Blossoming Flowers

"Since you do not have anything to do today, come with me this afternoon," Han Qingshan said. "I need to go to the office and get some papers, after which I have a meeting with the other noble scions at the horse track."

"I don't think I should," Jiang Yingyue was rather hesitant. She knew that although she had befriended Han Qingshan, it was not that easy to be accepted by the rest of the high society, and she would be looked upon unfavorably.

She might even cause people to misunderstand, or look oddly at Han Qingshan, saying that he was surrounding himself with dirt, when he was, in fact, a heavenly sent son.

"It will be fine," Han Qingshan did not seem to understand where Jiang Yingyue's worries came from, but when he thought about Jiang Yingyue spending the rest of the day alone, he was quite eager to bring her along to his appointments.

"Are you really sure?" Jiang Yingyue frowned, "I am not the kind of person who is allowed into the Han Corporation, neither should I socialize with the scions of the noble and royal families. I am, after all, a mere commoner."

"Who dares to look down upon you because of your background?" Han Qingshan became rather sullen just thinking about it, but then he flashed a brilliant smile and patted Jiang Yingyue on the top of her head.

"Stop worrying, I will be there backing you up. Don't you want to ride a horse?" he asked, trying to tempt his good friend.

Truth was that Jiang Yingyue really did want to try to ride a horse. She loved animals and she liked sports. Putting them together seemed like a brilliant idea, but riding was a very expensive pastime, so she had never tried it before.

"Do you go riding often?" Jiang Yingyue asked curiously. She suddenly remembered that the last time, when he had almost run her over, he had also been on the way to the horse track. Was he good at horse riding?

"I don't really go there often," Han Qingshan answered while scratching the back of his head. "One of our comrades just came back from England, and she is very keen on riding horses, so she always uses any excuse to make us meet at the horse paddock.

"But we also often go to the shooting range, and the tennis or badminton courts. We also go swimming and lots of other sports, and sometimes we meet up at bars or restaurants.

"I am the heir to my family empire, so I have to attend business dinners with potential clients, alongside also keeping connections with the other noble and royal families, to determine who is fit to become our partners in the future."

"There are many things that we need to keep into account, and it is not that simple. Even if I don't feel like it, I still have to socialize with the other scions."

Jiang Yingyue nodded her head. She had always known that life was not simple for the rich people, but after hearing Han Qingshan talk about it, she understood that it was truly a world where one could not trust their friends too much; or in the future they might find themselves stabbed in the back.

Han Qingshan had a few people he considered close friends and allies, but even they were his friends only because of his status and rank. Only Jiang Yingyue was different, and this was also why Han Qingshan was treating her differently.

Jiang Yingyue had invited Han Qingshan into her world, she had shown him how she lived, and he had even seen her parents. Now he wanted to return the favor.

"My father already knows about you," Han Qingshan said, with a smile on his face. "My mother saw the picture of the food from last night and started questioning me about who had cooked me such a scrumptious meal, and when she heard I found a new friend she became ecstatic.

"Since she knows, my father will clearly know as well, and he would be very happy to meet you. He is extremely easy going and friendly, so you don't have to be worried.

"I already met your parents, so there is no need to feel too uncomfortable. They are all the same anyway. Since I could handle it, then you can too."

Jiang Yingyue was about to say that there was a fundamental difference. Han Qingshan had ordered her to invite him home for dinner, so it was his own fault that he had met her parents, but now he wanted her to meet his father, was this not a little bit awkward? She was not his girlfriend, so why would she have to meet his parents?

Right, she was not his girlfriend, so why was she embarrassed about meeting his parents? It would be just a casual meeting, so there was nothing special about it.

Thinking like this she calmed down and nodded her head to Han Qingshan. Anyway, she had nothing better to do today, she was just going to be sitting at home, waiting to go to the university the following day, so why not live out one of her dreams and try horseback riding?

Seeing that her resistance had lowered, Han Qingshan was pleased and took out his phone.

He sent a message to his father, "I am bringing a good friend with me to the office today."

Not long after, just as the waiter returned to the room with all the food packed up, Han Qingshan's phone beeped.

"Is it the young man who cooked for you yesterday?" The reply sounded short, but Han Qingshan was used to his father. The fact that he responded this fast meant that he was quite curious.

"Yes, his name is Jiang Fengmian. He is from my university." Han Qingshan did not hide anything and answered straight away, before fishing out a black credit card and handing it to the waiter, who reverently picked it up and swiped it on the terminal, paying their meal.