"Thank me? Thank me for what?"
Hearing Qiao Dapeng suddenly thank him, Li Ye did not think much of it.
Because adults generally did not express gratitude in public. It would make everyone around them think you owed the other person an enormous favor, which did not look good for your pride.
So sincere gratitude was always offered quietly; only false pleasantries were displayed openly.
Qiao Dapeng was already somewhat drunk. Looking at Li Ye earnestly, he said, "Back then, the reason we got sponsorship for three overseas-study slots was because of the influence of your Lone Army Literary Society.
"Later, you gave up your chance to study abroad, and that was how I went from a substitute to an official member. If you had stayed in Singapore to study back then, you definitely would have developed better than I have now."
"..."
Everyone looked at Li Ye and Qiao Dapeng, all rather surprised.
Li Ye was surprised as well, because he felt that Qiao Dapeng's gratitude was sincere.
Only then did he recall that after Peking University's debate team arrived in Singapore, everyone had split into groups to visit different places. Qiao Dapeng, Li Ye, and a foreign-affairs staffer had formed one group and attended the Pan-Asian Youth Literary Exchange Conference.
So Qiao Dapeng knew that Wu Jinyuan had "thought highly of" Li Ye. If Li Ye had remained in Singapore to develop, he would most likely have soared into the heavens, flying even higher.
"Hahaha, how do you know I'm doing worse than you now?"
Li Ye laughed loudly and said to Qiao Dapeng, "My kids can already go buy soy sauce. Really buy soy sauce—they even know to hand someone a large bill and wait for change. Where are your kids?"
"..."
Qiao Dapeng was tongue-tied, frozen