Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 489: The Milk Tea Couple

Before Liu Dongqiang arrived, Zhou Yuwen originally wanted to chat with Su Qing a bit more about their domestic disputes. However, Zhang Tianze suddenly seemed completely oblivious. She didn't know how to give them space and repeatedly brought up one topic after another. And whenever Zhou Yuwen responded to these topics, the conversation would flow endlessly.It had to be said that Zhang Tianze was no ordinary girl. At the very least, Zhou Yuwen thought to himself, 'When I was twenty-one, I certainly didn't have her emotional intelligence or conversational skills.'

Since Zhang Tianze showed no intention of leaving, Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing had no choice but to stroll around the campus with her for a while longer. During this time, they encountered many students from Barnard College. Among these students were international students from the East, as well as local Caucasian girls.

No matter who it was, they would always enthusiastically greet Zhang Tianze, appearing to be very close friends.

And Zhang Tianze responded generously and naturally in English.

As Zhang Tianze greeted these girls, Zhou Yuwen whispered to Su Qing from behind, "Look at how beautifully she speaks English. You need to learn from her."

"Are you infatuated again?" Su Qing asked Zhou Yuwen with an utterly speechless expression.

Zhou Yuwen laughed and told her she must be joking.

"You can't mess with a friend's wife. Would I dare touch Brother Dong's woman?" Zhou Yuwen asked.

Su Qing rolled her eyes at him, declining to comment.

In truth, she had long since grown indifferent to such things.

After finishing her greetings with her friends, Zhang Tianze walked over. Seeing Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing laughing and joking, she asked what they were chatting about.

Zhou Yuwen simply replied that it was nothing.

"Oh, Brother Dong is already at the gate. Shall we head straight over?"

"Sure."

At that moment, Su Qing asked Zhou Yuwen if the cousin-in-law was still waiting for him over there.

Zhou Yuwen explained that he had already sent a message asking her to go back.

"You just let her go back by herself?"

"Yes."

"She didn't throw a fit?" Su Qing found this very strange.

Zhou Yuwen looked at Su Qing with an even stranger expression. "She's Xiaoyong's girlfriend. Why would she throw a fit with me?"

"Huh, is that girl your sister-in-law?" Zhang Tianze joined the conversation.

Zhou Yuwen just smiled. He and Su Qing were simply making conversation, teasing and joking with each other, but there was no need to explain anything to an outsider. He gave a simple, perfunctory response.

Then, they headed to the school gate together.

Parked at the gate was a white seven-seater commercial van. From a distance, they could see a middle-aged man wearing a white shirt. Among the demographic of middle-aged men, Old Liu maintained his figure fairly well. He had a slight paunch, but it was concealed by his clothes. A white shirt, black dress pants, large leather shoes, and a wristwatch that looked incredibly expensive.

This was the standard attire for successful men.

The van was parked by the side of the road. Old Liu was looking up at the sky, accompanied by a driver in a black suit who stood with his hands clasped in front of him to show respect.

"Brother Dong!" Zhang Tianze was the first to wave at Liu Dongqiang, happily running over to him.

She looked a bit like a female college student finally let out of school for the weekend, sprinting toward her father. Seeing her approach, Liu Dongqiang naturally welcomed her with a hearty smile.

The emotional value Zhang Tianze provided was quite substantial. She threw herself directly into Liu Dongqiang's arms and wrapped her hands around his waist, truly resembling a deeply enamored couple.

However, Liu Dongqiang did not display an overwhelming amount of doting affection for this girlfriend who was nineteen years his junior. Instead, his interest was fully captured by Zhou Yuwen walking behind her.

He walked with steady steps, heading straight toward Zhou Yuwen. Before he even reached him, he proactively extended his hand for a handshake.

"You must be Zhou Yuwen. You are even younger than I imagined." Liu Dongqiang seized the initiative right from the start, grasping Zhou Yuwen's hand while patting his shoulder with his other hand.

Zhou Yuwen smiled. "President Liu is also somewhat different from what I imagined."

"Oh? How so?"

Liu Dongqiang asked, but before Zhou Yuwen could answer, he continued, "There are no outsiders here. You can just call me Brother Dong, like Xiaotian does. Where is your hometown?"

Liu Dongqiang hailed from Northern Jiangsu. While almost everyone in Northern Jiangsu could speak Mandarin, without special training, their pronunciation wasn't entirely standard.

Liu Dongqiang was a typical example. His speech carried a strong Northern Jiangsu flavor—slightly stiff, with his hometown accent bleeding through every few sentences. It was perfectly understandable, just a bit peculiar.

Zhou Yuwen chuckled and replied that he and Brother Dong were practically fellow townsmen. Xuhuai wasn't far away.

"Oh, that really isn't far."

Hearing this, Liu Dongqiang put on a pleasantly surprised expression. Dropping the pretense of standard Mandarin, his words leaned even heavier into his Northern Jiangsu accent. He patted Zhou Yuwen's shoulder and declared, "No wonder I felt such a strong affinity for you before we even met. Turns out you're a fellow townsman!"

