When saying goodbye to Xin Yue and her maternal grandfather Zheng Minghui, a hint of resentment occasionally flashed in Xin Yue's charming eyes, and her sexy lips were constantly pouting, making no attempt to hide her dissatisfaction from Yang Hongtao.
Yang Hongtao pretended not to notice, politely greeted Mr. Zheng Minghui, exchanged a few pleasantries, promised the old man that he would definitely visit the headquarters of Ningzhou Bairui Group when he had the opportunity in the future, and then smiled and took his leave.
Although Xin Yue was somewhat disappointed and reluctant to see Yang Hongtao leave, she didn't dwell on it excessively, except for a fleeting expression.
After all, she knew that she had taken advantage of Yang Hongtao on the plane, which had probably left a bad impression on him forever. Even if she tried to make amends afterward, she couldn't make Yang Hongtao forget what happened.
Moreover... she is several years older than Yang Hongtao, and even if Yang Hongtao is not married yet, it seems that there is not much possibility for the two of them to get together.
Xin Yue was a very rational woman. Although she still harbored feelings for this hopeless relationship, she was able to let go decisively. As for the matter she had originally wanted Yang Hongtao to help her with… after witnessing Yang Hongtao effortlessly earn over 140 million yuan, she had no choice but to give up for the time being. It seemed that Yang Hongtao was not short of money, and he didn't seem to have much interest in her beauty. Xin Yue really couldn't think of any other way to get Yang Hongtao to help her, so she could only watch Yang Hongtao's retreating figure and let out a soft sigh…
It was already dark when Yang Hongtao and his group entered Baoshan City. Since they couldn't make it to Tengchong that day, they found a hotel to stay in.
Yang Hongtao is now considered a moderately wealthy man, and since his former dorm mate is traveling with him, he naturally won't skimp on food and lodging. He booked three luxury rooms, one for each of the three of them.
This time, Liu Xiaofei did not refuse Yang Hongtao's arrangement. After all, she had been driving all day and was very tired. If she stayed in the car to sleep for another night, she would probably have to go straight to the hospital the next day.
Yang Hongtao and Li Yifeng originally wanted to switch with Liu Xiaofei on the way, since they knew that driving long distances would be tiring, especially since Liu Xiaofei was a girl.
But to their surprise, Liu Xiaofei was completely ungrateful for their kindness. She simply glared at them with her almond-shaped eyes and said coldly, "I'm sorry, this is my job! Please don't interfere with my work, thank you..." Then she ignored the two men, leaving them looking at each other helplessly.
The hotels in Baoshan are naturally not as well-equipped as the five-star hotels in Kunming, but they are quieter and far less noisy than the five-star hotels in Kunming.
After the three of them went back to their rooms to wash up and rest for a while, they went to the Western restaurant on the second floor for a meal.
Out of courtesy, Yang Hongtao naturally handed the menu to the only lady present, Liu Xiaofei, so that she could order first. After all, eating Western food is different from eating Chinese food. Although the food culture of foreigners is far less diverse than that of China, their practice of serving food separately is much more scientific and hygienic than the traditional Chinese custom.
Even couples in the throes of new love will order their own food at a restaurant, since no one knows their own tastes better than themselves. What they want to eat and what they like to eat are the most suitable for them to order.
Unlike the Chinese, who always serve seventeen or eighteen dishes when hosting guests, with a full range of meat and vegetables, hot and cold dishes, this way they can cater to guests with different tastes and don't have to let the guests order.
In Western restaurants, unless you are someone you know very well, it is rare for someone to order food for another person.
To everyone's surprise, Liu Xiaofei didn't even glance at the menu Yang Hongtao handed her, maintaining her cold demeanor and mechanically saying, "Anything is fine."
This immediately presented Yang Hongtao with a dilemma. Liu Xiaofei refused to order, and Yang Hongtao couldn't just let her go hungry, could he? But if he were to order, how would he know what Liu Xiaofei liked to eat or if she had any dietary restrictions? As far as Yang Hongtao knew, the prettier the girl, the more picky she was about food.
