I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping
Chapter 467 - 414 Shrimp and Pork Heart

Chapter 467: 414 Shrimp and Pork Heart

"That’s it."

Jiang Chen handed the menu back to the waiter, then noticed the kid hunching over with his head down, his posture strange.

"Did you drop something?"

Jiang Chen glanced at the floor without thinking.

The floor was spotlessly clean, laid with high-end porcelain tiles, virtually dustless.

"No."

Hong Xiaoyu was still burying his head, unwrapping the utensils as if he were a thief.

"You’re so young; you haven’t gotten cervical spondylosis, have you?"

Jiang Chen teased without a clue.

At this moment, Hong Xiaoyu couldn’t even force a smile, let alone pretend to.

Even though it was just a quick glance, he recognized the girl who had just entered, the one who had made up an excuse about having plans tonight and rejected him, Ren Miao.

Yet, here she was with another boy.

Did she choose not to go to that barbecue restaurant because she was worried about bumping into him?

His heart throbbed painfully, making it hard for Hong Xiaoyu to breathe.

Only when he anticipated that they had seated themselves did Hong Xiaoyu slowly raise his head, not daring to peek, but the corner of his eye still caught sight of Ren Miao and the young man finding a table relatively far away, with a waiter already attending to them—it seemed they hadn’t noticed him.

"What’s wrong? Not feeling well?"

Jiang Chen was starting to sense something was amiss.

The kid’s face suddenly lost all color as if he had lost his soul.

"No, really, I’m fine, bro. Maybe the air conditioning is a bit low."

Even though he knew they were too far away to be overheard, Hong Xiaoyu’s voice still instinctively dropped.

It was odd—he hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he acted like he felt incredibly guilty.

The air conditioning was on?

Jiang Chen was surprised.

He felt nothing of the sort.

Just as he was about to speak, his phone suddenly rang.

He had to stop what he was saying and took out his phone to check it.

"I’m gonna take a call."

"Mm."

As his cousin stood up, Hong Xiaoyu could no longer contain the turmoil in his heart. Even without looking in that direction, he could sense the cheerful and harmonious atmosphere over there.

For a moment, he felt an urge to flee the restaurant.

She might have found a better option.

The words his cousin had spoken on the gymnasium steps echoed back to him.

It turned out to be prophetic.

"I’m back, where are you?"

"Getting ready to eat."

Without any knowledge of his cousin’s inner torment, Jiang Chen walked to a quiet place with his phone.

Obviously, the call at this time could be from no one else.

"Are you alone?"

Miss Shi asked.

"No."

Jiang Chen replied casually.

Miss Shi was surprised.

She had turned down a welcome party hosted by the Hancheng company, rushing back early specifically because she was worried about this guy being lonely all by himself.

Who knew it seemed she was just being sentimental?

"You have friends in Hancheng?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

Jiang Chen retorted.

"Male or female?"

Shi Qianxi immediately followed up.

"Are you a cop or a neighborhood committee auntie?"

Miss Shi didn’t have the patience to spar with him and repeated, "I’m asking you if it’s a male or female?"

She almost forgot, Hancheng was this guy’s hometown. It wouldn’t be strange for him to have friends here, but she didn’t bring him here to facilitate his flirtations!

"A guy."

Jiang Chen didn’t bother to go into details with this young lady, especially since it was rare for him to visit his cousin.

"It’s my brother, nothing else, I’m hanging up now."

He was straightforward and honest, but sometimes the truth can be met with more suspicion.

Especially when he was so eager to hang up, it looked even more like he was lying.

"I’m coming over as well."

Miss Shi said immediately.

"What for?"

"To eat! I haven’t had dinner yet either."

Miss Shi’s tone made it sound like it was the most natural thing.

"I’m eating with my brother, why do you want to come?"

Without hesitating, Jiang Chen responded, "It’s inconvenient."

Miss Shi was a smart person; after knowing him for so long, she fully understood that playing hardball with this guy usually didn’t work.

"Jiang Chen, do you have any humanity? Uncle Duan and the others were going to throw a welcoming banquet for me, and I didn’t go. I rushed back just to be with you, yet you just leave me alone, is that it?"

Hearing the grievous yet pitiful tone on the other end, Jiang Chen instantly felt a headache coming on.

"It’s really not convenient."

"What’s so inconvenient? Isn’t it just your brother? Or are you not really with your brother? You don’t have a lover in Hancheng, do you?"

The rapid-fire questions came from the other end.

Great.

Things were getting more and more far-fetched.

Jiang Chen was about to just hang up the phone, but then he remembered that this young lady had just experienced a major setback in life, her parents weren’t around, and she was now bearing an unimaginable amount of pressure. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of compassion.

"I really am with my brother."

He replied helplessly.

"Then let me come over."

Miss Shi probably didn’t often use such a pleading tone with anyone.

Jiang Chen knew that if he didn’t agree, his dinner wouldn’t be peaceful.

"If you want to come, then come."

"I knew you were the best to me."

Even through the phone, it was as if he could see her beaming smile.

Jiang Chen was speechless.

"I’ll send you the location."

After saying that, he hung up and sent her the location, then quickly returned to his seat, calling over the waiter. "Add another set of utensils, and come out with the dishes later."

"Sure."

"Bro, what’s going on?"

