162: Chapter 162 Qin Yi Runs into His Good Brother While Buying a House

The distance between the Bund Center and the Shenjiangwan Community wasn't far; after leaving the community and passing just three traffic lights, several skyscrapers over a hundred meters tall came into view.

As soon as Qin Yi’s car came to a steady halt, the staff members, who had already been notified by Manager Bai, eagerly hurried over.

A middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses and a steady demeanor stepped forward. He warmly and proactively held the car door for Qin Yi. Once Qin Yi stepped out, the man enthusiastically extended his hand for a handshake and introduced himself: "Hello, Mr. Qin. I am the person in charge of the Hongtian Group's Bund Center project; my name is Wei Ming."

"Hello, Manager Wei. I'm Qin Yi," Qin Yi replied with a smile.

At this moment, Qin Yi's parents, along with Xu Qian and Qin Xiaoyue, also walked over from the car. Wei Ming nodded to them, but since there were ladies present and Qin Yi didn't introduce them, Wei Ming felt it wouldn't be polite to ask. Fortunately, no one minded. Qin Yi said with a smile, "Manager Wei, shall we head inside and take a look?"

"Of course, of course," Wei Ming said as he led the group toward the T3 Office Building. "This way, please." As they walked, he introduced the surrounding facilities to Qin Yi and the others, his tone carrying a hint of pride.

The group listened to the introduction while curiously looking around. Qin Xiaoyue was especially excited; she took out her phone and kept snapping photos, thinking to herself, "Wow, this place is amazing! The environment is so much better than that previous MCN Company!"

Xu Qian couldn't help but feel a sense of longing as well. Ever since coming to the Magic City, she had always dreamed of working in such a high-end office building. Whenever she saw those white-collar workers coming out of the buildings looking glamorous, she was very envious. However, reality was cruel; for someone like her without a high level of education, even if she managed to get a job in a building like this, it would only be at the bottom level with the lowest salary...

But just then, a sudden, sharp reprimand in English pierced the harmonious atmosphere: "You're so stupid! Why did you do that?! Why!"

Immediately after, a blonde, blue-eyed foreign woman in a sharp professional suit rushed over in her high heels, looking displeased. Her brow was furrowed, her face full of impatience, and her aura was so powerful she seemed to ignore all obstacles. As she hurried past Qin Yi and Wei Ming, she actually cut right across the path of Qin Yi's group.

Wei Ming froze, clearly not expecting this. He shot a displeased look at the foreign woman, then immediately gave Qin Yi an apologetic smile, explaining tactfully, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Qin, you've had to witness such a scene... This is a CBD area with many foreign companies, so naturally, there are quite a few foreign friends. As you know, these foreigners tend to have more outgoing personalities..."

Before he could finish, a well-built man with slightly dark skin, also dressed in a sharp suit, chased after her in a hurry. His face was full of anxiety as he pleaded while running, "Manager, please let me explain... It's really not what you think... I didn't harass her, it was her..."

Qin Yi recognized the man at a glance—it was the eldest in his dorm room, Wang Tengfei. Compared to his real name, Qin Yi preferred to call him by his nickname, 'Fatty Wang.' A flash of surprise crossed Qin Yi's eyes as he blurted out, "Fatty Wang!"

However, Wang Tengfei didn't notice Qin Yi; his mind was entirely on that foreign woman. He followed closely behind her, desperately trying to explain something, though Qin Yi and the others couldn't tell exactly what was being said.

Suddenly, the foreign woman stopped, turned around abruptly, and pointed at Wang Tengfei. Her face was full of displeasure and anger as she scolded him bluntly, "Shut Up! You! Fired!" With that, she turned and left without hesitation, leaving Wang Tengfei standing there in shock, as if he hadn't yet processed the sudden turn of events.

Qin Yi watched this scene, feeling a bit stunned, a complex look flashing in his eyes. Beside him, Wei Ming wanted to remind Qin Yi to move on, but he was stopped by a look from Manager Bai.

After a moment, Qin Yi turned to Manager Bai and said, "Manager Bai, you guys go up and take a look first. I have something to take care of; I'll join you in a bit."

Manager Bai agreed without saying much. Then, Qin Yi turned to Qin Jianye and Wu Xiuhua, a smile touching the corners of his mouth as he said calmly, "Dad, Mom, you go ahead with Manager Bai. I ran into an old friend; I'll talk to him for a bit and then come find you."

