He Wenjie walked around inside and outside the apartment, making a mental note of what he needed to buy so he could go shopping the next day. Once he had a rough idea, he planned to head back to the hotel.
As soon as he stepped downstairs and walked a short distance, he saw Yang Tao's car pull into the compound. What a coincidence—the chance encounter had arrived.
Just as Yang Tao's car came to a complete stop, before He Wenjie could walk over, he saw another car slowly backing up directly toward the rear of Yang Tao's vehicle, stopping the exact second they touched. Immediately after, a man stepped out of the driver's seat, adjusted his clothes, and then walked over to inspect the damage with a pretentious air.
What a tacky way to hit on someone. Who knows where this guy learned it. He Wenjie was in no rush to show himself, watching from a distance on the sideline.
Sure enough, after exchanging only a couple of sentences, Yang Tao used her extensive experience to realize this was yet another blind-date candidate arranged by her mother. She didn't even want compensation and prepared to leave.
Seeing that the time was right, He Wenjie slowly walked over and called out, "Taozi, you're back."
Both Yang Tao and the man froze in surprise. The man asked, "You two know each other?"
He Wenjie said with a sly smile, "Yeah, we're good friends. I just hadn't gotten around to telling your auntie. Sorry for wasting your time, brother."
The man successfully caught He Wenjie's drift, didn't press the matter further, got back into his car, and drove away.
Yang Tao: "How did you end up here? You're not also sent by my mom—"
"Wasn't my hotel room almost up? I rented a place right here. Do you live here too?"
"Yeah, what a coincidence! My mom has my head in a spin. You've been staying at our hotel for a whole month, so there's no way you were sent by her. Speaking of which, why'd you end up renting a place in our compound?"
"Did you buy exclusive rights to this whole neighborhood?" He Wenjie joked.
Yang Tao shot him a glamorous, disdainful glance. "I'm just saying, with how rich you are, why live in the same neighborhood as us poor folks?"
"I'm unemployed right now, so of course I have to watch my spending."
"You expect me to believe that? What you spent staying at our hotel for a month is enough to pay for a whole year of my rent. And besides, how did you know he was someone my mom found for me to go on a blind date with?"
He Wenjie laughed, "I've run into at least ten guys at the hotel who were there to go on blind dates with you. I didn't even have to guess."
Yang Tao self-consciously smoothed her hair to hide her embarrassment. "It's so humiliating. Even you found out."
"It's fine, you can understand a parent's frame of mind."
"Are your family members like that too?"
"Well... my parents have both passed away."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"It's alright, it's all in the past. Oh right, I just had cleaners come in to tidy up. Tomorrow I still need to go buy furniture and bedding. Is there any place nearby that sells those?"
"There's an IKEA not far from here. They should have pretty much everything you need to buy."
"I have no idea what else I'm missing. Do you think you could help me out and give me some advice?"
Yang Tao hesitated for just a split second before agreeing. As the two of them slowly walked into the elevator and He Wenjie pressed the button for the 19th floor, Yang Tao's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "This is too much of a coincidence. I live on this floor too!"
"No way, we're neighbors?" He Wenjie said, putting on a puzzled look.
"If I hadn't known you beforehand, I would've definitely thought you were sent by my mom."
"Sounds like you've got some serious psychological trauma."
"You're not actually sent by her, are you?"
"In that case, can I ask your auntie for a reimbursement?"
"Nope, my mom isn't that generous. You definitely weren't sent by my mom."
He Wenjie unlocked the door for Yang Tao and they went inside. He Wenjie said, "I just had it cleaned and they hauled the old sofa away. I need to get a sofa for the living room. Help me see what else I need to buy."
Yang Tao walked around the apartment. "You're missing way too many things. I doubt one day will even be enough."
"Taozi, do you have time tomorrow? Could I beg you to come along and help me shop for furniture? My survival skills in this area are seriously lacking."
"I am off tomorrow, but my brother-in-law set me up on another blind date, so it's going to be a bit hard to back out."
"A blind date? Well, that's important business, I shouldn't get in your way. Alright, I guess I'll just buy things slowly on my own."
"How about the day after tomorrow? I'm off that day too."
"I'd really appreciate that. The day after tomorrow it is. I'll come pick you up in the morning."
"Did you buy a car around here?"
"Well... not yet. The main thing is that getting license plates is a pain."
"Then let's just make plans to meet over there. Since I'm driving, I can help you haul back some smaller items."
"Thanks a ton, you're a lifesaver. You just got off work and haven't eaten yet, right? Since I haven't eaten either, could I invite you to show me around and let me try some of Beijing's local food?"
"You don't have to be so polite, I can just grab a casual bite at home."
"No, I insist. Without you showing the way, I wouldn't even know which restaurant nearby actually tastes good."
"Alright then. Wait for me to go home and change my clothes, it'll be quick."
An hour later, the two of them went downstairs to eat at a Chinese restaurant with a pretty decent interior. They kept it simple and ordered four dishes. After the meal, at He Wenjie's suggestion, they took a short stroll around the neighborhood before heading back.
After seeing Yang Tao upstairs, He Wenjie hailed a cab back to the hotel. Opening his stock trading app, he saw that his two A-share accounts were up nearly twenty percent. His main goal for making money had already shifted to Hong Kong stocks, and he stopped buying speculative hype stocks on the A-share market. Everything he bought now consisted of leading stocks in their main upward waves; that way, if anyone investigated, they could only attribute it to his good eye, since these companies possessed market caps in the tens or hundreds of billions, and his few million wouldn't make a single ripple.
However, in the Hong Kong market, he had been frantically raking in cash over the past few days, more than doubling his money.
The next day was the weekend market closure. After eating, He Wenjie went to a store and bought two bottles of Kweichow Moutai and two bottles of red wine. The Moutai was intended as a gift for Hu Qixing that evening, while the red wine was naturally saved to hopefully enjoy with Yang Tao. Though he genuinely didn't think those two bottles of red wine were worth the price tag, he couldn't help it—modern women all seemed to love that sort of thing.
That evening, He Wenjie arrived right on time at Qixing's pet store. Seeing him walk in, Qixing said, "Brother Jie, you're here! I told you not to bring anything, so why'd you go and buy stuff anyway? Whoa, and it's Moutai! Looks like us brothers are in for a treat tonight."
"I just happened to pass by on my way over and picked up two bottles. Not sure if it'll be enough to drink, though."
"More than enough. Wine this good has to be saved and sipped slowly. Here, let me introduce you. This is Duan Xifeng, my good big brother—the exact guy I told you about who can hook you up with properties. We've got another guy named Guo Ran coming in a bit, I'll introduce you two when he gets here."
After exchanging greetings, the men took their seats and began chatting while waiting for Guo Ran. When the conversation turned to He Wenjie opening a fitness club, Duan Xifeng immediately promised to help find a location.
After chatting for a bit, Guo Ran walked in. Once they had all introduced themselves, Piaopiao brought out the meat and vegetables, placing them on the table, and invited everyone to take their seats.
Duan Xifeng said, "Guo Ran, how are things going with my little aunt's niece?"