110. Why Seek Far When What You Need Is Near

Zhang Yang strolled over and picked up a pen.

The high school girl, who had been temporarily assigned to sit at the long table, looked up at the incredibly handsome senior in front of her, still somewhat dazed.

"Sign here, right?" Zhang Yang looked around and casually signed his name as if joining in the fun.

The centennial celebration of the university has brought together a host of distinguished alumni, including scholars, entrepreneurs, and celebrities.

In any case, Zhang Yang felt that he was just an ordinary graduate.

After signing the papers, Zhang Yang had nothing to do, so he strolled around the campus.

The teaching building remains the same, with endless classes every day and students swarming out during breaks.

The cafeteria and dormitories—although the student body changes from year to year, everything else seems to have stood still, unchanged.

After wandering around for a while, Zhang Yang originally planned to go to the cafeteria to relive the meals he ate in high school, but then thought better of it, since he had plans for the evening.

He took out his phone and casually sent a message to Lin Jingmin, arranging a meeting place.

He strolled off, intending to leave the school.

How to put it? It's like a white moonlight. What is a white moonlight? A white moonlight is the pinnacle of one's aesthetic at the time. Years later, even if the white moonlight herself came back, she couldn't compare to that person back then.

The same goes for schools; it's best to leave the schools of your memory in your memory.

Zhang Yang left gracefully, and it's unlikely he'll ever come back.

"Hmm, that figure in front looks familiar?" Zhang Yang looked at the figure with long black hair leaving with a colleague and thought it looked familiar.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Teacher Meng.

"What a coincidence!" Zhang Yang stepped forward and greeted him with a smile.

Meng Baihan, who was chatting and laughing with his colleagues, was taken aback and looked at Zhang Yang with a surprised expression.

"Zhang Yang?" She stopped and greeted him with a smile.

The female teacher standing next to her also looked very young; she must have graduated just a few years ago.

"Who is this?" she chuckled softly, her eyes full of curiosity.

"This is Zhang Yang, my high school classmate," Meng Baihan introduced with a smile.

"So handsome, you didn't come here just for you, did you?" the female teacher asked with a smile, gently pulling Meng Baihan along.

Zhang Yang smiled and looked at the two people in front of him, talking and laughing in hushed tones.

It's clear that there are more and more new teachers at the school, many of them young faces, while he didn't see a single one of the familiar faces from his high school days.

Zhang Yang was preparing to leave the school, as was Teacher Meng.

She waved goodbye to her colleagues and walked alongside Zhang Yang.

"By the way, you went to Purple Garden No. 1 yesterday, was it because you have relatives there?" Meng Baihan asked casually.

"Didn't we talk about buying a house yesterday?" Zhang Yang said, amused. "Don't believe me? I didn't seem like the kind of person who was all talk and no action in high school, did I?"

"Huh?" Meng Baihan was taken aback, unsure of what to say.

After all, she and this classmate weren't actually close enough to joke around freely.

As the two were walking, Meng Baihan looked up and saw her brother waiting at the door to pick her up.

"Zhang Yang, how did you get here? Need a ride?"

"No need, no need, I have a car." Zhang Yang smiled and politely declined, then walked forward with Meng Baihan.

Meng Mingfeng was leaning against his car, smoking a cigarette and looking rather melancholy.

I've been pursuing the chief designer of Jade Villa Design for a long time, but there's been no progress. I'm practically ready to give him the "friend zone" treatment. I couldn't even get him to agree to dinner tonight, so I might as well come and pick up his sister for dinner instead.

Then, he looked at the figures walking towards him in the distance, and the cigarette in his hand suddenly fell to the ground.

"Mr. Zhang...?"

"Brother? You..." Meng Baihan was quite surprised when she saw her older brother's words and expression.

Her brother has always been arrogant and conceited, and he wasn't like this the last time she met Zhang Yang. How could he have changed so quickly?

"Hello, it feels like we've met quite a few times already. Let's get to know each other properly," Zhang Yang said, reaching for a cigarette.

"Brother Zhang, over here, I have some." Meng Mingfeng quickly pulled out a 95 from his pocket.

He offered her a cigarette and lit it for her, his expression full of flattery.

Zhang Yang smoked a cigarette and exchanged pleasantries with him.

"Brother Zhang, how about we have dinner together tonight? It just so happens that you and my little sister are classmates," Meng Mingfeng invited enthusiastically.

"This..." Zhang Yang felt slightly embarrassed, "I have plans for tonight."

