From the very beginning of this conversation, the youth had held the dominant position.
Realizing this, Fang Qi stared at him with a complex expression for a long time before finally shaking his head helplessly. He let out a low sigh and said, “Naturally, I am satisfied.”
No matter how strong the Imperial First Military Academy was or how high its standards were, that was only within the context of a military school.
A top scholar, one who was being passionately courted by Imperial University and likely fought over by other elite institutions choosing to apply for the military academy was something Fang Qi had never heard of. He could hardly imagine the storm this news would eventually cause.
However, one thing remained constant: the demand for elite students was the same across all top universities.
If Imperial University was willing to offer so many incentives to recruit him, what kind of conditions would the Imperial First Military Academy propose?
The more Fang Qi thought about it, the more he felt that this young man before him might truly become an outstanding mecha designer in the future. For Fang Qi, this was an exceptionally rare opportunity.
Except…
Fang Qi looked at him, his gaze heavy with appraisal. “You’ve told me so much, but what is it that you want?”
Xie Guanning smiled. “Director Fang, you must be joking.”
“All I want is a simple environment.”
“It will be enough if you simply tell my uncle that you and I had a very pleasant conversation.”
Fang Qi was a clever man. He paused for a moment, instantly grasping Xie Guanning’s meaning.
Fang Qi had come from a poor background, but in these social circles, he had grown accustomed to seeing children’s marriages treated as business transactions. This was especially true for Xie Guanning, whose background was awkward—his father had died young, and he was quite handsome. Xie Hongfei did not look like a benevolent uncle; how could he possibly let go of such a ready-made pawn?
Even if it wasn’t Director Fang today, there would be a Director Liu, Li, or Zhang tomorrow.
Fang Qi looked at him with interest. “Are you so sure I will agree to your proposal?”
Xie Guanning smiled. “Director Fang started from nothing to build the massive Jingrun enterprise. Your vision and insight are clearly far beyond those of ordinary people.”
He continued, “The cooperation between the Fang and Xie families is already a settled matter. An alliance through marriage is merely an extra flourish; with or without me, it won’t affect the partnership.”
He paused, then added meaningfully, “Furthermore, a marriage alliance means binding the two families together. With Director Fang’s capabilities, surely you aren’t satisfied with being tied solely to the Xie family?”
Fang Qi’s hand froze mid-sip of tea. His eyes narrowed as he slowly studied Xie Guanning.
Xie Guanning met his gaze with a smile.
After a long silence, Fang Qi set down his teacup and sighed, shaking his head. “You truly are Xie Hongyun’s son.”
He never expected that the truly brilliant person in the Xie family wasn’t Xie Hongfei, nor those “legitimate” young masters and ladies, but this obscure illegitimate son.
If Xie Hongyun hadn’t died, and if this child could stand on his own, the Xie family wouldn’t have fallen into such a decline year after year.
What a pity. What a waste.
“Director Fang flatters me,” Xie Guanning smiled, raising his teacup in a toast. “Then, here is to a happy cooperation.”
Fang Qi raised his cup with one hand and clinked it gently against his. His smile was warm. “I also look forward to the day you bring me a surprise, Young Master Xie.”
With a crisp clink, Xie Guanning’s smile deepened as he tilted his head back and drained the tea.
…
While waiting for Xie Hongfei to return, the two chatted casually.
Fang Qi’s interest in mechas wasn’t just for show; it was clear he had put in real effort to study the subject. Whenever he had a question, Xie Guanning answered it directly. Fang Qi’s eyes grew brighter as they talked, and his attitude became increasingly enthusiastic.
It wasn’t until Xie Hongfei knocked and entered, smiling as he announced that the kitchen had prepared the meal, that the two reluctantly stopped.
Seeing that the atmosphere between them was normal, Xie Hongfei felt relieved.
He smiled at Fang Qi. “My nephew is usually introverted and doesn’t talk much. I hope Director Fang doesn’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Fang Qi replied. He looked at Xie Guanning with a smile of pure satisfaction. “I find Guanning quite wonderful. We had a very pleasant chat just now.”
