ECG -Chapter 78 Mr. Yang, Is My Guess Correct?

Jin Yongnian glanced at Yang Qianyi, unable to hide the shock in his heart. How did this young man know that they were from Yanjing? After all, they had barely exchanged a few words, and Yang Qianyi’s Mandarin was extremely standard. She had also deliberately avoided using a Beijing accent.

Zhu Xiaolan was naturally a lively person. Although she was equally surprised, since she was with President Yang, she didn’t dare to ask too many questions.

“President Yang, everyone, please sit down!” Lin Hao gestured politely.

On the surface, the three of them all looked calm and composed, but inside, each of them was wondering: Was this young man simply extremely perceptive? Or had someone secretly informed him beforehand?

They hadn’t even exchanged business cards. How had he seen through the identities of all three of them? And why had he called her President Yang?

The four of them took their seats, and the lady boss walked in carrying the menu.

“Boss lady, bring us a pot of tea first. Make sure it’s good tea, okay? Don’t fool us with dried cabbage leaves like last time!” Lin Hao joked.

The lady boss was around forty years old, with a mature charm about her.

She covered her mouth and laughed. “I could fool anyone, but I wouldn’t dare fool you!”

After saying that, she raised her voice and shouted outside, “Old Hu, brew a pot of good tea!”

Lin Hao picked up the menu and was about to hand it to Yang Qianyi, but she quickly waved her hand and said with a smile, “When you’re a guest, you follow the host’s arrangements. We already ate something on the plane.”

Lin Hao didn’t insist and ordered six Northeastern home-style dishes.

Seeing that he had already ordered six dishes, the lady boss repeatedly waved her hands. “That’s enough, that’s enough. My portions are big. Ordering more would just be wasteful!”

After the lady boss left, Yang Qianyi smiled and said, “People from Northeast China really are so straightforward. Ah, it’s been so many years since I last came here. It’s really freezing cold!”

Lin Hao said, “Yeah, today it’s at least thirty-five or thirty-six degrees below zero. If you don’t wear enough clothes when you go outside, you’ll freeze completely.”

After chatting casually for a few moments, the lady boss brought over the tea. Lin Hao stood up and poured tea for everyone.

“You know, people from Northeast China really do share a similar preference with people from Yanjing!”

Jin Yongnian asked, “Oh? What is it?”

Lin Hao pointed at the tea in front of them. “Jasmine tea!”

Jin Yongnian suddenly understood. “Looks like Mr. Lin also knows quite a bit about tea?”

Lin Hao smiled and waved his hand. “People from Yanjing have a special fondness for jasmine flowers. All year round, no matter the season, they like to brew a whole pot with boiling water. The strong jasmine fragrance that fills the air is truly refreshing.”

Holding his belly, Jin Yongnian laughed heartily. “That’s right. My old man also loves drinking jasmine tea. I’ve been drinking it with him since I was little.”

“Director Jin used to study music as well, didn’t he?”

The moment Lin Hao called him “Director Jin,” Jin Yongnian’s hand trembled, and the scalding tea in his cup splashed out.

Yang Qianyi was also unable to hide her shock and turned to glance at Zhu Xiaolan.

Zhu Xiaolan stood up and smiled apologetically. “I’m going to the restroom.”

After reaching the restroom, she immediately called Han Ying.

“Han Ying, did you tell Lin Hao that we were coming?”

Han Ying was completely confused. “No? Didn’t you see last night? After you watched me finish my call with him, I haven’t contacted him again. What happened? Did something happen to Lin Hao?”

Han Ying didn’t know what had happened, and she became anxious.

“No, no! Don’t overthink it. We met Lin Hao, but the strange thing is… he seems like he already knows us!” Zhu Xiaolan said.

Hearing that nothing had happened to Lin Hao, Han Ying finally relaxed.

“Han Ying, seriously, you really didn’t tell him?”

Han Ying became anxious, and even raised her voice. “I signed a contract! If I told him, I’d be violating the contract! Besides, the deadline is almost here. Why would I tell him a few days early?”

Zhu Xiaolan felt that she didn’t sound like she was lying. She comforted her with a few words before hanging up the phone.

Jin Yongnian hurriedly put the cup of water down on the table and pulled out a tissue to wipe himself.

“Director Jin, you didn’t get burned, did you?” Lin Hao asked with concern.

“No, no!” Jin Yongnian felt it was rather ridiculous. How could he have lost his composure because of a young man?

Lin Hao smiled. “I asked you earlier, you should also have studied music, right?”

