novelraw Chapter 422 - 197: I’m Even More Handsome in Person Than in Photos!
Chapter 422 - 197: I’m Even More Handsome in Person Than in Photos!
The three of them drove their three cars towards the private kitchen where Zhang Bo had made a reservation.
In about ten minutes, a Land Rover Range Rover, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and an Audi A4 drove one after another into a paid underground parking lot.
Once they parked, the trio chatted and laughed as they took the elevator upstairs, turned left after exiting, and entered an alley.
After walking in the alley for about three minutes, they arrived at the entrance of a courtyard house with a sign that read "Affectionate Courtyard."
"Here we are, Brother Jiang, please lead the way!"
Zhang Bo gestured courteously at the entrance and led Jiang Tao and Li Ming into the courtyard house together.
"Welcome to Affectionate Courtyard, please follow me."
As they entered, a tall young girl in a maroon cheongsam greeted them and led the way.
They registered their names and phone numbers at the service desk.
The waitress in charge of reception led the three of them into the east wing of the courtyard.
Without much small talk or formalities, the trio started ordering dishes directly.
Each person ordered four dishes, making a total of twelve dishes, and they ordered three bottles of Maotai.
Less than ten minutes after ordering, the waitress started serving the dishes one after another.
All the dishes they ordered were on the table within twenty minutes.
"Brother Jiang, I’ll toast you with the first glass, thank you for your kindness!"
After Zhang Bo poured the drinks for the three of them using a decanter, he raised his glass first to toast Jiang Tao.
"Let’s not speak such formal words among brothers, there’s no need to talk about kindness and such."
Jiang Tao smiled, raised his glass to clink with Zhang Bo, and the two of them drained their glasses in one gulp.
"The second glass is for the three of us! In such a crowded world, it’s a fate to meet among billions!"
"May our friendship last forever!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
The three of them clinked glasses and exchanged conversations, creating an extremely harmonious atmosphere.
Though Jiang Tao was four to five years older than Li Ming and Zhang Bo, the three of them got along very well with no barriers or generation gaps.
[Your friendship with Li Ming has increased by 1 point, now at 65 points! (Good Friends)]
[Your friendship with Zhang Bo has increased by 1 point, now at 68 points! (Good Friends)]
As the meal came to an end, two notification messages floated across Jiang Tao’s retina.
His friendship score with Li Ming and Zhang Bo increased by 1 point, bringing him closer to 90 points.
After eating and drinking, Jiang Tao took the initiative to go settle the bill at the service desk.
The meal, along with drinks and service charges, cost a total of over ten thousand yuan.
"Brother Jiang, Brother Jiang! Two o’clock direction, two o’clock direction!"
Just as Jiang Tao finished scanning to pay, Li Ming tugged at his arm from behind and quietly reminded him.
Jiang Tao turned his head in the direction indicated by Li Ming and saw a tall girl walking gracefully towards them.
The girl wore a light gray women’s business suit with a black stocking wrapped around her legs.
Though not as refined as Xu Li and Jiang Yi in features, she was about a six or seven out of ten.
On the street, she was sure to attract attention.
"That’s the girl Zhang Bo is trying to woo."
Li Ming introduced her to Jiang Tao with a wink and a teasing expression.
"Not bad looking."
Jiang Tao commented, nodding with a smile.
"Yuyan."
Zhang Bo’s eyes were only on Huang Yuyan when he saw her, and a happy smile appeared on his chubby face.
Just seeing Huang Yuyan every day brought him joy.
"Zhang Bo, sorry I was entertaining some important guests and couldn’t attend to you guys."
Huang Yuyan softly explained once she stood in front of Jiang Tao and the others.
"No worries, no worries, we’re full and satisfied."
"Yuyan, you know Li Ming, and this is Brother Jiang, my good friend and buddy."
"Brother Jiang, this is my friend Huang Yuyan."
Zhang Bo waved his hand with a smile, indicating he didn’t mind, and turned to introduce Jiang Tao and Huang Yuyan to one another.
