112. How You Define Success

In the afternoon, the busyness finally came to a stop.

Feeling sorry for her husband who had been busy all morning, Song Wenqin sent Zhang Zhaohai and his son Zhang Yang away and personally cooked lunch for them.

Zhang Yang and his father stood at the shop entrance chatting.

Zhang Zhaohai, without even changing out of his chef's uniform, took out a pack of cigarettes that Zhang Yang had brought back last time, and the father and son each shared one.

"Son, although I've been busy lately, I've finally realized what a fulfilling life truly means."

Zhang Zhaohai smoked a cigarette, blowing smoke rings with satisfaction, watching the people coming and going outside, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Dad, you should have realized this a long time ago," Zhang Yang said with amusement.

Think about my dad now, smoking cigarettes that cost a thousand yuan a pack, having cases and cases of Wuliangye and Moutai at home, running a thriving little shop, and preparing to open a three-story restaurant.

Not to mention the villa that Zhang Yang secretly prepared for his family.

Compared to before, the changes are nothing short of earth-shattering.

The father and son chatted about everything under the sun, discussing the future, until Song Wenqin called them inside for dinner.

Zhang Zhaohai had a late lunch, drank a couple of glasses of wine, and then fell fast asleep afterward.

"Mom, is your phone screen broken? I almost forgot, wait for me to go buy you a new phone this afternoon." Zhang Yang noticed the cracks all over Song Wenqin's phone screen at a glance.

"Let's not change it, it won't affect the use." Song Wenqin swiped her phone a few times to show Zhang Yang.

"Let's replace it, it's not like it costs much," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

Since he insisted, Song Wenqin wasn't too stubborn and nodded in agreement.

After lunch, Zhang Yang drove his Cayenne straight to a nearby shopping district.

···

The shopping mall was packed with people on the weekend.

Meng Baihan had long, black hair and an outstanding presence. Standing next to him was a well-dressed man with a mature demeanor.

"Teacher Meng, don't be so reserved. I'm practically your senior in a way." The man was very easygoing.

"Oh... Hello, Senior Huang," Meng Baihan said politely in a low voice.

The man next to me is Huang Yuzhou, an outstanding alumnus who returned for this school anniversary celebration. He has now achieved success in his business and donated a sum of money to his alma mater.

At the lunch gathering, many teachers and leaders were present. As everyone chatted, the principal, for some reason, started trying to matchmake the two of them after learning that the other person was still single.

After the meal, this senior, who was ten years older than her, actually took the initiative to ask her to go out for a walk.

"Teacher Meng, I'll get straight to the point," Huang Yuzhou said. "These past few years I've been so focused on my career that I've neglected my personal life."

"Senior Huang is joking. With your qualifications, you can't just delay things as you please," Meng Baihan said.

"It's not like I haven't met any great girls, but how should I put it, finding a girlfriend isn't the same as finding a wife." Huang Yuzhou shook his head and smiled, "In the end, we were just not meant to be."

Meng Baihan fell silent.

To be honest, this senior is indeed very outstanding.

Men in this age group who have accomplished nothing are naturally unattractive, but if they have achieved success in their careers, this age signifies maturity and stability.

And they even said they're aiming for marriage...

"Teacher Meng, do you believe in fate?" Huang Yuzhou asked earnestly.

"Huh?" Meng Baihan was taken aback, caught off guard by the question.

"I do believe it," Huang Yuzhou said thoughtfully.

"Don't think I'm being sentimental. If it were more than ten years ago, when I was at my most helpless, I met the person I wanted to take care of for the rest of my life, it would most likely have ended in regret. But now, at the most suitable time, I've met the most suitable person. Do you think I would let this opportunity slip by?"

"Senior Huang, this is too..." Meng Baihan was speechless, caught off guard by this series of attacks.

"Let's give it a try." Huang Yuzhou looked at the girl in front of him, a girl who reminded him of his first love. "I have the ability to resolve all the concerns now."

"You can continue working as a teacher or a full-time housewife in the future, no problem."

"I own houses in the city, Gusu, and Jinling. You can stay wherever you like. By the way, you don't need to live with my parents."

"Honey, if you want to enjoy a few more years of time as a couple, that's fine with me. If you want to have a child, that's no problem either. We'll provide you with a postpartum nanny, a babysitter, and a housekeeper. We absolutely won't let your youth be wasted on diapers, bottles, and the baby's endless crying at night."

"I'll take care of earning money to support the family, you just enjoy the peace and quiet."

Meng Baihan was completely stunned, and his mind went blank.

Any girl would probably be overwhelmed by such gentle promises and guarantees, but she has never been one to act impulsively or be blinded by love.

At the critical moment, she regained her senses.

"This is too sudden, senior. I... I need to think about it some more." She shook her head, trying to find an excuse to leave first.

"It's alright, I just wanted to share my thoughts, no rush." Huang Yuzhou nodded, his eyes showing no eagerness. "Shall we find a place to sit down and have a drink?"

