Chapter 733: Chapter 734: The Frog in the Well
Song Xiaoru sat in her seat, her eyes fixed on the bouquet of flowers. Her favorite was the perfumed lilies, she loved their fragrance and the color of the flowers.
But because perfumed lilies were quite expensive, she couldnât bring herself to buy them, not until she grew up and had some money to spare. Then she would occasionally purchase one or two stems to place in a vase at home. The blossoms of the perfumed lilies could last for several days, and every day at home, inhaling their soul-soothing scent, she would be utterly intoxicated.
At this time, who else but Dongzi could be the one holding such a large bouquet of perfumed lilies?
Even if she couldnât see the person, she knew it was Song Xiaodong who had arrived. She said she didnât want Song Xiaodong to visit her, but when she actually saw Song Xiaodong coming, her heart was filled with joy and happiness.
"Whom are you looking for?" Wu Zheng felt something was off from Song Xiaoruâs facial expression and directly intercepted the flower-bearing person, asking with a stern voice.
Song Xiaodong lowered the flowers a bit to reveal his face, then looked towards Song Xiaoru and gave her a slight smile, saying, "Sis, Iâm here."
Song Xiaoru slowly stood up, her lips twitched a little, and she whispered softly, "How did you come here?"
"I missed you." Song Xiaodong directly walked past Wu Zheng and stood in front of Song Xiaoru, handing over the flowers, and said, "Sis, I really missed you so much."
Song Xiaoru took the flowers almost reflexively and chided him, "You never listen; I told you not to come looking for me, yet you still came."
With a smile, Song Xiaodong responded, "How could I bear to let my sister be alone outside? Plus, if any unseeing fool bothers you again, Iâd be even more upset."
Song Xiaoru lowered her head and gently sniffed at the flowers. The fragrance had long been enveloping her, and she couldnât help but let the tears flow, then she scolded him playfully, "You little rascal, so petty."
"Song Ru, who is this guy?" several colleagues asked out of curiosity.
Song Xiaodong wrapped his arm around Song Xiaoruâs waist and declared, "Iâm her boyfriend, thank you all for taking care of my sister during this time."
A colleague commented, "So which is it, boyfriend or brother? Youâve got us all confused with what youâre calling each other."
Smiling, Song Xiaodong replied, "Of course Iâm her boyfriend. But I still like calling her âsis,â it feels closer that way, donât you think, Sis?"
Song Xiaoruâs cheeks flushed red as she scolded, "There you go babbling nonsense again." And then she introduced him to her colleagues, "This is my... boyfriend, Song Xiaodong."
"You kept that quite hidden, suddenly popping up with a boyfriend."
"Indeed, indeed, you didnât treat us right, Song Ru; youâll have to make it up to us with a meal."
Song Xiaoru turned her head to look at Song Xiaodong, who said, "Alright, Iâll treat everyone to a meal to express my thanks for looking after my sister during this time."
At this moment, Wu Zheng joined in, "Thatâs only fair. Letâs go to Wanfu Building then, the seafood there is pretty decent."
A few employees were taken aback. Wanfu Building was the best restaurant around, already quite pricey on its own, and if they were to have seafood, it would cost even more, possibly not less than two or three thousand for a meal.
Salaries in a small town werenât high, and for them, earning slightly over two thousand a month, spending a monthâs salary on a single meal was truly not something everyone could afford. Wu Zhengâs suggestion was obviously setting someone up.
Song Xiaodong, despite really wanting to have a private conversation with Song Xiaoru, couldnât just take Song Xiaoru and leave immediately out of politeness. What he was most uncertain about now was whether Song Xiaoru would actually go with him. If she preferred to stay here, not offering face to her colleagues might make it difficult for Song Xiaoru to continue working here.
"Come on, take my car." You others can hail a couple of taxis; itâs not too far anyway.
Wu Zheng was beckoning Song Xiaodong and Song Xiaoru to his car, a brand-new Audi Q5 that was worth nearly four hundred thousand and was part of his recent splurge, somewhat showing off.
Watching as Song Xiaodong and Song Xiaoru got into the car without giving his vehicle a second glance piqued Wu Zhengâs irritation, and he asked, "Little Song, what kind of car do you usually drive?"
"Normally... oh, I donât drive," Song Xiaodong replied casually, his gaze still on Song Xiaoru.
This perked up Wu Zheng, who asked, "Oh? Then what kind of car are you planning to buy?"
Song Xiaodong answered offhandedly, "Iâm not planning to buy one." His eyes and heart were all for Song Xiaoru, so his conversation with Wu Zheng was without much thought.
"That wonât do at all. Nowadays, everyone has to have a car for the sake of appearances. Not to say you need one like my Q5, but at least get something worth ten or eight thousand to drive around, right? Some domestic cars are actually quite good; even if their brands donât shine and donât carry much status when driven, their performance is generally fine, and theyâre suitable for family use," Wu Zheng remarked.
"Mmhmm."
Wu Zheng said, "Hey, Little Song, that attitude wonât do. Song Ru is such a wonderful person, and youâre not even thinking of buying her a car. Howâs that right? You should at least show some willingness."
"Oh... my sister has a car, no need to buy her one, weâve got a Ferrari lying around at home," Song Xiaodong absently mentioned.
Wu Zheng was momentarily stunned, then he stared and exclaimed, "What? A Ferrari? Come on, what kind of joke is this, young man? Thereâs boasting and then thereâs going too far, right?"
Song Xiaoru, already won over by Song Xiaodongâs gaze, instinctively defended him, "Itâs true, we do have one, a Ferrari 599, but since I moved out, itâs been left at home."
"What?" Upon hearing Song Xiaoru confirm it, Wu Zheng was a bit dazed. Song Xiaoru was definitely not someone given to bragging, and such a claim left Wu Zheng hardly able to believe it.
Song Xiaodong smiled slightly and said, "Sis, if you like that car, I could get it for you later. Oh, but thereâs no need for that; if worse comes to worst, weâll just buy another one. It would be troublesome to be without a car when we go home, wouldnât it?"
Song Xiaoru quickly replied, "No need, I donât need one here."
Listening to the two of them discussing it as if it were true, Wu Zheng became even more puzzled. Even if someone was rich, one couldnât just buy a Ferrari to play around with wherever they went, could they? Just how wealthy would they have to be? That sort of wealth suggested a net worth in the billions, didnât it?
Wu Zheng, confined to his small-town environment, considered himself wealthy with one or two million. He truly felt like a frog in a well, unable to comprehend the mindset of someone as extremely wealthy as Song Xiaodong, to whom making money seemed so effortless.