Chapter 21: Chapter 21 The Difference Between Having Money and Not Having Money
"Why don't guys ever order such good takeout for me?"
Yao Jing's eyes lit up with envy as she looked at Sun Yi and asked, "Is he the old classmate you were dine with on the dinner cruise in your circle of friends last time?"
"Yes, that's him," Sun Yi nodded in confirmation.
"Wow, your classmate is so rich!"
Yao Jing said feelingly, "Is he a second-generation rich kid?"
"No," Sun Yi shook her head, her voice tinged with a hint of pride, "He earned his money on his own!"
"That impressive? He only graduated four years ago, right?"
Yao Jing was a bit surprised at first, then seeing the expression on Sun Yi's face, she couldn't help but tease, "Look at that, you're not even his girlfriend yet and you're already showing off!"
The colleagues around them joined in the teasing, "Then when you do become his girlfriend, you'll be bragging to us every day!"
"That's not true. I'm just stating the facts," Sun Yi hurriedly tried to change the subject, "Everyone, help me with the food, I can't finish it all by myself."
"No, no," the colleagues weren't about to let her off so easily and continued to tease her, "This is what your future boyfriend ordered for you, what are we doing eating it? If you don't get enough to eat, he's going to blame us!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
"We're good with just the bubble tea!"
"Once you two make it official, I wouldn't mind him treating us to a meal, though."
"Haha, that could be arranged!"
...
With everyone's teasing, Sun Yi was somewhat overwhelmed and blushed increasingly, yet her heart grew sweeter and sweeter.
After a while, the colleagues finally dispersed.
Only then did Sun Yi get a chance to pick up her phone and send Wu Wei a WeChat message:
[Why did you order so much food? I can't possibly finish it all by myself [face_with_hand_over_mouth][face_with_hand_over_mouth]]
At this moment, Wu Wei was eating braised chicken with rice and replied immediately upon seeing the message:
[Too much? I thought Cantonese cuisine came in small portions, so I ordered a few more dishes.]
Sun Yi quickly snapped a photo and sent it over:
[It's way too much. I feel about full after just the porridge.]
[What did you have for lunch?]
Wu Wei also took a photo and sent it back, saying: [Braised chicken with rice.]
Sun Yi frowned the moment she saw it: [You order so many dishes for me, and you're just having braised chicken with rice?]
Wu Wei smiled: [Because the braised chicken with rice in Jicheng is delicious!]
...
The two chatted the entire afternoon away.
It wasn't until Sun Yi was ready to take her afternoon break that she reluctantly stopped.
Wu Wei had gotten enough sleep and didn't need a nap, so he sat on the sofa playing video games.
Resultingly, he dropped a tier after gaming all afternoon.
He couldn't help it, his phone had been in use for several years and would turn into a slideshow whenever he entered a group fight.
On top of that, he was reluctant to spend money on skins and naturally couldn't match others with decked-out heroes, so it was no surprise he lost more than won.
"Damn it, once I get the cashback I'm definitely buying a good phone and getting all the heroes and skins!"
Wu Wei was so frustrated he exited the game.
Looking at the time, it was already past six.
Just then, Sun Yi sent a WeChat message saying she had gotten off work and would arrive in about twenty minutes.
Wu Wei quickly took a shower, fixed his hair, and went to the hotel entrance to wait.
Soon enough, he saw Sun Yi approaching on her little electric scooter.
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"Have you been waiting long?"
Sun Yi parked the car at Wu Wei's feet, with a sweet, slightly shy smile on her face, and asked him.
"No, I just came down."
As soon as Wu Wei saw Sun Yi, the gloom that had come from losing at games all afternoon instantly cleared up.
While saying this, he expertly sat on the back of the small electric scooter and then said, "Let's go, to that Zibo barbecue you mentioned before."
He had asked Sun Yi what she wanted to eat tonight, and she said anything casual would be fine.
He wanted to spend more money, so casual eating was definitely out of the question. That's why he chose the Zibo barbecue.
Because Sun Yi had once told him that she had been wanting to eat Zibo barbecue for a long time, she had never had the chance.
Because the restaurant she wanted to eat at was always booming, with many people lining up every day.
Now that he was here, he definitely had to sort it out for her!
And indeed, many people queuing up was good, as it meant he could spend more money!
"Ah?"
Sun Yi was startled for a moment and then turned to Wu Wei, "That place always has a queue, it's too late now, let's go earlier another day."
"No need."
Wu Wei looked at Sun Yi, his tone casual yet full of confidence, "When you dine with me, you never need to worry about queuing. We can just head straight there."
Sun Yi immediately thought of the time he had bought the cultural snow ice cream at Baotu Spring, and said at once, "Are you going to pay for a spot again?"
Wu Wei shook his head: "No, I called the restaurant and had the boss reserve a seat for us."
"Impossible."
Sun Yi was skeptical: "They don't accept reservations in advance, you have to wait in line on the spot."
"Heh, just add money."
Wu Wei smiled lightly and said, "Let's go, enjoy your first Zibo barbecue experience."
When Wu Wei called the restaurant in the afternoon, he was initially told that they didn't accept reservations and that it was necessary to queue up in person. That was until Wu Wei offered, "Ten thousand yuan to reserve a spot for tonight."
The server taking the call froze, thinking he was joking. They confirmed with him several times before calling over the boss.
The boss, without another word, instantly agreed.
After all, the entire day's profit of his restaurant was only slightly more than ten thousand yuan!
Turning down money that was practically being handed to him? He wasn't a fool!
Sun Yi felt conflicted. On one hand, she felt very sorry about the money—after all, getting there early to queue would have saved it.
On the other hand, she enjoyed this kind of treatment that ordinary people couldn't have.
Especially Wu Wei's "you never need to worry about queuing," which had a huge impact on her.
She realized that the queuing issue that had always troubled her was nothing to Wu Wei, easily resolved!
Being wealthy not only meant being able to buy things that ordinary people couldn't afford, but also access to experiences and services that they couldn't even imagine.
In that moment, her horizons and thoughts were opened up by his words.
"Don't worry, it wasn't that much money."
Seeing the expression on Sun Yi's face, Wu Wei pretended to be profound and said casually, "Moreover, compared to the money spent, the time saved is much more precious to me."
"I understand now."
Hearing his words, Sun Yi's inner conflict instantly vanished.
Because she realized that Wu Wei was different from her.
As a successful individual, time was more valuable than money for Wu Wei. After all, in the time wasted queuing, he could have earned more than this sum.
People without money sacrifice time and experience to save a bit of money.
Rich people, however, use money to save time and gain experiences.
Realizing this, Sun Yi turned to look at Wu Wei again.
For some reason, he suddenly seemed to her like a domineering CEO.
In that instant, it was as if a string in her heart was plucked.
This strange sensation, she had never felt it before!
All at once, she realized that she was smitten...
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