Chapter 22 Open Flirting: He seems to know your tastes quite well? ...

Gu Zeming looked at her for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand.

Jiang Chuyu reflexively closed her eyes, thinking she was about to be kissed again.

But after a few seconds, the expected kiss did not come.

Cool fingertips pinched her right earlobe, and the person in front of her chuckled softly.

"Senior?" Jiang Chuyu opened her eyes in surprise.

His fingers were cool, and he wasn't pinching hard, but this method of punishment was just too strange!

"You have pierced ears." Gu Zeming raised an eyebrow, gently stroking the small hole on her earlobe with his thumb. "When did you get them?"

"I forgot, I forgot." Jiang Chuyu's eyes darted around. Actually, she had called after the college entrance exam, but the more she said, the more mistakes she would make, and she was afraid that he would have something on her that she might use against her, so she simply kept quiet.

Gu Zeming narrowed his eyes, suddenly increasing the pressure on his hand, and said in a nonchalant tone: "Lying."

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Jiang Chuyu's eyes instantly welled up with tears, like a fox being pinched by the scruff of its neck, and she muttered softly, "You really forgot..."

Gu Zeming released her hand, looked at her reddened ears, and gestured for her to come closer.

"what?"

Jiang Chuyu took a small step forward and felt his fingers pinch her earlobe again. Then a cold touch pressed against her skin, and she subconsciously shrank her neck.

"Don't move." Gu Zeming's breath brushed against her neck.

The sound of metal clasps clicking rang out, and her earlobes sank slightly as she touched them, finding a pair of small ornaments.

"Ugh..." Jiang Chuyu pinched the pair of blue diamond earrings, feeling annoyed. "What kind of weird stuff are you putting on me again?"

"Punishment prop." Gu Zeming withdrew his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You're not allowed to take it off."

Jiang Chuyu said dejectedly, "Oh."

I thought to myself, even if I secretly pick them behind your back, you won't see it.

Gu Zeming seemed to see through her little scheme and added, "You can take it off when you shower and sleep."

"..."

This beast is actually quite humane.

Jiang Chuyu's tense nerves relaxed, and she smiled, "Can I go now?"

Gu Zeming leaned back against the tree trunk, lowered his eyes, and silently watched her for a few seconds before raising his chin.

"Can."

Jiang Chuyu could hardly believe how easily she had escaped from his grasp.

She thought that Gu Zeming would at least kiss her before letting her leave.

Is that all?

That's it?

Jiang Chuyu touched her lips.

Hmm, it seems like I'm getting a little addicted to his kisses. I feel like something's missing if I don't kiss him for a day.

Back in her dorm, Jiang Chuyu put the gift box on the table and took out a mirror to check her ears.

Two teardrop-shaped blue diamonds dangle from a delicate platinum chain, sparkling brilliantly.

"Wow! Jiang Chuyu, where did you get those earrings?" Caiyan was the first to notice something was wrong. She jumped up from the bed, leaned close to Jiang Chuyu's ear, and looked her over from left to right.

"Did Li Sen give it to you?" Caiyan squinted, like an expert appraiser. "I saw the same one at the store last week, and it cost several thousand yuan!"

Jiang Chuyu was stunned for a moment.

Is it really that expensive?

Gu Zeming mentioned punishment props, and she thought they were cheap, cheap items sold at street stalls for a few dollars.

"How's it going with Li Sen today?" Caiyan winked. "He even gave you earrings, haven't you made it official yet?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Qing and Lin Yun turned to look at them.

In truth, Jiang Chuyu wasn't sure what Li Sen was thinking either. It was obvious that Li Sen was pursuing her, but he wasn't in a hurry to confirm their relationship; he seemed to be observing her attitude and weighing the pros and cons.

Jiang Chuyu glanced at the gift box.

When Li Sen was picking out a birthday gift for a friend tonight, he casually gave her a necklace worth over 100,000 yuan.

For a rich young man like him, tens of thousands of yuan might just be a day's pocket money, nothing to mention at all.

But for Gu Zeming to spend several thousand yuan on a pair of earrings, he would need to work hard for a month or two.

