C14 14

"What did you say?" The woman in the red dress had sharp ears and caught Wang Qi's muttering. "Heh, I was just saying, this lovely lady is so thoughtful, bringing her dad to shop for clothes. Such a good daughter." Wang Qi grinned. The woman in the red dress was immediately fuming, her nose flaring with anger. The middle-aged, balding man was not pleased either. He stepped forward, glaring at Wang Qi. "I'm not her dad. I'm her boyfriend." The middle-aged man was clearly upset, feeling insulted by the implication that he was too old for his girlfriend. "Oh, I thought you two were father and daughter. Didn't expect you to be a couple. What a surprise." Wang Qi shrugged. Given the age difference, it was an honest assumption. "Watch your mouth, punk." The balding man was visibly angry, resorting to insults. Wang Qi was taken aback, then furious. He hadn't uttered a single curse word, yet this guy was hurling insults at him. "You old fool, you look like a pig with that big head and thick neck. Why aren't you in a pigsty instead of out here? It's a sign of the times when pigs start wearing human clothes." Wang Qi shot back, unafraid of this flashy but clearly uncultured man. Despite his fancy attire, his demeanor screamed "wannabe." In the Imperial Capital, there were plenty of nouveau riche types who got their wealth overnight from property deals. They had the money, but not much else to show for it. The middle-aged, balding man was furious, leaving the sales clerk stunned. She had never seen someone so aggressive before. "You're asking for it," he snarled. He swung a punch at Wang Qi, but his steps were unsteady. Wearing slick dress shoes on a smooth floor, he slipped and fell flat on his face right in front of Wang Qi. "Hey, buddy, I'm not your dad. No need to bow so low," Wang Qi said.

"Gather around, folks. The big shot is about to hit someone," Wang Qi shouted, clapping his hands to draw attention. His voice was loud enough to pull in the people nearby. "What nonsense are you spouting?" the woman in the red dress snapped, stomping her foot, but she could not do anything to him. "Everyone, take a good look. This is a rich thug, and this is his mistress. He is cheating on his wife, who is at home taking care of the kids and the elderly, while he is out here with his mistress," Wang Qi accused, pointing at the balding man's nose and making the first move, without caring whether any of it was true. The crowd, disgusted by such immoral behavior, began whispering and pointing at the balding man and the woman in red. The two did not dare stay any longer and fled in a panic. Once they were gone, the onlookers dispersed. "How do you know she is his mistress? Do you know them?" the sales clerk asked, puzzled. "Can't you tell? The age difference is obvious. It is definitely about money. It is like, 'We would not be together if it were not for money. Without it, we would each go our separate ways,'" Wang Qi said with a smirk. "You're something else," the sales clerk said. Qu Menghan stayed in the fitting room for a long time and eventually decided not to buy anything, thinking it was too expensive. Wang Qi insisted on buying her two dresses, along with some pants, tops, and shoes. The total came to over $13,000, more than Wang Qi had expected. He had brought $10,000 in cash, which was not enough, so he used his credit card. It was the first time Wang Qi had spent so extravagantly. He wondered if he was falling back into the old habit of trying too hard to please someone, but he hoped Qu Menghan was not that kind of person. "Why are you spending so much on me? If you expect me to pay you back, I can't afford it," Qu Menghan said, worried. "Don't worry. I won't ask you to pay me back. I'm not that shameless. Even if you leave one day, I won't come looking for you to repay me," Wang Qi replied with a smirk. Then he took Qu Menghan out for a meal. They had planned to visit the zoo in the afternoon, but his pager went off unexpectedly. It was Liu Chao. "Wait for me. I need to make a call." Wang Qi headed to the phone booth. Cell phones existed, but they were not common yet. They were still expensive, starting at over $1,000. Not every college student had one, let alone high schoolers. Bringing a cell phone to school made you stand out, unlike later times when even elementary school kids had one.