“Yes, I graduated from the Huaxia Conservatory of Music. Why don’t you guess what my major was?” Jin Yongnian felt that ever since he met Lin Hao, he had been led around by the nose, so he wanted to regain the upper hand.

Lin Hao smiled and answered without the slightest hesitation.

“Violin!”

Jin Yongnian was so shocked that he almost stood up. He looked at Yang Qianyi, and she was equally stunned. At that moment, Zhu Xiaolan walked in and gave Yang Qianyi a slight shake of her head.

“Mr. Lin, how did you figure it out?” Unknowingly, Jin Yongnian had started using honorifics.

Lin Hao pointed at his hand. “Your left index finger, middle finger, and ring finger—near the nails of all three fingers, you can see faint calluses. Only people who have practiced the violin diligently for a long time would have these three calluses.”

“Also, I guess there should be a small round mark above your left collarbone. That was caused by the peg used to secure the chin rest. It’s also a sign of how hard you practiced. Am I right?”

Jin Yongnian was completely convinced. He clasped his hands together and said, “Teacher Lin really is an expert!”

Lin Hao burst out laughing. “How am I some kind of expert? I’m not even 1.8 meters tall!”

Jin Yongnian sighed inwardly. The person before him was hardly a twenty-year-old young man. With every word and every laugh, every step was calculated. He was clearly an old fox who had been tempered by society for countless years.

The lady boss began bringing out the dishes, and Lin Hao chatted with her jokingly.

“Boss, business is so good. At night, you still can’t bear to hire a waiter?”

“There are only a few tables at night. Why would I hire someone? The little bit of money I make wouldn’t even be enough to pay their wages!” After saying that, the lady boss asked again, “The dishes are all here. Do you want some alcohol?”

Jin Yongnian repeatedly shook his head. Lin Hao smiled and waved his hand. The lady boss said, “Enjoy your meal,” then closed the door and left.

Yang Qianyi watched Lin Hao chatting and laughing so casually with great interest. She felt that she was becoming less and less able to see through this young man.

Lin Hao began arranging the meal, and the conversation was all about Northeastern customs and local culture. He didn’t mention the real topic even once.

After they had eaten for a while.

Seeing that Yang Qianyi hadn’t eaten much, Lin Hao also put down his chopsticks. He took out cigarettes and handed one to Jin Yongnian. The two politely exchanged gestures before lighting them. Then Lin Hao smiled at Yang Qianyi.

“President Yang, you still owe me an apology!”

The movements of everyone in the room instantly froze. Jin Yongnian and Zhu Xiaolan hurriedly put down the chopsticks in their hands as well.

Yang Qianyi’s thoughts raced. Zhu Xiaolan had just called Han Ying earlier, and Han Ying’s meaning was that she hadn’t revealed the news of their arrival.

But how did this Lin Hao seem to know everything?

Han Ying must have lied. She was the one who told Lin Hao all these things. Otherwise, how could he possibly know everything? And how could he ask me to apologize?

Yang Qianyi’s expression turned cold.

“What did Han Ying tell you?”

Lin Hao shook his head.

“Don’t misunderstand her. She’s a newcomer—how would she dare violate the contract? This matter has nothing to do with her.”

Yang Qianyi smiled when she heard the word “contract.” He was still young after all—he had let it slip himself. If Han Ying hadn’t told him anything, how could he know about the contract?

She didn’t believe that someone Lin Hao’s age could see through the hidden tricks behind this matter if Han Ying hadn’t told him.

“I know President Yang doesn’t believe me. Let me analyze it for you.”

Lin Hao casually pressed his cigarette butt into the ashtray.

“First, after the Green Song Competition ended, no one came looking for me. That was very abnormal.”

“The lawsuit I had with Fenghua Fashion didn’t cause much reaction. That’s understandable. After all, Fenghua Fashion is only a management company, its scale is too small. Sun Xiaowei is also a newcomer, and there was no attention or popularity around him.”

“But the Green Song Competition was different!”

“Second, Han Ying signing with Meiying is very easy to find out. It’s obvious that you are heavily promoting her, but for several months, no one came through Han Ying to find me. That can only mean one thing.”

At this point, he looked at Yang Qianyi’s face with a faint smile.

“President Yang ‘shelved’ me! I guess you used the contract to pressure Han Ying, so for such a long time, not a single person who wanted to buy songs came to me!”

“President Yang, is my guess correct?”

After saying that, Lin Hao stared at Yang Qianyi without blinking.