang saw an old man with a head full of white hair sitting on the sofa, his round face and big eyes were stern but not angry, very majestic. Next to him sat a middle-aged woman with a kind face, smiling at himself. From her eyebrows and eyes, one could vaguely see the shadow of Hong Yaqin after she grew old. Guessing correctly, this should be Hong Yaqin's parents. Although he was somewhat puzzled why there was such a big age gap between the two, Zhang Yang didn't hesitate, taking a step forward to say: "Uncle and aunt, hello, my name is Zhang Yang, I'm a friend of Yaqin."

  Hong's mother smiled and said: "Hello, little Zhang, right? Come sit down. Old man, say hello!"

  Father Hong's face turned cold and he said: "It's just a boyfriend, why speak so vaguely?"

  Zhang Yang didn't know how to respond, although Hong Yaqin had just said that her father was ill-tempered, Zhang Yang hadn't expected it would be like this.

  Hong Yaqin glanced at Zhang Yang's embarrassed face, chuckled and sat down beside her father, holding his arm: "You always ask me to bring my boyfriend home, I brought him back and you're like this? If it's like this, I won't tell you anything."

  His father's eyes widened in anger: "How dare you!"

  "You said I dare not, Zhang Yang you sit, my dad is this temper. He is rushing me, not you." Hong Yaqin said.

  Zhang Yang found that Hong Yaqin returned home, suddenly seeming to have become several years younger, like a little girl who hadn't grown up, not at all as strong and sharp as when he saw her in the restaurant, her voice was even lower by eight degrees, and she kept acting coquettishly.

  Zhang Yang shivered with cold, a man in his twenties, acting like a little girl in her teens, it's too cold.

  Zhang Yang's behavior couldn't escape Hong Yaqin's notice. Hong Yaqin's eyes widened, and Zhang Yang silently sighed to himself as he sat down on the sofa. It's said that people have a dual nature; today was a real eye-opener for him.

  The flirting between the two people did not escape Hong Mu's eyes, and a hint of a smile flashed at the corner of her mouth.

  "You still know I'm rushing you. Tell me, how long hasn't it been since you went home? You even have a boyfriend and didn't tell us. If it wasn't for being forced this time, would you still plan to hide it until the day you've added a grandson, then bring him back to show me?" Father Hong said.

  "Dad!" Hong Yaqin's face turned red.

  Mrs. Hong pushed Mr. Hong and said: "Don't talk nonsense in front of Little Zhang. Little Zhang, come and have some fruit."

  "Aunt, don't be polite. I'll do it myself," Zhang Yang said.

  After finishing, she stood up, picked a bright red apple, peeled it with a fruit knife, cut it in half and put it on the fruit plate, handed it to Hong Yaqin: "Yaqin peeled the skin, you try some."

  Hong Yaqin saw Zhang Yang like this, her eyes widened in surprise. Is this the cold-blooded animal? Look at the smile on his face and then look at his gentle movements. If it weren't for being in front of their parents, Hong Yaqin would have definitely lifted up Zhang Yang's face to see how many masks he had underneath.

  Hong's mother saw Zhang Yang's thoughtful behavior and nodded in delight, thinking that as a mother, she wanted her daughter to find someone who could take care of her, and this young man was not bad.

  Hong's father didn't smile, but his facial expression was no longer so serious either.

  "Xiao Zhang, where is your family from? What kind of people are your parents?" asked Mother Hong.

  Zhang Yang continued to peel the apple, hearing Hong's mother ask, he put down what he was doing and said seriously: "Auntie, my family is from a small county town in Hebei Province, my parents are ordinary workers."

  Hong's mother looked at her daughter in surprise.

  She knew what kind of person her husband was. To put it nicely, he was particular about social status; to put it bluntly, he looked down on people. She thought that even if the man her daughter brought home wasn't a rich young master, he should at least be from a high social class. But unexpectedly, he turned out to be an ordinary person. She was worried about how her husband would react, but seeing Mr. Hong's expression didn't change at all, she finally felt relieved.

  "Changing the subject, he asked: 'Which university did you graduate from and which company are you working for now?'"