"Alright, we'll head up first then," Qin Jianye said, lightly patting Qin Yi's shoulder and glancing toward Wang Tengfei. Then, the group continued toward the T3 building.

Meanwhile, Wang Tengfei seemed to lose all his energy in an instant. He trudged dejectedly to a bench under the shade of a tree and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Just as he put one in his mouth, he realized he didn't have a lighter. In a fit of anger, he crumpled the cigarette pack in his hand and threw it hard onto the ground.

Then, Wang Tengfei slumped onto the bench, loosened his suffocating collar, and continued to mutter something indignantly to himself.

Watching Wang Tengfei's actions, Qin Yi felt a wave of emotion. He took a deep breath, looked around, and seeing a convenience store nearby, he walked over quickly. A short while later, Qin Yi emerged from the convenience store carrying two bottles of Coke, a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter.

At that moment, Wang Tengfei was sitting in the shade with his head down, fiddling with his phone, completely unaware of Qin Yi approaching him.

Qin Yi walked up, picked up the crushed cigarette box from the ground, tossed it into a nearby trash can, and sat down next to Wang Tengfei. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the phone screen; the guy was staring blankly at his WeChat balance.

Qin Yi smiled, a look of understanding in his eyes. Then, he reached out and handed over the pack of Chunghwa and the lighter he had just bought, saying with a smile, "Buddy, have one of mine."

Wang Tengfei’s body jolted. He felt the voice sounded familiar and looked up in confusion at the person speaking.

When his gaze fell on Qin Yi’s face, his eyes widened instantly, and a surprised smile appeared on his face. Qin Yi smiled back and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Holy crap!" He jumped up, hugged Qin Yi tightly, and slapped his back excitedly, shouting, "Old Fourth! What are you doing here! I've missed you so much!"

Qin Yi was startled by Wang Tengfei’s sudden enthusiasm. He also smiled and patted Wang Tengfei’s shoulder. "Boss, Boss, easy, take it easy with the patting, or I'm going to cough up blood."

Wang Tengfei gave a silly laugh, released his arms from around Qin Yi, and instead gripped Qin Yi’s shoulders, looking him up and down with delight. Then, he nodded with satisfaction, a sentimental smile on his face. "Not bad, not bad, Old Fourth. You haven't changed much, though your skin is a bit tanner than when we were in school." As he spoke, he patted Qin Yi’s firm arm, a flash of admiration in his eyes. "And your physique is much stronger than back at school!"

Hearing Wang Tengfei’s praise, Qin Yi couldn't help but give a self-deprecating laugh. He waved his hand and said, "Haha, Boss, don't overpraise me. This build of mine was all worked out from that time delivering food and running express packages."

Hearing Qin Yi say this, Wang Tengfei felt a bit uneasy. Looking at this brother he had spent over three years of his youth with, he felt a strange surge of emotion. He swallowed, and to keep from losing his composure, he quickly changed the subject, pointing to a nearby Starbucks. "There's a Starbucks over there, Old Fourth. I'll buy you a coffee. It's so hot today, let's not stay out here in the sun."

Qin Yi looked in the direction Wang Tengfei was pointing and shook his head with a smile. "No thanks, Boss, I'm not used to coffee. Besides, you can't smoke in there. Let's just stay here, have a smoke, and catch up." As he spoke, he shook the pack of Soft Chunghwa in his hand, a 'I understand you' smile on his face.

Only then did Wang Tengfei notice the cigarettes in Qin Yi’s hand. He smiled and took them, skillfully opening the package and pulling out two. He handed one to Qin Yi and put the other in his own mouth. Qin Yi flicked the lighter, lighting Wang Tengfei’s cigarette first, then his own.

Wang Tengfei took a deep drag of his cigarette, then slowly exhaled two streams of white smoke from his nose. He looked at Qin Yi with a smile and teased, "Not bad, Old Fourth, you're smoking Huazi now. I remember back in school, you used to say, 'Only smoke Xuanhemen, only love one person'." After saying that, he felt as if he had inadvertently poked his brother's sore spot again, so he gave an awkward smile and secretly observed Qin Yi's reaction.

