Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 442: The Truly Rich

In his previous life, Zhou Yuwen was middle-class at best. He was still quite a distance away from being truly wealthy. Because of that, driving a BMW X7 was more than enough for him. Besides, he felt the X7 was absolutely presentable.However, in front of the truly rich, it was slightly lacking.

Well, perhaps not lacking, but rather, Tang Xinrou found it very hard to understand when she saw him driving the X7.

While he was driving Jiang Xinyi and Tang Xinrou to the latter's family estate, Tang Xinrou curiously asked if he was really nineteen years old.

The question caught Zhou Yuwen slightly off guard. He chuckled. "If I'm not nineteen, could I be thirty?"

Tang Xinrou let out a soft laugh. "It's mainly because the car you drive feels a bit too old-fashioned, Brother-in-law. When my friends were your age, they were driving Maseratis or Lamborghinis."

Zhou Yuwen did not even know how to respond to that. After a long pause, he simply said that he had no choice; he wasn't like them, born into massive family wealth.

"Every dime your brother-in-law has, he earned it penny by penny."

Hearing this, Tang Xinrou covered her mouth and giggled. "You're joking, Brother-in-law. I just heard earlier that your company is selling for over twenty million. You're richer than any of us! Brother-in-law, once the money comes through, you should buy a Maserati for fun too!"

Zhou Yuwen merely smiled at her words. He focused on driving and did not say anything more.

Fearing Tang Xinrou might feel awkward, Jiang Xinyi chimed in, saying that having one car to drive was enough. Why buy so many?

"But it's completely different!" Tang Xinrou protested, and then she seamlessly started chatting with Jiang Xinyi.

The subsequent conversation was dominated by the two sisters chatting. Zhou Yuwen did not interject, though the content of their chat lacked much substance. For instance, Tang Xinrou would mention how a car represented a man's prestige, and what kind of car should be driven to different occasions.

"My dad has over a dozen cars. A successful man like my brother-in-law should definitely buy a few more!"

If Zhou Yuwen wanted to join in on this topic, he certainly could have, but there was no need.

Just like that, he steadily drove them all the way to her family's estate. This private manor was located near Qixia Mountain, built against the mountain and facing the water. It was April, and the roses were in full bloom.

Zhou Yuwen drove straight along a one-way road. On one side stood the black iron fence of the private estate, densely intertwined with blooming roses.

They traveled along this road for quite a while before Tang Xinrou finally announced that it was just up ahead.

Truthfully, it was only then that Zhou Yuwen realized this vast property was actually Tang Xinrou's family estate.

Tang Xinrou made a phone call home. Shortly after, the heavy, tightly shut gates were pushed open by two staff members, and Zhou Yuwen drove his car inside.

In the eyes of ordinary people, Zhou Yuwen's villa was already a pinnacle they could never reach in their lifetime. Yet, compared to this place, his villa paled into insignificance.

Once the car passed through the gates, the view suddenly opened up.

Everything was immaculate, from the smoothly paved asphalt road to the landscaped gardens on the left, and the pond, fountain, and meandering artificial streams on the right.

Every single thing here belonged to a private estate.

The main building of the manor was a two-story small Western-style house, its architectural style carrying a distinct Republican-era flair.

Following the directions, Zhou Yuwen drove around to the back of the house, only to discover another Western-style house behind it. The two buildings were connected by a long corridor, and beside the corridor were over a dozen parking spaces.

Currently, seven or eight luxury cars were parked in the spaces, most of them worth around a million yuan each.

Jiang Xinyi had actually been here twice before and was already accustomed to such private residences. As for Zhou Yuwen, while he wasn't exactly stunned, it was undeniably his first time seeing something like this.

A dedicated butler came over to greet Tang Xinrou, then led the three of them into the house. Walking behind, Jiang Xinyi exchanged whispers with Zhou Yuwen.

She murmured that this piece of land was acquired by Tang Xinrou's father a few years ago. He had to use various connections and spend a fortune to get the permits, burning through over three hundred million in total.

"Actually, it's nothing that amazing," she added. "It's just that Tang Xinrou's family has a bit of a nouveau riche mentality. They show off and bring people over whenever they get the chance, acting as if no one else has anything like it."

Zhou Yuwen whispered back to Jiang Xinyi, "Well, I really don't have anything like it."

Jiang Xinyi rolled her eyes at him.

Up ahead, Tang Xinrou finished communicating with the butler. She turned around and asked Jiang Xinyi and Zhou Yuwen what they wanted to do for fun.

"We have a bathhouse here, complete with sauna and foot massage facilities, as well as a karaoke room. Brother-in-law, you play the piano so beautifully, you must be great at singing too, right?" Tang Xinrou asked, blinking her large eyes.