"Hello Brother Jiang, very nice to meet you, and thank you for supporting our business."
Huang Yuyan nodded with a smile to greet Jiang Tao while quietly glancing at him.
As she looked, Huang Yuyan felt a sense of familiarity about Jiang Tao, as if she had seen him before.
Yet she was sure this was her first time meeting him, which felt quite odd.
"Hello Huang Yuyan, nice to meet you too."
Jiang Tao also smiled and nodded at Huang Yuyan, making a polite greeting.
Suddenly!
A flash of recognition crossed Huang Yuyan’s mind—she remembered where she had seen Jiang Tao.
On her roommate He Jing’s phone!
"Hey, what’s up, Yuyan?"
Zhang Bo asked curiously when he noticed Huang Yuyan staring at Jiang Tao.
Snapping back to reality, Huang Yuyan awkwardly smiled and explained:
"Oh, it’s nothing, nothing. I just thought Brother Jiang looks a bit like a customer I knew before."
Jiang Tao chuckled and said, "Is that so? I have a common face; there are lots who look like me."
"Brother Jiang, stop being modest. If you’re common, then we must look awful."
Li Ming playfully self-deprecated beside him.
Honestly, in terms of looks, the two of them together didn’t quite match up to Jiang Tao.
Li Ming and Zhang Bo were at best fair, clean, and a bit handsome.
Jiang Tao had chiseled features, an oval face, and sharp eyebrows, matching the ideal of a handsome man.
Even in his thirties now, his charm hadn’t waned.
Especially since his career had been smooth sailing recently, his overall demeanor had changed greatly.
Sunshine, handsome, confident—so many attributes gathered in him.
Along with his high-end attire lending an air of nobility.
He no longer had the air of poverty; a hint of elegance emerged.
The charm of a mature man was fully displayed on Jiang Tao.
"In person, even more handsome, more charismatic, no wonder He Jing is fond of this ’uncle’."
After meeting Jiang Tao, Huang Yuyan held him in high regard.
After getting acquainted and chatting a bit, Huang Yuyan received a call from a client she needed to attend to.
With a simple goodbye, the trio headed towards the parking lot.
Since they had all been drinking, they each called a designated driver to take them home.
Zhang Bo and Li Ming lived nearby; Jiang Tao lived the farthest.
By the time the designated driver pulled up under the Bai Gezhuang District, it was already past 4 PM, almost 5 PM.
"Boss, we’re here. If you could, please give a five-star rating."
The driver, a middle-aged man of about forty, with a simple and honest look, said softly to Jiang Tao, who was either asleep or resting with his eyes closed in the back seat.
"Here already?"
After opening his eyes and seeing the familiar surroundings outside the car window, Jiang Tao realized he was already home.
"You drove steadily. Of course, a five-star! Thanks a lot. Here’s a pack of cigarettes for your journey."
Jiang Tao spoke as he opened the central armrest box and took out a pack of Great Heavenly Leaves to hand to the driver.
"Thank you, Boss!"
The driver, an old smoker, thanked joyfully as he accepted the hundred yuan pack of cigarettes from Jiang Tao.
"Boss, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."
"By the way, here’s my business card. If you need a driver again, you can call the number on my card."
The driver said as he fished out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Tao.
Taking the card, Jiang Tao saw the name Jia Guolin printed on it.
"Alright, take care, Master Jia."
Jiang Tao casually placed Jia Guolin’s card into the armrest box.
"I wish you great success and a happy, fulfilling life, Boss!"
Shooting Jiang Tao a friendly smile, Jia Guolin got out of the car and left.
As Jiang Tao got out and turned to head upstairs, he suddenly felt a whim to see Jia Guolin off in the distance one last time.
[Name]: Jia Guolin
[Talent]: Safe Driving. (Will never be involved in a car accident.)
[Professional Direction]: Race Car Driver (Five Stars), Driver (3 Stars).
"Wow, he’s a race car driver held back by doing rideshares."
Amused by Jia Guolin’s talent and career path, Jiang Tao chuckled with surprise.