50: Chapter 50 Huang Yimei was stunned.

Having finished the call with Huang Yimei, Zhao Yang couldn't help but chuckle. This girl is truly a bit stubborn; it was just a painting, yet she managed to create so much internal drama.

Since he was going to be in contact with Huang Yimei anyway, Zhao Yang agreed to her invitation to have lunch together—Huang Yimei was treating.

Since both were at Tsinghua, they agreed to meet at the South Gate at eleven o'clock.

With time to spare, Zhao Yang went online to look for a suitable renovation company. According to his plan, after graduating with his doctorate, he would work in the Imperial Capital for a while to accumulate enough credentials before going to local areas for experience. He was originally a grassroots criminal police officer and a recipient of a First-Class Merit, so the grassroots experience part was already checked off. The Imperial Capital had many positions and high rankings, making it a good place for rapid promotion.

...

Although he knew Huang Yimei was a top-tier beauty, Zhao Yang had seen her from her teens to her thirties in his previous life, in an almost perfect state on the big screen, so seeing the real-life version wasn't that stunning, and his mindset wasn't like that of a green kid.

But Huang Yimei was different.

After hanging up the phone, she ran back to get dressed.

"Brother! How does this yellow dress look on me?" Huang Yimei spun around in front of Huang Zhenhua. "Dad, Mom, you guys take a look too."

Huang Zhenhua rolled his eyes, feeling hopeless: "Rose! Is this the eighth outfit already? I really have things to do... I can't look at any more!"

"Oh! This is the last one, which one do you think is best?" Huang Yimei pouted.

Huang Zhenhua scratched his hair: "The fifth one! Don't ask again, even if you ask a thousand times, it's still the fifth one! Alright, alright, I'm really busy, I'm leaving!"

"Brother! Hey you! Hmph!" Huang Yimei stomped her foot and looked at her parents. "Dad, Mom, what do you think?"

Huang Jianzhi and Wu Yuejiang exchanged a glance and said in unison: "The fifth one!"

"Really?"

"Yes!" Huang Jianzhi nodded seriously. "Your brother, me, and your mom are a family, our tastes are similar."

"Alright then, I believe you all!" Huang Yimei turned her head to look at the quartz clock on the wall and ran back to her room to put on makeup.

Wu Yuejiang sighed, sat beside Huang Jianzhi, and said with a serious face: "Old Huang, Rose isn't quite right. Is she being too enthusiastic towards that Zhao Yang? I've never seen her act like this towards any boy."

"You're overthinking it." Huang Jianzhi shook his head. "Put yourself in her shoes—suppose a painter gave you a painting, and then you found out it was worth five hundred thousand."

Wu Yuejiang's expression became even more solemn: "You mean... Zhao Yang is interested in our Rose? No way! Zhao Yang is from Jinghai, and Jinghai is so far from the Imperial Capital..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Huang Jianzhi waved his hand. "You're thinking too much. If Zhao Yang were interested in our Rose, would he have waited this long to contact her?"

"Isn't he contacting her actively now?"

"Sigh... didn't you hear what Rose said just now? It was Qingting that told Zhao Yang that Rose had taken the painting to ask for a price, and that's why he contacted her." Huang Jianzhi said, "And you heard it just now, too; Rose had to use quite a bit of persuasion to get Zhao Yang to agree to a meal."

Wu Yuejiang thought for a moment: "Now that you put it that way, it does seem to be the case."

"Give Rose some more money later." Huang Jianzhi said, "Zhao Yang's painting is worth hundreds of thousands, don't let her lose face in front of him."

"Mm, I'll go get the money."

...

Huang Yimei arrived at the South Gate of Shuimu right on time.

She wore light makeup, which added a touch of refinement to her features. Her long hair draped over her shoulders, and she wore a goose-yellow floral dress with the hem an inch above her knees, revealing her fair, slender calves. On her feet were a pair of white canvas shoes. She looked fresh and bright, as if she had walked right out of a painting.

