During Feng Qi’s business trip, Jiang Li commuted to the research institute as usual, typically following Fang Tong around and helping out with her tasks. When she first came to the institute three years ago, she was completely clueless and could only silently watch others work. But today, three years later, she had amassed enough knowledge to qualify as a competent assistant.
The morning passed quickly, and when it was time for lunch, Jiang Li noticed that only Fang Tong had a meal delivered to her at the cafeteria, while she and her senior brother seemed to have been selectively forgotten.
While Jiang Li was puzzled, Zhao Qiang hurried over. The moment he saw Jiang Li, his eyes lit up, “Junior Sister, let’s go out for a nice meal at noon today.”
Hearing this, Fang Tong asked curiously, “Is there no meal for me?”
Zhao Qiang was stunned for a moment, “Do you want to go?”
Fang Tong took her meal tray, “No, I don’t want to go; I’m on a diet.”
Zhao Qiang raised an eyebrow, “You’re not fat, why diet?”
Fang Tong looked at him with satisfaction, “Hmm, we’ve been working together for over three years, and your EQ has finally improved somewhat.”
“…” Zhao Qiang was puzzled; he had just spoken the truth, how did that connect with his EQ?
Jiang Li followed Zhao Qiang out of the research institute, “Senior Brother, why are you taking me out for a meal today?” She asked.
Zhao Qiang replied with a smile, “Actually, it’s not really me treating. Today I’m going to see the investor who funded my project. He requested a meeting, and the institute will reimburse the meal.”
“So, did you invite me just to tag along for the meal?” Jiang Li asked.
Hearing this, Zhao Qiang felt a bit embarrassed and smiled shyly, “Actually, I wanted to bring someone to bolster my confidence, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to bring those colleagues from the institute.”
Jiang Li was surprised, “Is this investor difficult to deal with?”
Zhao Qiang hesitated for a few seconds before replying, “We haven’t met in person, but we’ve chatted a few times on WeChat, and I always feel like the investor is very critical of me, though I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination.”
Jiang Li: “…”
Her Senior Brother Zhao Qiang was well known in the institute as the textbook example of a high-IQ, low-EQ individual. If someone didn’t make their intentions clear, he usually couldn’t grasp the implied meaning. If even Senior Brother felt the investor was critical of him, then it was almost certain that the investor indeed had issues with him.
Jiang Li thought for a moment and comforted him, “Alright, I’ll go with you. If the investor is too unreasonable, I’ll back you up.”
Zhao Qiang quickly shook his head, “Let’s not do that. My project is still in its early stages, and it’s not easy to find a guillible investor to fund it. As long as he’s not too overbearing, I can tolerate it.”
Jiang Li: “…”
Alright then. Since she was just there to enjoy a meal and a drink, as long as the investor didn’t start a brawl with Senior Brother, she would pretend to see and hear nothing.
After leaving the institute, Zhao Qiang went to fetch his car and then drove Jiang Li to the hotel where the meeting was scheduled. Once in the private room, they waited almost ten minutes without seeing the investor. “Doesn’t this person have any sense of time?” Jiang Li frowned, dissatisfied.
Zhao Qiang explained, “We arrived early. The scheduled time is in fifteen minutes.”
Jiang Li: “…” Okay, it’s not easy to make a living these days.
Just as Zhao Qiang was about to sit down and look at the menu, he suddenly clutched his stomach and looked embarrassed, “Junior Sister, wait here for me for a moment. I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
Jiang Li nodded nonchalantly, “Just make sure you’re back in time. If the investor arrives first, I’ll chat with him for a bit.”
Less than two minutes after Zhao Qiang left the room, the door was pushed open. Jiang Li, who was looking at the menu and deciding what to order, thought it was Zhao Qiang returning to the private room. Without looking up, she said, “Senior Brother, I want to try the hairy crab, I wonder how it tastes at this restaurant?”
Senior Brother didn’t reply, but Jiang Li didn’t mind and continued, “Wow, Senior Brother, this dish is called avocado shrimp salsa. I’ve never heard of it before, but it looks appetizing. Shall we order it too?”
Tong Yi, who had pushed open the door fully intending to intimidate the plainly-named Senior Brother Zhao Qiang, was shocked when seeing a familiar figure sitting at the table. Hearing her casually calling ‘Senior Brother’ this and ‘Senior Brother’ that, his lips twitched, feeling sour with jealousy.
He begged her to call him ‘Brother Tong Yi,’ and she always refused! But she easily called another guy ‘Senior Brother.’
How great was this Senior Brother anyway? He had asked her out so many times, and she always claimed she was busy, yet here she was, dining out with her Senior Brother.
While Jiang Li was looking at the menu, a shadow suddenly fell over the table, and at the same time, she felt a hand on her head. Reacting instinctively, Jiang Li launched an attack and immediately heard a muffled groan. She frowned slightly, feeling that the voice sounded familiar.
Turning around, she indeed saw Tong Yi holding his arm with a grimace, “Big nephew? What are you doing here?” She was surprised.
Tong Yi responded helplessly, “Who did you think it was?”
Jiang Li gave an awkward smile, “At first, I thought it was Senior Brother coming back, then I realized it wasn’t him, so I reflexively attacked.”
The sourness in Tong Yi’s heart intensified, “You seem to know your Senior Brother well. You could tell it wasn’t him without even looking.”
“Of course, he is my Senior Brother!” Jiang Li replied confidently. In her view, her Senior Brother’s personality was rather conservative, even old-fashioned; he would definitely not make such an intimate gesture as placing his hand on her head. But Big Nephew Tong was different. She wasn’t sure if he learned it from her grandfather or her third uncle, but he was particularly fond of ruffling her hair.
Jiang Li checked Tong Yi’s arm and noticed a new bruise forming, which made her feel somewhat guilty. She pulled Tong Yi to sit down, saying, “I tagged along with my Senior Brother for a free meal today. He’s meeting an investor soon, and since you’re here, you might as well join us. The institute is paying, so why not eat for free?”
Tong Yi let out a short “Oh” and then asked, “Where’s your Senior Brother?”
“He went to the restroom, but he should be back soon!” Jiang Li replied while looking at the menu.”
Tong Yi, fiddling with his fingers, remarked, “Your Senior Brother takes you out to meet an investor and then leaves you alone in the room? That doesn’t seem very reliable.”
Jiang Li laughed, “Don’t talk nonsense. My Senior Brother is a good person and takes good care of me, he’s just not very savvy when it comes to anything outside academic research.”
“…” Tong Yi almost found himself swimming in a vat of sour vinegar. Jiang Xiao Li’s really protective of her senior brother!
After a moment of silence, he said again, “Well, he is your Senior Brother after all. Being a postgraduate for several years, he’s probably much older and definitely more experienced in relationships, unlike me. I have no experience in love and don’t know how to take care of girls.”
Jiang Li didn’t take her eyes off the menu, casually consoling, “Having no experience isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Many girls dream of being their boyfriend’s first love. You fit that bill, so you’ll be very popular in the future.”
The corners of Tong Yi’s mouth turned up slightly as he continued, “But your Senior Brother is very capable in his field, unlike me. I can only make money and nothing else.”
Jiang Li patted Tong Yi on the shoulder, “Being able to make money is great. Maybe your future girlfriend will be as money-grubber as I am. That’s what I call a match made in heaven!”
Hmm… she was making quite an effort to console her big nephew, wasn’t she? After all, she had just attacked him, so a few words of symbolic consolation didn’t hurt.
Still, she had only attacked his arm, but why did it seem like his head had been hit hard, too? It was so unlike him to be self-deprecating!
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Well now we know why the investor is critical of him 😂😂