Chapter 27: Laying My Cards on the Table, No More Pretending
Lin Lang countered, “Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?”
“The truth, of course!” Mengyao replied with a playful smile.
Lin Lang said jokingly, “Although I, Lin Lang, come from humble origins, I am the first-generation wealthy individual of our Lin Family. I don’t want to be a live-in son-in-law for your Zhou Family. That way, our Lin Family genealogy wouldn’t be able to be written, right?”
AI generated image of Mengyao
Mengyao pursed her lips and smiled, “I didn’t realize, Old classmate, that you have such an ambitious heart.”
“However, in today’s society, where desires run rampant and morality is in decline, Lin Lang, you come from humble beginnings. Without a noble person to support you and help you establish social connections, starting a business is like facing death nine times out of ten!”
Lin Lang actually replied, “I majored in finance in college, and I found that economics is all a deception.”
“Economics is actually just the art of being thick-skinned and dark-hearted. The skills I learned in college also seem to be deceptive. When I become ruthless, even I am afraid. It’s either success or martyrdom~”
“Lin Lang, you’re right. This is a dark age for economics.”
“The fact that you, fresh out of college, can break free from the underlying logic and understand that economics is all a deception, indicates that you, Lin Lang, are no ordinary person~”
Lin Lang smiled without speaking.
“Mr. Lin, please have some coffee.” The maid, Aunt Mei, smiled as she handed Lin Lang a cup of coffee.
Lin Lang took the coffee and replied, “Thank you!”
“Miss, your tea.”
Mengyao took the clear tea and gave a polite, slight smile.
Seeing this, Lin Lang asked, “Mengyao, you like drinking tea?”
Mengyao replied, “Yes!”
“If a woman wants to exude elegance from her very core, she must nourish her heart with tea. Spend the time of one cup of tea each day to ponder, to perceive, to experience, and ultimately discover the extraordinary self within the ordinary.”
Lin Lang praised after listening, “A young lady from a prestigious family is indeed different.”
“I believe your fans, Mengyao, would never guess that you, as the top female racer in Xia Country, would prefer tea over weishi ji (whisky) or vodka.”
Mengyao took a light sip of tea and smiled, “The outside world’s impression of me is that of a cool Motorcycle Goddess, speed and passion, wild and sexy. They wouldn’t imagine I have a gentle and elegant side.”
“Isn’t my contrasting image a bit too significant?”
Lin Lang replied, holding his coffee cup, “Every person has more than one side, but common people often only see one side and define a person based on it. This is prejudice.”
“Every side of you, Mengyao, I never tire of seeing.”
Mengyao smiled faintly after hearing this, “Old classmate, you’re really good at conversation. You must be very popular with women in your life, right?”
Lin Lang dramatically tossed his hair, then comically and earnestly said, “To be honest, I am a master of the ‘Saint’ generation in the art of stealing hearts—a master, a grandmaster, a super grandmaster!”
“Many times, being too popular with women is also a bother.”
“Haha…”
Mengyao covered her mouth and laughed, “Old classmate, your melancholic and aloof campus heartthrob persona from high school is about to collapse. You’ve become quite humorous now.”
“In high school, I was just poor. My lustful heart! It was entirely kept in check by poverty. Poverty made me upright and well-behaved. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be a good person either.”
“Lin Lang, you’ve become too funny. The tea in my mouth is almost spraying out from laughter.”
“Haha…”
AI generated image of Mengyao
Lin Lang returned to a serious demeanor, elegantly took a sip of coffee, and then pretentiously replied, “Excellent Blue Mountain coffee, the taste is quite good~”
“You tasted it just once and knew it was excellent Blue Mountain coffee? Lin Lang, are you also very knowledgeable about coffee?”
Lin Lang looked at the bullet screen prompts on the virtual system light screen in front of him and pretentiously replied, “I am not particularly talented, but I know a little about everything.”
“This freshly ground coffee, its beans come from the Blue Mountain range in Jamaica. It is renowned for its astonishingly rich fruity aroma, mellow taste, and velvety smooth texture. The aftertaste is long-lasting and very easy to discern.”
Mengyao exclaimed, “You surprise me again and again! You’re amazing, my Old classmate!”
Immediately after, Zhou Zhongdang and his wife, Zhuang Jingxue, were seen slowly descending the villa’s spiral staircase. They greeted him warmly and politely, “Mr. Lin, your presence graces our humble abode. We apologize for not welcoming you sooner!”
“Thanks to Uncle Zhou’s kindness, for hosting this family banquet, I am deeply grateful. I brought a small gift for the banquet, and I apologize for any imposition.”
Zhuang Jingxue scrutinized Lin Lang, surprised to see his noble eyebrows, tall and handsome appearance, and distinguished bearing. She smiled and praised, “The Mr. Lin I remember was a shy high school boy. Now he has become as handsome as a jade tree facing the wind, with an extraordinary temperament.”
Lin Lang replied with a smile, “Hello, Aunt Xue!”
“When I was in high school, I had the fortune of seeing Aunt Xue attend a parent-teacher conference for Mengyao. I was amazed by your elegant and dignified demeanor. Several years have passed in a flash, and Aunt Xue is still beautiful and graceful, peerless in charm. Indeed, time does not defeat beauty!”