Zhou Yuwen said, "I'm just average, I guess?"

"Oh? So modest! Shall we go sing later then?"

Tang Xinrou sought his opinion, but Zhou Yuwen declined.

"I've been busy all morning and I'm quite tired. Your courtyard is very beautiful; how about we just go for a walk and stroll around outside instead?"

"That works too."

This manor wasn't actually that large. The courtyard merely occupied about half an acre of land. The front was designed as a small garden, while the back was planted with peach, pear, and pomegranate trees, all maintained by dedicated staff.

Tang Xinrou took Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi for a stroll around the grounds. When they returned, they spotted Liu Jing, Sun Juan, and a few others playing mahjong on the second floor.

The manor was designed as a two-story small Western-style house, featuring open terraces that provided excellent ventilation and light. Even the mahjong room appeared incredibly spacious.

As Zhou Yuwen and the two girls strolled outside, Sun Juan spotted them from afar through the windows and hurriedly waved them over.

The three of them made their way inside.

They found the four wealthy ladies expertly shuffling tiles and chatting.

As soon as Zhou Yuwen and the others entered, Sun Juan asked when they had arrived.

"You really lack manners, little girl. You didn't even tell me you had arrived," Sun Juan scolded her daughter.

Tang Xinrou defended herself, saying that wasn't the case.

"It's mainly because Sister Xinyi and Brother-in-law wanted to stroll around the courtyard."

"Oh! How was the walk?"

To Sun Juan, their little estate was definitely something to be proud of. Displaying her enthusiastic hospitality, she smiled and told them they were welcome to come over and casually hang out anytime.

Then, she rambled on, showing off various accomplishments. For example, she mentioned how they had specially hired a European designer for the courtyard, and bragged about the distinguished guests they had entertained, claiming that a Middle Eastern Crown Prince had once visited and been a guest in their home.

After chattering away for a good while, it was evident that Sun Juan was the only one enthusiastic about the topic. It felt like no one around her actually wanted to listen, and Zhou Yuwen naturally had even less interest in hearing it.

Observing the four of them playing mahjong, Zhou Yuwen thought to himself, 'Their skill level really isn't anything special.'

Compared to Sun Juan's boisterous personality, Liu Jing's demeanor demonstrated far more self-cultivation. Among the four middle-aged women present, the others were either out of shape or gaunt, relying on lavish jewelry to mask their aging.

Only Liu Jing stood out from the crowd. She maintained a perfectly straight posture and focused intently on her tiles while playing, not speaking much.

Noticing that Zhou Yuwen was continuously watching their game, Sun Juan asked, "Yuwen, do you know how to play?"

Zhou Yuwen replied that he knew a little, but wasn't familiar with their specific local rules.

"Aren't the rules for mahjong basically the same everywhere? Why don't you come over and play a few rounds with your future mother-in-law?" Sun Juan teased.

The others chuckled along.

It felt as if Zhou Yuwen becoming Liu Jing's son-in-law was already a foregone conclusion.

Zhou Yuwen shook his head and declined, saying he truly wasn't very good and didn't want to make a fool of himself.

Sun Juan was merely making a passing remark anyway. Afterward, Tang Xinrou mentioned that she had asked the kitchen to prepare some pastries. If there was nothing else, she would take Zhou Yuwen and the others out for afternoon tea.

Sun Juan nodded and told them to go ahead.

And so, the three younger folks stepped out.

They drank tea and chatted for a while on another terrace on the second floor. Tang Xinrou's personality was a bit more reserved than Sun Juan's, but they were mother and daughter after all, so there was still a hint of an urge to show off.

For example, while drinking tea, she constantly talked about her experiences going abroad and kept insisting, "Sister Xinyi, you really should go abroad to take a look."

Jiang Xinyi, however, replied, "I'm almost twenty-six. Where would I find the time to go abroad? In another two years, I'll be getting married."

As she said this, Jiang Xinyi stole a quick glance at Zhou Yuwen.

Tang Xinrou broke into a fit of giggles. "Studying abroad doesn't delay marriage! Sister, you're so good at studying, you'd definitely thrive overseas. I can help you keep an eye on Brother-in-law back home. You can get married right after you finish your study abroad, wouldn't that be perfect!"

Jiang Xinyi dismissed the idea. "Forget it."

"I can barely keep an eye on him myself. You think you could?"

"My, is Brother-in-law that hard to keep track of? Is there some juicy gossip? Tell me!" Tang Xinrou said, turning her gaze toward Zhou Yuwen.

Tang Xinrou genuinely wanted to hear the gossip. Given that Jiang Xinyi had found such a handsome and dashing boyfriend, there had to be a story there. She continued to stare at Zhou Yuwen with a wide grin.

