Chapter 109: Why Bother Seeking Far When Near Is Enough

Zhang Yang strolled over and picked up a pen.

The high school girl temporarily assigned to the table looked up, stunned, staring at the dazzlingly handsome senior in front of her, still a little out of her mind.

“Sign here, right?” Zhang Yang looked around briefly, then casually signed, joining in on the activity.

The centennial celebration drew many famous alumni-scholars, entrepreneurs, even celebrities.

Zhang Yang, however, considered himself just an ordinary graduate.

After signing, he wandered the campus aimlessly.

The teaching buildings remained the same, endless classes each day, students pouring out between lessons.

The cafeteria, the dorms-students changed over the years, but everything else seemed frozen in time, unchanged.

After walking around for a while, Zhang Yang planned to visit the cafeteria to relive high school meals but decided against it, remembering he had plans that evening.

He pulled out his phone and sent Lin Jingmin a message to confirm the meeting place.

He strolled toward the exit.

It felt like encountering an old ideal, a crush. No matter how the real person appeared years later, it could never match the memory of the first impression. The school was the same; memories were best left as memories.

Zhang Yang left with casual elegance, likely never to return.

“Hmm, that silhouette ahead looks familiar,” he thought, noticing a black-haired figure walking with a colleague.

As he approached, he realized it was Teacher Meng.

“What a coincidence!” Zhang Yang greeted with a smile.

Meng Baihan, laughing with her colleague, froze in surprise when she saw him.

“Zhang Yang?” she said, stopping with a smile.

The female teacher beside her looked young, likely only a few years out of graduation.

“Who’s this?” she whispered curiously.

“This is my high school classmate, Zhang Yang,” Meng Baihan introduced him with a smile.

“So handsome-he wasn’t coming for you, was he?” the young teacher teased lightly.

Zhang Yang smiled at the two, exchanging a quiet laugh.

It was clear the school had many new, young teachers, while the familiar faces from his own high school days were nowhere to be seen.

Zhang Yang was preparing to leave, and so was Teacher Meng. She waved goodbye to her colleague and walked alongside him.

“By the way, yesterday at Violet Gardens No. 1, were your relatives there?” Meng Baihan asked casually.

“Didn’t I say yesterday? I went to buy a house,” Zhang Yang replied with a laugh. “Don’t believe me? My high school image wasn’t the type to brag, right?”

“Ah?” Meng Baihan was momentarily at a loss for words. They weren’t familiar enough to joke so freely.

As they walked, Meng Baihan looked up and spotted her brother waiting at the gate.

“Zhang Yang, how did you get here? Need a ride?”

“No, I’ve got a car,” Zhang Yang smiled, declining politely, and walked toward her with Meng Baihan.

Meng Mingfeng was leaning against his car, smoking, feeling frustrated. The chief designer of Jade Estate Design, whom he had long pursued, hadn’t made progress, and he hadn’t even managed to schedule dinner. He had come instead to pick up his sister.

Seeing the approaching figures, the cigarette slipped from his hand.

“Z-Zhang… sir?”

“Brother? You…” Meng Baihan looked at her brother in surprise. His usually prideful, practical self had changed so suddenly?

“Hello, seems like we keep running into each other. Let’s properly introduce ourselves,” Zhang Yang said, reaching for a cigarette.

“Here, Zhang Bro, I’ve got it.” Meng Mingfeng quickly produced a lighter, lit the cigarette, all smiles.

Zhang Yang smoked while exchanging pleasantries.

“Zhang Bro, why not join us for dinner tonight? You and my sister are classmates,” Meng Mingfeng eagerly invited.

“Well…” Zhang Yang felt slightly awkward, “I already have plans tonight.”

“Ah, my bad,” Meng Mingfeng grinned knowingly.

Zhang Yang glanced at his phone-Lin Jingmin had just sent a selfie, revealing her legs and neckline, clearly serious about the deal.

He looked between the photo and Meng Mingfeng, listening to the flattery. Honestly, he felt a mix of amusement and guilt-he was already planning dinner with Lin Jingmin, and yet here he had casually arranged it.

“Alright, I’ll head off. Next time then,” Zhang Yang said with a forced smile, glancing at Meng Baihan. “See you next time, old classmate.”

He walked off gracefully and got into his nearby Cayenne, leaving the brother and sister behind.

“Bro, have you changed?” Meng Baihan stared at Meng Mingfeng, incredulous.

“Changed? I haven’t changed. Haven’t I always been like this?” Meng Mingfeng took a drag, still thinking.

“And your attitude toward my classmate… what happened? Yesterday in the car you said he was all style, no substance…” Meng Baihan pressed.

“You still don’t know your classmate,” Meng Mingfeng said, realizing her reaction.

“As a classmate, I don’t, but you do?” Meng Baihan widened her eyes.

Meng Mingfeng shook his head and stubbed out the cigarette.

“Come on, let’s get in the car. I’ll explain on the way.”

In the Range Rover, Meng Mingfeng said what he knew.

“Your classmate’s rich. That standalone villa, plus renovations, easily twenty to thirty million spent. With a classmate like that, why bother seeking far when near is enough?”

“What do you mean?” Meng Baihan blushed.

“Don’t play dumb in front of your brother. Look at Mom and Dad, worried sick. You should’ve said you had someone like this around.” Meng Mingfeng laughed.

“Don’t be ridiculous. He has a girlfriend, and they seem happy,” Meng Baihan shook her head.

“Oh?” Meng Mingfeng paused, closing his mouth. He wanted to joke about stealing her, but knew his sister would never allow it.

“Besides, I don’t feel anything for him,” Meng Baihan said, smiling.

“Alright, fine, I was just saying,” Meng Mingfeng nodded.