Zhuang Jingxue was overjoyed to hear this and said with a smile, “Mr. Lin is truly eloquent. You and my daughter were high school deskmates; Mengyao often mentioned you before.”
Lin Lang sweetly said, “It seems Mengyao’s beauty is entirely inherited from your excellent genes, Aunt Xue.”
“In high school, I only knew that Mengyao’s mother was a famous cardiac surgeon in Shanghai, serving as the Vice President of Fudan University Zhongshan Hospital. I only recently learned that Uncle Zhou, the Master of Appraisal, is your husband.”
Zhuang Jingxue, with a smile on her face, tentatively asked, “Mr. Lin, where are you working now?”
“I am currently an independent angel investor, involved in stock and financial investments, antique and art investments, and some physical venture capital. The next step is to enter internet investment.”
Lin Lang’s answer was very confident.
Zhuang Jingxue praised, “Mr. Lin is young and accomplished; his future is immeasurable!”
Zhou Zhongdang said with a smile, “As the saying goes, the waves behind push the waves ahead. I, this front wave, am afraid I will be pushed onto the beach by Mr. Lin, this back wave.”
Lin Lang humbly replied, “Uncle Zhou, you flatter me. I really don’t deserve it.”
Zhou Zhongdang continued, “Mr. Lin, you are too modest!”
“Yesterday at Jing’an Temple Antique City, someone spent less than forty thousand yuan on blind gambling with raw jade, and cut out a supreme imperial full-green jade worth tens of millions. People in the antique market are widely spreading that this person is named A Lang, a tall and handsome young man.”
“Mr. Lin, your name is A Lang. Could it be that the person who blind-gambled and cut out the supreme imperial full-green jade at Jing’an Temple Antique City yesterday was you?”
Lin Lang modestly replied, “To be honest, it was indeed me.”
“Whoa…”
Mengyao’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she exclaimed in shock, “A Lang, you’re too amazing!”
“Yesterday, you not only found a hidden treasure, a pair of Tang Dynasty rhinoceros horn cups worth tens of millions, but you also blind-gambled with raw jade and cut out a supreme imperial full-green jade! This is simply unbelievable!”
Zhuang Jingxue was astonished, “Besides appraising treasures and finding hidden gems, Mr. Lin is also skilled in jade gambling?”
“It was just a stroke of luck.” Lin Lang smiled modestly.
Zhou Zhongdang exclaimed, “It seems your high school deskmate and campus heartthrob, Mengyao, is definitely no ordinary person!”
“If it were just a temporary stroke of luck, Mr. Lin, at most, you would have found a hidden treasure, a pair of Tang Dynasty rhinoceros horn cups concealed within lacquered wine cups, while browsing antique stalls. It’s absolutely impossible to have two such immense strokes of luck in one day.”
“Mr. Lin, your ability to blind-gamble and cut out supreme imperial full-green jade without using a strong flashlight to examine the stone must mean you possess an extraordinary skill that ensures victory.”
“Uncle Zhou, you overpraise me!”
“As the saying goes, wealth comes with luck, and joy descends from heaven. I am simply blessed with good fortune, which is why I experienced such immense luck. I have no extraordinary skill in appraising treasures or gambling on jade.”
“Uncle Zhou is a Master of Appraisal; I still have much to learn from you.”
Zhou Zhongdang, however, replied, “As the saying goes, even immortals cannot judge a piece of jade, and the human heart is unfathomable.”
“Jade gambling is one cut to heaven, one cut to hell. Three parts rely on luck, and seven parts on experience and judging the jade based on the appearance of its skin, making repeated guesses and judgments. Therefore, jade gambling is full of unknowns.”
“Although I, Zhou, am skilled in appraising treasures, I don’t have Mr. Lin’s ability to blind-gamble and cut out supreme imperial full-green jade when it comes to jade gambling and judging.”
“From the mining of Myanmar raw jade to its final transaction in the market, there are dozens of stages where experts pass judgment.”
“Under normal circumstances, raw Myanmar jade with good appearance will not flow into the Xia Country market for gambling, which is why ten out of nine jade gambles are lost.”
“Mr. Lin cutting out imperial full-green jade through blind gambling, if it were merely by a temporary stroke of luck, the probability would be even smaller than being struck dead by lightning on a clear day.”
“Therefore, I, Zhou, can conclude that Mr. Lin, you are merely concealing your talent, not showing off your brilliance, not flaunting your intelligence, and intentionally hiding your abilities. Am I right?”
“Since I cannot escape Uncle Zhou’s discerning eyes, then I won’t pretend anymore.”
“I, Lin Lang, have the ability to turn stone into gold and cut jade from stone. I’m laying my cards on the table!”
“Whoa…”
“Mr. Lin is indeed no ordinary person!” Zhuang Jingxue was stunned speechless.
“Uh…”
“It seems our Old classmate now is truly not what he used to be.” Mengyao looked at Lin Lang with wide, incredulous eyes, as if she were seeing a monster.