Chapter 684 Attracting Attention
Ouyang Qi tagged along with Tang Jing to get groceries from the nearby supermarket in the afternoon. That was the first time in his life that he got to experience the process of shopping for groceries.
He had always been pampered in the past, so he had no idea what it was like having to shop and cook for himself. Ouyang Qi realized he enjoyed the process and found it as interesting as frequenting nightclubs.
He had intended to help out once they were done grocery shopping but ended up causing more trouble instead, for he had no idea how to pick or wash vegetables and couldn’t get anything right.
As such, he had no choice but to give up and wait for the meal to be served. Tang Jing’s years of working far from home had equipped her with the skills of making tasty homemade dishes.
Ouyang Qi rarely had the chance to taste such plain homemade delicacies due to his lavish lifestyle. He waxed lyrical about the tastiness of the dishes and claimed that he’d never eaten anything as delicious as these before.
“I hope you won’t forget today’s meal when you’re at the helm of Sunshine Corporation and become rich again in the future,” Tang Jing jested as she watched Ouyang Qi savor his food.
“I would never forget this if that day were to come,” he replied frankly. “All right. I’ll hold you to it.” Tang Jing was secretly delighted.
“One more thing. Would it be possible for you to lend me some money?” Ouyang Qi inquired. “How much do you want? You know that I’m not rich.”
“Do you have a hundred thousand?” “I do. I’ll transfer the amount to you.” “Okay. Please pass me a piece of paper so I can write an IOU. I promise to return you ten times the amount in the future, making it one million.”
“An IOU won’t be necessary. I trust you.”
Ouyang Qi gave Tang Jing a look of gratitude. “Thank you. I swear to pay you back.”
“As I said, I trust you. However, I’m curious as to why you need it. It’s a rather insignificant amount, and I can’t fathom what it can be used for.” Tang Jing was perplexed.
“I’m using it to treat someone to a meal.”
Tang Jing put down her chopsticks. “You’re spending a hundred thousand just to treat someone to a meal?”
“We’re going to have some fun after that of course.”
“A hundred thousand may seem like nothing to you, but that’s not the case for me. I don’t understand why you’re doing this. You aren’t a casanova anymore, so how could you borrow money to indulge in a hedonistic lifestyle?”
It wasn’t as if she wasn’t willing to lend him money. She simply felt that he had gone overboard.
What’s the point of pretending he’s rich when he’s so destitute?
“I won’t force you if you’re not willing to lend me.” Ouyang Qi was unperturbed.
“Is the hundred thousand supposed to last you for a night?”
“I’m afraid it’d be a rather tight budget. I guess I would have to skimp on it.”
Tang Jing was apoplectic. A tight budget? It sounds more like mindless squandering to me!
“Fine, I’ll lend it to you. But don’t come looking for me when you run out of money for food,” Tang Jing grumbled.
She had started second-guessing herself. Is Ouyang Qi a lout beyond help? Why would I need a pathetic young master when all he knows is to leech off my money to fund his extravagant past-times?
“You must be disappointed.” Ouyang Qi grinned.
“Of course not. You’re the heir of a rich family, after all, and this is within my expectations.”
Ouyang Qi pointed at Tang Jing. “Precisely!”
Tang Jing was confused. “What do you mean by that?”
Ouyang Qi launched into a spiel. “I’ll be treating the company’s board of directors instead of ladies this time around. I would need their support to be accepted into their company. That’s why I’m spending this much on treating them. They have high tastes and won’t be pleased with being invited to dine at an ordinary restaurant. Therefore, the more exclusive, the better. After that, I’d be bringing them for a drink or two. I can’t expect them to pay for all of these, can I? I have to put on the veneer of a young master despite being dirt-poor. Otherwise, they won’t take me seriously. I can’t afford to be lowkey at this point, as the truth is that I’m broke. Spending extravagantly on them is the only way for me to catch their attention.
Tang Jing instantly understood that this was indeed how the mindset of the rich and poor differed.
“So all this fanfare was because you wanted to treat the higher-ups of Sunshine Corporation to a meal?”
“That’s right. Weren’t you the one who said I’d need to forge ties with them to succeed? My sister willfully believes that she has everything under control. Unfortunately, the truth is that my uncles are vying for my father’s position, with no one to keep them in check now that he’s gone. Since our family still owns the most shares, they would pretend to back us up on the surface while patiently waiting for an opportunity to replace my sister once she slips. I’m still capable of exerting influence with their support, even in my wretched state. If I maintain an amicable relationship with them and manage to get them on my side, my sister won’t be able to do anything to me. Without their backing, I’d be utterly useless.”
Tang Jing’s eyes lit up. She was right in thinking he wasn’t a useless piece of junk but a valuable gem.
“I have more than a million that I’ve saved for the past few years in my bank account. Take it and spend it however way you like it. I won’t need them urgently, so take your time in returning them to me.”
Tang Jing got to her feet and handed a card over to Ouyang Qi.
“I’ll send the pin number to your phone. You’re free to use the card anytime you want.”
Ouyang Qi stared at Tang Jing agape. “What’s going on? These are your hard-earned money, so you should save them for yourself.”
“I’m giving all of them to you. Consider it an investment of sorts.” Tang Jing was resolute.
“You’d be crestfallen if I were to squander all of your money in two days’ time.” Ouyang Qi chuckled.
“Never mind that. Just spend as much as you like. I won’t poke my nose into it. Even if you spend all of it with zero returns, I’ll take it as a failed investment. This amount of money won’t allow me to live my ideal life anyway.”
Ouyang Qi was intrigued. He had never seen such a peculiar woman before.
He accepted the card and placed it on the table.
“Don’t worry. I’ll repay you. You have my word. Even without the shares, my mother has several assets under her name. I’d have at least tens of millions after selling those. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. Back then, a million meant nothing to me, as a bottle of wine would have already cost hundreds of thousands. I have now come to appreciate the value of money and truly treasure it. Thank you for supporting me now, and I guarantee to pay you back more than what I owe you.” Ouyang Qi pledged.
Tang Jing nodded fervently. “I strongly believe that you have what it takes to achieve that.”
Ouyang Qi laughed. “If I fail, don’t ever loan your money to others without thinking it through again.”
Tang Jing refused to mention failure as she couldn’t accept it as a possibility.
She might act like she did not mind, but as someone with such a strong desire to succeed, it was impossible not to.