Meng Baihan stared at her phone, unconsciously scrolling.

Zhang Yang picked up Lin Jingmin at 5:30 p.m.

By the roadside, she wore a fitted short skirt, poised and elegant, but somehow strikingly contrasting to Zhang Yang’s impression of her.

“Waited long?” Zhang Yang parked.

“Not really, just turned down someone hitting on me when you arrived,” Lin Jingmin smiled and got into the passenger seat.

“I haven’t been back in a while. Where do you recommend we eat?” Zhang Yang asked.

“Let’s find a quiet place, eat and chat. I know one,” Lin Jingmin suggested, thinking briefly.

The restaurant was nearby, conveniently close to Violet Gardens No. 1.

Zhang Yang drove straight to the secluded spot.

Inside, he requested a window seat and handed the menu to Lin Jingmin to choose.

“The crispy veal here is good, and the yellow croaker with handmade rice cakes is great too. I ordered these two. What else do you want?” she said.

“You know the menu, you handle it all,” Zhang Yang said, pouring tea.

Soon the dishes arrived. They sat across from each other, the lake view beyond the floor-to-ceiling window shrouded in night.

Lin Jingmin sat poised, studying the handsome client before her.

Zhang Yang’s phone lit up-apparently a message from Meng Mingfeng.

“I’m having dinner with my sister. By the way, the big client you’re following up on is my sister’s classmate,” Meng Mingfeng texted.

Zhang Yang glanced at it while sipping tea.

Lin Jingmin apologized and turned off the phone. “Your sister’s classmate? Really?”

“Yes, a high school classmate, haven’t kept in touch for years,” Zhang Yang replied casually. “What if you missed an important call while turning off your phone?”

“No problem. Nothing’s more important than this big client,” Lin Jingmin smiled.

Soon the dishes arrived-visually and aromatically impressive.

As they ate, they chatted casually.

“That fifteen-million project-bet you’ll make a lot, right?” Zhang Yang asked with a smile.

“Mr. Zhang, actually…” Lin Jingmin began to explain.

“No need. Making money is fine, as long as the final result meets my expectations,” Zhang Yang said nonchalantly.

The project, materials, and design fees were all opportunities to earn, but no one should overcharge him. He didn’t want people later claiming he got ripped off.

“I won’t disappoint you,” Lin Jingmin said, taking a breath.

Zhang Yang nodded silently.

He pulled out his phone, swiped for a moment, and stopped on the profile picture of Luo Xinyu, the previous owner of his property at Zhongliang Seaview No. 1.

Did they have a close relationship?

Yes and no.

If measured in years of friendship, then no-they had only known each other for a few days. But in the literal, physical sense, it could be considered substantial.

He casually sent a video request.

He wasn’t sure about the time difference, but it was probably daytime over there.

The video connected almost instantly.

“Am I dreaming? You actually sent me a video?” A strikingly beautiful face appeared on the screen. “Do you need something from me?”

“Sort of,” Zhang Yang smiled.

“I knew it, you wouldn’t contact me without a reason,” Luo Xinyu said, mildly teasing. “Go ahead, Mr. Zhang. What can this little lady do for you?”

“I’m out right now,” Zhang Yang hinted subtly. “Also, it’s nothing urgent. But I recall you mentioned a classmate of yours who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, right?”

“That’s right. She helped me find Kelly Wist, and the design fee was several million,” Luo Xinyu recalled. “Now that I think about it, selling that house of mine for just over a hundred million to you was a huge loss.”

Lin Jingmin, silently watching from the side, felt her heart race.

Since Zhang Yang started the video, she had been quietly listening, extracting every piece of information.

The mention of the Rhode Island School of Design immediately made her tense. She was a designer herself, and although she hadn’t studied abroad, she had long known of this school, ranked third globally among art and design institutions in QS rankings.

She prided herself on her professionalism, yet at this moment, she felt undeniably inexperienced.

Then, Kelly Wist? Several million in design fees? Who exactly was this woman, and what was her level of skill and influence?

And when she heard about the hundred-million-plus house…

Zhang Yang, the man in front of her, actually lived in a property worth over a hundred million in Shanghai?

“You even say it was a loss after selling it?” Zhang Yang chuckled. “Here’s the thing-I bought a villa to renovate. Could you introduce me to your friend?”

“Of course!” Luo Xinyu agreed cheerfully. “You want a foreign designer? I can tell her in advance.”

“That’s not necessary. I just might have a few small questions to consult her on later,” Zhang Yang said, slightly embarrassed.

For a villa worth over ten million, he didn’t need to make a big deal out of it.

The video was purely to connect with a professional in the interior design field-much better than blindly handing fifteen million to a renovation company.

“She’s my close friend. You can ask her anything. She knows many people in the design industry in China. You can send her the detailed list later,” Luo Xinyu advised carefully.

Her words hit Zhang Yang right in the mark.

He chatted a few friendly words with Luo Xinyu before ending the conversation, satisfied.

“So, you actually know such a professional?” Lin Jingmin stammered.

Wealthy and connected to a true expert in the field.

Even her small hopes of making a big gain vanished instantly.

“It’s all through friend introductions,” Zhang Yang said with a smile, taking in Lin Jingmin’s expression. “Don’t be nervous. As I said, I don’t mind renovation companies making money. Running a business isn’t charity. As long as my money is put to good use, a little over or under the budget is fine.”

Ultimately, he wasn’t concerned about the money itself. Overspending or additional costs were acceptable, but being ripped off? Not at all.

Lin Jingmin nodded slightly, showing her agreement.

“Don’t worry, I’m not that strict,” Zhang Yang said, glancing at her long, fair hand and lightly patting it.

Lin Jingmin’s hand trembled slightly, but she acted as if she hadn’t noticed.