Chapter 118 Being Xenocentric
Seeing that Qin Haodong accepted his invitation, Zhao Changyang let out a sigh of relief. He became happier after he hung up the phone. Taking the notebook on the table with him, he walked into the next meeting room.
Qin Haodong accompanied Zuo Lanzhi all the afternoon in shopping and bought some new clothes, golden rings and earrings for his grandmother, wanting to give her a new look.
It was almost six o’clock in the evening when Qin Haodong drove Zuo Lanzhi home. After that, he headed to Murraya Hotel, where he had just left yesterday. That was because Wufeng County was just a small county with the hotel being the only excellent one there.
His mobile phone rang soon after he went back into his car. The call was from Lin Momo.
“Papa, I miss you so much.”
Qin Haodong felt his bone limp as he heard Tang Tang’s voice. He answered with a grin, “I miss you too, sweetie.”
“Where are you, Papa? Mommy and I will come to you,” said Tang Tang eagerly.
Qin Haodong told Tang Tang to let Lin Momo answer the phone and said to her, “I’m going to attend a middle school reunion. Come with me.”
“Is it appropriate for me to go?” Lin Momo asked timidly.
“Of course, it is. Take Tang Tang with you. Those people will envy me so much when they see me accompanied by two beauties.”
After a little while in thought, Lin Momo replied, “Okay. Give me the address and I’ll start off with Tang Tang right now.”
“You’re unfamiliar with the place. I’ll let you locate me through GPS on the phone when I arrive there,” said Qin Haodong, “What have you been busy with this afternoon?”
“Our group want to set up a jade processing factory in Wufeng County. We’ve fixed upon a site and bidden on it.”
“How was it going? Lin’s Group is powerful and rich, so, it won’t be a problem for you to get it,” said Qin Haodong.
“It’s hard to say. I’m not quite optimistic about it.” Lin Momo’s voice was a little deep as she spoke.
“How? Is there any enterprise more powerful than your group in Wufeng County?”
“Well, you don’t know about the business. It’s very complicated, and one’s power could not decide everything as other factors, such as interpersonal relations.h.i.+p, also matter.
“Our main opponent is Pon’s Group, a local enterprise in Wufeng County. They may in a small size but has a close relations.h.i.+p with all the organizations of the county. So, I don’t think we can win them.”
Qin Haodong asked, “Do you need my help?”
“There is nothing you can do in terms of business. Leave it to me.”
Though Qin Haodong was a native in Wufeng County, in Lin Momo’s eyes, he was only a student from a humble family who could hardly help her.
Qin Haodong smiled and did not refute what she said but just answered, “Okay, let’s talk about it when I see you later.”
Though the reunion was yet to start, there were seven to eight people in the No.1 VIP room of the Murraya Hotel.
All of these people were Qin Haodong’s cla.s.smates at middle school. Without a college education, most of them had started making a living after they graduated from middle school, including Ma Wenzhuo, who worked around to earn his living.
These people chatted with each other with a family of three sitting in the center of them. The woman was called Zhu Linlin, a boy about three or four years old in her arms. Different from other children, the boy had dark skin and curly hair, identifying him as black people.
The boy’s father, namely Zhu Linlin’s husband, had even darker skin. He was 1.9-meter tall with big muscles, looking very strong.
“Linlin, I’m so jealous of you that you have married a foreigner.”
The speaker was Zhang Xiaohui, a chubby girl. She was the ex-girlfriend of Ma Wenzhuo.
“Marrying Cafu was the best choice I ever made. He is nice to me and rich,” said Zhu Linlin complacently, showing the diamond ring on her right hand to others. “Xiaohui, I heard you were going to marry a j.a.panese. I’m so happy for you.”
These words exhilarated Zhang Xiaohui, who answered with a smug look, “Yes, my fiance works as an architect in j.a.pan. He has been preparing for our wedding, which will be held the next year in j.a.pan.”
“You’re being too xenocentric! What are you girls thinking about exactly? Now, our country is getting stronger; is it really so great to marry abroad?”
This time, the speaker was Ma Wenzhuo. He arrived early that day and had been quiet all the time sitting aside. He could not bear to listen to these girls’ xenocentric words, so, he yelled at Zhang Xiaohui, “A j.a.panese should never be your choice even though you want to marry a foreigner. Your fiance, Kameda Jiro, I heard he was a man shorter than 1.5 meter with bowlegs, and that his parents made a living by pig farming. Do you really want to join their career after marrying Kameda Jiro?”
On hearing the words, Zhang Xiaohui immediately shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stamped on. “Ma Wenzhuo, what bulls.h.i.+t are you talking about? He is rich, so, it doesn’t matter he is a short pig breeder. Anyway, he greatly surpa.s.ses you, a pauper who works around for others. I was so blind to start a relations.h.i.+p with you.”
Dissatisfied that Ma Wenzhuo talked her as a xenocentric girl, Zhu Linlin glared at him before chiming in, “Ma Wenzhuo, never thought you were a cynic. Nevertheless, this foreigner is much richer than you. Make more momey if you can and save us from marrying abroad.”
“I still think Xiaohui’s choice right. Don’t be jealous because you less excellent than them.”
After saying this, Zhu Linlin leant over to her black husband, Cafu, looking as if she were saying “don’t be jealous of me!”
