Chapter 549: Inferiority
That was twenty percent of the mining rights to a new jadeite mine. If they could obtain those rights, the Meng Family could break into the jewelry business and even secure a prominent position in Xiangcheng’s jewelry industry.
After all, Xiangcheng’s jewelry industry had always relied on purchasing raw materials; they didn’t control any of the sources. His eldest sister-in-law’s family, however, had chanced upon a jadeite mine in Myanmar. Even though it was a small mine, its output was enough to supply the entire jewelry industry in Xiangcheng.
Once that happened, even giants of Xiangcheng’s jewelry industry like the Cheng Family would have to buy raw materials from them. Wouldn’t the profits just come rolling in?
Even without being involved in the family business, Meng Chenghui understood this simple principle.
Mr. Gong thought for a moment before agreeing. "Alright, I can go take a look first. However, I can’t guarantee a cure. After all, the injury is quite old, so the results of the treatment may not be ideal."
Although Mr. Gong was confident in his medical skills, he had to set clear expectations upfront.
"You don’t have to worry about that, sir. We understand completely," Meng Chenghui said hurriedly. "We don’t expect a full recovery. We know the injury is over twenty years old. We just hope he can be restored to his former condition."
"Alright, then it’s settled," Mr. Gong said. "Discuss the travel dates to Xiangcheng with your family and let me know in advance. I’ll need to arrange my schedule as well."
"Of course. Thank you so much, Mr. Gong," Meng Chenghui replied, overjoyed, and quickly expressed his gratitude.
’He was truly ecstatic. He never imagined that his trip to Beijing—originally to pursue Su Qing—would end up helping his family by a complete fluke.’
’If this works out, Father and my older brother won’t always be calling me a wastrel. See? I can land a huge deal for the family just by chasing a girl.’
However, Meng Chenghui’s brilliant mood soured when he saw Su Qing and An Zhihan whispering to one another off to the side. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment. ’That An Zhihan... he really is a formidable rival.’
Though he was complaining internally, Meng Chenghui couldn’t let any of it show on his face. After all, he was asking a favor from the man’s grand-uncle. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Meng Chenghui politely took his leave.
Su Qing stayed for lunch at Mr. Gong’s home, then said her goodbyes and returned to the grand courtyard.
After Su Qing left, A Feng whispered to An Zhihan, "Young Master, you’re all better now. If you like Miss Su Qing, you should confess to her. I can tell that second young master of the Meng Family has his eye on her, too. If you don’t make a move, what are you going to do if someone else gets to her first?"
As someone who was always by An Zhihan’s side, A Feng was well aware of his master’s feelings. He knew the Young Master had fallen for Su Qing. Though the Young Master had never said so outright, A Feng could see it. The way he looked at Miss Su Qing was completely different from how he looked at anyone else.
Before, when the Young Master’s leg hadn’t healed, A Feng had been afraid he would feel insecure, so he never dared to bring it up. But now, Meng Chenghui was making his interest in Miss Su Qing obvious. If his Young Master didn’t make a move soon, wouldn’t he lose his chance with a wonderful woman?
An Zhihan clearly hadn’t expected A Feng to say such things. He froze for a second, his ears turning slightly red. "A Feng, what are you talking about?"
"Young Master, I know everything," A Feng said as he poured An Zhihan a glass of water. "I’ve been by your side for so long; you can’t hide it from me. Young Master, you can’t be hesitant about this."
"The most important thing right now is the matter in Xiangcheng," An Zhihan said. "Besides, how could I ever be worthy of Su Qing? In terms of family background, I may be an An Family member, but I’ve essentially lost all ties with them. With both my parents gone, I’m no different from a piece of driftwood. Su Qing’s family is a hundred times better than mine. In terms of academics, she’s a genius at Beijing University, the top scorer on the college entrance exams, while I never even finished school. Setting everything else aside, on those two points alone, I’m not good enough for her."
An Zhihan was, in truth, deeply insecure, especially around Su Qing. The more he liked her, the more he felt they weren’t a match. Besides, he still had to avenge his parents’ deaths. How could he have any right to pursue a romance with Su Qing?
He could also tell that Su Qing saw him only as a friend, without a hint of romantic interest. He was even afraid that if he ever crossed that line, they wouldn’t even be able to be friends anymore.
"Young Master, don’t sell yourself short! How are you lacking in any way?" A Feng insisted. "You may have been unable to attend school because of your injury, but you’re incredibly well-read. Your knowledge is on par with any of those university students. As for family background, you have a natural talent for business! You can make a name for yourself even without the An Family. Didn’t you do a great job back in Xiyuan County?" A Feng truly believed his Young Master was a genius and admired him greatly.
An Zhihan shook his head. "No. Let’s focus on the Xiangcheng business first. As for everything else... we’ll let nature take its course."
"Young Master—" A Feng tried to persuade him again.
An Zhihan shot him a look. "Enough. This conversation is over."
Seeing this, A Feng could only shut his mouth, though he was still anxious on An Zhihan’s behalf.
An Zhihan noticed A Feng’s reluctant expression and quickly warned him, "You keep this to yourself. Don’t you dare breathe a single word of it to Su Qing. If you do, I won’t need you anymore. I’ll have Uncle Tian find you some other place to make a name for yourself."
"Ah, don’t do that, Young Master! I won’t say anything, I promise!" A Feng’s eyes went wide. He quickly waved his hands and said, "I’ll listen to you. I won’t say a word."
"Remember," An Zhihan said. "Not a word."
"Right, not a word, not a word." A Feng sighed softly. ’Geez, why does the Young Master get so insecure when it comes to Miss Su Qing? Is it possible that love makes people feel inferior?’
A Feng couldn’t quite figure it out. Having no experience in such matters, he had no point of reference, so he could only keep his thoughts to himself.
「Two days later」
Once the Meng Family had made the arrangements, Mr. Gong and Meng Chenghui took a train to Guang City.
As the two of them were boarding their train, Hua Zifeng and his assistant were disembarking from a train on the opposite track. Just then, Hua Zifeng caught a glimpse of Meng Chenghui’s side profile.
The assistant recognized him as well and said, "Mr. Hua, isn’t that the second young master of the Meng Family?"
"Yes," Hua Zifeng nodded.
The assistant was puzzled. "Huh? Isn’t the Meng family’s second young master usually playing the part of a rich playboy in Xiangcheng? What’s he doing here in the mainland all of a sudden? This place is so much more backward than Xiangcheng. Why would he come here?"
It wasn’t surprising that the assistant found it odd. To the people of Xiangcheng, Meng Chenghui was nothing more than a wastrel who only knew how to indulge himself, accustomed to a life of luxury. How could a man like that possibly tolerate the standard of living in the mainland, let alone come running over so eagerly?
"It has nothing to do with us," Hua Zifeng said. "Let’s go. We need to exit the station."
"Ah, right." The assistant nodded quickly and followed Hua Zifeng out of the train station. He glanced at the surrounding buildings and people, saying nothing, but he inwardly curled his lip in disdain. ’If it weren’t for this case,’ he thought, ’I’d never willingly come to this place to suffer.’