Meanwhile, at the restaurant, Nan Chen was seated opposite the sweet-looking Ouyang Qing, who was eating elegantly.
He had not touched his food at all, as he did not have any appetite.
Ever since he spotted Ning Ran and that man when he exited the lift, he lost all appetite. He was so vexed that he couldn’t even stomach a drop of water.
But Nan Chen held back his temper. After all, his character was as deep and unfathomable as the ocean. He had to keep his composure as he would not allow anyone to affect his mood.
Or rather, he would not allow himself to display his true emotions on the outside, no matter how furious he was.
“Chen, why are you not eating?”
Ouyang Qing had a nice voice which sounded sweet and soft, almost comparable to Erbao’s.
She also had a pair of innocent and beautiful big eyes, which was as clear as the morning dew on flowers.
She was the type of women who easily triggered men’s desire to protect. There were hardly any men in the world who would not find her attractive.
“I’m not hungry,” Nan Chen replied indifferently.
“Chen, if I had known that you’re not going to eat, I wouldn’t have suggested this place,” Ouyang Qing said, feeling disappointed.
“That’s fine,” Nan Chen replied simply.
“The first thing I did when I came back from overseas was to look for you, Chen. Do you know that I’ve always admired you? Back when I was in junior high in Flower City, you were the talk of the school. You were the only student who managed to get a perfect score for both humanities and science subjects. If not for the fact that you went to further your studies abroad and skipped the national college entrance exam, you would definitely have been the top-scorer of our province.”
Nan Chen kept quiet.
He did not reject the compliments. The man was indeed good at studying. He could easily excel in any subject, as long as put his mind to it.
“The senior girls also agreed that you were the most good-looking guy in Flower City First Middle School – no one else even came close.”
Nan Chen remained silent. It was even more meaningless to discuss his looks. He already knew that he was handsome, this wasn’t news to him.
“Anyway, Chen, you’re a legend in Flower City First Secondary School.” Ouyang Qing looked smitten as she spoke.
“After I graduated from secondary school, I followed your footsteps and went to Harvard. Who knew that you were so popular even in university! A few of the professors even said that you are the most famous Asian alumni that the school ever had.”
“OK, enough about me,” Nan Chen interrupted the woman. She was merely singing praises of him and he found the conversation pointless.
“I meant every word I said. Chen, you are really amazing and I’ve always looked up to you.” Ouyang Qing was practically staring at Nan Chen with hearts in her large, glistening eyes.
“I’m not all good. When I was in the Flower City First Secondary School, I broke a teacher’s nose once. However, I was not punished because the school feared the Nan family,” Nan Chen volunteered his disgraceful past.
“Hehe, I have heard about that too. You did that because that teacher insulted a female student and you were just standing up for justice…”
“OK, OK, we can stop here,” Nan Chen cut the woman off once again.
“Sure, enough of reminiscing your heroic past. Oh right, remember the couple we saw before we entered the restaurant? The woman seemed to have recognized you…?”
Ouyang Qing finally asked the one question she had been holding in.
“Yeah, we do know each other,” Nan Chen did not deny.
“She’s so pretty. Is she your friend, Chen? Why didn’t you greet her?”
“She’s a female lead for a drama which I have invested in.”
“Oh! I remember her now. It’s the drama The Sound of Thunder 2, right? But she seems to be always involved in scandals, I wonder if they could be true… “ Ouyang Qing said, blinking her doll-like eyes.
Although Nan Chen did not speak, his eyes darkened.
“How are they doing?” That was the most important question to Nan Chen.
He had agreed to treat Ouyang Qing to dinner for two reasons. Firstly, it was because of the close ties between the Ouyang family and the Nan family. Just like the Nan family, the Ouyang family was the most powerful family of another city—Lake City—in the province. As such, the two families had various common grounds and converging points of interest.
However, the most important reason that Nan Chen hosted this dinner for Ouyang Qing was because she had stopped in Tokyo en route to visit his parents, who were living there.
Even though the young lady appeared innocent, she was, in fact, extremely meticulous.
She knew what Nan Chen needed most. That was why instead of flying straight home, Ouyang Qing chose to take a detour and stop at Tokyo to visit his parents. That gesture had left a favorable impression on Nan Chen.
As a matter of fact, her decision was right. Even though Nan Chen was not in the best of moods, he still took the her to dinner right after she got back.
“Uncle and Aunt are doing well. They are both in good health. I took a few videos and photos of them. Chen, why don’t you add me on WeChat? I’ll send the pictures to you.”
It was a very legitimate reason to ask for the man’s WeChat, much better than asking for it directly.
Nan Chen hardly used WeChat. In fact, he had only started using the app because of Ning Ran.
There were not many people in his WeChat contact list, which Ouyang Qing had just been added to.
The background of the woman’s profile picture was the house where Nan Chen stayed in when he was studying abroad.
He was able to recognize it at one glance.
Of course, that was part of Ouyang Qing’s plan. She was determined to claim Nan Chen—Flower City’s most powerful man—as hers.
Nan Chen’s gaze was fixed on the charming middle-aged lady in the picture – his mother.
It had been more than three years since he last saw his parents. His grandpa had ordered that no one was allowed to visit his parents within the next five years since the incident happened.
The Old Master of the Nan family was not to be blamed for being ruthless, as his son and daughter-in-law had indeed committed an unforgivable act.
Although some time had passed, that incident was like a thorn in the Nan family members’ hearts, including Nan Chen’s.
“Aunt looked so young and radiant that I would have easily mistaken her for a 20-year-old.” Ouyang Qing made a flattering remark about Mrs. Nan.
Nan Chen didn’t speak.
“Uncle is doing great too. He mentioned that he has been learning Japanese tea ceremony and I heard that he is already very well-versed in it. He also said that even though they are currently leading a peaceful lifestyle, they miss you and Xing a lot,” Ouyang Qing carried on.
She knew that was what Nan Chen wanted to hear.
The man did not say anything. He merely pocketed his phone after browsing through the photos.
He intended to view the video his parents had specially recorded for him, but he wanted watch it after he got home, when he was alone.
“Chen, I have another favor to ask of you,” Ouyang Qing said.
Nan Chen looked at her, wordlessly prompting her to speak.
For a moment, Ouyang Qing was distracted by the man’s strikingly handsome face.
Embarrassed that she had lost her composure, Ouyang Qing quickly looked away.
“I just returned from abroad and I’m lacking in work experience. I was wondering if I could get an internship at your company, Chen?” Ouyang Qing asked.
That was not what Nan Chen had expected.
The Ouyang family was also a prominent family, and they owned the largest private bank in the entire province.
Ouyang Qing was the second daughter of the Ouyang family. If she needed an internship, she could very well get a position at any company owned by the Ouyang family. There was no reason for her to work at the Nanshi Corporation.
“Why don’t you help out in your family business?” Nan Chen asked.
“I don’t think I would be able to learn anything there, as everyone in the company would yield to me.” That was indeed a valid reason.
“Which position are you interested in, then?” Nan Chen inquired further.
“It would be great if I could be your assistant,” Ouyang Qing said, half-jokingly.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible. My assistant belongs to the upper management of the organization. You don’t have the credentials to take up that position,” Nan Chen rejected her outright.
Ouyang Qing was stunned for a moment, but her sweet smile resurfaced on her pretty face just seconds later.