Xie Hongfei turned to look at Xie Guanning and saw him with his head slightly bowed, looking “shy.”
He was surprised, but mostly pleased. He said to Fang Qi, “It’s rare for him to share common ground with you. It must be fate.”
The food was served quickly. Xie Guanning remained silent during the meal while the two adults chatted briefly before moving the topic back to business. Xie Guanning listened in and gained a general understanding.
The cooperation was a done deal; the major directions were set. They were now just discussing minor details.
Few people at the table touched the food, but Xie Guanning ate a little. Midway through, he couldn’t help but quietly rub his stomach. He wasn’t sure if it was because of his irregular diet lately, but he felt a bit unwell.
Fang Qi noticed his discomfort. During a break in the conversation, he looked at him kindly and said, “Since we’re talking business, Guanning will likely be bored staying here. Go out and have some fun; you don’t need to stay and keep us company.”
Though Xie Hongfei was surprised by Fang Qi’s attentiveness toward the boy, it was a good sign. He immediately smiled and said, “Go ahead then. If you want to go home, have the driver take you.”
Xie Guanning had no intention of staying anyway, so he nodded and left.
Inside the restaurant’s restroom, the sound of running water filled the air.
As Xie Guanning washed his hands, he stared at his reflection, his gaze unfocused. He was mentally reviewing everything that had happened today.
From the moment he walked in to the final agreement, his actions hadn’t been improper. In fact, the results were even better than he had anticipated.
He had originally thought he would have to wait until the college entrance exam results came out tomorrow to show Fang Qi the “sincerity” he required. But that phone call from Imperial University had been incredibly timely, perfectly filling the missing link in his plan.
If Fang Qi kept his word, he would likely have a peaceful summer vacation. As for after school started, Xie Guanning wouldn’t have to worry about what the Xie family might do.
He breathed a sigh of relief as a weight was finally lifted from his chest.
The restroom was empty. Xie Guanning flicked the water off his hands and headed out, only to see an unexpected figure in the hallway.
“Marshal Jiang?!” Xie Guanning’s eyes widened.
Jiang Yan had been leaning against the wall, though it was unclear how long he had been waiting. Hearing the movement, he turned his head slightly and scanned Xie Guanning. Seeing no obvious injuries or signs of distress, he spoke: “I thought perhaps you might need my help.” He paused. “But it seems you handled it quite well on your own.”
He slowly stood up straight, his clear gaze fixed on Xie Guanning like a deep, unfathomable pool. His voice was calm and devoid of emotion.
“A blind date?” he asked.
Xie Guanning’s heart skipped a beat. For some reason, he felt inexplicably guilty.
He instinctively rubbed his nose and explained in a low voice, “It was just Xie Hongfei wanting me to form a marriage alliance… he brought me to meet someone. It was actually fine.”
“And so?” Jiang Yan looked at him, expressionless. “So you came here all by yourself.”
Xie Guanning’s lips twitched as if trying to force a smile. “I looked into the situation beforehand. Fang Qi is interested in mechas and respects high achievers. There was a high probability I could reach an agreement with him without any issues.”
“A high probability,” Jiang Yan repeated slowly. “What if the low probability occurred? What would you have done then?”
Xie Guanning paused, then said, “Even if the worst happened—these are people with reputations to uphold. If I wasn’t willing, could he really have forced me?”
Jiang Yan looked at him for a long time. Suddenly, his expression softened, and he let out a soft sigh. “Guanning.”
He called his name, his voice deep and helpless. “I regret it.”
He regretted saying before that the boy didn’t need help, only to watch him shoulder everything alone without saying a word.
Xie Guanning looked at him blankly, yet he somehow understood exactly what Jiang Yan meant.
He blinked. The light from above caught his hair and his eyelashes, which fluttered softly. The corridor fell into a brief silence.
After a long while, Xie Guanning lowered his gaze and whispered, “Actually, it’s not like I was completely unprepared.”
Jiang Yan looked up at him.
Xie Guanning curled his toes against the floor and bit his lip. “Even if Fang Qi had been completely stubborn…”
He said softly, “…didn’t I still have you?”