Zhou Yuwen smiled but said nothing.

Afterward, Liu Dongqiang asked Zhou Yuwen if Xiaotian had spoken to him.

"Hm?"

Having traveled such a long distance, Liu Dongqiang wouldn't let the atmosphere turn cold. He took the initiative to explain that his visit didn't carry any ulterior motives; he simply wanted to share a meal and get to know him.

"I heard from Xiaotian that you're here to study?"

"No, it's my girlfriend." Zhou Yuwen pointed at Su Qing.

Su Qing immediately perked up. In truth, she had been silently observing Liu Dongqiang this whole time.

Even though she was mentally prepared, upon meeting Liu Dongqiang, Su Qing couldn't help but secretly admire Zhang Tianze. There was a good reason this man was on the rich list.

She wasn't sure if it was prejudice or reality.

Either way, Su Qing felt

that the Brother Dong standing before her carried a certain distinct scent.

Even though he wore a light cologne.

Su Qing could still smell it.

Hearing Zhou Yuwen introduce her, Su Qing finally snapped out of her daze and greeted Liu Dongqiang.

Liu Dongqiang offered Su Qing a smile and said, "Excellent. From now on, you and Xiaotian should look out for each other."

This was just the tone Liu Dongqiang spoke in, but Su Qing couldn't shake the feeling that his paternalistic vibe was a bit too strong. Still, she kept her thoughts to herself. After all, everyone made their own choices.

Liu Dongqiang asked Zhou Yuwen if he had driven.

Would he like to ride in his car together to grab a casual meal?

"Sure, sounds good."

And so, the group climbed into the seven-seater van. Su Qing had originally wanted to sit next to Zhou Yuwen, but Liu Dongqiang kept holding onto Zhou Yuwen's hand, as if he had an endless stream of things to say.

Left with no other option, Su Qing could only sit in the back with Zhang Tianze.

While they were getting in the car, Zhang Tianze playfully teased Liu Dongqiang, complaining that he only had eyes for Zhou Yuwen.

"Am I just a third wheel?" Zhang Tianze asked cheekily.

Hearing this, Liu Dongqiang couldn't help but laugh helplessly. He replied in his half-Northern Jiangsu accented Mandarin, "How could you be a third wheel?"

"Didn't I come all this way just to see you?"

Zhang Tianze huffed. "Yeah, right."

"If I hadn't mentioned that Zhou Yuwen was here, would you have even come?"

Liu Dongqiang could only smile without saying a word. He turned his head toward Zhou Yuwen and said, "Pardon my behavior, brother."

Zhou Yuwen simply pretended he hadn't seen a thing.

Liu Dongqiang brought Zhou Yuwen and the others to a private manor. It was hard to believe that on the soil of America, there existed such a magnificent neo-Chinese-style building.

The grand entrance was built like the gateways of some high-end residential areas back in China, adapting perfectly to the terrain, with upturned eaves soaring high. The commercial van drove through the side gate into the courtyard. By this time, the sky had grown dark. The group stepped out of the vehicle, and a woman in a red qipao proactively came forward to welcome them. The slit of her qipao went all the way up to her upper thigh.

She approached and immediately greeted Liu Dongqiang.

Liu Dongqiang offered a slight nod and instructed her to have the kitchen start preparing.

She nodded and walked away.

After wrapping up his instructions with the establishment's manager, Liu Dongqiang finally turned back to attend to Zhou Yuwen. He apologized for making Zhou Yuwen sit in the car for so long.

"Honestly, grabbing a simple bite would have been fine, but I figured since you rarely visit, it would be a pity not to treat you to a meal here."

From the moment he stepped out of the car and observed the layout, Zhou Yuwen knew this place was extraordinary. The overall structure resembled a princely courtyard estate, while the landscape inside the courtyard mirrored the classic gardens of the Jiangnan water towns.

Structures dotted the area—a pavilion every five steps, a tower every ten.

Furthermore, there were very few guests in this courtyard, yet all the waitstaff had Oriental features. Every one of them was over 1.7 meters tall with a slender, lithe waist. They wore high heels and high-slit qipaos, swaying gracefully like weeping willows in the breeze as they walked.

Opening a place like this would be incredibly difficult, not just for Zhou Yuwen, but probably even for Liu Dongqiang. It was obvious at a glance that the boss had powerful connections. Had it not been for Liu Dongqiang, Zhou Yuwen doubted he would ever find this hidden gem.

The truth aligned perfectly with Zhou Yuwen's thoughts.

This was a private club. As for who opened it, Liu Dongqiang kept him in suspense, chuckling as he claimed he couldn't disclose that information.

"But you should be able to guess, my friend."

Liu Dongqiang said with a smile.

Zhou Yuwen simply played along with a knowing smile. Anyone who could open such an establishment was clearly tied to official circles, but that was none of his business.

He just needed to quietly enjoy his meal.