Feigning ignorance, Zhou Yuwen said, "What gossip is there to tell? If we're really going to talk about it, your sister's ex-boyfriend has far more stories than I do."

"My sister had an ex-boyfriend?!"

This instantly shocked Tang Xinrou, and she looked at Jiang Xinyi with utter disbelief.

Jiang Xinyi had originally intended to corner Zhou Yuwen, but she never expected him to turn the tables on her. The sudden exposure left her entirely speechless.

Meanwhile, Tang Xinrou was brimming with curiosity. "Hurry up and tell me! What kind of ex-boyfriend was he?"

"Sister, are you still thinking about him?"

"What nonsense are you sprouting!"

That single remark caused Jiang Xinyi to roll her eyes continuously. She observed Zhou Yuwen's expression while explaining that the guy couldn't even be considered an ex-boyfriend.

"At most, he was just a close male friend." After pondering for a long time, Jiang Xinyi finally settled on a more appropriate term.

But Zhou Yuwen chimed in, "Oh, so you had a close male friend. Sigh."

Jiang Xinyi was completely at a loss for words. Flushing with shyness, she even had the urge to pinch Zhou Yuwen.

Tang Xinrou found it rather amusing to watch the two of them flaunt their affection right in front of her.

Jiang Xinyi kept insisting that it was all in the past.

"Besides, don't talk about me, alright? Don't you have ex-girlfriends too? I only have one ex-boyfriend, but you have two ex-girlfriends!"

"Oh?"

Tang Xinrou continued to eagerly consume the drama, while Zhou Yuwen argued, "How is my situation the same?"

"Mine were just close female friends."

"You..." Those words made Jiang Xinyi's delicate face turn bright red. She wanted to retort, but she didn't know how to counter him. She could only glare at him while biting her lips.

Just then, Tang Xinrou's phone rang.

It was a phone call from Sun Juan, saying that one of their mahjong players had left.

She wanted Zhou Yuwen to come over and play a few rounds.

Zhou Yuwen reiterated that he wasn't very good at it.

Sun Juan, however, was incredibly enthusiastic. "It's fine, just casually play a few hands to accompany us old aunties."

"Most importantly, accompany your mother-in-law!"

At that moment, the others on the other end of the line eagerly urged Liu Jing to say something.

Liu Jing then invited Zhou Yuwen to come over and give it a try.

Zhou Yuwen finally agreed, "Alright."

Logically, once a player left, the mahjong game should have ended.

It was likely that Sun Juan simply hadn't had enough yet, which was why she suggested Zhou Yuwen come over to play a few rounds.

Naturally, Liu Jing had disagreed at first.

But Sun Juan argued that a person's character could be seen from how they played cards.

"The young man looks decent enough, but who knows what he's like at the card table."

"Just call him over to play for fun!"

"Besides, if he plays well, we can make a full table in the future, right?"

Liu Jing pondered for a moment before conceding, "Alright."

And so, Zhou Yuwen went over to join them.

His technique of shuffling the mahjong tiles turned out to be quite practiced.

Sun Juan took one look and scoffed, "And you claimed you've never played."

"You clearly look like an expert! Liu Jing, you can frequently invite your son-in-law to play from now on," Sun Juan joked.

Zhou Yuwen replied that he was only good at drawing tiles.

"I don't know anything else."

"Give me a break," Sun Juan chuckled. She added, "I have to remind you two, you are family, so no cheating."

As Zhou Yuwen organized his tiles, he directly rejected the notion. "That definitely won't happen. There's no family at the card table—I understand that rule well."

At his words, the other three women laughed, and even Liu Jing cracked a smile.

Truthfully, what Zhou Yuwen said was a bit presumptuous, but if it was presumptuous, so be it.

Liu Jing had already unilaterally declared him her son-in-law; wasn't he allowed to be a little presumptuous in return?

And with that, they began to play.

Zhou Yuwen's mahjong play was incredibly steady. He didn't make mistakes, yet he didn't win by a large margin either. He appeared ordinary, but his gameplay was actually flawless.

At first, Sun Juan and the others didn't notice anything unusual and would sometimes even laugh at Zhou Yuwen for playing the wrong tile.

But after several rounds, they realized that Zhou Yuwen was winning far more often than he lost.

After Zhou Yuwen had come over, Jiang Xinyi and Tang Xinrou followed to watch the game. However, these two girls obviously hadn't played much cards; they watched for an entire round and still couldn't grasp what was going on.

Tang Xinrou would even sneer at Zhou Yuwen for making what she thought was a mistake.

As bystanders, they could see all the tiles.

Even a fool would know what to play, yet Zhou Yuwen surprisingly played the wrong one.