"Ah, I was too talkative." Meng Mingfeng winked and gave a knowing look to himself.

Zhang Yang glanced down at his phone. Just now, Designer Lin had sent him a selfie, showing off her legs and chest. It seemed she was really going all out for the order.

He looked at the photos, then looked up at Meng Mingfeng in front of him, listening to his flattery.

To be honest, he felt quite conflicted and apologetic. After all, he had to ask designer Lin out for dinner that night. He thought about how hard Meng Baihan's brother had worked to win her over, and in the end... he had just casually asked her out.

"Well, I'll be going now. Maybe next time." Zhang Yang chuckled dryly, glancing at Meng Baihan, "Old classmate, see you next time."

He left with a flourish, heading straight for the Cayenne not far away, leaving the brother and sister behind.

"Brother, you seem different?" Meng Baihan stared at Meng Mingfeng, his expression full of disbelief.

"Changed? I haven't changed. Haven't I always been like this?" Meng Mingfeng said, smoking a cigarette, still lost in thought.

"Then why did your attitude towards my classmate suddenly change 180 degrees? What did you say yesterday? You said some really nasty things about Zhang Yang in the car, saying he was all show and no substance and just spouting nonsense..." Meng Baihan was much more direct in front of her brother.

"It seems you still don't understand your classmate." Meng Mingfeng looked at his own sister's behavior and immediately understood.

"I, as a classmate, don't know, but you do?" Meng Baihan's eyes widened slightly.

Meng Mingfeng shook his head and stubbed out his cigarette.

"Come on, let's get in the car first, we can talk in detail once we're inside."

A moment later, inside the Range Rover, Meng Mingfeng said some of what he knew.

"Your classmate is rich! If you add it all up, that detached house, plus the renovations, must have cost twenty or thirty million." Meng Mingfeng clicked his tongue in amazement. "With a classmate this rich, why would you go to all that trouble?"

"What do you mean?" Meng Baihan's handsome face inexplicably flushed.

"Hey, don't pretend you don't know in front of your brother. Look how worried our parents are. You should have told them you had someone like that in your life earlier," Meng Mingfeng said with a laugh.

"Don't talk nonsense, he has a girlfriend, and they seem very much in love," Meng Baihan said, shaking his head.

"This?" Meng Mingfeng was taken aback and shut his mouth.

He did want to say something like poaching his sister, but considering his sister's character, he knew she would never do such a thing.

"Besides, I don't really have any other feelings for him, okay?" Meng Baihan said with a laugh.

"Really? Well, then consider it me being nosy," Meng Mingfeng said, shaking his head.

He didn't say anything more.

Meng Baihan, however, was holding his phone, scrolling aimlessly with his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

··

When Zhang Yang picked up Lin Jingmin in his Cayenne, it was exactly 5:30 p. m.

By the roadside, Lin Jingmin, wearing a tight-fitting short skirt, maintained her dignified demeanor, yet inexplicably gave Zhang Yang a strong sense of contrast.

"Have you been waiting long?" Zhang Yang stopped the car in front of Lin Jingmin.

"It hasn't been long. I just turned down someone who tried to chat me up, and then you came over." Lin Jingmin smiled, got into the car, and sat in the passenger seat.

"I haven't been back in a long time. Can you recommend where we should eat?" Zhang Yang glanced at Lin Jingmin in the passenger seat.

"Let's find a quiet place to eat and chat. I know a place," Lin Jingmin thought for a moment and recommended a restaurant.

The restaurant wasn't far away, and coincidentally, it was right near Purple Garden No. 1.

Zhang Yang drove straight to this quiet restaurant.

Inside the restaurant, Zhang Yang asked for a window seat and then handed the menu to Lin Jingmin to order.

"The crispy veal here is pretty good, and the yellow croaker with handmade rice cakes is also quite nice. Okay, I've ordered two dishes. What would you like to eat?" Lin Jingmin picked out a few dishes she was familiar with.

"You're familiar with this, so you can handle everything." Zhang Yang poured tea for her.

Soon, the food was ordered, and the two sat facing each other, with the lake view shrouded in the deep night outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Lin Jingmin sat quietly, gazing at the handsome client who was standing very close to her.

The phone on the table suddenly lit up.

Zhang Yang has good eyesight and immediately recognized that the message seemed to be from Meng Mingfeng.

"I'm having dinner with my sister. Oh, by the way, I have something to tell you. That big client you're working with is my sister's classmate," Meng Mingfeng said proudly.

Zhang Yang glanced at it and sipped his tea.