Echo by Zhu Linlin, Zhang Xiaohui looked even c.o.c.kier. She pointed to Ma Wenzhuo’s nose and shouted, “Jiro is short, but he earns a lot. Tall as you are, you’ll never be rich.”
She then turned to the girls sitting beside her, “Women should be wise when choosing their boyfriends. Linlin, the best example. She ran after Qin Haodong when in middle school, but now, we all can tell Qin Haodong has nothing remarkable except his handsome face, with which, we can’t feed ourselves or buy anything. Linlin would not be happy now if she had married Qin Haodong.”
“You… You…” Ma Wenzhuo was enraged to a tremble. He stamped hard on the floor before turning to leave with n.o.body in the room able to stop him.
He ran into Qin Haodong just as he walked out of the room.
“h.e.l.lo, Wenzhuo, you’re here early. Where are you going?”
Ma Wenzhuo replied in anger, “This is not a place for us, brother. Let’s leave here for a drink. My treat.”
Looking at Zhang Xiaohui, who stood near the door with folded arms, Qin Haodong finally knew what was going on. He muttered, “What’s matter? Are you still angry at that j.a.panese?”
“Bro, why are the women so sn.o.bbish now? It’s really annoying,” said Ma Wenzhuo to Qin Haodong, “I don’t blame Zhang Xiaohui for breaking up with me, and I has no affection for her now, but, I’m so indignant that she is going to marry a short, ugly j.a.panese with bowlegs.
“Do you remember Zhu Linlin? She had ran after you in middle school, but now, she has married a black man and has a black child. Is there anything good in doing this? She made her children and grandchildren all have black skin just on account of money!”
Qin Haodong was slightly surprised by the words. He remembered Zhu Linlin as a pretty girl who had chased after him for a year in the middle school. He never expected the girl he rejected married a black man in the end.
“Black people indeed have powerful genes. No matter one is white or yellow, the child of them and black people would probably have dark skin. Nothing can change it.”
“Forget it. Several men, several minds. You don’t need to be angry at her. She is eagerly waiting for us to leave, so, we can’t grant her wish. Just ignore her; we’re here to attend the reunion.”
Ma Wenzhuo did not want to disgrace himself by leaving, therefore, he followed Qin Haodong back into the room.
Seeing Ma Wenzhuo’s return, Zhang Xiaohui scoffed. “Well, meeting one of your kind emboldened you?”
“Come on, Xiaohui, we’re here for the reunion. Talk something pleasing please,” Qin Haodong replied.
He wanted to settle the quarrels between Ma Wenzhuo and Zhang Xiaohui and let the matter drop.
“Stop playing a nice guy, Qin Haodong. We all know that you and Ma Wenzhuo are good friends. You’re a pauper just like him.”
Qin Haodong’s face darkened as he heard the words. He did not expect Zhang Xiaohui to be so unreasonable.
“Zhang Xiaohui, are you mad to provoke everyone you see? Haodong did not offend you at all.”
“Am I wrong?” Zhang Xiaohui pointed at Zhu Linlin, who sat beside and watched them arguing, and said, “Look at Linlin. She is in luxury clothes, and the diamond on her ring is even bigger than a pigeon egg. If she married Qin Haodong back then, she would be working for others and could only wear cheap clothes now.”
“Xiaohui, the past is past. I was young and innocent at that time. Fortunately, I gave up before it was too late, so, I didn’t make the mistake of a lifetime.” Zhu Linlin fondled the diamond ring with her right hand as she spoke. “In fact, this ring is not expensive. It cost us only 500,000 yuan. If Qin Haodong works hard for eight to ten years without spending a cent, he could afford one like this as well.”
“Haodong, you see, they are so…”
Ma Wenzhuo was blushed with anger and felt as if his lung were about to explode because of these two sn.o.bs.
Qin Haodong had lived more than 500 years and did not take the women’s words seriously. He said, “Forget it. These things have long past. Let them say whatever they’d like to.”
He did not want to continue the topic, however, Zhang Xiaohui just did not give up. Because Qin Haodong had a good relations.h.i.+p with Ma Wenzhuo, Zhang Xiaohui also started to hate him. She said with sarcasm, “It sounds that you thought our words unreasonable. Am I wrong?
“Poor like you, you can only wheedle innocent girls with your appearance. Now, we are all adults, and no one will be fooled by you. As a result, you are both single and two bachelors. No girl will be so stupid to fall in love with pauper like you.
“Therefore, for a man, a handsome look is useless. It’s more important for him to be capable and make a lot of money.”
Zhu Linlin echoed her at once. “Xiaohui’s words may sound harsh, but, it’s the reality. The two of you don’t even have a girlfriend, but, look at us, Xiaohui is about to get married, and my child is three and half years old. He is so cute.”
As she said that, she held the black boy high to others to show off.
Ma Wenzhuo was so angry that he said, “He is as black as coal. Why can’t I see that he is cute?”
Zhu Linlin was displeased when hearing the words and thundered. “What are you talking about, you pauper?”
Zhang Xiaohui said, “Linlin, don’t condescend to argue with them. They are not able to marry anyone, so, they’re jealous of us.”
Zhu Linlin snorted and said, “Your words are just sour grapes. Have a cute baby, if you can!”
Right then, a sweet voice came from the door of the room. “Papa, here I come.”