She remembered that Jiang Shan had just paid him his salary a few days ago, and he hadn't even had a chance to enjoy the money before it was all gone.

Jiang Chuyu felt her earrings suddenly become heavy.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but her throat seemed to be blocked. After a long while, she sighed and said, "Don't make wild guesses. The earrings weren't given to me by Li Sen. They were given to me by a friend."

"Oh, still shy!" Caiyan playfully nudged her shoulder. "What kind of friend? Male or female? Handsome or not? As rich as Li Sen?"

Jiang Chuyu forced a smile. "He's quite handsome."

But it's also quite dangerous; if you're not careful, he could drag you into the abyss and make you fall into complete ruin.

Fortunately, she had just smelled the scent of money.

Poverty makes people rational, but it also makes them sterile.

＊

On Friday after school, Li Sen's Porsche parked a few minutes early on the side of the road near the girls' dormitory.

Jiang Chuyu took off her earrings, opened the box, put on the necklace that Li Sen had given her, and went downstairs with her bag.

"Have you been waiting long?" Jiang Chuyu opened the car door, and a wisp of gardenia fragrance wafted into her nose.

I bent down and sat in the back seat, and saw a bunch of gardenias in the seat.

"Just arrived," Li Sen replied gently, his gaze lingering on her collarbone for a few seconds. "It suits you very well."

Jiang Chuyu touched the necklace, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Thank you."

The car smoothly drove onto the tree-lined road.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to adjust the rearview mirror, Li Sen glanced at the back seat.

Today she wore a white off-the-shoulder dress, her collarbones as delicate as butterfly wings. Her hair, slightly curled, cascaded over her shoulders, and her neck was as smooth and lustrous as jade. When she smiled, the corners of her eyes naturally turned up, giving her a soft and warm gaze.

Unlike his usual listlessness, this was a deliberately crafted calm and gentle demeanor.

"Is the air conditioning temperature suitable?" Li Sen tapped the control panel lightly, turning the fan speed down one level.

“Perfect.” Jiang Chuyu looked up at him and smiled.

“I remember you liked ‘Spring Dream’.”

"Yes, I've been learning recently."

Li Sen turned on the car's music system and lowered the volume.

The Porsche drove out of the school gate and slowly entered the city.

Looking out at the flowing neon lights, Jiang Chuyu casually remarked, "There are quite a lot of pedestrians on the street today."

"Yeah, everyone's more lively after get off work on Fridays." Li Sen's voice twitched with a smile.

While waiting at the traffic light at the intersection, he noticed that Jiang Chuyu was unconsciously rubbing the necklace around her neck.

Li Sen frowned slightly, carefully choosing his words, "Is it uncomfortable to wear?"

Jiang Chuyu suddenly laughed, her eyes curving into crescents: "How could I be uncomfortable with something you gave me?" She lightly touched the edge of the diamond with her fingertip, "I wore it especially for you to see."

Li Sen tightened his grip on the steering wheel and smiled, "I'm glad you like it."

After driving for more than ten minutes, the navigation prompted us to turn right, and a luxurious villa by the lake came into view.

"We're here." Li Sen parked the car and went around to the back seat to open the door for her.

Jiang Chuyu stumbled slightly as she bent down to get out of the car after her high heels touched the ground.

Li Sen's hand paused in mid-air for a moment before he gentlemanly helped her up.

He wasn't uncomfortable with Jiang Chuyu's occasional displays of cunning; on the contrary, he found them quite amusing. She was like a beautiful little fox, perhaps not entirely honest, not entirely clear-headed, not entirely pure. But she was absolutely beautiful, intelligent, and shrewd enough.

The two walked side by side toward the villa entrance.

Jiang Chuyu subconsciously tightened her grip on Li Sen's arm.

"Nervous?" Li Sen turned to look at her, a confident smile on his lips.

Jiang Chuyu shook her head and pulled out a gold-embossed invitation from her handbag. "I just didn't expect Qin Shengya to throw such a grand birthday party." She even needed an invitation to get in; rich people have so many rules.

The butler took the invitation, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, and said, "Miss Jiang, Mr. Li, please follow me."

