A Sand Sculpture in the Red Dust - Chapter 13

Chapter 13 – Dinner With Mr. Qin

　　Li Xiangfu didn’t know how to explain that he was not in a miserable state, at least not to the point where he had to perform dangerous stunts to support himself.

　　After repeatedly declining Aunt Zhang’s enthusiastic offers, he stepped out of the kitchen and closed his eyes and shook his head at Li Shasha who was waiting for dessert in the back.

　　Seeing this, Li Shasha sighed.

　　But he soon found a new entry point: “We now have almost enough money to buy the robot.”

　　”If you don’t manage household expenses, you won’t know how expensive firewood and rice are,” Li Xiangfu sat on the sofa and perfunctorily spread some truths: “It’s not advisable to spend money lavishly.”

　　Li Shasha: “No matter how hard it is, I can’t…”

　　Li Xiangfu was tired of hearing this sentence, and said earnestly: “You don’t know how hard it is to make money. If the balance is used up, we won’t even have meat to eat.”

　　Hearing this, Li Shasha did not make a fuss. He sat cross-legged quietly on the carpet and stretched out his hand: “Dad, lend me your phone.”

　　Li Xiangfu threw it to him.

　　Li Shasha took the phone, operated it for a while and then quickly returned it.

　　“I’ve participated in a lot of sweepstakes,” he volunteered in an overly monotonous tone, “from chat apps to social platforms, they’re all carefully selected to guarantee authenticity and the prizes are expensive.”

　　”Can you win?”

　　Li Shasha maintained his cross-legged posture and prayed earnestly for a few seconds.

　　”There is a chance that the combined winning rate can be maintained at about 3 in 10,000.”

　　Li Xiangfu nodded calmly: “I wish you can get what you want.”

　　As soon as he took a step forward, he encountered resistance. He looked down and saw Li Shasha holding his calf with one hand with an expressionless face, and spoke his heart out word by word: “I want a robot.”

　　Then he looked at him pitifully with puppy eyes.

　　Li Xiangfu couldn’t bear to look at it, and pressed his eyebrows: “I’ll think of a way.”

　　At one o’clock in the morning, without feeling the slightest bit sleepy, Li Xiangfu gave up trying to sleep, tied his hair up, leaned against the head of the bed, and slowly searched for a way to make money that would suit him.

　　After looking around, the only way left for him was to make a living by performing. Before he was about to give up, a few keywords highlighted in red jumped into his eyes.

　　’Qin Jin’ ‘Dinner’… The title is too long and incomplete. He clicked on it and found it was a post. The poster directly copied a message, saying that if you can win the chance to have dinner with Qin Jin, and then be noticed and enlightened, it is only a matter of time before you take off to the road of prosperity.

　　There were a lot of comments below, hahaha.

　　It’s nothing new for wealthy people to auction off spots for dining together, but Qin Jin’s event is an anniversary celebration for his company, so there’s no need to bid, just forward the message for a chance to be drawn.

　　During the day, Li Shasha also reposted two Weibo posts. Because the new account represented the identity of the masked man, he also carefully switched to the account that Li Xiangfu used before.

　　Li Xiangfu unexpectedly discovered that he actually had more than ten fans. In the past few years, he had posted some daily life of studying abroad intermittently, and he never thought that there would be people paying attention to it and even liking his posts.

　　The lucky draw will end in about ten hours, and the number of reposts has already reached over 200,000. Just to join in the fun, he reposted one.

　　The next day, he was awakened by his biological clock on time.

　　Li Xiangfu went to the courtyard holding the guqin. He plucked it lightly with his fingers, and melodious music flowed out easily, as if it could purify people’s souls.

　　When the song ended, Li Xiangfu raised his eyelids and glanced at Li Shasha: “Listening to the zither requires a certain state of mind. Son, your mind… is not at peace.”

　　Li Shasha: “Stillness and movement are not absolute. I used to look up at the starry sky, but now I find that the scenery on the ground attracts me more.”

　　”For example?”

　　Their eyes met, and Li Shasha said slowly, “For example, a father who can buy me a robot.”

　　Both adjectives and nouns are used very well and go hand in hand. Missing one of them will not attract him.

　　”You are obsessed with appearances.” Li Xiangfu sighed softly, “You have strayed from the essence.”

　　A graceful figure stood by the door not far away, staring silently, then turned around and went back into the house.

　　•=|=•

　　Inside the house, Aunt Zhang brought the last dish to the table.

　　Li Xichun pulled out a chair and took a sip of soy milk.

　　Mr. Li frowned: “Didn’t I ask you to call them to eat?”

　　Li Xichun picked up her chopsticks to eat her food. She calmly said, “The father and son are discussing the Dao.”

　　When she said the last two words, her tone revealed a slight weirdness, but she quickly continued to drink the soy milk.

　　Mr. Li’s eyelids twitched when he heard this, and no one at the table spoke from then on.

　　When Li Xiangfu returned with the zither, the living room was empty. Mr. Li didn’t have to go to work, but he had made an appointment to go fishing. Even Aunt Zhang had to go out: “The supermarket is having a special sale today, I’m going to buy some things. Your meals are in the kitchen, just heat them up.”

