Age of Legends

Chapter 221 Habits
"Xixi, are you and Nuoyi outside? Weren't you going to Wenxuan Pavilion for lunch this afternoon? Your dad said you and Nuoyi were at the Xinhua Bookstore on Xinglin Street. We just happened to be passing by and came to pick you up. We're almost there, just come out slowly."

Qin Tangxi said to Shen Nuo, "My second uncle is nearby; they're coming to pick us up." Her tone was questioning.

Shen Nuoyi said, "Say that we can go by ourselves."

Qin Tangxi relayed, "They said they told my uncle, and my uncle said they should take us with them."

Qin Tangxi's uncle is also Shen Nuoyi's father, and Shen Nuoyi could only nod at the moment.

Zhang Chen said, "Then you guys can go. Anyway, everyone's leaving this afternoon. I'll go back to my studies."

Shen Nuo glanced at him and said, "Do whatever you want. I'm not going to restrict you from playing."

Qin Tangxi exclaimed "Eek!" from the side.

Previously, Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei would often meet up to play games on weekends. Shen Nuoyi was already quite surprised that Zhang Chen would come to the bookstore with her for tutoring on the weekend. Zhang Chen's ambition was also unprecedented, and of course, it was her cooperation in his intention to improve himself.

She's certainly happy now, because Zhang Chen's improved grades are beneficial to him as well. But she won't force him to do anything or control him. So it's important to make it clear that she actually hopes Zhang Chen will be like he was before, playing whenever he wants without having to restrain himself.

But she was secretly pleased that Zhang Chen was willing to keep striving to keep up with her.

At this moment, on the street, Qin Tangxi's second uncle, Qin Yu, and his wife, Feng Feng, were in a Passat, looking through the car window at Shen Nuoyi and Zhang Chen in the bookstore's floor-to-ceiling window.

The two had indeed known that Qin Tangxi was coming to the bookstore to see Shen Nuoyi, so they had just arrived. However, they did not expect to see Zhang Chen with them, so they made a phone call first and observed from inside the car.

“I remember that guy, Pei Yan… he doesn’t look like this, does he?” Qin Yu said.

Feng Feng said, "Of course it doesn't look like that. I've seen Pei Yan before, but this boy is obviously not him! Hmm... what's going on? Nuoyi came out alone with a boy, and even came to a bookstore. She loves bookstores the most, and she used to read books in bookstores by herself."

Qin Yu glanced at his wife and asked, "Does Ning Wenjing know about this?"

Feng Feng shook his head. "I think it's unlikely."

Qin Yu was thinking about the boy in the distance. Seeing that the boy had already separated from Shen Nuoyi, they started the car and drove towards the bookstore entrance. At the same time, the two looked at each other and then fell silent.

The Qin family is all in business, with Qin Tangxi's father being the most successful and powerful. His siblings also receive his help and support in their industry and social circles, and the family is generally on the rise.

Shen Nuo's family is also a member of their extended family, while Pei Yan's family belongs to another level.

Initially, the two sides established contact through business overlap, and sometimes they interacted as friends. However, the entire Qin family had one thought: if they could establish a deeper connection with the Pei family, the Pei family's influence would allow the Qin family to make a leap forward as a whole.

Qin Tangxi's father had this plan all along. He single-handedly led his brothers and sisters out to a better life, and also carried the mission of revitalizing the family on his shoulders. Therefore, his interactions with the Pei family were somewhat calculated.

Pei Yan's Taixun Group is a major conglomerate. In fact, neither the Qin nor the Shen families are qualified to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them. Shen Nuoyi and Pei Yan are the most promising young members of their respective families. If they become closer, or even related by marriage, wouldn't the Qin and Shen families also gain access to the Pei family's connections and business interests?
This presents a great opportunity for the family to expand.

Everyone is plotting these things in their hearts, but they never bring them out into the open.

The two drove up to the front, and Qin Tangxi and Shen Nuo got in and sat down. After exchanging warm greetings, Feng Feng asked, "Xixi, you should learn from your sister. It's good to come out and read books often. If you don't understand any of the problems, ask your sister to tutor you. What are you going to do at the bookstore this afternoon? You won't just be reading, will you?"

Qin Tangxi responded: "I also drink beverages with my older sister, read books, and my sister does her homework, what else can I do!"

The couple looked at each other and then fell silent.

The gloom in my heart has grown even heavier.

Shen Nuoyi glanced at the rearview mirror as if she had noticed something, and just then she noticed the exchange of glances between the two of them.

She pursed her lips slightly.

……

Zhang Chen wasn't lying to Shen Nuoyi. He went home in the afternoon and really had nothing to do. He wouldn't play anything. Video games no longer held any appeal for him. The nostalgia had worn off, and there was nothing to reminisce about now. He might as well do a few more practice tests.

These are more attractive, but going home now would be too noisy and empty. There's no one at home anyway, my dad is at the company and my mom is at the company. But thinking about it, I decided to go to Huang Huifen's Xuhui Real Estate for a stroll, so I took a ride there on the spur of the moment.

Zhang Chen liked going to Xu Hui's company for several reasons. First, between Zhang Zhonghua's and Huang Huifen's companies, Huang Huifen's company was the only one he could understand. He couldn't grasp the technical aspects of his father's company, and there wouldn't be much to do there anyway. Second, Xu Hui's company itself had a strong sense of design. Chen Xuran had high standards and excellent taste in design. Sometimes when Zhang Chen went there, he felt like he had returned to a modern world, since he had contributed some of his suggestions and efforts.

For example, the tea break area has been designed with a wall open and glass installed to allow natural light to pass through, creating a tea-drinking atmosphere. These thoughtful touches make it quite comfortable. The garden on the third floor has also been fully utilized and has now become a coffee and flower bed area. Many partners are willing to come to Xuhui Company to drink tea and coffee, simply because it has the atmosphere of a private garden.

When Zhang Chen arrived, the receptionist, Xu Shan, recognized him immediately and greeted him with a smile, "Young Master Zhang, you've arrived!"

"Sister Xu!" Zhang Chen nodded. "Don't call me 'Little Manager Zhang,' I'm not some 'Little Manager Zhang,' just call me by my real name!"

With the opening of the company, Huang Huifen's company was established, and the employees naturally learned about Zhang Chen's family situation and identity. Some of them started calling him by that nickname.

Since Huang Huifen is General Manager Huang, it seems somewhat disrespectful to call her son by his first name.

Zhang Chen used to think that Huang Huifen really disliked this kind of name. What did it sound like? The business had just started, how could it have such a family business atmosphere? People who didn't know better would think that their family had made a lot of money. It had the air of an old-fashioned feudal capitalist company.

But it seems that Huang Huifen didn't strongly object to or stop this habit when everyone called Zhang Chen that.

It's probably because he's his mother; she still hopes to build a foundation for Zhang Chen.

(End of this chapter)