Li Xingying had heard some things about Jiang Beicheng's family. His father, Jiang Tao, was somewhat well-known in the city, and after the incident, it had been covered by local media.
This afternoon, she learned about Jiang Beicheng's current difficult situation from her roommate and close friend, Zhou Yu. Without any ulterior motives, she simply expressed her concern to Jiang Beicheng.
She also thanked him for his previous help.
Not only had he lent her a significant amount of money to start her business, but he had also given her advice on how to build a large following.
Among the people she knew, Jiang Beicheng was someone who had seen the world and experienced true freedom.
His travel insights and experiences were highly valuable for reference.
Recently, the follower growth on Li Xingying's travel video account had been sluggish, and her metrics were declining, leaving her with a sense of helplessness.
She needed guidance and learning to break through her current bottleneck.
She wanted to take the opportunity of inviting Jiang Beicheng to dinner to humbly seek his advice.
Jiang Beicheng felt it was unnecessary to treat him to a meal just to express gratitude for the loan.
Over the years since returning to the country, he had lent out too much money, some of which he couldn't even remember who he had given it to.
With fair-weather friends, it was all about having a good time.
Whether they repaid him or not depended entirely on their conscience.
Li Xingying was one of the few who had actually paid him back.
After this incident, her act of repayment felt especially meaningful to Jiang Beicheng.
Giving is giving, borrowing is borrowing, and borrowing comes with repayment.
Li Xingying had left a good impression on him.
If his travel experiences and insights could help Li Xingying, Jiang Beicheng would feel deeply honored.
Men often enjoy playing the role of "teacher," giving guidance or even preaching to gain a sense of accomplishment and superiority.
Jiang Beicheng was no exception.
However, many of his ideas weren't just theoretical musings; they were grounded in real insights into certain patterns.
They were highly applicable.
"Send me the address," Jiang Beicheng didn't refuse Li Xingying's invitation.
Seeing his affirmative reply, Li Xingying's face lit up with a smile, filled with the anticipation of a student meeting a teacher.
Her mind wandered to what she should wear tomorrow and what makeup to put on to meet "Teacher Jiang."
No, she should focus on what to treat Teacher Jiang to eat tomorrow.
She quickly opened Meituan, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu to search for high-end restaurants in Jiangnan City.
Finally, she settled on a high-end business restaurant called "Li Ji," with an average per-person cost of over 1,000 yuan. She contacted customer service to reserve a private room.
Then she sent the address to Jiang Beicheng.
When Jiang Beicheng saw the words "Li Ji," memories of his mother flooded back.
"Li Ji" was the high-end business restaurant his mother, Li Yun, had personally founded.
His mother's name was Li Yun, hence the name Li Ji.
Originally, she had wanted to name it "Jiang Ji" after her son's surname, but thinking of Jiang Tao and his secretary filled Li Yun with resentment, so she ultimately used her own surname.
"Li Ji" was positioned as a high-end business restaurant and was the most famous Taizhou cuisine restaurant in Jiangnan City. The executive chef had been poached by Li Yun from Xinrong Ji.
In its first year, Li Ji gained significant fame and made it onto the Black Pearl list.
In all of Jiangnan City, only five restaurants were listed, with the other four being Sichuan cuisine, creative cuisine, and Western cuisine. Li Ji was the only Taizhou cuisine restaurant to make the list.
In its second year, it earned the prestigious Black Pearl Three Diamond award.
This was equivalent to a Michelin three-star rating abroad.
After his mother passed away, the restaurant was transferred according to her will. Part of the proceeds went to Jiang Beicheng's grandmother and uncles, but the majority was left to him.
During his two years in the UK, Jiang Beicheng spent it all.
Looking back now, he realized how carefree and thoughtless he had been.
Reality once again proved the saying: you only know regret after losing something.
Regarding family, Jiang Beicheng had indeed reflected deeply.
From now on, he would cherish the people closest to him even more.
…
In the morning, Li Xingying started getting ready early, putting on makeup and dressing up.
She closed the door, not wanting Zhou Yu to see and start asking questions.
But Zhou Yu pushed the door open anyway. She was always like that, with no sense of boundaries.
Sometimes, Li Xingying found her endearing, but other times, she felt annoyed, even frustrated.
Still, after all these years, she had come to accept it. Li Xingying didn't say anything, just reminded her, "I might be back a bit late today. The landlord changed the lock, so I'll send you the password."
Zhou Yu gave a knowing smile and walked over to Li Xingying's vanity, picking up her sunscreen. "Can I borrow this? I haven't picked up my delivery yet.
Dressing up so nicely, are you going to meet a guy?"
Zhou Yu asked bluntly.
Li Xingying's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly said, "Just having dinner with a friend and asking for some advice."
"We've been roommates since college. You think I can't see through you?" Zhou Yu laughed, patting Li Xingying's shoulder. "It's about time you came around.
I just don't know who'll be lucky enough to win you over after all these years.
Want me to come with you and check him out?"
Li Xingying grew even more nervous.
She couldn't even imagine the scene of sitting at the same table with Jiang Beicheng and Zhou Yu.
"It's just work-related," Li Xingying dodged the topic again. "Aren't you going to have dinner with that restaurant tycoon's son? Why aren't you getting ready?"
Zhou Yu chuckled, deciding not to tease Li Xingying further. Looking at her in the mirror, she couldn't help but praise, "So fair.
I'd kill to have your porcelain skin.
Paired with my figure, it'd be absolutely perfect.
Maybe I'd snag a billionaire uncle and become a wealthy heiress."
"As if good things like that happen. You want to hog all the luck in the world," Li Xingying said with a playful pout.
"You're just jealous," Zhou Yu said, puffing out her chest.
After Zhou Yu left, Li Xingying glanced down at herself. No comparison there.
Should she pad a little?
Nah, fake is fake, and it might make her seem scheming.
Her legs were pretty long, though!
And she had that porcelain skin even Zhou Yu envied.
Li Xingying consoled herself, adjusted her mood, grabbed her bag, and headed out.
"I'm heading out. See you later," she texted Jiang Beicheng before getting in the car.
Jiang Beicheng replied with a simple "Mm."
He tidied up briefly and left the hotel. The hotel had arranged a business car to take him to the restaurant.
At the entrance of Li Ji, memories flooded back again, but this time they weren't tinged with sadness—only happy, joyful moments.
Especially his eighteenth birthday, when they had booked the entire Li Ji restaurant.
His mother, Li Yun, had closed the restaurant and had all the staff prepare a million-yuan birthday banquet for him and his classmates and friends.
Imported A5 wagyu, fresh seafood flown in, and exquisite French desserts from the local dessert legend Lan Lizi… his friends ate until they couldn't anymore.
They even hired a well-known local band to perform and liven up the atmosphere.
The most unforgettable moment for Jiang Beicheng was the coming-of-age gift from his mother: a Roger Dubuis zodiac watch worth over two million yuan.
Back then, he had been too busy basking in his friends' envy and cheers, feeling that being born into such a family made everything seem natural.
Now, looking back, he realized how blissfully happy he had been, living so carelessly.
His mother had never let him feel deprived or wronged.
A happy smile spread across Jiang Beicheng's face.
[Smile +1]
[Smile Count: 1/10]
As Jiang Beicheng entered the restaurant, the store manager, Xu Ru, was giving instructions to the front desk.
Hearing the staff greet a customer, she turned and saw Jiang Beicheng.
Xu Ru's face lit up with shock, and she hurried over, respectfully addressing him as "Young Master Jiang."