Chapter 99: Lian Zhongyong: Endure Humiliation! |
Inside the teahouse, Qi Yun stared at Lian Zhongyong while Lian Zhongyong stared at the landlord.
The landlord said, “Look up to the sky!”
The thoughts in Lian Zhongyong’s mind at the moment could only be described in one sentence: Did you bring the devil here?
“Cough, Professor Lian, what a coincidence…”
“Coincidence! A remarkable coincidence!” Lian Zhongyong nodded vigorously, looking pleasantly surprised.
Qi Yun: … I didn’t believe a word of it!
Qi Yun couldn’t help but see through that Lian Zhongyong was behind the suspiciously low rent of the shop they just saw. If he couldn’t see that, he would not be able to know the truth.
The landlord don’t even know him, so how can he be so kind to him? And to meet Lian Zhongyong again so soon, how can that be a coincidence? Qi Yun thought.
“Professor Lian, is that shop yours?” Qi Yun pondered it and concluded this was the most likely possibility.
Lian Zhongyong saw Lian Qingxue’s face, which couldn’t bear to look at him, and stopped pretending. “Yes, it’s mine.”
Qi Yun looked at the landlord he said, “I’m the sub-landlord.”
The landlord was also very aggrieved!
He had already found a tenant and was about to sign the contract. But then Lian Zhongyong insisted on renting the shop to Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue and even lowered the rent by half!
If it weren’t for the fact that the property belonged to Lian Zhongyong, could he tolerate this?
……
Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue exchanged glances, feeling doubts in their hearts.
“Why is the rent so low?”
To be honest, they had only met Lian Zhongyong briefly. It was puzzling how he was helping them so much.
“Cough!” Lian Zhongyong spoke solemnly.
“As a professor at Jingcheng University, you can inquire about my reputation. I am always willing to help! They call me ‘Old Meng’s Tasting’ at Jingcheng University.” Professor Lian explained.
“???”
Qi Yun tried to pretend he believed it for a moment but couldn’t pull it off.
The landlord rolled his eyes beside them.
Why didn’t you say that to the tenant who stood up? They would knock your brain out!
“So, the low rent is to help us?” Qi Yun asked.
“Not low! How can it be considered low? It’s just a discount!” Lian Zhongyong waved his hand.
The landlord: … Right, a discount.
Upon hearing Lian Zhongyong’s words, Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue nodded.
Whether it was reasonable or not, they knew someone wasn’t trying to deceive them. They had been a bit suspicious before.
Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue didn’t know that Lian Zhongyong had been paying close attention to their whereabouts for the past two weeks.
Initially, he didn’t know what Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue were doing, only that they kept going outside the university.
It wasn’t until he asked Professor Wu that he found out his granddaughter was starting a business with Qi Yun and doing well.
Knowing this, Lian Zhongyong looked at Lian Qingxue with pride and concern.
He was proud that his granddaughter, who had no one to rely on, could achieve such success.
A lonely girl managed to get into Jingcheng University and had her own business. How could he, as her grandfather, not feel proud? But he was also concerned.
In his eyes, his granddaughter should have grown up in comfort, without money worries.
Wasn’t it because they were poor?
Especially these past few days, he watched Lian Qingxue running around without any results, feeling even more uncomfortable.
After thinking it over, he remembered having a decent shop near Jingcheng University.
Speaking of the Lian family, although they weren’t extremely wealthy, they had been in Jingcheng for generations and had their intellectual pursuits.
By the time it was passed down to him, their assets in Jingcheng weren’t insignificant.
Lian Zhongyong compensated the previous tenant with a penalty fee to vacate the place, intending to rent it to Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue at a low price. But he never expected Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue to discover it right from the beginning.
……
“I’m Sorry, thank you for your kindness, Professor, but we can’t rent this shop.” Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue glanced at each other, understanding each other’s thoughts, and refused.
Lian Zhongyong’s expression froze, appearing a bit anxious. “Professor Lian, we can’t take advantage of this,” Lian Qingxue said.
They had only met Lian Zhongyong twice, including today. Regardless of why Lian Zhongyong was offering such a low rent, 600,000 yuan per year was a large sum.
Considering that the current housing price in Jingcheng was only a little over 10,000 yuan per square meter, the rent for this size and location of the shop was already quite reasonable.
They couldn’t take advantage of Lian Zhongyong’s generosity.
Not to mention, Qi Yun had another consideration. Wouldn’t his commission be reduced if he was given such a big discount?
600,000 yuan per year meant he would have to give up 1.8 million yuan in commissions based on the current ratio. Wasn’t that a case of being penny-wise but pound-foolish?