The women at the table, however, were old foxes. Sun Juan had been boisterous at the beginning, but after a few rounds, she noticed something was off. As she played, she remarked, "These young people have such quick minds. Us old folks really can't compare. In just a few moves, all our chips are going to be wiped out."

Zhou Yuwen kept his head down, organizing his tiles without saying a word.

The player opposite Sun Juan chimed in, "Exactly, he doesn't even go easy on his own mother-in-law."

Liu Jing replied, "We're just playing for fun. There's no need to take it so seriously."

As an elder was speaking, Zhou Yuwen couldn't easily interject.

The only thing Zhou Yuwen could say was, "Ah, I won again."

With those words, he revealed his hand—a pure flush.

Sun Juan immediately cried out in frustration, declaring that she wasn't playing anymore.

"These young people's brains are just too sharp. We simply can't beat him."

Zhou Yuwen smiled. "Not at all, Aunt Sun. I just had better luck, that's all."

When they finally tallied up the scores, Zhou Yuwen had played for a little over an hour and earned enough to buy a smartphone. Even among the closest of kin, accounts must be settled clearly; the money owed had to be paid.

Liu Jing had also lost a small wager.

Sun Juan grumbled in dissatisfaction, "You rascal, you don't even let your own mother-in-law off the hook?"

Zhou Yuwen just smiled and stayed silent.

It was nearing eight o'clock by the time they finished playing. After having dinner at Sun Juan's place, the players were visibly still craving more and wanted to continue the game. However, Zhou Yuwen definitively could not keep going.

So, he mentioned that he had to rush back after dinner.

"Why rush back? Just stay over at Auntie's place. My house might not have much, but it certainly has plenty of rooms," Sun Juan offered without missing a beat.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen couldn't help but smile, thinking to himself, 'If Aunt Jing agrees, I'll be sharing a room with Sister Xinyi tonight.'

Liu Jing naturally disagreed. "The child has things to take care of, let him head back. Yuwen, remember to escort Xinyi home safely."

"Understood, Aunt Jing."

And so it was settled. After dinner, the elders went back to their mahjong game.

Tang Xinrou hadn't had enough fun yet. To her, nine o'clock was just the beginning of nightlife. Why the sudden rush to go home?

"Wouldn't it be nice to go out and hit the clubs?"

Zhou Yuwen said he really couldn't make it.

"I'm getting old; I just want to focus on preserving my health."

"What are you talking about?"

Upon hearing his excuse, Tang Xinrou instantly began to mock him.

Please, grandpa.

"Of the three of us, one is twenty-five, one is twenty-three, and you are only nineteen! Yet you're telling us you need to focus on health preservation." Tang Xinrou looked at him as if he were incomprehensible.

Zhou Yuwen chuckled. "Alright, I really do have things to take care of tonight."

"I still have to take your Sister Xinyi home. Let's leave it at that."

"Oh, you two are definitely sneaking off to do some shady activities behind my back." Tang Xinrou instantly caught on, humming softly with a knowing look.

Zhou Yuwen nodded. "Right, right. Do you want to join us?"

"Get lost!" Tang Xinrou immediately blushed, dropping her teasing tone.

Thus, Zhou Yuwen was smoothly able to drive away with Jiang Xinyi.

Truth be told, Jiang Xinyi was quite exhausted today as well. She had woken up early in the morning to help Zhou Yuwen supervise the villa party, and she had only just now found the chance to relax.

She had long since changed out of the evening gown she wore at the villa.

Jiang Xinyi preferred wearing this kind of knitted sweater paired with wide-leg jeans, finding it much more comfortable and relaxed.

Sitting in the passenger seat of Zhou Yuwen's car, her short knitted sweater rode up slightly, revealing a midriff completely devoid of excess fat.

Even at twenty-five, she still possessed the figure of a young girl.

By the time she got into the car, Jiang Xinyi was already in a completely relaxed state.

She proactively leaned over, resting her head on Zhou Yuwen's shoulder and closing her eyes to rest.

She even held onto one of Zhou Yuwen's hands with her own.

Girls were just like that.

If she really liked a boy, she would initiate physical closeness.

Before today, the relationship between Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi was strictly "more than friends, but not quite lovers." They maintained clear boundaries between them.

But now, it seemed Jiang Xinyi had already started treating Zhou Yuwen like a lover.

Zhou Yuwen, however, felt a bit awkward. "I'm driving, this isn't safe."

"Let me ask you, just now you told Xinrou that you were taking me to do some shady activities. What exactly are those activities?" Jiang Xinyi asked, pouting her lips.

Zhou Yuwen protested, "How did it become something I said? Didn't she say it? I was just playing along,"