Super Rich by Doing as You Please

”Where’s your dad?”

He asked tentatively, ”Is Uncle Ou not home?”

”Shh~”

Hearing this, Ou Jingya glanced toward the kitchen and whispered, ”Don’t you dare bring this up in front of my mom later. Got it?”

”Why not?”

”My dad passed away from an illness a few years ago.”

Ou Jingya explained, ”I’m worried it’ll make her sad again if you remind her.”

”...” Xu Yun.

Just then, Wu Jinyan had finished setting the table and called out, ”Jingya, Xu Yun, come and eat.”

”Okay.”

Xu Yun walked into the dining room. There was a long, rectangular marble table that could seat four.

It was covered with dishes.

Xu Yun picked a random seat and sat down across from Ou Jingya.

Wu Jinyan asked with a smile, ”Xu Yun, what would you like to drink? Beer, or baijiu?”

”Maybe just juice, like you two.”

”That won’t do.”

Wu Jinyan stood up. ”Let’s go with the baijiu. I’ll go get it for you.”

With that, she got up and headed to the storage room.

A moment later, she returned with a bottle whose packaging was slightly yellowed with age and placed it in front of Xu Yun.

Xu Yun could tell at a glance that it was an aged bottle of Maotai.

Wu Jinyan said, ”We don’t usually keep alcohol in the house. This is a bottle your uncle never got around to drinking. It should be pretty good.

Help your teacher finish it today. Jingya and I don’t drink anyway, so it’s a waste to just let it sit here.”

”Alright then.”

Xu Yun glanced at Ou Jingya, surprised that his teacher had brought up her late husband on her own.

”You two, stop exchanging glances.”

Wu Jinyan said, ”Your teacher isn’t that fragile. I’ve moved on and can talk about it normally now.”

”As expected of my teacher. You’re amazing.”

Xu Yun twisted open the cap, filled his own glass, and said with a smile, ”Teacher Wu, let me have a drink with you. To your future happiness and health.”

”Thank you.”

Seeing Xu Yun down it in one go, Wu Jinyan reminded him, ”Don’t drink so fast. It’s not good to drink on an empty stomach.”

”It’s fine. I can hold my liquor.”

”You still shouldn’t drink like that.”

Wu Jinyan picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs with her chopsticks and put it on his plate. ”Eat something before you drink more.”

”Mom~”

Ou Jingya, sitting to the side, started to complain, ”When I came back just now, I heard Aunt Liu bad-mouthing me again.”

”Ignore her.”

Wu Jinyan explained, ”Ever since I turned down the blind date with her son for you, she’s been spreading rumors everywhere.

But what she’s saying is partly true. Your standards really are high. You have so many excellent colleagues and friends at school, yet you’ve looked and looked and haven’t found a single person you’re satisfied with?

You’re not getting any younger. It’s time to think about it.”

”Mom~ How did we end up on the topic of marriage again?”

Ou Jingya retorted, ”I’m so busy with work right now, where would I find the time to think about that?”

”I’m not trying to rush you, but look at Xu Yun.”

Wu Jinyan chuckled. ”Your job can’t possibly be busier than his, can it? He can find time for a girlfriend, but you can’t.”

Speaking of careers, something occurred to Ou Jingya.

Her mom absolutely trusted Xu Yun now, but she still had her doubts.

Ou Jingya asked, ”Senior, what’s the name of your company?”

”I don’t have a company.”

”No company?”

”Right. I mostly just invest.”

Xu Yun said, ”I’m very lazy, so I just invest in other people’s companies and act as a passive shareholder, waiting for the dividends to roll in.”

”An angel investor?...” Ou Jingya trailed off.

”You could put it that way.”

Xu Yun smiled. ”Junior, do you have any good projects you need funding for? I could invest in you, you know.”

”What does she know about starting a business?”

Wu Jinyan laughed. ”She can barely get a handle on teaching, let alone business. Don’t mind her. She just can’t believe you’re so successful and thinks you’re a scammer trying to trick me.”

”I never said that.”

Ou Jingya said awkwardly, ”I was just expressing reasonable doubt and seeking verification.”

”It’s alright, Teacher Wu.”

Xu Yun joked self-deprecatingly, ”After all, men who are as handsome and rich as I am are rare. A junior like her would usually only see someone like me on TV, hahaha.”

