Old Matters

At 8:30 p. m., the banquet was drawing to a close.

Xie Zheng stood up, walked over to me and Lin Qingying, and asked with a smile, "Qingying, how are you going to get back later?"

"Ding Han will drive me home in his car."

"Oh oh..."

Xie Zheng subconsciously turned his gaze to me and smiled, "Ding Han, since our Yue Ning Mall went online, our sales have skyrocketed. Users have given widespread praise to the product search and recommendation mechanisms. This underlying algorithm model is all thanks to you; it's really excellent... With you by Xiaoying's side, I, as her uncle, can finally rest easy."

I was a little surprised.

On the one hand, he maintains the identity of an uncle, but on the other hand, he relentlessly pursues and harasses Lin Qingying within the group. How can a person be so complicated?

"Manager Xie, you flatter me. I'm not that capable. It was Xiaoying who had the foresight to come up with such a brilliant B2C strategy. I was just doing my bit by following the trend."

"Oh my, look at you, so young and promising, and so humble."

Xie Zheng peeked at the Maybach parked outside with its license plate showing five 6s and asked, "You bought this car?"

"Yes, I just bought it not long ago."

"Good, good, good, this car is more befitting of your status!!"

Xie Zheng laughed and said, "Old Chen, let's go."

Afterwards, he exchanged pleasantries with Mr. and Mrs. Lin Yue, thanking them for their hospitality, and Lin Qingying and I also said goodbye and drove away.

The journey home.

I was driving, Lin Qingying sat in the passenger seat, seemingly lost in thought.

"So, what exactly happened with Chen Jingyao? Would you mind telling me?" I asked.

"Um."

Lin Qingying nodded slightly. "Ding Han, do you remember when Yue Ning Group's B2C Strategy was leaked and Luo Mei found out in advance and announced it? At that time, Shen Man even suspected you, thinking that you were the one who leaked the secret."

How could I forget this?

I frowned. "When Shen Man misunderstood me, I felt more wronged than Dou E."

She said softly, "Actually, it was Chen Jingyao who did this. At that time, not many people knew about the B2C Strategy, only you, Shen Man, and Chen Jingyao, the CEO who was my direct assistant."

"It really was him..."

Before this, I actually thought this person was the most suspicious.

"I only suspected Chen Jingyao before, but a few days ago I finally got confirmation from Huang Minyu."

"How did you get Huang Minyu to talk about this?"

"Hmph, that old fox Huang Minyu has been switching sides since coming to Yuening. She gets along well with Xie Zheng and Zhong Baiyan, but after all, she's someone I brought to Yuening. So before I was sure she would be joining the board of directors, I forced Huang Minyu to choose sides."

Her voice was soft. "In order to get him to talk, I promised him a share of the company, plus the position of CEO of Yue Ning Group, before Huang Minyu finally relented and revealed that Chen Jingyao had been in contact with him."

I smiled slightly, "This matter is so big, I'm afraid it's not something Chen Jingyao can handle alone. The person behind it should be Xie Zheng, right?"

"Yes."

She said softly, "So the first thing I did upon entering the board was to present evidence and threaten to sue Chen Jingyao. That's how I successfully ousted him from his position as CEO. Since I'm going to take charge of Yuening, I absolutely cannot allow anyone with disloyal intentions to be around me."

"Yes, you did the right thing. Huang Minyu is much safer as CEO than Chen Jingyao is."

"Ding Han, Huang Minyu also mentioned something else."

"What's up?"

He said...

Lin Qingying turned to look at me and smiled sweetly, "He said that when you were in Luo Mei, he tried to coerce and entice you, even using his honey trap, but you never revealed my B2C plan!"

"Isn't that how it should be?"

As I drove, I grinned and said, "From a moral standpoint, it's perfectly justifiable for you to take back Yuening, which your parents founded. But Xie Zheng was so ruthless in his attempt to steal Yuening, making me sell you out for money and women. I definitely can't live with myself."

"Ah?"

She was somewhat disappointed. "Just because of that?"

"That's only one aspect. Another, more important aspect is that I've liked you for a long time. Are you satisfied with that answer?" I said.

"Hmm, I'm satisfied!"

She nodded happily, then turned to look out the window and chuckled to herself.

And what about you?

I asked, "Xiaoying, when did you start liking me?"

"This...?"

Lin Qingying was lost in her memories, and after a long while, she said, "Actually, I can't really explain it. During the time you were injured and unconscious in Creek City, I worried about you every day. I don't know why I was worried about you, until one day, you suddenly appeared in Huaining City, right in front of me. My heart was racing, and I realized that I had started to like you..."

"Is that so?"

Stopped at the red light, I tilted my head and looked at her face. "But you seemed pretty calm back then..."

"No..."

Lin Qingying said angrily, "I didn't even know if you liked me back then, how much initiative did you expect me to take?"

"Too."