Upon hearing Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue’s words, Lian Zhongyong looked deeply at Qi Yun. He understood that Qi Yun was the one deciding between them.
His granddaughter almost always listened to Qi Yun!
This discovery made him feel even more displeased.
I’m the one being generous to my granddaughter! What’s it to you?
“The professor thinks that as students, you two are facing difficulties in starting a business and just wanted to lend a helping hand!” He wanted to persuade them.
“Professor Lian, to be honest, we appreciate your help, but we don’t need it,” Qi Yun rejected once again.
Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue refused, and Lian Zhongyong had no choice.
In the end, they still rented the shop.
According to the original price, it was 100,000 yuan per month, totaling 1.2 million yuan per year.
After all, even at this price, considering the size and location of the shop, it was already quite valuable.
But Lian Zhongyong felt a little regretful. He wanted to compensate for his absence in his granddaughter’s life over the past eighteen years. He had the heartfelt intention of taking care of his granddaughter. It was simply unbearable for him.
Still, it was Qi Yun who hindered him!
Thinking about it, Lian Zhongyong secretly glared at Qi Yun again. However, he quickly realized that although he couldn’t take care of his granddaughter, he still gained something.
Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue didn’t rush to leave. After all, they were not just professors and students anymore but also landlords and tenants.
Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue understood that Lian Zhongyong had taken care of them, so they decided to sit in the teahouse and chat with the professor.
Sitting at the same table and talking with their granddaughter was a rare opportunity.
Lian Zhongyong was overjoyed. It was a significant step forward in their relationship!
……
Lian Zhongyong looked at Lian Qingxue sitting on his right side with affection in his heart.
He glanced at the landlord on his left.
Huh?
Why are you still here?
Then he looked at Qi Yun across from him.
Sigh!
It’s frustrating!
He wished he could have the whole teahouse to himself and Lian Qingxue. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get rid of Qi Yun.
Shaking his head, he said to Lian Qingxue, “Lian Qingxue, I’m two generations older than you. Allow me to call you Qingxue. Is that alright?” He looked at Lian Qingxue with a pitiful expression.
Lian Qingxue was a bit puzzled, but seeing the look in Lian Zhongyong’s eyes, she felt sympathetic and obediently nodded.
“Ah, Qingxue! You came from Province S, right?” Lian Zhongyong wanted to ask about Lian Qingxue’s childhood experiences.
Unfortunately, he noticed that Lian Qingxue wasn’t willing to bring it up. Lian Zhongyong pondered and felt a pinch in his heart.
Perhaps it was because the child had a difficult childhood and didn’t want to discuss it with outsiders.
Lian Zhongyong became even more cautious and avoided sensitive topics, redirecting the conversation elsewhere.
The group engaged in idle chatter, with Lian Qingxue and Lian Zhongyong mainly conversing.
Qi Yun didn’t speak much and felt that the professor wasn’t particularly willing to talk to him.
……
Lian Zhongyong quickly realized that the best way to build a closer relationship with his granddaughter was to praise Qi Yun!
When he praised Lian Qingxue, saying, “You ranked second in the entire province in the exams? That’s Impressive!”
Lian Qingxue seemed a bit embarrassed and not particularly thrilled. But when Lian Zhongyong said, “Qi Yun became the top scorer in the province! Remarkable!” Lian Qingxue smiled brightly, nodding vigorously beside them.
Lian Zhongyong: …
What should I do?
No matter how unpleasant I found Qi Yun, I can only bear it and continue praising him!
He recalled Old Wu and himself’s complaints from before, where Old Wu had to praise an idol just to have a common topic with his granddaughter.
He can’t understand Old Wu’s frustration at the time, but now he . understand.
It’s exhausting!
“Qi Yun designed the Snow Tea Shop? He’s quite creative!” Lian Zhongyong ground his teeth, trying to find something to praise Qi Yun for.
Lian Qingxue nodded with a beaming smile, her face saying, “You know your stuff!”
“Qi Yun went from the middle of the class level to the provincial top student in half a year? Brilliant!” Lian Zhongyong racked his brain.
Lian Qingxue looked at him with an extremely satisfied gaze that made him feel like a comrade-in-arms.
“Qi Yun… Qi Yun looks good!” Lian Zhongyong didn’t know what else to praise, and his words faded.
But Lian Qingxue nodded again. The look in her eyes was like that of a family member.
Lian Zhongyong looked at his granddaughter’s growing trust in herself. Tears flowed with laughter in his heart.
Qi Yun scratched his head to the side.
How did he feel that the more this Professor Lian complimented, the colder he felt in his heart?
It always felt like someone was secretly scolding himself!
