The younger generation, starting from where the wind blows...

Chapter 124 Not a Scumbag, But a Hard-Working Man

Yang Tao turned to look at Lan Weiwei and Zhuang Yan, who were chatting and laughing at the restaurant entrance, and answered with a forced smile:
"See you."

Lan Caiping on the other end of the phone immediately asked:

How is he?

Yang Tao's impression of solemnity—

That's fine.

So far, I haven't noticed any major flaws.

In the eyes of ordinary people, he would be considered a high-quality man.

Of course, it also depends on who you're comparing it to.

It's all Yang Muye's fault!

Since meeting him, Yang Tao feels that her standards for men have become much higher.

Yang Tao was originally going to tell Lan Caiping the truth over the phone, but she suddenly realized something when she was about to say it.

Lan Caiping is at home.

If she could make Zhuang Yan sound decent, Lan Caiping would inevitably have to show off to her mother, Xue Sumei.

If Xue Sumei is unhappy then, she'll nag me all over when I get home.

Isn't this just shooting yourself in the foot?
"Aunt Lan, my phone is almost out of battery. I need to hurry to the restaurant to find a place to charge it. I'll have Weiwei tell you later."

"But Weiwei is—"

Before Lan Caiping could finish speaking, Yang Tao hung up the phone.

At the restaurant entrance, Lan Weiwei saw Yang Tao walking back with a bad expression and hurriedly asked what had happened.

Yang Tao glanced at Zhuang Yan beside her, a professional, polite smile on her face.

"Mr. Zhuang, I have something I'd like to discuss with Weiwei alone. What do you think—"

He nodded solemnly and decisively.

"Okay, I'll go inside and wait for you."

After saying that, he turned and went into the restaurant.

As soon as the person left, Lan Weiwei immediately asked Yang Tao what had happened.

"Your mother had my mother call me to try and find out about your progress with this solemn matter."

"what?"

Lan Weiwei was shocked after hearing this.

"You didn't tell her, did you?"

"My phone is dead. You can tell your mom yourself later."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lan Weiwei's phone rang.

I found my phone in my bag and took it out to look at it.

It was indeed Lan Caiping calling.

Unfortunately, Yang Tao had already used the trick of running out of battery, so Lan Weiwei had no choice but to answer the call.

"Hey, Mom, I'm with Taozi. Okay, okay, I know. They're waiting for us to eat. We'll talk later. Bye."

After dealing with Lan Caiping in a few words, Lan Weiwei took Yang Tao's hand.

"let's go."

The two entered the restaurant, and a waiter led them to their reserved table.

Zhuang Yan was already waiting at the table. After Lan Weiwei went over, he gentlemanly pulled out a chair for her.

Before Lan Weiwei could sit down, Yang Tao pulled out the chair next to her and sat down herself.

This left Zhuang Yan, who was waiting to "serve" Yang Tao, dumbfounded.

"Miss Yang, I'm sorry, I should have pulled out your chair for you earlier."

Yang Tao was typing on her phone, preparing to send a text message: "It's okay, I'm just here to freeload. You guys chat, don't worry about me."

Zhuang Yan's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal.

He walked to the opposite side of the table and sat down, deliberately moving his chair closer to the center so that he could face both Lan Weiwei and Yang Tao at the same time.

This meal consisted of steak.

After ordering the food, Zhuang Yan suggested having some red wine.

Lan Weiwei nodded in agreement, but Yang Tao immediately said that she wouldn't drink since she was driving.

"It's alright, you can drink a little red wine, it'll be fine," Zhuang Yan advised.

Yang Tao remained unresponsive, not even lifting her head.

"Mr. Zhuang, you and Weiwei can drink as much as you want, don't worry about me."

Lan Weiwei was worried that Zhuang Yan would lose face, so she took the initiative to explain for Yang Tao: "Taozi will be driving me home later, and the car she's driving today is a borrowed friend's. It's a brand new car, so she has to be careful."

That car doesn't belong to Yang Tao, does it?

A hint of disappointment flashed in Zhuang Yan's eyes.

I thought I had met a high-quality, wealthy woman.

But it doesn't matter. Yang Tao was able to borrow such an expensive car from a friend, which shows that she is a vain woman.

Such women only appear reserved on the surface.

It's easy to get your hands on it if you use a few tricks.

"Okay, then I'll listen to Weiwei. Drinking and driving is definitely not safe, so I won't drink either."

Zhuang Yan had intended to use this trick to get Yang Tao's attention, but Yang Tao didn't react at all and continued to send text messages on her phone.

"I couldn't get a taxi during rush hour today, and I had some urgent business, so I took your car. I'll fill up the tank for you tomorrow and park it back."

After editing the text message and clicking send, Yang Tao put down her phone.

Seeing this, Zhuang Yan immediately steered the conversation back to the star fruit.