  Hong Yaqin anxiously made a gesture with her eyes, afraid that Zhang Yang would say something unreliable again, at least get through today!

  Zhang Yang said with a dismissive tone: "Auntie, I graduated from high school and started working. Not long ago, I quit my job and plan to start a business in the capital."

  Hong Yaqin covered her face in despair, it's all over.

  What's wrong with this guy? He was fine on the bus, but now he's saying the worst things.

  Hong's mother was also stunned this time, and she couldn't believe that Zhang Yang would have such a condition. She looked at Hong Yaqin with some understanding, no wonder her daughter didn't bring her boyfriend home, with this kind of condition, not to mention Hong's father, even she herself couldn't help but look down on him.

  "His father suddenly spoke up: 'What business are you planning to do? Do you have a plan?'"

  Hong Yaqin and her mother were both stunned, not expecting Hong Father to bring up this topic. In their understanding, at this time, Hong Father should be scolding and driving Zhang Yang away, which is the normal behavior. It's strange what happened today?

  "I haven't thought it through, the market in Beijing is huge and there are many projects to invest in. I think I'll observe for a while before deciding which path to take. Actually, coming to Beijing to develop myself was all for Ya Qin. We've been in contact for a long time, but only through phone calls, without any face-to-face communication, so it always feels unreal." Zhang Yang said.

  Hong's mother asked in surprise: "Haven't you two met before?"

  This was a script that had been arranged long ago. Hong Yaqin could only say what Zhang Yang had told her to: "We're just online friends, isn't it normal that we haven't met in person?"

  "Online romance?" Mrs. Hong blinked her eyes, thinking that her daughter hardly did anything entertaining except cooking, and nodded understandingly: "I see, no wonder you've been holed up in your room all day when you're at home, turns out it's online romance."

  Old Hong coughed and said: "Alright, you all go prepare the dishes. It's Little Zhang's first time here, I'll chat with him for a bit."

  Hong Mu nodded and pulled Hong Yaqin towards the kitchen, just as she had many things to ask her daughter.

  After the two left, Zhang Yang straightened his body.

  "Little Zhang, tell me about your entrepreneurial ventures, I want to hear your ideas!" Hong's father suddenly changed the subject and didn't mention anything about the two of them or how they were worlds apart in terms of conditions, nor did he say that it was better for them to part ways early on. Instead, he asked about Zhang Yang's entrepreneurial endeavors.

  Zhang Yang was somewhat perplexed, he had long been prepared to deal with the bombing, but unexpectedly Hong's father did not play by the rules.

  "Uncle, to be honest, this is also what I'm worried about, and I don't mind you laughing at me! I have a small amount of funds on hand, but I have no idea what project to choose. It's been three days since I arrived in the capital, and apart from Ya Qin's restaurant, I've spent all my time reading newspapers, browsing the internet, and walking around." Zhang Yang said with a bitter smile.

  "We have the money, but no project!" said Hong's father.

  Zhang Yang nodded and said, "Yes, Uncle. Actually, with this amount of money, I could live a comfortable life as an ordinary citizen, but I'm only 20 years old, I don't want to spend my whole life like that! A person's life should leave something behind! Moreover, I am a man, men must struggle and fight in society to prove their worth. Only such men are worthy of women's trust."

  His father nodded in agreement and asked, "This makes sense. However, the current market has matured, and it's hard to achieve success with just enthusiasm. One mistake could lead to complete failure. I advise you to be cautious when choosing an investment project, don't rush, take your time, observe more, and choose an industry that suits you. You're still young, don't be impatient, first do thorough market research, just like cooking for guests, we need to know if they're from the south or north, if they prefer sweet or salty dishes, if they like seafood or meat. Only when you're well-prepared can you serve a dish that your guests will enjoy. Also, make good use of your strengths and engage in industries you're familiar with, after all, it's better to be proficient than to start from scratch!"

  Zhang Yang gratefully said: "Thank you, Uncle!"

