Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 201: Good Intentions Hard to Accept (Fifth Wugeng)

Chapter 201: Chapter 201: Good Intentions Hard to Accept (Fifth Wugeng)

Miao Qingqing’s arrival made the relaxed gathering suddenly become awkward, and everyone faced her without knowing what topic to bring up.

Miao Qingqing lightly tapped Song Xiaodong’s leg with her finger, which meant she was asking how she was doing.

Song Xiaodong grasped Miao Qingqing’s hand and gave her thumb a lift, indicating his praise for her.

Miao Qingqing’s hand, having been caught, only moved slightly, then she did not struggle. After all, this guy had already taken advantage of her quite a few times, so letting go of her hand seemed no big deal—especially after sensing Song Xiaodong’s praise, she felt quite proud of herself.

Having such a girlfriend made Zhou Peng and the others feel somewhat ashamed, which annoyed them. Zhou Peng said with a laugh, "Song Xiaodong, can you share with us your love story? It feels like something out of a romance novel, incredibly hard to believe."

Song Xiaodong laughed heartily and said, "Actually, there’s not much to it. We fell in love at first sight, then decided to spend our lives together. Next, we’re just waiting to have a shotgun wedding."

Miao Qingqing’s face darkened. Song Xiaodong really could spout nonsense—how could he say such things? She couldn’t help but stealthily pinch his leg below.

Listening to Song Xiaodong’s story, which clearly didn’t seem real, the others didn’t want to probe further since he didn’t want to share, but still, Song Xiaodong and Miao Qingqing gave off this feeling like a flower stuck in cow dung.

Zhou Peng adjusted his mentality and said with a smile, "Look, Song Xiaodong, you’ve got such a beautiful girlfriend, and we’re all envious. But to put it unpleasantly, finding a beautiful wife is easy, but to keep one is definitely hard. A beautiful woman will always catch many people’s attention."

Song Xiaodong turned to look at Miao Qingqing and asked, "Qingqing, would you leave me if you met a rich man?"

Miao Qingqing showed a sweet smile and said, "Of course not. When I got together with you, I was already prepared to go through hardships. I believe you will soar to great heights in the future."

The two of them once again spread a table full of dog food, making Zhou Peng and the others feel suffocated.

Su Yao squinted at Miao Qingqing and said, "Qingqing, what do you rely on for a living now?"

Miao Qingqing looked at Song Xiaodong and said, "I just do some odd jobs when I’m free, like housekeeping, supermarket temp work, you know. Just work a bit harder and earn some money."

Song Xiaodong once again secretly gave Miao Qingqing a thumbs up. He could feel his classmates targeting him, and he knew it was because Miao Qingqing was too eye-catching, making others envious.

The food had arrived, so everyone started to drink. As the drinking began, naturally followed spirited discussions. Everyone talked about their jobs, how much money they made, and each one seemed like a success story in their own right.

Miao Qingqing and Song Xiaodong didn’t interject, acting as loyal listeners.

For Miao Qingqing, it was rare to have the chance to chat with such people. Those she dealt with were either rich or noble. Here, even Zhou Peng, who had started a small company, seemed very superficial in her eyes.

After discussing incomes, everyone started talking about networking.

Zhou Peng said, "My company has been developing quite rapidly recently, and we’re now in touch with Qingyuan Group. If I can get a connection with them, my company will really take off. Wang Yuming, you’re in the government department; do you know anyone in Qingyuan Group, ideally someone with some power? Help me out and introduce me sometime."

Wang Yuming replied, "Well, I do know a few people, but the management at Qingyuan Group has become much stricter than before, and people there don’t dare to mess around anymore. I’m unable to help at the moment; you will have to start from the top. It’d be great if you could meet the CEO."

Su Yao sighed and said, "Those are multi-billionaires we’re talking about; it’s not that easy to make their acquaintance. But I heard that the new CEO of Qingyuan Group is a young woman not much older than us. To think of it, she’s in her twenties and already worth over a hundred million, a genuine rich and beautiful woman, and here we are, struggling to make a few hundred thousand a year."

Cui Sijiao chimed in, "The female CEO of the Miao family you’re talking about, I’ve actually heard my dad mention her. He said she’s very beautiful, her name is Miao... Miao Qing... Huh?"

Cui Sijiao suddenly turned to look at Miao Qingqing, eyes widened, and said, "You’re not Qingyuan Group’s Miao Qingqing, are you? Ah ha, how could that be possible!" Cui Sijiao had barely finished speaking when she immediately started shaking her head, "If you really were Qingyuan Group’s Miao Qingqing, then why would you fancy Song Xiaodong? That’s just a fanciful tale."

Miao Qingqing laughed out loud; the remark was clearly a dig at Song Xiaodong. She glanced at Song Xiaodong, smiling, and said, "Yeah, Xiaodong is also always saying, why do I share the same name with that Miao Qingqing, yet she’s so wealthy and I have nothing. He’s really quite vexed about it."

Su Yao looked at Miao Qingqing skeptically and said, "But you’re just as pretty, and you share the same name with Miao Qingqing. You couldn’t be keeping it a secret from Song Xiaodong, could you?"

"Pfft!" Cui Sijiao immediately let out a light laugh and said, "Su Yao, you really have quite the imagination, thinking this is like a story from a novel where the rich beauty marries a poor guy—it’s just too funny."

Su Yao herself felt that her thought was quite ridiculous and said, "Yeah, I was just talking nonsense. I’ve indeed been reading too many of those romance novels lately."

As they continued to drink and chat, they were all quite merry, and the more they drank, the more they reminisced about their school days.

Song Xiaodong and Miao Qingqing had been finding the class reunion a bit dull, but once the conversation turned to those days, Song Xiaodong could join in, and Miao Qingqing also found it somewhat interesting.

Su Yao looked at Song Xiaodong and said, "Song Xiaodong, I actually feel quite sorry for you. Back in the day, you were a figure who commanded respect in our class. I always thought you’d make something of yourself, but who knew you’d end up doing so poorly. How about this, later on you could join Zhou Peng’s company. At the very least, he could give you a hand and help you do better than you are on your own, maybe even buy some nice clothes for your girlfriend."

Zhou Peng also lifted his chin and added, "Yeah, since we’re classmates after all, I could easily give you a hand and help you make more money, then you could buy your girlfriend some nice clothes to wear."

Song Xiaodong rubbed his nose and said, "Thanks for the kind offer, but I feel pretty good about where I am right now."

Su Yao glared and said, "Come on, Song Xiaodong, that’s not right. You should have some ambition. If you’re not driven to improve, how are you going to provide a good life for Miao Qingqing? Let me tell you, the way you are, it’s not just me who might look down on you, even Miao Qingqing might leave you one day."

When everyone else was making fun of him, he could remain nonchalant, but now that they were offering their kindness, it put Song Xiaodong in a difficult position. He couldn’t exactly say that this Miao Qingqing was the real Miao Qingqing, right?