"A friend of mine might be coming over later, you don’t mind, do you?"

Jiang Chen explained.

Surprised and with a heart in disarray, Hong Xiaoyu quickly shook his head.

"Of course I don’t mind."

Thinking of that lady’s style, Jiang Chen hesitated for a moment but decided to prepare his cousin mentally beforehand.

"... My friend, she likes to joke around a lot. Whatever she says later, just listen and don’t take it seriously."

Hong Xiaoyu forced himself to shift his attention, picking up the teapot to fill both cups.

"Brother, did you come to Hancheng to be with this friend?"

"Yeah."

"Is she your classmate?"

"No, she’s a friend from outside school. She came to Hancheng on a business trip, so I accompanied her here, and took the opportunity to visit you."

Jiang Chen glossed over the details.

It wasn’t that he intended to hide the truth.

It’s just that if he mentioned she was the new chairman of Jinhai Industrial, he was worried his cousin might not be able to handle it.

Hong Xiaoyu squeezed out a very stiff smile.

He was happy his cousin had come to see him.

But if his cousin saw this joke...

He already regretted not choosing a place that was further away.

"Do you have something on your mind?"

Jiang Chen, whose call with that lady had been interrupted, once again noticed his cousin’s unusual behavior.

After all, he was now Pei Yunxi’s boss and had picked up a bit of acting skill from his time around professional actors. Moreover, Hong Xiaoyu’s facial control was far from satisfactory.

"No."

Hong Xiaoyu hurriedly picked up his teacup.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen became even more convinced.

"Ever since you sat down, you’ve been a bit restless. Are you still thinking about that girl?"

Hong Xiaoyu’s hand trembled, and his face grew paler.

"Brother, let’s not talk about it. I was delusional, daydreaming beyond my reach."

Jiang Chen frowned slightly.

"What happened?"

Hong Xiaoyu pursed his lips, holding his teacup and looking down in silence.

"Lift your head."

Jiang Chen’s tone was no longer frivolous.

Although he had once been notorious for being a sycophant and maybe still was, he had never felt inferior because of it.

No matter how much ridicule he faced from others, he went about things his own way.

If you don’t respect yourself, then no one else will respect you.

"Speak up. Don’t be slouched and sulk—act like a man."

Having followed his cousin around since childhood, Jiang Chen held some authority in Hong Xiaoyu’s heart.

Hong Xiaoyu instinctively lifted his head, hesitating and appearing too embarrassed to speak.

"Out with it. What happened?"

Hong Xiaoyu wanted to look down again, but with his cousin watching, he managed to keep his neck straight.

"Brother, you were right, she might really like someone else."

"Why do you say that?"

Jiang Chen continued to inquire.

"Brother, let’s not talk about it."

Hong Xiaoyu looked pained.

"I don’t have to ask, but can you stop thinking about it? I’m your brother. Are you afraid of embarrassing yourself in front of me?"

Finally, Hong Xiaoyu couldn’t hold back the flood of emotions inside, "Brother, you wanted to see her, right? She’s here."

This time, it was Jiang Chen’s turn to be taken aback.

He certainly wasn’t naive, and quickly scanned the room.

There were roughly six or seven tables in the restaurant, and intuitively, Jiang Chen’s gaze settled on the young man and woman sitting by themselves at a distant table.

"Is she the girl you were talking about?"

"Yeah."

Awkwardness and sadness interlaced across Hong Xiaoyu’s face.

"What a coincidence."

Jiang Chen observed for a while.

No wonder the kid’s emotions had suddenly shifted.

Still so young, or rather, inexperienced with setbacks.

This little scene had already broken his defenses.

It was just a meal, but if he had been in the same situation as Jiang Chen and Ai Qian, this kid might have considered jumping off a building.

"Brother, stop looking."

Hong Xiaoyu seemed worried about being discovered.

"Aren’t you going to say hello?"

Jiang Chen withdrew his gaze.

Hong Xiaoyu was stunned.

"Brother, do you think I haven’t embarrassed myself enough?"

"If you go over and say hello now, you’ll definitely impress them."

Jiang Chen spoke earnestly.

Hong Xiaoyu was at a loss for words.

Impress them?

He feared the awkwardness would be extreme.

"Brother, she’s not my girlfriend. It’s her right to dine with anyone."

Hong Xiaoyu felt that his cousin was encouraging him to make a scene.

But little did he know the extent of Jiang Chen’s magnanimity.

Had it been Jiang Chen, he might have actually gone over to say hello—and would have done so politely.

What an excellent opportunity to turn the tables.

You’re anxious and uncomfortable now, but if you went over, perhaps it’s the other party who would end up feeling uneasy and embarrassed.

"Since you know she’s not your girlfriend and that it’s her freedom to dine with whomever, what are you fussing over here for?"

Hong Xiaoyu was left speechless.

"That girl doesn’t seem particularly outstanding. What do you like about her?"

Such an age-old mystery couldn’t elicit an answer from Hong Xiaoyu either.

After watching him for a while, Jiang Chen kindly suggested, "How about we change restaurants?"

"No need, we’ve already ordered."

Although Hong Xiaoyu very much wanted to leave, he wasn’t cowardly enough to actually take his cousin and escape.

"They eat theirs, and we’ll eat ours."

Not bad.

There might be hope yet.

Jiang Chen was slightly relieved.