I've received a satisfactory answer.

And what about you?

She continued, "Ding Han, when did you start liking me?"

"Do you remember that rainy night when I called you from the suburbs to pick me up, and you came to pick me up in Grandpa Li's old-fashioned electric car?"

"Remember."

"It was around that time, when I saw you in the old man's car in the rain, that I felt you were really nice, not at all as cold as you seemed. That was probably when it all started."

"And before that?"

She blinked her big eyes, determined to get to the bottom of it. "When I brought you mangosteens at the internet cafe, didn't you like me?"

"I think I had a crush on them back then, but it wouldn't be considered love."

"Yes, that's right."

She said seriously, "Otherwise, if you fall for every pretty girl you see, that would be bad."

"No, no, I'm not that kind of person!"

After saying that, he tilted his head and looked out the windshield at the horizon. Fortunately, no lightning streaked across the sky.

Actually, I was already smitten with her when she gave me the mangosteen.

But how could I say something like that out loud? I have my pride.

It was midnight.

"Drop!"

I subconsciously checked the system announcements, but it wasn't the game system's voice.

The sound was actually coming from my phone, and it was a voice message from Lu Xiaobei. When I opened it, I heard her excited voice coming from the phone.

"Ding Han, Ding Han, great news! My concert in Huaining City has finally been approved! It's scheduled to be held at the Workers' Stadium in Donghu District. Online ticket sales start tomorrow, and the concert will officially begin in five days!"

She finally brought her concert back to her hometown!

Congratulations! That's really good news!

I replied, "To be rich and powerful and not return home is like wearing brocade at night. Now that you're famous, you should go back to your hometown to hold concerts and contribute to the local hotel and catering industries!"

"Mmm!"

Lu Xiaobei was very excited. "I'll reserve four front-row tickets for you, Sister Xiaoman, and Zhao Yihang. Make sure you have time on the day of the concert, come early, and come with me for rehearsals."

"Okay, don't worry, it'll be empty."

"It's a deal, time for bed, bye!"

She came and went quickly, sending a picture of a sleeping bunny and then disappearing.

"Drop!"

No sooner had Lu Xiaobei left than news of Milo arrived.

"Han'er, are you asleep?"

"No, what's up?"

"You know that Xiao Bei is going to hold a concert in Huaining City, right?"

"Yes, she just told me."

"Haha, this guy really can't keep a secret."

Milo said, "I'm also preparing for our first concert, but it's not just for me, it's for the whole band. I'm bringing all my brothers along."

"It should be quick, right? Where is it? How long will it take?"

"Like Xiao Bei, the first concert will also be in BH City, at the Hong Kong Coliseum. As for the time, it will probably be in a month or two."

"Holy crap, it's been that long?"

"Do you think everyone is Xiao Bei?" Milo said speechlessly, "The entire company revolves around her now, and almost all of the company's resources are being poured into her. The reason why her concert is going so smoothly and quickly is because the company is using a lot of manpower, connections, and funds."

"But Xiao Bei's concerts are always sold out, which makes Nine Heavens Music a fortune, so it's a win-win situation."

"That's true."

Milo chuckled, "I won't be going to Xiao Bei's concert in Huaining City. You're the host, so put in some extra effort. I'm counting on you. Don't take it lightly. Last time at her concert, the ladder wasn't set up properly, and she almost tripped. This time, I'm entrusting the safety work to you personally."

"No problem, leave it to me. How are you now?"

I asked, "Luo'er, do you still miss Lin Jianwei? Do you still call her name and cry softly in the middle of the night?"

"You son of a bitch, Ding Han, you're a real dog!"

Milo was furious. "Damn it, what kind of brother is this, rubbing salt into my wounds every single day?"

"You don't know anything, this is called a desensitization test."

I said confidently, "As long as I keep provoking you like this, one day you'll feel completely at ease when you mention Lin Jianwei's name, without any ripples in your heart. That's when you've truly moved on."

"Damn, that actually makes some sense..."

Milo said, "Anyway, don't worry about this anymore. I'm much better now, and I'm focusing on my career, making music with my brothers. From now on, we'll be making original music, not plagiarizing!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Then you're going to flop. You don't have the depth of Jay Chou or Pu Shu..."

"You son of a bitch!!"

Milo gets really angry; if I talk to him for ten sentences, he can break down seven or eight times.

Young people, their willpower is really lacking.

After a brief chat, Milo stormed off to bed.

Time flies, Lu Xiaobei's concert date is fast approaching. Posters for the concert are plastered all over the streets and alleys of Huaining City. As the most popular star in the country right now, Lu Xiaobei is indeed incredibly famous.

Early in the morning, after having breakfast with Lin Qingying, I headed straight to the Feiyang Chain Esports Hotel. When I arrived, I saw that Lu Xiaobei was already there, holding a cup of milk tea, looking at me while slurping it down.