Chapter 698: Chapter 301: She Looks Stunning at the Modeling Competition...
Zhang Jingdong and Lin Qingci got out of the car and entered the Natural Inn.
Their restaurant specializes in Huaiyang cuisine.
After taking a seat, Zhang Jingdong looked through the menu and ordered a Crab Meat Meatballs, Crystal Pork, Ping Bridge Tofu, and Squirrel Guilt Fish.
Then he handed the menu to Lin Qingci.
Lin Qingci took the menu, glanced through it briefly, and ordered Shiitake Mushroom and Pine Nut Corn.
The reason Huaiyang cuisine can become the main dish at state banquets is, firstly, because its dishes are sourced from the boundary between the north and south, so people from both regions can generally accept the flavors.
Another reason is that state banquets usually have strict time limits, and most Huaiyang dishes have short cooking times.
The two chatted for a while, and the waiter gradually brought all the dishes, prompting them to eat and talk simultaneously.
At this moment, Zhang Jingdong asked, "Which university did you attend domestically before going to Harvard?"
Lin Qingci took a sip of juice and replied, "I didn’t attend university domestically. I went straight to Harvard for my undergraduate after high school."
Zhang Jingdong realized, "No wonder you look so young. You’re really accomplished at a young age!"
"Do you really have the nerve to call me accomplished? I’ve been wanting to ask you, how old are you this year?"
"19, why?"
"Wha...what?"
Lin Qingci exaggeratedly widened her eyes.
Although she guessed Zhang Jingdong was younger than her, she didn’t expect him to be under 20!
"You’re...you’re joking, right?"
Zhang Jingdong enjoyed her shocked expression and casually took out his student ID from his bag to hand it to Lin Qingci.
Lin Qingci accepted the student ID, glanced at it, and instantly exclaimed, "You’re only a freshman this year? I can’t believe it... you’re incredible!"
Zhang Jingdong pouted, "You went to Harvard after all, so we’re quite comparable."
Lin Qingci shook her head, "You’re too modest, you’re the impressive one!"
"When I was 19, I was still asking my family for money, while you’ve already become a billionaire."
"Tsk tsk, even across the entire country, it would be challenging to find another person like you!"
At this moment, something suddenly crossed Lin Qingci’s mind, and she hesitated, "You mentioned earlier that when you started university, you walked back to school to save on bus fare. Does that mean you earned your fortune in less than a year? How did you do it?"
Zhang Jingdong mentally scolded himself: Can you plan ahead when boasting to women? Now how are you going to cover it up?
But seeing Lin Qingci’s expectant eyes, he had no choice but to fabricate: "I was poor when I started university, and sometimes I couldn’t even afford to eat. So I began crazily looking for part-time jobs outside."
"I first found work selling computers and earned three to four hundred thousand in a bit over two months. Then I used that money to stockpile second-hand computers and sell them, eventually making millions."
"Later, while I continued doing various businesses, I ventured into a money-spinner sector, which is the stock market. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the stock market in our country has been thriving these past few years."
"I consistently picked the right stocks and made my current fortune."
Even though Zhang Jingdong was purely making things up, Lin Qingci believed him.
Especially when Zhang Jingdong mentioned earning his billions through stocks, it cemented her belief.
Because, based on various news recently, she had also been paying attention to the local stock market and tried buying some stocks, making some profit.
In Lin Qingci’s view now, Zhang Jingdong was a self-made man, someone who achieved financial independence through his intelligence and talent.
Moreover, due to his creative expression regarding his company’s new product direction a few hours ago, Lin Qingci genuinely considered Zhang Jingdong a business genius who might continue to create new business miracles in the future.
Thinking of this, she became even more confident in their future cooperation!
Zhang Jingdong noticed the admiration in Lin Qingci’s eyes, secretly relieved, but couldn’t resist teasing: "So, am I impressive or what?"
Although Lin Qingci was still a bit unaccustomed to his cocky attitude, she had to admit that he indeed had the right to be proud.
"Alright, you’re indeed quite remarkable."
"To be honest, I previously encountered many young and accomplished individuals in the Beautiful Country, and I thought such young, unconventionally successful people could only emerge in that environment."
"But now...you’ve completely changed my thinking."
Meanwhile, Zhang Jingdong picked up a small spoon to taste the Ping Bridge Tofu and subtly shifted the conversation topic: "Tell me about your experiences in the Beautiful Country. What’s the deal with this happiness education they always advocate for?"
Lin Qingci teased, "Before I went to the Beautiful Country, I was also curious about it and even envied their children for a while."
"But back then, I felt something was off because if one only receives happiness education daily, they wouldn’t learn genuinely useful knowledge."
"And it wasn’t until I went to the Beautiful Country that I gradually understood that happiness education is really the education for the lower class there."
"The best educational resources in the Beautiful Country are in elite schools. In contrast, the public schools, aimed at children from lower backgrounds, have extremely poor teacher resources. The teachers there can’t teach them anything substantive, so they let them play and implement this so-called happiness education."