Qin Yi didn't actually smoke much; occasionally, when his roommates gathered and had nothing to do, he would smoke one just to seem more sociable. Therefore, he didn't inhale into his lungs, letting it swirl in his mouth before blowing it straight out. It wasn't because 'smoking is harmful to health,' but simply because he didn't like the feeling.

Hearing Wang Tengfei's words, Qin Yi gave a self-deprecating smile and exhaled a puff of smoke, responding as if he no longer cared, "Heh, blame it on being too young back then to distinguish between true feelings and fake ones! Let's not talk about it; it's all in the past."

Wang Tengfei felt a wave of emotion as he listened to Qin Yi. He looked at the brother before him who used to be so simple and persistent, yet now seemed like a different person. However, the fact that Qin Yi could say those words showed that his good brother had indeed stepped out from the shadows of the past. With the cigarette dangling from his mouth, he patted Qin Yi on the shoulder and said with a laugh, "Alright! Old Fourth, those words were quite catchy. It seems you really have moved on."

"It's nothing. In a lifetime, who doesn't run into some unpleasant people or things?" Qin Yi smiled very open-mindedly.

Hearing Qin Yi say that, Wang Tengfei's previously depressed mood seemed to suddenly brighten. Then, he asked curiously, "By the way, Old Fourth, didn't you go back to your hometown in Jingnan? Why are you back so soon?"

"Yeah, things at home have been handled, so I came back," Qin Yi replied with a relaxed smile, a trace of relief showing in his eyes.

"And your family's debt?" Wang Tengfei asked tentatively, concern flashing in his eyes.

"Paid off," Qin Yi flicked his cigarette ash and replied nonchalantly.

"It's good that it's paid off. You have no idea, ever since you took a leave of absence and left school, the guys have been quite worried about you. We all wanted to help you out, but we didn't have much money ourselves. We wanted to help but couldn't," Wang Tengfei said with emotion, a look of helplessness and apology on his face.

Upon hearing this, a warm current surged through Qin Yi's heart. He took a deep look at Wang Tengfei and said sincerely, "Eldest Brother, don't say that. When I left school, didn't you guys pool some money for me? I understand everyone's kindness!"

"Yeah," Wang Tengfei sensed that the topic was getting a bit heavy and quickly changed it, asking curiously, "By the way, what are your plans now that you're back?"

Qin Yi pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "I took a leave of absence for half a year. When school starts in September, I'll go report to the university first."

"That's true; look at me, I forgot about that. However, there aren't really any classes left in that final half-year. Once you have enough credits, you just need to prepare for your graduation thesis defense," Wang Tengfei replied with a smile.

Qin Yi nodded, then looked at Wang Tengfei and asked with concern, "What about you? How have you been lately?"

Wang Tengfei's brow furrowed slightly. He took a deep drag of his cigarette, exhaled slowly, and then shook his head helplessly with a bitter smile, "Sigh... I thought working in finance at a foreign firm would be easier, but who would've thought that the waters in the finance circle aren't clean at all."

Hearing this, Qin Yi teased with a laugh, "What? Was that foreign woman just now trying to use 'unspoken rules' on you?"

Wang Tengfei looked at Qin Yi and shook his head with a bitter smile, "You saw that just now? Sigh, I'm truly speechless! I'm telling you, the thoughts in the heads of these foreigners are as filthy as can be!" An indignant look appeared on his face.

Subsequently, Wang Tengfei briefly explained the previous events to Qin Yi. After listening, Qin Yi looked at Wang Tengfei with a smile and teased with great interest, "Ho ho, I couldn't tell, Eldest Brother, you're doing well. A foreign chick actively threw herself at you, and you're still unhappy?" His tone carried a hint of mockery and playfulness.

"Pah! You call that a foreign chick? A two-hundred-pound foreign chick!" Wang Tengfei rolled his eyes in annoyance and continued, "If you're so capable, you go for it! I don't have the luck to enjoy that..."

"How much? Two hundred pounds..." Qin Yi's eyes widened, and he said with a look of surprise, "Holy crap! The clients your foreign firm serves are truly high-level!"

"Sigh..." Wang Tengfei sighed helplessly and continued, "To be honest, this foreign firm is actually okay; the benefits and salary are quite good. It's just that I can't get past the hurdle in my own heart... If something really happened between me and that big foreign horse, I'm afraid I'd be psychologically scarred for the rest of my life..."