Lin Jingmin apologized and immediately turned off her phone. "You're his sister's classmate, really?"

"Yeah, a high school classmate, haven't been in touch for a long time," Zhang Yang said casually. "What if you miss any important calls or messages with your phone off?"

"It's nothing, nothing is more important than having you as a big client." Lin Jingmin smiled.

The dishes arrived shortly afterward.

It certainly looks delicious and looks appealing.

The two chatted as they ate.

"A deal worth fifteen million, you must have made quite a bit of money, right?" Zhang Yang asked with a smile.

"Mr. Zhang, actually..." Lin Jingmin wanted to explain.

"No need to explain, making money is what I should do, as long as the final result is what I want," Zhang Yang said casually.

Engineering, materials, and design fees are all ways to make money.

But don't go too far or over the top, don't treat people like suckers. He doesn't want to go back and tell others that he was ripped off.

"I definitely won't let you down," Lin Jingmin said, taking a small breath.

Zhang Yang nodded without saying anything.

He took out his phone, swiped it, and his finger stopped on the profile picture of Luo Xinyu, the former owner of COFCO Seaview No. 1.

Are the two close friends?

Yes and no.

If you're talking about a friendship spanning many years, no, since they've only known each other for a few days. But if you're talking about a physical relationship, then it's certainly true.

He casually sent a video request.

Although I don't know the time difference, it's probably daytime there right now.

The video call connected almost instantly.

"Am I dreaming? You actually sent me a video call?" A beautiful face appeared on the screen. "Is there something you need to talk to me about?"

"There is something I need to take care of," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

"I knew it, you wouldn't come to me for no reason," Luo Xinyu said with a light reproach. "Speak, Mr. Zhang, what is it that I can do for you?"

"I'm out here," Zhang Yang subtly reminded him. "Well, it's nothing serious. You mentioned before that you have a classmate who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, right?"

"Yes, she's the one who found Kelly Vist for me. The design fee was several million." Luo Xinyu then thought of something else, "Now that I think about it, I really lost a lot of money selling that house to you for over a hundred million."

Lin Jingmin, who had been listening quietly the whole time, felt her heart pounding wildly.

From the moment Zhang Yang started his video call, she listened silently, constantly extracting information.

From the moment she started at the Rhode Island School of Design, she immediately became tense. She was also a designer, and although she had never studied abroad, she had long heard of this school, which was ranked third in the QS World University Rankings for art and design.

She prided herself on being a professional, but at this moment, she undoubtedly felt her own shallowness.

And then what? Kelly Vist? Millions in design fees? Just who is this woman on the other side? What's her background and influence?

Then wait until she hears about a house worth over 100 million.

This Mr. Zhang in front of me lives in a house in Magic City worth over 100 million yuan?

"You've already sold the house, and you keep saying you sold it at a loss," Zhang Yang said, amused. "Well, I bought a villa and am planning to renovate it. Could you introduce me to one of your friends?"

"Sure!" Luo Xinyu readily agreed. "Are you also looking for a foreign designer? I'll talk to her about it beforehand."

"No need for that, but I might need to ask her for advice on some minor issues later." Zhang Yang felt slightly embarrassed.

His villa is worth over ten million; there's no need for him to make such a fuss.

I made this video purely to connect with a professional in the interior design field. It's better than being completely clueless and just throwing 15 million at a renovation company, right?

"Okay, she's my best friend, feel free to ask her anything. She has a lot of friends in China who know people all over the country when it comes to interior design. You can send her the detailed breakdown later." Luo Xinyu gave a thoughtful reminder.

Look, look, look! That really hit Zhang Yang right in the head.

He chatted with Luo Xinyu for a few minutes in a friendly manner before ending the conversation, feeling more confident.

"So, you know such a professional?" Lin Jingmin stammered.

He's wealthy and has the ability to know such a professional expert.

Even if she had a slight urge to make a quick buck, it all vanished at that moment.

"It was through a friend's introduction." Zhang Yang smiled, taking in Lin Jingmin's expression. "Don't be nervous. As I just said, I have no problem with the decoration company making money. After all, running a company isn't charity. As long as my money goes to good use, it's fine."

Ultimately, he doesn't really care about the money. He can accept going over budget or spending more money, but he can't stand being ripped off.

Lin Jingmin nodded slightly, her expression one of complete agreement.

"Don't worry, I'm not that demanding." Zhang Yang looked at the slender, fair hand on the table, gently stroked it, and patted it.

Lin Jingmin's hand trembled slightly, but she pretended not to see Zhang Yang's action.