　　Thinking about the dessert he didn’t have yesterday, Li Shasha seized the opportunity to raise the price: “I want to eat sweet and sour pork and puffs.”

　　Li Xiangfu : “You can only choose one.”

　　Li Shasha pondered for a while, as if making an important decision, and said after a moment: “Pot-fried pork.”

　　Li Xiangfu nodded and walked into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves and carefully added water to mix the starch: “Please keep an eye on the time for me. The meat needs to be marinated for a while first.”

　　Li Shasha stood on tiptoe to pick up his phone, only to see a notification pop up in the message box: “There’s a private message.”

　　Li Xiangfu nodded slightly, motioning him to click in and take a look.

　　Li Shasha read it out directly: “Congratulations on winning the [Dinner Appointment] spot. Please contact me as soon as possible…”

　　Li Xiangfu was stunned for a moment and wiped the flour off his hands. He thought it was a scam, but when he clicked on the message, he found that it was indeed from the company’s official account. However, the winner announced on Weibo was not him, but someone else.

　　He reminded the other party that he had sent the wrong private message.

　　The official Weibo account quickly responded, explaining that they temporarily added two lucky spots, but did not make a specific announcement on Weibo. Li Xiangfu was one of them, and attached a form for him to complete his information. The attachment also provided three time periods, and he could freely select the dinner time he preferred.

　　Li Shasha raised his delicate eyebrows: “Good luck has come?”

　　Li Xiangfu did not respond. He sat down and visited the homepages of several fans who followed him one by one. Most of them were not very active accounts.

　　”Qin Jin has been secretly following you and temporarily increased the quota?” Li Shasha saw his suspicion.

　　”Otherwise, how could such a coincidence happen?” Li Xiangfu put down his phone and pondered, “Normal lottery draws must be announced, and the temporary increase in the number of slots was only notified via private messages. It seems more like someone’s instruction.”

　　Li Shasha was not surprised at all. He had already concluded at the wedding banquet: “Qin Jin has a crush on you.”

　　Li Xiangfu stood up and continued to prepare food. He did not take this remark to heart, thinking that it had a deeper meaning.

　　Li Shasha, however, continued from behind: “It’s obvious at first glance that he doesn’t understand romance. If he pursues you, the most direct way to show it is by spending money on you. You can then go to the scene to verify it.”

　　”In the eyes of outsiders, I am a rich second-generation.” Li Xiangfu reminded him lightly.

　　”Which rich second generation would spin on stage like a top?”

　　“…”

　　Escaping is not the way to solve the problem. Li Xiangfu finally decided to keep the appointment. He directly checked the nearest time period and scheduled it for tomorrow night.

　　Learning from the previous experience, when he went out the next day, Mr. Li immediately showed a vigilant look: “Recording a show?”

　　Li Xiangfu : “Meeting a friend.”

　　Mr. Li gave up asking further questions. It seemed that as long as he didn’t go on the show, he could accept it even if he just fooled around outside for a night.

　　There are many famous five-star hotels in this city, and the dinner will be held in one of them.

　　Compared with other star-rated hotels, this one has a standard decoration, but the security is very good. It is a very good negotiation place for customers who value privacy.

　　There was a bodyguard standing at the door of the box, proving that Qin Jin had arrived earlier.

　　Li Xiangfu pushed open the door and instantly felt the coolness brought by the air conditioner.

　　Qin Jin was also wearing a shirt with his collar open and his sleeves rolled up untidy. In comparison, Li Xiangfu looked like an old scholar.

　　”Hello, Mr. Qin.” He extended his hand.

　　”You don’t have to be so polite.”

　　Qin Jin’s hands felt slightly cold.

　　The waiter quickly served all the dishes, and Qin Jin indicated that there was no need to keep anyone inside. Once the door to the private room was closed, only the two of them were left.

　　”Eat something first.” With his fingertips,Qiu Jin casually turned on the table, and the dish that happened to stop in front of Li Xiangfu turned out to be his favorite dish.

　　Having lived in an extremely oppressive era, Li Xiangfu’s table manners were perfect. He chewed slowly without wasting too much time. He took two simple bites, put down his chopsticks, and looked up at Qin Jin.

　　This action is like sending a signal that they can get down to business.

　　”According to the original intention of the event, you should be the one asking me.” Qin Jin said as he sat back a little: “If you have any questions in the field of investment, perhaps I can answer one or two.”

　　Li Xiangfu thought about it and expressed his true desire: “I want to be a rich second-generation, but my family doesn’t approve of it.”

　　Being born into a wealthy family but unable to rely on your parents for support, is there anything more worthy of sympathy than this?

　　Qin Jin actually laughed after hearing this, and the gloomy atmosphere on his body dissipated a little: “So you want to start your own business?”

　　Li Xiangfu was frank: “I am going to participate in a competition soon, and participating in the program was to stir up the hype.”

