Chapter 6
The feeling at that moment was quite complex, a mix of frustration and shame, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over me, before I finally realized the inherent arrogance and aloofness of the person I was targeting.
The woman in the back seat found it hard to articulate the resentment that rose within her when she was ignored, and the awkward fondness that suddenly made her look at Yuan Chuyu with newfound respect.
She was both embarrassed and annoyed that the other party hadn't received her radar signal, and also admired that he wouldn't be attracted to such a superficial and straightforward temptation.
This reminded her of her middle school classmate who, after being publicly ridiculed and told "your underwear is showing," was the only one who didn't follow the crowd's lead, remained unresponsive, and didn't think it was anything worth humiliating or mocking.
He simply turned to the group of ill-intentioned people with a stern face and said, "Class is about to start, why are you making so much noise?"
Then, while she was still half-asleep listening to the teacher begin the lesson, he secretly slipped her a note that read: "It's okay, don't worry about it."
Instead of handing her a thick coat to cover herself up, they said, "It's okay, please don't worry about it."
There's nothing to hide; it's not her fault.
This is something only girls would understand: the graceful way to handle the awkwardness, embarrassment, and shrinking back when being maliciously targeted.
She remembered that deskmate for many years because of this, and remembered that faint feeling of affection, like a seedling breaking through the soil.
Her boyfriend came over again and started touching her inappropriately, chattering on and on about which car was the coolest and most fun to drive with the windows down.
“You’ll have a housing provident fund by then, right? Let’s use it to buy a nice car after we get married, one with a partition…” He chuckled a few times. “Anyway, the housing provident fund is useless if it’s just sitting there without being used to buy a house. If we buy a nice car, our whole family can enjoy it.”
The difference is like heaven and earth.
The woman's expression suddenly turned cold. She pushed away the hand clinging to her waist and said indifferently, "You're thinking too far ahead. I've never thought about marrying you."
Before the two started arguing, Lin Langyi arrived at their destination. With two loud slams of doors closing, Yuan Chuyu finally spoke:
"Can I have another candy?"
Lin Langyi slowed down the car, holding the steering wheel with one hand and handing over the candy box with the other: "Mr. Yuan, would you like to sit in the back seat?"
Her eyes were fixed on the road ahead when she felt a fleeting touch on her wrist, a slight itch like a drop of ink spreading slowly in water.
She subconsciously trembled her hand, and the candy box made a slight clinking sound as Yuan Chuyu took one.
He peeled away the foil with a rustling sound and put the candy in his mouth: "I'm only less than four years older than you, let's call each other by our first names."
He had no intention of moving to the back, and instead, seemingly unbothered, he leaned away from the window towards her, casually resting his chin on his hand.
With only two people left in the car, he seemed comfortable and at ease, showing no signs of motion sickness, and was quite interested in the ride.
He asked, "Why are you still accepting Didi rides?"
Lin Langyi immediately said, "Environmental protection and green travel are everyone's responsibility."
Yuan Chuyu glanced at the luxury bag that had been temporarily stored under the passenger seat and smiled gently: "Hmm? I thought you would care more about the suitability of your status."
He spoke indirectly, but Lin Langyi immediately understood his point.
He was probably saying that she drives luxury cars and carries designer bags, yet she can casually stuff the bags into dusty places; she can drive a car with a broken window as a Didi driver all over the city; and she can even appear in live broadcasts and play suggestive songs, completely lacking the demeanor one would expect from a rich young lady.
She was like a glamorous guest trying to enter a high society ball, but she was full of flaws and out of place with the whole party.
Lin Langyi thought to herself that when she first saw Yuan Chuyu, she was right about the difference between the rich second generation and the aristocratic family. Now it seems that she could also add the nouveau riche label to the list. These three words sometimes seem to be very different, but once you think about it carefully, there is a huge gap between the senior, the senior, the senior brother and that man.
Lin Langyi: "Have you heard of that topic? It's about whether it's worth spending half a year's salary on a luxury handbag."
Yuan Chuyu looked at her.
