When Tong Yan heard her mother's words, her face immediately changed.
"Mom, what nonsense are you saying? We're just ordinary friends!"
"That's good then, ordinary friends are best," her mother replied, finally relaxing a little before smiling. "Xiaoyan, come, let me introduce you to a promising young man, Pengfei. You two should get along."
"Hello, nice to meet you!" A man standing nearby eagerly stretched out his hand, his eyes burning as they landed on Tong Yan.
Tong Yan couldn't help but sigh inwardly—here we go again.
She had noticed this man the moment she entered the house and already knew why he was there. Her mother was obsessed with finding her a wealthy husband, always inviting so-called "young talents" home. Though she might look simple, Tong Yan was not naïve; she could clearly see what these so-called men were really after.
And this one was no different—his gaze kept dropping to her chest, his eyes full of base desire.
Exhausted at heart, but unwilling to appear rude, Tong Yan forced a polite smile and shook his hand. "Hello."
Her mother quickly chimed in: "Xiaoyan, Pengfei is amazing! He started his own company while still young and already has assets over a million. His family owns a company worth tens of millions, and since he's the only son, he'll be the heir!"
"Hehe, Auntie, I'm just dabbling for now." The young man pretended to be modest, though his smugness was plain for all to see.
"See? Even humble too! Xiaoyan, I think you and Pengfei are a great match. Why don't you give dating a try?"
"Mom!" Tong Yan interrupted quickly, embarrassed by her mother's bold words. She turned to Xiao Chen, who had been quietly ignored this whole time. "Minister Xiao, I'm so sorry, please sit down!"
"Oh, it's fine." Xiao Chen wasn't angry. On the contrary, he found the situation amusing, smiling faintly as he sat down.
"Minister Xiao, I'll make you some tea," Tong Yan said, secretly regretting she'd brought him here at all. If she had known things would play out like this, she never would have invited him inside.
Her mother perked up upon hearing the title "Minister." Minister? Was he some kind of official? With this thought, she studied Xiao Chen more carefully.
"How long have you known my Xiaoyan? What line of work are you in?"
"Auntie, I just met her. We're colleagues."
"Colleagues? Then why does she call you 'Minister Xiao'?"
Xiao Pengfei sneered, "Auntie, don't be fooled. These days, companies split into departments, and the head of each one gets called a 'minister.' Could be a department with just two or three people!"
Her mother's smile faded again. "Oh, so it's just that kind of 'minister.' I thought it meant something impressive."
"Hehe, brother, which company do you work for? Here's my business card." Pengfei proudly handed one over.
Xiao Chen glanced at it—assistant to the chairman, president, all sorts of grand titles crammed onto the card.
"In my family's company, I'm the chairman's assistant. In my own company, I'm president," Pengfei explained proudly, afraid Xiao Chen might not understand.
"Oh, I don't really get it, but sounds very powerful," Xiao Chen said lightly, nodding.
"It's nothing, just better than working under someone else," Pengfei bragged, flashing a grin. "My father says once I'm married, I'll take over the family business."
"Wow, then you'll be a multimillionaire boss!" Tong Yan's mother exclaimed, eyes full of envy.
Pengfei puffed up further. "Of course. Under my leadership, hitting hundreds of millions won't be a problem!"
Watching their back-and-forth, Xiao Chen couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. The two sounded like they were performing a comedy skit.
"If only I could have hundreds of millions! I'd die happy!" her mother sighed dramatically.
"Haha, Auntie, if I marry Tong Yan, won't all that be yours too?" Pengfei said with a meaningful glance at Tong Yan.
Her mother laughed in delight. "Such a filial boy! Xiaoyan, did you hear? Don't be stubborn this time!"
Tong Yan pressed her lips together, saying nothing, though her heart felt torn.
Seeing her lack of reaction, Pengfei felt a little deflated, but then his eyes lit up with another idea. "Tong Yan, was Minister Xiao giving you a ride just now?"
"Yes," she nodded.
"That's embarrassing for you, Minister Xiao. I've got plenty of free time, why don't I pick you up from work from now on?"
"See how thoughtful Pengfei is?" her mother added eagerly. "He even drives a BMW, very comfortable to ride in!"
Pengfei flashed a wider grin, pulling out his car keys as if by accident. "Auntie, it's not that much, just a BMW worth a few hundred thousand."
Xiao Chen glanced at the keys and recalled seeing a champagne-colored BMW outside—so that was his.
But despite the show, Tong Yan still didn't react, leaving Pengfei disappointed. His BMW trick usually impressed women easily, but why wasn't it working this time?
"Minister Xiao," he said smugly, "don't all men dream of blue skies and white clouds?"
"I don't," Xiao Chen answered simply.
"Oh? Minister Xiao, even if you're just working for others now, you should dream! What if it comes true one day? Without dreams, aren't people just like fish?" Pengfei said loftily, then slyly added, "By the way, what kind of car do you drive?"
"You're right, people should dream," Xiao Chen replied casually. He pulled a key from his pocket and dropped it on the table. It gleamed with the Maserati logo. "But anything that can be measured with money… that's not really a dream."