63: Chapter 63 Accidentally Entering the Imperial Family: The True Noble Male Supporting Character 24

"Is... is that the idea? She had thought..."

Not knowing what she had thought of, Qiao Chuxia felt as if fireworks were exploding above her head.

She wished she could jump off the balcony right now; it was a lawn below anyway, and that would still be better than being embarrassed here.

She closed her eyes and simply decided to give up on trying to maintain her composure.

"No, and does this count as a test question? I am just here to freeload off your food and drinks."

Meng Zhu turned his head, his gaze landing on her reddened earlobes.

"Then shall I send the head chef to Yujing Mountain?"

"No... that is not what I meant."

Meng Zhu could not suppress the curve of his lips, which turned into a low, light chuckle.

"Alright, I will not tease you anymore. Shall I tell you a story?"

Qiao Chuxia cast a glance with her beautiful, large eyes.

"What story?"

Meng Zhu looked toward the brilliant lights below the mountain.

"Hmm, once upon a time, there was an ordinary person who asked his wealthy friend for advice on how to make money. The wealthy friend said, 'What do you have on hand right now?' The person said, 'I have an ordinary job that pays five thousand a month, and a car.' The wealthy friend replied, 'Good, then go and sell the car first.'"

Qiao Chuxia listened attentively.

"However, at this moment, the ordinary person was very conflicted. That was a car he had saved up for a very, very long time to buy, and he had only used it for a year. After the wealthy friend tried to persuade him a few times, he just gave up. He said, 'I am very sorry, I am not very good at teaching people how to make money, so I cannot help you.' And so, they parted on bad terms."

Meng Zhu turned back to meet Qiao Chuxia's eyes.

"Tell me, was he really unable to teach him?"

Qiao Chuxia pursed her lips, organizing her thoughts.

"He had already taught him, but he was indeed unable to teach him."

"Oh? Why?"

A flash of surprise and appreciation crossed Meng Zhu's eyes.

"Selling the car is the first step. The very obvious change is that selling the car can instantly provide a sum of cash, but he is unwilling. He fears risk, he fears losing what he already possesses, and he even fears change? So, this person—at the very least—cannot be taught by the wealthy friend's method."

Meng Zhu nodded.

"He could not teach him, even more so because the ordinary person's perspective was too narrow. He only saw what was lost, subconsciously ignoring the benefits due to risk and loss, or even the potential startup capital that could change his fate."

Qiao Chuxia curled her lips; what made her happy was that this test question was not difficult, and she had seen through it quite easily.

But Meng Zhu continued.

His voice became much gentler.

"You were the same today. Those people are smarter than you imagine. Have you ever thought that they would not think you are just lucky, but rather, they would wonder what merits you possess that attracted me?"

Qiao Chuxia was stunned. Perhaps deep down, she had never truly faced her own merits.

From the mockery of her classmates since she was young, the suppression from the Qiao Family, and even the unintentional belittling by Chu Yunting, her confidence had always remained hidden.

"They will wonder, what is it that made me notice you? Can it be replicated? Can it be learned?"

"After we shook hands, while you felt the change, you should also have seen the benefits it brought. What can you gain by utilizing it?"

"In fact, they are yearning to be utilized by you."

His voice carried the power of reassurance, speaking in an understated manner.

Yet Qiao Chuxia saw the frantic intertwining of human nature.

"But I do not want to consider this... at least with you, I would rather make friends in an equal and comfortable way."

The girl's eyes were astonishingly bright in the night, and coupled with that stubborn expression, she looked like a small cat with its fur standing on end.

"Of course, I hope for the same. I am simply teaching you to see 'social value' and 'power potential.' This does not affect our equal interaction, because we do not have to care about the opinions of outsiders."

Is that so?

Qiao Chuxia's mood was like a roller coaster, softening instantly.

"Then you say that, and I did indeed see something else, for example, Li Feifei; that is called 'social investment.'"

"Completely correct."

Meng Zhu nodded, his tone filled with praise.

"You are indeed very smart."

An indescribable joy welled up in Qiao Chuxia's heart.

"However, she is quite straightforward, and I do not dislike that."

The smile in Meng Zhu's eyes deepened.

"You have made great progress; your eye for people is becoming more and more accurate."

Not only smart, but also able to draw inferences about other cases from one instance.

Thinking of this, Meng Zhu praised her again.

"So, your phone call just now was also done well."

"The phone call?"

Qiao Chuxia did not understand.

"Just now on the phone, you did not try to explain or justify yourself; instead, you borrowed the influence of a 'wild man' to scare Qiao Zhenghong."

"This proves that you have put what you learned into practice."

"You... please stop saying 'wild man'..."

Qiao Chuxia became embarrassed again.

Meng Zhu nodded with a smile.

"Alright, since you have learned for so long, you will eventually need to have some practical experience. How about starting a company?"

"Start a company?"

Qiao Chuxia was stunned; she was still in school, but upon careful thought, it seemed that would not affect anything.

"Think about it carefully, and then I will give you a company for you to manage with full authority to see the results?"

Indeed, talk on paper is always shallow; one must eventually take the field personally.

Moreover, with her own company and strength, she could also deal with Qiao Zhenghong sooner.

Thinking of this, Qiao Chuxia did not act pretentious.

"Alright, then I will go back and think about it."

The conversation reaching this point seemed to mark the end of the lesson.

For a moment, Qiao Chuxia did not know what other topic to bring up, or perhaps it was getting late, and maybe she should head back?

Meeting Meng Zhu's eyes, she said something on a whim.

"Lady Elizabeth said that you usually go back and stay in your study today. How did you think of coming to the balcony?"

She did not realize that she had subconsciously asked a question to probe the man's thoughts.

Deep down, she already wanted to explore the man's life.

The night wind blew again, carrying a hint of chill.

Qiao Chuxia's exposed shoulders shivered involuntarily.

The next second, a suit jacket with body warmth and high-quality texture was gently draped over her shoulders.

She was stunned, and looking up, she crashed into Meng Zhu's gentle eyes, which were right before her.

"The wind is strong on the mountaintop."

He said gently, naturally pulling the lapels together for her.

"The reasons I came to the balcony are many; for example, I like to feel the night wind, I like to look at the night view, and also because I wanted to come see you and talk to you."

Qiao Chuxia was stunned, her heartbeat missing several beats.

The blush that had faded due to the discussion of the lesson climbed back onto her ears.

Yet at this moment, the man said again:

"Sorry, just a joke."

Qiao Chuxia was dumbfounded, and a look of embarrassment was about to appear on her face, but the man suddenly chuckled:

"In fact, I do not like the night wind or the night view at all."

Qiao Chuxia went numb.

Her whole body felt weak, that kind of numb, tingling sensation.

This man could always stir up her emotions unintentionally.

He always unintentionally liked to say such words that one could completely not handle.

She clutched the man's jacket on her body.

"You... it is getting late, I have to go back."

Without waiting for a response, Qiao Chuxia ran away in a hurry with a flushed face.

Meng Zhu turned around and smiled as he watched her flustered back.