  He has been determined to make a lot of money and have his own company since the day he left Jin City, but he had no idea how to do it. The continuous success made him feel complacent. He thought that as long as he had enough funds, he could easily start a big company and count his money until his hands were numb. After listening to Da Hong's words, he suddenly realized that he was indeed a bit complacent.

  It's really not a good choice to cash out all the gold without even thinking about what industry to engage in.

  Zhang Yang took the opportunity to ask Hong Fu about entrepreneurship, and Hong Fu answered his questions one by one, clarifying his doubts. From start to finish, he didn't mention anything related to him and Hong Yaqin.

  Hong's mother questioned her daughter in the kitchen and returned to the living room, seeing two people chatting enthusiastically, somewhat stunned. What is this situation? When did the old man become so enthusiastic, shouldn't he be coldly scolding Zhang Yang?

  "Is dinner ready? Little Zhang, come and keep me company for a couple of drinks." Mr. Hong said as he stood up when he saw Mrs. Hong coming out.

  "Uncle, I drove here, I can't drink!" Zhang Yang hastily said.

  "It's alright, this is your own home, not outside. If you've had too much to drink, just sleep here, there are plenty of rooms." Father Hong said, leaving no room for refusal.

  Then Zhang Yang got drunk again in high spirits.

  After Zhang Yang was helped back to his room and fell asleep, Mrs. Hong found the old man sitting in the living room drinking tea: "Old man, what's going on?"

  "What's going on?" Father Hong asked.

  "Xiao Zhang, with your personality, shouldn't you have coaxed him away long ago?" Mother Hong said.

  Father Hong said discontentedly, "Am I just a selfish person in your eyes? In any case, this is the first time our daughter has brought her boyfriend home, we should give her some face. Besides, this young man is really not bad!"

  Hong's father said, "Didn't you notice the clothes Zhang Yang is wearing? They're not some big brand name, but they're passable. Looking at how comfortable he seems in them, it's clear he's worn them before, so there's no way he's pretending to be something he's not. I've taken a look at his watch - it's a genuine Swiss-made one worth tens of thousands of yuan. Just looking at this, you can tell that his economic situation is pretty good. And considering he comes from an ordinary family background, without having attended university or received any outside help, the fact that he's been able to acquire all these things through his own efforts is truly not easy."

  "Right, I was so focused on asking about his family that I didn't notice these things. But he doesn't have a job or any education, and yet he's talking about starting his own business...I don't know, it just seems really unconvincing to me, like he's some kind of scam artist? I hope Yaqin isn't being taken in by him?"

  "You, you just look at the surface and make arbitrary decisions without understanding the situation. A cheat? What can he cheat? Yaqin is still a child, doesn't have her own judgment, and besides, we are here! If it's about money, he has enough to live on. And as for taking advantage of each other, who knows who will benefit or lose out in the end?" said Hong's father.

  Hong's mother gave Hong's father a punch and said, "Is there anyone who would say such things about their own daughter? Speaking of which, this young man has also given me a very good impression. He is very genuine and doesn't hide anything. If it were an ordinary person seeing our family situation, they would definitely hide their background or avoid the issue. But Little Zhang didn't hesitate at all and didn't think there was anything wrong with his background, unlike others who consider themselves superior to others. Just this point alone is quite rare."

  "I understand what you mean, not just saying that I'm forcing my daughter to marry a rich family, right? Actually, I'm also thinking about this, after all, what's my background? Isn't it just a chef? I want the best for my daughter, I hope she'll have a happy life in the future. If there's a suitable young man who matches her well, even if he's poor, so be it. The money I've earned in my lifetime is enough for them to live on, this money won't be left to my daughter, will I take it with me when I die? However, this Zhang Yang has ambition and ideals, although he's young, his character is mature, just afraid that Yajin may not be able to tame him!" Father Hong said.

  Hong's father was a wise and experienced old man, so he wouldn't just look at the surface like many people do. He wasn't some aristocratic son who needed to maintain his family's power through marriage; as long as his culinary skills could be passed down and his daughter had a happy married life, he would be content.

  But in their conversation just now, he felt Zhang Yang's ambition and was very worried.