"No, Ian Song's car is the one next to it," Hannah Han said, a little embarrassed. She'd always known Yolanda Huang liked to show off, but Hannah herself never had any intention of flaunting anything in front of her.
"The one next to it? What kind of car is that?" Yolanda Huang asked, looking puzzled.
"That's a Phantom S1," Victor Li replied, glancing at Ian Song with a trace of envy in his eyes.
Unlike Yolanda, Victor knew exactly what a Phantom S1 meant. The bare car alone cost nearly four million yuan. Thinking of how his girlfriend kept showing off in front of Hannah Han and Ian Song, he felt a bit ashamed—like a beggar boasting about wealth to an emperor.
Afraid Yolanda might say something truly offensive, Victor quickly cut in, "The Phantom S1 is basically the most expensive domestic car you can buy. The base model is nearly four million yuan!"
"What? Four million? That's insane!" Yolanda Huang gasped, her face suddenly flushing red as she remembered how she’d just been bragging in front of Hannah. Now she felt like a complete clown.
"So, where are we going for lunch?"
Hannah Han noticed Yolanda's awkwardness and smoothly changed the subject.
"Let's head to VIP Pavilion. The food there is really authentic. Mr. Song, Miss Han, what do you two think?" Victor Li suggested politely, looking to Ian and Hannah.
"No problem," Ian Song replied.
Ian Song smiled.
"I don't mind either," Hannah Han added.
Both couples got into their cars and headed off toward VIP Pavilion.
Once they were in the car, Victor Li couldn't help but say, "Yolanda, try not to be so flashy next time. Luckily, Hannah and her boyfriend aren't the petty type, or we'd really be in trouble!"
Yolanda Huang pouted, "Why? It’s not like we’re relying on them for a meal. What’s there to be afraid of?"
Victor Li lowered his voice, "You can't think like that. If Ian Song can afford a four-million-yuan car, he's either the child of an official or a rich heir. If someone like that wanted to get a small-time sales manager like me fired, it’d be a piece of cake. You remember my old boss? He lost his job just for offending a low-key tycoon. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten my promotion."
"What?" Yolanda Huang jumped in alarm. "You don’t think Ian Song would actually hold a grudge against us, do you?"
Back in college, Yolanda's reputation wasn’t great. After graduation, she’d dated several wealthy guys, but none of them took her seriously—they just wanted to have fun. Victor Li might be short and a bit chubby, but he genuinely cared for her, always went along with whatever she wanted, and his monthly income wasn’t bad—thirty to fifty thousand yuan.
If Victor really lost his job, their lives would definitely take a turn for the worse.
Victor Li shook his head thoughtfully. "I doubt it. When you were signing the contract, I noticed Ian Song handed the sales consultant a credit card to pay the deposit. At first, I thought I must've been seeing things, but it looked like one of those top-tier cards with a fifty-million-yuan monthly limit. Now I’m sure—that’s exactly what it was."
He didn't even want to flash that kind of card in front of us, which shows he's pretty low-key. So, I don't think he'll hold it against you. But once we're at the restaurant, make sure to be extra friendly!"
"Fifty million limit!" Yolanda Huang's eyes lit up with envy. "Hannah Han is so lucky—she actually found herself such a rich boyfriend!"
"That's just how fate works," Victor Li replied philosophically.
...
Twenty minutes later, the four of them walked into VIP Pavilion together.
As soon as Hannah Han appeared, the lobby manager's eyes lit up. He hurried over and greeted her enthusiastically, "President Han, welcome! Did you book a private room, or would you like me to arrange one for you?"
Seeing this, Victor Li and Yolanda Huang exchanged surprised glances.
VIP Pavilion was one of Riverstone City's most famous—and most expensive—restaurants. The regulars here were usually CEOs and big company bosses.
Judging by the manager's enthusiasm, Hannah Han was clearly a regular, and being called 'President Han' meant she was at least a general manager at some major company.
With the manager's help, the group was shown to a mid-level private room.
Once they were seated, Yolanda Huang couldn't hold back her curiosity. "Hannah, why did the manager call you President Han? Are you the boss of some company?"
"I work at Shayan Jade Boutique," Hannah Han replied with a smile.
"Shayan Jade Boutique!" Victor Li exclaimed, staring at Hannah in shock. "Isn't that the jewelry store that does over three hundred million yuan in sales every month?"
Hannah Han nodded, still smiling.
"I remember now—you're one of the two beautiful presidents at Shayan Jade Boutique!" Victor Li continued.
"That's all just rumors," Hannah Han said modestly.
Yolanda Huang was completely floored. Before Shayan Jade Boutique even opened, its advertisements were everywhere. And the jewelry there was outrageously expensive—a single jade piece cost at least a million yuan.
She'd visited the store once, but after seeing the price tags, she chickened out immediately.
At that moment, Yolanda Huang's feelings were a tangled mess.
During the meal, Victor Li and Yolanda Huang ate cautiously and spoke with extra care.
Victor Li even went ahead and paid the bill before anyone else could.
After lunch, Hannah Han headed back to the boutique, while Ian Song got a call from Nathan Nangong—his herbs were ready.
With the herbs in hand, Ian Song immediately started refining Beauty Pills.
With over ten thousand Beauty Flowers and plenty of ordinary herbs, he could make at least twenty thousand Beauty Pills.
He could only refine a hundred pills at a time, each batch costing one point of spiritual power. So, finishing all twenty thousand pills burned through two hundred Spirit points—but at least he’d recover it eventually, or he’d be heartbroken.
Suddenly drained by two hundred Spirit points, Ian Song felt exhausted. After finishing the pills, he crashed onto his bed for a nap.
By the time he woke up, it was already evening.
Realizing he hadn’t visited his uncle, aunt, and cousin Shelly Song since returning to Riverstone City, Ian called Shelly to say he’d come over for dinner.
Shelly Song was thrilled to get Ian’s call.
She hung up and immediately told her mom the good news.
As soon as she heard Ian Song was coming for dinner, Shelly’s mom hurried off to the market to buy groceries.
"Big brother, where have you been all this time? I couldn’t reach you at all!"
The moment Ian arrived, Shelly Song grabbed his arm and started complaining.
"I had some things to take care of in Flame City," Ian apologized.
"Hmph! You were gone so long and didn’t even call. Did you forget about your little cousin?" Shelly pouted.
"No way! I could never forget my favorite little sis. Oh, and I got you a present!"
Shelly’s face lit up. "A present? What is it?"
"A jade pendant!"
As he spoke, Ian Song took out a pendant carved from glass-grade jade.
"Wow, it’s gorgeous!"
Shelly’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at the pendant.
"Do you like it?"
"Of course I do! Thank you, big brother!"
Mwah!
Before Ian could react, Shelly planted a kiss on his cheek. She blushed shyly afterward.