　　”In fact, there are two more convenient ways.” Qin Jin lost his smile, and his lips slightly drooped, returning to his attitude of keeping strangers away: “First, give the painting to Li Xichun, she is a connoisseur; or…”

　　He paused and said, “Sell it to me.”

　　Li Xiangfu thought for a while. Her sister was currently wrestling with capital over the replacement of a painter she admired with another person to hold an exhibition. There was no need for her to get involved.

　　As if he had ruled out the first option, Qin Jin leaned back in his chair and said, “I will provide you with a sum of money every month, and in return, you will have to give me a painting every six months.”

　　Li Xiangfu is very confident in his work. He did not put it up for auction because it was too complicated. After all, sometimes it all depends on the experts. He was tempted by the proposal for a moment, but finally shook his head: “I’ll think about it.”

　　It actually means rejection.

　　He has always been very cautious when it comes to financial transactions, to prevent others from misusing it to make trouble in the future.

　　Furthermore, Qin Jin was too harmless in front of him, so harmless that Li Xiangfu had to be more alert.

　　”Are you on guard against me?” Qin Jin pointed out his thoughts.

　　Li Xiangfu lowered his eyes, about to deny it, but then he heard the other party say, “That’s good. You can be on guard against others.”

　　There was a hint of reminiscence between the lines, and he kept pondering the deeper meaning behind them, so much so that when he picked up his chopsticks again, he found the rich dishes rather tasteless.

　　When they were almost done eating, the secretary came in and took a picture.

　　”Photos need to be taken for the event.” Qin Jin seemed to be more patient with him and explained.

　　Li Xiangfu didn’t say much and went to the bathroom, while Qin Jin went straight to the hotel entrance to wait for someone.

　　“Should we upload it to the official blog and pin it on the top?” the secretary asked in a low voice.

　　The secretary thought that this was the real way to kill someone without bloodshed, and the Li family would definitely be very anxious when they saw the photos.

　　”Need not.”

　　”Okay…ah?” The secretary responded subconsciously. He looked up in surprise, met the boss’s unfathomable gaze, and quickly retracted his inner doubts.

　　Li Xiangfu was riding in Qin Jin’s special car back home. As soon as he got out of the car, a familiar black car stopped behind him.

　　Li Huaichen had just finished working overtime at the company. He frowned when he saw Li Xiangfu. He was about to speak when his peripheral vision suddenly caught a glimpse of Qin Jin’s profile through the half-open car window. His eyes immediately narrowed.

　　Qin Jin didn’t even look at him, and asked his secretary to drive away.

　　Li Huaichen looked away and asked only when he was about to enter the door: “Why did you come back in his car?”

　　Li Xiangfu and Li Shasha have long been accustomed to throwing the blame at each other, so he changed it a little and told the truth: “Shasha forwarded the Weibo lottery of the dinner appointment and happened to win.”

　　Noticing a drop of red wine stain on his sleeve, Li Huaichen pursed his lips and said, “Go upstairs and change your clothes first. I have something to tell you later.”

　　Mr. Li had already gone to bed at this time. Li Xichun was sitting alone in the living room eating potato chips. He glanced at me and said, “You look so serious. Is there something wrong with the company?”

　　Following Li Huaichen’s few words, Li Xichun put down the potato chips, and the gentleness in her expression disappeared.

　　Upstairs, when Li Xiangfu was changing clothes, he suddenly received a message from Qin Jin: [Go to bed early.]

　　Confirming that he had seen it right, his expression was a little complicated, thinking that Li Shasha might have really hit the mark. Creating an opportunity for dinner, offering to buy a painting, saying goodnight at a fixed time… all seemed to be faintly sending out signals of pursuit.

　　He felt a little heavy-hearted when he went downstairs. Seeing Li Huaichen still sitting there waiting, Li Xiangfu took a few quick steps.

　　Li Xichun was also sitting at the dining table, and at first glance there was a sense of tension as if there was a three-party meeting.

　　”Xiang Fu,” she raised her chin and hesitated before speaking: “There is something I have to tell you, Qin Jin…”

　　”He’s unusual to me.”

　　After brewing the words for a long time, Li Xichun was stunned when he was suddenly interrupted: “You know?”

　　Li Xiangfu nodded: “A big entrepreneur would not approach people without reason.” After a moment of silence, he asked: “Will my words and actions affect the family business?”

　　Li Xichun paused for a moment, and finally rubbed his hair with his hand: “Businessmen pursue profit. He has brains and a career, and he won’t fight to the death with us.”

　　After receiving a clear answer, Li Xiangfu breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his head to stare at his hands: “Tell me, how can I reject Mr. Qin’s pursuit to minimize the harm?”

　　Li Xichun’s arm paused in mid-air.

　　On the other side, Li Xiangfu was still immersed in a faint sorrow, looking up, eager for an answer.

　　Taking a deep breath, Li Xichun slowly turned her neck, which had become stiff at some point, and turned her head to look at Li Huaichen.

　　“……” I don’t know the answer to this question. You do it.

　　The author has something to say:

　　Li Xiangfu: This is the sadness of being born in a large family. You have no control over anything.

　　Li Xichun: …