20: Qin Shou, who ignored

“Oh? What was I like back then?”

Qin Shou’s tone was cold.

“You used to be so obedient to me.”

Zhu Xinyao’s tone carried a hint of annoyance.

“Heh heh, that was just being young and ignorant back then.”

“You—! Qin Shou, we’re classmates, you don’t have to be so cold to me!”

“Cold? That’s just how I am, don’t take offense.”

Qin Shou continued eating, not even bothering to lift his head or look Zhu Xinyao in the eye. Not for any other reason, but purely out of disgust.

Zhu Xinyao was genuinely annoyed now, a trace of displeasure appearing on her delicate face. In her eyes, Qin Shou should have been a simp who would come when called and leave when dismissed, someone who was naturally supposed to revolve around her, while she shone like the sun. But now, after reuniting many years later, she hadn't expected Qin Shou to be so cold. The most irritating thing was that she actually felt a little moved, which couldn't help but deal a huge blow to her self-confidence.

“Alright, I think everyone has eaten enough. I’ve booked the Emperor Club next door. Let’s go have some fun, sing some songs, soak in the hot springs, and play some cards.”

Zhang Wei saw that Zhu Xinyao’s attention was entirely on Qin Shou, and his expression was extremely grim. He had paid for this meal and meticulously planned it for so long, not to let Qin Shou freeload and then try to win over his “goddess.”

If he ultimately didn’t rekindle his old flame with Zhu Xinyao, but instead let Qin Shou get a head start, then he would truly be at a huge loss, essentially just making a wedding dress for someone else, losing both the wife and the army.

Seeing Zhu Xinyao sitting next to Qin Shou at that moment, he immediately wanted to separate them, so he suggested going to sing. Zhang Wei was quite good at singing; he had even participated in a campus singing competition during his student days. Although he only won a consolation prize, it was enough for him to be proud of. He planned to sing a romantic song passionately at the KTV, thoroughly conquering Zhu Xinyao with his voice.

Qin Shou’s family had poor financial conditions during his school years, and he had always worked part-time, rarely going to entertainment venues like KTVs. Therefore, Zhang Wei subjectively believed that Qin Shou’s singing voice couldn’t be that good, certainly not better than his. He planned to deliberately have someone hold Qin Shou back and force him to sing a song, so Qin Shou would make a fool of himself in public.

“Wow, brother wei, your arrangements are truly thoughtful! The Emperor Club is one of the top entertainment venues in the City. I heard that the facilities and services there are first-class. It’s truly an honor to be able to go there and have some fun!”

Le Xiang immediately seized the opportunity and didn’t hesitate to flatter him again.

“Damn it, I haven’t even eaten my fill yet, and we’re already going to sing! What a buzzkill!”

Nicknamed Guo Gang sat next to Qin Shou, muttering in a low voice, looking displeased. He came to this class reunion today not only to try his luck and see if he could talk to Feng Meimei, but also primarily to get a free meal, as he had been quite short on cash recently. Unfortunately, Feng Meimei had been deliberately avoiding him like the plague from beginning to end, not giving him any chance to approach her. So, he could only silently eat his meal, treating it as simply filling his stomach.

Since the “sponsor” Zhang Wei had already spoken, announcing that they were moving to a KTV to sing, the others naturally didn’t say much and all got up to follow. After all, most of the people at this large table, except for Qin Shou who arrived a bit late, had already eaten their fill, and there wasn’t much point in staying longer.

After leaving the private room, Zhang Wei secretly pulled Zhang Hui aside and whispered to her, “Zhang Hui, you and Yaoyao were best friends in college, weren’t you? Later, please put in a good word for me in front of her. Also, when I suggest that Qin Shou sing a song, remember to definitely help push it along and don’t let him refuse. After it’s done, you’ll be well rewarded, I definitely won’t mistreat you.”

As he spoke, Zhang Wei didn’t forget to pull out five thousand yuan from his wallet and secretly slip it into Zhang Hui’s hand. The economic situation wasn’t great these days, and money was hard to earn. While five thousand yuan wasn’t an astronomical sum, it wasn’t a small amount either; for an ordinary office worker, it was about half a month's salary.

Zhang Hui’s eyes immediately lit up when she saw the red banknotes in her hand, grinning from ear to ear. She naturally accepted this “favor fee” happily.

“brother wei, don’t worry! Our Yaoyao is just a bit thin-skinned and shy, not very good at expressing her feelings.

When she was studying, she liked excellent and manly boys. brother wei, you have money, good looks, and taste! Yaoyao must be smitten. I’ll whisper some good words in her ear then, and I guarantee you’ll win the beauty over!”

“Heh heh, then I’ll trouble you.”

Zhang Wei nodded in satisfaction.