"Senior, I might... have something to take care of," Meng Baihan stammered.

"Really?" Huang Yuzhou asked, amused.

Meng Baihan was worrying about how to escape when he suddenly saw a figure walking out of a mobile phone store not far away. His eyes lit up as if he had seen a savior.

"Zhang Yang?"

"Um, I saw a classmate from my high school days." Meng Baihan quickly turned to Huang Yuzhou beside him, "Senior, how about we call it a day?"

"A high school classmate?" Huang Yuzhou looked at the tall figure not far ahead and shook his head with a smile.

Can't he tell if it's just an excuse?

He didn't say anything, just watched as Meng Baihan walked straight towards that figure.

Zhang Yang had just walked out of the mobile phone store.

As for which phone to buy, needless to say, it's Huawei, just like my dad's, a top-of-the-line Mate 60, Xuan White.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I stepped out, a tall figure came into view.

Huh? Meng Baihan?

I've been encountering this quite frequently these past few days.

"Zhang Yang," Meng Baihan stepped forward, lowering his voice, "Do me a favor."

"Huh? Help you?" Zhang Yang asked, puzzled. "What kind of help?"

"Help me get away," Meng Baihan said quickly, vaguely sensing footsteps approaching behind him.

Zhang Yang looked up and immediately saw the man walking towards him.

She has a mature and easygoing demeanor, and always appears calm and composed.

"Is this your high school classmate? Hello, I'm Huang Yuzhou, a graduate of Yinghai Middle School in 2011, so I'm your senior." Huang Yuzhou extended his hand.

Although Zhang Yang didn't know the details, the scene before him seemed quite familiar.

"Oh, hello, senior." Zhang Yang extended his hand and shook hands.

"What a coincidence that we're here today! Senior, how about I treat you to coffee?" Huang Yuzhou invited.

Zhang Yang looked at Meng Baihan, then at Huang Yuzhou.

That's good. Meng Baihan didn't immediately use his boyfriend as a shield; he's quite principled.

I need to help with this.

"Thank you for your kindness, senior, but we really have something to do right now. How about I treat you next time?" Zhang Yang said apologetically.

"Stop making excuses. You two aren't boyfriend and girlfriend, what could possibly be going on? You won't even give your senior a chance to buy you a coffee?" Huang Yuzhou laughed.

Meng Baihan opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

"Alright, stop thinking about having someone pretend to be your boyfriend. It's too obvious." Huang Yuzhou shook his head, as if he saw through everything. "I've been around for years, can't you tell?"

"Pretending?" Zhang Yang blinked. "Senior, it's not exactly pretending. Actually, I've always..."

He looked at Meng Baihan as if he had made up his mind.

"Meng Baihan, I don't know if it's too late to say this now, but actually, I've always had a good impression of you since high school, or rather, I like you. Today I can finally take this opportunity to say it."

Meng Baihan stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Looking at the handsome man in front of her and hearing those words spoken by him, she was momentarily unable to tell whether they were true or false.

"I... I..." she stammered, her heart almost stopping.

Beside him, Huang Yuzhou frowned slightly, looking somewhat surprised and uncertain.

Meng Baihan seemed to be putting on an act, but this junior's performance didn't seem fake. Could it be real...?

He looked at the handsome and tall junior in front of him and pondered for a moment.

"So, does that mean we're still competitors?" He smiled broadly, seemingly quite magnanimous. "Come on, let's toast our rival. We should still offer him a toast. Let's go."

Zhang Yang glanced at the guy, then looked at Meng Baihan standing to the side.

"Let's go then. Since you're treating, don't let your kindness go to waste." He casually pulled Meng Baihan along.

Meng Baihan followed in a daze, the words from earlier still flashing through her mind.

Huang Yuzhou's series of attacks caught her off guard, leaving her completely unprepared.

However, Zhang Yang's seemingly true but actually false words had a profound impact on her, leaving her feeling anxious and eager to find Zhang Yang privately and ask him about it immediately.

The three of them went downstairs to the coffee shop, and Huang Yuzhou bought each of them a coffee.

"What is the junior doing now?"

"Me? I just casually opened a small shop and started messing around with it." Zhang Yang sipped his coffee. "By the way, senior, thank you for the coffee."

"You're welcome." Huang Yuzhou smiled. "By the way, this is my business card. We're all alumni, so please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything I can help you with in the future."

As he spoke, he casually pushed a business card onto the table.

Zhang Yang took it and glanced at it.

He has quite a few titles; he seems to be a company owner.

"I don't have any business cards, how about we add each other on WeChat?" Zhang Yang said, taking out his phone.

"Sure." Huang Yuzhou nodded and added Zhang Yang on WeChat.

After adding WeChat, he naturally clicked on Zhang Yang's profile picture and then looked at Zhang Yang's Moments.

The latest post is still a WeChat Moments update about the opening of a new store.