"Ms. Yang, you and Weiwei are best friends, how come I've never seen you at Weiwei's yoga studio?"

"She got a card from me, but she's too busy with work to go there much."

Lan Weiwei explained on Yang Tao's behalf.

Taking the opportunity, Zhuang Yan asked, "What does Miss Yang do for a living?"

"Hotel lobby assistant manager."

Yang Tao replied.

"Oh, which hotel? What star rating is it?"

Fairfield Inn, a four-star hotel.

“I know that hotel. I heard it’s trying to get five stars. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard that the environment is quite nice.”

Lan Weiwei seized the opportunity to interject: "Your company can arrange for clients to stay at Taozi's place. You can also contact her for business activities, annual meetings, and the like."

Zhuang Yan immediately took out his phone, wanting to exchange phone numbers with Yang Tao.

Just then, Yang Tao's phone vibrated.

Yang Tao immediately picked up her phone, opened it, and sure enough, it was a text message from Yang Muye.

"Just keep driving. The tank is full now. If you drive to the gas station, the staff will think you're just messing with them."

Ignoring Zhuang Yan, who was waiting to ask for her phone number, Yang Tao first replied to Yang Muye's text message:
"Your car costs a dollar every time you step on the gas. No wonder you just leave it there and don't drive it much. I'll just stick to taking a taxi from now on."

After sending the text message, Yang Tao had completely forgotten about giving Zhuang Yan her number.

Lan Weiwei secretly kicked Yang Tao under the table, and only then did Yang Tao remember.

In the end, Yang Tao didn't give Zhuang Yan her own number, but rather the hotel front desk's landline number.

Zhuang Yan was not discouraged. After writing down the number, he said, "Okay, I'll call this number to book a room with Miss Yang later."

His impeccable demeanor made Lan Weiwei's eyes light up.

After the steak was served, Zhuang Yan chatted with Lan Weiwei for a while.

His witty and humorous remarks made Lan Weiwei giggle. Looking at her best friend's trembling body, Yang Tao even suspected that Zhuang Yan was doing it on purpose.

"By the way, Ms. Yang, I remember that Fairfield Inn is very close to Peking University of Economics and Business, right?"

"It's not just close, it's only a few minutes' walk from the gate of Yanjingmao School, otherwise Taozi wouldn't be working there."

Lan Weiwei answered for Yang Tao again.

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yan immediately became interested.

"Miss Yang, you studied at Yan Economics and Trade University. Which college and major were you in?"

Lan Weiwei regretted bringing it up. She had only attended a second-tier university, which was not impressive at all. What if Zhuang Yan asked about her university later? Wouldn't that be very embarrassing?

In addition, Zhuang Yan seemed a little too concerned about this matter, which aroused Lan Weiwei's suspicion. She deliberately pretended to be a little jealous and complained, "Aren't you annoying with all these questions? Is Uncle Hat checking my household registration?"

Zhuang Yan immediately apologized to Lan Weiwei and explained, "Isn't the song 'The Lone Warrior' super popular online recently? The original singer, Old Boys, is a freshman at Yan University of Economics and Business. I even followed their account on Youku."

"Today they posted a campus life vlog, specifically introducing the braised pork knuckle rice at their school's Maple Tree Restaurant. It was quite funny, and I feel like that braised pork knuckle rice is going to become a hit. So I wanted to ask Manager Yang if he had eaten there when he was in school, and what it tasted like?"

Yang Tao has been at work all day and hasn't had time to go online, so she only found out about this now.

"Pig's trotter rice at Maple Tree Restaurant? It must be a newly opened restaurant. I never heard of it when I was in school."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he received a text message from Yang Muye on his phone.

"Did you calculate how many times you'd have to step on the gas to get home, senior?"

Yang Tao immediately picked up her phone and typed a reply:

"I'm not home yet. I'm out having dinner with friends and accompanying someone on a blind date."

As soon as the text message was sent, Lan Weiwei asked Yang Tao who she was chatting with. It was so important that she replied to the message instantly.

Yang Tao put down her phone, picked up her knife and fork, and continued cutting the steak.

“Friend, you and Mr. Zhuang have your business, don’t worry about me.”

Although Lan Weiwei was curious, now was not the time to press for answers, so she could only turn her head and smile at Zhuang Yan.

"If you want to try the braised pork knuckle rice at Yan Jingmao, next time when Taozi is off work, I'll have her take us there to try it."

He nodded solemnly.

Yang Tao will definitely make an appointment, but she will absolutely not invite Lan Weiwei.

Just as I was about to ask Yang Tao when she was going to rest, her phone suddenly vibrated.

Yang Tao immediately picked up her phone to check the text message.

"Whose subordinate is this? So brave! He actually dared to make my senior accompany him on a blind date. What if he doesn't like her but likes you first?"