For example, Xiaoya's younger sister, Xiaoru, used to be like this. First, in order to maintain her figure, Xiaoru would never touch any meat. Second, she would resolutely refuse to eat any dishes with scallions, ginger, garlic, or chili peppers. In addition, all bean products were Xiaoru's most hated things.
So every time Yang Hongtao went out to eat with those two sisters, he had to spend a lot of time studying the menu and even had to go to the kitchen to tell the chef not to put this or that in. As a result, when Yang Hongtao heard Xiaoya say that her sister was also coming to eat with them, his head would spin three times.
Yang Hongtao hadn't cared much about Liu Xiaofei's cold attitude initially, but now he was genuinely annoyed. He figured even if he asked Liu Xiaofei again, she probably wouldn't pay him any attention, and he'd only be making a fool of himself. So he snorted, first asking Li Yifeng what he wanted to eat, and then said to the waiter standing nearby, "Please bring me a cup of coffee and a curry steak, medium-rare. Also, give this gentleman a lobster rice and a glass of rum. As for this lady... please give her a casual set meal."
The waiter was nodding repeatedly and jotting down notes on the order form, but when he heard the last sentence, he paused, stared at Yang Hongtao with wide eyes, and said, "Anything set meal? This... sir, what would you like to order? Could you be more specific? What... what is this 'anything set meal'?"
Yang Hongtao said with a stern face, "You should understand what the word 'whatever' means, right? If you don't even understand the meaning of these two words, then I'll have to talk to your manager..."
"This..." The waiter had only been working there a short time and had never encountered such a difficult customer before. He could only reply with a bitter face, "Whatever... Literally, it should mean... anything is fine. I don't know if I'm right?"
"That settles it then!" Yang Hongtao clapped his hands and chuckled, saying, "What I meant by 'any set meal' is that anything is fine. In other words... whatever dishes your restaurant has, make me one of each and bring them here until this young lady takes a liking to one of them, hehe... do you understand what I mean?"
"I...I understand!" Hearing Yang Hongtao's words, the waiter didn't relax at all; instead, he became even more nervous, breaking out in a cold sweat. His face fell as he said, "But...sir, are you sure you really want to make one of every dish? We have several dishes that are particularly expensive. If we make every single dish on the menu, then...it will probably cost at least several hundred thousand yuan. You see..."
"Several hundred thousand is fine, do you think I can't afford it?" Yang Hongtao said impatiently, pulling out a credit card from his pocket. "You can pay by card here, right? Why don't you swipe a million first and leave it at the counter? You can give me the change when we settle the bill."
"Um... well... alright then!" Seeing that Yang Hongtao didn't seem to be joking, the waiter had no choice but to bite the bullet and reach out to take the credit card from Yang Hongtao's hand. After all, anyone would feel uneasy about the way Yang Hongtao ordered. What if the customer went back on his word after dozens of dishes were served? The waiter couldn't bear that responsibility.
"I'd like a fruit salad and a glass of juice!"
Liu Xiaofei, who had been sitting there with a calm expression, finally couldn't remain silent any longer when she saw that Yang Hongtao was actually going to order such a set meal for her that could be worth hundreds of thousands of yuan. She had no choice but to speak up and order the food herself.
Otherwise, if the kitchen really brought out dozens or even hundreds of dishes, Liu Xiaofei would be even more unable to handle the situation.
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 93: Just for You
Yang Hongtao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Miss Liu had finally spoken.
Although he made over a hundred million a couple of days ago, he wasn't really extravagant enough to spend it like that. He just did that to force Liu Xiaofei to speak up.
Now that he had achieved his goal, he naturally wasn't going to be a fool to take the fall. He chuckled, nodded to the waiter, and said, "Cancel the set meal, and just bring me the one this lady ordered!"
Yang Hongtao finished speaking with a smile on his face, but in his heart he muttered disdainfully, "Why didn't he just order the food himself earlier?"