Jiang Chuyu took a deep breath and followed the butler through the corridor covered with Persian carpets.

The moment the door was opened, the scents of champagne and expensive perfumes wafted out, accompanied by a lively atmosphere.

Jiang Chuyu's gaze swept over the men and women in the room, then suddenly froze, as if struck by lightning.

Corner of the bar.

Gu Zeming gently shook the cocktail shaker.

The ice cubes made a pleasant sound inside the metal container.

As he turned to hand the mixed drink to a female customer, he seemed to sense something, looked up, and his gaze met hers through the noisy crowd.

Jiang Chuyu's breath hitched, and her face turned deathly pale.

What's Gu Zeming doing here?

Wait, why is he working odd jobs again?

Did they empty their wallets because of the earrings?

Jiang Chuyu touched her ear.

Because she was afraid someone would ask where the earrings came from, and was certain that she would never run into Gu Zeming today, she deliberately took off the earrings he had given her and only wore Li Sen's necklace to the party. Little did she know that despite all her calculations, she had completely forgotten that he was a high-earning employee.

That's it.

Jiang Chuyu was exhausted and gave him a dry smile.

Gu Zeming frowned, and when he saw her and Li Sen's arms linked together, his face quickly darkened.

"What's wrong?" Li Sen noticed Jiang Chuyu's unusual expression, followed her gaze, raised an eyebrow, and showed a surprised look. "Ze Ming is here too, shall we go say hello?"

Jiang Chuyu swallowed hard: "He's working, shouldn't we not disturb him?"

"What's there to be afraid of? It's just saying hello."

Before she could answer, Li Sen had already pulled her toward the bar.

As the distance closed, Jiang Chuyu's heart pounded out of control, and her palms were drenched in cold sweat.

Gu Zeming casually swept his hair back today, revealing his smooth forehead and deep-set brow bones. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing off his well-defined and toned forearms.

Even a simple shirt and vest can make him look tall and sharp.

"Would you two like something to drink?" His gaze swept across her face before calmly looking at Li Sen.

"What a coincidence, what made you suddenly decide to work here?" Li Sen asked instead of answering, his tone carrying a hint of senior's concern for junior.

"Just helping out temporarily." Gu Zeming's smile didn't reach his eyes. "A friend said he'd be working part-time tonight for 600 yuan an hour, so I came over."

"I see. I'll have a Blue Hawaii, please."

Gu Zeming nodded and turned to her: "Where's the junior?"

Jiang Chuyu forced a smile and said, "A mojito, plus..."

"Add mint leaves and lime, half sugar, six ice cubes, right?" Gu Zeming replied naturally.

Jiang Chuyu paused for a moment, then nodded.

Li Sen frowned, his gaze shifting between the two of them, and he chuckled lightly, teasing, "Ze Ming seems to know your tastes very well?"

Jiang Chuyu's heart suddenly raced.

Gu Zeming stopped what he was doing and looked at her with a half-smile, as if he was also waiting for her answer.

"Perhaps, Senior Gu is more..." she stammered, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the music.

"Just guessing," Gu Zeming interjected, starting to prepare the sauce with fluid, efficient movements. "Most girls like this refreshing taste."

Jiang Chuyu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement: "Yes, that's right."

She knew Gu Zeming was lying; she often drank like this when she lived in the apartment, and he was used to it. But she had to play along with his lie.

"Oh?" Li Sen looked at her with a probing gaze, but didn't say anything more.

Gu Zeming smiled slightly and continued mixing drinks.

Jiang Chuyu watched as his slender fingers skillfully crushed the mint leaves, added crushed ice and rum.

A few minutes later, he pushed the Blue Hawaii to Lisen and handed her a mojito.

Jiang Chuyu reached out, and just as she was about to touch the glass, Gu Zeming deliberately moved the glass forward half an inch.

Fingertips touch.

Jiang Chuyu's fingers recoiled as if she had been electrocuted.

I lifted my eyelids and caught a glimpse of the mischievous smile in his eyes.

"Be careful, it's a bit cold."

Gu Zeming's Adam's apple bobbed as he subtly brushed his fingertips against the base of her thumb.