Actually, Zhang Hui was right. Zhu Xinyao was a very realistic woman. During her school days, she liked to date multiple people, adhering to the principle of “not putting all eggs in one basket,” enjoying what she had while looking for more, and always surrounded by a bunch of backups for her to choose from and compare. It was truly “casting a wide net to catch many fish.”

Ultimately, she chose a student union vice-president from among her many admirers. That person was also a Second-generation rich with a wealthy family background. Unfortunately, that Second-generation rich was a playboy at heart, extremely fond of fun. Once the novelty wore off, he grew tired of Zhu Xinyao in less than a year and mercilessly divorced her, leaving her with nothing.

Now, she came to this class reunion indeed harboring the idea of getting back together with Zhang Wei, after all, in the eyes of her classmates, Zhang Wei’s family owned a mine.

Originally, Qin Shou had no chance in front of Zhang Wei, as Qin Shou was just an ordinary working-class man, a “poor loser,” not on the same level as Zhang Wei at all.

But no one expected that after Qin Shou’s rebirth, his entire demeanor changed dramatically, completely captivating Zhu Xinyao’s attention. Most importantly, Qin Shou acted too coldly towards her, even somewhat indifferently.

A woman like her, who had been pampered and adored since childhood, the center of attention, the colder you were to her, the more she would feel challenged and want to conquer you.

Her self-esteem and pride made it impossible for her to accept that the “simp” who used to be so obedient to her now treated her with indifference. This was a huge denial of her charm. Therefore, she was even more determined to re-attract Qin Shou’s attention and make him fall at her feet again.

Of course, given Zhu Xinyao’s personality, she might not actually give Qin Shou any substantial opportunity. Perhaps once Qin Shou truly fell for her and intended to “simp” for her again like before, she would find it boring and then mercilessly dump Qin Shou, just as she did back then. What she enjoyed, perhaps, was merely the feeling of being pursued and admired.

“Old Qin, I saw that Zhu Xinyao was quite enthusiastic towards you just now, initiating conversation and pouting cutely. Why were you so indifferent? That’s really not like your old style! Didn’t you used to love revolving around her?”

On the way to the Emperor Club, Guo Gang finally couldn’t hold back hisdoubt, leaning close to Qin Shou and asking in a low voice.

“I say, Nicknamed Guo Gang, how many years have passed? Why are you still dwelling on old news? Can’t you see how that woman Feng Meimei treated you? Wake up, my brother! The most important thing for a man is to make money! With money, what kind of woman can’t you find? Women like Feng Meimei, aren’t they a dime a dozen?”

Qin Shou patted Guo Gang’s shoulder with earnest words.

“You’re such a braggart! I remember you were quite enthusiastic when you were simping for Pan Lian before! You almost wanted to give her your heart! Zhu Xinyao is much prettier than that Pan Lian, so why aren’t you interested now, kid? Have you changed?”

Guo Gang pouted, clearly not buying Qin Shou’s explanation.

“You—! I only truly woke up after that Pan Lian incident! Men, never fall for women with true feelings. It’s okay to go with lust, but never with your heart!”

Qin Shou was momentarily speechless, choked by Guo Gang’s words. However, he then thought that before his rebirth, he was indeed not fundamentally different from Guo Gang in terms of relationships; they were both simps.

“Forget it, damn it, I won’t talk about it anymore. You wouldn’t understand even if I did! Someday, I’ll take you to get rich together and let you witness what true ‘money power’ is!”

Seeing that Guo Gang was still a bit dense, Qin Shou decided to prove it to him with action.

“Take me to get rich? I say, Old Qin, weren’t you just laid off by your company? You’re penniless now, where are you planning to get rich? Are you going to pick up money on the street?”

Guo Gang’s spirits lifted when he heard Qin Shou say he would take him to get rich.

“Heh heh, my path to wealth is through them!”

Qin Shou smiled mysteriously, then pointed to Zhang Wei, who was confidently leading the group ahead, gesticulating and speaking loudly as he walked.

“No way, I say, Old Qin, you’re not mistaken, are you? That guy Zhang Wei clearly doesn’t like you. Are you still hoping he’ll lend you money? Are you out of your mind?”

Guo Gang felt Qin Shou’s words were preposterous.

“Who the hell said anything about borrowing money? I’m ‘taking’ it! Understand? It’s ‘taking,’ not ‘borrowing’!”

“Taking? How are you going to take it? Are you planning to just rob him?”

Guo Gang was completely confused by Qin Shou’s words. He really couldn’t figure out how Qin Shou intended to “take” money from Zhang Wei.

“Just open your eyes and watch carefully. You’ll understand in a bit!”

Qin Shou smiled mysteriously and didn’t explain further.