Although Yang Hongtao didn't actually say it aloud, Liu Xiaofei could guess what he meant. Her pretty face immediately darkened even more, as if a sudden downpour could break out if she squeezed it.
She was already convinced that Yang Hongtao had ill intentions towards her, so naturally she couldn't stand him no matter what he did, and everything he did seemed like he had a conspiracy.
This made him even more wary of Yang Hongtao...
As for Yang Hongtao, he seemed not to care about the matter at all, and turned around to chat and laugh with Li Yifeng next to him.
But just then, a shrill voice came from not far behind him.
"What a tasteless nouveau riche! Miss Yu, why do you Chinese people all like to show off your wealth by wasting food? Oh... God, this is simply immoral!"
This sentence was not spoken in Chinese, but by a man in fluent Italian.
Italian is not a very common foreign language, so although there are many customers and waiters in the restaurant, almost no one can understand it.
However, Yang Hongtao was an exception. He had once merged with the remnant soul of a foreign language translator on the execution ground. Among the three foreign languages that translator was most proficient in, one was Italian. So when Yang Hongtao overheard those words, he naturally understood their meaning without any difficulty.
Although he understood what was being said, Yang Hongtao wasn't really angry. After all, the way he had acted just now was a bit annoying. People who didn't know the inside story would probably think he was deliberately showing off, spending a fortune just to win the heart of a beautiful woman.
The foreigner behind him probably thought he didn't understand Italian, which is why he spoke so loudly and blatantly. Although the others didn't say anything, they probably thought the same thing.
So Yang Hongtao naturally had no reason to seek justice from a foreigner over a single sentence, right?
But when another female voice behind him started speaking fluent Italian, Yang Hongtao froze, and a strange expression involuntarily appeared on his face.
"Mr. Wilson, don't you think that's a bit much? I think that gentleman was simply trying to express his respect and care for his female companion in his own way. What he did wouldn't harm anyone else's interests, would it? So what does that have to do with morality? Besides... China has 1.3 billion people. I don't think even the most arrogant person would think they have the right to represent all Chinese people, would they? So what that gentleman did, whether right or wrong, only represents his personal behavior. Why does Mr. Wilson want to generalize about our entire country and nation based on one person's actions?"
The woman's voice was very unique, slightly hoarse yet possessing a magnetic charm that naturally evoked the most beautiful memories in the listener's mind, drawing them in without them even realizing it.
Yang Hongtao was so familiar with the woman's voice that even though many years had passed, even though they had been separated by death, and even though the woman spoke a different language, Yang Hongtao still recognized her immediately from her voice—he recognized her as the girl he had just been thinking about, the one who never ate meat, hated onions, ginger, and garlic, and disliked bean products, Yu Xiaoya's younger sister... Yu Xiaoru!
Yang Hongtao could never forget the nightmarish memory of his past life.
The thought of Yu Xiaoya's betrayal always evoked a burning feeling in Yang Hongtao's heart, a feeling that was more than just hatred; it was also a deep sorrow.
Yang Hongtao also knew that Xiaoya's family was in dire straits and that she probably needed the money Huang Lianshu had given her. Yang Hongtao could also guess that Huang Lianshu might have used some underhanded means to coerce Xiaoya into betraying her lover in order to protect herself.
Regardless of the reason, Yang Hongtao could never forgive Yu Xiaoya for everything she had done to him, because Yu Xiaoya's betrayal not only destroyed Yang Hongtao's short and young life in his previous life, but also directly destroyed the hopes and happiness of Yang Hongtao's parents for the rest of their lives.
The thought of his elderly parents losing their smiles forever because of his death made Yang Hongtao feel as if his heart was being torn apart, and he felt a deep-seated hatred for that heartless woman.
However, Yang Hongtao felt only gratitude towards Xiaoya's younger sister, Yu Xiaoru.
