Man, this beauty is worth collecting. As the son of the mayor of Hanhai City, Zhou Quanxiong, he holds both power and influence. With his father, Zhou Quanxiong, one could say he can make any company thrive simply by wishing so, or cause it to collapse instantly. To him, "backroom dealings" and "hidden hands" are now everyday occurrences. This time, at his son's request, he subtly manipulated the situation, causing the Snow Sprite family's enterprise to face mounting difficulties. Now, despite having ample funds, the company refuses to bow to power. But what kind of act is being performed by Zhou Chao and his father? Just observe and you'll see. Zhou Chao has carefully crafted this performance. Watching this beautiful woman willingly stepping forward, with both her parents gazing at him with earnest appeal, as if he were a savior—haha! What a delight! Zhou Chao, eager to impress Xuebi, deliberately adopted a generous demeanor and called out to the server at Tian Shang Ren Jian restaurant, "Bring me a full table of abalone dishes! Remember, Miss Xuebi particularly likes steamed ones!" "Got it! Got it!" The female server promptly headed toward the inner hall. Beverly was completely puzzled. After her parents exchanged quiet whispers, Beverly's mother pulled her aside and explained the situation. Immediately, Beverly said, "No, Mom! You're treating me like a product! You're actually exchanging me for someone else! I really don't like Zhou Chao at all! Please don't push me anymore!" "Then, who do you like?" Beverly's mother asked. It had never happened before that Sprite had been pushy or argumentative—this left Pan Zhi Yong so flustered that his face lengthened with embarrassment. At that moment, Zhou Chao arrived and said to Pan Zhi Yong and his wife, "Sprite still finds it hard to accept me at this moment, but that's perfectly all right. We can get to know each other over time. I'm not in a hurry. I believe that with my genuine sincerity, I can eventually win over Sprite!" Zhou Chao was a man of polished words and grace—though he said he wasn't in a rush, deep down he was absolutely anxious. These days, he hadn't even managed to meet a single high-quality woman. Damn it—every spotlight had been taken by Gao Liang, and all the beautiful women had drifted over to his side. Finally, he'd managed to land Sprite, a truly collectible beauty. But he couldn't rush things. Based on his experience, he knew that when it came to wooing women, one had to be patient—just like brewing tea. Only by brewing slowly would the tea truly become fragrant. Zhou Chao invited Sprite's family for a sea bass banquet. As they were enjoying the meal, By chance, Gao Liang made eye contact with Xue Bi, who was sitting at the table, and immediately lowered his head, his heart racing: it had been a long time since he last saw him—since several months ago, when Gao Liang had borrowed 100,000 yuan from him and then helped cure his father’s illness. He had always felt deeply grateful. He had given Gao Liang a business card, but Gao Liang had never reached out to him. Gao Liang was a man who helped others without expecting anything in return. Xue Bi’s father had recovered, and Mingxi Knit Factory had weathered its most difficult period, beginning to thrive—just as Gao Liang was approaching his college entrance exams. By chance, Xue Bi learned from an employee at the factory that Gao Liang, a top-performing but underachieving student at Hanhai No.1 High School, was a standout. He then found out Gao Liang’s home address and went to visit him with 100,000 yuan—just when Gao Liang’s family was facing pressure from relatives demanding repayment, the money was exactly what they needed. This was the second meeting between Xuebi and Gaoqing, and it took place months later. Gaoqing had changed—he was now sunnier than before, radiating a more mature grace. Without knowing how, when Xuebi's gaze met Gaoqing's at that very moment, her heart fluttered. Gaoqing smiled gracefully at Xuebi, and Zhou Chao, seeing Gaoqing arrive at this moment, instantly turned crimson. Longtime rivals, longtime rivals—now they had collided once again. Gaoqing and his three close friends settled at a large round table near Zhou Chao. "Serve us the Luxurious鲍and Sea Cucumber Five-Person Set! Sea cucumber medley, abalone rice, snail sashimi, large shrimp, wild yellow fish, sea bream's jaw, and flounder with sea cucumber stew—plus 17 exquisite dishes including purple moss lotus root, silver ear and black fungus, fresh mushrooms and winter melon, and a hearty stew to share!" Gaoqing spoke with remarkable fluency, without a single pause. Immediately, the server approached with a bright smile, bowing and nodding respectfully to this distinguished guest. Zhou came out sweating. He realized that the abalone banquet he had ordered was actually the most ordinary one. As soon as Gao Liang arrived, he immediately listed off a whole bunch of premium dishes—no less than seventeen—reciting them like a well-practiced rhyme. Zhou valued his reputation and didn’t want to let Gao Liang take the spotlight. At that moment, Zhou’s three close friends, Luo Qi, Wang Lei, and Liu Qiang, were eyeing the newly served table of dishes with clear hunger. Zhou thought to himself: "These guys are really troublesome. As soon as Gao Liang arrives, I have to order even more—goodness, I’m going to have to spend even more!" With a determined breath, he turned to the menu and shouted to the female server, "Quick! What’s seventeen dishes? I need the Buddhist-style stew!" When saying the three characters "Fó Tiào Qiáng," Zhou Chao deliberately lengthened his tone and emphasized his voice. The female server beamed with delight and immediately bowed gracefully, saying, "Sir, 'Fó Tiào Qiáng' is the representative dish of Fujian cuisine in the Chinese culinary tradition. It combines various mountain and sea delicacies into a single pot, with a strong emphasis on the broth. Its unique cooking and preparation method is truly unparalleled in China." Zhou Chao looked proudly at Gao Liang beside him, confident that he had successfully subdued him. Yet, to his surprise, Gao Liang responded to the server, "I've had enough of Fó Tiào Qiáng. How about a full Han-Wei banquet instead?"