He glanced at it casually, smiled, put away his phone, and then looked at Meng Baihan. "Teacher Meng, I can tell you're quite conflicted right now. Don't overthink it. Since you're so eager to avoid me, you can go with this junior after we finish our coffee."

He spoke in a seemingly very magnanimous manner.

"Ah, is that all?" Meng Baihan was taken aback, quite surprised.

"That's right, what's mine will always be mine, and what's not mine, I can't hold onto even if I try," Huang Yuzhou said nonchalantly, glancing at Zhang Yang as he added, "Junior, let's see what you're capable of. Let's compete fairly."

Zhang Yang nodded casually, thinking that he would just leave with Meng Baihan later, which would be considered helping her out of this predicament.

After finishing their coffee, the three of them walked out of the coffee shop and happened to pass by a luxury goods recycling store.

"I have a watch I'd like to sell, let me ask about the price." Huang Yuzhou looked up at the shop and suddenly smiled.

"Come on, let's go in and take a look." Zhang Yang was also a little interested, so he stepped inside as well.

Inside the store, the shelves are filled with all kinds of second-hand luxury handbags for sale, and the counters are lined with various second-hand luxury watches.

For luxury goods, it's normal for them to circulate in the secondary market.

Especially for some highly collectible luxury watches, it's common for the resale price to be higher than the original price.

"Handsome, what's the buyback price for this?" Huang Yuzhou showed off his wrist.

"Wow, is that Rolex Diamond-Set Ice Blue Daytona?" The shop owner leaned over for a look and immediately gasped.

Huang Yuzhou smiled and said, "Yes, the official price is 700,000. How much can you offer?"

Zhang Yang and Meng Baihan stood aside, examining the scene.

"We can offer 790,000 here." The shop owner thought for a moment, "I wouldn't dare touch other watches, but I dare to touch yours because the market price is high."

"Seven hundred and ninety thousand?" Huang Yuzhou glanced at Zhang Yang and Meng Baihan, who were standing quietly watching him. "Never mind, I'll think about it some more."

Zhang Yang found it amusing and was particularly curious about the current price of the Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet on the secondary market.

I've heard that Audemars Piguet's prices on the secondary market have always been strong, especially for the Royal Oak series.

"Boss, could you please take a look at this watch of mine as well?" Zhang Yang stepped forward and asked.

"Junior, you also have a watch you want to sell?" Huang Yuzhou smiled and looked at Zhang Yang. "Only luxury watches have resale value. We might not even buy ordinary watches here, and even if we did, the price would be significantly lower. What's wrong, are you short on cash right now? Do you need me to lend you some money?"

Zhang Yang gave him a strange look and then showed him his Audemars Piguet.

"Holy crap, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak!" the shop owner exclaimed.

Zhang Yang took off his watch, casually weighed it in his hand, and handed it over, saying, "Take a look."

"No, I wouldn't dare," the shop owner waved his hands repeatedly.

"What's so special about that?" Zhang Yang chuckled. "How much is it worth? I'm buying it back now. I bought it for 1.8 million back then."

"I can't give you a price here, and I don't have the resources to buy it, but I estimate it will fetch at least two million on the secondary market." The shop owner examined it carefully, having never actually handled it.

"Two million, okay."

Zhang Yang was just asking casually to satisfy his curiosity.

Now that we know the price, we've given up on that idea.

His cash flow is definitely not so bad that he needs to sell his own watches.

"What?!" Huang Yuzhou's expression froze as he watched Zhang Yang casually put the Audemars Piguet watch on his wrist.

Junior, wearing Audemars Piguet?

Still a two-million-dollar Audemars Piguet?!

Looking again at the tall, handsome figure before him, and feeling the sudden surge of wealth, he instantly felt a strong sense of crisis.

"Meng Baihan, let's go." Zhang Yang called out to Meng Baihan was completely bewildered the whole time.

"Okay, okay." Meng Baihan obediently followed and walked out.

Huang Yuzhou felt a chill run down his spine. Damn it, his magnanimity was based on the fact that he didn't even consider his opponent a rival.

What's going on here? What's going on?

Feeling unwilling to give up, he walked out of the store and chased after them.

Outside the store, Meng Baihan followed Zhang Yang blankly for a while, then suddenly stopped and gently tugged at Zhang Yang.

"Zhang Yang, it turns out you're the most low-key yet most successful one in our class."

She stared at Zhang Yang, speechless.

"Success?" Zhang Yang smiled. "That depends on how you define success."

"If you think there's a luxury watch that represents success, then besides Audemars Piguet, I also have a Vacheron Constantin."

"If your definition of success is owning property, then besides owning a villa worth tens of millions in my hometown, I also have a large penthouse in COFCO Seaview No. 1 in Magic City."

"If success means luxury cars, then besides this Cayenne I use for transportation, I also have a Cullinan and a Bentley parked in the underground garage of Magic City."

"If you equate all of the above with success, then well, I guess I'm pretty successful."