Liu Dongqiang led Zhou Yuwen and the rest into the front hall, before a female server in a qipao guided them into a private dining room. The room boasted a neo-Chinese design, blending the charm of antique architecture with a modern touch. The ceiling was high, and the room itself was estimated to be around sixty or seventy square meters. It included a designated area for receiving guests and playing cards, along with a massive round dining table.

Behind the grand round table stood a wall-sized aquarium.

The tank was teeming with various kinds of fish.

Among them was a fish that didn't look very big but appeared exceptionally ferocious, its head shaped like a hammer.

This fish caught Su Qing's attention. It was no wonder—stepping into this room felt akin to entering an actual aquarium.

Liu Dongqiang took on the role of a tour guide, explaining to Su Qing that the fish was a shark.

"A shark?"

A restaurant raising a shark?

Su Qing was somewhat baffled. She asked Liu Dongqiang why this shark was so small.

Liu Dongqiang smiled and explained that it was because the fish was still very young.

"Here's how it works. This hotel only keeps each shark in the aquarium for fifteen days. After fifteen days, they swap it out for a new one."

"Then..." Upon hearing this, Su Qing frowned immediately, just about to say something.

However, Liu Dongqiang anticipated her question and laughed, "As for the previous ones, they are released straight back into the ocean."

"Oh." Knowing that the animals weren't being killed made the situation somewhat more acceptable to Su Qing.

Yet, upon hearing this, Zhou Yuwen chuckled lightly and remarked, "Then even if this shark swims across the entire ocean in the future, it will never again witness a place as opulent as this."

Hearing this, Liu Dongqiang joined in the laughter. After chatting all the way there, he had naturally grown familiar with him. "You always know how to make a joke."

Zhou Yuwen offered a polite smile in return.

A total of four people sat around the massive round table.

The beautiful server in the qipao promptly came over to clear away the extra tableware.

This restaurant charged per head, costing approximately three hundred thousand per guest.

Naturally, Liu Dongqiang wouldn't boast about this to Zhou Yuwen, and Zhou Yuwen didn't pry either.

Regardless, this restaurant was vastly superior to the one Shen Ya had chosen previously.

By bringing Zhou Yuwen here, Liu Dongqiang had indeed managed to awe the young couple.

After all, Zhou Yuwen made a living writing novels. There was scarcely a grand scene he hadn't imagined in his books, so he was able to maintain his composure and play it cool.

Su Qing, however, clearly struggled to hide her astonishment.

Of course, this was exactly the effect Liu Dongqiang aimed for when bringing them here.

Liu Dongqiang kept reiterating that he had no ulterior motives, merely wishing to treat everyone to a casual meal.

"Brother Zhou, do you know anyone else here in New York?" Liu Dongqiang asked.

Zhou Yuwen said he didn't.

"Oh, I did meet up with Brother Shen a few days ago, and he actually brought you up," Zhou Yuwen casually mentioned.

"Shen? Shen Ya?" Liu Dongqiang asked.

"Correct."

Since Zhou Yuwen had proactively tossed out the topic, Liu Dongqiang followed the thread. He smiled and asked, "How did you get to know Shen Ya, Brother Zhou? Did you know each other from before?"

"Not at all. Since arriving in New York, I've spent all my time at the stock exchange. I met Brother Shen because I was optimistic about Vipshop's prospects."

"I see."

Liu Dongqiang gave a nod. After a brief silence, he asked Zhou Yuwen why he had chosen to buy Vipshop stock.

How did he foresee that Vipshop's value would rise?

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuwen chuckled and replied that no one could predict such things with certainty.

"I can only say it was good luck. I didn't just buy Vipshop; I also bought some shares of JD.com."

"Oh? You bought JD.com as well?" Hearing that Zhou Yuwen had invested in his company, Liu Dongqiang couldn't help but feel pleased. He asked, "How is it? You must have made a tidy profit, right?"

Zhou Yuwen remarked that it was decent, somewhere around thirty percent.

Liu Dongqiang nodded, advising Zhou Yuwen to hold onto his shares.

JD.com's future growth would definitely surpass a mere thirty percent.

In response, Zhou Yuwen merely smiled. Naturally, it would exceed thirty percent. Sadly, the momentum would eventually wane, yielding only a dozen or so percent in profit over the next two years. Furthermore, due to Brother Dong's later lack of self-restraint, the stock would face a prolonged period of stagnation.

Seeing Zhou Yuwen smile in silence, Liu Dongqiang asked, "Do you have a different opinion, Brother Zhou?"

"No," Zhou Yuwen shook his head. He explained that currently, all stocks related to e-commerce were quite robust, and JD.com was among the stronger options.

Liu Dongqiang nodded and said, "Brother, your evaluation is quite fair and objective."

"Nowadays, many people back home are calling you a descended Star of Wisdom, the Little God of Wall Street. Seeing you today, I'd say the title is well-deserved." Liu Dongqiang's face shone with satisfaction.

"Back home? Who exactly?" Zhou Yuwen asked curiously.

Hearing this, Liu Dongqiang offered a faint smile. "What, you don't know? You have quite a formidable reputation right now."