Billionaire's Gold Digger - Chapter 143
The door to Zhou Xun’s room was gently knocked.
He opened the door and saw Jiang Xiaoguo standing in the soft light of the hallway outside.
She didn’t seem to want to come in, just looked up at him slightly.
“Mr. Zhou,”
Her voice was crisp, cautiously asking,
“Um… about the inspection for the second phase of the Cultural and Creative Park… when are we roughly going?”
Zhou Xun’s gaze lingered on her face for a second, then he found an excuse,
“Over there… it seems they’re doing internal renovations lately, so it’s temporarily closed to outsiders.”
“Huh?!”
Jiang Xiaoguo’s eyes widened a bit, confused,
“But most of it is outdoor blocks, right? Does it… need to be open for us to go in?”
Zhou Xun was stumped by her question, but kept his composure and continued to cover,
“Yeah. The preliminary location for your ‘Complaints Wall’–didn’t you suggest putting it in the core experience area? The core area… isn’t open.”
“Oh… I see.”
Jiang Xiaoguo listened and nodded seriously, “Alright, I’ll wait a couple more days.”
A brief silence spread between them, carrying a subtle, awkward uncertainty.
Zhou Xun was never good at handling this kind of situation, lacking the decisiveness he showed in negotiations, so he could only awkwardly ask,
“Are you… in a hurry to go back for something?”
“No… nothing!”
Jiang Xiaoguo quickly waved her hand, as if afraid he’d think she was impatient, “I just wanted to check on the progress… It’s almost New Year’s soon, right? I thought… you, you probably have to head back early too.”
“Mm.”
Zhou Xun responded, “I’ll push them over there, get them to hurry up, just these couple of days.”
He paused, his gaze falling on the carpet pattern in the hallway, then casually suggested,
“If you’re free… I can take you to see some other projects around Jiangcheng these days.”
“Okay, Mr. Zhou!”
Jiang Xiaoguo nodded immediately, looked at Zhou Xun, trying to end the conversation,
“Then, I’ll head back to my room first, Fan-Jie asked me to go out nearby with her in a bit.”
“Alright.”
Zhou Xun closed the door, turned around, and saw Meng Yanchen sitting on the sofa, a knowing smile at the corner of his mouth.
He was looking at the messages in the group chat, speaking slowly, his tone clearly teasing,
“The core area of the Cultural and Creative Park is under renovation lately? How come I didn’t get the notice?”
Zhou Xun paused, glared at him expressionlessly, didn’t reply, and went straight to the bar to pour himself a glass of water.
Only then did Meng Yanchen look up, seeing Zhou Xun’s rare moment of being stumped, and chuckled softly,
“Xiao Mei and I are heading back tomorrow.”
Zhou Xun’s drinking motion paused, a bit surprised,
“So soon? Not waiting for the final project plan?”
“No need. We can meet again when you’re back.”
Meng Yanchen put down his phone, chuckled,
“There’s a big thing to take care of back home.”
Zhou Xun frowned, “What big thing is more urgent than a few hundred million in investments? Proposing? Didn’t you already do that?”
Meng Yanchen looked at him, “The meaning of New Year is bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. This is my and Xiao Mei’s first New Year together. Before the holiday, I want to take her, completely say goodbye to the past, and welcome our new year together.”
After Zhou Xun heard this, he didn’t know how to respond for a moment, and finally could only squeeze out,
“I’ll say it again, Meng Yanchen, you’ve changed, always playing this domineering CEO act.”
Meng Yanchen wasn’t annoyed at this, stood up, and even sounded a bit proud,
“Zhou Xun, if you don’t change, it’s hard to get a wife.”
He turned his phone screen toward Zhou Xun, showing the chaotic video that Xiao Yixiao had just posted in the group–Zhao Ziqian and Qu Xiaoxiao announcing their relationship at the bar.
“See? You’re falling behind.”
He chuckled, “Even a top student needs to keep learning.”
[Meng Residence]
Fan Shengmei woke up, wearing comfortable home clothes, and went downstairs.
The increasingly chubby little orange-and-white cat rubbed against her leg, meowing affectionately and circling around her.
She bent down to pick it up, looked at Meng Yanchen,
“Why is the donut out by itself? Where’s Mom?”
Meng Yanchen walked over, “Dad and Mom had things to do today, so they went out early. Mom’s been feeling sorry for it lately, so she doesn’t keep it locked up much anymore.”
Fan Shengmei tapped the little orange-and-white’s nose,
“You really are something, even won over Ms. Fu.”
Meng Yanchen laughed, “No wonder it’s the kitten someone picked.”
He led Fan Shengmei to the dining table, “Let’s have breakfast first.”
Fan Shengmei put down the donut, walked closer, and her eyes instantly lit up–
In the blue-and-white porcelain bowl was a serving of small wontons in rich broth.
The skins were as thin as cicada wings, nearly transparent, unfolding in the bone broth like light clouds, the pink filling faintly visible, sprinkled with scallions and seaweed, fragrant and tempting.
She exclaimed in delight, “There was a little shop just like this outside my old school! The skins were so thin, like bubbles floating in the soup. My brother went every day, but I had to save up secretly, could only afford it once every half month, I loved it so much.”
She subconsciously added, “I always thought next time I got the chance, I’d definitely take you to try it.”
Meng Yanchen smiled, handed her a spoon,
“Here, try it, see if it’s as good as that place.”
Fan Shengmei scooped one up, blew on it, and carefully put it in her mouth.
Just one bite, and she was completely stunned.
This taste…
She looked at Meng Yanchen in disbelief, her voice even a bit hesitant,
“This… how does it taste so much like that place?”
She even wondered if she was imagining things, “Is it from the shop outside my school? Did you… go out early just to buy it? That’s impossible, it’s so far away.”
Meng Yanchen looked at her surprised expression, the smile in his eyes deepening,
“Of course not. But from now on, whenever you want to eat it, you can have it anytime.”
“How did you do it?” Fan Shengmei asked curiously.
Meng Yanchen picked up a napkin and naturally wiped her mouth,
“Let’s go on a date today, I’ll tell you after.”
Fan Shengmei was amused by him,
“Alright, Mr. Meng, where do you want to go today? I’ll follow your lead.”
Meng Yanchen looked at her, his tone serious with a hint of self-reflection,
“Accompanying my wife shopping should be a basic duty of a good husband. But…”
He paused, “I don’t think I’ve ever really fulfilled that responsibility properly.”
Fan Shengmei laughed at that, immediately hooked his arm,
“Okay, I’ll indulge you today! Honestly, it’s been so busy lately, feels like it’s been ages since I’ve gone shopping for real.”
She sighed, “Now I really get why Andy said most of her clothes are picked out in sets by her assistant. When you’re busy, there’s just no time or energy.”
As she spoke, her eyes lit up again, returning to her beautiful, life-loving self,
“But I still love shopping for myself! That joy of buying, no one can replace!”
She smiled at Meng Yanchen, generously praising him,
“Mr. Meng, this arrangement is wonderful, I really like it.”