When Yang Hongtao's mother visited him in prison, she told him that after Yang Hongtao went to prison, Yu Xiaoru went to the Yang family home almost every day to take care of the elderly couple.
The elderly couple were already in poor health, and their worries about Yang Hongtao exacerbated their condition, causing Yang Hongtao's father to suffer from angina and his mother to experience frequent vertigo attacks. If it weren't for Yu Xiaoru's constant care, the couple would probably have collapsed before Yang Hongtao even made it to court.
At the time, the elderly couple did not know that Yang Hongtao's lawsuit was related to Yu Xiaoya. They found it very strange that Xiaoru came to take care of them every day but their son's real girlfriend did not appear.
I asked Yu Xiaoru several times, but she stammered and couldn't give me a clear answer.
The elderly couple were stunned when they attended the first court hearing and saw Yang Hongtao's girlfriend, Yu Xiaoya, sitting in the plaintiff's witness seat.
When the elderly couple returned home in a daze, and saw Yu Xiaoru still wearing an apron and cleaning the room for them, Yang Hongtao's mother couldn't help but rush over and slap Yu Xiaoru hard across the face.
Upon seeing this, Yu Xiaoru knelt down on the ground without saying a word, hugged Yang Hongtao's mother's legs, and burst into tears.
She said she didn't want to atone for her sister's sins; she was simply grateful for Yang Hongtao's help over the years and hoped to fulfill her filial duties to Yang Hongtao. Regardless of the outcome of Yang Hongtao's lawsuit, she would take care of the elderly couple as if they were her own daughter for the rest of her life.
The elderly couple were furious that Yu Xiaoya had been involved in framing their son. When they saw Yu Xiaoya's sister, they were naturally not moved by her words or tears. However, no matter how much they mocked and cursed her, Yu Xiaoru refused to leave. They couldn't even drive her away by beating her. She even moved into the Yang family's house and took the initiative to do laundry, cook, massage the elderly couple's shoulders and backs every day. She was a hundred times more filial than their own daughter.
Human hearts are made of flesh and blood. Even if the kind old couple resented Yu Xiaoya, as time went on, seeing that Yu Xiaoru always treated them the same way, they couldn't bring themselves to hate Yu Xiaoru anymore and could only accept the existence of this goddaughter.
They often lamented that their son lacked discernment, wondering why he had fallen for the heartless Yu Xiaoya instead of the loyal and devoted Yu Xiaoru. They never considered that Yang Hongtao and Yu Xiaoru were five years apart in age, and under normal circumstances, if Yu Xiaoya hadn't existed in between, the two of them might never have crossed paths in their entire lives.
Three days before Yang Hongtao's execution, Yu Xiaoru visited him in prison for the first time. She only said one sentence: "Brother Tao, go in peace! Don't worry about Mom and Dad, I'll take care of them. I, Yu Xiaoru, swear to God that I will dedicate my life to caring for them and ensuring they live out their old age in peace. At least until they pass away, I, Yu Xiaoru, will never marry or leave the Yang family! Brother Tao… you don't need to persuade me. I, Yu Xiaoru, will always keep my word, until death do us part. And please believe me… I'm not atoning for my sister's sins, I… am only… for you!"
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 94: Greetings to the Foreign Devils
Yang Hongtao didn't know what the hidden meaning was in Yu Xiaoru's words "just for you." Was she just grateful to Yang Hongtao for selflessly supporting her through university, or did she have some other meaning?
However, Yang Hongtao was already on the verge of death at that time, so he naturally had no mind to dwell on this issue. His only concern was his elderly parents. He was afraid that after his death, his parents would not be able to bear the heavy blow and would fall seriously ill. His sister was also busy taking care of the small shop that her family ran in order to make a living, so she probably wouldn't have much time to take care of their parents.
So when he heard Yu Xiaoru say that, he felt very comforted. Although he felt that Yu Xiaoru's words about never getting married were a bit excessive, he only sighed and selfishly did not offer any advice.