She looked around, searching for Zhao Yang's figure. Her graceful demeanor attracted the gazes of countless people.

"Beep—"

A horn honked, and a black Audi slowly pulled up beside her.

The car window rolled down, revealing Zhao Yang's handsome face: "Huang Yimei, get in."

"Ah?" Huang Yimei was stunned. "This is your car?"

"Mm... let's talk in the car, it's hot outside."

"Okay!"

She ran to the passenger side, opened the door, and hopped in, showing a comfortable expression: "Finally, it's cool!"

Zhao Yang casually took a bottle of mineral water from the center console and handed it over: "Drink some water."

"Thank you."

"The place you mentioned is in Weigongcun, right?"

"Yeah, have you been there too?"

"I've seen it while Driving past."

"Oh..." Huang Yimei took a sip of water and turned her head to observe Zhao Yang.

He was dressed very casually, in a light-colored short-sleeved shirt and casual trousers. Combined with that face, his masculine yet scholarly temperament was pleasing no matter how you looked at it.

Zhao Yang glanced at her: "How many days has it been since you've seen a handsome guy?"

"Uh..." Huang Yimei blushed. "I just suddenly felt that your attitude towards me is a bit strange."

"Oh? In what way is it strange?"

"We've only met for the second time, but I always feel like you've known me for a long, long time."

Zhao Yang couldn't help but laugh.

Of course he had known her for a long time, but that was another version of her.

He paused: "Don't forget, you are my model. I believe that even your parents might not have observed your face as carefully as I have."

Huang Yimei nodded in realization: "No wonder."

...

The road was a bit congested, and it was almost twelve-thirty by the time they reached Weigongcun. The restaurant Huang Yimei chose was called Impression Bistro; the storefront wasn't big, but the food was very good.

The two chatted while eating. Huang Yimei vividly described the scene at the Qingting auction, her eyes dancing, chirping like an excited lark. Most of the time, Zhao Yang just listened, occasionally making a brilliant remark or throwing out a few internet memes from the future, which always made Huang Yimei laugh non-stop. Every time this happened, he would receive countless envious and jealous gazes.

"Huang Yimei!" A voice filled with some surprise came over. A man wearing glasses walked over quickly: "You're eating here too?"

Huang Yimei was a bit surprised: "Teacher Zhou, hello."

Zhao Yang took a look—good grief, what a coincidence.

Zhou Shihui.

A middle-aged man wearing glasses with greasy eyes.

In the original story, he fell in love with Huang Yimei at first sight—or to be precise, he was struck by her beauty. Then he abandoned his girlfriend of seven years, Guan Zhizhi. The most infuriating part was that he didn't confess earlier or later, but chose to call off the wedding right at the Civil Affairs Bureau when they were supposed to get their marriage license.

With Zhao Yang intervening in Huang Yimei's life so early, that farce at the Civil Affairs Bureau would likely not happen. He felt a bit of regret—he wouldn't have an excuse to beat that guy up properly.

At this moment, Zhou Shihui also noticed Zhao Yang, and his gaze showed a hint of hostility.

"Huang Yimei, is this... your classmate?"

"Let me introduce you." Huang Yimei's expression was natural.

She had started her internship at the Architectural Design Institute, and Huang Zhenhua had arranged for Zhou Shihui to be her Master; she only regarded him as her Master in her heart. "Zhao Yang, this is Teacher Zhou from the Architectural Design Institute, my Master. Teacher Zhou, this is Zhao Yang, he is..."

At this point, Huang Yimei faltered. She remembered that Zhao Yang had requested anonymity when auctioning the painting, and she wasn't sure if he had any identities among his several that he didn't want people to know about, so she leaned into Zhao Yang's ear and asked in a low voice: "How should I introduce you?"

Zhao Yang smiled, stood up, and extended his hand with an official air: "Hello, Mr. Zhou. I am the Section Chief of the Information Division of the Jinghai Public Security Bureau, Zhao Yang. Very nice to meet you."

Huang Yimei was completely stunned.

Could this... be his true identity?