"Hahaha, alright, don't regret that job anymore. If it's gone, it's gone. Why don't you work with me? I happen to be preparing to start a company," Qin Yi said casually, a confident smile spreading across his face.

Wang Tengfei froze for a moment, his eyes widening as he looked at Qin Yi, and asked with total disbelief, "What? You're starting a company? For real?"

Qin Yi smiled and nodded affirmatively, "Would I lie to you about this? I came here today specifically to look at office buildings."

Wang Tengfei looked around at the towering office buildings before him, swallowed hard, and confirmed once more, "Old Fourth, you're not joking with me, are you? The rent for the office buildings here is definitely not cheap. The foreign firm I was at pays several million in rent a year..."

"I'm not joking, I have money! A few million is just pocket change..." Qin Yi waved his hand with the air of a wealthy man.

"Holy shit! Old Fourth, it has to be you. I knew your family would definitely be able to make a comeback," Wang Tengfei said excitedly, throwing an arm around Qin Yi's neck, his eyes full of excitement.

"Hahaha, alright, stop messing around. Seriously, your buddy is starting a company, come and help me. I'll give you equity! What do you think?" Qin Yi said with a smile, his eyes full of expectation for Wang Tengfei.

"We're brothers; talking about money is vulgar." Wang Tengfei let go and thought seriously for a moment, a trace of worry appearing on his face, "It's just, what kind of business are you planning to do? I don't know how to do anything besides finance. If I join, will I be able to help you?"

Qin Yi saw Wang Tengfei's concern and patted his shoulder with a smile, "Weren't we in the same major? What, do I know more than you? Have some confidence! And to be honest, I haven't decided on the specifics yet. However, I have a lot of capital; we can do finance or investment. Besides, my parents came to Magic City with me this time. The company is in its early stages, and none of us know the ropes of starting a business, but my parents do. Look, my dad knows management and my mom knows finance. Now my supplies and logistics are all ready; the rest depends on what kind of troops I can recruit."

Hearing Qin Yi say this, Wang Tengfei was instantly much more at ease. He said with a smile, "Uncle and Auntie came too? Then I think this company of yours will work!"

"So that counts as you agreeing?" Qin Yi followed up.

"That's a must! My brother is starting a company; I have to support it with both hands and both feet! However, I have to go back up first to get the things that belong to me!" Wang Tengfei said, pointing to the office building nearby.

"You're going back up? That foreign woman treated you like that, why do you still care about her?" Qin Yi asked somewhat puzzled, a hint of worry on his face.

Wang Tengfei smiled and waved his hand, "That won't do! She can't just fire me because she says so; I can't swallow that insult! Besides, if she fires me, she has to give me compensation! On our Dragon Country's turf, how can I let a foreigner bully me?"

Qin Yi also felt that made a lot of sense and nodded in agreement, "True. How about I go up with you?"

"No need! I can handle it myself! How about this, you go busy yourself with your own matters first. I'll send you a message when I'm done here. Tonight, I'll call Old Third, and the three of us brothers can have a good get-together," Wang Tengfei said, waving his hand to signal Qin Yi not to worry.

"Alright! Then I'll wait for your message. Oh, by the way, what's the name of that foreign firm? If there's trouble, I can come up and help you."

"The name is quite a mouthful. Oh, right, I have a business card here with the company name and address on it," Wang Tengfei said, pulling a card from his pocket and handing it to Qin Yi. He then stood up and said, "Alright, I'm going up to handle the procedures. You go ahead with your business."

"Okay," Qin Yi said, handing a bottle of Coke to Wang Tengfei, "Take the Coke!"

Wang Tengfei smiled as he took the Coke, twisted the cap, and took two gulps. Then he flashed a 'you understand me' smile, "Haha, Old Fourth, you still remember my habit of having a Coke with a smoke?"

"Of course I remember. Coke plus smoke, boundless power!" Qin Yi replied with a laugh.

"Hahaha, as expected of my good brother! Then I'll head up first!" Wang Tengfei said, then walked quickly toward the slightly shorter office building nearby.

Qin Yi watched him enter the office building with a smile, then looked down at the address on the business card before heading toward the Hongtian Bund Center T3 Office Building.