After reading it, Yang Tao, contrary to her usual behavior, did not immediately type a reply, but instead looked up and glanced at Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan immediately asked with concern, "Miss Yang, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I was just spacing out. You guys chat."

After saying that, he lowered his head and started typing a reply to the text message.

"You know what, I really think there's something wrong with this guy. He's supposed to be on a blind date with my best friend, but he keeps trying to steer the conversation toward me."

Yang Muye quickly replied to the text message:

"Your best friend has great taste."

Yang Tao ignored Lan Weiwei and Zhuang Yan and picked up her phone to focus on texting with Yang Muyi.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it. They just want to use me to find more topics to talk about with my best friend. By the way, what's the deal with the braised pork knuckle rice at Maple Tree Restaurant?"

"Did you see that video, senior?"

"I just heard about it, I'll check it out when I get back."

"Then you should eat more now to fill your stomach, otherwise I'm afraid you'll get hungry while watching the video."

"Is it really that delicious?"

"It's mainly because I filmed it well. The video was posted around 10 a.m., and by the afternoon, the pork trotter rice at Maple Tree Restaurant was sold out. Many people lined up for a long time but still couldn't get a bowl."

"Then I won't look at it anymore. I'll just go and try it sometime."

"Actually, there's no need to rush. Old Boy will make a series of similar restaurant review videos, introducing the specialties of the three restaurants on campus. Then, the senior can choose her favorite to eat from them."

"If I gain weight in the future, it will all be your fault."

After sending the text message, Yang Tao put down her phone and began to focus on eating her steak.

Just then, Zhuang Yan and Lan Weiwei started talking about their favorite songs.

Zhuang Yan suggested that we go to a karaoke bar for a while after dinner.

Lan Weiwei was somewhat tempted, but when she thought about her mother waiting for them to return to Yang Tao's house to report their results, she could only refuse in the end.

Zhuang Yan was very considerate and immediately changed his mind, saying that he would go sing again next time he had the chance.

Lan Weiwei seemed to enjoy the meal quite a bit.

An hour later, the three of them came out of the restaurant.

Zhuang Yan stood by the roadside and waved goodbye to Yang Tao and Lan Weiwei in the car.

There were no cars on the road ahead, and Yang Tao wanted to get this solemn figure out of her sight as soon as possible, so she probably stepped on the gas pedal to the floor.

With the roar of the V8 engine, the G-Class charged out like a prehistoric beast.

The fierce push pressed Lan Weiwei firmly against the back of the seat, startling her so much that she turned pale.

"Peach, are you crazy?! Slow down!"

Yang Tao released the accelerator and gradually reduced the car's speed.

"What, you're reluctant to part ways so soon? Do you want me to turn around and take you home?"

Lan Weiwei, clutching her trembling chest, said with lingering fear, "Who said I was reluctant? You suddenly drove so fast, it scared me to death!"

Yang Tao, with both hands on the steering wheel, asked, "Have you thought about how you're going to tell your mom when you get back?"

"Didn't you just see it? Just tell the truth, I think it's dignified and good."

"Don't you care that he's five years older than you?"

"Haven't you heard that the ideal age difference between a man and a woman in a relationship is five years? The older one is mature and knows how to care for others, while the younger one is sensible and considerate. This combination is the most perfect."

Yang Tao originally wanted to tease Lan Weiwei a bit, but when she was about to say it, she suddenly remembered that she and Yang Muye were exactly five years apart in age.

The way the two get along is quite similar to what Lan Weiwei just described.

The problem is, they're just friends!
Yang Tao shook her head, trying to shake this absurd thought out of her mind.

I drove back to my residential compound and encountered a black Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan as I entered the gate.

Yang Tao recognized the license plate as belonging to her brother-in-law, Duan Xifeng, and slowed down to let him go first.

When Duan Xifeng saw that the G-Class had given way to him, he thought to himself that the driver was a considerate and polite person.

After entering the residential area and finding a parking space, Duan Xifeng noticed that the Mercedes-Benz G-Class was also parked in an empty space not far away. He immediately decided to go over and greet the driver.

Duan Xifeng was dumbfounded when he saw who got out of the car after taking only a few steps.

"peach?"

Yang Tao locked the car door with her key, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked over.

"Brother-in-law, why are you picking up my sister so early today?"

"Yes, I came over as soon as my social engagements ended today," Duan Xifeng replied instinctively.

Only after I finished did I realize that this wasn't what I meant to say.

"No, Peach, your car—"

"I borrowed it from a friend. I'll only use it temporarily today and return it to him when I go to work tomorrow morning."

Duan Xifeng's mouth moved, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

A G-Class worth over three million yuan was lent out without hesitation.

What kind of friend is that?

Just then, Yang Tao's phone rang.