"I saw an interesting statement in the answers, saying that even genuine products will be mistaken for counterfeit goods if they are beyond one's means, and even cheap street vendor items will be mistaken for designer pieces if one can afford them."
She turned her head and glanced at him quickly. The wind blew her long hair back, and the silk blouse she was wearing shimmered with golden light under the streetlights, making her look like a proud white swan floating on clear water: "So, do you think the concept of 'compatibility' means that I need to match my car and bag, or that it matches me?"
Yuan Chuyu paused for two seconds, then asked softly—or rather, as if he were murmuring—"But are there people who don't need packaging at all?"
“The more capable you are, the less you need to put on a facade in front of others. They will automatically beautify you. For example, you. The freedom to choose and refuse requires strength as collateral,” Lin Langyi said with great self-assurance. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and drove the car steadily and fast. “Of course, it’s okay if you don’t have the ability. For example, I will always meet a few special people in my life. I don’t need to put on a facade in front of them.”
The wind tousled their hair, and the streetlights cast shadows on their faces, which then quickly faded, like tiny planktonic organisms in the ocean.
Yuan Chuyu gazed intently at her, the candy slowly crushing between his teeth, making a soft grinding sound.
He asked for another candy, seemingly really liking the flavor.
He crumpled the unwrapped tin foil between his fingertips, slowly rolling it into a grain of rice-sized ball, and asked, "So, if you take me to pick up Didi, does that mean you don't need to put on any packaging in front of me?"
Lin Langyi pouted, muttering with regret and annoyance, "Of course I wanted to, but you insisted on getting in my car. And tonight, the car window and the passenger were both performing so perfectly, so there's nothing I can do. I might as well just go with the flow. If you have another chance to ride in my car in the future, you'll probably still only be able to sit in the passenger seat. Anyway, it's all the same now."
Yuan Chuyu chuckled softly, appearing to be in a good mood.
"Okay, it's a great honor to sit in the passenger seat, Miss Lin."
A magnetic female voice on the radio was humming a soaring high note, while the saxophone and drumbeats imbued this fast-paced journey with the unbridled freedom of Thelma & Louise.
In the latter half, Lin Langyi was making Bluetooth calls to her clients, and Yuan Chuyu didn't say another word.
He simply kept his gaze fixed on her profile, a gesture he had repeated countless times throughout the night. Staring at someone was not a good idea in social etiquette, especially for a lady, but Lin Langyi's unconsciously revealed charm and uniqueness made him seem like a foolish, curious insect that only flew towards the nectar.
He slowly pushed the sugar in his mouth aside with the tip of his tongue, the sweet and sour scent overwhelming his senses. Actually, he had smelled a pleasant floral and fruity fragrance when he got into the car. At first, he thought it was the car air freshener, but when he got closer to her with the window wide open, he realized that it was her scent.
He kept the third candy in his mouth for a long time.
Lin Langyi drove to their destination, a newly opened racing club. Before getting out of the car, Yuan Chuyu took out his phone and said, "I'll transfer the window repair fee to you."
"Oh? No need." She quickly waved her hand. "You didn't break it. It was already broken."
Yuan Chuyu had already laid out the QR code in front of her. It wasn't a payment code; it was for adding contacts on WeChat.
Lin Langyi added the person, but refused to accept the money. She felt that Yuan Chuyu was being too polite. Perhaps she had been too prejudiced against him tonight. So, as if to make up for it, she smiled at him more sincerely.
There was a slight commotion at the club entrance. Someone came out and seemed to shout in their direction. Yuan Chuyu turned his head slightly, distracted. Lin Langyi briefly said goodbye and started the car.
When Cheng Yanjin came out, he only had time to see the car exhaust. He didn't care whether the car that brought his brother over was black or white. He went up and nudged Yuan Chuyu in the back with his elbow, and saw that he was still looking into the distance at the car that had left.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Yuan Chuyu looked away.
Cheng Yanjin glanced at him. After years of friendship, he could naturally tell whether his brother, who was always smiling for 360 out of 365 days, was genuinely happy or just giving a polite smile.
"You seem to be in a good mood?"
"good."
