Lu Xize listened and a trace of surprise flashed across his face. His pupils slightly dilated as he looked at him in disbelief: "Huh? I was all prepared for you to refuse. Why are you not playing by the rules? And you’re treating? Why do I feel a shiver down my spine?"
Jiang Baizhou glanced over, picked up the phone on the table, and squinted his eyes: "So, are you going or not?"
"Going! Of course, I’m going! It’s not easy to get you to treat me to a meal!" Lu Xize confirmed, and as he walked past him, he curiously asked: "But you being so eager to have a meal with me today makes me a bit anxious, without any assurance. Just tell me, do you have any ulterior motives towards me? I’m telling you, I’m a person of principles."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Baizhou’s peripheral vision slightly scanned him up and down, then retracted it with a hint of disdain: "Besides having money, what else do you have that attracts me?"
Lu Xize was speechless, following him downstairs, protesting: "That’s not right. When we talk, stick to talking, why resort to personal attacks? Even if the money is there, it’s my old man’s money. If I relied on him, why would I be partnering up with you, right?"
"Mm, whatever you say is right." Jiang Baizhou replied indifferently, his tone somewhat perfunctory.
However, Jiang Baizhou knew Lu Xize well. Although this guy had a flashy personality and came from money, he didn’t have any severe "rich kid" syndrome. He was genuinely sincere in business matters and very loyal, though sometimes his mouth could be a bit too sharp. Since college, Jiang Baizhou hadn’t hesitated to counter him with sarcasm.
"You’re brushing me off again?"
Once they left the consultation room, Jiang Baizhou stopped replying. After Jiang Baizhou got into the car, Lu Xize opened the front passenger door and sat inside. As Jiang Baizhou fastened his seat belt, he looked at him with a puzzled expression. Lu Xize, catching his gaze, shrugged his shoulders: "I didn’t drive today; my car’s in for maintenance. Since we’re eating together anyway, don’t sweat it!"
Jiang Baizhou responded once more with silence, starting the car and driving out of the parking lot.
"Do you know Ke Yuanfan from Hengyuan Real Estate?" Midway, Jiang Baizhou’s voice suddenly broke the initial silence in the car.
"Familiar! We’ve known each other since we were kids, grew up like siblings. His sister’s even married to my cousin! It’s practically a family connection." Lu Xize, engrossed in his phone, responded without thinking, but immediately felt something was off. After all, it’s rare to hear Jiang Baizhou mention anyone by name, except perhaps ’Nie Cenjin’ over the years.
After a brief pause, he suddenly realized: "So you’re treating me today as an excuse to make me a middleman, to introduce Yuan Fan to you, right? What secret agenda do you have?"
"Want to buy a house, bypassing the standard procedures." Jiang Baizhou was straightforward, without a hint of pretense.
Lu Xize’s mouth twitched fiercely a couple of times, thinking that only he could speak about ’bypassing procedures’ so righteously and openly!
"Out of the blue, why do you suddenly want to buy a house?"
"When I get married."
"You’re getting married? With whom? Nie Cenjin?" This piqued Lu Xize’s gossiping interest. He instantly sat up straight, eyes shining, staring at him without blinking.