”Pfft, you’re so full of yourself.”

Xu Yun’s humor made Ou Jingya burst out laughing. ”Who talks about themselves like that? You have no modesty at all.”

”You’re wrong. It’s called confidence.”

Watching the two of them bicker, Wu Jinyan smiled happily.

’If only fate had brought them together back then,’ she mused to herself, ’they would truly be one family by now.’

Afterward, Wu Jinyan and Xu Yun discussed the scholarship project while they ate.

Although the scholarship project seemed complicated, with the support of the school’s leadership, it had been given the green light all the way. The process was moving along quickly and had now entered the follow-up stages.

Wu Jinyan said that after she consulted with a lawyer and confirmed there were no issues, the project could be launched within the year.

This brought up the issue of getting the funds in place.

Xu Yun understood what his teacher was getting at. He assured her at the table that the money would arrive on time and be transferred into the scholarship project’s dedicated account.

However, regarding the bank account, Xu Yun made a request of his own. He specified that the funds should be managed by the branch run by Jian Shiwai. This was to prevent a situation where his good intentions might backfire, with the money ending up in some leader’s private slush fund.

Naturally, Wu Jinyan agreed to this and said she would persuade the school to agree as well.

Ou Jingya would occasionally chime in with a comment.

The three of them at the table ate in joyful harmony, just like a family!

「After dinner.」

Xu Yun had drunk half of the bottle of Maotai, leaving half remaining.

Xu Yun smiled. ”I’ll finish the rest of the bottle the next time I come over to mooch a meal off you, Teacher.”

”You’re certainly thick-skinned.”

Ou Jingya pouted. ”Who said you were invited to come over for dinner next time?”

”I said it. I’m inviting him.”

Wu Jinyan shot her daughter a look and said, ”I know your family isn’t from Jiangcheng, so from now on, feel free to come over for a meal whenever you have time. I’ll make sure there’s plenty of food.”

”Okay, thank you, Teacher.”

”Mom, you’re way too nice to him.”

Ou Jingya said without thinking, ”Anyone who didn’t know better would think he’s your son-in-law.”

”...” Wu Jinyan.

”...” Xu Yun.

The air suddenly fell silent.

Xu Yun stood up, breaking the awkward atmosphere with a joke. ”I’d love to be the teacher’s son-in-law, but unfortunately, I missed my chance.”

”Why is there no chance? Isn’t Jingya still single?”

Wu Jinyan spoke from the heart. Seeing him again this time, she still really liked Xu Yun as a person—the kind of liking that came from the bottom of her heart.

Therefore, she truly hoped that Xu Yun could get together with her daughter.

”However~”

Wu Jinyan’s tone shifted as she added, ”It’s a shame you already have a girlfriend.”

”Haha...” Xu Yun didn’t reply.

Afterward, the three of them chatted in the living room for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, Xu Yun got up to leave.

Wu Jinyan then said, ”You’ve been drinking. I’ll have Jingya drive your car and take you home.”

”No need, I’ll just call a designated driver.”

”Alright then.”

Wu Jinyan said, ”Jingya, walk Xu Yun downstairs. And exchange contact information while you’re at it, so you two can keep in touch more often.”

”Okay, I know.”

Ou Jingya walked Xu Yun all the way downstairs. Looking at his flushed face, she asked, ”That was half a bottle of baijiu. Are you really okay?”

”I’m fine.”

”Don’t take what my mom said today to heart.”

Ou Jingya smiled. ”You can tell she really likes you and wants to set us up.”

”I know.”

Xu Yun said, ”She’s been trying to do that since I was in college.”

Hearing Xu Yun bring this up, Ou Jingya asked curiously, ”Speaking of which, why didn’t you agree to my mom’s proposal back then?

Was it because you didn’t like my looks? You didn’t think I was pretty?

Or did you already have a crush on another girl?

And don’t give me any of that ’a man must prioritize his career’ nonsense. I don’t buy it.”

Xu Yun smiled and asked in return, ”Do you want the honest truth? Or a lie?”

”The truth, of course.”

Ou Jingya laughed. ”Don’t worry. Even if you say it’s because you thought my chest was too small, I promise I won’t hold a grudge.”

”...” Xu Yun.

His eyes darted downwards for a glance. It seemed they really weren’t that big.