As soon as the two entered the club, several men of similar age gathered around them. They were all younger members of the family with whom the two had business dealings and private interactions.
One of the unfamiliar men with slanted eyes was squeezed into a corner and respectfully greeted Yuan Chuyu. However, a modified race car started up on the track in the distance, and the loud roar swallowed his words completely.
Seeing that Yuan Chuyu only smiled and nodded to other familiar people, the woman with slanted eyes seemed unwilling. She pushed her way in with her shoulder and smiled flatteringly: "Young Master Cheng kept calling you 'Brother Yu, Brother Yu'. How could we dare to pick up our chopsticks without you here?"
Yuan Chuyu still ignored him and shook hands with Yuan Yinghe, the eldest son of the Yuan family, who was also entering the circle for the first time.
His slanted eyes made his smile a little stiff. He had heard that Yuan Chuyu had an exceptionally good temper, unlike some arrogant and domineering rich kids who looked down on everyone else. He moved closer to assert his presence.
"Young Master Cheng was sulking because of a woman just now, and everyone was comforting him. What's so great about a nouveau riche's daughter? None of the guys here today are short of women..."
Yuan Chuyu suddenly glanced at him, but didn't smile; his face revealed neither joy nor anger.
Finally getting attention, the man with the slanted eyes quickly said, "Brother Yu, I own a printing and dyeing factory. You can just call me Xiao Jun."
Yuan Chuyu didn't respond, but said indifferently, "Gossiping about women behind their backs and judging them is quite tasteless."
Xiao Jun choked, feeling a little embarrassed. He had asked someone to set up this meeting, using the pretext of a new store opening to try and build a relationship with these privileged young people. He figured that rich kids were all about partying and having fun, so when he came in to deliver wine earlier, he heard Cheng Yanjin complaining about his arranged marriage and used that as an excuse to make a fuss.
"It's not that..." he chuckled, "We're all buddies. I saw that Young Master Cheng was upset about a woman who sells pearls, so I offered him a few words of comfort..."
Yuan Chuyu had already taken two steps to the side, but upon hearing this, he suddenly turned around and stopped, emphasizing, "Pearl?"
Xiao Jun jogged over and nodded vigorously, subtly boasting, "You don't know, when I searched her up, I found out she was still live-streaming. I just wanted to help her vent her anger. After this is over, we won't even mention her anymore, haha, bro, you're right, let's not talk about it anymore."
Upon hearing this, not only Yuan Chuyu, but also Cheng Yanjin turned around and frowned at him.
"Live stream? To vent?"
"Yeah, I was thinking of deflate her ego, so I spent some money to get her to smile at me." Xiao Jun quickly took out his phone to take a screenshot. He was also heartbroken about the 40,000 yuan that went down the drain. He just wanted to show his loyalty and generosity in this circle. "Look, I just spent a little money to get her to dance a little dance."
"Are you fucking sick?!" Cheng Yanjin suddenly kicked him hard in the shin without any mercy. Xiao Jun was still grinning with his teeth showing, completely unprepared, and was kicked flat on his back with his feet in the air.
The phone flew out of his hand and hit the wall with a crisp sound. Cheng Yanjin was still angry and turned to question the kid, asking who brought him in and if he didn't know that the place was booked and that no Tom, Dick, or Harry was allowed to sneak in.
Yuan Chuyu had stopped smiling from the beginning. He looked at the phone lying against the wall, screen down, as if he could treat the fact that he hadn't seen the photos on the phone as an illusion.
He walked slowly, as if he were making some kind of mental preparation. His leather shoes stomped silently on the short-pile carpet. After a while, he half-squatted down, picked up the phone with the broken screen, and slowly turned it over.
In the screenshot, she is dressed in green, with delicate eye bags peeking out from under her crescent-shaped eyes, shallow dimples, and a round, lustrous pearl on her neck emitting a soft glow. She certainly carries off jewelry very well.
"The marriage alliance you mentioned before, is it with Lin Langyi, the daughter of the Lin family?"
The race car circled back to its third lap, and there was another huge roar. No one could hear what he was saying.
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