Kong Huaijin chuckled lightly, "What, are you in a hurry to marry your sister off? I'm just curious. How does a 19-year-old have such capability and insight? His medical skills alone are already astonishing."
Kong Weizheng added, "Exactly. If he can cure that influential figure, this kid’s future will be limitless. After all, nothing is more precious than life—no amount of money can buy that. Who knows, we might need his help someday."
Kong Weizheng’s point was that the siblings should build a good relationship with Zhou Yi.
In this world, it’s better not to offend anyone, especially doctors—let alone someone like Zhou Yi, who’s far more skilled than the average physician.
Having more friends means more opportunities. It’s never a bad thing.
Kong Huaijin’s fondness level for Zhou Yi had already reached 57—not quite love, but a state of curiosity and goodwill.
Just then, her phone rang. The caller was her close friend, Luo Bingqing, a red-hot star in the entertainment industry.
"Hey, Huaijin, are you coming to my concert?"
"Of course. I just haven’t found anyone to go with yet."
"Just come alone! I’ll save you a great seat."
"Watching a concert alone is too lonely. Just reserve two spots for me—I’ll find someone to tag along."
After a brief chat, they hung up.
Kong Weizheng asked, "Was that Bingbing?"
"Yep. She’s holding another concert, this time in Huaihai. I figured I’d go show my support."
Kong Xiaohe chimed in, "So that’s why you were so insistent on dragging me along—it’s Bingqing-jie’s performance."
Luo Bingqing was the heiress of the Luo family, which had ties to the Kongs. A wealthy socialite, she had ventured into the entertainment industry right after college.
Not that it was much of a struggle—with her family’s money and resources, she debuted at a level most could only dream of.
Thanks to her stunning looks and captivating voice, she rose to fame quickly and had since secured a solid position in the industry.
"You didn’t want to go anyway, so I’ll just ask someone else."
"Concerts are too noisy, and I have classes, sis."
"Fine, fine. I’ll find someone else."
Suddenly, Kong Xiaohe seemed to remember something.
"You could invite Yi-ge! He’s an amazing singer—seriously, sis, I’m not kidding. Have you seen that video of him singing rock? Even I, a guy, was mesmerized."
"Zhou Yi can sing?"
Kong Huaijin was taken aback. Zhou Yi seemed so serious—rock music?
The contrast was striking.
At the mention of Zhou Yi, Kong Xiaohe’s eyes lit up with admiration.
"Yeah! He’s written two songs that are absolutely incredible. Honestly, he could even be a guest performer at Bingqing-jie’s concert."
"You seem to really like him. Is Zhou Yi that charismatic?"
"I definitely admire him. It’d be even better if he became my brother-in-law."
Kong Huaijin smiled helplessly—she had no such intentions.
Zhou Yi was completely different from her in personality, and her marriage was destined to be a sacrifice for the Kong family.
Not to mention the age gap. If she and Zhou Yi got together, wouldn’t that be like an old cow eating tender grass?
"Who could possibly tame your sister? Zhou Yi seems too honest for her."
"Dad, what are you saying? You make me sound like some kind of shrew. Plenty of men pursue me, you know."
"Then why haven’t you brought any home?"
"They’re all either ugly or sleazy. None of them meet my standards."
"Exactly. You should start thinking about settling down. Don’t bury yourself in work all the time—people might think I’m forcing you to slave away."
"Here we go again. Money is way more appealing than men. With enough wealth, I can find any man I want."
"Aren’t you already rich enough? Then where’s the man? With your standards, there’s probably not a single guy in all of China who fits."
Kong Huaijin chuckled but didn’t respond.
It was true—no man had ever met her expectations.
Wealthy men were usually unattractive and promiscuous, while those without money were only after hers.
Once they got rich, they’d just go out and play around. She’d seen enough ugliness in the world to have much hope left for men or marriage.
A business alliance was the best option. To her, marriage was just a bargaining chip—a way to consolidate power.
As long as the partner wasn’t too poor, too ugly, too immoral, or too incompetent.
Well, those criteria alone ruled out most candidates.
Kong Huaijin idly traced her freshly manicured nails. "Out of all the men I’ve met, Zhou Yi is at least decent-looking."
Kong Xiaohe clicked his tongue. "Just ‘decent’? He’s so handsome he could be a celebrity—half the women in China would envy you if you dated him."
Kong Huaijin smirked. "And if he dated me, half the men in China would envy him."
Kong Weizheng teased, "Then why don’t you two just get together and make half the country jealous?"
All three burst into laughter.
Later, Kong Xiaohe pulled up the video of Zhou Yi singing for Kong Huaijin to watch.
The Zhou Yi in the video was nothing like the one she’d met earlier.
This Zhou Yi was carefree, unrestrained, and exuded an undeniable charm when performing rock.
She had to admit—Zhou Yi was seriously attractive.
"Did he write this song himself?"
If so, Zhou Yi was truly exceptional.
"Yeah, and I think he’s written others too."
"I’ll send it to Bingbing-jie and see what she thinks."
Back at the Kong residence, Kong Huaijin washed up and settled into bed.
The day’s social engagements had left her exhausted, and the alcohol wasn’t helping. She was already feeling drowsy.
After scrolling through her phone for a bit, she was about to sleep when Luo Bingqing called again.
The woman’s voice on the other end was brimming with excitement.
"Huaijin, you know Zhou Yi?"
"Yeah, we had dinner together tonight."
"Oh my god!!! Can you introduce me to him?"
Kong Huaijin blinked. "Huh? What’s going on—do you like him?"
Luo Bingqing gripped her phone eagerly. "I love his music! How close are you two? Are you good friends or just acquaintances?"
It was rare to see Luo Bingqing this worked up—the last time was when a senior she admired invited her to be a guest performer at a concert.
"Well... we’re not super close, but introducing you wouldn’t be a problem. Want me to invite him to your concert?"
"Yes! I’ll be in Huaihai in a few days—I’ll treat you to dinner then."
"Sure. Should I try to bring Zhou Yi along?"
"If you can get him to come, that’d be amazing. But no pressure if it doesn’t work out."
"Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he shows up."
If Kong Huaijin wanted to invite a man, there was no such thing as failure.
Except this time, she hit a wall with Zhou Yi.