Bab 23: Chapter 23: Li Zhiyan Self-Taught in French!
Li Zhiyan stepped directly in front of Smith, blocking his path. With a calm and fluent tone, he spoke in perfect French, "Mr. Smith, hello. Perhaps we can have a conversation. If there's anything you need to discuss, I can translate for you."
Smith paused, visibly surprised. Never did he expect to hear such impeccable French in a foreign country.
"You... are you a Chinese-French native?" he asked, intrigued.
"No, sir. I merely taught myself French."
Smith's eyes widened in admiration. "To have learned French to this level on your own… You, young man, are truly a genius."
Li Meifeng, watching this exchange, was utterly stunned. Here he was, conversing with Mr. Smith like it was nothing, with no communication barrier at all.
This kid knows French too? Unbelievable!
Meanwhile, behind them, Ruan Shiyun felt her heart pounding with excitement. She'd recorded a video of him working on the computer earlier and was already amazed by his skill. Here was an 18-year-old who had earned over sixty thousand yuan through self-taught programming skills alone.
He was already the boy of her dreams, her ideal protégé.
But now—Li Zhiyan could even speak French!
"Li Aunty," he said with a slight smile, "if you need anything translated, just let me know. I'll help handle it."
Snapping back to her senses, Li Meifeng replied, "Yes, yes, of course!"
There was no time to ask how he'd learned French; sealing this deal was now far more important than any other question on her mind.
With that, Li Zhiyan continued translating, his confidence shining through, knowing he was impressing Ruan Shiyun with every word.
After about half an hour of translating, Li Meifeng successfully signed the contract. As Liu Huan escorted Smith out of the office, Li Meifeng couldn't contain her joy.
"Thank you so much, Xiao Yan! Without you, I would've suffered a huge loss today."
Li Meifeng walked over to her desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a stack of hundred-yuan bills, placing them in front of him.
"Here, take this, dear."
Li Zhiyan couldn't help but feel that, despite her playful remarks, Li Meifeng was genuinely generous at heart.
"Li Aunty, this is too much. A typical interpreter doesn't make more than a thousand yuan a day, and it's not even steady work."
"Come on, just take it. If not for you, I'd have lost so much more!"
With a gentle yet firm push, Li Meifeng moved the money toward him. Seeing her determination, he decided not to be overly polite. Today's work had earned him a solid fifty thousand, a huge win.
"Where is Liu Huan? Still not back?" Li Meifeng asked with a slight smirk. She could guess why he hadn't returned—losing face to an 18-year-old in front of his crush was probably hard to bear.
"Good riddance," Ruan Shiyun muttered with a look of mild distaste. "That man's only ever interested in one thing. People like him are such a bother."
"Unlike our Xiao Yan," she added, her voice softening.
The more she looked at Li Zhiyan, the more she admired him. He might appear ordinary at first glance, but the more one got to know him, the more attractive he became. His talents and work ethic only added to his charm.
"Oh please," teased Li Meifeng, raising an eyebrow. "He hasn't even agreed to let you 'feed' him yet, and here you are calling him 'our Xiao Yan.' Isn't your son Liu Zifeng?"
"Don't even mention him..." The mention of her own son made Ruan Shiyun's mood sink slightly. Compared to Li Zhiyan, Liu Zifeng had a long way to go.
Li Zhiyan, meanwhile, checked his bank balance on his phone. The system's thirty-thousand-yuan reward had already been credited to his account.
His balance now totaled eighty thousand yuan—only 920,000 left to buy that new apartment for his mom!
Around noon, Li Meifeng treated them to a lavish meal at a nearby hotel as a gesture of gratitude to Li Zhiyan. She knew she'd dodged a substantial loss thanks to him.
As they left the restaurant, Li Meifeng couldn't resist making one more playful jab. "Oh, Ms. Ruan, if you're really going to feed him, make sure to snap a picture and send it to me so I can have a look!"
"Why don't you do it yourself if you're so eager?" Ruan Shiyun shot back.
"Oh, I would, but I doubt he'd want me to. And besides, your… provisions would feed him three times as well as mine would."
"Just go already!"
Blushing slightly, Ruan Shiyun waved her friend off. This woman and her endless "feeding" comments—she really never stopped. In this arena of playful remarks, she was no match for Li Meifeng.
"Buh-bye, Xiao Yan!" Li Meifeng called out as she walked away.
Watching her leave, Ruan Shiyun sighed, turning to Li Zhiyan with a smile.
"Xiao Yan, don't take her words to heart. She's always so improper around younger folks," she said. "Really, sometimes she's too much. Come on, get in the car—I'll drop you home. I have to head back to the office this afternoon anyway."
"No need, Auntie Ruan. My mom's not home, and I wouldn't have much to do there either. Just drop me off near your company, and I'll be fine."
"Alright then. My company isn't far from here anyway."
...
When the Audi A6 pulled up in front of Ruan Shiyun's office building, Li Zhiyan stepped out and was immediately met with the intense summer heat. He welcomed it, though. There was something invigorating about the heat of youth.
"Bye, Auntie Ruan!" he called, waving.
"Xiao Yan, wait!"
"Yes, Auntie?" he replied, turning back.
"I almost forgot to ask—you speak French so fluently. Did you spend time in France?"
Li Zhiyan chuckled softly. Where would a regular kid like him get the money to travel abroad?
"No, Auntie Ruan. I've never even been outside Anhui Province."
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Then how did you become so fluent in French? French is much harder to learn than English. Did you have a private tutor?"
"No, Auntie Ruan. I taught myself. I figured another skill would help me ease my mom's burden a little."
It was the simplest explanation he could offer—he couldn't exactly tell her he had a system granting him knowledge.
Hearing this, Ruan Shiyun found herself both astonished and deeply moved.
So he learned French on his own? Not only had he taught himself programming, but French as well!
How much determination must it have taken? And he did it all to help his mother live more comfortably. What a thoughtful and driven child.
For a moment, her vision blurred as her eyes welled up. Overcome with emotion, she leaned in and gently hugged him.
And as she embraced him, Li Zhiyan couldn't help but be struck by the warmth and softness of her embrace.
He thought, 'Auntie Ruan's hug... is really something extraordinary.'
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