Ever since he was reborn, Liu Qing had been counting the days until Su Yi's car accident.
He could not remember the exact day. All he knew was that it was in July.
Therefore, as soon as it was July, he scrolled through the news regarding Tianyuan Group many times a day.
He really wanted Su Yi to die.
This was the man who had caused his mother to abandon both him and his seriously ill father when he was still in middle school. This man was the reason he had to drop out of school prematurely and experience the hardships in life too early.
He hated this man.
Although he knew that his mother, Ding Yun, played a bigger part in that issue, this did not stop him from hating this man and hoping that this man would die sooner.
Now that the man had finally died in a car accident, it was a piece of good news to him.
It also made him completely relaxed.
Although his rebirth had some kind of impact on this world, it was extremely small and negligible.
After this, he just needed to wait for his mother, Ding Yun, to come and find him. He just needed to make preparations to enjoy life as a rich second generation.
After he calmed down, he sent Xiao Wen a message.
"Don't bring dinner for me tonight. Let's go eat hotpot."
After sending it, he added another message.
"My treat!"
Xiao Wen sent a shocked face emoji.
"Don't tell me you are feeling the aftereffects of your injury? Why are you suddenly giving me a treat?"
Liu Qing said, "I'm in a good mood today, is that alright?"
Xiao Wen said, "Sure, if you're treating, everything is good."
After a while, another message came in.
"In that case, I won't go to the canteen for dinner tonight. Don't stand me up later."
Liu Qing replied, "Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person."
It had been a few years since he had taken the initiative to give someone a treat. The main reason for offering now was because he was feeling really happy and wanted to share the moment with someone.
In this city, where he only had colleagues and no friends, it was hard to find someone to share his joy with.
After a lot of consideration, he decided to treat Xiao Wen to a meal.
This young girl had taken care of him for such a long time. Although she was here for the caregiver fees of 50 dollars daily and the free air-conditioning, she did make his life much easier while he was recuperating.
One still had to be grateful.
He might as well give her a treat.
He was tired of eating at home every day during this period of time. There was a need for a change.
After Xiao Wen got off work, she changed her clothes and helped Liu Qing downstairs. The two of them went off for hotpot.
After exiting the stairway and walking another half a mile, there was a hotpot restaurant that charged reasonable prices. Liu Qing had chosen this place for the treat.
Liu Qing's leg had almost fully recovered. If he did not need to walk quickly, he did not need a walking stick anymore.
He only needed Xiao Wen's help when going up and down the stairs.
It had been a long time since he had gone outside. As he breathed in the exhaust fumes from the cars, Liu Qing felt his entire body becoming alive. He lamented sincerely.
"It's so good to be healthy! After being in the house for more than half a month, I'm almost moldy."
Xiao Wen said, "If you want to come out for a walk, I can take you to the park during my night shift break time."
"I don't need you to do that," Liu Qing said. "The cast on my leg will be removed in a few days, then it will be easier for me to move around."
Xiao Wen took a glance at him, her mood suddenly dampened.
By coming over to take care of Liu Qing, she could earn an additional 50 dollars a day in caregiver fees, as well as sleep in an air-conditioned room for free.
She was very disappointed to know that such a good life would come to an end in a few days.
She did not want to go back to that stuffy dormitory where she needed to huddle with a few other girls.
Although they had fans there, how could fans be the answer to a problem like the sizzling warmth of a hot July day in a dormitory with several people living in single rooms?
This saying would always apply—it was easy to go from being frugal to being extravagant, but it was difficult to go the other way.
Looking at Liu Qing's leg, she suddenly felt a tinge of regret. Why didn't that person hit him harder back then? If this guy had to lie in bed for two or three months, wouldn't she be able to spend the summer peacefully?
When they arrived at the hotpot restaurant, Liu Qing looked at the menu and ordered more than a dozen plates of meat and about five to six plates of vegetables. Then, he handed the menu to Xiao Wen.
"What I just ordered is only for myself. Order whatever you want. Don't be concerned about the price. It's my treat today."
Wen said unhappily, "What do you take me for? Am I the kind of person who would save money for you?"
"I agree that I'm being too shallow," Liu Qing admitted readily.
Xiao Wen ordered a dozen of the most expensive items on the menu. She spoke to the waiter after she ordered.
"That's all for now. I'll add more later if it's not enough."
Liu Qing asked her, "Is this how you scare off your last three boyfriends?"
Xiao Wen rolled her eyes at him. "Nonsense."
Then she asked, "Should we order a few beers?"
"That won't do." Liu Qing shook his head. "I can't give you a chance to get drunk and throw yourself at me."
He said to the waiter, "Give us two cans of Wang Lao Ji."
"We need four cans," Xiao Wen said.
"Four cans then." Liu Qing did not object.
He was already spending so much money treating her to eat hotpot. There was no need to make her unhappy by quibbling over drinks.
While waiting for the dishes to be served, Xiao Wen asked Liu Qing with a playful smile.
"Why are you suddenly treating me to eat hotpot? Tell me the truth. Do you want to woo me?"
Liu Qing pointed in the direction of the bathroom and spoke bluntly.
"There's a mirror over there. Go and take a look at yourself."
"Don't be shy. A man has to be bold. If you like me, just say so. I won't laugh at you," Xiao Wen said, giving him a very contrived wink.
Liu Qing took the menu on the table and pointed to the items one by one. "Here, look. Beef balls are my type, beef is my type, mutton is my type, eel slices are my type, enoki mushrooms are my type… But, you're not my type."
"How do you know I'm not your type if you've never tried me before?" Xiao Wen winked at him and smiled. "I can give you a chance to court me."
"Don't." Liu Qing waved his hand. "It wasn't easy for me to get my freedom. Why would I be stupid enough to fall into it again?"
"I'm not your ex-girlfriend," Xiao Wen said. "I'm not interested in your wallet."
"I know," Liu said gloomily. "You're only interested in my air conditioner."
Xiao Wen covered her mouth and giggled. "Don't be so direct. Can't we pretend that we have feelings for each other?"
"We're friends. Why talk about feelings?" Liu Qing shook his head. "Talking about feelings is too hurtful."
If they could maintain a purely physical relationship, he would not reject Xiao Wen.
After all, they were both normal healthy adults.
He was just afraid that the dirty word known as feelings would eventually ruin the purely physical relationship.
It would be better to reject it upfront
Xiao Wen asked curiously, "If you're not trying to woo me, why spend so much money to treat me to eat hotpot?"
Liu Qing sighed. "Looks like I can't hide it from you anymore. Let me tell you the truth—"
He leaned forward and whispered to Xiao Wen.
"I'm going to inherit billions soon and become a rich second generation."