"Qin Yanyan, why don't you have any ambition? I heard that you recently saved a wealthy man and he gave you tens of millions. But you know as well as I do what tens of millions are worth in this day and age; it’s barely enough to buy a house in a first-tier city. Do you intend to just drift through life doing nothing with that money? Besides, saving a rich man is the kind of thing that only happens once in a lifetime, just like winning the lottery. You won’t be that lucky again."
Jiang Xiaoyu spoke with great eloquence, sounding as though she had a point.
Qin Yanyan, however, remained silent. He simply smoked his cigarette in quiet contemplation.
"Qin Yanyan, did you hear me? You know the situation with my family. My father’s business is massive; his jewelry company has branches all over the country. I’m studying management here in Chuzhou specifically to take over his business one day. In fact, my father is the one who asked me to meet with you today."
Seeing that Qin Yanyan still wouldn't speak, Jiang Xiaoyu grew annoyed, her voice rising in volume.
"What? Your father asked you to come here?"
Qin Yanyan was caught by surprise. He hadn’t expected Uncle Jiang to be involved in this, and he couldn't imagine what he was after.
"Yes. Qin Yanyan, you know that when we were kids, our fathers made a pact and arranged a betrothal for us. But we were just children then, and we didn't understand anything. Plus, my father hadn’t started his business yet; our families were on equal footing back then. But things are different now. The gap between our families is far too wide. We..."
Jiang Xiaoyu trailed off, leaving her sentence hanging.
"I understand. You mean to say that our betrothal doesn't count, right? You’re here to call it off."
Once he heard that, everything became clear to Qin Yanyan. After all this, Jiang Xiaoyu had come to break off the engagement. He never imagined he would end up in a situation like this. In a fit of rage, he nearly blurted out, "Don't look down on a young man for being poor; the tables will turn in thirty years."
In that moment, he felt like Xiao Yan, and Jiang Xiaoyu was Nalan Yanran.
Infuriated, Qin Yanyan didn't want to waste any more words. He stood up to leave, but after taking only two steps, someone grabbed his hand.
"Brother Qin Yanyan, I’m sorry. Honestly, I do still have a soft spot for you. After all, we were such good friends when we were little."
"How about this? I’ll talk to my father and have him use his connections to get you a job at one of our jewelry stores. If you can work your way up to store manager within a year, I might consider dating you. That would prove you have the capability, and perhaps in the future, we could work together to build up my father's jewelry empire."
Jiang Xiaoyu held onto Qin Yanyan's hand, her eyes sparkling with hope as she looked at him. In her eyes, although Qin Yanyan was poor now, if he showed ambition and drive, she would give him a chance. After all, they had been close as children, and Qin Yanyan was quite handsome, too.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yanyan burst out laughing.
"Jiang Xiaoyu, you are truly naive. To be honest, I never took our childhood betrothal seriously; I’ve always just thought of you as a little sister!"
"And furthermore!"
Qin Yanyan’s expression turned stern.
"I am not the kind of good-for-nothing slacker you imagine me to be. The extent of my talent and strength is beyond your wildest imagination. Don't talk to me about some pathetic store manager position—even if it were the presidency of a country, it wouldn't be worth my attention."Jiang Xiaoyu was stunned by Qin Yanyan's words. Releasing her grip on his arm, she wondered if the shock had driven him mad, causing him to rave so wildly.
"Jiang Xiaoyu, you're an ordinary mortal. You have no idea what kind of being I truly am. But one day, when I stand above the clouds and you find yourself looking up at me from below like an ant, only then will you realize how ridiculous and childish your words today truly are."
With that, Qin Yanyan suddenly pointed a finger at her.
"And above all: I, Qin Yanyan, am far out of your league!"
Leaving her with those parting words, Qin Yanyan paid her no further attention and quickly walked away, disappearing into the distance.
Watching his retreating back, Jiang Xiaoyu felt deeply exasperated. She shook her head, her disappointment in him only growing. She, Jiang Xiaoyu, would never marry such a man.
"Xiaoyu!"
A voice suddenly sounded beside her. Turning around, she saw a middle-aged man in a tailcoat standing behind her—it was her father, Jiang He.
As it turned out, Jiang He had arrived at the restaurant long ago and had been observing quietly from the side. He had overheard their entire conversation. After all, when it came to his daughter's lifelong happiness, how could he not be there?
"Xiaoyu, you did the right thing. Qin Yanyan isn't the right match for you," Jiang He said with a sigh, gently stroking his daughter's dark hair.
He, too, was utterly disappointed in Qin Yanyan. In Jiang He's eyes, not only was the young man lacking in ability, but his pride was also through the roof; such a person was destined to accomplish nothing. Thinking back to his own early days in business, Jiang He recalled how much humiliation he had endured just to secure orders. He even remembered a twisted client who had forced him to strip-dance and crawl between his legs just to close a deal.
To be respected by others, one must first endure suffering before them—that was Jiang He's lifelong motto. You only get what you pay for; there is no free lunch in this world, and anyone destined for greatness must endure what ordinary people cannot.
Even Han Xin had endured the humiliation of crawling between another's legs, to say nothing of ordinary men.
Yet Qin Yanyan clearly had too much fragile pride. A few harsh words were enough to send him into a frenzy. Men like that were bound to achieve nothing all their lives.
"I understand, Dad. I'd never fall for someone like him," Jiang Xiaoyu said with a nod, her disgust toward Qin Yanyan deepening.
Just then, her phone rang.
"Oh, Xuanxuan! Got it, I'll head over right now!"
Hanging up, Jiang Xiaoyu curled her lip.
"What is it? Who was on the phone?" Jiang He asked, looking at his daughter.
"My best friend. She asked me to go to the Shangri-La Hotel for dinner, said there's a good show to watch tonight!" Jiang Xiaoyu replied.
"Mm, making more friends is always good. Go on, then!" Jiang He nodded.
Without lingering any longer, Jiang Xiaoyu left the western restaurant, hailed a taxi on the street, and drove off.
...
On the streets of Chuzhou.
"How dare she look down on me."
Walking down the avenue, Qin Yanyan was equally vexed. If Jiang Xiaoyu hadn't been a childhood playmate, he would have slapped her into a bloody mist on the spot.
Though he had never harbored feelings for Jiang Xiaoyu either, the fact that she had callously rejected their arranged betrothal still left him deeply annoyed.