Xu Zhengyang and Cheng Baola entered the hotel, and shortly afterward, Jack and his secretary arrived as well.
Xu Zhengyang secretly sent a message to Mu Sheng. After receiving an affirmative reply from Mu Sheng, Xu Zhengyang finally relaxed.
The dinner was rather dull. They found their seats, were served appetizers and drinks, listened to a couple of top singers perform, and then a famous host took the stage to kick off the event.
Xu Zhengyang noticed a few familiar faces around. Zhao Xiaoman from the Zhao family was seated at a table to the east, and it was clear she had noticed Xu Zhengyang as well. Zhao Xiaoman gave him a meaningful, cold smile.
There was also the Lin family from Sanlin Pharmaceuticals.
Regardless of the type of enterprise, charity is a good opportunity to either clean up one's image or boost one's profile.
The donation process was quite blunt, even bizarre. There were no auction segments; instead, people with tablets wandered from table to table, directly asking for donations.
This method of quiet donation felt somewhat uncomfortable, but it was said to be entirely transparent, with amounts publicly announced afterward.
Xu Zhengyang's system provided over twelve thousand yuan in interest each month.
He made a donation of one hundred yuan in the name of Food & Slim Restaurant.
A hundred yuan was a drop in the bucket for Xu Zhengyang, but donating more might be too conspicuous.
A hundred yuan in the past would have been equivalent to a billion.
In cases of ordinary events, donations of tens of millions are rare; who would donate a billion?
Thus, Xu Zhengyang's hundred yuan stood out, and he didn't want to be too high-profile to avoid unwanted attention.
The staff handling the donations were amazed by Xu Zhengyang's generous gesture. They secretly gave him a personal card to contact them for future follow-ups.
Cheng Baola, feeling a bit jealous, snatched the card from Xu Zhengyang and put it into her own bag.
As the dinner progressed, Xu Zhengyang was ready to leave, uninterested in the subsequent announcements.
At that moment, Lin Yourong sent Xu Zhengyang a message on WeChat.
The girl had been admitted to the hospital with a fractured sternum!
The girl had begged Lin Yourong not to tell her family and asked her to lie, so Lin Yourong had to explain to her parents that the girl had fallen off her bike by the roadside. The girl's mood stabilized once her parents were informed.
Cheng Baola looked at Xu Zhengyang, ready to confront Jack, but at that moment, the host announced:
"Next, let's welcome Mr. Jack Larry from Huannan Group. Mr. Larry is the general manager for San Tai City.
Speaking of which, something interesting happened earlier. Mr. Larry's Bentley was completely scratched by a middle school student's bicycle, but Mr. Larry generously decided not to make the girl pay for the damages and bore the loss himself.
Such magnanimity and responsibility are truly humbling for us!
Indeed, pursuing the matter with a young girl would have imposed a significant burden on her family.
We thank Mr. Larry for his contribution to Sino-foreign friendship. Tonight, you have given us a vivid lesson in noble character!"
Applause erupted.
Jack, looking flattered, waved his hands modestly, while his secretary clapped vigorously beside him.
The host handed the microphone to Jack.
"Mr. Larry, please say a few words."
"Oh, I'm really flattered. I just did something quite ordinary. I didn't expect it to be highlighted," Jack said, waving his hand with an awkward smile, playing the role of a humble foreigner.
"Yes, if we hadn't heard about it from Mr. Larry's secretary, this wonderful little story would have been completely overlooked. Mr. Larry, you really don't need to be so modest. I don't know how to praise you enough."
The host praised Jack with a smile.
"Yes, Mr. Larry is also very generous and often helps others, but only I get to see it."
The secretary took the microphone and shyly added.
Xu Zhengyang clapped for them, genuinely impressed.
This group was truly remarkable. Compared to them, any performance, whether by top celebrities or seasoned actors, seemed trivial.
If Jack and his secretary were to make a movie, Leonardo DiCaprio might never win an Oscar.
Seeing Xu Zhengyang applauding, Cheng Baola, exasperated, gave him a hard shove and glared at him.
She was almost furious.
"This is too much!"
Cheng Baola was so upset that she dragged Xu Zhengyang to leave.
"Alright, let's go then."
Xu Zhengyang smiled and followed her. Jack had finished his brief speech and left the stage, and the dinner was nearing its end. Xu Zhengyang followed Cheng Baola out of the hotel.
Once outside, Cheng Baola ran swiftly to the roadside.
Xu Zhengyang was taken aback and called out:
"Hey, you're crazy. The car's with Yourong. We don't have a car!"
Cheng Baola ignored him and waved as she continued forward, pulling out a small pair of scissors from her bag and heading straight for Jack's car.
She squatted down and started to puncture the car's tire.
Xu Zhengyang was speechless.
So this silly girl rushed out just to puncture Jack's car tires before he left.
She was acting like a fool.
"Come help me."
Although she was a fit young woman, the small scissors couldn't penetrate the Bentley's tire.
Moreover, she didn't know where to puncture.
"Can't even cause trouble properly. Move aside."
Xu Zhengyang pushed her aside, took the scissors, and swiftly made a small hole in the tire.
"It's starting to leak," Cheng Baola said excitedly.
"Run!"
Xu Zhengyang commanded, and the two of them ran off, laughing and playing.
This was Cheng Baola's charm—silly but capable of bringing Xu Zhengyang the purest joy.
They didn't take a cab. After running and tiring out, Cheng Baola jumped onto Xu Zhengyang's back, asking him to carry her.
After less than a hundred meters, she jumped down, worried she might tire him out.
As they played and strolled, they had planned to visit the girl at the hospital, but Lin Yourong called to say her parents had arrived. Since Lin Yourong had already lied, there was no reason for Xu Zhengyang to visit, so they decided to head home.
Returning to the rented apartment, Xu Zhengyang felt a fleeting sense of domesticity, almost like a couple living together.
With his current wealth, should he consider getting a new house?
As Xu Zhengyang pondered, Cheng Baola tossed her bag into the room and came running out, pointing at Xu Zhengyang:
"I'm hungry. I want to eat, and I want to drink. You're coming with me to drink!"