For three years after his death, Yang Hongtao was trapped on the execution ground. Even after his rebirth, he had not yet had the chance to return to his hometown of Zhongdu to visit. Therefore, he did not know whether Yu Xiaoru had been taking care of his parents without complaint as she had promised.
However, Yang Hongtao still believed that Yu Xiaoru would never break her promise. After all, if Yu Xiaoru hadn't taken the initiative to do so, no one would have asked her to do anything. Since she had voluntarily taken on this responsibility, she probably wouldn't give it up so easily!
Therefore, no matter how much Yang Hongtao hated Xiaoya, it did not affect his gratitude towards Xiaoru in the slightest.
Now, suddenly seeing Yu Xiaoru in Baoshan Market, thousands of miles away from Zhongdu, Yang Hongtao was both delighted and moved.
It seems this Earth is still too small! Only a few days after his rebirth, he has already seen two people whose fates are closely related to his previous life.
Yang Hongtao glanced back and saw a familiar figure sitting with his back to him in a seat less than five meters away from them.
Her figure was still so slender and delicate, giving people a pitiful feeling; her hair was still so long and black, as shiny as the hair of the female model in the shampoo advertisement; her temperament was still so elegant and refined, and she could exude a charming aura simply by sitting there quietly, without speaking or even looking at the person.
Upon realizing that the other person was indeed Yu Xiaoru, Yang Hongtao couldn't help but jump up from his seat and walk over to Yu Xiaoru.
If Yang Hongtao hadn't met Yu Xiaoru, he might not have felt such an urgent need for affection, and he might not have missed his parents as much as he does now.
But now... he felt that he couldn't bear to wait even a minute longer if he couldn't find out about his parents' situation immediately!
So, all he wanted to do now was to find out about his parents from Yu Xiaoru immediately. He wanted to know if his father's heart disease and his mother's vertigo had improved. Had they followed his instructions and gone to the hospital for a comprehensive physical examination every six months? At this moment, he had completely forgotten that in Yu Xiaoru's eyes, he had been dead for three years! All he wanted to know now was... his father, mother, and sister... were they alright?
As Yang Hongtao hurriedly approached Yu Xiaoru, excitedly gazing at her long-unseen, exquisitely beautiful face, he was about to greet her when Yu Xiaoru stood up with a look of surprise. She smiled politely at Yang Hongtao and said in standard Mandarin, "Sir, may I ask what brings you here?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Hongtao was struck dumb, his body swayed slightly, and his expression suddenly changed drastically. He then realized that he was no longer Yang Hongtao, but Zhou Ziwei!
In fact, Yang Hongtao had always been avoiding the issue of his identity. He had never considered himself Zhou Ziwei in his heart, nor had he ever thought about seriously playing the role of Zhou Ziwei.
So much so that since his rebirth, he hasn't even gone back to Zhou Ziwei's parents' home once, and has never thought of visiting Zhou Ziwei's parents and younger brother, because in his heart, they are people who have nothing to do with him.
It wasn't until he faced Yu Xiaoru that he suddenly realized that no matter what, he could never go back to being the Yang Hongtao he once was. Even if one day he could finally create a huge business empire with his own hands, use his strength to trample Huang Lianshu underfoot and ravage him at will, and have enough resources to let his parents from his previous life live like billionaires.
But... no matter what, he can never regain his identity as Yang Hongtao! Because Yang Hongtao is indeed dead, and even his body has been cremated, and now he... can only ever be Zhou Ziwei!
In fact, he had long understood these principles and had thought that from the moment he was reborn, he would completely forget the name Yang Hongtao, but how easy was it to actually do it?
Now he realizes that he really needs to adapt to the identity of Zhou Ziwei. Otherwise, if he keeps thinking of himself as Yang Hongtao from his previous life, he might expose his true colors to his acquaintances from his previous life sooner or later.
He sighed softly, finally making up his mind once again. From this moment on, he must always be mindful of his identity. From now on... he is Zhou Ziwei, and can only be Zhou Ziwei!
"Sir, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"