Wang Qi took Qu Menghan shopping. A saleswoman glanced at them and said, "Can't you tell just by looking? With an age gap that big, it has to be about money. You and I were never meant to be, but money got in the way. Without money, we'd each go our separate way." Wang Qi curled his lip. "You're something else." The saleswoman couldn’t help giving Wang Qi a thumbs-up. Qu Menghan took a long time trying things on before she finally came out. She still didn’t want to buy anything because it was too expensive, but Wang Qi insisted on purchasing two dresses, then pants, tops, and shoes. The total came to more than $13,000, which was beyond what Wang Qi expected. He had brought $10,000 in cash, which wasn’t nearly enough, so he had to use his card. It was the first time Wang Qi had been this extravagant. He wondered if he was falling back into the same old pattern, but Qu Menghan didn’t seem like that kind of person. "Why are you spending so much money on me? If you ask me to pay you back later, I won’t be able to." Qu Menghan sounded worried. "Don’t worry. I’m not going to make you pay me back. I’m not that shameless. Even if one day you leave, I won’t come looking for repayment." Wang Qi curled his lip, then took Qu Menghan out to eat. He had planned to go to the zoo afterward, but his pager went off. It was Liu Chao. "Wait for me. I’m going to make a call." Wang Qi went to a newsstand phone booth. Cell phones existed, but they still weren’t common, and they were expensive, starting in the thousands. Wang Qi returned Liu Chao’s call. Liu told him that someone was interested in buying Brother Legend and wanted Wang Qi to come over for a chat. It was definitely a gaming company. Wang Qi agreed. Brother Legend was just his first big break; he wasn’t too attached to it. He knew it wouldn’t stay popular for long and would eventually be outdated. Selling it was the right move, even though the cash flow was good at the moment. Wang Qi first dropped Qu Menghan off before heading to the meeting. The location was a café, where he met the person interested in acquiring Brother Legend, a man in his early thirties, wearing a suit and with impeccably styled hair, clearly a successful professional. "This is Mr. Wu Weide, and this is my boss, Wang Qi," Liu Chao introduced them. Wang Qi sat down, locking eyes with Wu Weide, who returned the gaze. "Didn’t expect you to be so young, Mr. Wang. I’m a representative from Blue Sky Game Company," Wu Weide introduced himself. Blue Sky Game Company was known to Wang Qi as a domestic company specializing in online games. However, they focused on development, not operations. "Let’s cut to the chase. How much are you willing to offer?" Wang Qi asked directly. "Mr. Wang, you don’t beat around the bush, do you? We’re serious about this acquisition and can offer up to 1 million," Wu Weide said, holding up one finger. Wang Qi was taken aback. A million? That was their idea of a sincere offer? He couldn’t believe it. "You think Brother Legend is worthless? 1 million won’t cut it. Dream on," Wang Qi said, clearly dissatisfied. This was far from the price he had in mind. "Come on, 1 million is a lot. We’ve bought other private servers for less," Wu Weide replied, surprised that Wang Qi wasn’t thrilled with the offer. "Those were other servers. My server brings in 30 to 50 thousand a day. That’s 1 million a month in revenue. Selling it to you for just 1 million? There’s no way that’s happening," Wang Qi scoffed. "No way. Where are you getting that kind of cash flow? Your server hasn’t been running that long," Wu Weide said, doubtful. "Check with the bank. I’ll show you the cash flow," Wang Qi said, slapping his bank card on the table.

In this era, not even most college students had their own phones, let alone high schoolers. Bringing a phone to school would make you a big deal, unlike in later years, when even elementary school kids would have one. Wang Qi called Liu Chao back. Liu Chao told him that someone wanted to buy Brother Legend and wanted Wang Qi to come over and talk. It had to be a game company. Wang Qi agreed. Brother Legend was only his first pot of gold, and he was not going to put too much effort into it. This kind of thing would not stay popular for long and would be left behind by the times. "If you really have that kind of revenue, we're willing to reassess the offer," Wu Weide conceded, needing to see the proof for himself. "All right, let's get going." Wang Qi led Wu Weide to the nearest bank, which was packed with people. They had to wait in line, and in this day and age, the bank still did not seem to understand the concept of online services, so the process was painfully slow. In the future, they would miss out on significant opportunities. After waiting in line for over an hour, Wang Qi finally reached the counter.

​